Around 8:30 pm we could begin to see the lights glowing on the lighthouse. I’m not sure when they came on. It was too light to notice them before then.
For the next hour while it got darker and darker I worked to get that special shot.
Finally when it was almost too dark to see the rocks under foot I packed up and headed back to Portland and bed..Here’s the result. It was a fun challenge.
I wasn’t quite sure where I wanted to go or what I wanted to do . I had it in my head to spend a whole day in York, Me., go to York’s Wild Kingdom during the day and then to the lighthouse at night but as I drove around Portland I found I kept getting all twisted around. I finally decided to drive back to York and get the lighthouse pictures now so I would have more flexibility the rest of my visit.
On the way back I stopped at a roadside fish market. They had the section where the sold the fish and around to the side was a window where you could order cooked seafood.
There were picnic tables where you could sit and eat. I decided this was the place to try out for dinner, Tom’s Fried Clams.
I bet you can’t guess what I what I ordered? Yup, scallops. It isn’t getting old yet. These were good but a bit different. The portion was huge. I couldn’t finish it. Believe me I tried because scallops are too special to waste. They came with french fries but they could have kept those in the kitchen. I was too full to enjoy them. I didn’t even get an ice cream!
Tummy filled it was time to work my way over to the lighthouse.
Christmas in July is always the kickoff for the annual York Days Celebration. The “Nubble” Lighthouse is outlined in white lights. The event is held in Sohier Park. It didn’t occur to me to that this might mean more than just Christmas lights.
I headed over early in hopes of finding parking and was surprised to find myself in a traffic jam as I approached the park.
Eventually I arrived and lucked out when a parked car backed out right in front of me opening up a parking spot. Once out of the car it became clear why it was so packed. There was a concert in the park. What I could hear was excellent but unless you were right near the performers the music was drowned out by the pounding surf.
I started wandering around the rocks trying to scope out spots to set up.
I was hoping to get a slightly different angle but it soon became clear why all of the photos I’ve seen of the light are the same. There are utility lines that block a clear view of the light. Because of that everyone gravitates to the same area for pictures.
I saw scuba divers heading into the water. Boy does that take me back. I dove these same waters 30 years ago. Watching them made me miss it. Maybe someday I’ll re-certify.
With several hours to wait for dark I amused myself taking pictures of the surf and the gulls. I wasn’t the only one.
Portland Head Light
Because of the time and because we were thirsty and hungry at this point, we skipped some of the scenic turn offs after the Bubble Rock adventure and just headed for the summit. I can’t say we made a Bee line because the road was still quite twisty as it wound around the mountain.
The views were amazing. It’s easy to see why this is a National park.
Finally turning the last corner we saw the parking area for the summit of Cadillac Mountain. It really is a “bald” summit. There’s no tree cover to speak of, just a cap of rocks.
The snack bar had some ice cream and snack foods like nuts and power bars and some local treats like blueberry candy but no real food. Not even hot dogs. It did have restrooms however and that was almost as much of a priority at this point as food.
I bought a fruit drink and a water and met JR at the car. We took out the cooler and found a rock to sit on while we had out “makeshift” lunch. My left over french toast was coming in handy. It wasn’t bad cold.
Properly refreshed we wandered over the rocks taking in the magnificent views of Frenchman’s Bay.
With virtually no shade, staying on the summit for the rest of the day in the hot sun wasn’t an option. We decided to move on and return for a sunset visit.
When we planned the trip I said I wanted to see the lighthouses. JR said they were all in the park. Now he spread a map out and only one lighthouse showed up. So with JR navigating and me driving we set off back down the mountain the see if we could find this one lighthouse.
Pretty soon we had crossed out of the park and were passing through little towns and rural fields. Eventually we reached Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse.
We were able to walk right down to it but didn’t see any paths or trails around it. Since I have been back I have learned that there is a trail to the rocks below. The pictures I had seen of this light were all taken from out to sea. If I ever get back to that area again I will have to look into that.
Having found the lighthouse we could put a “mission accomplished ” stamp on that part of the trip.
Time to head back to the motel and grab a quick shower before we headed out for dinner.
I am so excited I just have to share this news! In my part of the world one of the biggest newspapers is the Boston Globe. I like the “Globe” and browsing the Sunday Travel Section recently I saw a new feature called “The Sight”. Apparently this alternates with “The Rave”. “The Sight” is a reader submitted photo of something seen or experienced on a trip. “The Rave” is a 150 word story about an experience on a trip.
I thought it over and decided to submit a picture to “The Sight”. At first I was disappointed because all of the pictures being published were from exotic places, not the good old USA. I figured my little picture didn’t have much chance if they wanted foreign travel.
Well, just as I had given up an email came in confirming who took the picture and where the photographer lived. That was easy. Me and Taunton Ma.
Bingo. I got a response right back thanking me and telling me my picture will run in the Travel section of this Sunday’s Globe. WOW! My feet have not hit the ground since.
I know not everyone is from here so I’m including the picture right here. You may recognize it as a cropped picture of the lighthouse that currently graces the header of this blog. It’s the North Lighthouse on Block Island.
So I guess I can now add that I had a photo published by the “Globe” to my photo credits. 🙂
And that’s enough bragging for one day!