It was a sunny day as I left my grandma's house in Hooksett, New Hampshire and headed for the fourth corner. I started the day on the highway, but because of construction and high winds, I jumped off and took the coastal road. What a great decision! It was very Maine. The drive leads you through some smaller towns with quaint harbors, dotted with sailboats. It made me think of the history that lies in old pubs in these towns. Stories of lobster fishermen, a family man trying to take his family out for a day of boating and getting caught in a storm, or the tourist that tried his hand at sailing and learned what a boom is the hard way. Outside of the towns, you see old cemeteries and fields with rock scattered about that reminded me of the rock wall lining a hay field from the movie Shawshank Redemption.
I crossed a bridge, and was on the island where Acadia National Park, my fourth corner, resides. Once on the island, you could smell the sea with a hint of pine. A cologne I would wear, but don't know if women would find attractive. I got to my hotel, rested, then took a walk at sunset through idyllic Bar Harbor, Maine. Oranges, purples, and pinks blended together for a surreal sunset that I watched from a grass knoll over looking the harbor. On my way home I grabbed a lobster roll to satisfy my stomach, and was feeling very calm, but looking forward to the next day's ride up Cadillac mountain, the first place the sun's rays touch the U.S. (Part of the year, but not this part. If I'm honest, the fall and winter. But still a pretty cool place for the fourth corner!).
Bar Harbor (Bah Hahbah)
Despite my best efforts to be up in time for sunrise, I woke up at 8 am, jumped on my bike, and drove up Cadillac mountain, completing my mission of touching the four corners of the lower 48 states! I took in the spectacular view, and thought about the journey that led me to this point. It's now July 20th. I left May 5th, which now seems like at eternity ago. I could no longer feel the cold wind that had chilled my bones, had completely forgotten what it had felt like being soaked to the bone, my resentment towards the wind that pushed me so hard so often had faded, and I could no longer vividly recall the sting of hail on my face. It was as if I had nothing but warm sunshine embracing me the entire trip. It was all worth it. I didn't have the beaming smile I thought I would, but just felt content. I didn't feed any starving children. I didn't save any lives. I gave my self a fun, exciting challenge, and I'd completed it. Almost. I'm not home yet.
Congrats!!!
ReplyDeleteMaine looks amazing.