We start this morning in Freeport with the intention of having the shopping experience that everyone talks about in Freeport, Maine.
This area is home to retailer LL Bean. I would rather do almost anything than shop but decide since we both need to replace 10 year old hiking boots…what better place. Timing is everything…the store is a mass of people even at 10AM. The last day of a great sale using the Bean Credit Card and tourists and locals alike are in a frenzy. The store computers have overloaded and the lines at the register are worse than any women’s restroom I have ever waited for. You ladies should be groaning in pain with me…you know what those lines are like.
Lobster Roll…Cold?
Almost four hours later we walk out of the store, in the pouring rain, and head for a place to have lunch. Ed is going to try a lobster roll. When it arrives, he is surprised to find that it is served on a hot dog bun and it is a cold lobster meat, not hot as he expected and likes. But…he says it is still better than those fried clams he had yesterday. I stick to a flatbread pizza.
A 15,000 steps day of hiking
The next day we are all set to do some hiking. First we visit Wolfe’s Neck Woods state park. This is a quiet little park with easy trails and a beautiful shore line. The boys have to get some sunshine and surf in on the rocky shoreline. Very tranquil after the chaos of the shopping trip yesterday.
Bay view at Wolfe’s Neck SP 
Nathan enjoys the open spaces
We move on to Bradbury Mountain State Park and climb to the summit. It is not a high mountain and not a strenuous walk, but a beautiful view from the top none the less.
On our way back through Freeport, we stop at a store called “When Pigs Fly” that specializes in artisan breads. Oh…this is my kind of store but there has to be a story behind that name. The smell of garlic and oil and the sweet bread with cranberries, blueberries and lemonade tantalize the senses. When we leave, we are set for sandwiches maybe all the way to Florida!