On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
JanieM
Steve from Mendocino has pointed out that commercial photographs always have a goal, a “market.” Being a late arrival to photography, I haven’t thought much about which branch I might have ended up in if I had started sooner, but the bulk of my photos have been personal takes on beloved landscapes. In my quest to improve, I’m trying to learn to take pics that have a “purpose” beyond making nice images for my friends and family.
This set is meant to be a sort of tourist brochure – a look at some of my favorite places in central and coastal Maine.
Thanks as always to Steve for editing, feedback, and conversation.
Old mill towns in a new era, Lewiston and Auburn (locally dubbed L-A) face each other across the mighty Androscoggin. This picture was taken from the Auburn side of the river, looking toward Lewiston.
When I started to put this post together, I was surprised at how much I wanted to say about Lewiston, much more than I could fit into a picture blurb at OTR.
There’s the history of old mill towns, and in typical American fashion the shifting places and ultimate mixing of different ethnicities—the Irish, the Franco-Americans (French-Canadian more than French), and more recently the arrival of several thousand Somali immigrants, who have enlivened the place literally as well as figuratively.
I spent a fair amount of time in L-A in the 1990s and aughts, when one of my kids played basketball in Auburn and another went to college in Lewiston. Thus, while it’s not my home town, it’s familiar territory. These days I pass through for picture-taking now and then, taking advantage of the beautiful walking paths that run along both sides of the river.
In honor of the victims, I will make brief mention of the mass shooting in Lewiston last October. I wrote about it at the time, trying to express some of the horror of an event like that happening in a familiar place. The long aftermath of recovery and investigation is still ongoing.
It’s hard to believe that Winter Hill Farm, approached by an unmarked, quarter-mile-long dirt driveway, is only a few miles from the commercial madness that is the home town of the L.L. Bean flagship store.The freezers in the shop hold thousands of dollars worth of meat, but the store is unlocked and works on the honor system, as do hundreds of other farmstands scattered around the countryside. (I doubt Maine is unique in this.) In the warmer months I get my eggs from my state senator’s stand, the one mentioned in Alexandra Petri’s hilarious summary of the 2020 Democratic convention virtual roll call. (I don’t have a subscription to the WaPo, so I can’t do a gift link. I can read the piece in Firefox with scripts turned off, if anyone wants to try that.)
Water flowing into Long Pond in the spring, with a fish story featuring Fisherman #1 (pictured) and Fisherman #2.
I was standing near #2 to take the picture of #1 when #2’s hook got caught on a submerged branch. After he tried to coax it loose with no success, #1 waded out into the rushing water to try to release the line, also with no success. Whatever the hook was stuck on then took off, moving rapidly downstream until it snapped #2’s line, which whipped his arm right smartly. He said he was okay and we had a nice chat. That’s one of the lovely things about Maine – Yankee reserve balanced by unassuming friendliness most of the time.
The town beach in deep winter, when the ice on the lake can be a couple of feet thick. It looks quiet, and most of the time it is. It took me a while to get used to the noise of snowmobiles, but since well-groomed snowmobile trails give me a way to walk in the woods in the winter, I’ve made my peace with the machines.
A back view of Old Fort Western, a restored fort built in 1754, now a museum. The brick building is the old City Hall.
Water Street in Hallowell, Augusta’s funkier downriver neighbor. Back when I had a social life, Hallowell was, for a certain class of people, the place to see and be seen. Restaurants, antique shops, bakeries, a florist’s shop, offices, bars, an ice cream store, more recently a cannabis shop (or two) (or actually three) – there’s plenty to draw both local people and visitors. Augusta’s role as the state capital means that people in state government are a noticeable presence in both towns.
People have hobbies.
A lot of river towns, including Augusta, Hallowell, and Waterville, have a Water Street and a Front Street. This is Hallowell’s Front Street, really a sort of alley on the back or river side of the buildings that front on Water Street.
I wanted this set to highlight the fact that there’s a lot of Maine besides the coast, but that’s no reason to exclude it entirely. These are sailboats in dry dock near the Maine State Ferry Service terminal in Rockland.
The supervisor.
p.a.
Have enjoyed my multiple visits to Hallowell.
I know one of the owners of Sidereal Farm/Maillard Kitchen up the road from Augusta in Vassalboro: worth a visit.
Annual smallmouth bass fishing trip to Princeton/Grand Lake Stream: tRump’s Maine, if the yard signs are to be believed (except for the Passamaquoddy villages).
Liminal Owl
Lovely pictures, Janie. Thank you.
We had a short (but nice) “glamping” vacation in the Bangor area recently. A bit too rural (for us) for a longer stay, but when we went into the pretty town of Belfast for groceries and a hot meal, I imagined living there.
stinger
I was thinking only the other day that it was surely time for more Maine OTRs! Thank you, these are lovely! My niece and family have moved to Maine, and when I visit I will use your “tourist brochure” for suggestions as to where we should go (once we have exhausted the resources of Brunswick).
Rachel Bakes
My favorite places are in Maine and you showed one of them (Rockland!). Kind of hoped my daughter would end up at college up there but Newport won out. (Farmington was a bit too far from sw CT). Every time I read Van Reid’s books I take a mini vacation and your photos add to it. Thanks
OzarkHillbilly
Good stuff.
TS
https://wapo.st/3yhJLsn
I think this is a guest link to your article from Alexandra Petri
Many thanks for the pictures
getsmartin
Pleasing set of photos that stokes the travel yen! Janie has a great eye for composition – and a new follower on Flickr!
Trivia Man
@stinger: Send these to them so they can start investigation. If they just moved you can help point them at a starting point.
Janiem: Thanks for the variety of pics, nice for a feeling of the place.
Miki
Beautiful photographs, Janie! I especially love the winter beach scene. So much of Maine reminds me of Minnesota, sans ocean, of course. It feels very familiar to me, even though I’ve only visited once (Acadia National Park in the 90s).
I just finished watching The Lost Kitchen, set in Freedom, Maine, on Max and fell in love with the area, especially all the small farms. I might just send in a postcard and join the reservation lottery.
My aunt retired recently from UMaine Orono. In 1986 she was widowed young, with 2 kids under 5, went back to college and ended up getting her PhD in accounting and a job in Orono. So she parked up her kids and moved from Dallas TX to Maine. She loves it there. I totally get that.
One of my favorite mystery series is set in Maine – Paul Doiron’s Mike Bowditch series.
Wow – this OTR has really reminded me how much I love and miss Maine. As a “tourist brochure” it totally worked!
MelissaM
I really need to take a trip to Maine. One I remember. Apparently I was there as a babby.
stinger
@Trivia Man: Good idea!
mvr
Thank you for these. Reminds me that I want to get to Maine and spend some time one of these days. Did get there hitch hiking in the 70s, but not since.
The fly fishing photo reminds me to ask, is the Androscoggin one of the rivers where they have removed a dam to allow oceangoing fish passage – in particular salmon – to once again migrate in to lay their eggs?
Thanks again!
pieceofpeace
Your pictures of Maine serve well as a mini-travel brochure and I would love to visit. They gave a good sense of place, actually and in imagination.
And I agree with all Miki said…
JanieM
@mvr: Here’s a wikipedia page about dam removals. The one that got the most attention since I moved here in 1987 is the Edwards Dam on the Kennebec River as it passes through Augusta. That was a very big deal — much celebrated.
*****
@TS: Thanks for the guest link. That piece still makes me laugh from start to finish. For the record, my state senator who has the farm and farmstand, not to mention a B&B, is Craig Hickman. He was my rep for 8 years, then term-limited out of that role. He has done a great job and I’ll be curious to see if he finds a different role in government once he’s had 8 years in the senate.
*****
Thanks to everyone — I’m glad you like the pictures and especially glad that they make you want to come to Maine!
JanieM
@p.a.: Thanks for the tip about Maillard Kitchen. My eating-out habit died with covid, but I’ll put this on the list for if/when I revive it.
I’ve never been to Grand Lake Stream, but for a while in the nineties I made an annual trip to Pembroke and stayed near the Reversing Falls at the end of that peninsula. That’s my favorite area of the whole state, but I haven’t been back for a long time. Maybe time for a picture-taking trip!
Torrey
Spent an excellent several days in Maine some years back. You’re reminding me of some of the reasons I’m eager to return. From the comments, it sounds like I’m not the only one. That state senator has a B&B. It is tempting.
Galento
Just before the pandemic started I had to travel to L-A once a month for a year, for a work project. I often stayed in the Hilton Garden Inn that is (I think) just out of frame to the right, in the first photo of the bridge. I miss Maine, although my knowledge is limited, as I was never anywhere north of Lewiston. My favorite way driving out of town toward the “jetport” in Portland was on Route 136, southeast along the mighty Androscoggin. Occasionally amazing river views as the road scuds along the south bank toward Lisbon Falls.
Thanks for posting your photos, they are always interesting.
JanieM
@Galento: Exactly right about the Hilton Garden Inn. Their parking lot is conveniently located!
Route 136 does have nice views. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who doesn’t just hop on the interstate….
I go through Lisbon Falls a couple of times a month, depending on which route I decide to take to my (grand-)babysitting gig on any given day. The river is endlessly fascinating in all its moods.
Prescott Cactus
Oh memories. Skowhegan, ME. or downtown Skow-Town. Giant paper mill “turnaround”, where they shut things down, bring in a ship-ton of workers and fix everything. At least 40 years ago. . . Geez…