Maine - New England Road Trip

I visited Maine in October 2007 on a New England road trip with three other women (mentioned in my Connecticut Blog Post).  Now, if you’re from Maine, like two of my friends (Molly and Julie), you probably would agree with them that I didn’t visit “true” Maine because we only visited the southern point where all the “rich snobs live” (not where the “true Maine people” live).  However, I loved what I did see of Maine and I’d go back again.

In a previous post (Delaware Blog Post), I mentioned the EZ Pass.  Maine has tollbooths throughout the state that take the EZ Pass.  So, if you’ll be traveling through the Mid-Atlantic / Northeast along I-95, you might want to think about getting an EZ Pass to save time.

Our first stop in Maine was the Nubble Light (or Cape Neddick Light Station) in York.  I love lighthouses and this one didn’t disappoint.  The lighthouse itself is not accessible to the public, but it can be photographed from Sohier Park that overlooks this picturesque lighthouse.

From there, we drove north and visited the seaside town of Kennebunkport.  We put our feet in the freezing cold water on one of the nearby beaches.

We checked out the quaint shops and cafes.  One such café had a chocolate blueberry latte called the Mainer that was DIVINE!  It was SO GOOD!  Have I ever found another chocolate blueberry latte as good?  NO!  Have I been looking for another chocolate blueberry latte ever since – ABSOLUTELY!  Yummy!  While in Kennebunkport, we ate lunch at the Clam Shack.  I remember getting a little of everything and everything was wonderful! HOWEVER, word to the wise: do not eat a lot of the fried stuff no matter how good the clams are, okay?!  I made myself sick.  I just couldn’t take that much fried food all at once.

We spent the night in Saco.  There wasn’t anything special about it, but there was a nice Hampton Inn there with very friendly staff. They told us about a place where locals go for a lobster dinner (you know the places that only have Maine license plates in the parking lot).  It was so YUMMY and came complete with lobster bibs!  Can I remember where we ate?  Nope.  Sorry.  You’ll just have to find your own locals-only place for lobster in Maine.

They also told us of a few places to pick up some wonderful blueberry pie the next morning.  So, the next morning, we headed north with the plan to pick up some blueberry pie along the way, only to find out that all of those places were CLOSED ON SUNDAYS except the last one which had run out by the time we got there.  Be careful to look at the hours and days of operation for any place you want to go to.  Lesson learned.  So, it was off to Portland to check out the Portland Head Lighthouse, which was yet another beautiful lighthouse, but boy the wind was gusting!  Our hair was all over the place.

From there it was time to keep exploring through the New England states and head west to New Hampshire.  The leaves were breathtaking throughout our entire New England road trip.  I’d love to go back in the fall and see the leaves changing again and see a bunch of other places I’ve learned about since then.  In my next post, I’ll list those places that I’d like to go see on my next trip to the majestic state of Maine.

**All pictures taken by me or my friend, Lori.**

Arkansas

I’ll admit that I haven’t spent much time in Arkansas.  A few friends and I were driving from South Carolina to Oklahoma in 2000 for a conference and we spent the night in Little Rock.  We had a delicious meal of catfish and then we continued through the Ozark Mountains onto Oklahoma.  That being said, I’ve done some research into what I might do if I ever went back to Arkansas.

We all like a good deal, and Arkansas has helped us out in more ways than one.  First, they gave us Wal-Mart!  You can still go and visit the 1st one in Bentonville.  There is a museum at the old location of Walton’s 5 and dime store. http://walmartstores.com/AboutUs/287.aspx  Wal-Mart has gone from Walton’s 5 and dime store in 1962 to having 2.1 million employees in more than 9,884 locations around the world today!

The state tourism website provides a list of 101 FREE things to do in Arkansas - http://www.arkansas.com/things-to-do/101things/ .  Two places on this list that I’d like to go visit are the Cedar Falls at the Petit Jean State Park in Morrilton - http://www.petitjeanstatepark.com/, and the Old Mill in North Little Rock - http://www.northlittlerock.org/entries.aspx?id=233&section=1&subsection=19&filter1=&filter2=&filter3=.  These areas just look amazing!  Cedar Falls is one of many beautiful places in that state park and the Old Mill is featured in the opening of Gone With The Wind.  Be sure to check out its old fashioned country store too.

Photo found of the Old Mill online

The list also recommends checking out the Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs - http://thorncrown.com/.  It has so much glass!  I think it would be a cool place to praise and worship God.  There is a similar church in Nebraska that I visited and will talk about in another post. 

Photo found online

Another place in Eureka Springs that has really interested me is the Great Passion Play http://www.greatpassionplay.org/.  It’s been there over 40 years and has a top of the mountain gospel music dinner theater, interactive living Bible tour, and a Bible museum exhibit. The play is America’s #1 most attended outdoor drama.  For more information on the town of Eureka Springs located in the Ozark Mountains visit - http://eurekasprings.org/.

Have you ever dreamed of going to Paris?  You can always check out Mount Magazine State Park in Paris, Arkansas - http://www.mountmagazinestatepark.com/.  It has a breathtaking view of the mountains and it’s one of the tallest places in the state.  It would make a perfect place to go “leaf peeping” in the fall. 

Photo found online

For more leaf peeping, you should drive on the Talimena National Scenic Byway http://talimenascenicdrive.com/.

When visiting Little Rock, you should first visit the state capitol building - http://www.sos.arkansas.gov/stateCapitolInfo/Pages/default.aspx.  Most state capitals (if not all) will allow you to tour the capitol building.  Arkansas provides guided and audio tours.  Be sure to check out the various monuments on the capitol grounds as well.  Also, Little Rock has a Peabody hotel just like the one I’ve visited in Memphis, TN.  Peabody hotels have a duck parade in the morning and afternoon as the ducks go from their penthouse room to the water fountain in the lobby and back.  Its fun to see at least once in your life - http://www.peabodylittlerock.com/peabody-ducks/.  Lastly, no matter if you’re a Democrat or Republican, you should visit the Clinton Presidential Center and Park.  It has the largest collection of presidential documentation and artifacts in US history.  http://clintonlibrary.gov/  You can also see what the oval office looked like when Bill Clinton was president.

Arkansas is home to some odd things as well.  Emerson hosts the annual Purple Hull Pea Festival / World Championship Rotary Tiller Race every April - http://www.purplehull.com//.  I’d like to see what a purple hull pea tastes like, but a rotary tiller race and the world championship at that!?  Hmm.  Well, that sure is different! 

Photo off of their website

Next, an entrepreneur in the town of Lead Hill is building a theme park called the Ozark Medieval Fortress - http://ozarkmedievalfortress.com/en-us/.  The castle is in the making and won’t be done till 2030, but you can visit it now and they have various activities.  STRANGE!  Lastly, you can go to a town in Arkansas and be in Texas (it’s a 2 for 1 deal).  This town is Texarkana - it’s a city in Texas and in Arkansas.  Texarkana has the only US post office that is in two states at once!  http://www.texarkana.org/Texarkana_USA/

These are just a few of the things I’d like to do in Arkansas if I go back; it’s not a complete list.  If you know of anywhere else in Arkansas we should check out, please leave a comment below.  See you next week when we explore what’s just round the corner in California.

**Pictures were found online**