Ocean Drive, revisited

Winters here along the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay are considerably milder than those on Mount Desert Island, Maine. Snow is almost non-existent, and when it DOES snow it is a dusting, and disappears as soon as the sun comes out. My friends in Maine are experiencing a more “typical” Maine winter this year; with plenty of cold temperatures and snow. And while I don’t envy having to deal with all that cold and snow; I DO miss the amazing beauty of Acadia National Park in the winter.

I was able to capture the photographs below on a morning last winter after a recent snowfall. When I look at these pictures, I can still remember the crispness of the air, the smell of salt and pine, the amazing blue of the sky and seas, the whiteness of the snow, and dark green of the pine trees. It was one of the beautiful sights I have ever seen. Here are a few of my favorites from that magical morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eye of the Storm

Today brought the first  true “noreaster” since I’ve been living in Maine.  I was excited about this because:   A:  it was too warm to be snow, and B: I was hoping to experience the high surf that typically comes with these storms.

I checked my tide table because I wanted to along Ocean Drive near high tide.   This also seemed to correspond with the time that the storm would be peaking.   So donning my rain gear, and wrapping my camera in a plastic bag, off I went in search of surf.

 

 

The seas were indeed rough, and before I left I checked the buoy data for the area and they were reporting wave heights in the Gulf of Maine to be 11 – 12 feet (normal is 3-4) feet.  Many of the waves were breaking off shore, so this diminished somewhat the impact of the breakers against the rocks.

 

The photo above is looking toward Otter Cliffs about 11 a.m..  Yes, it was that dark.   There was no hope of using a tripod; between the wind and the rain.   There were times it was challenging just to hold my camera steady in my hand when the wind was gusting…….but this gives you an idea of how the seas were building.

 

 

If you look closely at the photo above, you will see two “idiots”  looking at Thunder Hole.   Interestingly, Thunder Hole was not as active as I thought it might be, but nevertheless, the gates were closed and these people were simply ignoring them.    People have literally been swept out to sea (and never recovered) from these rocks (the last time was almost 3 years ago).    I refuse to take chances like that, and I stay a safe distance above the surf and toward the back of the rocks.     During a storm rogue waves are not uncommon and you don’t stand a chance once they grab you.

 

 

Aside from the idiots, it was an exhilarating feeling to be that close to the elements.   Unfortunately, the rain pants I ordered had not arrived yet, so I was pretty soaked from the waist down.   But hey, that’s what hot showers are for right?

I spent perhaps 45 minutes out on Ocean Drive, in and out of my car.    The last shot, shown below, was taken from Otter Cliffs, looking down about 150 feet.   It gives a good sense of how the seas were roiling today.

 

 

Hoping that tomorrow it will be drier and with any luck, the surf will still be high as the storm pulls north and out to sea; as these stormy opportunities don’t come very often.

 

Adventure next to the high seas

Last week was full moon week.   Along with that came one heck of an early March wind storm.   The wind was blowing strong from the south and the tide was coming in.   The temperature hit 55 degrees, so the wind while daunting to walk in, was not cold.   A great day to next to the ocean hiking and surf watching.

 

I was quite pleased myself when I decided to use the climb from Sand Beach up the face of the Great Head Trail as a sort of “interval training”, and while out of breath (when reaching the top), not nearly so much as when I climbed it last November, just after arriving.  Perhaps this bodes well for my spring “elevation” climbs?”

 

 

The combination of strong winds and warmer temps was creating an almost summer like haze and the smell of salt spray was heavy in the air.

 

The winds arrived in full force later that afternoon and into the night with 50 mph+ wind gusts and heavy rain throwing sticks and small branches against the front door and window making for a restless night for the cats and I.    The power blinked on once or twice but other than that, all we needed was a little patio clean up and an afternoon nap the next day to recover.

Finally, a sure sign of spring:   The town removed the protective coverings from the large fountains in the two town parks!   This has me looking forward to enjoying the next season of Acadia!!

 

Egg Rock Lighthouse through the haze and sea mist.

 

 

Ocean Drive in January

Many people have asked me WHY I chose to move to Maine at the beginning of winter (this was after they asked me why I was moving to Maine at all).   Well, for one thing it just worked out that way with the sale of my home.   For another, I wanted to experience all of the four seasons of Acadia.   The following picture speaks for itself: (click to view full size)

Ocean Drive after a fresh snow

I woke to a steady snow this morning.     I resigned myself to a cloudy day spent reading, and internet browsing.   Much to my surprise and delight, around 10:00 a.m. I saw the first signs of blue sky out my window.   I set my book aside, packed a lunch, cleaned off my car, grabbed my camera, and by 11:00 a.m. I was headed out of town.   The roads were still snow packed, but the sun was bright and the temperature was rising.   I had a sense that “this” was what I had been waiting for (photography wise).

Even the entrance signs look great in the snow!

While the colors of Acadia are always striking on a clear day,  the brilliance of today was memorable.   The white of the snow, bare birch trees and the breakers; the blue of sky and the water, and the green of the pine trees peaking through the snow, combined with the bright sunshine was truly breathtaking.   I wish that blogs has “sensorama”, because the smell of the day was equally unparalleled.     If I could bottle that combination of pine, fresh snow, and salt spray I would be a millionaire.   I certainly felt rich as I walked along the shore line and took in the magnificent scenery.

Looking North toward the "Beehive"

Even “Thunder Hole” was alive today.    “Thunder Hole” is a location along Ocean Drive that with the right combination of tide and surf,  a very loud booming “thunder” like noise occurs and the splash consumes a large chunk of real estate.   Frankly, this rarely happens.   It wasn’t exactly “thundering” today, but it was at least having  a good “rumble”.

"Thunder Hole" with a bit of rumble

I am getting spoiled, I realize, having this place to myself  (yesterday, I spent an hour at Sand Beach and did not see one other person).     I had to chuckle when I caught myself thinking it was getting “busy” today, when I counted all of eight other vehicles during my two hours in the park.    Come “high season” in July and August, there will be more than a million people enjoying Acadia.

But today, it was (almost) all mine.   A fellow photographer and park enthusiast that I met along the road today made the comment:  “I have been here sixteen years, and the first real snowfall is always magical”.  Magical indeed.  I could not agree more.

A peaceful park loop road