Sonuvabish Home Page | Photography Main Page
Photographs | That Ramblin' Sonuvabish

October, 2002
Autumn Down East

The spectacular coast of Maine has been a tourist destination as long as there have been tourists. In the 1800s, the wealthy, the bored, and the curious boarded sailing ships and rode the prevailing winds and currents to Bar Harbor and other port towns.The journey east was so much easier than the trip home that the expression "down east" came into fashion. Olie, my old Volvo, cares little for wind patterns or tricky currents, so our trip down east was a breeze and our stay a delight.

Ash and maple trees, inconspicuous in the common green of summer, come into their own in the fiery colors of autumn. Here they liven up the greens of black spruce and pine along the shores of Eagle Lake in Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor.

The Rockefellers took a great interest in the Bar Harbor area, building an extensive system of beautiful carriage trails through the woods, as well as this wonderful Tudor-style gatehouse and garage near Jordan Pond.

"Bah Hahbah" is still a popular resort destination, even for luxurious cruise ships. This shot of the sleepy village and the ample harbor was taken from nearby Cadillac Mountain.

The wealthy built spectacular summer homes in the area. Some of these are now popular bed-and-breakfasts, while others, like this beautiful bit of New England architecture, are year-round homes.

There are many different ways to enjoy Acadia National Park. A number of roads thread between the island's many small towns; you can still rent carriages to travel the carriage roads; bicycles are increasingly common; many miles of foot-trails are available to hikers. Here a couple enjoys the rich fall colors while paddling canoes on Jordan Pond.

The French explorer Cadillac, for whom both the car and the mountain behind this lighthouse were named, called this Mt. Desert Island, because the bitter winters keep the trees from growing at the summit. This is the first land in the United States to see the sunrise.

Jack Frost works overtime in the Maine woods, bringing the deepest crimsons to this dew-covered maple leaf.

Maine lobsters? They come from places like this, the peaceful fishing village of Stonington

Not all of the facilities are kept ship-shape, like this old work barn in Southwest Harbor. Still, the colorful floats and stacked lobster pots show that the building's still in use.

This beautiful red barn, on the other hand, is kept in perfect condition. Dairy farming is common all along the Maine coast.

I came across this mist-shrouded country church and graveyard in East Lamoine right at sunrise.

Like a wood sprite popping up unexpectedly, this small fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) shoulders its way up through the red and brown fallen leaves.

Robert Frost wrote of "the road not taken." Olie, my hard-working Volvo station wagon, gets impatient any time we pass one of those without stopping to check it out.

Sonuvabish Home Page | Photography Main Page
Photographs | That Ramblin' Sonuvabish