1st Anniversary in Maine

It’s been one month since we got home from our incredible road trip to Maine, and we’re still daydreaming about it. Can you believe this our first genuine vacation together? Dating for 3 years, married for one, and we’ve never planned a trip together. Not that we haven’t traveled, but we’ve never had an extended trip where we actually need to plan what we’re doing and how. I think  it’s safe to say this trip was a success.

We left on a Saturday morning and drove to Boston. Enjoyed a delicious dinner in the North End, Dan got pulled into the stunts at Fanieul Hall because of his height, and spent the next morning on the Freedom Trail tour. Then we drove up to our cabin with a pit stop for lobster at the Chauncy Creek Lobster Pound.

We got to our cabin just before sunset, south of the small town of Blue Hill, over two bridges with this view (!!!), and at the end of a one-mile dirt road. Within minutes of getting to the cabin and seeing our home for the next few days, we both wanted to cancel our fancy anniversary dinner reservation in favor of spending as much time as possible in our little lakeside oasis. With a total of 450 sq ft, our cabin had everything we could have ever wanted. A great lake view, kayaks, a fire pit, hammock, multiple skylights, and absolute privacy – not another house or car in sight.

We spent our anniversary on a lobster boat in Southwest Harbor, learning how to catch them and how much the Maine culture is dependent on it. We had lobster rolls for lunch at Thurston’s Lobster Pound and explored the quiet side of  Mount Desert Island. Then back to the cabin for dinner on the grill and a spectacular sunset.

Bar Harbor is known for having the 2nd best 4th of July celebration in the US, and we were there to witness it all. We sat at a bar and had mimosas while watching the parade, then got to watch the lobster races (yes, really).

Then we walked around Jordan Pond and had tea and popovers at the Jordan Pond House. I will absolutely be attempting to make popovers sometime soon. Stay tuned.

Wednesday was hiking day – we climbed the Beachcroft Trail to summit Mt. Champlain, traversed the top of Mt. Champlain and hiked down the Beehive Trail. The total trip was over 7 miles and gave us perfect views of the dozens of nearby islands. Then we completed the Acadia Park Loop Road and checked out all the stops. We ended the day in Bar Harbor with a stop for ice cream and to-go lobster mac and cheese for dinner.

On Thursday we decided to stay in and truly relax. We had a slow morning with blueberry pancakes and mimosas, then explored the tiny town of Blue Hill.

In the afternoon, we were joined by Erin! Just a week before the trip, I stumbled upon Erin on Instagram (@erinwheat) and had the crazy idea that we should have a photoshoot at our little cabin. I’m so grateful we did (and grateful that she was available!), I haven’t been able to stop looking at these incredible photos. Plus, her blog post makes me cry every single time I read it (which has been over 10 in the last week…)

“They came for an adventure together at a secluded cabin where they celebrated their first beautiful year together of marriage. There was a moment when we were talking about about the jokes surrounding “surviving the first year.” As I drove home, I realized how much that statement never could apply to these two. They never stopped smiling, loving each other, always letting a finger gently trail across each others skin when moving apart.

There is no survival here, there is something real and surrounded by respect for one another and all that they are individually, and together.  With them, an example of how incredible the first year as husband and wife can be, and should be. An example of two people who look at one another and see hearts of gold first, before anything else.

It was a treasure to be reminded of that.”

I’m crying again. I’ve included some of my favorites at the bottom of this post, and see her blog and more photos here.

Friday morning we packed up and hit the road for Newport, RI. On our way we made a pitstop for lunch at a tiny diner in the middle of nowhere in Maine with incredible fried pickles (and I don’t typically like pickles!)

We stayed in a B&B walking distance from downtown Newport. We got to walk around and explore the downtown before having an  incredible late dinner at the Wharf Pub in Bowan’s Wharf. I ate a grilled calamari salad with lemon beurre blanc over greens and mini white beans.

We started our final day of vacation on Saturday morning with the Newport Cliff Walk. We got to see many of the mansions and enjoy the gorgeous views. On the walk back we got breakfast at the Rosemary & Thyme cafe before starting our final trip home.

As we were about to get into the car, the Armory of the Artillery Co of Newport, right next to our B&B, opened it’s doors for the day and Dan had to find out more. We got a personalized tour and got to see incredible artifacts including cannons cast by Paul Revere, a military uniform worn by Anwar Sadat, and a number of pieces from Colin Powell. Dan got to start and end the trip with a little history action, which countered all my hiking and nature requests. Not a bad ending to the trip.

Needless to say, we’ll be dreaming of this vacation for a while.