Camden Harbor, Maine - Fall 2009 Photo Tour

All Photos Copyright 2009 Dale R. Preston

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The Breakwater Lighthouse, Rockland, Maine

Construction of the 4,346 foot Breakwater across Rockland Harbor towards the Owl's Head pennisula began in April 1881 and was completed in November of 1899. It was built to protect Rockland Harbor and boats from the forces of the Atlantic Ocean. 732,277 tons of granite blocks were dropped into the water in the form of a trapezoid 175 feet at the base and 43 feet wide of the top to a depth of approximately 60 feet. The granite cost $750,000.



The Lighthouse, consisting of a brick lighthouse with a fog horn and a wood frame four-room keeper's house, was erected and lit in 1902 at a cost of $30,000. It orginally had an oil burning light, but was converted to electricity in 1940 by the installation of a generator which was upgraded to an electric cable to shore in 1960.



The first of the following pictures shows the Breakwater beginning at the shore on Jameson's Point. Come along for the walk to the Lighthouse.

From the very first granite blocks of the Breakwater (above) at the shore of Jameson's Point you can barely see the white Lighthouse at the other end over three-quarters of a mile away. The gaps between the granite blocks make it a treacherous hike.

The Samoset Resort and golf course can be seen in the distance.

You can see yellow, red and white lobster buoys.

Finally, we're getting to the Lighthouse just as the island ferry heads in toward Rockland.

You can clearly see the wood-frame keeper's house and the brick lighthouse. The old boat house is the white structure to the left.

Standing on the last granite blocks before being in the water at the end of the Breakwater looking up at the Lighthouse, you can see the little white fog horn with the big noise inside the railing at the top.

The view of the Breakwater from inside one of the keeper's bedrooms.

Let's go up the spiral staircase in the light tower.

The trap door entrance to the light room.

My foot. You can see it's a tight squeeze.

Slate shingles on the roof and the Breakwater running to shore.

The light through the glass from the outside walkway.

Where not to stand when the fog rolls in. This is the fog horn.

The following pictures show some of the ships and boats that sail past the Lighthouse, everyday.

A schooner at full sail.

A small pleasure sailboat.

A construction ferry carrying dumptrucks returning from one of the offshore islands.

A small pleasure cruiser.

If you ever make it to Rockland, Maine as you travel along the Atlantic Highway, be sure to take the walk out the Breakwater to the Lighthouse. You just might see some dolphins and seals, too.

Aldermere Farm, Rockport, Maine

Aldemere Farm is a 136-acre farm located on Russell Avenue on the town line between Rockport and Camden, Maine. It is a landmark of midcoast Maine, and is one of the world's premier breeders of Belted Galloway cattle.

Located about a mile from downtown Camden, between Lily Pond and Penobscot Bay, Aldemere Farm is an attraction for young and old, Mainers and tourists, and a treasure trove for photographers.

Enjoy the rest of my recent photos of these fascinating cows in their idylic setting.

http://www.aldermere.org/about/index.html

Mount Battie, Camden, Maine

Mt. Battie

To present a view of the coast of Maine I've selected Mt. Battie in the heart of our midcoast in the village of Camden. As you can see from the picture above, Mt. Battie towers over Camden Harbor which, just before the summer season, is getting its fleet of large schooners ready to go windjamming with adventurous vacationers.







At the very peak of Mt. Battie is a castle like tower that can be seen in the distance over the top of a Camden Harbor schooner sail in the picture to the right. The tower is a great place for a panoramic view of the coast line. In fact, it was to the top of Mt. Battie that Edna St. Vincent Millay, the great American lyrical poet and playwright, would climb to take in the view as she wrote her poems such as "Renascence." It was in Camden that she was discovered in the Whitehall Inn reciting her poems and playing the piano.



Fortunately, a road has now been constructed to get to the top of Mt. Battie.




























And this is the face of the tower seen from Camden Harbor.

Inside is a stairway leading to the platform floor on top.

From the tower top we look back down the mountain at right at the schooners in Camden Harbor where we started our journey.

A sequence of pictures start at right, facing north, along the coast and then continue down the coast and around to the mountains on the west side. The land that you see are islands of which there are thousands along the coast. Many of these islands have residents, and some stay out there all year long. Their living is made fishing for ground fish and lobsters.


















There are numerous celebrities, like John Travolta and U. S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, that have summer homes on these islands and it is not uncommon to have them in our restaurants and stores and on our streets. They like it here in Maine because they get treated just like ordinary folk - they stand in line just like the rest of us.


















The body of water that you see in these pictures is the Atlantic Ocean and in this area is called Penobscot Bay. Beyond these islands is open water to Europe.

Notice the young couple walking up the path toward the tower. They are on vacation from Iowa and when they joined me at the top I gave them a verbal tour, with a lot of finger pointing, of the surrounding villages, lakes, islands, and mountains. A bald eagle honored us with a spectacular fly-by riding the air currents toward the ocean.

In the picture at right, you can see the harbors of Rockport and Rockland in the distance to the southeast.

To the west are mountains with many lakes hidden in the valleys. In fact, one of those mountains is the home of the Camden Snow Bowl which is the only ski slope in America where you can see the ocean as you ski down.

Note the paved access road up the mountain and ALEX hiding in the trees.

Be sure to come back because I've started collecting pictures to post a tour of Camden, and another posting of some very interesting B & B's along the coast.