Maine: The Getaway

Where the cool ocean breeze fills the clean mountain air exists a hidden paradise that I have treasured throughout my life. After an eight hour car ride from my house, I finally reach my getaway: Steuben, Maine. Words cannot describe the meaning, importance, and value I hold for this little town on the coast of Maine. Every summer since birth, my family and I have vacationed in Maine at a house owned by my grandparents and within close proximity to other close relatives. My mother’s father was born and raised in a nearby town, Milbridge, and has since bought and owned a summer house in Steuben. When my mother was a child her summers solely included month long trips to the house in Steuben. Naturally, when she birthed my brother, sister, and I our summers came to include Maine as well.

Not once have I given up an opportunity to venture to Vacationland, one of Maine’s state slogans, since every trip differs from the previous. One of the most amazing experiences occurred this past summer, one that has surpassed all other Maine memories. My family and I woke up in the very early morning hours, three am to be exact, to travel forty five minutes away to Acadia National Park for a view of the very first sunrise within the United States. The summit of Cadillac Mountain, located on Mount Desert Island within Acadia National Park, experiences the first of the Sun’s rays within America each morning. Luckily, that morning there were few clouds in the sky and the sunrise was unlike one I have ever witnessed. I felt as if my all of my nerves began to tingle once I caught the first glimpse of light emerging over the horizon. Within minutes everyone who had gathered on the summit became immersed in the light from the sunrise, one in which only a...

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...ry. Later on in my life, meaning retirement, I will return to the area a majority of my childhood took place to regain that sense of freedom.

Steuben, Maine remains my favorite place, with its endless span of dark blue ocean water spanning across the horizon and with its lush fields of blueberries. I have never encountered a location where the simple life is appreciated as much as it is there. In no way am I insulting Maine locals when I mention the phrase “simple life”, I only mean that there are very little complications to the ways of life. I often find myself remarking in the beauty of nature and the landscape, objects I rarely recognize enough around me to remark upon. Maine has a way of speaking to me through nature with symbols such as the eagle or sunrise, which have led me to fully appreciate the lifestyle I am capable of living while I retreat to Maine.