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acadia national park, authors, book stores, doughnuts, maine, national parks, reading, travel, writing, writing life
In our journey to visit at least one new national park every year, my love and I traveled north to Maine to explore Acadia National Park. The last time I traveled to Maine was six years ago for a volunteer vacation with the American Hiking Society. (Remember when I stayed in a cabin with strangers for a week?)
Blueberry-lavender shortbread cookies.
As a writer, stops at bookstores are mandatory on out-of-town travels. We stopped at the Owl & Turtle Bookshop Cafe in Camden just as rain started to fall. This cozy two-story book store has a substantial local author section (no, not just Stephen King 🙂 ) and unique baked goods. On this trip I learned that Maine is not solely boastful of their lobster. They are mad proud of their blueberries and potatoes, and this bookstore’s blueberry-lavender shortbread cookies shine with berry delight. In an antique shop next door, I found a vintage postcard bragging of Maine’s potatoes, proving these roots (pun intended) run deep.
Maine’s oldest bookstore, Sherman’s Book Shop in Bar Harbor, has a progressive sense of humor noted in the genres on its shelves, like “Not Nonfiction”.
We also explored the south end of Mount Desert Island and happened to visit an old used bookstore on its last day in business after, I think the owner said, 35 or 45 years. On our drive around the island, we passed this industrious author’s home:
I guess he sold out? I’ve seen folks leave eggs for sale on the honor system on the side of the road, but have you ever seen books? Maine truly loves their authors!
We also passed a library that has to have the most adorable setting on a tranquil harbor. Could this place be more inviting to readers and writers?
As a human, stops at doughnut shops are mandatory on out-of-town travels. Maine’s potato love surfaced again at The Holy Donut in Portland. Potato donuts! Their main selection is made with a blend of potato flour and wheat flour, but they also have gluten-free varieties only made with potato flour. Sweet potato ginger glaze was my favorite!
While we did some challenging hikes (check out The Beehive Trail!) in the park, the reason we planned our trip to Acadia was to attend the Acadia Night Sky Festival, a free festival that I cannot say enough great things about. One night we went on a bioluminescent paddle (fee required) under the dreamy belt of the Milky Way. Another night we took a complimentary shuttle to the top of Cadillac Mountain where 60+ telescopes–some homemade–were set up by volunteers pointing at Andromeda, Mars, and other celestial marvels. I saw the rings of Saturn for the first time–it looked like a cartoon!
No potato, blueberry, or lobster constellations seen. We might need to go back to double check.
I remember climbing Cadillac on the winter solstice to be the first one to see the sunrise in the US on the shortest day of the year. The cold sea had long low swell that looked like oil in the cold and the sun had this otherworldly glow as we stood on this iceflow covered stone and watched to boats putted out to sea. Hard work and cold water, that is the Maine I remember.
Cliff, that is incredibly poetic! I can only imagine the cold at dawn on winter’s first day in Maine! Hope you’re well. 🙂
Aww shucks. Any poetry in me came from the long cold days and cracked fingers. Thanks for sharing your blog.
I’m ready to pack my bags and head to Maine! I think it’s a true treasure that you have an ornament on your Christmas tree, representing each National Park visited!
Yes, you need to plan a trip! Thx for the ornament reminder. I should have posted a pic of the festive lobster pot.
I’m from a tiny fishing village about 90 minutes “up the road” from Bar Harbor – currently living in Arkansas – and my yearly trip this May will feature a visit to that place with the cookies. Thank you for the recom!
You’re so lucky to be from such a beautiful place. Smart to plan your annual visit in May. 🙂 Risk of snow is a little smaller then! Enjoy your bookstore visit!
Too true on the snow! Blessed New Year! 🎉
Your trip reminds me of the one I made to Acadia in 2015. i went to the Acadia Night Sky Festival also (though it was in Sept. that year). What a transformative experience — I saw Saturn’s rings for the first time. 🙂
I missed that doughnut shop though. How unlike me! Now I have another reason to go back.
Our trip was in September too—I am behind in my posting schedule. 🙂 Definitely plan an encore trip supplemented with foodie spots! Any time I’ve been to Maine I think, ‘I should come here more.’ The geography/topography has a special feel.
You should have visited Oxford County on the other side of the state. The night skies are clearer and there aren’t any crowds. No work for writers there, though…
Those donuts look amazing!
Ohhhhh, yeah! Worth a visit!
I sent the link to my husband. Planning on stopping by on our way to bar harbor 😊
If you haven’t gone there before, check out the Big Chicken Barn in Ellsworth. Hands down my favorite bookstore in the world – and I have never spent less than five hours in it (and never less than one in the old LIFE magazine section.) Most of the books I have pre-1900 are from there, and they were a steal (and I did not steal them.) Acadia, in general, I love very much. Many days of walking there – and the stoney beach is almost a surreal landscape. Sad Note: I think the Owl & Turtle is no longer, although I might be wrong on that. It changed locations three times in my lifetime – my favorite was the middle change, in which you had to cross the tiny flower-strewn bridge to arrive at the front door.
I really need to plan another trip to New England. An exclusive diner and book store tour! Would have loved to have seen the store when it had a flower bridge. ❤