I’m enjoying November staying at a beautiful loft apartment in the woods of Trenton, Maine, a few blocks from the ocean and only 15 minutes from Acadia National Park. Most of the tourists have left until next May—which means a lot of stores and restaurants are closed—but it’s been so peaceful and quiet for those of us who are still here.
I left Burlington, Vermont on November 1 and drove a little over five hours to Trenton, a small town of 1,200. There are only five public roads in Trenton and the rest are private drives. Nearly all of Trenton’s residents live in the woods near the edge of Mount Desert Island.
My Airbnb for the month might be my favorite one yet, and I’ve stayed in some awesome places. It’s a spacious two-bedroom apartment above the owners of the house next door’s woodshop, with hardwood floors and ceilings, tons of natural light, and a huge living room and kitchen. In fact, the fully-furnished kitchen has nicer stuff than my home did—or the homes of a lot of my friends and family, no offense. I’ve told a few people this seems like a place where you’d write a novel or fall in love. They’re going to have to drag me out on November 30.
The fall time change happened only a couple of days after I arrived, which means it now gets pitch black at—are you sitting down?—4 p.m. Since all my current clients are in the Central Time Zone, I’m usually working later than dark and have been mostly chilling in the evenings. I can walk out on my back deck and see the stars crystal clear. It seems November is always an “eh” month weather-wise no matter where we are, so it’s a good time to catch up on TV shows and get a jump start on watching cheesy Christmas movies.
When I have ventured out, I’ve been driving to Bar Harbor—or as the local “Mainahs” say, “Bah Hahbah.” (here’s a fun post I found with more Maine pronunciations and sayings.) Bar Harbor is near Acadia and the tourist headquarters for this area of Maine. Most of Bar Harbor’s downtown tourist shops are open year-round, so I’ve got my souvenirs and a nice new L.L. Bean jacket. (“Beans” or “the Beanah” to locals.)
Random Maine fun facts:
- Donut holes were invented in Maine.
- 90% of the country’s lobster supply comes from Maine.
- There are over 4,600 islands off the coast of Maine.
- Maine produces 90% of the country’s toothpick supply.
- Maine sees the country’s first sunrise.
Here’s a photo gallery of favorites from my time so far in Maine. Enjoy!
