Episode Transcript
Welcome to episode three of the podcast.... In this episode we're gonna talk about our northeast exploration, and We're gonna start with exploring Maine........coming up When we did our very first RV trip, we traveled all the way from Tennessee up to Maine, then worked our way back down through Providence, New York, and several of the major East Coast cities. Out of all the states we visited on that Northeast trip, Maine was probably our favorite. One thing we learned very quickly was this: if you are heading to Maine, avoid driving through all the major cities if you can. Instead, come in through Vermont and New Hampshire using the back roads and scenic routes. It takes a little longer, but it is absolutely worth it. You avoid most of the heavy city traffic, and the drive itself becomes part of the adventure. The first major area you will reach in Maine is Scarborough. For RV travelers, Scarborough was a great first stop for us. There is a Cabela’s there with a huge parking lot where RV parking was allowed when we visited. At the time, they also had water and a dump station available. Some recent travelers have mentioned those amenities may no longer be there, so definitely verify before you go. But when we stayed there, it worked out perfectly. We rolled in later that evening and were able to relax after a long drive. One of the best surprises was being able to walk over to the Portland Pie Company nearby. Great pizza, relaxed atmosphere, and it was nice not having to move the RV again after getting parked for the night. The next morning we headed to The Holy Donut. Now, if you have never heard of The Holy Donut, let me just say this: in our opinion, they were the best donuts we had anywhere on the East Coast or West Coast during our travels. They have three locations in the Portland area, and we ended up trying all three. Honestly, the Scarborough location was probably our least favorite. The best one for us was the smaller location on the bypass heading toward downtown Portland. It does not look like much from the outside, but those donuts were incredible. One thing you need to know is they only make the donuts once each day. When they sell out, they close. The first time we tried going downtown later in the afternoon around three-thirty, they were already closed for the day because everything had sold out. Those donuts really are that good. Also in Scarborough, there was a candy shop with a giant chocolate moose display that weighed several hundred pounds. It was one of those quirky roadside stops that just makes a trip more memorable. It was not far from The Holy Donut and definitely worth a quick stop. From Scarborough, the next major area is Portland. Driving into downtown Portland was actually really scenic, especially crossing the bridge heading into the city. One thing that immediately stood out to us was that many of the streets and sidewalks downtown were made with old brick pavers. It gave the city a really unique historic feel, although you do need to watch your step in some places. We drove our Class B RV downtown without any major problems, but honestly, I would not recommend taking a larger Class A, fifth wheel, or big travel trailer into downtown Portland. Parking gets tight very quickly. If you are driving something larger, I would probably leave it parked back in Scarborough and just make the drive into Portland separately. Downtown Portland has several restaurants right on the water where you can eat fresh lobster, lobster rolls, and seafood while overlooking the harbor. Portland is also home to the famous Portland Head Light lighthouse, which was one of our favorite stops in the area. And yes… somehow I temporarily forgot Portland was actually the capital of Maine while we were there. We took our Holy Donuts out to the lighthouse park and had a picnic overlooking the ocean. The way the cliffs curve around the lighthouse with the fishing boats out on the water was honestly beautiful. It was one of those moments where you just slow down and appreciate where you are. There are also organized tours available throughout Portland through companies like Viator, but we decided to explore everything on our own since we had the RV and wanted to move at our own pace. That flexibility is one of the best parts about RV travel. And honestly, Portland was worth stopping at both on the drive north and again on the way back south from Bar Harbor. Partly because we wanted more Holy Donuts. As we continued north toward Bar Harbor, the next major stop for us was Freeport, about twenty minutes from Portland. Freeport is a really nice little town filled with local shops, souvenir stores, and small businesses. The downtown area has a relaxed atmosphere that is fun just to walk around and explore. But the main attraction in Freeport is definitely L.L.Bean. This is the original flagship store and company headquarters, and it is huge. The store stays open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, all year long. They also allow overnight RV parking in one of the parking areas, although it is dry camping only with no hookups or dump stations. The running joke is that the parking is technically free… until you walk inside L.L.Bean and start shopping. They have giant boot displays, wildlife exhibits, outdoor gear everywhere, and honestly we probably spent four hours just walking around, taking pictures, and exploring the store. We also created a blog called “Free Stuff in Freeport” because there were actually several things to do there without spending much money at all. Just a few miles outside of Freeport is the town of Yarmouth. Yarmouth ended up being one of our favorite hidden gems during the entire Maine trip because it is home to Eartha, the world’s largest rotating globe. The globe is located inside the Garmin building and is completely free to visit. We spent nearly two hours there taking pictures, reading about how it was built, and just admiring the size of it. It is one of those places most people drive right past without realizing it is there, but it is absolutely worth the stop. From Yarmouth, we finally made our way north to Bar Harbor, which was about a two-and-a-half-hour drive for us. As you arrive in Bar Harbor, there is a Walmart that worked out really well for RV travelers when we visited. The parking lot was large, overnight parking was allowed at the time, and the cellular coverage there was excellent. We were able to stream all of our apps directly from the RV without any issues. We did eventually stay one night at a nearby campground so we could dump tanks, take hot showers, and recharge a bit, but that Walmart stop worked out really well for us overall. Now, Bar Harbor itself is definitely a tourist town, but honestly, we really enjoyed it. There are shops, restaurants, seafood places, dessert shops, and beautiful harbor views throughout downtown. One of the best experiences was sitting on the pier eating fresh lobster while watching the sunset over the water. We visited in mid-September and the weather was nearly perfect. One thing to be aware of, though, is that Bar Harbor is also a cruise ship destination. If possible, try to plan your visit around cruise ship schedules because downtown can become extremely crowded when ships are in port. One of the biggest reasons we traveled to Bar Harbor was to visit Acadia National Park. And honestly, Acadia may now be at the top of our list of favorite national parks we have visited. We grew up around mountains, but Acadia is unique because it combines mountains, rocky coastlines, and the Atlantic Ocean all together in one place. That combination made the scenery incredibly beautiful to us. Most visitors start with Park Loop Road, which circles through many of the park’s major attractions and trailheads. As the name suggests, it loops around the park and gives you access to hiking trails, overlooks, beaches, and scenic pull-offs. If you are driving an RV, pay close attention to height restrictions because there is a tunnel section that larger RVs may not fit through. Our Class B van was fine at around ten feet tall, but larger Class A rigs would definitely have issues there. One of our favorite experiences in the entire park was driving up Cadillac Mountain before sunrise. Because we were in the RV, we were able to arrive early, park, and actually relax in the van before sunrise began. Then about thirty minutes before the sun came up, everybody started racing toward the cliffs to claim the best photography spots. Watching the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain was unforgettable. We also visited Jordan Pond, which is both a scenic area and a famous restaurant location inside the park. There are walking trails around the pond that are relatively easy and really relaxing. The lawn dining area overlooking the water has a very classic New England feel to it. Another stop along Park Loop Road is Sand Beach. It is beautiful, but just remember the water up there is much colder than beaches farther south. Then there is Thunder Hole. At high tide, waves crash into the rock formations there and create a loud booming sound while sending water exploding upward toward the viewing area. It is also one of the best photo spots in the park, so definitely check tide schedules ahead of time. Acadia also has several hiking trails ranging from easy walks to more intense climbs. The Beehive Trail was probably the most intimidating trail we saw there. At certain points you are climbing steep sections while holding onto metal bars and chains with massive ocean views below you. It honestly reminded us of a smaller version of Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park. If you enjoy lighthouses, another stop worth making is Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. The lighthouse itself was beautiful, but parking there was extremely limited. Even with our twenty-one-foot Class B van, finding a parking spot was difficult. Larger RVs would really struggle there, and there is often a line of vehicles waiting for parking spaces to open up. We waited around thirty minutes before finally getting a spot. Overall, those were the main areas we explored during our Maine trip. We visited most of the major attractions in Acadia, hiked several trails, explored Bar Harbor, and then slowly worked our way back down the coast toward Portland and eventually Massachusetts. And if you missed any of the stops heading north, remember that Scarborough, Portland, Freeport, and Yarmouth are all worth exploring on the return trip south as well. One day we would love to continue farther north into Nova Scotia and eventually take the ferry up there, but for this particular adventure we stayed within the northeastern United States. That was our overall Maine experience. You can also check out our blogs, videos, and trip photos on PassTheBrockly.com, along with Facebook, Instagram, and our YouTube channel. And as we continue our Northeast journey, our next podcast episode will take us through Vermont, New Hampshire, Salem, Boston, Plymouth, and Cape Cod as we continue making our way down the East Coast. Thanks for listening, and we will catch you on the next episode.
