A Maine Vacation

A Maine vacation can be almost any kind of vacation you want.

A Maine vacation can be a seaside vacation along the state's rocky and winding coast. Glaciers and the sea have carved so many inlets and harbors that the 228-mile-long coast would be 3,478 miles if it were stretched out straight! Thousands of islands lie off the coast of Maine. Most are uninhabited and are visited only by fishermen. Many have strange names - for example, Wreck Island, the Hypocrites, Junk of Pork, Pope's Folly, and No Man's Land.

If you want to explore the coast and islands, you can hire a boat and a captain.

One large and well-known island is Mount Desert Island. Here you'll find the town of Bar Harbor, a very popular summer resort. If you get tired of the shops and crowds, you can visit Northeast Harbor, Southwest Harbor, and Somesville, the island's smaller towns. You can also go for a swim, although the water temperature is hardly ever over 55°F!

Maine is famous for its lobster. While you're near the sea, you might want to have some lobster or even a clambake - a traditional meal that New Englanders adopted from the Indians. Here's how you can prepare a clambake: First, pile up layers of logs and rocks. When burned, the logs will heat the rocks. Cover the hot rocks with seaweed and then a rack. Put food on the rack in the following order: clams, potatoes and onions, chicken and fish, hot dogs, and - finally - lobsters and corn. Cover the food with a heavy cloth. In an hour you'll have a feast!

Maine's woods are perfect for a hiking and camping vacation. You might try Baxter State Park in the north. This 200,000-acre park is named after Percival Baxter, a governor of Maine who bought the land little by little and then gave it to the state. The park has many trails and campsites; some you can reach only by boat. (By the way, if you need any supplies, you can find them in Freeport, Maine at L.L. Bean, the outdoor clothing and equipment store. L.L. Bean is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year!

Maine has hundreds of lakes and rivers for boating. Maine is also popular among hunters, because of its many deer, bears, squirrels, and rabbits.

In September, people drive through Maine to see the leaves turn all shades of red, yellow, and orange.

When the snows arrive - and they usually arrive early - skiers rush off to Maine's many mountains.

Depending on the kind of vacation you want, you can visit Maine at just about any time of year. The one time not to visit is May, when the fierce black flies make their yearly visit!

Randee Falk: Spotlight on the USA, Oxford University Press, 1993, page 24 f.