from Midcoast to Acadia, a mid-October wander
denisegoldberg
Administrators Posts: 14,383 moderator
I try to get to Acadia National Park twice a year, once in May, and once in October. This year's May trip was early in the month; the park was pretty empty. My October trip had somewhat odd timing in that it coincided with Columbus Day. I try to avoid holidays on my visits to a favorite national park since I prefer quiet wandering without a lot of people - oops! I didn't quite manage that on this trip.
I started with a 2-day visit with a friend in Yarmouth, Maine. Our first day was not a photo and wandering day since it was filled with chilly air and heavy rain. That's OK, a sit at home visiting day was a good start to my travels.
The next day was a treat - still quite cool, with changing skies and dry air.
Our first stop was Reid State Park. The road to access the park is just over the bridge heading north/east from Bath. The park is a combination of rocky coastline and sandy beaches.
1 :: water on the rocks led my eye to the coastline and trees across the water
2 :: the "beach" was home to interesting rocks
3 :: some of the rocks were painted with green moss
4 :: Reid State Park has sandy beaches too, usually sandwiched between rocks
After satisfying our wandering needs at Reid, we headed back to Bath for a bite to eat at Mae's Cafe & Bakery. If you're in the area and looking for food, I highly recommend this bakery and breakfast / lunch spot. It's open from 8 AM to 2 PM so you'll need to plan ahead.
Food need satisfied, we headed for the Phippsburg Peninsula. We thought about stopping at Popham Beach State Park but opted to start walking at Fort Popham at the end of the peninsula.
5 :: footprints in the sand
6 :: beach, an old lifeguard station, people walking
The next morning I turned the car towards Acadia. I usually stay on I-95, turning to the coast at Bangor. This time I opted to jump off of the highway in Augusta hoping for some early autumn color on more of a back road.
7 :: somewhat muted, autumn colors mixed with green
My before reaching Bar Harbor target for the day was Stonington, a town on Deer Isle.
8 :: a harbor view, in Stonington
9 :: near the bridge between the mainland and Deer Isle
Ah, it was time to wander in Acadia! I had 3 full days there with a somewhat mixed weather forecast. The first day was projected to be sunny with clear skies (ouch on the clear skies!), the second day had a rainy forecast, and the third was to be clear again. Hmm...
I opted to stay in the main part of the park on Mt. Desert Island for the first day, starting with a hike up Gorham Mountain. I followed my usual path there, starting at Sand Beach and walking down the Ocean Path until I reached the turnoff for Gorham Mountain.
10 :: trees, high on the mountain
11 :: a view of Sand Beach from Gorham Mountain
At one point on the trail down the mountain I came to a complete stop, standing and looking around me at the bright yellow leaves of autumn.
12 :: a sea of yellow leaves
Knowing there was gray weather forecast for the next day I decided to head up Cadillac Mountain to enjoy the late day light. While the skies were clear for much of the day, low clouds started to decorate the mountain soon after I arrived at the top.
13 :: a mixture of light, rocks, water
14 :: late day light paints the rocks
15 :: pure magic, clouds below the summit colored by the setting sun
It was very foggy but not yet raining when I woke up the next morning. I headed to my favorite spot in the park, the Schoodic Peninsula. Most of the park is on Mount Desert Island but Schoodic is the next peninsula to the north and east back on the mainland.
16 :: sculpted rocks and reflection, Schoodic
17 :: birds, birds, birds! on the rocks and in the water bouncing in the waves
18 :: a glimpse of a dark diabase dike
19 :: looking...
After a couple of hours soaking up the scenery at Schoodic the rain started. I decided it was time to head back to Bar Harbor, thinking maybe I would have a quiet rest of the day sitting still. That thought didn't last too long though. The rain eased up a bit, changing from heavy to light. I threw a rain cover on my pack, grabbed my camera, and headed out walking from the B&B with the Jesup Path as my destination.
20 :: painted leaves called to me
21 :: with the low clouds and fog, trees wearing bright colors popped
22 :: Jesup Path boardwalk through the trees
23 :: bright red, this time from apples
Sun returned the next morning. I chose to do a series of short hikes, drawn by color and scenes rather than by a desire to walk a specific path.
24 :: an impressionist reflection, a bit of water in the woods
25 :: fall color in ferns
26 :: a trail lined in birch trees
27 :: low tide, sand bar to Bar Island exposed
I hope you've enjoyed wandering with me on my (as always) too short adventure. If you're interested in more images from this trip they can be viewed in the gallery at Midcoast to Downeast Maine :: 2015-10.
I considered taking two cameras with me on this trip but in the end only one jumped into my bag. All photos above were taken with a Fujifilm X-T1. Lenses in use were the Fujifilm XF10-24 and XF18-135.
--- Denise
I started with a 2-day visit with a friend in Yarmouth, Maine. Our first day was not a photo and wandering day since it was filled with chilly air and heavy rain. That's OK, a sit at home visiting day was a good start to my travels.
The next day was a treat - still quite cool, with changing skies and dry air.
Our first stop was Reid State Park. The road to access the park is just over the bridge heading north/east from Bath. The park is a combination of rocky coastline and sandy beaches.
1 :: water on the rocks led my eye to the coastline and trees across the water
2 :: the "beach" was home to interesting rocks
3 :: some of the rocks were painted with green moss
4 :: Reid State Park has sandy beaches too, usually sandwiched between rocks
After satisfying our wandering needs at Reid, we headed back to Bath for a bite to eat at Mae's Cafe & Bakery. If you're in the area and looking for food, I highly recommend this bakery and breakfast / lunch spot. It's open from 8 AM to 2 PM so you'll need to plan ahead.
Food need satisfied, we headed for the Phippsburg Peninsula. We thought about stopping at Popham Beach State Park but opted to start walking at Fort Popham at the end of the peninsula.
5 :: footprints in the sand
6 :: beach, an old lifeguard station, people walking
The next morning I turned the car towards Acadia. I usually stay on I-95, turning to the coast at Bangor. This time I opted to jump off of the highway in Augusta hoping for some early autumn color on more of a back road.
7 :: somewhat muted, autumn colors mixed with green
My before reaching Bar Harbor target for the day was Stonington, a town on Deer Isle.
8 :: a harbor view, in Stonington
9 :: near the bridge between the mainland and Deer Isle
Ah, it was time to wander in Acadia! I had 3 full days there with a somewhat mixed weather forecast. The first day was projected to be sunny with clear skies (ouch on the clear skies!), the second day had a rainy forecast, and the third was to be clear again. Hmm...
I opted to stay in the main part of the park on Mt. Desert Island for the first day, starting with a hike up Gorham Mountain. I followed my usual path there, starting at Sand Beach and walking down the Ocean Path until I reached the turnoff for Gorham Mountain.
10 :: trees, high on the mountain
11 :: a view of Sand Beach from Gorham Mountain
At one point on the trail down the mountain I came to a complete stop, standing and looking around me at the bright yellow leaves of autumn.
12 :: a sea of yellow leaves
Knowing there was gray weather forecast for the next day I decided to head up Cadillac Mountain to enjoy the late day light. While the skies were clear for much of the day, low clouds started to decorate the mountain soon after I arrived at the top.
13 :: a mixture of light, rocks, water
14 :: late day light paints the rocks
15 :: pure magic, clouds below the summit colored by the setting sun
It was very foggy but not yet raining when I woke up the next morning. I headed to my favorite spot in the park, the Schoodic Peninsula. Most of the park is on Mount Desert Island but Schoodic is the next peninsula to the north and east back on the mainland.
16 :: sculpted rocks and reflection, Schoodic
17 :: birds, birds, birds! on the rocks and in the water bouncing in the waves
18 :: a glimpse of a dark diabase dike
19 :: looking...
After a couple of hours soaking up the scenery at Schoodic the rain started. I decided it was time to head back to Bar Harbor, thinking maybe I would have a quiet rest of the day sitting still. That thought didn't last too long though. The rain eased up a bit, changing from heavy to light. I threw a rain cover on my pack, grabbed my camera, and headed out walking from the B&B with the Jesup Path as my destination.
20 :: painted leaves called to me
21 :: with the low clouds and fog, trees wearing bright colors popped
22 :: Jesup Path boardwalk through the trees
23 :: bright red, this time from apples
Sun returned the next morning. I chose to do a series of short hikes, drawn by color and scenes rather than by a desire to walk a specific path.
24 :: an impressionist reflection, a bit of water in the woods
25 :: fall color in ferns
26 :: a trail lined in birch trees
27 :: low tide, sand bar to Bar Island exposed
I hope you've enjoyed wandering with me on my (as always) too short adventure. If you're interested in more images from this trip they can be viewed in the gallery at Midcoast to Downeast Maine :: 2015-10.
I considered taking two cameras with me on this trip but in the end only one jumped into my bag. All photos above were taken with a Fujifilm X-T1. Lenses in use were the Fujifilm XF10-24 and XF18-135.
--- Denise
https://www.denisegoldberg.com ... https://denise.smugmug.com
Musings & ramblings at https://denisegoldberg.blogspot.com
Musings & ramblings at https://denisegoldberg.blogspot.com
0
Comments
Such a nice variety of thoughtful compositions and scenes...
I've never been to your region, so I always enjoy your large, luscious landscapes!
Thanks for sharing your Journey!
--- Denise
Musings & ramblings at https://denisegoldberg.blogspot.com
I couldn't get to Acadia this year so your images have helped me get my Acadian fix until next season.
Thanks
www.leefortier.com
--- Denise
Musings & ramblings at https://denisegoldberg.blogspot.com
--- Denise
Musings & ramblings at https://denisegoldberg.blogspot.com
My site 365 Project
--- Denise
Musings & ramblings at https://denisegoldberg.blogspot.com