FALL ON THE MAINE COAST - PORTLAND TO BAR HARBOR ll

MONDAY, OCOTBER 16^TH

SUNRISE, FROM MARSHALL POINT

We returned to Marshall Point Light for sunrise this morning. It was difficult to place the lighthouse in a picture with the colorful sunrise. 

 

SUNRISE BETWEEN HORIZON AND CLOUDS

 I guess if I was a Photoshop artist I could combine the lighthouse with the sunrise in the background, but that is not “my cup of tea”. It was still a beautiful sunrise, and pleasant time to be outside.

 

MARSHALL POINT LIGHTHOUSE

Back in Rockland we packed our gear and had another breakfast at the Home Kitchen Café. This time I enjoyed crab benedict! Then we were off to Bar Harbor. It is about a two hour drive without stops, but photographers are easily distracted by beautiful scenery and subject matter. One of our stops was at the Penobscot Narrows Bridge Overlook. 

PENOBSCOT NARROWS BRIDGE

This is a lovely bridge which is quite modern in design and replaces the old and decayed Waldo-Hancock Bridge which had been opened in 1931. In 2003 it was discovered that the cables were badly corroded and it was urgent that the bridge be replaced. This new bridge has an observatory at the top of its left tower and it is the highest bridge observatory in the world at 420 feet. The first time I saw this bridge it was right next to the Old Waldo-Hancock Bridge, when I traveled to Maine in 2011.

 

NKV AND BRIDGE

ROADSIDE VIEW OF NARROWS BRIDGE WITH OLD WALDO- HANCOCK BRIDGE TO THE RIGHT

NARROWS BRIDGE FROM BUCKSPORT w. FORT KNOX TO THE RIGHT

We continued along Maine Rte. 1 to Ellsworth. We were stopped a couple of times because of the beautiful fall color, and a couple of photogenic barns. 

 

A CASCADE OF GOLD

 

CAPTURING THE COLOR

In Ellsworth we headed South to Mt. Desert Island, and Acadia National Park. 

 

HORSE BARN AND HOME

TYPICAL MAINE FARM HOUSE WITH ATTACHED BARN

We stayed in a vacation home that accommodated all of us! I had my own room, but shared one of the four bathrooms. There really was not an issue with this.

This evening we joined many others atop Cadillac Mountain for sunset. We were rewarded with a lovely sky and sunset. 

LOOKING DOWN CADILLAC MOUNTAIN TO THE OCEAN

CADILLAC MOUNTAIN VIEW

SUNSET OVER FRENCHMAN'S BAY

Back in town I enjoyed another lobster roll for dinner at Geddy’s.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17^TH

ONE OF THE BUBBLES, JORDAN POND

This morning we visited Jordan Pond. This pond has many  photographic locations. We went to it first thing in the morning. 

MAPLE COLORS

I went wandering off along the shoreline trail thinking that a couple of others were ahead of me, and that I would be scooped up on their return to our starting point. 

FALL COLOR REFLECTION

Well, they took the high road while I took the low! I never saw them until about two hours later when I returned to the parking lot. 

ALONG THE SHORE

Evidently they thought I was lost and were about to send out the Saint Bernards. I was never lost, and had a great time wandering the shore trail and taking pictures. 

AUTUMN ROCK GARDEN

After a late breakfast at 2 Cats Restaurant, we took a break back at our abode, and I got good half hour nap. In the afternoon we visited the Visitor Center to pick up maps and passes. We were then off to the Otter Cliffs area for more colorful trees.

BIRCH AND MORE

The sky was clear for sunset so it was quick with the only color coming from the effects of the Earth’s Shadow along the Eastern horizon.

LOOKING EAST AT THE EARTH SHADOW

Dinner tonight was at The Jack Russell Restaurant where I enjoyed Fish and Chips. Once again I enjoyed the bounty from the sea that one finds along the coast of Maine.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18^TH

This morning we returned to Otter cliffs for sunrise light reflected off the shoreline cliffs. We were not the only ones enjoying the moment though there was a fairly thick layer of clouds along the horizon. 
 

LOOKING EAST

There was nice reflected light on the cliffs. 

MORNING LIGHT ON OTTER CLIFFS

We then drove to Northeast Harbor looking for breakfast. We stopped at the very picturesque Asticou Azalea Garden which was planted in 1956-57. 
 

ASTICOU GARDEN

BIRD FIGURE

As you can see it is beautifully designed and a very peaceful setting. Regrettably most of the eateries in Northeast Harbor 

COFFEE BREAK

had closed for the season, so we went back to Bar Harbor for another breakfast at The 2 Cats.

We drove through the village of Somesville, the oldest settlement of Mt. Desert Island. We stopped to photograph the Somesville Bridge, one of the most recognized and photographed man made structures on Mount Desert Island. It is the arched wooden foot bridge in Somesville that sits next to the historic Selectmen’s Building, and stayed a while to play with multiple exposures at different settings. This technique needs more practice on my part so no examples at this time. As you can see this was a very picturesque location.

SOMESVILLE BRIDGE

A SOMESVILLE  HOME

We then headed for Schoodic Point for sunset. This involved over a 40 mile drive to get there, yet it is really only 4 miles across Frenchman’s Bay from Bar Harbor. J We first visited the small fishing village of Corea with its small harbor filled with lobster boats. 

LOBSTERMAN'S GEAR

COREA HARBOR

We drove on to Schoodic Point, where sunrise first occurs on the continental United States. The coastline is rugged and filled with many large boulders, and rock outcroppings. While here I got a refresher course in using the Graduated Neutral Density

Filter. This filter helps create an image with more detail in shadows, and tones down the highlights.

SCHOODIC POINT SHORE

DAY'S END I

DAY'S END II

On our way back to Bar Harbor, our smart phone users found a great place get pizza to go. We picked it up in Ellsworth and then enjoyed it back at our house about a half hour later.

FALL ON THE MAINE COAST - PORTLAND TO BAR HARBOR I

PORTLAND TO ROCKLAND:

I had not experienced a New England Fall in many years. This year I went on a photo trip to Maine, and it was a lovely experience. After the photography tour, my family joined me for a family time in Maine.

The trip started in mid-October with the rendezvous point being Portland, Maine, in the afternoon. I flew in the afternoon before, and enjoyed a little quiet time before the fun began. After getting settled into our motel, we were off to Portland Head to photograph the lighthouse as the sun set. The setting is lovely, and the evening light was cooperative.

Portland Head Lighthouse

Portland Head Lighthouse After Sunset

We went into Portland to have dinner afterwards. One of the best places to dine is DiMillo’s. The food was very good but it was Friday evening, and we had a long wait as we were a party of 12! We broke up into groups and settled into the bar and eventually got served.

We finally got back to our motel about 10:30 p.m.

Portland Head Lighthouse w/Earth Shadow

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14^TH

Off this morning for sunrise at Portland Head Light. There were low clouds to the East so sunrise was not spectacular. Started photographing to the North of the lighthouse. Certainly a different perspective than the evening before. 

Portland Head Lighthouse from the North

Eventually I wandered back to the South side of the lighthouse for the final shoot of the morning. 

Portland Head Lighthouse in the Morning

After breakfast we packed up and were on our way to Rockland, located about an hour up the coast, and is the home port of a number of sailing schooners that ply the waters with tourists for several days at a time.

In Rockland about half of the group stayed at the Rockland Harbor Hotel which overlooked the ferry landing and part of the harbor. The remainder of the group stayed in a vacation home operated by  metal sculptor, Erica Moody, and her husband (ericamoody.com.). We enjoyed touring her workshop and seeing her work. 

 

First Fall Color

In the afternoon we went to Pemaquid Point for sunset with the iconic lighthouse. 

Wave Action Below Pemaquid Lighthouse

Pemaquid lighthouse

Pemaquid Lighthouse After Sunset

 I enjoyed my time at the point though I made a few technical errors with my photography. We stayed until well after sunset, and enjoyed

the later time with fewer people around.

After carefully walking  back up the rocks we were off to Rockland for dinner. Almost every night I enjoyed fresh seafood. This evening it was a delicious lobster roll at Hill’s Seafood Company in Rockland.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15^TH

It was a very foggy morning so we did not go out to photograph as a group due to the very low visibility. I enjoyed a quiet walk around downtown and the Ferry Landing in the fog. Many boats have already been hauled out for the winter, and I enjoyed wandering around them.

Breakfast was at Home Kitchen Café which was quite crowded, and very delicious. We were then off to Camden Hills State Park. It was still in some fog at the top of Mt. Battie, but that added a touch of atmosphere, and it eventually dissipated. Mt. Battie has a commanding view of Penobscot Bay.

 

FALL COLOR ON MT. BATTIE

FALL COLOR 1

FALL COLOR 2

I think we spent about two and a half hours wandering around the top of the mountain finding different compositions of the colorful trees. That is one reason for taking a tour. You are not pressured by other friends or family that think you have got all you need after about a half hour. This way you walk around and study different angles and compositions.

 

RED AND GREEN

MAPLE RED

 

LICHEN

A QUIET FALL SCENE

FALL CLUSTER

TRUNK AND FALL COLOR

We eventually headed South to the Rockland area for sunset at Marshall Point Lighthouse.

MARSHALL POINT LIGHTHOUSE

This lighthouse is located at the entrance to Port Clyde Harbor. I carefully worked my way out onto the rocks to get different views. I did not get much for my efforts other than a lot of time carefully scrambling among the rocks. The lighthouse is being repainted so it was not in it’s finest attire. The sky was quite clear of clouds so the sunset effect was short.

 

MARSHALL POINT LIGHT

We returned to Hills Seafood Company for dinner. This time I enjoyed fresh haddock. It was delicious.