Exploring Maine’s coastline
It’s easy to discover why Maine’s catchphrase is, “The Way Life Should Be,” when spending a summer vacation in the northeastern-most state. Cooler climates, clearer seas and quieter environs beckon, offering people any mixture of adventure or relaxation. Nature hikes, charter boats or a round of golf or mini-golf followed by homemade ice cream and window shopping help relieve the stress with a much-needed vacation.
- Burnt Island Lighthouse sits beneath puffy summer clouds in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
- A sea lion basks in the noon sun off Dix Island near Penobscot Bay, Maine. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
- Resting behind the ruins of an old building long since gone, a home uses candlelight as its only source of light on the off-the-grid, privately-owned Dix Island, Maine, which once was the site of the Dix Island Granite Company. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
- Wildflowers display their colors on a bright afternoon on privately-owned Dix Island, Maine. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
- A sunset filled with all hues paints the sky and water filled with boats at Boothbay Harbor. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
- Banded lobsters are held by Captain Larry Knapp as he conducts a daily catch for tourists on the Friendliest Catch Lobster Tours, aboard an authentic 42′ lobster boat. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
- Mist is caught by plants on a cool Wednesday afternoon in Ocean Point, Maine. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
- Kayakers row beneath a sunset filled with all hues above Boothbay Harbor. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
- A woodpecker pauses during a hunt for food on a nature trail preserved by the Boothbay Region Land. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
- A motor boat heads to Linekin Bay near Ocean Point, Maine as the sun sets. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
- The schooner Lazy Jack, built in 1947, sails in Boothbay Harbor, Maine as young sailors learn in various sailing vessels surrounding the windjammer. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
- Downtown Boothbay Harbor, Maine on a drizzly afternoon. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
- A sunset filled with all hues stopped people in their tracks above Boothbay Harbor, Maine, in a panoramic image taken with a smartphone. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
On several occasions, stellar sunsets brought people out to try taking their best photos with cameras or smart phones to share the moment with others. It’s has become a new tradition for the family, which returns to a time when my parents packed up the car and took my brother and I up old U.S. Route 1 to enjoy our childhood summers.