PWM Portland, Maine and Kancamagus Highway

PWM Airport

When we landed at PWM we ended up talking to a lady at baggage claim who was very friendly and began telling us where we should go to "Leaf Peep" as she called it.

Found outside a shop in Cornish, ME

She had a Bostonian accent so I asked her at one point where she was from thinking I'm not going to take advice from just anyone.  She then told me what I guessed, she was originally from Boston but has lived in Portland, ME now for over a decade.  Okay, I thought, she can speak to "leaf peeping". She's got Maine cred.  She then continued to tell us about different highways we should take to "leaf peep."  After the third route she told us about I told her I needed to type these into my phone however she stopped and swept her hand in the air in front of her as though to erase everything she had just said and with gusto said what I heard to be "Kangamangus" Highway.  "You need to take 'Kangamangus' highway".  So I noted that highway.  She also told us we'll drive through Cornish, ME and need to eat at "Karen's" so that went into the email note I was typing to myself.  I thanked her very much and we parted ways.  What a nice start to a trip, I thought.  Funny, Maine. ME. is ending up feeling like home. Nebraska. NE.  

Kancamagus Highway - you access this highway outside of Kennebunkport, Maine and take it to and through White Mountains National Forest in New Hampshire.

Krista's Restaurant in Cornish, Maine 

We figured out by driving through town that the lady we met in the PWM airport who gave us the recommendation must have meant Krista's not Karen's.  This was the only restaurant we could locate in Cornish which made the deduction quite easy.

The best turkey sandwich I have ever had! It's called harvest

and if you've ever been to Krista's for lunch you've had this one...turkey, apples, homemade cranberry on grilled multigrain with melted cheddar and sweet potato fries.  It was like a Thanksgiving feast on one plate!

Fall in Kennebunkport, ME and White Mountains National Forest, NH

Getting ready to go to Maine meant getting a haircut.  As I sat in the chair while Bradi snipped away we talked about Maine because a client of hers had just gotten back from Maine the previous week and was telling Bradi all about it.  "Go to the Lobster Shack" Bradi said.  "My client said it was a divey hole-in-the-wall kind of place with long lines and red picnic tables out back but the food is amazing.  Particularly the lobster roll."  I thought as she clipped away at the length and thickness of my hair where is the Lobster Shack?  Are they everywhere in Maine?  I told Bradi thank you and that I would keep that in mind.  Fast forward to the American Eagle plane taking us from Omaha to Philadelphia en route to Portland, ME and I am reading the famous back seat pocket airline magazine.  The article was about Portland, Maine's current foodie culture.  It is evidently now a destination for foodies.  Being that Jon and I are quite the self proclaimed foodies, I figured we should check out eating in Portland once we land as we would be landing around dinner time.  I had no idea the distance between Portland and Kennebunkport, ME so searched online once I had Wi-Fi.  In the process as is the case when doing a search online I came across several articles with topics relating to my search, Kennebunkport to Portland, ME.  One particular article stood out for some reason entitled (funny enough) "Portland to Kennebunkport. Is it worth the drive?"  I decided to click on it since I was in fact trying to decide if it was worth staying in  Portland for awhile risking a late drive and check in to our bungelow at The Cottages on Cabot Cove.  The article was really a question on an online travel forum.  The writer was asking the question because they were taking a cruise and had a day in Portland and wanted to see if it would be worth renting a car to travel to Kennebunkport for a half day.  The phrase lobster roll caught my  eye.  My husband had been talking for days leading up to our departure about seafood and lobster in particular.  Bradi's suggestion of going to a "Lobster Shack" was in the back of my mind as well.  An answer to this woman's question informed her that Cape Elizabeth would be a better option to see while in Portland because "The Lobster Shack" is THE place to get a great lobster roll.  I decided at that exact moment that we'd begin our trip immediately upon landing in Portland, ME by driving south 20 minutes to Cape Elizabeth, ME to visit the Lobster Shack at Two Lights.  Kennebunkport, ME would then be 40 minutes away from Cape Elizabeth.  The more direct route would be Portland, ME to Kennebunkport, ME taking us only 40 minutes.  We basically would be adding 20 minutes onto our drive.  The GPS took us to what looked like a giant parking lot as our actual destination was hidden from view so we didn't realize the impact until we climbed stairs up to a vista where a lone storefront and red picnic tables were situated on the rocks overlooking a fierce coast line.

 It was a sunset as well.  Between Bradi's tip and what I happened upon in that airline magazine and then online we felt as though the travel gods had smiled on us in that moment.

Jon and I at The Lobster Shack at Twin Lights Cape Elizabeth, ME

You can see one of the Twin Lighthouses on the left in the background.

From left: New England Clam Chowder and a Crab Meat Roll.  Jon had the lobster roll but gobbled it up before I remembered to get a photo!

    

Glyptoteket and Beautiful old church

Glyptoteket https://www.glyptoteket.dk/

Daniel the taxi driver showing us around Copenhagen