A week in the North East

[enrique_flores]

<p>Hello, Photonet members:<br>

I will be traveling to Boston on business at the beginning of August and have the chance to spend a few days in the area on vacation. My wife will accompany me during this trip. I am thinking on renting a car and visit White Mountain National Forest to spend perhaps three or four days there. I could extend my visit to the coast for another couple of days before returning to Boston to fly back home. <br>

I have received very good advise from you in past trips and would certainly appreciate your suggestions or ideas once again.<br>

Enrique Flores - Monterrey, Mexico</p>

[User_5888660]

<p>Potland, Maine is an easy drive from Boston. Great lighthouses and lobster aplenty. </p>

[john_h.1]

<p>Cape Cod, Cape Cod & Cape Cod. Outer Cape cod that is.</p>

[bob_flood1]

<p>Answering a question with a question is bad form, but that's me all over.<br>

Enrique, what would you prefer to photograph? It makes a big difference in what kind of recommendations you can get. You will be in a part of the country that will offer urban colonial historic sites and scenery, small town and remote New England colonial history, mountain/river/lake scenery, coastal scenery, and as John noted, Cape Cod, which is an environmental unto itself. You should also do a bit of Google/Bing searching for festivals by state - that time of year many of the communities across New England have local festivals, each with a distinctive theme, that happen in interesting old towns. You may find something that appeals strongly to you or to your wife.</p>

[User_3804048]

<p>If landscapes are your interest, Pemaquid Point on the Maine coast is superb. It's not far north of Portland. And, if you're willing to travel a little further, Acadia is unbeatable for its combination of sea, forest and mountains. The carriage roads and trails make for great hiking, too. If you do get to Acadia, be sure to go to Beech Cliffs. Enjoy your trip!</p>

[enrique_flores]

Hello, guys:

 

Thank you all for your posts.

 

Bob: regarding your questions, I think I lean towards nature photography, sea landscape, etc. rather than architecture. Do you think three

days in White Mountains is good enough, or too much? I would try to leave the car and walk to get to places like waterfalls, ponds, trails,

etc.

 

I hadn't consider Cape Cod, but I would now. So, after coming down from WM and the Maine Coast, I would try to spend another day in CC.

 

Thanks again for your comments.

 

Enrique Flores

[bob_flood1]

<p>If you do a Google/Bing search for New Hampshire covered bridges, you find a wealth of places, each of course with a bridge, but that also means a river crossing, which tends to be very nice for photography. Also, do a search on the New Hampshire White Mountains, too. You'll get a lot of web sites devoted to tourism in the state, and they will include not just the mountains themselves, but also the variety of things you'll find in the mountain range, like waterfalls and gorges, the Cannon Mountain cable car (great ride and views), and so on.</p>

<p>The coast of Maine is very good, whether you want to shoot the rocky coast or lighthouses, or colonial villages and seaports. And like Mr. Whirlow, I can recommend going up the coast to Acadia where the scenery will be excellent.</p>

[DickArnold]

<p>I live in New Hampshire. North Conway in the White Mountains is full of summer tourists and has a plethora of malls. But there is a railroad that runs from N. Conway up into Crawford notch that is an interesting four hour trip. You could also ride up the Mt. Washington cog railway to the top of that mountain which is the highest in New England. Although there is some work going on on the lower falls of the Kancamagus River the upper falls are interesting. the Kancamagus highway runs across the White Mountains from Conway, not N. Conway to Lincoln. You then could go North on US 93 to Canon Mountain where the granite Old Man in the Mountain used to be until it fell into the Valley. On the Ocean Portsmouth NH is a great walkaround Port City with lots of restaurants and historical houses. Strawberry Bank is a pay compound in Portsmouth of historical colonial houses. Adjoining Prescott Park on the River has nice gardens in late summer. Cape Cod is flat and only has two bridges on and off. Big summer traffic jams on and off on weekends. Chatham is nice there and Provincetown is interesting. There is a lot to see and do. </p>

[User_6502147]

<p>I'm not familiar with Mass, but CT has many parks with waterfalls like Kent Falls SP. Block Island off the coast of RI is not all that far (quaint and relaxing). But, in overall sense, I'd go to Acadia NP even though it's close to 5hr drive (o/w). Good luck deciding.</p>

<p>Les</p>

[Monophoto]

<p>Enrique -</p>

<p>Cape Cod is a big place, but except for a few notable areas, it's not a place for grand landscapes. That means that photographic subjects tend to be smaller, and have to be searched for. The most readily accessible areas of Cape Cod are pretty heavily populated, so if you are looking to do photography, you would need to seek out some of the less obvious areas. As John H. said, the Outer Cape (roughly Brewster/Chatham and beyond) would be the place to look.</p>

<p>I happen to like the Cape a lot - we've been going there every year for 40+ years. But if you only have a few days, then I think that you might find the Cape disappointing. The Cape is really a place for exploring.</p>

<p>I'm not familiar with the White Mountains. But I agree with Donald's suggestion about Maine. If you are limited in time, the Kennebunk area is OK, but my preference is to go further north to Penobscot Bay. Rockport (MA) is a photographer's paradise; Pemaquid Point is also nice. Acadia is spectacular, but it's pretty far north. </p>

<p>But there are some really nice things much closer to Boston. Boston itself is a fabulous city. Cambridge is a lot of fun (and great for people watching). Salem has a lot of history. Rockport (MA) and Gloucester are both very photographable.</p>

[enrique_flores]

<p>Thank you for your comments, Bob, Dick, Leszek, Louie:<br>

I have started to do my homework. I already have good info on covered bridges, waterfalls, etc. in the WM area, as Bob suggested. I have to fine tune my travel plans, including a decision on how far North I can go after White Mountains (Acadia might be a little too far!), assigning time to visit Salem and Rockport (on my way South) and spending some time in Boston (which I had already considered). </p>

<p>Enrique Flores </p>

[charles_stobbs3]

Portland, Maine is a great place to visit for a day or two. The Eastern Promenade has a great view. There

is a ferry service to the several islands in Casco Bay including mail boats that stop at all the islands.

Peaks and Great Diamond islands have old coast artillery forts that can be explored. I think most tickets

allow you to get off and roam around an island and return on a later boat. Portsmouth, NH and

Newburyport, Gloucester, Salem, and Boston MA also have harbor cruises. If you have a car, the

Connecticut River valley is quite scenic from Hartford, CT up through Mass., NH and VT, getting off the

major highways and criss crossing the river through many small New England towns. When you get to

Wells River VT/Woodsville, NH its just a short distance to the White Mountains with lots of good hiking in

Franconia and Crawford Notches. There is a cog railroad to the top of Mt. Washington and several zip

lines at various ski areas. I agree that Acadia is too far for your time schedule.

[john_harper9]

<p>Acadia too far for a multi-day adventure? About the same travel time as the White Mountains if you choose an inland route and avoid the Rt 1 grind with all the other tourists escaping Boston. Acadia NP and the surrounding area have unlimited photo opportunities and is well worth the effort to get there and enjoy two or three days in and around the park. </p>

[Mary Doo]

<p>Oh there are so many places you can go. If you consider Maine at all, just drive up the Maine Coast (Route 1) from Kittery. It is picturesque all the way.<br>

<a href="http://www.frommers.com/articles/5512.html">http://www.frommers.com/articles/5512.html</a></p>

<p>Have fun!</p>

[carashilaire]

<p>If you are already heading to the White Mountains, the vistas on the Kancamagus Highway are a must-see! There are other lovely towns to drive through in New Hampshire as well, such as Hancock and Peterborough in the lower part of the state - and certainly Portsmouth over on the coast. If you can make it up the Maine Coast, it is so beautiful! Bar Harbor/Acadia are probably a bit far, but well worth it. I found another article listing small towns in the NE to visit, including some visuals. <br>

<a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/adamdavis/charming-small-new-england-towns-you-absolutely-need-to-v">http://www.buzzfeed.com/adamdavis/charming-small-new-england-towns-you-absolutely-need-to-v</a><br>

Hope you have a great time! </p>

[enrique_flores]

<p>Hello, Mary and Cara:</p>

<p>Thank you for your comments. So far, my plans include going to White Mountains and then, depending on weather conditions, going all the way up to Bar Harbor/Acadia for a couple of days (I wouldn't like to drive that far under rain or fog), or East to the Maine Coast around Portland, and then back to Boston.<br>

Following advise from other photonet members, I have already gathered a lot of info on what to do in/around Boston and in White Mountains Natural Forest.</p>

<p>Enrique Flores</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>If you have that much time and are into landscapes, you really should contact the Maine Photographic Workshops in Rockport, Maine. They are one of the best U.S. photography schools and they do an extensive range of classes in everything from the basics to master classes, including a number on nature photography along the Maine coast. I did one several years ago and got some of the best landscape and nature pictures of my life. Their instructors are not only world class photographers but know the area intimately and can take you straight to places you would never come across on your own. The master classes are typically a week long -- Sunday afternoon through Saturday morning -- but you might be able to work out something for however many days you have available. If your wife is with you but doesn't want to be out in the woods taking pictures every day, Rockport and Camden have lots of good shopping, restaurants and tourist activities (whale watching, among others).</p>

[enrique_flores]

<p>Hello, Craig:</p>

<p>Thank for your suggestion. It seems quite interesting. I actually checked the Maine Photographic Workshops' page for info. The next workshop they have on schedule is due in October. I sent a mail asking them whether they could accomodate something in early August. Let's see what they tell me. </p>

[davidmackenzie]

<blockquote>

<p>"Cape Cod, Cape Cod & Cape Cod."</p>

<p>If you are interested in landscapes and oceanscape photography, I would <strong>not recommend Cape Cod at this time of year</strong>. Its extremely crowded, extremely expensive and reservations this close to travel would be hard to come by. I would recommend the white Mountains for a few days then cross over to the Maine coast and just cruise up route 1. Portland is a good start, and there are many picturesque lighthouses and fishing villages along the way.</p>

</blockquote>

[enrique_flores]

<p>Hello, David:<br>

Thank you for your advice, As a matter of fact, I had already discarded Cape Cod more or less for the same reasons you mentioned. </p>

<p>Enrique Flores </p>

[frank_b._baiamonte]

<p>Enrique,</p>

<p>The White Mountains are great, there is a lot to see there. I like to stay at the Thayer Inn in Littleton. It's been around for a few hundred years, and has real character. Nice little town to wander around in too. You can easily fill three or four days in the White Mountains and not get bored.</p>

<p>Nearby there is Franconia Notch State Park, with The Flume. Not to be missed. We hit a lot of rain, but it was still fun.<br>

<img src="http://frankbaiamonte.smugmug.com/Travel/New-England-October-2008/i-bmCqf2g/0/L/IMGP5230-L.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="535" /></p>

<p>Someone else mentioned The Cog, the railway that takes you to the top of Mt. Washington. Definitely worth the time. We were there in early October of 2008, on what turned out to be one of the last days of the season that they ran the train. We rode up about an hour after I shot this picture, and it was almost white-out at the top. Lots of fun.<br>

<img src="http://frankbaiamonte.smugmug.com/Travel/New-England-October-2008/i-6FHqbT5/0/L/IMGP5430-L.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="535" /></p>

<p>We had almost 2 weeks, a big circle drive from Boston that took us to Grafton in southern Vermont, then Lyme, NH and Littleton, NH. From there we drove out to Bar Harbor and Acadia NP, with an overnight in Wilton, Maine to break up the drive. Nice little town. After Bar Harbor we spent a couple nights in Freeport, then Rockport and then flew home to San Diego from Boston. You can see more pictures from that trip <a href="http://frankbaiamonte.smugmug.com/Travel/New-England-October-2008/">here</a>.</p>

 

[enrique_flores]

<p>Hello, Frank:</p>

<p>Thank you for your comments. I took a look at your photos of the trip. Congratulations. That kind of scenary is precisely what I am looking for. <br>

Enrique Flores </p>

 

[enrique_flores]

<p>Hello, Frank:</p>

<p>Thank you for your comments. I took a look at your photos of the trip. Congratulations. That kind of scenary is precisely what I am looking for. <br>

Enrique Flores </p>