EPIC ROAD TRIPS
Road Trip: Maine
I’ve driven from New York State to Key West, Florida.
I spent nights sleeping on the sand on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
Exploring the Outer Banks.
Driving Skyline Drive.
Tail of the Dragon in North Carolina and Tennessee.
Edisto Island.
The Florida Keys.
Some of the Great Lakes, including Huron, Michigan, Erie, and Ontario.
Several trips to Chicago.
And, from ’21 to ’24, Paulie’s Push, as the official media support vehicle four years in a row.
More than 35+ nights spent under the stars in my little climate-controlled sleeping pod.
Sixteen different campgrounds: everything from privately-owned to municipal and state parks and federal lands.
With plans to continue my journey west.
With the introduction of Red Rocket, my second Tesla Model 3, it was time to embark on a new journey.
I began a little tour of the waterfalls of New York State.
I spent time time doing a scenic drive along NY-5, the alternative to the New York State Thruway between Buffalo and Albany.
I visited bits here and there of the Great Lakes Seaway Trail, driving along the edges of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River.
But I started to feel hemmed in by the borders of New York State, and I knew that it was time to head out on an interstate road trip - while staying off of the interstates as much as possible, of course.
This time I’d head east - about as far east as you can go in this country, through New Hampshire and, ultimately, Maine.
Along the way I’ll document scenic drives, a campground or two, and some of our national parks.
Enjoy this website, and if you have any questions or want some tips on your trip, get in touch.
SCHOODIC NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAY
I visited Maine with my friend Ryan. (You may remember Ryan from my previous trips to Ithaca, NY to view the many waterfalls of the Finger Lakes region). I’m a road-tripper, and Ryan is a hiker, so our paths on vacations don’t cross often, but when he invited me along for his Maine vacation I thought of all of the road trip destinations I’d read about - Acadia National Park, Eastport, Lubec - and couldn’t turn his offer down. It doesn’t hurt that he’s something of an expert on the national parks.
Still, we drove separately, so that he could do his hikes and I could do my drives.
Our first day in Maine was cold and rainy. He’d hoped to go for a hike in Acadia, but with the weather so damp and detestable decided it wasn’t a good day for it. Besides freezing, wet rocks get slippery and, he told me, the hikes he was eyeing for the day included many of them.
Instead, we decided to go for a drive - we’d check out the Schoodic National Scenic Byway and the Bold Coast National Scenic Byway. We’d go in search of views, photo ops, blueberry tarts, and seafood! The end, I’d hoped, would be a shot of Red Rocket at the easternmost point buoy - this would compliment the shot of my previous Tesla Model 3 at the southernmost point buoy in Key West, FL taken in January 2022 during Operation Snowbird: Stage I of the Stage IV Tour…
The Schoodic National Scenic Byway is a 29‑mile scenic drive in Maine that winds through the ‘quiet side’ of Acadia National Park, along what locals refer to as the Downeast coast. It features rustic coastal scenery: rocky shorelines, blueberry patches, harbors, lobstermen (and, perhaps, lobsterwomen?), lighthouses, and more. It’s known for its views across to islands and to Mount Desert Island and Cadillac Mountain.
“Schoodic is beautiful,” Ryan told me multiple times. “You’re going to be disappointed by the Bold Coast.”
I’d worried that the rain would dampen the beauty of Acadia National Park, but it didn’t. There was something special about driving along, one of very few cars on the road, and seeing the park in this state. Ryan mentioned that some of the greenery we were passing glistens when it’s wet, actually adding to the beauty. (You may see it in the photos above and below, but the camera doesn’t to it justice).
What was nice, I was told, was that in normal weather conditions we’d be in a line of cars, but with the cold rain we were one of only a handful in the park that morning.
It was a Sunday afternoon, in September, on a cold and rainy day, but we were surprised by how many businesses were closed as we drove along. Seafood sale shops, restaurants, and other businesses one might expect to be bustling were shuttered for the day, or perhaps for the season?
At some point we decided to jut over to the Bold Coast.
“You’re going to be disappointed,” Ryan reminded me. “It’s not even coastal, for the most part…”
Still, along we went…
BOLD COAST NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAY
Our drive of the Bold Coast National Scenic Byway took several hours, and I had to admit that, for the most part, at least for the sections that we saw, it didn’t seem very… coastal. Or, for many parts, particularly scenic.
Sorry!
I’ll let the official website describe it best:
“From beginning to end, the Bold Coast Scenic Byway is characterized by rocky coastlines teeming with seabirds and seals, sparkling harbors bustling with lobster, scallops, and ground-fishing boats. This 125-miles long Bold Coast route extends through multiple scenic coastal environments, historic towns, family farms, forests, blueberry barrens and more!”
For much of the drive, we found ourselves in an area that appeared to be working-class residences, farms, and businesses - many of them closed, either for the season or because it was Sunday.
The crown jewel of this drive appeared to be saved for the end, with two towns, each battling for the shine - and, I imagine, tourism dollars. Lubec bills itself as the “easternmost town in the US”, and features the West Quoddy Head, the officially-recognized marker of the easternmost point in the continental US. (Lubec is recognized as the closest point to Europe from any point in the fifty states.)
Eastport, Maine bills itself as the “the most eastern city of the continental United States.” That municipal designation is important, as this town of 1,400 is technically a city, thus making the tagline true. Most people recognize West Quoddy as the marker, meaning its designation makes it a destination for many road trips. Still, we decided we wanted to visit the marker in Eastport, as well - a traditional buoy more similar in nature to the one in Key West, albeit placed on their pier more for fun.
WILD BLUEBERRY LAND
1067 U.S. Rte 1, Columbia Falls, ME 04623
One thing I was excited about seeing was Wild Blueberry Land, aka the Wild Blueberry Heritage Center of Maine. This is a building that is shaped like a blueberry - one of the bumper crops of the down east - and although it is seasonal, the website stated that it was open daily until mid-October.
Unfortunately, this was not the case, as it turned out to be closed the week of our visit, marked by a sign alongside the driveway. Drat! I’d had my heart on a blueberry tart, or pie, or something else blueberry-ish, and my mouth had been watering the whole trip. Ryan assured me we’d be able to find any of these things elsewhere along our journey, but I told him it wouldn’t be the same. I swore off blueberries for the rest of the trip.
We did stop to take a few photos, though…
WEST QUODDY HEAD LIGHTHOUSE
973 S Lubec Rd. Lubec, ME 04652
West Quoddy Head, Maine is the easternmost point of the contiguous U.S. mainland. The official marker is placed outside of the West Quoddy Head light, a lighthouse constructed at the site to guide ships through the Quoddy Narrows. The current tower, with red-and-white stripes recognizable to lighthouse aficionados around the world, was constructed in 1858 and is an active aid to navigation. The light station was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 4, 1980.
I wanted to get some shots of Red Rocket in front of the lighthouse. In 2022 I snapped a photo of my Tesla Model 3 SR+ in front of the southernmost point buoy in Key West, FL during a road trip I called ‘Operation Snowbird’. Why not make it to the easternmost point on this trip, and get a photo to document the journey?
I’d hoped to be able to drive to the marker itself - as others have - but the rain was a downpour by the time we arrived, and the ground was flooded to a degree that made walking to the marker difficult - I didn’t think that driving my Tesla across the grass would be wise, and since the visitor center was closed - always on Sundays, but all this year for construction and upgrades - I decided to get a few photos from a different angle and hope that people would recognize the symbolism.
Ryan knew I was disappointed to not get a better shot of the marker and the car, and was kind enough to use AI to generate something that looked similar - see the first photos below. The second photo is real, and from my January ‘22 road trip to Key West - see photos of that one here.
ACADIA NATIONAL PARK
44°21′N 68°13′W / 44.350°N 68.217°W
207-288-3338
$20 - 35/vehicle, free with an ‘America the Beautiful’ pass; more info.
Known as the "Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic Coast," Acadia National Park in Maine is one of the East Coast’s most spectacular destinations. It’s where the raw, rugged beauty of ancient granite mountains meets the pounding surf of the Atlantic Ocean, creating a landscape rich with history, adventure, and unforgettable views. The park is primarily located on the massive Mount Desert Island (MDI), offering a uniquely accessible blend of seaside and summit experiences.
SAND BEACH
Nestled between rugged granite cliffs and the forested hills of Mount Desert Island, Sand Beach in Acadia National Park is a rare stretch of soft sand along Maine’s rocky coastline. Formed from finely ground seashells, its golden sands curve gently along a small cove where the chilly waters of the North Atlantic meet the shore. Though the ocean rarely warms above 55°F, visitors flock here for photography and videography - the waves crashing on the rocks of the coastline here produces some dramatic scenery and sounds - as well as to wade, stroll on the rocks, and admire the scenery framed by The Beehive and Great Head Trail.
With its blend of coastal serenity and striking natural beauty, Sand Beach perfectly embodies the wild charm of Acadia.
Many visitors to Acadia flock to Cadillac Mountain, renowned for being one of the first places to watch the sunrise in the US. But those who are unable to get a special sunrise pass - they are very difficult to come by - sometimes head to Sand Beach. Sand Beach faces northeast, making it one of the most beautiful sunrise spots in the park to sit as the sun rises directly over the ocean, casting golden light across the sand and surrounding cliffs. Serenety and no crowds? Sounds like a win!
My Acadia trip took place with my friend Ryan, a National Park fanatic who secured our lodging through his hotel points in a city an hour away. That meant daily commutes back to Acadia, but lodging much more reasonably-priced. But it also meant that our plans to wake up and drive in early enough to see a sunrise never really materialized. On a future visit I’d love to do some Teslacamping at one of the campground around Acadia, and maybe catch a sunrise.
Low tide is the best time to explore - when the water recedes, it reveals tide pools at the eastern end of the beach filled with small crabs, snails, and seaweed. High tide gives the beach a more dramatic, enclosed feel as waves crash closer to the cliffs. Check Acadia’s tide charts before your visit if you want to plan around these changing scenes.
THIRSTY WHALE
40 Cottage St. Bar Harbor, ME 04609
Ryan and I wanted to enjoy lunch in Bar Harbor, the closest town to Acadia. We knew we wanted seafood - perhaps a lobster roll? - and I knew we didn’t want to spend a lot.
Ryan was ready to spend, but my trip budget is much lower than his, and I like to find the deals when it comes to food, but still eat local. “Stop being poor,” he told me several times, to which I’d hit him with the tagline “I’m a senior citizen on a fixed income.” Surely there would be something in Bar Harbor that fit the bill?
As we headed into Bar Harbor we decided to ask Grok, the newly-minted Tesla AI assistant. A push of a button on the steering wheel brought up the input mic, and Ryan asked Grok to recommend a restaurant where we could get quality seafood without spending a fortune. Grok was ready with recommendations, the first of which was The Thirsty Whale. It gave quite a descriptive analysis, too.
MOUNT DESERT ICE CREAM
7 Firefly Ln, Bar Harbor, ME 04609
207-801-4007
We decided to finish off our Bar Harbor lunch with dessert - an ice cream shop that Ryan had wanted to try. I was a bit put off by the signage announcing that they didn’t offer samples - I don’t know why - but I have to admit that the ice cream was rich and delicious.
Mount Desert Ice Cream has shops in Portland, as well as Washington DC, where Ryan had initially discovered it, as well as Matsumoto and Azumino, Japan. Mount Desert has been named among the best ice cream shops in the country by Food & Wine Magazine and Men’s Journal, among others. Amongst the locals, it’s definitely ranked #1 in Bar Harbor. I couldn’t wait to try it.
We visited after lunch and each got a flight - a tray of ice cream with four flavors. Ryan got chive - chive - and then insisted that I try some of it. I was not a fan. The flavors that I got, though, were amazing. Peanut butter and vanilla both tasted so real.
According to their website:
“When we make a vanilla bean ice cream, we scrape the beans, if we make a lemon sorbet, we squeeze the lemons, one at a time. We use the finest bar chocolate we can use to make our chocolate ice cream. We are committed to keeping our ingredients real. We like to make ice cream in forward thinking flavors minus the sensationalism, with respect for the classics as well. The butterfat is high, the air churned in is low.”
I wished, later, that I’d read that before I ordered.
This was some of the realest, and thickest, ice cream I’ve ever had.
But the combination of fried shrimp and clams, and some of the realest, and thickest, ice cream I’ve ever had proved to be too much for me, and I spent the evening in the hotel bathroom, tasting each of the forward-thinking flavors as they - to put it nicely, reversed.
Especially the chive.
The next day we returned, and Ryan got another flight. This time I skipped ice cream entirely, opting instead for coffee at the shop next door. I’d definitely recommend Mount Desert to anyone visiting Bar Harbor - but I’d skip the fried seafood or a big lunch in general.
CADILLAC MOUNTAIN
44°21′05″N 68°13′35″W / 44.35127°N
Located within Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island, Cadillac Mountain stands at 1,530 feet, making it the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard. The mountain is best known for offering one of the earliest views of the sunrise in the United States, particularly from early October through early March. (There is some debate over who gets to see the sun first in Maine, but there’s no debate that visitors lucky enough to snag a sunrise reservation for Cadillac get to see it highest).
Visitors can reach the summit by car via the Cadillac Summit Road, a 3.5-mile drive that provides several scenic pull-offs, or by hiking one of several trails, including the popular North Ridge and South Ridge Trails. The summit area is open seasonally, typically from mid-May through mid-October, and a vehicle reservation is required during peak months to manage traffic and protect the fragile alpine environment.
The National Parks Service says that visitation at Acadia has surged almost 60 percent in a decade, leading to severe crowding at many park destinations. In 2019, the National Park Service completed a five-year process to approve a comprehensive transportation plan which, among other things, necessitated reservations for vehicles hoping to drive up Cadillac Mountain.
We were able to get a reservation for the mountain no problem, but spent several days trying to get one for the sunrise before giving up. They are very hard to come by, requiring would-be sunrise viewers to be on the reservations website at the precise time they are made available - generally 2 days before the day in question - and you’ve got to be fast. The first day I attempted we wound up in an area with sketchy wireless signal. The second day I just wasn’t fast enough. Or maybe they just didn’t make any available - who knows. The bulk of the tickets are reserved months in advance by people with much better planning skills than I. Here’s hoping they enjoyed the sunrise. Ryan and I discussed heading over to watch it from Sand Beach, but since our hotel was more than an hour away from Acadia - we were staying courtesy of Ryan’s hotel points, and beggars can’t be choosers - that trip never really materialized.
I was glad that we’d been unsuccessful, in the end, because the days before my last day at Acadia had been somewhat overcast, and my final day was absolutely beautiful - clear, blue skies and visibility for miles.
We drove up, bypassing most of the pullouts - we’d hit them on the way back down. I visited the gift shop at the summit and then Ryan and I made our way around the hiking trails, taking photos as we went. Beautiful.
On the way back down I tried to cajole Ryan into getting out and getting a video of me driving down the road with Mount Desert Island in the background. He flatly refused. For someone with expensive camera gear and a supposed love for photography, I’ve never met anyone who refuses to actually engage in photography more. He’s not a car guy, I guess - maybe he doesn’t get it. “I’ll get hit by a car,” he whined. “I’ll look stupid. People will wonder what I’m filming.” I could go on.
Later he was kind enough to generate an AI video of a red Tesla Model 3 driving toward the summit of Cadillac Mountain. I guess I’ll take what I can get.
