Day 7 - 2025 East Coast Adventure - LL Bean gave us the boot

 7/24 - Winter island, MA to Winslow Park, ME

We woke up to sun shining but the ocean breeze was picking up.  But sunrise on the ocean is always a treat, right?


We were running low on groceries so it was a make do breakfast. The boys got bagels and peanut butter while Amy and I had her camping creation - coffee over oatmeal (with some peanut butter or other adders to help balance the bitter).

We packed up fairly early and headed north to run errands. We skirted the edge of New Hampshire and were quickly in Maine!  I had found a highly rated Laundromat (we learned how bad laundromats can be in our 2023 trip) in Portland, Maine so that was our first stop for the day. In just over an hour we had our clothes washed and cleaned and, since it was across the street from groceries, we had also managed to restock our food supply.  That's efficiency!

Then we headed to Freeport, home of the flagship LL Bean store. We took a family picture near the boot and completed their scavenger hunt which took us throughout the various buildings there.  They also gave us some free coffee and we met two of their college student employees who were super nice.  But, perhaps best for Robinson, there were a LOT of dogs roaming around so he got his fix in.





The rest of Freeport was full of commercialism. So, we participated a bit and stopped in a toy store before heading out of town. We found some fun games and even bought an upgraded version of Kanoodle since the boys had been very interested in playing it during the trip (for the record - this is a TERRIBLE car game). 

From there, we headed to camp. While Winter Island was right on the ocean, our site for tonight was not only on the ocean but with an amazing view. It was still breezy but it felt rather peaceful. And, as a bonus, we sampled the A&W Ice Cream Sundae diet soda we found - it's EXCELLENT.  Cannot recommend this enough.





While we talked of backtracking to Portland to see what the town had to offer, the lure of the beach was too strong. So, we just spent the day enjoying being outdoors and the boys hung on the beach, you may have guessed this, digging holes. We forced them back to camp for a taco dinner.  







After dinner, the boys went out to play some football on the open grass area and drew a crowd with the neighbors. it turns out they were local, but test driving their new camper. The boys hung out with them and Amy was left alone in camp while I went to meet a friend. 

You ever have moments where you visit with someone you haven't seen in a long time and you drop into conversation like nothing ever happened?  That's what my night was like. My friend has been up in Portland for 3 years and while they're leaving in September for much warmer climates, it was clear that Maine would be a great place to live. 

I returned to camp (far beyond my normal bedtime) to a beautiful night full of stars before I fell asleep to the quiet of camp.  

# miles - 1,225
# states - 12

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