It has been a two year stretch since I last traveled to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, one of my favorite national parks in this country. Acadia was originally the summer home of John D. Rockefeller, who later gifted the park to the US Park Service, a donation of incredible generosity. While we have many billionaires in the country today, Rockefeller was a billionaire when $10,000 was a hefty annual salary. The scope of his wealth probably eclipses anything that can be conceived of today. But the park now belongs to all of us and I could not be more grateful to Rockefeller for providing me with one of my favorite places anywhere. I have, however, watched prices for room and food escalate dramatically over the years (I first visited Acadia when my son was one year old-he is now 51!), but it is still a paradise to be enjoyed. And the photography is always wonderful during October, when the leaves change color and light up the landscape.
This year’s journey to Acadia initially went well. As usual, I stopped in Camden, Maine, the first night to break up the drive from Portland to Bar Harbor. Camden Hills State Park always provides me with soe clues as to how far along the color change has progressed. This year, Camden Hills was quite beautiful, though not as far along as some previous years. I have found however, that the second week in October is usually a good choice. If I am a bit early, by the end of my stay, the leaves are perfect. If I am a little late, the leaves are still close enough to peak for some good photography. But I have usually counted on relatively quiet weather. During many prior years, overcast skies, light wind, and little rain marked the typical forecast, allowing me many hours out making images. This year, however, I was not as lucky.
The first days were filled with cloudless skies and bright sunshine, not ideal for leaf photography. Before my arrival in Bar Harbor, the weather forecasts were indicating cloudy skies and occasional rain, with little wind. After those first two sun-filled days, the winds picked up to the point where setting up my tripod was potentially hazardous to both me and my Nikon Z8. Although I did venture out, it was literally impossible to capture anything of value. The subsequent few days were filled with winds that were less forceful, but now rain entered the picture and complicated photography even more. The remainder of my trip became an endless challenge of avoiding wind and raindrops and jumping our of my car from time to time to make an image. It was a tough go, fitting the pattern that has plagued me much of this year, where the weather was continually suboptimal and photos were definitely harder to come by than usual on all of my trips. I was glad, however, to be back in Bar Harbor and the restaurants were better than ever, always one of the joys in this part of New England. Love those lobster rolls!
Stark Tree, Sieur de Monts Section, Acadia NP