I’m here to tell you that, having started the month without ever visiting an Augusta, I have now visited two different Augustas in the month of August (though I’m not sure that I’d truly describe either as august, exactly).
I started this month in lovely Maine (more accurately, on the lovely Maine coast, with just the briefest visit to the state capital which is definitely not on the coast) and am now ending it in hot and humid Georgia. Augusta specifically and exclusively. Not a state capital but substantially larger than the seat of that state government up north. I haven’t seen much of the city since I have been working as normal (yay remote work letting people travel) but mostly my impression has been hot and humid so.
The drive down was actually pretty pleasant. One never knows, when my route in its entirety was I-91 to I-80 to I-81 to I-77 to I-20. Interstate highways are not exactly notoriously pretty drives. But the trip down across Appalachia was very pretty, I stopped for the night in Roanoke and that was a very pretty area. There was also a beautiful moment coming down out of the Appalachians on the Virginia-North Carolina state line, a sudden descent that offered some amazing views.
I also encountered for the first time the grocery chain Food Lion which, apparently, is perhaps not the swankiest grocery store in the world but does have a fun name and a cool logo. You may recall that when I travel, I try to think seriously about whether I could live there. I haven’t seen enough of Augusta, Georgia to say but I did think about it when I saw just a little of Roanoke. And part of me was sorely tempted because it was a pretty area and the city itself is much nicer, you know, for me personally than the surrounding region. And Food Lion is so cute. But no, cooler heads prevailed, I would not be happy in Roanoke, I don’t think.
I’m visiting a friend of mine who is also fairly new to Augusta. She is Jackson’s mom and so that’s been really lovely because Jackson is great. I can stay in her house working with Jackson all day while she’s away. I feel pretty lucky to have captured this yawn without even trying or expecting to.
But anyway. Hopefully will get out and about a bit this weekend before heading back to Vermont. Now that autumn has officially started, I’ve got to focus on giving Vermont fall a real try. We’ll see.
This is a little record of my stay in Maine, mostly so I remember where I went and what I did. And if you can live vicariously through a little Maine adventure, cool. And if you end up seeing some of these spots and enjoying yourself, rad. And if you just give this a miss, no prob, Bob. But I just really need this week of vacation and I’m so grateful that I had the means to make it happen. I really needed to get away for a bit. Just away from my actual life. What a grown-up reason to vacation. That’s a little sad, I think, but the vacation is happy so that works.
I departed Vermont Sunday morning with the intention of stopping in Portland, which was almost exactly halfway to my destination, for lunch and doughnuts. In the event, I walked around Portland a little and just got doughnuts. Holy Donut, potato doughnuts, not my favorite genre but they were certainly good! I got a small variety so that I could enjoy them then and also have a couple the next day as a birthday treat.
Portland is a cute little city. I didn’t see a whole lot of it but there was a nice little historic downtown area with the sort of well-kept or recently renovated old houses (lots of brick, I approve) that one might expect. It was pretty touristy in a not-very-appealing way, particularly around the old port, but it was fine. Didn’t exactly impress but made for a very pleasant stroll, most of the way. And the doughnuts were tasty.
I arrived at my Airbnb in Hancock without difficulty mid-afternoon, headed into Ellsworth for the evening. Sat in a park by water and read for a while before going to dinner, had a Cornish pasty (or at least, what tried very hard to be and did a decent enough job of it) at Airline Brewing.
Also, this is totally an aside but I just had to say it somewhere. There’s a whole region of Maine and maybe sometimes Maritime Canada (the region’s a little fuzzy depending on who you ask and in what context, as many such terms are) called “Downeast” and I don’t like that at all. Apparently, it comes from sailing, which makes me feel better, but it’s still weird to me.
Monday morning, refusing to battle Acadian crowds on my birthday, I took the recommendations of a friend and headed further up the coast. I drove all the way to Lubec, which is at the Canadian border, on US 1 (which was just sort of fun for me) and then took the scenic route back, stopping to hike at a few places. The day started very foggy–enough that I couldn’t see half of the quite short bridge to Canada. It was very Maine vibes, I felt.
First, I went right out of Lubec to West Quoddy Head where there is a little lighthouse and some little trails. Very pretty, very fog aesthetic, good start. Started to get muggy and hot as I was leaving but I survived it. From there I headed to Boot Head Preserve (Maine seems to be into preserves–not government run parks but privately owned preserves that are public land? Not certain how it works but it’s odd to me, whatever works though). Boot Cove had a cute little beach and then a really deeply lovely walk along the coastal bluffs. The fog was starting to break a bit and it was superb.
My next stop along the coast was the Cutler Preserve which featured, surprise, additional coastal bluffs. Kind of Maine’s whole thing. But they are extremely pretty so I’m not mad about it. I didn’t go super far on this trail because I was hot and gross and a little tired and couldn’t fine any milage labeled on the trail but I still managed a pretty good hike.
I returned to my home base area, got dinner from the Steamy Buddha (a nice sandwich with bacon) and ate in the same park reading the same book and it was lovely.
Tuesday morning, I still didn’t want to see crowds (I had luckily not seen too many people on my adventures thus far) so headed to some more nearby preserves. Started with Taft Point in Gouldsboro, I was the first one there! Another wonderful, foggy walk by the sea. No bluffs there but that just meant I could actually touch the water a bit. I really love the sea.
Then I backtracked a little to the Tidal Falls Preserve in Hancock– a cool place where the water is very narrow indeed and the push and pull of the tides creates almost a sort of rapids in the channels beside this little island in the middle of a very small channel.
I continued down to Hancock Point and Carter’s Beach, more of these lovely granite beaches with such interesting rock patterns and lots of kelp and seaweed.
My last main plan of the day was a visit to Lamoine Beach, directly across from Mount Desert Island. We had a sudden fog bank roll in a quickly disappear, but it remained pretty windy. It is a lovely, sandy beach, but the park is pretty small–there’s a state park just up the road but I didn’t bother with it, I imagine it’s much the same.
I also took a little stop at Egypt Bay (because I could not not), an arm of the Mount Desert Narrows within walking distance of my accommodation. Then I headed back into Ellsworth to a) get my National Park pass for Wednesday b) visit Big Chicken Barn antiques and books, because why not, and c) get dinner.
Wednesday, I was on the road at 6:00 to try and see if I could manage some nice non-crowd time at Acadia National Park (everyone in New England seems to know that it’s pretty and also extremely crowded all summer {I guess unsurprising when it’s the only national park in the region and it gets a lot of Boston and New York vacations, along with everyone else}). Please bear in mind, I use the term “mountain” in what follows because that’s what things are called, not because I endorse any of these features to bear the name.
I wasn’t super intent on anything specific in the park so I didn’t mind totally missing some of the major attractions in favor of other hikes that I was confident would still be pretty and probably more enjoyable for me. To start with, I went for the trail to Parkman Mountain-Gilmore Peak-Sargent Mountain. Sargent is, I believe, the second tallest point on the island and, since the tallest is both extremely popular and also has a road to the top, I was perfectly happy with my view of Cadillac (and actually much of the island) from Sargent. It was a pretty difficult hike, lots of ups and downs, but a pretty one. Cute, pink granite everywhere, the scent of balsams, views of water, nice trees, all around good times.
After collecting myself for a sec in the parking lot (wow was I grateful to have gotten a parking spot; there was only one other vehicle when I arrived at 6:40 and when I left, cars were parked along the road for quite a ways–and this was the less popular side), I headed to Beech Mountain. A very brief, hot, crowded hike for which I was one parked on the side of the road a ways away from the parking lot. But it was a lovely little mountain and some neat views from a little fire tower one could climb up just a little ways.
From there, I only had a couple more places I had decided to check out so I got driving. I stopped along the Seawall for some more beachy time and to have salt water in my life intimately again. I love the sea. Then I headed to Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse which involved a long wait in the car (no roadside parking allowed) and in the event, wasn’t all that interesting.
The last thing I wanted to do before heading out was stop in Bar Harbor, the main town on the island (there are other towns, intermixed with the park, it was all a little settled-feeling, not my typical National Park experience heretofore but that’s neither here nor there).
Anyway, I learned that some French guy called it the island of deserted mountains because the tops are mostly bare granite, so that’s why it’s called Mount Desert Island (there is a Mount Desert, it’s a pretty small one, not sure how they picked that one). Bar Harbor was cute but so, and I cannot emphasize this enough, crowded. Now, it’s not like it was Disneyland and people were seriously packed it. But it was a lot more than I found at all enjoyable and it was compounded by there being a lot of cars because it’s kind of hard to get to even though they have a bus system that seems decent (I had wanted to take it onto the island but my desire to head out super early won that debate).
Anyway again, cute town, lots of people, got some wild blueberry things because Maine is super into that, I’ve learned, had a little walk, got food, headed back to dear old Hancock for some leftover pizza and time to relax.
Tomorrow, the current plan is one more preserve hike in Hancock (Old Rail), driving over to the Schoodic peninsula which is part of the National Park on the mainland, and then heading to Augusta for the night. I’m hoping it’ll be some lovely nature and a fond farewell to the sea for another while. And then hopefully a nice afternoon/evening in a new-to-me state capital.
This vacation was so needed, I’m so glad I could have my birthday time away from work and life and everything. Moving will still be madness but it’ll be over quickly and that’ll be that. I’m refusing to look forward much because I just don’t want to and that’s okay. Christmas will be here soon enough and that’ll be nice. Something to get me through to December. And then I guess I’ll need to plan my next time to get away and pretend that’s all there is–away.
I’m hoping that this will be the last ‘I’m tired and have little to say’ posts for a while. They’ll be back, inevitably, but hopefully the end of the month will bring some relief. I’m really hoping.
This week was a little extra rough, in no small part because of Very Hot. However, I do count myself lucky to have been able to escape at least partially to a different swimming hole each day, Friday through Sunday, for a little respite. Still hot but with adequate cool off mechanisms in place. So got some nice reading in.
Things seem to be moving ahead with my new living situation as well so also hoping that’ll be settled and also that it’ll be a nice situation. Indications are that it will be just fine, I’m just a teensy bit worried because of who I am as a person but I’m clamping down on it at least until I move in and have some ground to stand on.
It is starting to look like August will be a fairly busy month as well but it will be voluntarily busy for the most part (other than moving) and so that’ll be nice. I’m actually doing things and seeing people and what an adventure. I’ve got two on call days to get through–today and tomorrow–and crossing my fingers that I’ll be able to manage my other job okay too, and then Maine! It’s really what is getting me through, if I haven’t said so a thousand times before.
I’m worried that it’ll end up being a rather stressful trip just because this is not the right time to take a vacation for my undergrad job but it was a great time for my high school job which is what had and expected to keep having when I planned it and, you know, spent money. I’m glad that I can keep it and only be doing one job upon my return but still, lots going on at work for that and it’s probably going to be awful when I come back, regardless if how beautifully my coworkers cover.
Anyway, good luck to us all in reaching the weekend. One step at a time. Have some flowers. And, obviously, cat.
It’s been a pretty busy week here. Or, I guess that’s not quite it, it’s more been a draining week. I have not had too much going on other than work and, thankfully, I have not had to deal with too many major issues there. I’ve just been “at work” at home quite a bit this week. I’ve got one more evening on call shift today (after trying my best to take it easy for the day work I need to do) and then I’ve got a three day weekend. After a short morning meeting tomorrow to summarize the night shift for the next crew.
Anyway.
We’re doing our best here and really looking forward to August. I’m hoping that my birthday vacation to Maine will not be marred by stress–work stress since I’ll be done with the one thing but still have lots to do for the other job and life stress since I’ll need to be moving pretty much immediately after my return.
But I am determined to go to Maine and to enjoy myself. It’s been the major thing for me to look forward to since I think February when I booked it. And I will really, really need it. If you have any big Maine thoughts, feel free to share. I’ll be staying near Acadia National Park so I’m excited about that. I may also not end up doing too much else because I may want to kind of zonk out. But I’m always open to suggestions.
In other but related news, I purchased a reusable vacuum-suck mattress bag so that’s exciting. I really like my foam mattress and it had previously been stored in a normal bag that was sealable but not really meant for vacuum-sucking and it probably wasn’t the best way to keep it strapped in for a couple years. This bag seems better, made for vacuums, and comes with its own straps. The thrill of a lifetime (I haven’t actually gotten it yet, just ordered it, so it may end up being a disappointment but we’ll only really find that out when I am actually moving so).
It has also been quite hot here. Not as hot as some places in the world (grateful for once to not be in London) but still plenty, especially when I’ve been attached to my computer the past few nights instead of exploring more swimming holes. But hoping to remedy that a bit in the coming days.
That’s really all for now. I am dreading packing up; I like to think I am good at sticking things in boxes and making it happen but my parents are all much more talented at that than I. Likely, I will just end up making several trips which is fine since it’s not very far but still, bleh. Also, as always, feel free to send pictures of your cats so I can stick them on here. I love all cats and variety is the spice of life.
Journeyman 