It was almost exactly 28 years ago that Linda and I first made this trip. I bid adieu to grad school, and she was just taking the long way back home.

We left Boston that morning, and headed up the coast on old U. S. Highway 1...

This time it was different. Of course, it WOULD be different 28 years, two sons, and 27 years of marriage later.

Coordinating our late summer schedules, we met at Boston's Logan Airport, piled everything up in the rental car, and set off on the same route.

First stop--Portland, Maine, and a dinner in Old Port (the Waterfront district). This would be the one of many meals featuring clam chowder. Old Port is charming, all right.

Then, it was on to Freeport, Maine's biggest attraction: The L. L. Bean Retail Store. Bean's is open, as they would say these days, 24 x 7, and is one of this country's greatest shopping experiences. You're probably familiar with the catalog, but do yourself a big favor and visit the store--WOW.

Of course, Freeport village also has nearly 150 outlet stores--easily the greatest concentration of this type of establishment in the nation.

The next day, we set out for Eastport, and stopped in seemingly every little town on Highway 1 along the way.

Some highlights included picturesque Boothbay Harbor, and Rockland, with the nearby Owl's Head lighthouse. Maine's coast has dozens of lighthouses, and unlike lights in some other parts of the country, they can be freely visited.

Also in Rockland is the wonderful Shore Village Museum, featuring all sorts of relics, with the emphasis on lighthouse artifacts and memorabilia. During our visit, we were treated to a most personal and informative tour, by a very eager young docent.

After winding our way through famous Camden, and making a short stop in Bucksport, we continued Downeast.

Ellsworth is the jumping off point for Bar Harbor (Acadia National Park) and also represents the unofficial beginning of true Downeast Maine. Past Ellsworth, the population becomes more sparse, and the economy, sadly, more impoverished. The countryside has a majestic, quiet beauty.

Some time later we arrived in tiny Eastport, the easternmost city in the United States. Eastport's economy and population has declined dramatically because of over-fishing. Not surprisingly, real estate is offered at fire sale prices. There is a relatively vibrant summer tourism economy, but it pales in comparison to its neighbor towns in southern Maine.

During our stay in Eastport, we took the ferry to Campobello Island, renowned as the summer resort for Franklin Delano Roosevelt and family.

On our final day there, we visited West Quoddy Head Light, the easternmost point in the U. S. It is WEST Quoddy Head Light because EAST Quoddy Head Light is in New Brunswick, Canada.

28 years before, this lighthouse boasted an unbelievably loud air-powered foghorn, and a group of long-deaf rabbits. Back then, there was also a sign indicating the easternmost geographic status.

In 1999, we saw an electric foghorn, no sign, and no rabbits (possibly removed by the animal cruelty people).

As for Downeast Maine in general, there were few noticeable changes in the 28 years. Indeed, the road to West Quoddy Head Light was eerily familiar, and, for me, quite nostalgic.

We continued on to New Hampshire and Vermont, and had some wonderful experiences there: Relaxing around Lake Winnipesaukee, taking the Ben & Jerry's tour, and stumbling upon a bargain gourmet meal at a restaurant owned by the New England Culinary Institute.

For me, though, my sentimental journey's highlight was West Quoddy Head Light, with its superb vistas of New Brunswick's Island of Grand Manan. It is, fittingly enough, a true beacon, and a rock-steady milestone in these rapidly changing times.