Friday night was the first late night I’ve had in a long time so, I was on slow the next morning when I received a text from my friend Steven that said, “ME (Maine)? lobster and stormy weather?” I couldn’t go to Maine this weekend, could I? I had plans to clean, get caught up, see friends and relax after a long work week. I slumbered for a bit longer before weighing my options. When do I have the opportunity to just take off for the night and head to Maine? So, I decided to accept!
Steven picked me up at around 1pm on Saturday. We took 89, to 93 and then picked up Route 1 just north of Boston. We finally crossed the bridge into Maine and almost immediately things began to look coastal. We weaved around through the small Maine towns like Kittery, Ogunquit, Moody and Kennebunkport driving slowly and at times completely stopped in summer traffic. We hadn’t decided where we were going to lay our heads on Saturday evening but, planned to travel on the cheap and be as close to the ocean as possible. We used our GPS and located a peninsula called Biddeford Pool just north of Kennebunkport. There, we found a B & B with vacancy. So we made our way in and after some fun conversation with the owner, he disclosed the (very reasonable) price and gave us the biggest room in the place! We handed him a Master Card and he said, “In all of my years I’ve never gotten one of these ‘Master Cards’ and today...I’ve gotten two!” We laughed.
Steven picked me up at around 1pm on Saturday. We took 89, to 93 and then picked up Route 1 just north of Boston. We finally crossed the bridge into Maine and almost immediately things began to look coastal. We weaved around through the small Maine towns like Kittery, Ogunquit, Moody and Kennebunkport driving slowly and at times completely stopped in summer traffic. We hadn’t decided where we were going to lay our heads on Saturday evening but, planned to travel on the cheap and be as close to the ocean as possible. We used our GPS and located a peninsula called Biddeford Pool just north of Kennebunkport. There, we found a B & B with vacancy. So we made our way in and after some fun conversation with the owner, he disclosed the (very reasonable) price and gave us the biggest room in the place! We handed him a Master Card and he said, “In all of my years I’ve never gotten one of these ‘Master Cards’ and today...I’ve gotten two!” We laughed.
After settling in, we hopped back in the car to grab a bite. We ended up eating an a place called Buffleheads. Steven had Char-Broiled Filet Mignon with lobster and bearnaise sauce. Yes, Steven finally ate lobster...purposefully! I had Lobster Pie which had chunks of lobster in a creamy newburg sauce, topped with light puff pastry. Delicious. We headed home in the thick fog and decided to take a walk to the edge of the peninsula to see what we could see...in the dark. We ended up standing on some rocks that were fairly well lit by a street light. We could see the tide was coming in. The waves sounded amazingly powerful! We consulted the iphone for weather statistics. We knew things were a bit extreme as we were witnessing the remnants of Hurricane Bill. The humidity was at 98%. We were both stunned with this info. What does that even mean? Why wasn’t it raining? At one point I touched my hair and realized it was sopping wet. Steven had the same experience. Our clothes were wet too but, there was no rain. I guess that’s what high humidity feels like. We walked home through our eerily sleepy town, and went to sleep in our beds. 
The next morning we woke up and realized that we both had dreamt a very similar dream. My dream was SO realistic I thought it had actually taken place. I thought Steven woke me up in the early morning to let me know he was taking a walk. I was shocked when I woke up and saw him sounds asleep in his bed. How had I not heard him come in? He dreamt that I woke him up to take a drive down a road with ocean on both sides. The waves were crashing all over the road he was driving on and he couldn’t see well enough to navigate through them. He still had sleepy eyes. Strange. 
We checked out and grabbed breakfast at the grocery store next to our B & B. We enjoyed a spinach, bacon and cheddar omelet and wheat toast. SO, good! We sat in adirondack chairs and enjoyed a spectacular view complete with a flock of geese. 
On we went, back to the rocks we had visited the night before to see how they had changed. The waves were so impressive. The tide was scheduled to come in right around 2pm. So, we hopped in our car and headed to Old Orchard Beach. We didn’t plan to find the perfect place to see the waves at exactly the right time but, WE DID. We walked out to a restaurant at the very end of the pier and found a free table. Lucky us! There we sat as the 15-20 foot waves rolled right underneath our table touching the top of the pier and at times splashing up onto us. The people around us joked about us wanting to season our food with salt. What an experience. Here are a few pictures from the pier. 
The waves finally began to calm down and we decided to move on. With the receding waters came an increased level of anxiety about the rip current. No one was allowed in the water. The waves were huge and the undertoe was dangerously strong. So, people just watched in awe. 
We decided to head home via the interstate and made great time. In just a bit less than four hours I was back in cloudy Burlington. This unexpected trip gave me a whole new appreciation for Maine and all of it’s beauty...oh, and a killer sunburn. Hope to see you again soon Maine! XO
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