Autumn is the year’s last loveliest smile.

Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale. –Lauren DeStefano

 

Victoria Erickson once said “If a year was tucked inside of a clock, then Autumn would be the magic hour.” Fall comes with a sense of change, an urgency to feel something different and freeing. Time to do something of the unknown, to expand our eyes to things yet seen. A chance to free our minds and hearts. An opportunity to awaken whatever change may be in the near future. The last few months have been entangled with lots of life change. Lots of big life decisions that we are facing head on. We hadn’t traveled since July and two months is far too long for such wanderlust spirits like ours. For the two of us, the New England coast is a place we had never laid our eyes on. And what a better time than now. It’s always been on my bucket list to roadtrip New England in the fall, So here we went! A one way ticket to Bangor, Maine with not a plan in sight. Just us, a car, and the shores of New England. Oh yeah, and a North Eastern hurricane!

Our first stop was a little town called Beals, Maine. Population at a whopping 508 people. It was incredible. We scored the best AirBNB to my entire AirBNB history. If I tried to describe the beauty, you wouldn’t and couldn’t begin to understand. I’ve never experienced anything like it. We drove through the little town of Beals, barely making it to the little grocery store that closed at 8, past the lobster docks and began our trek down the gravel road. We drove and drove until we come to a long driveway where all we can see were the front porch lights flickering through the evergreen trees. There’s a chill in the air and the smell of the shore. We had chased a hurricane right out of there so the winds were still swarming, although it worked in our favour to warm the temperatures up a little for our week there. Coming in at night, we had no idea what a surprise we were in for when we awoke. 6 Acres on our own private peninsula of the Maine coast line. The house was huge and the entire front half facing the water was covered in glass. Lobster buoys were blowing in the wind and huge rocks covered the shoreline. We were in awe. We cooked and enjoyed stoking the fireplace every time the flames began to grow dim. We listened to the waves crash and watched the full moon rise over the water cuddled on the couch staying warm on a cool Maine November night. And when that day was done, we woke up and did it all over again. As we crave simplicity we talked and dreamed of what life would be like if we could do this everyday. How uncomplicated yet joyful it would be. This house became our home for the next 4 days. What was originally supposed to be two nights, turned into falling in love with a place and not wanting to leave, so we didn’t! That’s the beauty of having no plans on a roadtrip. You go and stay wherever your heart desires. And in these quiet moments out on a little peninsula on our own, our hearts remained here.

 

As we ventured out in the little town of Beals, we found a preserve that began to light a fire in a grown woman’s imagination. A feeling that I hadn’t truly felt since I was a child. It was a sentiment that I had missed, a creativity that I had hungered for as I grew up way too fast at my young age. It made me miss that childlike spirit that I used to run swiftly with through the woods that became enchanted forests with the blink of an eye as my little grin grew wider.

As a child, can you remember that happy place? That enchanted state in that little imagination of yours that you deemed impossible in real life only to be remembered as a fairytale? Since I was a little girl I have dreamt of this magical forest, I think some of what was derived as a child from Bambi the movie. It became that happy place of mine, a place that I could escape and dream of dreams where life was untouchable. Where life was uninterrupted and nothing but joyful. This week, I found a place that I had put to rest many years ago as a child. We did a hike in the Great Wass Island Preserve and as I stepped foot into this forest my imagination came alive. I felt as if I was a child all over again, wanting to spread my wings and run wild through everything that lay beneath my feet. It was almost like dejavue but to that of a dream. This fairytale world that I only thought was real to my imagination, actually existed in a worldly place. I caught myself questioning if I was in a dream. It’s real! What once was a dream, became a reality in our second day in Maine. I dreamed of evergreen forests with a ground laid of moss with colors of bright greens and reds. There was always a chill in the air and the forest was so deep that not much sunlight shown through until the glow within would shine on the things meant to sparkle. There were bustling streams that you could hear from all around and I would jump from stone to stone as the water trickled through them swiftly. Squirrels and birds would dance and sing and somehow at 29 years old, this forest came alive. Today was magical as we walked Wass Island. A 6 mile loop full of time in the enchanted forests of Maine and walking the shoreline that connected them both. In this tiny little quiet town, who would have ever guessed we would have encountered something so magic? Sometimes in the most simple places, do you find the most magnificent memories you thought you’d never arrive at again.

 

Tonight, as we watched the sun go down on the shore of the Maine coast at our little 6 acre haven off the beaten path, I sat in awe as I watched God’s creation do magnificent things. Something so beautiful that doesn’t beg for a bit of attention, it just is. There is an old blue chair that seats two, right on the edge of the shoreline. This is where the magic happens, where the world comes to a stop as you watch the skies take over and the tides roll in. Where you watch the lighthouse light go round and round. To a 10 second beat that seemed like an eternity until that ray of light came shining around again. John’s silhouette lit up with the warmest colors of sunset behind him as he reached to pull a lobster trap out before the tide whisked it away. The seagulls sang a song of freedom, just as I had imagined Maine sounding like if it could sing. The waves rolled in and the waves rolled out. Time stopped in this very moment, wrapped tightly in my blanket from the chill of the Maine sea air, All from my old blue chair. As the last bit of pink fell beneath the shores and mountains of the Maine sky line, I walked the crooked trail back to the house, and the full moon lit my path to the doors edge. And as the night falls, the moon rises. As the glass house sits and the crackling fire burns, the relaxing music plays, and we sit in peace and watch from our windows the lighthouse light turn, over and over it turns. A question asked just last week was stated as “If there was a moment you could stop in time, what would it be?” This, in its entirety, is a moment that I would stop in time, just to have a little bit longer to never forget what I felt right here in my heart, in this very moment.

 

Reluctantly, as bad as we fought it and wanted to stay at this house, we decided to go chase the shores south to expose our eyes to more things yet unseen. My dear grandfathers entire side comes from the Maine area, although most of the family up there, I have never met or seen. My great grandmother, who was from that area had a little home that I had heard and dreamed about since a young age. And how I loved my Grandma Valley. My Paps’s brother built her a home to watch over her throughout the end of her life. As we left that morning, mom sent me my great uncles phone number. I kept debating the phone call simply because it was in the opposite direction. But as always, my sweet John urged me to pick up the phone. He was right, we didn’t know if we would ever get the chance to do this again and meet the people who are a part of me. As strangely, yet non coincidentally, the favor of timing worked out on our behalf. I was able to see the little yellow house with a well cover built to look like a church that my Grandma Valley lived in until the day she died and I got to hug my great aunt and uncles neck’s for the very first time at almost 30 years old. It was almost scary how much alike my great uncle and Papa looked alike! Walking into their home, I got to see the things and places that I had only seen in pictures. I got to hear stories that will live on forever that I had never known about my great grandmother and was able to put it all together with location. For some reason, I felt like I knew a little bit more about myself after this trip. A piece of the puzzle to my soul was set into place.

 

After leaving there we decided to eat at the famous truck stop called Dysart’s. My family have eaten and praised this place for years. Best Blueberry pie around!! My Papa has always had a famous Northern Bean meal that he makes with hot dogs and homeade bread followed with homemade pie. Now I know why!!! I crave it year round. We enjoyed fresh made rolls and authentic “Maine” cuisine! It was delicious!

 

Next stop, the famous Bar Harbor, Maine! Another check of the old list! We really enjoyed visiting these more popular northern towns in the fall out of season seeing as though we are not the tourist types. It was slow and it was quiet. We checked in at the Bar Harbor Inn & Spa. After a nice little afternoon nap, we got ready for the evening and headed down to the marina. The sound was covered with sail boats and lobster boats of all colors. A cloudy sky with colors beginning to shine through at sunset. It was a quiet abode to what I could only imagine to be a pretty fascinating hustle and bustle to the summer months. We walked the quintessential brick Bar Harbor streets hand in hand. We looked around cute little local stores, got our one Christmas ornament to every new location, and enjoyed our first local lobster meal. It was delicious! That taste we had been waiting on. We walked back through lit streets and conversation on this chilly November night. Later that evening I decided to bundle up and take a walk. The moon was still full and the streets were quiet. I chose a bench out by the shore to sit on. I listened to the waves and watched the moon light up an ocean that seems endless. I find so many metaphors and life ephiphanies to moments like these. Meaning in the simplest ways. Sometimes in these moments are where I do my greatest thinking. That’s what travel does for my soul. It puts me in a place where my mind can run free and understand the things that I had been struggling understanding through life’s chaos to my regular routine. These are those little magical moments to my adventures that change my soul. Those quiet little moments, that piece by piece, turn me into exactly who I am supposed to be.

 

The next morning we enjoyed breakfast on the veranda overlooking the Bar Harbor Inlet. It was beginning to warm up and the sun was starting to light up the day. As we were heading out of Bar Harbor down Highway 1 we make our trek up Cadillac Mountain. A recommendation from my sweet Papa. It was beautiful. Who knew that there was a place that felt like the top of the world to a town like this. We could see for miles and miles down on the towns and out to the ocean. The wind was blowing so fast and the temperature had dropped so much with the altitude change, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying it. Just hold on tight! Throughout my mountain travels that I love so dearly, I find myself heading up different mountains, stopping to take it all in, wondering how it could get anymore beautiful than this. And then it happens, you reach the peak, and all of the sudden, it makes sense. It’s a metaphor to life. Keep pushing, keep going, the best is yet to come. In significant moments throughout life, we ask ourselves: How can I keep going? Or on the other end: How can life get anymore beautiful than this? And in the layers of life that we peel back, we suddenly realize- We can and it can and will! We’ve seen so many beautiful places and gotten to the tops of so many peaks, and this one still left us speechless.

 

The next town was a little town called Camden. It came highly recommended by my Papa and my great aunt and uncle. Another quintessential coastal Maine town. This was one of my favorites! We checked in at the Heartstone Inn. With fresh baked cookies downstairs, we made our way up three flights of stairs (Sorry for the excess luggage sweetheart!) and had the whole top floor of the historic home with a fireplace to ourselves. We walked the town early in the evening, hand in hand, through stores and down to the marina. The colors in the sunset were magnificent on this evening in Camden. We waited until it was almost gone to make our way back. So colorful and simple. History is rich in these places, I think that was one thing that I fell so in love with. Untouched as if life had not shattered it’s simplicity. It still seemed to run just as it had hundreds of years ago. We chose an easy night. Got dinner to go and had it in the comfort of our own room. We wanted to enjoy the old inn. The next morning, we had a wonderful 3 course breakfast in the main house. Local and fresh, it was delicious. It’s a place we would definitely recommend!

 

We continued our way down Hwy 1 the next day, stopped at neat places and parks, and wound up in Kennebunkport, ME. Huge check off the bucketlist! We found an Inn on the ocean called “The Beach House Inn” and stayed there for the evening. It was wonderful. A big old house with our window that overlooked the ocean. We got in right at sunset and were able to watch the sun fade behind the horizon. As we got ready for the evening, we made our way into town. We parked in this parking lot with an inlet right in front of us. Before we had even gotten out of the car John spotted birds! Lots of them! The sun hadn’t quite set completely. We got out of the car and made our little perch on a rock that sat in front of us. We watched the ducks and geese come in and go out. We watched them play in the waters as simple and happy as life could be in those moments. It truly was one of those magical moments, and even more magical to see the joy on his face watching something that he is so passionate about come alive in one area that was new to our existence. We had dinner at a place called Allison’s restaurant. We both had lobster rolls and they were to die for!!! Best ones we had. After we stuffed ourselves on our last dinner on the shores of New England, we walked this town hand in hand. The streets were lit up. We walked in stores and gazed upon things that we didn’t need. We window shopped down the streets and wound up at a famous store and restaurant called H.B. Provisions. It was adorable! We had to try one of their famous homemade Whoopie Pies. Talk about ah-maaaaazing!! We drooled over their breakfast menu and chose to forgo the Inn’s breakfast the next morning and make our way back down to H.B. Provision to enjoy theirs. We had pulled pork with poached Eggs and fried potatoes with a side of Blueberry pie. Goodness were we happy people! This is a must stop if you ever make your way to Kennebunkport. This was also another one of my favorite towns!

 

As we made our way south, it was our longest route on Highway 1 in order to make it to Boston by that afternoon and man was it beautiful! We made fun little stops along the way, anywhere our hearts desired with Boston being our final destination. I was excited about Boston. This southern small town Carolina girl has this fascination for city lights. Driving our way through Boston was interesting. I think I almost gave John a heart attack at one point as he said “Please don’t ever do that again.” I chuckled inside. Safely and in one piece, we arrived to our valet parking at the high rise hotel just feet away from Boston Common. So much excitement. We freshened up and made our way out into the busy city streets of Boston. Enjoying the gigantic pigeons in Boston Common and making our way through the crowded streets. It was beautiful and clean. The Brown Stones made my heart palpitate a little bit. The imagination of the city girl inside of me started running wild. As we walked Newbury Street, one of the most famous shopping areas in Boston, I think we both began to get a little overwhelmed. After being in such seclusion for a week and then transitioning into the hustle and bustle of a multifaceted world, it was in that moment that we realized how much we craved that peace and unpretentiousness. After eating copious amounts of lobster and seafood we were ready for red meat! As our last night on vacation, we decided to treat ourselves to a romantic dinner at Capital Grill and have a nice steak dinner. Ah, It was fantastic!! Just what we needed. We made our way back to our super swanky downtown Boston hotel and enjoyed the peace and quiet of our room. That’s us!

 

As I do so many city trips past, I stare out the window onto the city lights and the people from so many different walks of life and ponder on what life would be like living there. It seems there are so many people that go their own way and do their own thing, being unapologetically themselves. And the one question I ask myself- how many people go unnocticed in one day there? I think that’s my crave to the city life, wanting to be unnoticed somedays and all at the same time, wanting to change the world for those people. To take a southern girl with a smile, and greet the people that you pass who seem so alone and lonely. To simply say a hello and acknowledge someone who never gets that feeling. Ones who may never get that in an entire week or month. And that’s when I realized my heart’s drive to the city isn’t for the fame and reality of it, it’s simply to change the lives, one by one, of the people who feel so alone in a place where no one should feel lonely.

The older I get, I’m slowly learning to let go of expectations. With travel expectations, I’ve learned to let go of a lot, easier. It’s come with an understanding that without expectations and planning or control, sometimes we gain a way better outcome than having life all set in place to something that is unknown. It’s better to just let life through travel happen rather than to try and control every aspect of it. Even a hurricane to the Northeast coast didn’t slow us down. We came to include it into the memories of what made this week so special, because it did just that. We opened our eyes to new and fresh things. We lived life graciously with no plan at all and embraced the unknown of what was next. We walked hand in hand throughout these quintessential New England towns and every little town that we let ourselves melt into, felt like another fairytale. So much so I almost had to pinch myself. Wrapped tightly under his arm in my most favorite position to us, walking down these northern brick streets, there I found my heart beating more and more with each step. There were so many stops and pull offs that let so much beauty embedded in our memories. Wherever our hearts pulled off the path, there we followed. We laughed until we cried on this trip, seriously, and let our child like spirits explore this world just as it was. We made memories up and down a coastline that will forever be a part of us. Thank you New England for offering us more than what our imaginations could have ever dreamt up. Can’t wait to see you again!