Travels in Maine, Volume 1: Bah Hahbah and A Giant Boot

I'm a Massachusetts girl born and raised, and have lived in Maine for only about a year now. I'm sadly deficient in knowledge of my new state, having traveled around it very little. This past weekend I made up for that a little bit. I was treated to a tour of Bar Harbor, thanks to my friend Nicole; I also got to play in a rather famous Freeport destination in the company of my friend John.

Now, Bar Harbor is absolutely gorgeous, and I had a great time there. I could try to wax poetic about the beauty of the cliffs and the water and the sky, but that would be a lot of words, and probably wouldn't be that interesting to read. I'm not so good with the poetry. A glance at some photos of the area is enough to make you want to go there if you haven't been already. I'll just share a few random thoughts from my journey.

First, it's a great idea to take in your surroundings on the way there (especially during a long drive). I was inordinately entertained by "Pete's Pretty Good Ice Cream" and was disappointed that it wasn't open yet as I drove by so that I could verify that the ice cream was, in fact, pretty good. Not great maybe, but pretty good. Also, I swear I saw the restaurant from the Goonies along the road as well. It was all run down and boarded up, and I think the Fratellis might have escaped and been hiding in there...

Second, a word of advice: the popovers at Jordan Pond House are worth it, especially if you are trying them for the first time. However, it is not all that advisable to hike up the South Bubble immediately after eating said popovers and drinking chai. But if you do, at least you won't feel bad about the calories consumed!

The day after returning home from my lovely Bar Harbor trip, I continued my Maine education with my first real visit to an iconic Maine institution: LL Bean (using the bathroom there after a Wallflowers concert didn't count), in Freeport. You can't miss the place; right out front is a giant boot. One might wonder, however, why this particular product was chosen as the symbol for the store, given that those boots are, well, pretty ugly. It also begs the question of whether there is a giant ass somewhere that it is meant to kick. In any case, within the store you can purchase not only the footwear itself, but vanilla cookies created in its image.

Once you cross the threshold, you find yourself in a wonderland of outdoorsy items. Are you a fan of firearms? You'll love it here! Want to check out the local varieties of fish? You're in luck; not only is there a trout pond, but also a tank at which you can look those fish right in the eye due to an indentation in the bottom of the tank, below which is a chair. Then of course there is the clothing, footwear, home goods, and food items. It's a fabulous place in which to wander aimlessly and take it all in.

Speaking of food items, apparently A. Wilbur's Candy is closed on Monday evenings. Just a heads-up so that you, dear reader, may be spared the disgruntlement we felt whilst not being able to fulfill a chocolate craving. We were forced to return to LL Bean, where they do have a decent array of candy, some of it actually from A. Wilbur. Beware of the gummi worm container; it's pretty disturbing. Why would you label a sugary treat with a drawing of an astonished worm impaled on a hook, watching as an open-mouthed cartoon fish approaches to devour it? I can recommend the dark chocolate-covered cashews, although the price is a little scary. Mmmm... dark chocolate-covered cashews...

On that note, thus endeth my travelogue this time around. Until next time...