Lubec Maine
A vacation to the eastern most town in the US
We decided to drive to Lubec Maine for our family’s summer vacation in 2013. My wife, mother & father, and their dog left southern New Jersey early one morning to begin the long drive. We stopped in the Boston area in a town called Braintree (interesting name) to rest up and we would be picking up my sister at the Boston Airport. She was flying in from Florida where she lives. Once we had the crew together we finished up the incredibly scenic drive to the eastern most town in the continental US.
We arrived on a beautifully sunny afternoon at the cabin we had rented. It was nestled way back in the woods accessed by a long narrow dirt road that you could tell would be a little creepy to drive along at night. The cabin was situated overlooking Eaton Cove, a gorgeous view for sure. After getting all of our luggage and gear in the cabin and getting settled in, it was time for a photo of the soft sunset in the cove.
My mother had heard the town would be setting off Fourth of July fireworks at the main harbor in downtown Lubec, I couldn’t pass this up so a few of us headed over to watch. It was one of the most beautiful fireworks displays I’ve ever watched, thanks to the reflections in the harbor and all the classic fishing boats dotting the water. An incredible welcome and start to the trip.
The following morning we all decided to hop in the car and explore the area. We started at Quoddy Head State Park to check out West Quoddy Head Light which is located on the eastern most point in the US. It was one of the few sunny days we had during the entire trip which is to be expected in Maine. The deep blue skies and water were a beautiful background for the red & white striped lighthouse. As you can see below my wife and sister really enjoyed it!
After a short drive onto Campobello Island in Candada, we headed back to the cabin to relax the day away in the warm summer sun. Even at the cabin there was always something for me to photograph. There were a constant stream of birds to view right from the deck such as an Alder Flycatcher (pictured below) that kept us company as well as wonderful little wild flowers growing in the small open areas surrounding the cabin. If you looked closely you could even find some critters making the flower their home.
On the third day of the trip my wife and sister and I decided to do a little more exploring around the area. We ended up at a rather secluded beach called Hamilton Cove. After parking near the main road we walked down a small trail through the tall vegetation, you couldn’t see very far ahead. All of a sudden it opened up to an incredible view of the rocky coastline. Thankfully it was low tide so we were able to wander around a bit. It was so cool having the entire cove to ourselve
Our next outing was a visit to Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge which was a bit more north of where we were staying. Other than the biting insect it was another beautiful day exploring the scenery and nature in Maine.
The whale watching boat trip was a really fun outing where we all got to see our first Minke Whales as well as Gray Seals (pictured above) and a few Harbor Seals. Photographing the whales was a bit like whack-a-mole on the water, they would only show up for a few seconds and then dive again only to pop up hundreds of yards away. A fun challenge indeed.
The following morning Kim and I along with my sister and her boyfriend Jerry went back to Hamilton Cove. It was an eerily calm and foggy morning. It was so very quiet standing in the cove, the only sound being the small waves rolling in against the worn rocks. On our way back from the cove we were lucky enough to see a trio of juvenile Bald Eagles. They looked like statues perched on the dead trees in the fog.
Just after sunset on one evening I decided I wanted to get a photo of the cabin at dusk, I figured it would look great glowing amongst all the trees. The tides in the area are known for being incredibly extreme, ranging some 40-50 feet of vertical change. The small cove we stayed at would appear completely filled at high tide and have no water at all during low tide. Thankfully the tides cooperated with me and it was low tide when I wanted to go out at dusk to take this photo. Not so nice was the abundance of mosquitoes constantly biting at me while I was waiting for the sky to be just the right shade of deep blue. I held out long enough to get a photo of the cabin I wanted and managed another photo of the empty cove which had a great blue tone to it.
The last planned photo trip of the vacation was to see the sunrise at West Quoddy Head Light. My sister and I were the ones to get up early enough to watch the sunrise at the lighthouse. We were not disappointed and were treated to an amazing Maine sunrise. It was our last full day in the Lubec area and it was a beautiful one.
