The Maine Effect – Day 2 – Journey with Jessica Leigh

An early awakening at the hostel turned into a slow and intentional morning exploring downtown Portland and enjoying a run while taking in the coast line views. During my run, I stumbled on a local artist selling paintings of sights of Portland. If you didn’t know…local artistry depicting nature and anything to give me a break from running are my love languages. I enjoyed some time chatting with her and she gave me all the best recommendations of coffee spots around town. After picking out my favorite piece, I made my way around the city find more adventures to stumble upon. The freedom I felt in just walking around to explore with no real agenda or ties to a schedule were just what I needed to feel on this trip. After exploring and finding the best donut shop (with all the pumpkin donuts that made my fall-loving heart so happy), I made my way to the park to take in more of the coast line and figure out some sort of plan because it was time to start making my way up to Acadia. I had about a 3 hour drive ahead of me so I got the maps planned out and decided to take a more scenic drive to get there – I told myself I would enjoy seeing the backcountry of Maine but really my intention was to be stingy about going on toll roads. The drive turned out to be an amazing 3 1/2 hours with a Jack Johnson playlist going as I listened to my thoughts for a while then proceeded to have personal concerts when the song felt right. Getting out of Portland and exploring the more remote parts of Maine gave me the space and quiet I needed…the calmness of driving down the road with trees hugging your sides then coming out of the thick to a big body of water crashing against the rocky coast line…breathtaking. I made my way to Southwest Harbor where I would be staying for the next couple days. Started off the early evening with an amazing dinner at the Upper Deck where I got to watch the beautiful harbor and eavesdrop on the conversations of tables beside me. I hopped over to explore Seawall and do Wonderland Trail as a nice beginning to my National Park adventuring. Just like the car ride, the trail winds through a forest of trees and opens up to the coast line with rocks jutting out like they were perfectly placed. The sounds of the water and quietness of the wind were invigorating and I felt I could sit there for hours on end with the stillness. After spending time soaking the warm feelings in, I made my way back to my hotel for the night. My plan for the next morning was an early one and I had a feeling all those warm feelings of being surrounded by nature were just the beginning for this trip. I made it back to my hotel before sunset and enjoyed a glass of wine on my deck looking out into the harbor with a perfect view of the sun setting. Who could ask for anything more.