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.