Summer 2020: 27 camping nights; 12 campgrounds, including 11 state parks (5 in New Hampshire and 6 in Maine). During and after each camping trip, G and I would talk about what we loved (or didn’t love) about the site, the park, the area, etc. We’ve been trying to keep track of each park’s unique characteristics to help us not only share the info and our opinions but also start our planning for next year! We’ve created a “best of” based on this summer’s travels; keep in mind that these are entirely subjective, and others’ opinions and experiences may differ from ours. Now that the summer has come to end and the leaves are falling, it’s time for a wrap up.

I’ve been putting off writing this post mainly because I’ve struggled to put into words what visiting the site was like—it was nothing like what G and I expected. I was expecting a memorial, perhaps a piece of the fuselage, but nothing prepared me for the wide area strewn with pieces of the airplane. Metal lodged into trees, the outline of a window, markings and rivets on large, somewhat-intact pieces. We were certainly standing on sacred ground, where 7 United States airmen lost their lives on a winter’s day in 1963.

All good things come to an end; we had to have a less-than-awesome weekend camping after such a great stretch, right? Sure, not every weekend has been perfect in every way, but overall, each weekend has been a winner. This past one was a little bit of letdown; in fact, we ended up staying only one night. But let me first say this: if G and had kids, we would have loved Mt. Blue State Park in Weld, Maine. Mt. Blue is most definitely a family campground.

On a recent camping trip to Camden Hills State Park, we took advantage of two trails that offer some fantastic views—the Mount Battie Auto Road and the Shoreline Trail. With the option to drive or walk the auto road or take one of the many other trails up Mount Battie, everyone can access the gorgeous views—the same is true for the Shoreline Trail. Round-trip on the auto road was about 3.2 miles; from our campsite to the Shoreline Trail and back to the campsite was just under 2 miles. Together, about 5 miles of walking/hiking. Not a bad way to spend a beautiful June morning!

Earlier this summer, I made a list of my summer “must-dos”—places I wanted to visit, campgrounds where I wanted to stay, things I wanted to do. Returning to Star Island, a small island just off the coast, was at the top of the list. I had first visited more than 15 years ago, and I’ve wanted to go back ever since.

Star Island is one of nine islands that make up the Isles of Shoals, located just a few miles off the coast of New Hampshire and Maine. Four of the islands (Lunging, Seavey, Star, and White) fall within New Hampshire’s borders; the others fall within Maine’s (Appledore, Cedar, Duck, Malaga, and Smuttynose). A few of the islands are privately owned, while the public can visit both Appledore Island and Star Island. While I haven’t visited Appledore (yet!), it was Star Island to which I longed to return.

With its separate spaces, Fuller Gardens has something for everyone. Want more than 125 different varieties of roses? A stunning dahlia display garden? A calm and serene Japanese garden, complete with a koi pond? A conservatory housing hundreds of succulents and tropical varieties? Gorgeous fountains and statuary? It’s all there at Fuller Gardens. So much to see in this hidden treasure of a place.

In a city filled with some pretty great places to visit, Portland Architectural Salvage in Portland, Maine, might just be one of my favorites. Its website heralds “everything old is new again,” and this about sums up the place: it’s got that grandfather’s garage kind of feel, mixed with a DIY/HGTV/shabby chic vibe. It’s the kind of place that makes me want to buy an old farmhouse and restore/renovate/redecorate. And any place that makes me nostalgic for favorite movies, favorite books, and loved ones long passed is worth the stop.

Day two of our three-week road trip took us from Boothbay Harbor, Maine, through Rockland, and up to Camden. Two lighthouses, a burger, and another great old inn made for a fantastic second day!

While we live just about 15 miles from the Maine border, our travels these past 24 years together have largely skipped the Casco Bay area and focused either on southern Maine (Kittery, York, Ogunquit, and the Kennebunks), Freeport, or Bar Harbor/Acadia National Park. We’ve visited Portland a handful of times and few places in between all the others, but not often. Our Memorial Day trip to Hermit Island Campground in Phippsburg with our van changed that, as we finally had the chance to explore one of Maine’s “fingers” along Casco Bay. For this trip, we’ll be exploring parts of Maine on both the front and back ends, and we decided to make our first stop in Boothbay Harbor, a town we had only visited once before.

To celebrate our 20th anniversary, we’ll driving up the coast of Maine with stops in Boothbay Harbor, Camden, Monhegan Island, and Bar Harbor. From there, we’ll cross the border to New Brunswick, visiting Campobello Island, St. Andrews, and then Fundy National Park. We’ll drive across to Nova Scotia and make our way around the province—all the way around and up and around Cape Breton Island. We’ll then travel from Wood Island, NS, across the Northumberland Strait to revisit PEI. After a few days there, we’ll head back home.

it’s not until you walk around to the back of Pemaquid that you take in the scene in all its Maine coast glory. Those rocks. That surf. The light. I can only imagine how dramatic a scene against a fiery sunset or sunrise or stormy skies. Even on this day, the sight was impressive.