Maine summer

Lower Beech Mountain trail, Acadia NP

Last month, a national morning television variety show published the results of a survey, "Favorite place in America". Topping the viewers' list was Acadia National Park on Mt. Desert Island (and two other nearby locations) in Maine. Acadia (please, there is no "r" in Acadia), tucked just off the Atlantic coast in the northeastern-most corner of the United States, is a destination for lovers of nature, spectacular vistas, rugged coastline and magnificent lush forests with hundreds of miles of hiking and bicycle trails over the granite terrain.

Moonrise over Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park

Although Acadia is Maine's top tourist draw, it exemplifies the rest of the state in microcosm. Wherever I go in Maine, which is usually confined to the coastline of the two easternmost counties ("Down East" as it is known), I find serenity and beauty that matches that of Acadia, but without the often crowded parking lots of Bar Harbor and MDI. It is a respite from the heat of Bangkok (few air conditioners here: nature provides cooling even in summer), and would have received my vote for "favorite place in America".

Following are photos of Down East Maine in the summertime. Maybe you can't get to Maine for a visit, but you can at least enjoy the view from my camera. 

View other photos at my gallery: visit https://www.flickr.com/photos/105909532@N02/ 

All photos © by the author. All rights reserved. Do not use without permission.

Peter's Creek, Blue Hill

Rhododendrons bloom from  mid-May to mid-June.

Lobster boat with Mt. Desert Island in background.

Typical Maine woods in early morning fog

What would any piece on Maine be without lobster? A restaurant in the town of Ellsworth.

Foggy morning, Blue Hill Harbor

Mossy woods in Washington County.

Sunrise on Narraguagus Bay in Washington County.

Night view of Stonington on Deer Isle.

Each day brings a different light on Mt. Desert Island.

A cruise ship in Frenchman's Bay seen through the fog from
Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park.

Penobscot Narrows Bridge, Verona Island, Waldo County.

Spider web and fog droplets in the air.

This tree frog came to the sliding glass door to prey on insects drawn to the interior lights.

Misty morning on Blue Hill Bay.

Many hummingbirds came to the feeder in the woods. Amazing birds.

Sea smoke on a pond in Blue Hill

The beauty of the north woods: ferns and pine.

Lubec, the eastern most town in the United States.

Indian pipe, or ghost plant, a parasitic plant that gets its nourishment from fungi, that in turn get their nourishment from decaying green plants.

Weathered doors of a shed facing the Atlantic.