by John Bryant

Created on: November 04, 2008   Last Updated: April 18, 2011

My wife and I recently enjoyed a couple of days of travel in the fall folliage change season in a rental car along the stretch of US Highway 1 between Portland and Bar Harbor, Maine. US 1 runs all the way from Key West, Florida, to the Canadian border but no portion of it can be any more beautiful or fun as these 120 miles! Around every corner, over every hill, was another explosion of color .... trees filled with deep reds, bronze, and orange leaves ..... and the lawns of farmhouses and town residencies often home to fall displays of pumpkins, scarecrows, and hay bales. What beautiful and uplifting sights!

Not surprisingly, Freeport was our first stop. Founded in 1789, Freeport is still proud of its old farms which justifiably attract tourists interested in an earlier America but the city's international fame today is its shopping. The world famous clothing company L.L. Bean was founded here in 1911 and 170 retail and outlet stores from the world's biggest brand names operate here. A shoppers' paradise ..... but one where husbands can sit to enjoy a cool fall day surrounded by all those colors while people watching!

Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, one of the nation's better small liberal arts colleges and a beautiful little campus. Historians will know one of America's true heroes taught here in the mid to late 19th Century. Joshua Chamberlain's courage and elan at a crucial time in the Battle of Gettysburg were key to a Union victory and, thus, the preservation of the Union.

The foliage change attracts a wide range of people! We stopped for a quick breakfast along the highway just east of Brunswick and my wife went into the one at a time' ladies room. As she dawdled in her usual time, a group of motorcycles ridden by men and women dressed in black leathers arrived. Many of these intimidating women were lined up outside the ladies room when my wife opened the door, giving her a bit of a start!

We stopped for a stroll and lunch in Bath, home to the Bath Iron Works and known by seamen around the world as the 'City of Ships'. The BIW builds America's ships and the works on the Kennebec River are just a few hundred meters from Bath's quaint little central business district of shops, boutiques, and restaurants. We enjoyed a great late lunch in an Irish pub, one of Baths many great little restaurants!

My wife wanted to purchase some maple sugar as gifts for friends but was having trouble finding it as we darted into various stores. It wasn't until someone in

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>