“And all of these
spirit voices rule the night
And all of these spirit voices rule the night
And all of these spirit voices rule the night”
~Paul Simon
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| Summit of Cadillac Mountain |
Maine the way life should be…as the official greeting of the
state goes. It clearly shows it on the sign once your cross over the Piscataqua
River Bridge from New Hampshire. Well, I must admit that Maine is a very
diverse state indeed. I recall from my Maine Politics class many moons ago
about the different regions. I felt like I have seen some different parts of
the state all summer, questioning myself am I really still in Maine. The state
size is roughly the size of Ireland, so it’s not too too big, but very diverse.
I’ve traveled back to Southern Maine from Midcoast & Down East. I will
admit that the traffic in Southern Maine during the summer is much like driving
in the Boston area. Just consider it a rather large suburb of the city. It used
to be part of Massachusetts a long time ago too.
“There are two basic
motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life.
When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion,
excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all
our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully
open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and
all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision
of people who embrace life.”
~John Lennon
A few weeks ago, I was guided, listing to spirit voices to
go take an adventure. It’s been long & crazy summers working with teenagers
mostly who just know how to suck my energy dry. I did the best with what I had
to work with & made sure that I took care of myself first each day with my
daily routine. I basically get up early to meditate to ground myself with doing
yoga & many nontraditional approaches that work for me. I had to. I had to start saving myself
rather than get to the place that I had been many times at sea where I got my
power taken away from me cos I’m very helpful. Working from the inside is my
main focus these days not worrying what others want me to do. It’s more about
being a soulful leader showing others how to live. I do know that I was an
inspiration to my many Young Artist at Maine Media that I could tell with how they warmed up to me &
respected me for me. They sure could tell that I danced to my own beat with
looking after their well being. I am happy that I could reach out so many &
felt rewarded for it. It felt a little different from my Japan days cos you
could say that the inner work is really working & the fact that I am
learning how to protect myself from being so sensitive. Sometimes the strongest
people who you might meet on this path down the rabbit hole tend to be the most sensitive ones that just know how to protect themselves. Oh, to get back to the spirit voice that told me to take a min road trip. I was guided to hire a car
& to head up north or to “Down East” as a destination with Acadia National
Park being the destination of choice.
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| View from Park Loop Road, Acadia National Park |
Enterprise was my car
rental place of choice. They are the only one who offers to pick you up. I did
find that the rates for the summer time were a wee bit high, oh well. It was
what it was. I had a pick up
at Maine Media bright ‘n early, well 8AM ish & they were pretty true to the
time. I grabbed the car which was easy. I set off back to Maine Media to pack
up my belongings & said my multiple good byes. I will admit that sometimes
it is hard to say multiple good byes when the people who you want to say good
bye & thank are not in sight. I did my best with what I had to work with. I
headed up the coast for a quick spot in Belfast to meet a friend at the Belfast Co Op where I
ended up getting a very yummy beat & kale salad. Oh yes, I was in heaven
having something scrumptious running threw my cells since it has been a while
with finding the freshest ingredients. There’s something so true with whole
farm approach that just radiates goodness. After coffee time, I hit the road
north to Mt Desert Island for the night. As I drove through Ellsworth, not much
had struck my back memory except for the Mexican restaurant where I ate with my
family a long time ago, the LL Bean Outlet was vaguely familiar with the Burger
King across the street. I will admit that it was weird seeing strip malls with
mad a mount of traffic. I eventually found my way to the Robbins Motel in Hulls
Cove, right outside of Bar Harbor.
I went on a wild goose chase looking for reasonable price accommodations
in the area. There is no hostel; the closet one is over in Deer Isle, so that
was out of the question. I went on the sites that I usually go to, but found
nothing, but a Google search searching for cheap accommodations in Bar Harbor
was helpful. For being summer time & in a very touristy part next door to a
National Park it was a blessing to find a place for $65.00 a night with free
Wifi. Honestly the Robbins Motel
wasn’t too bad, old cabin style motel rooms that are family owned &
operated. However, being right off out Route 3, it was a wee bit noisy with
traffic, but the air conditioner came in hand to take the noise out while
sleeping. Another plus is the motel is across the street from the Island Explorer Bus Stop, a great way to see Mt Desert
Island without having the hassle of finding a parking space. LL Bean sponsors
the buses allowing visitors a free way to explore Acadia.
I really
don’t recall Acadia National Park from my last visit there which was when I
went to park for a day trip from Orono on a geology field trip looking at all
of the rock formation of the island. I was thinking of where I went to in the
park & I have no memory of it. I also have visited Bar Harbor with my
parents when I was a small child & been to the park then, but I have no
clue. My mother just told me that I have been up Cadillac Mountain when I was a
kid, I thought that the other day was my first visit up it, but it wasn’t. I
ended up getting a National Park pass at the Village Green in Bar Harbor. Since
Acadia is a National Park, it’s just a wee bit pricy compared to the Maine
State Parks. It cost $20 for a vehicle or $5 for a walk in for seven days. I
totally had forgotten about the fees from when I lived out in Yosemite. I will admit that my adventure to Vinalhaven
did wear me out just a tad & ended up getting the pass for a vehicle. I
felt like I needed to go into the park & take a drive like I had done
before in The Grand Canyon & Canyonlands to name a few. There’s something
so peaceful driving through it not listing to the radio or getting a mobile
phone signal. I used the time to reset my battery by taking advantage of nature
& letting nature heal myself.
It’s a
blessing that the National Park Service owns much of Mt Desert Island rather
than having man taking control over the land in a selfish way. Acadia National Park is the oldest
national park east of the Mississippi River. The Wabanaki originally inhabited
Mt Desert. Much hasn’t change since autumn of 1604 when Samuel de Champlain sailed
by observing the massive island.
"That same day we also passed near an
island about four or five leagues [19 to 24 km] in length, off which we
were almost lost on a little rock, level with the surface of the water, which
made a hole in our pinnace close to the keel. The distance from this island to
the mainland on the north is not a hundred paces. It is very high and cleft in
places, giving it the appearance from the sea of seven or eight mountains one
alongside the other. The tops of them are bare of trees, because there is
nothing there but rocks. The woods consist only of pines, firs, and birches. He
named it Mount Desert Island.”
~Samuel de Champlain
Acadia is
amazing to spend time. Observing the diversity of life where the sea meets the
land with many tidepools, lakes, ponds & mountains that call this place
home with many flora & fauna with wildlife. It’s nice to drive so close to
the shore observing the rock formations inhaling the beauty of the place. I
enjoyed driving the Park Loop Road stopping at Sand Beach & Thunder Hole
before making my way up to summit of Cadillac Mountain. I was originally going to hike to the
summit but I was quite exhausted from exploring Vinalhaven by foot that I
decided not to. I enjoyed the long & windy road to the top. I got to catch the sun setting on the
summit & walked around for a bit exploring the terrine with beautiful views
of Bar Harbor & Frenchman Bay. I definitely was worth the adventure.
Chasing the light is what I love to do & I must take the opportunity for it
when the moment strikes.
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| Northeast Harbor Marina |
I did find
some reasonable price restaurants in my travels too. Gringo’s in Bar Harbor has
some yummy Mexican food & margaritas. Riverside Café in Ellsworth was quite
good with a reasonable priced haddock sandwich on gluten free bread &
delicious fresh press juice. I did make a stop at Cellar Door Winery in
Lincolnville on the way home. I found out that you could choose from 4 commentary
pours or just pick one wine & have a glass. The wine is quite good for
Maine standards, it’s nothing like the great wines from the Pacific Northwest,
but it was quite lovely. Be sure to check out for some deals at the winery with
some great sales on the wines. The
winery in Lincolnville is a nice place to relax for a while taking in the beautiful
scenery with a pond & surrounding mountains.
I will admit
that my drive back to Kennebunkport was a wee bit hectic with traffic. I’m not
going to lie to say that it was smooth sailing cos it definitely didn’t feel
that way on US Route 1, Interstate 295 & Interstate 95. It’s summer in
Maine & the traffic is just a wee bit mad. Oh well. I did enjoy driving all
around the regions of Maine tho. I felt that I have done some personal growth
along the way. Best to take advantage of the opportunity to get out &
explore the moment is lost. There’s really a lot of beauty in Maine. You just
have to make the leap being willing to take adventure of the unknown seeing
what is calling you there.
