Topic: Bar Harbor, Acadia, & Nantucket (Read 10881 times)

koolk2 · « **on:** May 23, 2007, 01:21:08 pm »

Planning a mid July vacation to the Maine coast. We will arrive in Boston on a late evening flight. Leisurely drive along the coast to Portland, ME the next day. Plan on shooting the Portland Headlight both in sunset & sunrise. Next we'll head for Bar Harbor for 4 days. Plan on shooting the Bass Pt lighthouse & Cadillac Mt sunrises, plus lots of fishing boat, harbor, and other nautical themes. We'll also be spending 2 days on Nantucket and one day in downtown Boston. I didn't really plan on spending any time in the Maine mid-coast area, but if there is anything interesting I don't want to miss it.

Looking for advice on additional places to see/photograph.

Thanks,

Ken

framah · « **Reply #1 on:** May 23, 2007, 03:28:51 pm »

Mid July up here is pretty crowded with tourists. The island with Acadia NP is great but a bit hard to get around with all the traffic. From Ellsworth, you could be in traffic for an hour or more just to get onto the island.
If you look at your map, you will notice another part of Acadia NP that isn't on the island. It is further down east (or up the coast towards Canada). It is called Schoodic Point. I almost never go to the island in the summer if I want to shoot. I go out to Schoodic Point. It is worth the extra 20 miles or so and ALOT fewer people. Also in that area you will find the working lobstering villages with colorful piles of buoys and such and just a nicer place to shoot.
Cut your time on the island by a couple of days and explore this nicer area.

I will tell you all that but I won't tell you the back roads to where you need to go as then we locals won't have any way to avoid you tourists!!

If you do come up here, you are welcome to stop into my store and say hi... Fahringers Framing Gallery in Ellsworth. Also, in Ellsworth across the highway from me is an LL Bean outlet which I'm sure you will want to stop into while here!!

Enjoy your trip.

nma · « **Reply #2 on:** May 24, 2007, 08:53:34 am »

Quote

Planning a mid July vacation to the Maine coast. We will arrive in Boston on a late evening flight. Leisurely drive along the coast to Portland, ME the next day. Plan on shooting the Portland Headlight both in sunset & sunrise. Next we'll head for Bar Harbor for 4 days. Plan on shooting the Bass Pt lighthouse & Cadillac Mt sunrises, plus lots of fishing boat, harbor, and other nautical themes. We'll also be spending 2 days on Nantucket and one day in downtown Boston. I didn't really plan on spending any time in the Maine mid-coast area, but if there is anything interesting I don't want to miss it.

Looking for advice on additional places to see/photograph.

Thanks,

Ken
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Ken,

I live in MA, but i am not aware of any liesurely coastal drive between Boston amd Portland. I have driven on roads that paralell the coast, but you only catch glimpses from time to time. Very slooooow, lots of traffic. As an alternative, I suggest you stop in a couple of seacoast town, e.g, Rockport MA and or Ogunquit ME. Rockport has a scenic harbor, artsy touristy. Take Rte 127, proceed north about 4 miles to Halibut Point. There is a parking area and you can take a beautiful and unusual walk out over the granite to the coast. In Ogunquit find your way to Perkins Cove and if you are lucky to a parking space. There, you can walk along the coast.

Hope this helps

Dan Wells · « **Reply #3 on:** May 24, 2007, 09:56:42 am »

Framah (and any other Down Easters)-
Does anyone know much about the Cutler and Bold Coast region? There's supposed to be a really spectacular trail along the coast way up there... A friend and I are thinking of camping and photographing up that way this summer. Supposedly, there's a cutoff trail apart from the main loop that lets you get MUCH closer to the campsites (leaves from a different parking spot), really reducing the distance you need to carry water in? We'd like to hike the loop, but use the cutoff to get water and supplies in, so we could hike with our cameras instead of heavy packs. Does anyone know if this is feasible?

-Dan

koolk2 · « **Reply #4 on:** May 24, 2007, 03:14:07 pm »

Framah & nma,

Thanks for your input. I know that the island will be full of "tourists" including me. As this is a family vacation my shooting time is limited to 4-8 AM & 7-9:00PM with emphasis on the morning hours as my wife is NOT an early riser. Framah, we will definitely stop by your store. Schoodic Pt sounds like the place I'm looking for to shoot seascapes & working fishing vessels.

nma - Our leisurely route means I plan on taking all day to get from Logan to Portland, ME. Rockport looks interesting. We'll also stop in York, Kennebunk, & wherever else strikes SWMBO's fancy. Part of this trip is to check out various areas for a future photo expedition ( ie. without the family).

Thanks again,

Ken

framah · « **Reply #5 on:** May 24, 2007, 05:36:35 pm »

Seriously, if you take a coastal route to Portland, you may just spend all day in traffic to get there and not see anything worth seeing. You are better off getting onto 95N ASAP till you get to Portland then get off and play.

Once you start up the coast from Portland, look for the Yarmouth exit and go to "the DeLorme store where all of the Gazateer map books are. They also have the largest globe around... Eartha". It is about 3 stories tall and rotates as the Earth does.

In fact, you should go to DeLormes website and buy the Maine Gazateer before you come up. It invaluable for finding the small back roads and out of the way places. I have these books for all of the states I travel to.

As for Cutler.. in this book, there is a loop trail marked that starts at the end of a dirt road. there are camp sites marked but don't know anything about it tho. Farther up the coast you need to go to Quoddy Head lite house. Another great place.

Always glad to say hi to another LL poster.

glenerrolrd · « **Reply #6 on:** May 30, 2007, 08:48:01 pm »

nantucket is a wonderful destination for photography ..very easy to find the best locations...head for the HUB ..a news stand and look at the postcards ..books and maps . Most important is to rent a 4 wheel drive vehicle with a beach access pass..best place Nantucket Windmill 508 228 1227 ..this wil let you drive out on the beach at sunrise or sunset ..several great lighthouses.....the town is great for all types of street photography ..the ferry boats, dock area ,sail boats

Richard Marcellus · « **Reply #7 on:** June 06, 2007, 11:44:11 pm »

I am planning a trip to Acadia NP as well in early August. I am coming down from Canada and plan to visit Fundy NP, Grand Manan Island (both in New Brunswick) then head down to Maine to visit Acadia NP for 3-4 days , before looping back up to Montreal (with an overnight in the Rangeley Lake region of inland Maine).

Schoodic Peninsula sounds interesting. I will also be with my family with 2 young children, and avoiding crowds of tourist sounds great. I expect that exploring Schoodic, the Petite Manan National Wildlife refuge, and the surrounding villages will be more than enough to keep us busy for our visit.

If anyone has any recommendations for rental cottages (or something similar with a kitchen) please post them. I found a place called the Pines very close to Winter Harbor and it sounds alright.

Richard

framah · « **Reply #8 on:** June 07, 2007, 04:45:11 pm »

Just a little note to keep you on your toes..

Last week we had a woman get swept off the rocks at Schoodic and drown. Definitely a tourist as no one I know up here would EVER do what she was doing!!

She was way out on the rocks with a small dog in one hand and her cell phone in the other. She was holding the phone out towards the waves so whomever was on the other end could hear the waves crashing. Can you hear me now???

The wave hit her and dragged her into the water where it is pretty much impossible to get back to the rocks once in the water. The wave action just pulls you further away from the rocks. If it does bring you in, it's only to smash you against the rocks.

Her adult daughter actually jumped in to save her and couldn't and by a miracle was able to get close enough for some people to grab onto her and pull her back up.

Unfortunately, the little dog also drowned.

This usually signals the start of the summer tourist season for us up here!!

I was just thinking.... I wonder what the person on the other end of THAT call was hearing!!

chrisn · « **Reply #9 on:** June 28, 2007, 04:24:04 pm »

Ken,

I've shot up in that area about half a dozen times, and love it. I wrote up notes about two locations (Acadia National Park and Rockland, Maine) on my website, if you want to have a look. I don't have the local knowledge that Fromah has, but maybe something in my notes will be a bit of help.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Have a great trip.

Best,
Chris

Heming · « **Reply #10 on:** June 28, 2007, 08:59:55 pm »

Sound that you are interested in lighthouses. THE lighthouse on Maine state quarter is Pemaquid Point Lighthouse. For that reason, I should say it is a very important lighthouse in Maine even though it is not the most photographed one. It's about 20 miles off the Rt 1. That might be the reason.

There is another frequently photograpged lighthouse along the Maine coastline, actually soon after you enter Maine from I-95. It's Nubble Lighthouse at York. There are quite a few btw Boston and Acadia. It depends on how crazy you are about lighthouses.

Enjoy your vacation.

koolk2 · « **Reply #11 on:** June 28, 2007, 09:29:18 pm »

Chris & Heming,

Thanks for the info. Since I first posted this we changed our itinerary slightly. We will be staying in Daramiscotta our first night. We will photograph Pemaquid at sunrise. Sunrise at Cadillac Mt and sunset of Bass Light are also planned. Based on Framah's recommendations we will also spend a day traveling east to Schoodic and beyond.

Thanks again,

Heming · « **Reply #12 on:** July 18, 2007, 09:40:41 pm »

Ken,

I just came back from my trip to Newport, RI, Cape Cod, and Maine. I'm kind of a lighthouses junky. I shot eight lighthouses on the way. Half of them the first time. Sorry to say it's too late to let you know that Pemaquid Point Lighthouse is under construction. This is my third time to go there. Still didn't get a great shot. I went all the way to Lubec to shoot the West Quoddy Head the first time.

Good luck for your trip.

Heming

Here is a shot at Pemaquid in the early morning (4:30 am?)

framah · « **Reply #13 on:** July 21, 2007, 03:57:28 pm »

Wow!!! THAT'S what it looks like up here in the morning??

I'm seriously not a morning person so I rarely ever see those shots.

I will tho pretty soon. I have reserved a ride out to the Machias Seal Island where the Puffins raise their young. I believe a max of 15 people are allowed onto the island and they have blinds to shoot from and the Puffins areright in front of you. Sounds great but I have to be on the road by 5AM to get there in time for the boat out. We are allowed to be on the island for about 3 hours then we will be able to shoot from the water for a while then an hour back to the mainland.

It will be nice to get away from the store if even for one day!!

Hope you make it out to Schoodic Point. It's my favorite place to go to chill out for a while.

Heming · « **Reply #14 on:** July 22, 2007, 08:46:25 am »

I stayed at Ellsworth for 4 days (actually Trenton, the Open Hearth Lodge). But I went to downtown Ellsworth almost everyday. Once for my daughter to catch the Harry Porter movie when it was released the first day.

Yes, for that shot I had to get up at 4 am. Lucky me, that day there were clouds. Soon after sunrise, it started raining. I stayed at Hotel Pemaquid, walking distance to the lighthouse.

My best shot for all the lighthouses is from Bass Harpor at late evening after sunset with fog and twilight.

I stayed one night at Cutler and booked the boat trip to the Island to see puffins. But the captain told me when I got there that the weather was not good for a sea trip. So I didn't make it. Good luck for you, Framer!

framah · « **Reply #15 on:** August 07, 2007, 03:10:50 pm »

Here's a few Puffin shots ffrom my trip to Machias Seal Island. The weather was PERFECT!!! Even living up here, I don't remember a better day. Smooth water and light breeze and low 70's.

That getting up at 4AM still sucks big time but it was worth it!!

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h216/fra...seupoffaces.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h216/framah/D55T0561.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h216/framah/D55T0488.jpg

Heming · « **Reply #16 on:** August 08, 2007, 10:02:02 pm »

Very, very nice. The three were posing for you in a perfect position. They are cute. Lucky you. I am in CT, not too far away but I don't think I can go back there this year.

Author Topic: Bar Harbor, Acadia, & Nantucket (Read 10881 times)