Tell people you’re going to Maine, and they tend to picture coastlines and lobsters. Today, though, my family is headed west, where pine tree–framed roads wrap around crystal-clear lakes and cut through villages that have at least as many creameries as stop signs.
My husband, son, and I pile into our Mazda CX-50 and slide open the panoramic moonroof before setting out from my in-laws’ place in Harrison, about an hour northwest of Portland. It’s early, so coffee is in order.
We follow State Route 35 around Bear Pond and turn onto Sweden Road (the smorgasbord of Scandinavian-named towns up here includes Norway, Sweden, Denmark…). After a few more twists and turns, we arrive at the Stow Corner Store and Café. The giant cinnamon buns just came out of the oven, and we feast at a picnic table outside, the cool morning air offset by the hot coffee. We also order some sandwiches to go, anticipating a picnic lunch.
Fueled up, we head for a hike on Old Speck Mountain, the high point of the Mahoosuc Range, a northern section of the White Mountains. Skirting Sunday River Resort, Maine’s most famous ski area, we turn onto Grafton Notch Scenic Byway, a serene road that takes us past gentle peaks and idyllic farms. Our hiking trail, Old Speck’s Eyebrow Loop, turns out to be neither gentle nor idyllic, as the climb requires scrambling up a cliff on ladders and steel rungs. The views and utter silence at the top, however, make it worth it.
We’ve earned those sandwiches, which we enjoy while sitting on a blanket at Screw Auger Falls, just a two-minute drive away. It’s cold out, but that doesn’t stop my son from unlacing his sneakers and dipping his toes in the shallow pools.
Next, we make our way to the town of Bethel and the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum, which opened in December 2019 to celebrate Western Maine’s rich mining history and showcase the Eyebrow Loop, turns out to be neither gentle nor idyllic, as the climb requires scrambling up a cliff on ladders and steel rungs. The views and utter silence at the top, however, make it worth it. We’ve earned those sandwiches, which we enjoy while sitting on a blanket at Screw Auger Falls, just a two-minute drive away. It’s cold out, but that doesn’t stop my son from unlacing his sneakers and dipping his toes in the shallow pools. Next, we make our way to the town of Bethel and the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum, which opened in December 2019 to celebrate Western Maine’s rich mining history and showcase the meteorite collections of founders Dr. Lawrence Stifler and Mary McFadden. (The collection includes more lunar meteorites than all of the other museums in the world combined.) Being part magpie, I’m drawn to the watermelon tourmaline, while my son loves being able to touch a piece of Mars.
The day’s getting on, so we head back to Harrison. After dropping the kiddo with his grandparents, my husband and I snag a table at The Oxford House Inn in Fryeburg. We start with smoked- bacon deviled eggs and then share a crispy chicken sandwich with nuoccham mayo and a perfect pork chop. Rivaling the meal is the view of the sun setting over the mountain, which we take in through the
back dining room’s picture windows. Part of me wishes we’d reserved a room for the night, but oh well; at least we’ll have another chance to take in the scenery on the way home.
The Car
2023 Mazda CX-50 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus
This new crossover SUV is the first model to be built at the new Mazda Toyota Manufacturing plant in Huntsville, Alabama. Our Turbo Premium Plus edition is rugged but graceful: Its 256 horses zip us up hills in no time (though we try to take things slow to enjoy the scenery), while the i-Activ All-Wheel Drive technology and Mi-Drive off-road mode come in handy when our GPS takes us down a swampy dirt path and onto someone’s property. Sorry for trespassing!
From $42,300, mazda.com
Next Up: A Maine Mariner’s Historic Estate Becomes a Four-Hotels-in-One Retreat
