all roads lead to home

It's been a great week. I've had some post travelin blues and I think I've found a way to remedy them.

You see, It's not that I don't love and appreciate my home here in Maine. It's just that my heart and mind long for the images that cannot escape me. What I really truly miss are the mountains in Montana, the national parks, the roaming horses on the countless ranches I drove past, and the excitement that each day brought me. Not knowing where I would end up, who I would meet or where I was even sleeping at night. It was truly an adventure of a lifetime and I can't shake the feeling of not having those beautiful scenes in my life every day.

However, I will say this. I don't miss the hustle and bustle of busy cities with crazy, insane rush hour traffic, overpriced everything in Cali, and the long stretches of driving that felt like it would never end. I am so happy to have my own bed to sleep in and my own kitchen to cook in. I certainly appreciate the word home more than I ever have.

So in order to control my burning desire for excitement and beautiful scenery, I've taken it upon myself to become a tourist of Maine. There are a few good ways to do this. Get in "the know" of whats going on in your city/state. Become familiar with what's going on around town. Hit up local farmer's markets, discover a cool concert series and catch a few shows, travel to the parks or beaches.

Bangor Waterfront Concert Series

The concerts on the Waterfront here in Bangor, Maine have been around for a couple years now. This year they brought one of my favorite jam bands of all time, moe., to town. I couldn't miss this show, and it was certainly a night to remember. I was allowed to bring in my hula hoops. Ran into a fellow hooper from high school days and we hooped for the entire show. I also ran into a bunch of kids that I haven't seen in a long time. It was a great night for a show, warm and rain-free. When the music stopped I wandered with my hooping buddy to her dad's RV parked just outside of the venue. They dropped me off at my car which was nice, because walking through the town at night can be a little sketchy. There is NO better way to start of the summer than with a concert, couple of good brews and some buddies.

Acadia National Park

I'm giving credit to my girlfriend Sarah Murray for this adventure. She came up from Freeport to spend the night with me and we checked out Acadia the next day. She loves the outdoors and was an excellent guide around the park. The weatherman claimed 90% chance of rain but we had a fantastic day with no rain. After hiking around the park we had a late lunch at the side street cafe, with a couple of really good cocktails. It was great to see her and catch up.

Bar Harbor's best bloody mary at the Side Street Cafe

It isn't summer with a lobster roll

So tomorrow I may possibly be accepting a job offer to sell advertisements for a local paper. This is my first big girl job outside of college and I am all sorts of mixed emotions. The one thing I keep telling myself is to remember how nervous and scared I was before my road trip, and how much I ended up loving it. This may or may not be the foot in the door that I need to make my dreams of becoming a writer a reality. Time can only tell.

Peace & much love, ~C