Maine

Friday, May 24, 2013

Memorial Day Weekend in Acadia

Jordan Pond and the Bubble Mountains.

5/25/08, Updated: Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends bookend the summer season and many shops, restaurants, and accommodations are opening for the season now. Having arrived in Maine late last night for opening as well, the first order of business this morning was to hike, then hit Jordan's in Bar Harbor for breakfast.

Jordan Stream.

Acadia National Park is always well attended on this holiday weekend, but today's weather (65-70° and gorgeous clear sunshine) really brought out the crowds to Acadia. Parking areas in the park were full and there were so many cars parking on the road shoulder that it looked more like August than May.

We found a spot in the Jordan Pond House overflow lot and had a nice walk by the lake and up the Penobscot Mountain trail. From there it was on to Bar Harbor for breakfast and a walk around town. Here's a tiny sampling of some of the many activities that take place in Acadia and Mt. Desert Island on any typical day. Welcome to the unofficial start of summer, it didn't get here a moment too soon.

Penobscot Mountain Trail.

Hikers stopping for a photo.

South Bubble, Jordan Pond, & Pemetic Mountain.

Blooms on the Jordan Pond shore trail.

Bar Harbor.

Jordan Pond House ice cream in Bar Harbor.

The start of the shore trail.

Bike riders on the boat ramp.

The Maasdam (Holland America Line) docked in Bar Harbor.

Views from the shore trail.

Sea kayaking in Bar Harbor.

Sea kayaks at the ready.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Sebasticook River, Late Afternoon, With Frosting, Near Palmyra (Photoblog)

Sebasticook River: Driving from Bangor to Skowhegan, I jumped off I-95 at Newport and took Route 2. About three miles west of Palmyra, Route 2 crosses the Sebasticook River. It was a clear late November day, and as I crossed the bridge, the sun was low in the sky and the light was too good not to stop for a quick photoshoot. The early snow gave the scene a magical quality. This spot is just east of the intersection of Routes 2 and 152, not far north of Pittsfield. These photos were taken on November 25,2005.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

New Painting by Lucy Packert - Out to Pasture

Lucy Packert - Out to Pasture, Jonesport, ME, 9/24/09

Saturday, July 11, 2009

New Painting by Lucy Packert - Boathouse at Spednic Lake (6/09)

Spednic Lake is one of the Chiputneticook Lakes, a chain of lakes that form the border between Maine and Canada, located roughly halfway between Calais and Houlton. Spednic is one of the largest lakes in Maine with over 100 miles of shoreline that for the most part remains wilderness but for the occasional house or camp; much of the surrounding forests are paper company owned. Spednic feeds the St. Croix River from a dam at Vanceboro, the St. Croix continues the international border until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean south of Calais.

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

A Must Read Acadian Journal - The Foley Island Blogs

(Photo by Don Foley, 2009)

Our first renter of the 2009 season, the Foley family has beautifully documented their Acadian vacation on a website that is loaded with great photography, and lots of great descriptions of their week on Mount Desert Island. The degree to which they achieved full immersion in Acadia National Park and the general area is inspirational. And the degree to which they've employed the iPhone to enhance their vacation experience is very cool too. After reading about their Maine vacation, check out the rest of their website for lots more great photos and descriptions of their special corner of the world near Cape Canaveral, FL. Don Foley is a well published illustrator and has done a fabulous job creating a website to share his family's joie de vivre; it's a must-read.

Foley Acadia Vacation, 2009.
The Foley Island Blogs.