On this July day, we cruised from South Freeport to Monhegan Island, about a three-hour ride, to find a particularly stunning scene. The evening sun drenched its gold light over the fields of Manana Island and the Gulf of Maine, as well as Monhegan to its immediate east. The islands, with their bold shores and lush vegetation, dramatically rise out of the sea surrounded only by water.

On Manana, the baby goat led its pack to us and shared in taking in the sunset. When we packed up, the goats followed us down the old cargo rail bridge (once used to haul supplies to the Coast Guard house on the other side of the island), almost all the way back to our dinghy.

A little over 10 miles off the mainland and adjacent to Monhegan, Manana is home only to an old Coast Guard shack, a small house, and several goats. The islands have been home to America’s first settlers, fisherman, artists, and pirates— and presumably inspired them all. When I tell people “from away” about Maine, I tell them there is a place that takes you back in time 100 years, where people fish, paint, and drive old trucks missing doors, windows, and lights. That’s Monhegan, one of the most beautiful places on earth.