Roll With It

Day 51

Last night was blessedly dry. Our things seem to have dried out for the most part. We will need to spread it all out again in a day or two to avoid mildew. We skip coffee and breakfast, knowing that if we can shake a leg and get ourselves up to Ellsworth, we can have breakfast again at the Maine Grind.

The bagels and lox at the Maine Grind are glorious. We pair it with their fabulous french roast and have ourselves a feast, saving room for ice cream, as everyone does at breakfast time. Across the street from the Maine Grind is Morton's Moo, a homemade ice cream place that Kate Amberg recommended. It does not disappoint, and it is a perfect finish to the breakfast. We go for a waffle cone with “nutty bovine” (chocolate ice cream with toasted coconut and almonds) and double dark chocolate. Though we are fans of Ultimate Ice Cream forever, this was some seriously good stuff.

After all of this we head east on the 3, riding through Bucksport, Peneobscot and Belfast. We travel over beautiful bridges and past harbors full of boats, bidding it all a heart felt farewell since we are heading inland today.

The interior of Maine is just as beautiful as the coast, in my opinion. The forests are dense and expansive, the sky is big, the towns are quaint. It is a quick 160 miles today. We decide to stop in Bethel, a town very near the border of New Hampshire.

Bethel, at this time of year, is quiet. In fact, it's the official off season, with reduced rates and everything, even though it is the most glorious weather imaginable. It seems that we are close to some big ass mountains, and that Bethel is actually a ski town. After being on MDI during hyper-peak season, this is a welcome and unexpected change.

We settle on the Chapman Inn, an enormous white house at the end of the main drag. This is a B&B, but it also has a dorm. They ingeniously converted the original carriage house into a space that will sleep 20 or more. In every nook and cranny, in every former hay loft, gable and attic corner, there is a made up bed with a nicely folded towel. The first floor is a full kitchen with a fridge that can fit a keg, a pool table, a TV room, two bathrooms and two saunas. Though the rooms within the official inn are filled, the Pirate and I are the only ones over here. It's $35 a piece, and it includes breakfast tomorrow morning.

The innkeeper recommends Suds Pub that is about four blocks away. Since it is a beautiful evening, we take our time strolling down there, admiring the grand old homes with top knots that are now mostly inns. The town is quiet, but full of beautiful planters and hanging baskets and porches lined with rocking chairs.

Lobstah Roll

Suds Pub is in the basement of one such inn. When we realize we're plunging into the depths of this building, we get excited. The pub is wonderful, classically dark and subterranean. We pull up to the bar, and our order is taken by a real Mainer with a real Mainer accent. We end up with chicken wings and a lobster roll crammed full with mayonnaise-y whole claws. It's the perfect last supper.

After dinner we head back to our dorm for showers and TV watching. This is our last night in this eastern most state and it's been, forgive me, Maine-ly awesome.