SPACIOUS SKIES WALNUT GROVE: EXPLORING THE UNIQUE CHARM OF SOUTHERN MAINE IN ALFRED

Trip Dates: June 9-11 

Maine. I have finally reached my bucket list state. What do I do first? Explore the back roads and quaint villages I have so often read about in novels, or head to the coast famous for lighthouses scattered along the sea posing proudly in glossy magazines?

The drive to Spacious Skies Walnut Grove was itself a nice drive through rural Maine. On arrival day, I rested from a road trip that was already seeing the signs of a tourist season in New England. Living in the northern states means winters are long, and when the sun starts to shine the locals bombard their own area as if released from a snow-covered prison.

I soon realized the true beauty of traveling in the spring. It may have rained a lot – one local called this their mud season – but the flowers were spectacular, the weather cool and crowds bearable. Memorial Day was the turning point and most of the local community were enjoying their beautiful state before the outsiders came for the fall color season.

I ventured out the next morning to explore the town of Kennebunkport, famous for the Texas Bush family summer home. By 9:00 am it was bumper to bumper with traffic along the town’s main throughfare. I could not even find a parking space, so just drove through town slowly. I did not even get a chance to take a photo. Kennebunkport is a quaint town, but almost too quaint and felt like a street found at Disneyland.

So on to my next item on the list, a lighthouse nearby. I let Google maps guide me, but only to find myself at a dead-end road facing lots of boats and a seafood restaurant not yet open. All blocking any view of the ocean and surrounded by “no parking signs” everywhere. No lighthouse in sight.

I roamed the nearby residential neighborhood with homes so close I could not see beyond them. Almost giving up, I finally found a 12-foot section between homes open to the sea and in the far distance stood a tiny island I later learned was Goat Island. Only my photos later zoomed to almost 300% revealed the very small and short Goat Island lighthouse.

The Maine coastline is mainly rocks; large rocks considered boulders fallen from dramatic cliffs. I had read in one of the brochures at the Maine tourist information center about Goose Rocks beach and aimed for it. The lovely coastal roads with occasional signs of the sea emerging onto land turning the salty water into wetlands. Eventually, a sign for the beach led me to another traffic jam in front of an interesting store.

For half a mile, the road was lined with parked cars. All along the beach were homes, not just vacation huts, but family homes that people have lived in for many years. That meant beach goers who did not live there were finding whatever small piece of property to park their car and dragged a day’s worth of beach gear a very long distance to a small public space on the ocean.

I parked in the Goose Rocks General store’s parking lot which insisted it was only for customers. So, I went into the store and was pleasantly surprised at the fun and quirky coffee and specialty drink bar, lots of interesting food items, and colorful beach gear. I can attest to the delicious fresh fruit drinks (they let me sample a few before making decision) and decided the beach was not worth the long walk. Many customers were there for the ice cream desserts.

They also gave me advice about where to find good seafood, and I headed for the town of Alfred. They were right, the fried clam lunch special at Mike’s Clam Shack, which was no little shack, was delicious. Stuffed, and ready to spend time playing ball with Tipper at the Walnut Grove dog park, I headed back to the pleasant and quiet campground. One of the best aspects to Walnut Grove is its location – within an hour drive to the famous Maine coast with all the hotspot tourist attractions, but far enough away for peace and quiet away from hectic traffic.

I do believe that all the Spacious Skies campgrounds I have stayed at had an arcade, but I never paid much attention to them until Walnut Groove. I wandered into the cool arcade that afternoon and found in addition to game machines were foosball and pool tables, comfortable furniture facing a fireplace and bookshelves full of books.

Tip: Go earlier than I did. A trip during their Spring – which is late May – would be the perfect time to visit Maine. Don’t be scared off by a little rain – I used my raincoat or an umbrella often earlier on this trip, but it rarely rained so hard I could not drive or walk comfortably in the rain.

Share
Tweet
Share
Pin