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Travel Tip And Prayer Request
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Travel Tip and Prayer Request: Maine
If you plan to go to beautiful Maine, go some time other than July and August.
This is their busiest time of the year. The park ranger at Acadia National Park says 2.3 million people visit this park every year.
75% of them go in July and August.
If you do decide to go during July and August, make reservations for hotel rooms. Get a confirmation number.
Without reservations, there will no room in any of the inns in the entire state. I think I now have a small insight into how Joseph and Mary must have felt one night a couple of millenniums ago.
In fact, you will probably have to travel three states to find a room. Thank goodness the states are small.
You might find some of the most expensive rooms in the city available. You will pay a small fortune for the room if you happen to find one.
I learned all of this first hand.
Thank God, I have a husband who knows how to search on the internet. I finally found a $200 room on Friday night. On Saturday night I had to drive 3 states to find any kind of room.
As I drove, I could not believe that there were no vacancies in all of the hotels and campgrounds I was passing.
The other thing I noticed is that everyone in Maine is in a very bad mood in July and August.
I could tell that they are a very nice state but that these months are very hard on them. Most of their pain comes from the moods of the visitors to their wonderful state.
I cannot blame anyone living in or visiting Maine for being in a bad mood in July and August.
It is hot.
Regular business is down because locals do not want to get out in the traffic and shop.
There is construction. They can only fix the roads when the snow is gone.
Frantic person after person walks into hotels only to be told there were no vacancies for three states. Frantic people are not always nice.
Traffic also has hotel guests annoyed. They often take it out on the people at the counter. People working in hotels are exhausted.
Restaurants are packed. Their staffs are working double shifts. They are exhausted.
They have tolls in Maine. The roads are packed and travelers are grouchy. Toll takers are facing 2 million people in a very bad mood. How much fun can their job be?
I would not suggest asking the toll takers obvious questions like, “are there many toll booths in Maine?” They also do not want to help with directions. They have developed a very intimidating snarl.
If you travel to Maine in July and August, be very nice to the people in the service industry. They desperately need a smiling face.
Some service people develop a sense of humor. Bob asked one hotel for a recommendation for a place to stay. They suggested New Jersey.
If you travel to Maine in July and August, pay careful attention to drivers. They hate the traffic jams and often pass in the parking lane. They will dart in from the right without warning. This enables them to move one car length. Watch right and left and leave no space between you and the car in front of you.
Do not plan to drive towards New York on a Sunday afternoon. As near as I can tell, most of the two million visitors to Maine come from New York.
If you do decide to travel to Maine in July and August, remember to enjoy it. It is a beautiful state. I would hate for you to have all of the aggravation mentioned above and not even enjoy God’s beauty.
If you decide to go, learn the Serenity Prayer.
Serenity Prayer
God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The Courage to change the things I can,
And the Wisdom to know the difference.
You can do nothing about the traffic, the moods of the people, the heat, or the hotel rooms. Get over it and have fun anyway.
The National Park in Bar Harbor is fabulous.
Bar Harbor is fabulous.
The drive along Highway 1 is worth the traffic.
The lobster is wonderful.
There are beautiful churches everywhere.
I recommend visiting Maine. Just not in July and August.
Also, please add the people of Maine to your prayer list for the months of July and August.
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