Hello everyone! It’s been a while since my last post, and lots has happened in Maine! This summer, I moved from Ellsworth to a place near the University of Maine, about an hour away. I downsized into a cute apartment close to campus and felt very lucky to have the help of some lovely friends, who were kind enough to move some heavy furniture, down one long staircase, and up another huge set of stairs at the new place on a rainy day in July. 😮💨 Bless them!! 😍Once settled in my new apartment, I took a few weeks off in August and visited family in the midwest.
Vacation in Nebraska! ✈️☀️
It was so nice to visit family this summer! ❤️ I got to celebrate my birthday, spend time with my sweet nieces, go to a beer fest and Salt Dogs Game with my mom and sister, meet up with several dear friends, explore the botanical gardens in Omaha and visit a really pretty church on the way there. I loved being able to meet friends and family in restaurants again! 🍽️😁 After Covid and limiting in person meetings for so long, it felt extra special.
Starting school! 📚🎓
It’s been a long time since I attended college, so it’s been a bit of an adjustment going back into full time classes again. I discovered a nice paved trail several blocks from my house that leads directly to the university campus, so I bought a bike and have been biking to classes. 🚴🏻♀️ It’s been fun, and made me realize how out of shape I am, ha! 😂 I’ve continued to work at the same pediatric practice part time, so two days a week, I make the hour long commute there and back. 🚘👩🏻⚕️🩺 It’s definitely given me a chance to catch up on podcasts! 😉
I’m taking classes for an International Affairs major, which includes Spanish, World Religions, Political Science and Women & Gender studies this semester. It’s been fun meeting new people and learning what it’s like to take classes in a time where everything is online, or on our phones, like the iclicker app that is used to check attendance, or Google classroom to submit assignments. 🤳📱
Friend Visit! ☺️
My dear friend Andrea came to visit for a long weekend and we were able to explore Acadia National Park, check out Bar Harbor, see Stephen King’s house in Bangor and hike through a bog in the Bangor Forest. 🌲The fall leaves were so pretty and even though it rained a bit, we were able to get in a lot of out door time. We ended the weekend by eating at a Maine staple, Governor’s restaurant, a diner with delicious comfort food and blueberry pie. 🥧Thank you for coming to visit Andrea!! 🥰
I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful time of year! 🍁
Some of you may know that I’ve been thinking about a career change for the last few years. Though I have loved working with patients as a physician assistant for over a decade, I have increasingly felt called to something new, something different.
This spring, I applied to the University of Maine, and was accepted to start as an incoming freshman in International Studies! 🎊 I am excited, a little nervous, and definitely hopeful that this is where I’m meant to be. I will be taking class full time, and will continue to work part time at my current clinic. I want to thank everyone who has supported me in this new endeavor and for continuing to follow along on this new ‘adventure’. ❤️
Starting in August, I’ll officially be a black bear (though he looks kinda intense)! 🤣🐻
Since I’ll be in Maine for at least the next few years, please consider coming to visit. ✈️😉
Yay!! Time for a weekend trip to someplace neat on the East Coast! 🎊
My sweet friend Camilla was able to fly in from DC to join me on this trip. We stayed in an Airbnb in West Yarmouth that was charming, and in a beautiful neighborhood with the well known Cape Cod style houses.
We lucked out with awesome weather the whole weekend, which felt extra special to me because Maine has been glooooomy lately! 🌧️
Edward Gorey
Camilla introduced me to this interesting and eclectic artist, author and Tony award winning costume designer. His home in Yarmouth has been turned into a museum. I recognized several of his animations as the intro for PBS Mystery movies, which was fun surprise. Our tour guide, who also happens to be his cousin, gave us a tour around the museum along with a history of his life and works. They had a delightful little gift shop too. 😀
Dune Tour 🐚
The Provincetown Dunes are a protected part of the Cape Cod National Seashore. This fragile ecological system has been protected and preserved since 1961 after heavy use of dune buggies in the area began to destroy the landscape. A 4 wheel drive vehicle and reduced tire pressure (down to 11 psi), as well as permits, are required to see these beautiful dunes.
We took a sunset tour and learned about ship wrecks around the dunes and life saving shacks that were built to help those who survived the wrecks. Some of these shacks still exist and in the 1900s, became a haven for artists and writers during Cape Cod summers.
The dunes are home to several cranberry bogs, which are free to collect if you are willing to hike into the dunes!
Sunset on the beach 🌅
At the end of the tour, we lucked out with a clear and peaceful sunset on the beach! It gets pretty chilly after the sun goes down!
Nantucket! ⛴️🌞
All I knew of Nantucket prior to this trip was from what I saw on the 1990’s sitcom Wings. Ha! 😂 Did any of you see that show? It presented a fairly modest depiction of the island and a little airport there.
However, in reality, Nantucket is boujee! 😉 It’s expensive to live there and from what we heard, it’s a hot spot for the super rich, who like to ‘summer’ there. But! It is possible to take a ferry for a day trip and not break the bank. We bought tickets in Hyannis and got to explore the little down town, which is quaint and lovely. They had a daffodil festival last weekend and there were still remnants of these in the flower pots that decorated many businesses. 🌼
People were friendly, the shops had lots of unique art, and Camilla got a chance to sample a lobster roll and oysters. 🦪
Thanks for checking out the blog! Happy Spring! I hope everyone is doing great! 🌺🌻
I had never been to see Niagara Falls before and lucked out with several sweet deals on a hotel and flights to Toronto (likely because, who really wants to travel to freezing Canada in February!?🥶😂). It feels like flight prices, especially from a remote area of Maine, are astronomically expensive these days, so I had to jump on one that wouldn’t break the bank! 💰
I flew into Toronto and then did a day trip to see the falls on both the Canada and the US sides. It was a touch overcast and a bit cold, but definitely neat to see in person in the winter. I also happily escaped -20 degree F temperatures in Maine that weekend (with a wind-chill making it ‘feel like’ -40!). 🥶😳
The Canada Side 🇨🇦🍁
I read that the Canada side has better views of the falls, and I have to agree! There is a paved trail following along the falls, and the entire gorge extending after it, which makes for some lovely views! The amount of water going over the falls just a few steps from the path is overwhelming and felt very powerful.
Walking to the United State’s Side
I asked our tour guide if it was possible for me to use our free time (4 hours) to walk from Canada to the U.S. via the bridge, and he said ‘Oh no, no. Only if you were going to spend a few days here.” 😂 Thankfully, I met some friendly tourists on the Canada side and learned that they had easily walked over the bridge from the U.S.. They told me that it was possible to explore on either side of the falls as long as I had my passport. Yay!
There is a $1 charge (which must be in coins) to walk across the bridge from Canada to the U.S. and border guards on each side to check your passport. It was extremely windy on the day that I walked across and the views from here are not very pretty. However, the border guard on the Canada side was kind enough to stamp my new passport. 🇨🇦
The United States Side 🇺🇸
To be fair, there is a second water fall on the U.S. side that makes it impossible to have a path along the gorge like on the Canada side, so the views aren’t as impressive. There is a nice park on the U.S. side and several bridges that you need to walk across in order to get close to the falls. Unfortunately, I found out that during the winter months, the observation platforms on the U.S. side are closed due to snow and ice, so the view is extra limited. The side views are nice though!
Clifton Hill Street 🏚️
Back on the Canada side, Clifton Hill street, complete with restaurants, shops and kid-centric activities, is right across from the falls, and very family friendly.
Tim Hortons 🥪☕️
For some reason, I incorrectly believed that this famous Canadian restaurant was unique only to Canada. I felt very special getting to eat here while visiting. 😉 To my surprise, I drove right by one in Maine on my way home from the airport! 😂 Ha! I guess there are actually over 600 of these restaurants in the U.S., unbeknownst to me. It was still a treat getting to eat here after walking nearly 6 miles along the falls in two countries!
Maple Tasting 🍁
On the way back from Niagara, we stopped at a local shop that offers maple syrup tasting. I didn’t realize how different the syrup can taste depending on type and shade.
Toronto 🌃
I was able to use some hotel points to stay in down-town Toronto and was impressed with how safe and clean it felt! I was hoping to view the city from the CN tower, but it was mostly snowing with poor visibility on the day that I had hoped to go, so it just gives me an excuse to come back another time.
Thanks to those of you who are still following along! Hope everyone is having a safe and warm start to February! 😀
It’s a 2 hour drive from where I live to the city of Portland. I was waiting until fall to explore because I wanted to see all of the lovely foliage and the drive down did not disappoint!🍁 It’s so pretty this time of year! I started my visit at The Head Light light house and then explored the Old Port along the water front. I also joined a food tour and got to eat lost of fresh seafood! 🦞
The Light House
The Portland Head Light was built at the directive of George Washington in 1791 and is the oldest lighthouse in Maine. It sits at the entrance of the primary shipping channel into Portland Harbor, which is within Casco Bay in the Gulf of Maine. Whale oil lamps were originally used for illumination and it became automated in 1989.
There is a whole park associated with the light house, complete with pretty walking trails along the coast, a small beach with picnic tables and benches, and several food trucks featuring lobster rolls.
Old Town Portland
The Old Port in downtown Portland is a quaint historic district with cobblestone streets and brick buildings with shops, restaurants and bars. It was really fun to walk through the stores along the waterfront and see the lobster boats docked along the wharf. I used some hotel points to stay in a place right in down town!
On the food tour, we were told that some of the cobblestone walks were created with stones from Europe, which were placed in the base of British ships to help stabilized them in rough ocean waters. When settlers arrived via those ships, they would then use the stones to make roads in their new town!
Husker Bar!
Having gotten my bachelors degree from the University of Nebraska, I know the pride that it’s alums and natives have for their football team. Walking around down town Portland, I was surprised to see a Husker sign featured prominently in a pub window! I stepped inside to see more Husker gear and then later, looked it up and yay, the owner is from Nebraska! If you’re a ‘Sker, check out the Commercial St. Pub in Portland for some Nebraska love.
Food Tour! 🐠
On my last day in Portland I took a neat food tour through the Old Port. We started with delicious Maine blueberry bars and then walked to a restaurant on the wharf for fresh clam chowder. We got to sample several tasty beers, try fresh fish tacos, a yummy lobster roll, and then finished with decadent chocolate truffles. It was neat hearing about the history of downtown Portland while also eating delicious local dishes.
My travel adventures are definitely much more spread out now that I am back to working full time! 😂But I’m grateful to be in an area where there are so may fun destinations within driving distance. Hopefully more to come! Happy Fall everyone! ☀️
Having never been to New Hampshire, I really wanted to explore the state a bit, and as it turns out, the White Mountain National Forest is only about 4 hours from where I live in Maine. I found a cute airbnb in a little place called Twin Mountain and got to drive through the Kancamagus Highway, hike through the Flume Gorge in Lincoln, and see a few pretty covered bridges this weekend.
Kancamagus Highway
This scenic byway is a 34.5 mile drive through the White Mountain National Forest that is famous for ‘leaf peepers’ wanting to see the fall foliage. I was a touch early to see much foliage, but there were still some pretty red and orange leaves mixed in with the green ones. The first stop was this neat covered bridge with a pretty slow moving water way underneath.
Before I started the drive, I happened upon this super cute ice cream shop with both hard scoop ice cream and, my favorite, soft serve!🍦They had nearly 20 different soft serve flavors and combinations! I was SO excited! 🎉 This picture doesn’t do it justice, but this was a coconut and German chocolate mix and it was fabulous 😋
Flume Gorge
The Flume is a natural gorge extending 800 feet at the base of Mount Liberty. The walls of Conway granite rise to a height of 70 to 90 feet and are 12 to 20 feet apart. There is a lovely waterfall between the granite walls. Having arrived close to the end of the day, I got to hike mostly on my own. It made for some lovely pictures. 😀
There was a red covered bridge at the beginning of the hike to The Flume and was definitely my favorite of the trip.
Are these turkeys? 🦃
All along the drive I saw these guys on or near the highway. At first I thought they were vultures because they didn’t have feathers on their heads😅….but then I decided they looked more like turkeys! I obviously don’t know birds! 😂Are these turkeys? 🤷🏻♀️
My sweet friend, Kim, came to visit last weekend and it was so fun to see a familiar face and explore the area with a buddy. Kim and I went to PA school together and it had been 5 years since we actually got to see each other in person, so this felt like an extra treat! ☺️
Hiking in Acadia National Park🏞
We decided to try a ‘challenging’ loop trail that sounded like it would have awesome views and some interesting rock face climbs. But the ‘loop’ trail wasn’t actually an out and back loop, and we accidentally wound up joining another way longer trail that took us super far from the parking lot! 🤣We were happily surprised with some beautiful 360 degree views on the unplanned section, but we thought we’d be hiking just under 3 hours, and instead, hiked for over 5 hours! Needless to say, we were a tiny bit tired and sore by the time we got back to the car! 🤦🏻♀️😂
Lobsta Dinner! 🦞
On a walk around town, we found a neat restaurant that was situated right by pretty Union River and had delicious lobster dinner options! We got to sit outside and enjoy a traditional Maine meal. 😋
Ocean view and Bar Harbor
On Kim’s last day, we hiked along the ocean and then visited Bar Harbor for lunch and ice cream (🍦they make lobster ice cream!!). It was a bit overcast, so the views along the water were very misty, but still super pretty!
Thanks for coming to visit me buddy! It was really fun to have some Maine adventures with a friend. 😀 (Photo credit—almost all of these lovely pictures were taken by Kim!)
After an anxious week searching for a place to live (this area has very limited housing options 😬), I feel extremely lucky to have found an apartment in the actual little town where I’ll be working! Because the eastern side of Maine is fairly rural, it seems like most people live in the country and commute in to the small towns for access to businesses, so driving longer distances can just be a way of life.
Living in the town is especially great then, because I can walk almost everywhere I need to go. On the walk to the DMV to get my new drivers license, I saw a mama deer and her baby in the neighborhood 🦌. There is a grocery store, bank, beer garden, and library, all within a 10-15 minute walk from my new place! 😀
Starting to furnish an apartment from scratch has been interesting since I sold or gave away nearly everything I owned last year when starting the travel trip! But slowly, I’m getting more and more settled.
Celebrating the 4th of July! 🎇
I had to stop by my new office to fill out some paperwork, and while there, one of the staff offered to take me around on her boat sometime! She and her partner where kind enough to host me on the 4th of July and they took me all around the islands off the coast of Maine! At sunset, we met another boat and watched the fireworks from the water.
Pending my credentialing for the hospital, my start date for work is early next week. I did a little shadowing this week to get a feel for the office, and joined a local book club via the library. I also found a neat trail that’s close to the house, and aside from some biting flies (I’ll wear insect repellent next time), it was a really beautiful walk!
I hope you guys can come visit when flight prices go down a little 🤦🏻♀️🤣. Happy belated 4th of July and thanks for following along!
Ever since I visited Portland a decade ago, I have wanted to move to Maine! I was so impressed with the beautiful coast line, woods and national parks, rivers, lakes and cooler temps that when I finished traveling, I was hoping I might find a job there.
I am so lucky because after applying for a Maine state medical license, I saw a pediatric job posting and applied! I flew out for a site visit and interview, and was offered a job in the cute little town of Ellsworth, Maine! 🎉🍾🎈
Buying a ‘new’ car!
After the adventure of purchasing a car in today’s crazy used car market, I drove it home and the following morning, it wouldn’t start! 🤦🏻♀️ I had planned to drive to Maine the next day….but ended up having to start out a full week later while the car was in the shop for repairs (thankfully, the dealership took care of the costs).
Finally on my way! 🤗 It’s a 26 hour drive from the midwest, but I am feeling extremely grateful to have a vehicle, to have a waiting job, and to visit some states that I’ve never previously been to on the drive out (like Indiana and Ohio)!
As my year of travel and adventure comes to a close, it feels like a new adventure is beginning. I would love to see everyone once I get set up in Maine, so please know that you’re always welcome! I’ll keep you posted and will try to post some pretty photos of my new state. Thanks again for following along! 😀
Thanks so much to everyone who followed along with me for the last 8 months!
I had originally planned to do a full year of travel, but after 8 months, I was ready to come home. I missed the US and working with kids. I missed seeing family and friends and having a regular schedule. I missed Dairy Queen, ha! 😂😉
I will start applying for jobs soon and will keep you posted on where I land…..and will likely keep this blog going for any future travel plans (including a Disneyland trip coming up!).
For now, maybe more for myself as a reminder in times to come, are stats and favorites from the last 8 months.
Travel stats:
TotalCountries Visited: 27
Regions: Africa, Europe, Asia (barely, just Cappadocia in Turkey is technically in Asia), Central and South America and the Caribbean
Transportation:
Flights: ✈️ too many to count Trains/Trams: 🚃 30 Buses: 🚌 11 Boat Rides/Ferries: ⛴ 19
Helicopter Rides: 🚁1 Hot Air Balloons: 1 Horseback Riding: 🐴1 Camel: 🐪1 Parachute:🪂 1
Lost/broken items: Sunglasses (4 pairs! 🤦🏻♀️) and a door stopper I accidentally left on the train in Egypt.
Things I missed most: clean/safe tap water, the ease and convenience of driving my own car, regular work outs, cooking in an established kitchen with multiple ingredients, seeing friends and family in person.
Things I loved: 🎉 Meeting so many kind and friendly people along the way, making new friends, exploring new places on excursion days, the food!, meals in the homes of locals on my Intrepid tour, practicing my Spanish in Latin America, WhatsApp allowing me to connect regularly with friends and family.
Things I did not love: Travel days 😩…..in the time of covid, travel days felt especially taxing 🤦🏻♀️😷…making sure I had everything I needed from covid testing in appropriate time frames, to online required forms to enter each country, to reliable internet to find the right buses/trams/trains to and from the airport, to wondering if my bag would make it to my new destination with me (it only got lost once, in Finland, but was found the following day).
Favorites:
Reflecting on the last 8 months of travel, I am so grateful for the opportunity to have done this! It was a lot of hard work and sacrifice to get to a point where I could quit my jobs and travel, but totally worth it! 😉
This is a list of my favorites in 8 months of adventure:
1. Volunteering at a wildlife sanctuary in Zimbabwe for a week.
2. Feeding a rhino on my birthday. (Look at his little face!) ☺️
3. Seeing wild hippo on a sunset dinner cruise in Zimbabwe.
4. Exploring Victoria Falls by myself….grateful for being able to see the natural wonder in a time where there were no other tourists.
5. Hiking to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa on a sunny day with outstanding and peaceful views.
6. Cooking class in a local’s home in Zanzibar.
7. Eating in a rooftop restaurant in Stone Town (Zanzibar) with a 360 view of the city.
8. Visiting Mostar, Bosnia and being able to see the Stari Most bridge early in the morning before the crowds.
9. Climbing the city wall in Kotor, Montenegro and watching the sun rise over the bay and the city.
10. Biking to Kinderdijk in The Netherlands with my brother to see windmills. 🚴🏻♀️
11. Eating fish & chips at an Irish pub with live Irish music playing in the background on my first night in Dublin.
12. Driving around Ireland by myself, on the left side of the road, while sitting on the right side of the car and using a left sided stick shift (and surviving this!). 🍀😂
13. Exploring the Isle of Skye in the Scottish Highlands with a biker dude guide in a kilt.
14. Krakow, Poland. From visiting Auschwitz to taking a delicious and unique food tour, to the Wieliczka salt mines, this city had so much to see and do.
15. Hammam (Turkish bath) in Istanbul. One of the most luxurious and pampering spa treatments I’ve ever had!
16. Hot air ballooning in Cappadocia, Turkey! The scenery coupled with loads of other balloons was one of the neatest things I’ve ever experienced!
17. Riding a camel at the pyramids of Giza in Egypt.🐪
18. Other adventures in Egypt….Abu Simbel, The Valley of the Kings, sleeping on a felucca on the Nile, delicious meals shared together with a really awesome group of people and a lovely guide.
19. Unique experiences on the Jordan tour: sleeping in a Bedouin desert camp, visiting Petra and swimming in the Dead Sea.
20. Italy: one of my all around favorite spots….I loved the old and iconic sites in the city of Rome, seeing Florence and Pisa, sitting in the Sistine Chapel, and the fabulous food tour!
21. Seeing the Pope in person!
22. Exploring 3 new countries with my sweet friend, Andrea! This was such a treat after mostly traveling solo for 4+ months. The snowy landscapes of Finland, Estonia and Iceland in December were especially fun to experience with a friend!
23. Christmas in the US. Being able to come home in the middle of the trip to spend the holidays with family was the best 🎄❤️
24. Swimming with manatees! A dream come true from the time I was in elementary school. 💕
25. Medellin, Colombia. I loved visiting this city! The beauty of the mountains, the friendly people, the awesome hotel, the coffee plantation tour, paragliding….it was such a fun week.
26. The Galapagos!! The unique wildlife here made this visit really special. 🐢🦈🦎
27. Sacred Valley of the Incas, Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain in Peru. Some of the most breathtaking landscapes I have ever seen!!
28. The Amazon Rainforest! From the lovely, rustic lodge that we stayed in, to seeing animals and insects all over, to night hikes and fresh exotic fruit….this was such a unique experience.
29. Aruba with Arlene! Wrapping up the trip with a relaxing week at the beach was awesome.🍹🏖😎
30. Friends Week! Officially ending the travel trip visiting friends in the PNW was wonderful. 😀
Even though it’s a lot of work, technology has really made it easy and safe to travel long term. I think anyone with an interest in trying this can absolutely do it! 😀
Thanks again to everyone who followed along with me on this adventure! ❤️
The Adventure that Awaits 