American History for Travelers

Living in Delaware you get a little spoiled…I truly love living there.  Why?  Well, for one amazing reason.  Because no matter where you drive, the views and landscapes are absolutely, well, what word am I searching for? I learned a word a long time ago that seems to fit perfectly right now.  I can honestly say the drives through the countryside in and around Delaware are absolutely supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

When you are lucky enough to drive, every day, past stunning open fields, where Revolutionary battles were fought, and the morning fog lays gently on the grass, or where drives along tree-lined, curvy roads are the norm, and where the sun peaks through a few open spaces between the trees, beaming rays of light to the road and casting a gorgeous reflections off the water…that’s everywhere…. and it never gets old.

So, when you want to take a vacation with the sole goal to see awe-inspiring landscapes, you have to go beyond where you drive every day. I decided I wanted to see Maine. Not only did I want to do a driving vacation in Maine, but I wanted to visit in the fall. With the climate so screwed up that seasons start and end at different times than we are accustomed to, planning a trip to see the peak of fall in New England is quite the trick. I read extensively about the seasons and when the peak season for fall foliage begins and ends, and I picked a week. I decided the third week of October. I had planned believing that the peak would be on my side.

I headed toward Hyde Park, New York just to avoid Interstate 95 and the traffic jams that are constant on that freeway.  Going through Hyde Park and then across to Maine allowed me to see Maine from the coast at the state line, all the way north. The goal destination was Acadia National Park, but I was in no hurry. So I took roads that looked beautiful and just assumed I would weave my way back to the coast.

One road led me to one of the famous New England Lighthouses.  It was Nubble Lighthouse. The “Nub” was built in 1879 at the direction of President Rutherford B. Hayes. It cost $15 thousand dollars and five years to build. In 1939, the Nub was transferred from the US government to the US Coast Guard and was renamed, Cape Neddick Lighthouse. The Nub is on the National Register of Historic Places. While I was there, the Nub was under repair to ensure preservation of this historic lighthouse. It did not matter. There she was in all her glory, on the edge of the rocks, right at the coastal edge. She was a beauty and everywhere I looked, I saw incredible views. This is a stop you want to make. The water is spectacular and when the sun is setting, the sky is filled with incredible colors.

Driving vacations just allow you to see this country in a way that you cannot see from the air or from the train.

Boats and New England are like peanut butter and jelly…they just go together perfectly.

As I arrived in Portland, Maine, I came across another beautiful lighthouse. The Portland Head Lighthouse is located in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Construction began in 1787 and was finally completed and lit for the first time in 1791. It took 16 whale oil lamps to light it. The Keeper’s Quarters, and many improvements and additions continued until 1891. The original tower is visible from the current lighthouse tower.

The following are the beautiful landscapes of Maine