Tag: maine travel

Finding Memories in the Night Sky

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When I was younger, well before the teenage years pulled me in other more social directions, I remember going out in the evenings onto our large front lawn and lying down near our lonely, dying apple tree to stare up at the night sky. While light pollution from our close to the city location did not make for perfect viewing, it allowed enough of a glimpse into the star dotted darkness for me to feel the vastness of our universe and start that human journey of contemplating my place in it.

I eventually outgrew these solitary moments but they still hold a special place in my heart. They were moments of peace and reflection that sadly were so easily lost once my time was filled with the busyness of adulthood. But, even now, I still remember the softness of the grass cushioning my still body, the endless darkness of the sky above and the feeling of wonder as I stared into the vastness and dreamed of the stars. There is something comforting in staring up at the night sky.

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So close and yet so far, only two stops left on the Maine Beer Trail.

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We were in the home stretch almost ready to claim our prize and revel in our bragging rights. Our tattered, well-worn beer trail map held together with generous amounts of packaging tape, has only TWO blank spaces left. We planned to finish our visits in the spring but then the world paused.

No stamps from Penobscot Bay Brewery or Sheepscot Valley Brewing Company to add an air of finality to our three year adventure. Both breweries are in the mid-coast. Both are just out of reach for now.

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Summer hiking is finally here as we head up to Carabasset Valley.

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I’ll admit it. The mosquitoes win. They may be small but they are relentless. It’s the reason we rarely hike during the spring. It’s just not worth it.

No matter how many layers of all natural insect repellent I put on, it’s just never enough. I know something more high-test with deet might do a better job but I’m not a fan so instead we mostly avoid the woods during these months. But now that summer is here, we’re heading out to the trails again which is a good thing. I did not move nearly enough this winter and am excited to get back into our hiking routine.

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Our travels along the Maine Beer Trail for 2018.

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How did we do with year two of our attempt to visit all the craft breweries on the Maine Beer Trail? I’d love to say we finally made it to them all, but since there are over 80 unique breweries in Maine, and new ones continue to open, I’m afraid the finish line still eludes us, at least for now.

While we’re not quite finished, we did have a great time again trying to get to as many craft breweries as we could this past year. For each stop, we usually tried to make a day of it. We’d search out an interesting hike, and look for other fun things in the area as we explored different parts of Maine.

Below is an overview of the craft breweries we visited in 2018.

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Hiking Maine | Belfast Rail Trail on the Passagassawaukeag

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Fall is one of my favorite times to hike. It’s not too hot and not too cold. Goldilocks would approve. There are some other advantages too including stunning views not impaired by mosquitoes. The conditions are ideal. Unfortunately, since we’ve had a busy few months, we haven’t been hiking as much this season as we would like. So, when we recently went to Belfast for an overnight visit, our first stop was to the Belfast Rail Trail for a quick hike.

After a sad mishap where one of our iPhones went swimming in the lake, we had to make an emergency visit to the wireless store for a temporary replacement. The unplanned stop meant a delayed start to Belfast and by the time we arrived, darkness was only an hour or so away.  This meant we had to do an abridged hike since we were racing the coming darkness.

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