However, due to us completely underestimating the time that it takes to get out the door these days and a crazy amount of research on the area I did last night, we settled for Dunkin Donuts in the car and hurried to York, Maine instead.
York is the home to the Nubble Lighthouse, and I figured since we were going to be on the rocky New England coast, it was important that we see a lighthouse. The drive over to York to was beautiful - rocky outcrops, wide rivers, tall pines and the colorful descent of the many deciduous trees provided the perfect setting for our first real day of vacation.
As we were nearing I-95 to head north through Portsmouth and up to York, we realized that I-95 was a toll road. Since Vaughn was in the middle of her morning nap, we opted to dodge the toll, where she would undoubtedly wake up the minute I rolled down the window to see if the stranger at the window had any compliments for her. Instead, we hit US 1 and took the scenic route. It was fantastic, cruising through some small towns like Hampton, NH, where it just feels like a New England town.
Crossing into Maine from New Hampshire we noticed the sign: Welcome to Maine, Vactionland.
Soon we saw "Maine - Worth a Visit, Worth a Lifetime".
Then, quickly after that, "Maine - The Way Life Should Be".
Hey, Maine, we literally just drove into your state from another state to hang out here a while. You can stop selling us. Stacie and I found it pretty funny though and we started making up our own Maine slogans. "Maine - Come for the Chowder, Stay for the Slogans." "Maine - As Hard As It Is to Get Here, It's Harder to Leave. And it's real hard to get here, by the way."
Slogan time aside, we finally made it to York, ME, and to our great surprise, it was more than just a town with a lighthouse. This was a tourist trap. Streets were lined with shops that seemed to come straight out of a movie set; there was a Harvest Festival going on to celebrate the end of tourist season (whew...barely made it). We decided that maybe we didn't need to go to Portsmouth at all, rather we could just stay in York all day.
The Nubble Lighthouse was still our goal though, so we took our eyes off of the distractions of the little town and wound through wooded neighborhoods to the coast. As we drove, it seemed that everywhere you turned was an American Flag hanging from a porch, a pole or any other mechanism that was suitable for holding a flag. On every porch was at least two, but generally six or eight Adirondack chairs. It all was just right, exactly as it should be. Then we rounded a corner and saw our first lighthouse of the trip.
After taking a few pics, hitting the gift shop and enjoying the salty sea air, we quickly headed back into town. It was chilly and rain had been falling most of the morning, so we were looking forward to some warm, dry touristy shops filled with crap we don't need.
We've got a lot of pictures of this town, but they're not uploaded yet. As they are I'll come back and add to this post, but I'm sure you can picture the type of town in your mind - just think small New England town, winding along the rocky sea coast with tourist shops, restaurants and candy stores.
Actually, add an element to that. Add a tiny little amusement park. We took Vaughn over to see the little rides and the other little kids, and since we were there, despite the rain, we decided she should ride the carousel. Stacie took her up and held her there, and she absolutely loved it.
At this point, we were getting pretty tired of the rain and we knew that Vaughn was going to need to eat around three. Plus we were getting pretty hungry ourselves, so we decided to head down to Portsmouth after all. A friend from work had told me about a restaurant that he loved right in downtown, so we put that into Google Maps and headed south.
Upon landing in downtown Portsmouth, we realized we would have made a huge mistake by staying in York all day. York was fantastic, but Portsmouth was also fantastic, and it was bigger by about two or three times. We strolled into the restaurant, River House, and sat on their enclosed and heated patio. I got a lobster roll and their award winning seafood chowder. Both were fantastic. Stacie got the French Onion Soup and a salad, and it looked amazing as well.
We enjoyed our meal and then headed out the door to see the town. The shops were amazing and there was so much history - it really was the perfect mix of a town for Stacie and I. We bought some things at a kids store called Lively Kids. We had some dessert and coffee at a bakery called Popovers. We browsed through tourist stores, shoe stores, a fabric store, a paper and gifts store and probably several others.
Along the way though, we visited the Moffatt-Ladd House for obvious reasons (or non-obvious if you don't know Stacie's maiden name is Moffett.) The Moffatt-Ladd House was built in 1763 by John Moffatt a successful ship captain, merchant and land speculator. It would soon be occupied by William Whipple, one of New Hampshire's representatives to the Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Upon returning to Portsmouth, Whipple planted some chestnuts he'd taken from Philadelphia to mark the momentous event. The tree still stands today.
We also, saw the Portsmouth North Church which was established in the 1600s and tried unsuccessfully to locate a building where George Washington had given a speech and where the Declaration of Independence was read aloud for the town. To be in this area of the country where it seems every building, every road traveled and every tree planted has an intimate connection with the founding of the United States is something that resonates deeply with me. I want every man, woman and child that had a hand in creating this country to get the moments of attention from me they deserve. I want them to know that I don't take their sacrifices for granted and that 236 years later, as that tree still stands, so does the country they built.
Soon it was time to leave New Hampshire and Maine and head down to Boston. I put NH and ME on the agenda for the trip mainly to check them off of a list of states visited. In the end, though, these two states are worth a visit. Maybe even worth a lifetime.
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