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.

If you know us, you know that we love lobster rolls. Honestly, nothing says summer in New England than a classic split-top, squared-side frankfurter roll (not to be confused with the rounded, side-split hot dog bun!) piled high with chilled, fresh lobster meat tossed with just a hint of mayo. I take my lobster rolls seriously, and I’m always seeking out new ones to try to see if they’ll make it to the top of my growing list. So, when we decided to camp at Hermit Island in Phippsburg, Maine, over the Memorial Day weekend, we set out to find the weekend’s best lobster roll. Three days, three lobster rolls.

Our “camping” lasted a few years. I’m not sure how or why we stopped. But in my mind, I yearned to a return to that vision of ourselves. But now, in my mid-40s and G in his early 50s, the idea of sleeping in a tent on the ground wasn’t one that we were both thrilled to return to. And then I started looking at vans. And rooftop tents. And trailers. And then back to vans. If you’ve been reading the blog, you know that we bought a van in November—a 2002 VW Eurovan Weekender…with the cool Westfalia pop-top. She’s a beauty; I’m in love. And for Memorial Day weekend, we headed off to Maine for our maiden voyage.