We had slept in Wilmington, Delaware in a Holiday Inn. It was surely an ordinary American evening with dinner at the nearby Olive Garden. Everything was reliably good. The food was as expected and the people were friendly and helpful. We slept well in the impeccable and comfortable hotel so we had nothing to complain about. In the morning we enjoyed a good breakfast prepared by a man who was obviously proud of his post as server at the hotel. He scurried about making certain that everything was pristine and delicious. It was all in all a very good start for the final leg of our journey which would take us to Brunswick, Maine. 

We were rested and our tummys were full when we drove over the state line into New Jersey. The pace on the road picked up quickly, especially after we entered the New Jersey Turnpike which was filled with cars and trucks heading north. The tolls were enormous so we had to pull out all of our cash just to be certain that we would be prepared. Luckily we had become accustomed to toll roads back home so we knew how to react.

Very soon we saw the New York City skyline on the horizon. Because of a fog it resembled a watercolor painting. It was a mysterious site beckoning us to move forward even as we knew that we would soon be running through an unforgiving gauntlet of traffic that would not allow us to make mistakes or relax. Crossing over from New Jersey to New York on the George Washington Bridge is not for drivers who are faint of heart. Luckily on the day when we made our attempt the traffic kept moving forward and our trusty mapping program kept us in the correct lanes. After about thirty minutes we were in Yonkers and then in lovely areas of New York state filled with massive trees and a slower pace of live. 

We were getting more and more anxious to reach our destination as we rushed through Connecticut and then Massachusetts and New Hampshire. We almost shouted for joy when we saw the welcome sign for Maine. We had traveled two thousand miles from home to help our granddaughter move from the summer apartment where she had lived while completing an internship with a local city government. She had no transportation other than a bicycle and the town was still mostly devoid of the students who would soon be arriving to begin a new semester of school. There was really nobody there to assist her so we had to come do some work and enjoy a cross country vacation as well. 

We found our motel easily and checked in feeling excited and exhausted all at once. It was an old style place by the side of the road that looked as though it had been recently renovated. The paint was fresh and the bathroom had new fixtures. All in all it was clean and comfortable and the price was great compared the the name brand hotels nearby. Our five night stay there would be perfect. 

It was late and our granddaughter had one more day of work to complete her internship so we spent the evening reconnoitering. We drove around the campus of Bowdoin College and walked along main street in the downtown area that was filled with quaint shops. Soon we found a German restaurant claiming to be the only one of its kind in Maine. The owner had trained as a chef in Germany and had fallen in love with the town of Brunswick at first sight. We felt that the food would be good because the place was packed and a sign outside recommended making a reservation to be assured of getting a table. A kind woman working behind the bar pulled some strings to get us a spot and we found ourselves enjoying the people watching, the music and the food. Richard’s hit the spot for the weary travelers that we were. 

There was a leisurely pace to everything in the town and we felt our hearts beating more slowly and our minds feeling more calm than they had on the road. We fell in love with the area instantly and would have many more delightful experiences to come. 

Maine is known as the pine tree state and vacationland. I certainly witnessed its beauty right away. While the temperatures hovered in the one hundreds back home we never got higher than eighty degrees while in Maine. The nights were even cooler and there was a bit of rain on most days. Being there was a welcome relief from the lack of rain and the unrelenting heat we had experienced all summer long. 

We retired for the night looking forward to seeing our granddaughter and more of this delightful place in the morrow. I secretly began wondering how it might be possible to live in such a serene town.