US 1 in Maine

Once north of Portland US 1 can be a pretty good distance from the coast. Many of the harbor towns like BoothBay are located at the far end of a long point of land. Yes 1 does get closer to the water in the Rockland/Camden area but that is a bay not the open ocean. Moving further north on 1 there are long portions of the drive where you don't come even close to the many quaint villages along the coast. The old saying "you can't get there from here" refers to the many peninsulas that are close by from the water but far away over land. Just trying to give a newbie a heads up. South of Portland there are sand beaches and campgrounds very close to both 95 and 1. Reminds me of the Jersey Shore. North of Portland there are very few sand beaches and Belfast is way inland from the actual coast. We have a summer place on the water in East Boothbay and a 43' Trawler for cruising the coast. Over the years we have cruised the Maine coast both inside and offshore. We have visited a fair number of harbors up and down the Coast with N.E. Harbor being a favorite. And SW Harbor for its many classic boat yards. Folks visiting Maine for the first time should take some of the day cruises to really see the rugged beauty of the Maine coast. I admit I'm kinda spoiled, but you see more trees than water on most of US1. Lots of working water front harbors and villages to see if you drive out on the many peninsulas. Too many to name here but I've been to most of them either by land or water. Acadia is tops but is also a pretty good drive out from 1. Then Quoddy Light near Lubec is quite the view too and that's about as far down east you can go by land. Coobscook Bay State Park has a lovely campground not far from Lubec. A good stop for folks on the way to Calais and on up to Canada. Day after Memorial day we will be heading for Maine. Lobster, scallops, haddock, clams, yum yum! Sorry for such a long reply. Can't wait to get back! :)