Category Archives: travel

Fall Foliage Cruise — Portland Fall Foliage by Tour Boat


Portland fall foliage by boat

Of all the fall foliage stops we made this voyage, Portland displayed perhaps the most stunning colors. Maybe even more so than what we witnessed in Bar Harbor.

Portland fall foliage by boat

But more on those spectacular colors in a moment. First, a couple more lighthouse shots, including another view of Portland Head Light:

Portland Head Light and light keeper’s house

And another lighthouse I’ve not yet shown to you. Visible in the distance from Portland Head Light, to the east northeast, is a lonely lighthouse that appears to sit all alone out in the Casco Bay. Just east of Cushing Island lies uninhabited Ram Island. Extending south from Ram Island is a quarter-mile series of rocky ledges. To the southeast, hidden beneath shallow water, is Witch Rock, and to the south lies Jordan Reef. All three pose hazards to ships entering and exiting Casco Bay for Portland. Indeed, in February of 1900, the steamship Californian ran aground here, endangering her 21 passengers and crew. Thus was born the need for a lighthouse seemingly in the middle of nowhere. This is the Ram Island Ledge Light (1905), which as you can see from the image below can be quite dramatic even in relatively calm seas:

Ram Island Ledge Light

Now let’s turn our eyes back toward dry land and enjoy those stunning Portland fall colors:

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Fun Photo Friday — Portland, Maine Part 1


Guiding Light

Here is Part 1 of two Portland Fun Photo Fridays:

Old Portland in Mural

Yellows on Blue

Sailing ‘Round the Spring Point Ledge

“Four Zeroes on the grill; One behind the wheel”

Sentinel

Surrounded by Color

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Fall Foliage Cruise — Portland Head Light, Portland, Maine


Adventure of the Seas docked in Portland, Maine

It was the morning of October 14, 2019 when Adventure of the Seas docked in Portland, Maine. And, as usual, Ursula had a full day in store for us, with a van tour, boat tour, and lunch planned. But before we get started, this  being a fall foliage cruise, let’s get out of the way at least one good fall foliage shot:

Portland fall colors

One of the stops awaiting us on this morning van tour was the famous Portland Head Light, which was completed in 1791.

Portland Head Light and the light keeper’s house (now a museum)

This being the coast of Maine, there’s a lot of drama down by the shoreline:

Rugged Maine coastline

Near the light keeper’s house you’ll find a nautical flagpole, complete with the flag of the United States of America, Maine’s state flag (left), and a flag for the town of Cape Elizabeth, in which the lighthouse is located:

Nautical Flagpole at Portland Head Light

But enough of that stuff. Let’s enjoy one of the most famous and historic lighthouses in the U.S. (click on any image  below to enlarge, and to bring up today’s gallery slide show):

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