Running in Maine

Everyone at some point in their busy year needs to get away from their daily grind and find some solace in their life. Our family's trip to Maine was a most enjoyable escape to a very beautiful and invigorating landscape.

Maine has a very unique coastline which is dotted not only with lighthouses but with dozens, if not hundreds,  of small islands reachable by ferrys. In contrast to the sandy beaches prevalent for the majority of the eastern coastline, Maine has a rugged rocky coastline the result of extensive glacial movement.

The kids love to climb among the large boulders next to the shore as the waves from the Atlantic ocean crash against the rocks adorning the shoreline. There are also small pools of water hidden among the boulders on the shore which contain treasures of the constant flow of the high and low tides.  Couple this with a cool breeze of the ocean and you have the recipe for several hours of real outdoor adventure for my two sons.

If our kids were older and did not require a constant and vigilant oversight, my wife and I would be content with reading a book on the rocks and simply taking in the shore's beauty for hours upon end.  Sunsets are beautiful as depicted in the picture above.

Maine is a mecca for trail running with Acadia National Park being one of the most beautiful venues on the east coast. Acadia National Park is located within an island named Mount Desert. Mount Desert Island is also the home of the very popular resort town of Bar Harbor.

The people of Maine are very nice and considerate.  The Maine residents give the impression they are more in tune with what nature has to offer than what Apple or Motorola or Samsung has to offer.  I don't recall seeing any kids texting on their cell phones during this vacation. I'm sure there are Maine kids who do - but a cell phone did not appear to be standard issue as it is so often elsewhere.

There is a phrase uttered occasionally in Maine which goes something like 'You are on Maine time now.'   In contrast to the hectic pace characterized by people driving frantically to their next soccer practice, work, etc. in most east coast states, Maine seems to have a pace more consistent with a 'We'll get there when we get there' slogan.