Travel – Page 28 – Random Connections

Belfast Photo Walk

June 28, 2009 Tom No Comments

Wednesday, June 24

This morning I got up very early to do a photo walk around the little town of Belfast. It was still misty outside, but that seems to be typical for this area. I figured I could still get some good shots of the historic buildings and waterfront area. I had a general goal, but wasn’t sure if i would have the time or energy to get to everything.

My first stop was the village green. This large open area has great views of the entire Belfast Bay. There are a few walking paths and benches, and looks like a great place to just hang out and watch ships pass.

From the green I walked on down to the waterfront. It’s typical of most of the small Maine waterfront towns. There are a fair number of recreational boats, but many more lobster boats. Lobster floats can be seen throughout the bay. I had wondered aloud to Laura, “At what point do lobster floats cease to be scenic?” There were also a couple of restaurants and pubs along the waterfront that we may have to explore further.

Maine Update

June 26, 2009 Tom 1 Comment

Travel

I’m three days behind on blogging. We’ve been off exploring, and have been getting back so late that we just collapse. Add to that a thunderstorm that knocked our Internet offline for awhile, and I’ve really fallen behind. I’ll try to catch up tomorrow, but in the meantime here’s a preview… Wednesday morning – did … Read More “Maine Update” »

Lobstaaaahhh!

June 23, 2009 Tom No Comments

Restaurants, Travel

At breakfast we had asked our hostess where she recommended for good lobster. She said that the Angler’s Restaurant above Searsport was the place all the locals went, so we decided to give it a try for dinner. The place was packed, and most of the denizens did appear to be local. We had an … Read More “Lobstaaaahhh!” »

Breakwater and Mooses

June 23, 2009 Tom No Comments

Travel

Our Victorian abode is getting more crowded. Another couple came in last night, so there were four of us for breakfast. Mark and Chris joined us for another three-course meal – more scones, and incredible fruit concoction, and blueberry pancakes with Maine maple syrup. Mark is another amateur photographer, so we swapped stories and chatted about things in general.

According to the Weather Channel hour-by-hour forecast, our best bet for no rain was for early in the morning, with the rain starting back up in the afternoon. That being the case, we decided to head south to the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse. Since things were dicey as far as the weather, we drove straight there, without stopping at any of the interesting places along the way.

I had been to the Rockland Breakwater on my previous trip to Maine. The breakwater extends nearly a mile out into the bay, where it terminates at a lighthouse. On my previous trip I only took photos along the path, but didn’t hike out to the end. This time I was determined to do so.

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The Rain in Maine Falls Plainly on the Insane

June 23, 2009 Tom 4 Comments

Travel

Having gorged ourselves on a gourmet breakfast, we packed up cameras and maps and set off in search of coastline and lighthouses. There was just one small hitch – the wind was howling and it was dumping rain. We may have lost our minds to be going out in weather like this, but hanging around the B&B surrounded by creepy Gothic decor would have been just as bad.

We started our trek with a turn through the town of Belfast. We had only explored on foot last night. It looks as if there is lots to see and do, including a footbridge across the Penobscot, and a higher walkway along the US 1 bridge. We may have to spend more time exploring this area.

The rain kept kept a steady pace as we headed north on US 1 through Searsport. I wanted to stop and photograph all the interesting old farm houses and churches. If we had done that we would have never made it out of town. There’s just much more interesting architecture here.

More on the Jeweled Turret

June 22, 2009 Tom No Comments

Travel

I had briefly described the Jeweled Turret Inn yesterday. We had a bit more time to poke around this morning, and to sample their fantastic breakfast. The house was built in 1898 by James S. Harriman. The current owners purchased the house in 1986 and restored it, opening it as a B&B. The inn consists … Read More “More on the Jeweled Turret” »

From Greenville to Belfast

June 21, 2009 Tom 1 Comment

Travel

Even if today hadn’t been the summer solstice, it was still going to be a long one. We got up, packed our last-minute gear, said goodbye to the cats, heat, and humidity of Greenville, and headed for the cooler climes of Belfast, Maine.

The first leg of our flight was from Greenville to Philadelphia, and apart from being a bit bumpy, was uneventful and relatively quick. The second leg was a bit more exciting. While landing, our flight attendant stated that this was the third time she had landed with one blown out tire, and the smoothness of the landing (or lack thereof) reflected that.

Then there was the matter of our luggage. TSA had apparently seen fit to disassemble my brand-new tripod, which was in my checked baggage, but hadn’t bother to put it back together. For awhile I was worried that they had broken it. Eventually, though, we made it to Portland, got our rental car, and headed up the coast of Maine.

The weather was much cooler, and rainy. Since conditions weren’t great for coastal sightseeing, we decided to drop by Freeport and the home of L. L. Bean. The place was a zoo, with people from all over dropping to pay homage to the quintessential purveyors of monogrammed yuppiedom. We were not immune. We purchased two very nice windbreaker/rain slickers, and I got a great straw hat. We were now set for Maine weather.

Oconee Photo Safari

May 31, 2009 Tom 1 Comment

History and Genealogy, Local, Photography, Travel

When I knew that Laura was going to be out of town this weekend, I contacted a couple of my Chorale/Furman friends to see if they would be interested in a photo safari. Ken Cothran took me up on the challenge, so early Saturday morning I picked him up at his place in Clemson and we headed out.

Our first stop was the town of Pendleton. Once the major city in the Upstate, the whole area is now on the Register of Historic Places. We walked around the little town square and took a few shots.

Peak Experience

May 30, 2009 Tom 1 Comment

Geocaching and Maps, History and Genealogy, Local, Photography, Travel

Conditions were ideal for a photo trek. I had a day of vacation I needed to use before the madness of summer system installations started up. Laura had left town for a conference, so I was on my own. And I had gotten new information about an interesting place to visit. My main target for the day would be the old railroad trestle that crosses the Broad River near Peak, SC.

Jay Hope had e-mailed me earlier in the week with a link to a story in The State newspaper about completion of the aforementioned bridge and opening of a new section of the Palmetto Trail. Jay’s family has been working to restore the nearby Hope School, which is one of the historic Rosenwald schools. The trail passes through Jay’s family land and close to the school, and he knew that I had an in the area, so he tries to keep me informed. I followed up on his suggestion, and after getting Laura off to the airport, headed south.

Peachtree Rock Nature Preserve – Unfiltered

April 12, 2009 Tom 3 Comments

Geocaching and Maps, Local, Photography, Travel

This Saturday our Lowcountry Unfiltered group gathered for its monthly outing. We rendezvoused just southwest of Columbia to explore the Peachtree Rock Nature Preserve, managed by the Nature Conservancy and the South Carolina Department of Natural Services. Dr. John Nelson, botanist at USC, director of the state’s Herbarium, and member of our group would serve as our guide for the day.

In addition to John and myself, five others joined us. We gathered at the entrance to the preserve at about 9:00, and got some preliminary information from John. The area is one of the first set aside by the Nature Conservancy, and contains several unique habitat areas, including a long-leaf pine ecosystem. The geology is also unusual. A hard layer of rock called ironstone covers softer layers of sandstone. The sandstone has been eroding out from under the resistant upper layer, creating unique geological formations such as the namesake Peachtree Rock.