We flew into Boston to meet up with some friends and make the drive up to Maine together. They arrived before us and surprised us with fresh cannolis and breakfast sandwiches from a popular spot in Boston. The drive up itself was beautiful with the highways lined with trees at peak autumn colors. We stopped at several spots along the way, including this view along the road below:

As we continued driving, we passed by several Victorian homes with pumpkins lining the steps, framed by vibrant autumn leaves. It was enough to get us in a festive fall mood.

Portland head lighthouse

We met up with more friends and their family at the lighthouse. It was beautiful here. There’s a path to go on either side of the lighthouse, which is surrounded by ruggedly beautiful rock formations.

BONFIRE & s’MORES AT THE LEEDER’S AMAZING BACKYARD

After a tasty dinner and some groceries, we headed to my husband’s friend’s house for the night. They have the most amazing backyard with a fully built trail, treehouse, and sitting alcoves - not to mention a zip line they built themselves. We gathered around a bonfire in their backyard with beer and hot tea, complete with a s’mores competition, sparklers, and light painting with the kids.

And woke to the beautiful New England neighborhood:

sea kayaking

As cheesy as it sounds, sea kayaking has been on my bucket list since I first watched the opening scene of The River Wild as a kid. I’ve kayaked in lakes and rivers before, but the ocean is different. I loved trying to catch a wave and riding it from our kayak. My husband’s friend Chad rented some kayaks for us and guided us from his own foldable kayak. I was amazed at how easy it was to unfold and refold!

After we put away the kayaks, we dropped by Land’s End where my husband found the best pumpkin spice fudge. Though I’m normally not a fan of fudge, I had to try and stop eating this one.

THE FAIRY HOUSE HIKE

Less known to most people (including ourselves), there’s a tradition of building little fairy homes in the woods in Maine. We went hiking on Cliff Trail, which is one of the more popular spots for building fairy homes. Inspired by several little homes along our hike, our group decided to build our own below:

This one below was perhaps one of favorites along the trail:

At the end of our second day, we headed to a cabin we rented, which would serve as home base for the next few days traveling through the different notches of the White Mountains. We cozied up to a wood fire stove with games, homemade pasta, and relaxed in the company of good friends who haven’t seen each other all in once place for a while.