Our first RV trip?! Fall weather fun in Freeport, ME
After 6 months traveling across the country, we returned to New England and slowed our pace. We spent 7 weeks bouncing between our two home-bases: My parents' driveway in MA and our land in NH. During this time, we were dealing with upheaval, as life threw a lot of curveballs at us all at once. One of them forced us to upend the interior of our trailer in a cleaning frenzy. To make our lives easier, we removed a lot of our belongings and stored them in my parents' house. We took out lots of clothes, decorative items, pet toys, and even furniture. We spent those 7 weeks living more barren than we had since our initial outfitting.
We knew, though, that this upheaval was only temporary, and soon we would resume our travels. We had campground reservations awaiting us in Maine, and they were the light at the end of the tunnel. Our first stop was Freeport, known famously as one of the towns on Casco Bay and even more famously as the location of the LL Bean flagship store. We left for Freeport from our MA home-base, and packing for our trip was bewildering. For the first time ever, we didn't have all our belongings in our trailer already. We had to decide what to pack and what to keep home. During nearly 2 months staying in places very familiar, our life of novelty and adventure had basically come to a halt. But here we now were, at a point of transition. We wondered if this was a taste of what the part-time RV life would be like. We had been anticipating a trip, wondering what to pack for our "week away." That was the other thing. We were only going for a week, before coming right back. And our trip dates were Sunday-Sunday. It all felt so...normal. As a result, we affectionately designated this as our first RV trip. Destination: Freeport, followed by Acadia National Park.
If we were going on a camping trip, we needed to play the part. We only packed necessary items. I didn't even take any harps! We made plans to explore like tourists do. We even considered sitting outside our trailer, in our camping chairs, doing nothing! Who were we becoming?!
Our site in Freeport was the perfect destination for our first RV trip. Recommended by our friends Sleepy Adventurers, we stayed at Winslow Memorial Park, a waterfront town park open for day use and camping. We lucked out with a site that backed right up to the water.
A walking trail ran behind our site, and we had easy access to more trails further into the peninsula, with views of the islands and Freeport Marina.
The community vibe was everything we love: Friendly neighbors all there to enjoy nature and embrace its tranquility. Our next-site neighb had her easel out each day, painting the boats in the bay. At night, we lit the shoreline with our campfires, before turning in for a peaceful night's sleep, and waking up to spectacular sunrises over the water.
On our first night, it wasn't just the campfires that lit up the park. A solar substorm gifted us our 4th aurora sighting ever, which also happened to be our 4th in a year, just 2 days shy of the anniversary of our first sighting. We had some light pollution from downtown Freeport, but didn't want to go chasing anywhere darker. We've chosen to welcome her when she comes to us.
More northern lights stories:
Nicole Anderson
Nicole Anderson
Winslow Park beckons visitors like the beacons of the coastline's lighthouses. The day use area is just as inviting as the campground. Reviewers rave about the ample picnic tables placed purposefully to encapsulate the views. There is also a beach and several amenities like a playground and basketball court. We imagine a more active energy here in the summer, though one of our neighbs did say this place still flies under the radar. In the fall, however, we felt like we were all in on the greatest secret. The weather was perfect. Since school was back in session, the days didn't get too crowded, opening space for quiet walks, outdoor meals, and even tai chi, as chosen by one of the morning visitors. What's Zen about this? Everything.
We did have one unfortunate issue plague our stay. During our upheaval at our home-base, our patio screen busted. We attempted a few fixes and makeshift solutions, but had to face the fact that our patio would be out of commission for the remainder of the season. If we needed to just block our trailer from bugs, we probably could have managed a workaround, but with 2 cats that are still in training and not used to the patio, we couldn't risk their escape. As soon as the screen broke, I thought about this very campsite and how disappointing it would be not to have our patio down with this view. But, we had to look at the bright side: We could still treat our rig like a normal travel trailer and sit under the awning. Even brighter: This campground isn't far and we can always come back another time, when our patio is fully functioning.
Also cushioning the blow was that we spent a lot of time exploring the town, and the more we explore, the less we tend to put down our patio anyways. We couldn't go into full vacation mode because we still had work to do, but we made sure to designate a few hours each day for fun excursions.
First, we ventured over the border into Yarmouth to visit the Garmin inReach satellite research and development center. No, not because we love our inReach so much (but we do love it. You should buy one. Because everyone who says cell service suffices everywhere is lying. We don't lie to you. Here's our affiliate link. Support us and our honesty.), but because the building's lobby is home to Eartha Globe, the world's largest rotating and revolving globe. Developed by the mapping corporation and former building owners DeLorme in 1998, its diameter is 41 feet, 1 1/2 inches, qualifying it for the Guinness Book of World Records. Creator David DeLorme and his staff painstakingly created the globe over the course of 2 years using computer technology to provide the most accurate depiction of earth as seen from space. The imagery is updated every 10 years, and it is from a composite database built from satellite imagery, shaded relief, and colored bathymetry (ocean depths).
The globe rotates and revolves on a 2-arm cantilever mechanism powered by 2 electric motors that are controlled by a computer. One arm controls the rotation, on a 23.5-degree tilt just like Earth. The other arm controls the simulation of the globe's orbit around the sun.
The lobby is open to public access, as are the 2nd and 3rd floor atriums, so be sure to climb the stairs to get different vantage points of the globe. If you want to stick around for a while, the lobby has a cafe. Coffee with earth replica views sounds like a good time, but we didn't stay long enough to partake. We had more sightseeing on our agenda.
One simply cannot go to Freeport without visiting the LL Bean flagship store. It's a must! ...But we don't know why. Alright, we do know why, because it's an entire campus of buildings full of LL Bean attire, home decor, hunting equipment, camping equipment, and more, and as I mentioned, travelers to this area embrace nature. The flagship store is also famous for its giant boot sculptures/automobiles, which are a more sought-after photo opportunity than the ocean itself! We didn't need to get a picture with the boot, but I did wait patiently to get a picture of the boot without people in the shot. Just look at that line!
The outlet is located up the street from the company's headquarters. We had both been to Freeport before, so visiting LL Bean was just a formality, but we walked around for a bit, went into a couple of the stores, and grabbed a free coffee at the vintage trailer on the campus quad (where there is also cornhole. Nice touch).
So why the curmudgeonly response? Well, we're not huge LL Bean fans, personally. Their stuff is high quality and some is our style, but overall, it's just not a brand we like to spend money on. Our visit on this specific day also wasn't the best. Many parts of the campus were under construction, so there was a lot of noise. It was also surprisingly crowded for mid-day on a Monday in September. However, as campers, we needed to pay our respects. We're all outdoor lovers, at the end of the day.
For two New Englanders who had been to Freeport in the past, we completely missed the memo on what should be – and likely is – one of the biggest draws to the area. Perusing Google Maps, we found Desert of Maine, and once we knew about it, we saw it everywhere: street signs pointing in its direction, advertisements, and features in informational pamphlets. However, when doing further research, we found it difficult to fully understand what the place was. The first category we saw was "campground," and the second was "attraction." Shortly after, I read they had mini golf, so that was enough for me to be sold. We booked tickets for full admission + a round of mini golf, which is an upsell. The price isn't cheap – $21 for admission and $13 for golf, but online purchasing got us a total price of $32 instead of $34. We just hoped our experience would be worth the cost.
Perhaps the reason this place has no real descriptors is because, what it actually is, is pretty complex. Desert of Maine is not a desert at all, due to the vast amount of rain and snow the area gets. It's actually a large deposit of glacial sand from 12,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age. The sand was covered by a thin layer of topsoil, and eventually, a forest grew. However, in the 1800s, a family of farmers called the Tuttles cleared the trees. They used sheep to help this process, but the sheep grazed a little too well, and they eroded the topsoil, revealing the sand underneath. In 1926, a man named Henry Goldrup bought the now-abandoned farm and opened up the roadside attraction, Desert of Maine, ushering visitors to see this vast sandy land in the middle of would-be forest.
Desert of Maine has multiple interpretive and nature trails, where visitors can learn the ecology, geology, and history of the location. In addition to the mini golf, there are lots of family-friendly activities, from gem mining and fossil digging, to a playground, to a train ride. There is also a souvenir shop and cafe.
When we arrived, we got the lay of the land from the workers, and proceeded to the mini golf course first. The course is new, and we could tell. We had some of the smoothest turf in any game we've played, and lots of holes in one to show for it. The history of Desert of Maine is incorporated in the holes' obstacles, showing the overgrazing sheep; Allen's Lookout, a historic Freeport tower; and very large sand art.
After mini golf, we walked the interpretive trails and upped the fun factor with a scavenger hunt. We needed to find little posts along the way and rub crayon over textured pictures to show we were there. Mostly made for kids, but we actually had a tough time finding a couple of the posts that were more nestled away. I also found out that frottage is not my strong suit.
Along the trails are some historic sites, like an antique gas pump, a farmhouse, and a sunken well that used to be buried under the sand. There is also a dune with a slide, which our butts barely fit in, but we slowly squeaked our way down. Desert of Maine welcomes adults to get in touch with their inner children, but our inner children are much smaller than our exterior bodies.
We had the sand to remind us of the real desert, and we had the hot sun beaming down on us. However, walking sand dunes surrounded by the trees of Northern New England was a new experience. Well, at least without a beach in sight.
Before we left, we stopped by the cafe for a couple of lemonades and then walked over to the campground. It's actually a "glampground," with cabins, A-frames, glamping tents, and geodesic domes. Quite secluded despite the attractions being only steps away. It also had camper-only amenities on a communal lawn. Nice option for the non-RVers visiting Freeport.
So was the price of admission worth it? We think so, at least to go once. The add-on for mini golf seemed a bit steep, but we don't think we would have enjoyed ourselves as much if we hadn't played. Children can get in for $17, which at first glance seems like a slim discount compared to adults, but then again, most of the amenities are geared towards children. We paid $21 basically for some historic trails. That's probably why the mini golf seemed to be an essential supplement. We have varying success rates visiting family-oriented attractions as two child-free adults, and this one falls under a mid-level success. It was, however, our favorite attraction of the 3 we visited in Freeport.
Our trip to Freeport made us wonder about future RV trips, real ones, once we have our house. September in New England is great for RVing, and we're excited to have places this beautiful only a short travel day away. We've noticed that RVing New England has opened our eyes. We had already been to so many of these places, Freeport included, but RVing them helps us enjoy them even more. Then, we use our RV to explore all the places we still haven't been. Will our future as part-timers include lots of New England trips, or will we itch to travel further again? The good thing about RV life is, we don't have to choose. We can go wherever our hearts desire.
Site 8, back-in, no hookups
Picnic table, fire ring, waterfront, nature trail access
Campground recommended? Yes
Campsite recommended? Yes