In last week's blog post, I mentioned that I have travelled to some places that I might not be able to write a full post about, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't share them! Here are 5 places I've travelled to in the last few years.
If I was actively writing in my blog at the time, Cutler Coast Public Reserved Land might have been its own post. I visited it one weekend while I was in the area for an archaeological dig. It was early summer when the black flies were at their peak, and I distinctly remember setting up my tripod to capture the beautiful ocean view, only to have one stubborn fly continually interrupt my shot. Despite the bug bites, I remember the place fondly. It was beyond the reach of cell signals and all that was left were the winding wooded paths and the cusp of the ocean's current that sprayed its salt against the rocky outcrops.
Around the same time, I made my way up to Canada. It was the first time I had been there in well over a decade, and I decided to check out the nearest named city on google maps, which so happened to be St. John's. I strolled around the downtown a bit and got some lunch. The city is a port, and despite the beautiful pictures I saw on Google Images, I found the drive there to be more visually interesting. Even the person checking my passport at the border crossing on the way back commented that there wasn't much to see there. I did find some cool graffiti on the rocks though.
Over the past three years, I've driven out to Bethel a lot for work, and every time I do, I see a quaint little spot on the river that made me think I should stop there. So one beautiful Easter Sunday, I made that stop my destination. The spot is Googin’s Island Public Boat Access, and it's very small. There are trails, though I'm not sure if they are designed for walking or are a result of how foliage grows on islands. I walked the whole thing in 15 minutes, and that was me taking my time, stopping for pictures and to admire the view. Having grown up on the water, I have a soft spot for romping around little islands. Judging by the fishermen I often see on the rocks and this lonely rubber boot, I'm not the only one.
The winters in Maine have not been great for adventuring lately. I have a goal to go snowshoeing at least once every year, but sometimes the weather makes it hard to find a day. The sky often can't decide if it wants to snow or rain, so I count myself lucky when I find a day where the snow hasn't melted or turned to ice. On one such day, a friend and I circled around Fields Pond in Holden. It was a long trek, the snow cracking beneath my snowshoes, as I passed by ice fishermen, squirrels, and even a curious raccoon, who didn't mind me taking its picture before continuing on my way.
Ironically, one place I keep visiting during the winter is the beach. At some point, I'll probably share more pictures of Popham Beach because I've taken so many. I've written about Popham before, and there's a good chance I will write about it again. Popham has always been the go-to beach for my family, and the area carries a lot of nostalgia for me. Every year, my family would get up early, pack a cooler, and head to the beach. Between the warm tidepools and walks to the island, there was a lot of reasons to go. Now, I find myself driving back there for the familiarity of it. The comfort of the beach, though slowly eroding from the tides, has always been there. When I walk across the sand, the ocean is like a friend, whom I've come to visit. We share long moments of silence. The cold, coastal breeze nips at my fingers and ears, but I still stop to take pictures. I've been a lot of places in my life, particularly around Maine, and even though there are some places I love that I would still be okay never seeing again, it's fascinating to know that there are places I will never be able to get enough of. Places where my heart is constantly drawn back towards, and even with a million other places I could go, I will continue to go back.
Popham is the best beach in Maine, bar none. Heading down there with my favorite assistant sand-castle maker this Saturday- hopefully no shark flag flying this time!
Say, were you in St John, New Brunswick, or St John's, Newfoundland? The pic looks like New Brunswick- if you ever get the chance to go to Newfoundland, take it! I went six times, to a small outpost in a fjord on the south coast. Some of the greatest days I'll ever know!