Maine Attraction

PETE GOSS HEADS UP THE EAST COAST OF THE US TO MAINE, TO ENJOY CHANCE MEETINGS AND ALL THE QUIRKS OF LIFE

- Pete Goss

Bursting through the Cape Cod Canal is like a voyage through Narnia’s wardrobe. Huge lunar forces whisk us along as the rugged granite world of Buzzards Bay fades in our wake. Ahead is a softer world with gentle curves of pristine white sand that glow in the sun.

The bewitching beauty of Cape Cod Bay is formed in the protective embrace of an arm with a perfect anchorage in its palm. Protected by the final clasp of a finger we find that nature has gifted Provincetown a magic of its own. Fish jump, seals feed and birds wheel in the crisp Atlantic air, which gently tugs at the anchor. The predominantly gay community makes nightlife a joyous riot of exuberant colour.

Provincetown proves to be the perfect staging post for our final 160-mile push north to Penobscot Bay. The Mayflower made its first landfall here but, finding it tough, they crossed the bay to put their roots down in Plymouth. The alluring beauty of summer belies a harsh winter, the first of which was to rob life from half their number. The America that we know has been hard-won by those whose yearning for home is reflected in the familiarity of place names: Plymouth, Biddeford, Bristol and Falmouth are mixed in with Isle au Haut and Castile.

Maine has been on Tracey’s bucket list for years. Jetlag, a prelaunch job list and long days to get here from Chesapeake has left us with a weariness that’s started to take the shine off life. So we stop for a restorative day which offers an opportunity to reflect on an all-consuming trip home for our daughter’s beautiful Cornish wedding.

Names with tales to tell