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Having a clear vision of what you want in life is important. For the last few years, one of the visions that I’ve had is visiting Maine. This goes along with many other items on the bucket list. Several of which I have talked about previously. That said, the inspiration for this trip was to visit Maine. All the other intentions, goals and bucket list references came after I decided to go to Maine. Visiting Maine was the reason for the entire route that we planned. Although the trip evolved much beyond that initial vision (this or something better), it wouldn’t have come to be if it hadn’t started with that vision of seeing Maine. Today, that initial vision become reality.
Getting Started
The layer of white on the ground made for a slower than anticipated travel day. I was anxious to get on the road, but safety first. We hung out in Burlington for a couple of extra hours in the morning. We hoped that it would warm up enough to melt the snow on the roads and allow us to avoid icy conditions. There wasn’t that much on the roads and the forecast said upper 30’s for the day so we figured it was a good option. I also enjoyed Burlington enough that this was a pleasant delay.
Once we got on the road the travel was touch and go. The extra time in Burlington didn’t make much of a difference on the road conditions like we hoped. There were still several areas where the roads were snow covered and slick.
There was one point when Brandee decided she’d rather be a passenger in the car than the driver. Not to brag, but I choose a travel partner for this trip that wanted to do all the driving. Up until now I had not driven at all during the 1,500 + mile trip. This was the first time that I was behind the driver’s wheel, but it was short lived. I think I drove for about 30 miles before Brandee decided that she wanted to take back the driver’s seat.
One might think she was scared of my driving, but I know better. Brandee tends to get motion sick when she’s a passenger. I’m not complaining though. This is awesome for me. I don’t like to drive much and I got to do all the looking around while on the road. Oh the sights I saw!
Montpelier, Vermont
Before we could cross into New Hampshire, we had to take a quick detour through Mount Pillar. The Vermont State House building is attention grabbing. It has a gold dome that is visible from many spots in the city.
We drove around to find the perfect vantage point. I won’t say we found it, but we did find our way to some other pretty locations in town. The Vermont History Museum is next to this gorgeous building if you have the time to stop. We did not stop but I would put it on my list of things to do if I were back in the area.
All Fifty Club
Making our way through New Hampshire was uneventful. We didn’t have any stops planned in New Hampshire but it was a state I have never been to. In order for it to count as a state that I’ve visited it was important to me to touch the ground and breathe the air.
Touching the ground and breathing the air in a state is a recommendation from the All Fifty Club. They don’t require you to submit proof that you’ve done this but if you want to be a member, why not do it right? I want to have this certificate and know that it’s legit, so I made sure to stop for gas and a bathroom break in here.
Crossing the Boarder to Maine
It may be cliché but I always picture Maine covered by a blanket of snow. Cliché or not, We crossed the state line into Maine with snow on the ground. The vision in my head is the one that greeted me here. It didn’t last long and the further in to Maine we got the warmer the weather got. The clouds lifted and we had a scenic drive ahead of us.
We were admiring the views, chatting about how Maine was exactly as we pictured it when we saw a set of signs along the roadside. Each sign had one word written on it.
AMAZING
VIEWS
TURN
RIGHT
HERE
So…. We did. We drove to the first clearing and were a bit perplexed. The view wasn’t that amazing. It was a just few acres of land on the mountainside for sale. There was space cleared for a house or structure, but nothing spectacular about the plot of land.
We decided to keep going up the mountain and we found several open plots of land for sale. We figured out quickly that signs were meant to advertise the real estate for sale. We kept going up the mountain anyway until we got to the top.
There were two cleared plots of land at the top of the mountain. These views were spectacular. Wide open looking down on the world from the top of the mountain, it was unbelievable. It was like a view from a movie. The signs didn’t lie.
If you wanted the most stunning view laid out before you every day for the rest of your life, this would be the plot of land to build a house on. Once again, I was happy that Brandee decided to take the detour toward something that caught her attention. It was well worth it.
Right on Time
Detours and delays aside, we arrived in Augusta Maine at just the right time. We were in the parking lot, trying to decipher which building we needed to be at when our host knocked on the car window. It was time to meet our next host. Read about that here.
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