Last Day and the Ride Home

The morning of the last day.  The plan was to go back down to West Quoddy light and photograph it again.  However, the weather did not cooperate in that we had heavy rain and a severe thunderstorm.  Instead part of the group went to breakfast, and others, decided to travel home early.  After breakfast, a number of the people who'd stayed decided to go with John back down to West Quoddy to photograph.

At that point I decided to pack up and hit the trail for home.  I am already looking forward to next year's trip.  I am thinking that we may need to rename the trip Downeast Maine along the Bold Coast and Campobello Island.

I needed a photo of the Bold Coast sign so I stopped along the side of the road to photograph one and to my surprise on my right was a small waterfall.  Had to take a picture of it.

The Small Waterfall

I then travel down to the Schoodic Peninsula portion of the Acadia National Park and did some photography of the Peninsula.  Schoodic Point is very interesting in terms of geology.  It is made up of Schoodic Point Granite with Diabase Dikes running through it, plus Glacial Erratics on the top of the granite.  Diabase dikes are made of softer material that erodes faster allowing water and soil to collect in these areas.  At the tip of the point small waves were crashing against the rocks.  While I was there fog came in again, and they sailboat went by in the fog blowing its fog horn.  Along the side of the road were a lot of plants, including low bush blueberries.  There are many areas in which to stop and photograph the scenery.  In fact, my plan next year is to stop on the way up and spend more time photographing along this lovely portion of the coast.

Winter Harbor Light

Schoodic Peninsula

Schoodic Point

The Geology of Schoodic Point

Waves Crashing on the Rocks

Sailboat in the Fog

A Photographer Photographing the Scenes

Red Berries

Lowbush Blueberries

My ride home was great until Boston, what should of been of 40 minute drive turned into over two hours due to traffic congestion and accidents along the road.  I did make it home safely without any other further problems.

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Preliminary to the Start of the down East Photography Workshop

View along Route Nine, in Amherst

On Tuesday, July 23 I left early in the morning to travel to Lubec, Maine to meet by coleader John Slonina a day earlier than the start of the Down East Maine Workshop.  Normally my route takes me through Ellsworth, Maine and up route 12 Downeast Maine.  However, this time the GPS rooted me around Ellsworth and down Route 9 and then down to Machias.  Along Route nine, in Amherst, Maine.  There was a nice scene of a meadow with a river running through it and the mountains with clouds in the background.  When I reached Machias, I had to stop at Helen's Restaurant, which when we were up last year had burned down just before we arrived, for a bit of food.  Helen's is known for its pies.

After arriving in Lubec at the motel, I settled in and when John arrived and after he settled in, we went to scout the local sites again to decide the itinerary for the upcoming workshop.  Our first stop was West Quoddy Light Station, and then we traveled across the Roosevelt international Bridge onto Campobello Island, New Brunswick.  Our first stop was Eagle Hill Bog.  Eagle Hill Bog is one of the many bogs in the Roosevelt Campobello International Park.  Approximately one third of the 2800 acre natural area in the park is composed of raised heath-covered bogs.  The reason we stopped there.  It is a great place for macro photography with a variety of different specialized plants including pitcher plants, sheep laurel, swamp pink orchids, cloud-berry and many other interesting plants.

Our Motel

West Quoddy Light Station

Sail Rock and Grand Mahan Island in the Background

Pitcher Plan Flower with a Pale Laurel beside It

Swamp pink Orchid

Next stop was Herring Cove Park, where I tried a different technique to photograph the daisies.  I used a wide angle lens held it underneath the daisies press the focus button, and press the shutter.  It took a few times to get the picture that I wanted.  It gives a different view of flowers.

Daisies from underneath

Then arriving at the very tip of Campobello Island at East Quoddy Light Station, where off in the distance you could see rain clouds and there was a rainbow right near the lighthouse.  After the light Station, we went for supper at Family Fisheries Restaurant & Take Out, which I recommend.

East Quoddy Light Station with a Rainbow

To finish off the day we photographed the sunset at Mulholland Light on Campobello and then travelled back across the bridge to West Quoddy Light to photograph it in the civil twilight.

Mulholland Light at Sunset

West Quoddy Light Station in Civil Twilight
So ended the day one.

Sunrise, Sunset

Cape Elizabeth Light

Yesterday, as the song from Fiddler on the Roof, sunrise, sunset swiftly flows the day describes the day perfectly.  I met John Slonina and his group at Elizabeth headlight at 6:30 AM, where we all were hoping to get the sunrise over the lighthouse.  However, the sky to the east was a cloudy marble sky and the sky was clearing from the Northwest down.  The only problem we had was the temperature in the 30s with a brisk wind dropping the wind chill down into the 20s.  We had a watch our cameras so they would not get blown over.

A little technical information, I had sent both my Nikon D7100 and my D800 back to Nikon for cleaning and re-calibration, since my trip to Costa Rica.  As a NPS member I was able to obtain a Nikon D750 to use and try out.  All pictures were taken at a ISO 100, except the ones that I handheld where I boost my ISO up to 400.  All pictures, except those taken at Nubble Light were taken with the Tamron 28-75 mm lens.  At Nubble Light, I utilized the Nikon 70-200 F/2.8 lens.  All the pictures were processed in Lightroom and Photoshop.

John Slonina has a number of day programs in the New England area that are worth taking.  He knows the areas extremely well.  You can find these programs at his website.

After photographing Cape Elizabeth light, we convoy down to the East Bay, Maine Audubon sanctuary in Biddeford, Maine, where we photographed the wave action on Sacco Bay.

Concentric Circle of Stones

Waves Crashing on the Rock at East Bay

Run off of the Wave Action

The next stop was Cape Porpoise, a town in Kennebunkport, Maine, where we photographed around the harbor.  There was many different objects to do close-ups.  After we finished photographing at Cape Porpoise, we went right across the street and had a superb lunch at the Pier 77.

The outside Lounge Area of the Bar at Pier 77

Lobster Trap

What I liked about this lobster trap was the different colors that were intermingled.

Sign at Cape Porpoise

We did a quick stop in Kennebunkport at the President Bush compound, afterwards we traveled down to Wells, where we try to find a snowy owl, but it was absent.

Next major stop was Perkins Cove in Ogunquit, Maine, again, where we did scenic and landscape views.

Harbor at Perkins Cove

Decorated Boat at Perkin Cove

A final stop was Nubble Light in Wells, Maine, so that we could capture the lighthouse at sunset.  The waves were crashing on the rocks giving interesting pictures.  And after the sun had set, the sky lit up with the nicest pink color.

Waves crashing on the rocks At Nubble Light

The Sky after Sunset at Nubble Light

Clouds Lit up after Sunset. Looking toward the Northwest.

Because my back was starting to give me more problems I did not stay as late as I want to, hopefully to get the moonrise of the full moon behind the lighthouse.  I needed to use my post processing skills to obtain the image that I imagined.  I superimposed a full moon behind Nubble Light.

Composite Picture of the Full Moon and Nubble Light

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Machias Seal Island, a Magnificent Trip, Finally.

Atlantic Puffin in Flight

The day we were going out to Machias Seal Island to photograph the puffins and the other bird and animal life around, started out very foggy and we had to leave at 7 AM because of the weather forecast for possible thundershowers in the afternoon.  We arrived at Bold Coast Charter Company in Cutler, Maine, where Capt. Andy got us aboard his boat, the Barbara Frost, and we set sail in the pea soup fog for Machias Seal island.  Capt. Andy pushes boat, so we can get there as soon as we could and while we were traveling, he lectured us on the safety requirements, plus history of and information about what we would see.

Canadian Lighthouse on Machias Seal Island

When we arrived at the island, the weather was bright and sunny, Capt. Andy loaded the first group into the skiff to take us from the Barbara Frost to the landing area on the island.  However, he was not able to land and so he returned to the boat and loaded everybody aboard.  People were very disappointed.  The plan now was to go to a nearby island and photograph the seals, then return to a smooth place on the ocean, anchor and then take small groups of people in the the skiff and close, so they could photograph the puffins and razorbill auks on the water and at the shoreline.

Gray Seal getting ready to launch into the water

Gray and Harbor Seals

Northern Gannet in Glide Mode

The first group went and as they approach near the landing place, the water had calmed down enough that Capt. Andy thought we could land.  He returned to the Barbara Frost, talk to us saying if we land,  we would have to be on the island for at least three hours and would we mind.  The reason everyone was excited is that the "normal" time in the blinds range from 1/2 - 1 hour.  Everybody said let's land.  So Capt. Andy called the people at the lighthouse on the island and then he returned to the island where people were landed in three trips.

Capt. Andy taking the first group to the Island

 Once on the island, the whole group was immediately taken up to a patio area, where the rules were explained.  The main thing is, once we were in a blind, we had to stay there.  If we leave the blind, we had to immediately go back to the patio and we would have to stay there and could not go back into the blinds. The reason for this  is to keep the disturbance of the birds to a minimum.  Because we were going to be on the island for at least three hours, the plan was to change blinds at the hour and a half mark.  We were divided off into groups and off we went to be placed in our blinds.  The reactions of people who had not been ever on the island was wonderful to see once they looked at the beautiful puffins and razorbills.

Atlantic Puffin swimming

Atlantic Puffin just coming out from its burrow

Atlantic Puffin with wing flap

"Listen to me I am talking to you!"

Flock of Razorbill Auks

 At the hour and a half mark, we changed blinds and shot again with our cameras.  These magnificent birds.

Finally, we had to leave and went down to the landing area, where again we were loaded into the boat and carried back out to the Barbara Frost.  While I was waiting to leave, I was able to photograph a number of the puffins flying as they came rocketing by.  You have to see them, to realize how fast they fly.  The puffins flying make the gulls flying look like turtles.

Atlantic Puffin flying with fish in its mouth

Razorbill Auk in flight

Arriving back into the Cutler harbor.  We were able to photograph the Little River Light, which was built in 1840, along with the boats in the harbor.

Little River Light Cutler

 Once on shore, everybody was extremely hungry, so we returned to Machias, and the entire group, went and ate a very late lunch/early supper.  Everybody was so worn out that instead of going for a sunset, they want to go back to the room to rest and download and look at the pictures from that amazing trip.

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