West Ledge Trail
Today Janice and I awoke to a temperature of 29°F. Yes, fall is here and winter is not far behind. We dressed warmly in preparation for a hike up the West Ledge Trail to the top of Bernard Mountain. To get there, we got onto the Western Mountain fire road and followed it nearly to Seal Cove Pond where there’s a little turnout opposite the trail head. Total driving time from our house: …
The Tarn
The Tarn is a small lake in Acadia National Park located between Dorr Mountain and Huguenot Head, a shoulder of Champlain Mountain. In his wonderful book Lakes & Ponds of Mt. Desert, William Newlin notes that The Tarn “has become so overgrown with rushes and lilies in recent years as to barely rate the status of lake” not to mention that it’s only eight acres in size. While not a body of …
Anemone Cave
I have heard about and seen images of the Anemone Cave ever since I first came to Acadia National Park in 1977, but I had never seen it. In fact, I never even knew where it was until recently. There’s a good reason for that. Access to the cave is difficult and dangerous and the environment is fragile. To protect it, the park service has removed it from maps and basically keeps it a secret. …
Bass Harbor Head Light
The lighthouse in Bass Harbor, Maine is one of the most photographed features on Mount Desert Island. Most images are of the lighthouse itself, taken from the shore below, but today I’m sharing a few that I shot from vantage points where few people are allowed to stand. Once or twice a year, the United States Coast Guard opens this historic site to the public for a few hours. The photos …
Worldwide Photowalk
Today members of the MDI Photo Club and other New England photographers gathered for the seventh Annual Worldwide Photowalk™. Taking place in cities around the world, photographers of all walks of life and skill levels got together to socialize, share and inspire during this one-day, worldwide event. Howie Motenko of Acadia Photo Safari was the leader for the MDI walk. He took our group …
Waters Edge, W. P. Stewart Estate
Waters Edge is a private estate on Sargeant Drive in Northeast Harbor, Maine. It has lovely gardens and expansive views across Somes Sound to the mountains of Acadia National Park. Each year the W. P. Stewart family opens this fabulous property for a spring garden tour to support a local nonprofit organization. This year the host and beneficiary of the event was the Harbor House Community …
Acadia Photo Safari
Today I went on a Sunset Cruise Safari with photographer Howie Motenko on a 28-foot ‘lobster yacht’ piloted by his sweet wife Brenda. Howie gave me some great tips for shooting on the water and Brenda placed the boat in optimal locations for getting the best shots. At just $75 per person for a three-hour trip, this is a great deal that I highly recommend for photographers at all levels. …
Amazing Grace 1977
In 1977 I spent two months driving from California to Maine in a Volkswagen van named Amazing Grace. “Gracie” and I left San Diego on March 1st, meandered across the country, and arrived on Mount Desert Island on April 30th. By April 31st I knew I had found my new home. I lived there for the next five months and returned nearly every year until 2013 when I moved here …
Beech Mountain Loop Trail
Beech Mountain is located on the west side of Mount Desert Island in Acadia National Park. With a summit of only 839 feet, it’s not one of the higher peaks, but it has a commanding view, so much so that a fire tower was erected there in the 1960’s. Janice and Emma and I chose this hike today because it was short and we only had a few hours until dark. We drove to the end of Beech Hill Road …
Bald Peak and Parkman Mountain
Acadia National Park is a hiker’s paradise. With more than 20 peaks to climb and some 125 miles of hiking trails ranging in difficulty from easy to difficult, there is something for everybody. In winter even the easiest trail can be dangerous when covered with ice. Today’s hike with Janice and Emma was less than three miles long, but it was probably the most challenging one we’ve been on …