Reflections on a Maine adventure 7/20/24

Each morning, I left my tiny cabin and headed for the backroads. I generally aimed toward water, but wandered much as I do in Colorado, with no specific destination; taking roads that pique my curiosity.

The first morning, on a road I later learned was private, there were 6 wild turkeys marching in single file toward me on the main route. By the time I had turned around and entered the dirt road, they were gathered under the trees. Also, on this land, I spied my first ‘glacial erratic’!**

Although a wonderful adventure, I was disappointed to learn most of the land, including this lovely view, was privately owned. I remembered the rules governing European countries called The Ramblers Right to Roam. It is the legal right in the UK that grants individuals the freedom to access certain areas of land for recreational purposes. Not so in the US.

Consequently, I did a lot of driving (1600 miles) and executed multiple U-turns when I spotted something compelling. If you like any of these small images, a click on one will enlarge it.

Of course, when walking, the flowers drew me to them.

…and there are times when I simply stopped the car and smiled with a happy heart.

……or for the opportunity of a brief connection with a delightful local teenager who decided to show me his bravado and leaping skills. I grinned and cheered Mathias on, then texted him the photos.

…there were special moments of observing details. From sitting on a rock at low tide, collecting shells, to watching a very old man, eating oatmeal, under his umbrella, with a fishing pole stuck in the sand. My first café eating alone and the delicious taste of real maple syrup, to finding another glacial erratic with a tenacious pine growing atop.

….and moments of quiet reflection about my life, the beauty of the natural world and how blessed I am to be able to have adventures.

Thank you, gentle reader, for coming along on my Maine experience.

The End

**Glacial erratic is a large rock (often granite) that is left behind by a retreating glacier.

There are days I feel like one!