Acadia to Quebec

I left the Acadia area (ie the town where I’d been staying in the Walmart lot and using the super cute library for internet- the Ellsworth library fall decor game is strong) and drove up the coast, stopping in another part of the park across the narrows on Schoodic Point, where I watched the waves crash and seagulls attack low tide offerings.

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I continued up along Route 1 checking out small towns and coastal views before stopping for sunset at a stone beach near Machiasport and camping out not much further along on the Cutler coast. It was a calm night and I was greeted by a misty morning to do an early morning walk from the trailhead where I’d camped to catch the end of sunrise over the sea, looking out onto Grand Manan island and the Gulf of Maine. I didn’t see anyone that morning and had the muddy path and birdcall soundtrack to myself.

My initial plan had been to head straight up the Maine and Canadian coast to Nova Scotia, but after hearing from some friends about their travel plans in the area I made a last minute shift and decided to put off this region for a few days and instead go to the Montreal area. The leaves change earlier there and it would be peak color season, and I’d get to visit during this warm spell we were having. I’d visited the region with my dad years ago while I was looking at colleges one spring break in high school, and one of the things that stands out from those visits was all the underground infrastructure they had because it was cold for so much of the year. So even more incentive to go earlier than later!

So instead of continuing north, I cut across Maine to the west along Route 27, and I’m so glad I did because almost the whole way was a glory of fall colors along the road and into the hillsides. I wanted to pull over about every 5 minutes but luckily curbed that instinct and continued on- the colors remained until actual safe viewpoints and stops, and the drizzle lifted a bit later in the day. I had a leisurely picnic lunch next to a river about an hour from the border in order to do some last eating up of some fresh produce not allowed over the border. I ate, read, and was attacked by a wind induced rain of nuts from the tree I was seated under and now have a souvenir of a bruise from falling acorn.

The border crossing was super easy! I had been worried that they’d take everything out of the van, which is a LOT more stuff than one would think, based on stories from other people I’d heard, but this was a teeny crossing that is seldom trafficked in comparison with other larger ones, and I was the only one there and I assume the guard did not really want to bother much in the rain. Glad I didn’t tempt fate, but guess I could have kept that last lemon!

Passed lots of farmland until I hit monster traffic and road construction, which seems to be everywhere in this region right now. Was dark by the time I reached the trailhead I camped at so couldn’t really see anything at the time, but woke to the sounds of a stream rushing from yesterday’s rain (all night I dreamt that the stream which I had seen on the map would flood) and ferns peeking out from the dense mist. It smelled like a cedar chest everywhere. What a morning.