ROUTE 1 - DRIVE SOUTH COAST OF MAINE

We took most of a day to meander down the Route 1 Coastal Highway in Maine. This highway is dotted with charming little New England style towns featuring wood houses with immaculate lawns, colorful summer gardens, white spired churches, charming streets with local shops, ocean views at every bend, lobster pounds (shacks), semi-decent coffee shops, second-hand bookshops and galleries. Some guide books complain about the kitchy-ness of these towns, but I think it is part of their charm.

Our drive took us past the LL Bean Outlet store in Ellsworth (150 High Street) which we capitalized on to stock up on camping socks, a new rain jacket and dry-fit top for Ellisha. If you're short of fishing or shooting gear, then this is a must-stop for you.

For lunch we stopped at Young's Lobster Pound in Belfast, ME (take the southerly-leading road off Route 1, just east of Belfast and immediately east of the large wooden sculpture of “Nutty The Squirrel” - you'll know him when you see him). At Young's we had a lobster roll (best of trip) and the twin special (2 1¼ pound lobsters with matching corn on the cobb). The additional benefit for punters at Young's is a superlative view of the bay from the dining wharf.

BEFORE

AFTER 

Towards the end of the day we took a charming detour to Boothbay Harbor to view the giant yellow fisherman at Brown's Motel on Atlantic Road. We were tipped off about this roadside gem in our guide to Roadside Americana that was thoughtfully gifted to us by a couple of resident New Yorkers. Boothbay Harbor has grown significantly in the last 10 years and is now quite a scene (doubtless, due in large part to the massive depiction of the fisherman). We used the spot to stock up on New England candies, blueberry pie and the “red-eye” at Mooshead coffee shop.

Most of the towns along this coast seem delightful and charming. A highly recommended detour if you have the time.