Bar Harbor [Acadia National Park]

My morning started early, when my alarm went off at 3:15 AM. Although I did not score a Cadillac Mountain sunrise vehicle pass, I scouted another location, Otter Point. Sunrise itself is at 5:15, give or take, depending on your altitude and exact location. And in the Summer, Cadillac Mountain is actually not the first place to see the sun. According to Wiki:

Between January 11 and March 6 as well as between October 7 and November 29, the sun first hits the top of Cadillac Mountain on the island of Mt. Desert, Maine. It would be West Quoddy Head, but for the fact that for up to five minutes, the hills of Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick, block the sun on the mornings of those dates, thus making Cadillac Mountain the winner. The only times that West Quoddy Head wins, we found, are those mornings from March 7 to March 24 and then from September 19 to October 6.

And as I found yesterday. The fog at Quoddy Head likely obscures any sun any time, so it may be a non-issue if one actually wants to see sunrise.

Regardless, I arrived at Otter point about 4:15, in time to set-up and catch pre-dawn light. I saw that there was a bank of low clouds that only grew heavier over the hour. I wondered if I would see the sun at all. When, at 5:15 I saw no sign of the sun I was ready to give up and pack up. Until a large orange ball started peaking above the horizon. Of course it really would be a minute or so later as I was at a much lower elevation. I had to scramble to change my settings to accommodate an unanticipated situation. (Although in truth, I should have anticipated such a situation. Lesson learned). But I did get a few shots.

Nothing else particularly appealed at that point, and both because of the crowds and the harsh light, I did not want to be in the park during most of the day. So I headed back to take a nap and organize for an early start tomorrow morning. I also knew that I had scheduled a meeting with some colleagues later in the afternoon. While it is true that I am not working this year in the sense that I am not taking casework or charging for services, I am keeping in touch with colleagues and following news of the field when I get a chance. These colleagues are as much friends as professional contacts at this point, and in fact I have visited or plan to visit several of them during my trip. So it is no hardship to meet with some familiar faces.

This marks the Easternmost point of my journey. So, tomorrow, for the first time in 7 months, I head West. That feels like a significant turning point in the trip. The distances will begin to be longer and the days shorter and cooler. Heading downhill.

Tomorrow I will cross back through New Hampshire as there is no other way to get to Vermont. And because I am staying near the far West border of Vermont, the trip was long enough that I wanted to break it up. So I will be back in New Hampshire, near Mount Washington, for two nights.