mrickard's PhotoBlog

Baxter State Park

2009-09-27T14:18:53Z

Well, I have been planning a return trip to the Baxter State Park in Maine in order to climb Mt. Katahdin in good weather. Last year I climbed the mountain on October 1, and it was raining, cold, and windy. REALLY COLD. Two days after I climbed it they closed all trails due to snow and ice. So, I been planning a quick trip for over a year and closely watching the weather. I even got my dad to go with me. And the weather was gorgeous. Anyway, I will probably make another post in a few days or so and try to get more trail shots up, but here are some other views of things that I did/saw. By the way, Katahdin is a mountain group in Maine that has several peaks. One of which is Baxter Peak and its the highest point in Maine and the end of the Appalachian Trail in the north. For those of you not familiar, the Appalachian Trail runs from northern Georgia to Maine, over 2100 miles.

The Sunrise

2009-08-22T15:44:24Z

I love getting up in the morning for sunrises when I am on vacation. Our last trip to Maine, though, the sun came up before 5 am. Since I like getting "somewhere" before the sunrise, I was getting up around 330 am and heading out. My wife thought I was nuts, but my life is almost just like the saying "What would you do for a Klondike Bar?" Anyway, here are just a few shots of the last sunrise I had available to me while we were staying in Lubec, Maine. Enjoy.

Machias Seal Island

2009-08-08T15:59:11Z

I took a boat trip in last month to Machias Seal Island to photograph the puffins. I used Bold Coast Charter Company out of Cutler, Maine, and booked in February. Of course, one of the only days it rained while we were on vacation was the day of the trip. Capt. Andy cancelled the 7 am departure and told us to check back around 1030. Luckily, the rain had stopped and we just had fog and high waves to deal with. He decided to make a go of it, and away we went. We started out of Cutler Harbor and passed by the Little River Lighthouse. After we entered the Atlantic out of the harbor, things got a little rough. I'd say 5-10 foot waves. He had to go slower than usual and the 45 minute trip took a little over an hour. No big deal for me, I did not take any motion sickness meds and was fine. The other 9 passengers were also ok. We get out to the island, which has a manned lighthouse (manned by the Canadians), and the waters are still a little rough. Capt. Andy made the decision not to go ashore which totally devastated me. But, we then came around to the landing side of the island and things were smoother. Capt. Andy reluctantly changed his mind and decided to try to land on the island. Let me tell you, getting out of the big boat and into a small row boat when they are moving at different times and heights against each other in rough surf was a bit tricky. I did fine, and so did the others, but the potential for disaster was there. Anyway, away we go to the landing. We get off and Capt. Andy has to make several more trips to get everyone onto the island as we all could not fit into the smaller boat at the same time. I was on the first landing, so I had some time to photograph while standing around and being buzzed by 3,000 pairs of puffins, not to mention the razor-billed auks and common murres. It was awesome. I took my Canon 5d2, 40d, 500/4 (which I only used outside of the blinds - it was not needed inside as the puffins are on top of you), 24-70, and 70-200, 400mm lenses. Inside the blinds I used my 70-200 on my 40d and the 400 on the 5d2. Puffins were close enough that I could not focus on the closest ones. they were everywhere. I had 6, 8gb cards, too. Anyway, after everyone landed, we were escorted to a central meeting place and given instructions. We were all able to get into different blinds at the same time as we had a small group. And we got to spend over an hour in the blinds as the puffins were every where. From just a few feet away to several hundred feet away. And they are so FAST. Trying to photograph them in action really takes some patience. After our hour was up, we regrouped and reboarded the Barbara Frost. Capt. Andy took us by a ledge that was lined with seals. Not the first time I have seen seals, but every time I do see them I am in awe. As we made our way back to Cutler Harbor and passed the Little River Lighthouse, we finally made it back into port. What a great trip and experience. All in all, I took over 1,100 photos just on this trip alone... I hope you enjoy them. Some others are on my flickr site, www.flickr.com/photos/mrickard5/sets/ Thanks for looking.

Campobello Island, Canada

2009-08-01T14:53:29Z

Sorry for the lengthy times in between my posts, but since my wife and I are just returning from another trip to Maine, I thought I would get some photos up. Here are a few photos from one of my outings to the northern tip of Campobello Island to the Head Harbour Lighthouse for the sunrise. We stayed in Lubec, Maine, and by crossing a very short bridge lands you on the island governed by Canada. This is also the start of the Bay of Fundy. If you dont know about the Bay of Fundy, it is home to some very large tide differences. Here in the Lubec area the difference between the high and low tides are in the neighborhood of 20+ feet, and the difference only increases as you go further north. Anyway, I started out early on this particular day because in July the sun rises before 5 am, and I wanted to get there before the sunrise to catch the "dawn's early light". During this trip to Maine, I got up at roughly 330 am every morning. And it was worth it. As I was photographing the early light, I heard these deep, deep bellows. Almost like a horse-type sound, but much deeper. Low and behold, they were whales. About 6 of them. Later after speaking with others, they were identified as Finback whales that average 55-80 feet in length. Apparently, they are rather common up there during this time of the year. So, I snapped away. The lighthouse in the photos is the Head Harbour Lighthouse. Later in the trip we were fortunate enough to go into the quarters and to the top of the tower. Photos will be coming... I should add all these photos were taken on the same day, same outting. The ocean fog would roll in, and then back off, and then roll in some more. That is the reason for the variation of colors from the oranges to the dull gray, fog. Thanks for looking.

Maine Lighthouses

2009-05-29T14:10:17Z

Some other lighthouses from Maine to go along with my West Quoddy post a few times ago. Enjoy!!

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

2009-05-09T22:01:17Z

Sorry I have not been around much lately. Now that the weather has been warming up I dont really spend as much time behind my computer. Anyway, here are some recent photographs from one of my favorite places to spend some time (other than in my kayak that is)... Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. I hope you like them, and I will try to get posts up a little more often. The bird in the first half of the photos is/are ospreys, and the last half are of bald eagles. As always, thanks for looking!!!

The Space Shuttle

2009-04-05T19:19:20Z

In July 2007, my wife and I just happened to be in Florida vacationing and the space shuttle was supposed to launch the evening before we had to leave. Knowing the shuttle typically does not launch on its first attempt, I was excited with some hesitation. Well, it launched!! It came down to the last few minutes as the weather in Europe wasnt cleared until then. We left our condo in New Smyrna Beach around noon on the day of the launch and got a great spot across the causeway. We got lunch from a Subway, some snacks and an ice cooler filled with soda and basked in the sun for about 6 or 7 hours till launch. We also met some great new friends while hanging out and taking in the sights. It was really kinda cool as the whole area soon became like one big picnic-type grounds with all the people. Hoping to see the launch, we scouted out some locations a few days before the launch. Note the helicopter in the photos that were the NASA Security guys checking me out taking photos. Yes, the helicopter is complete with dual machine doors out the doors. We ended up not going to the famed Space View Park for the launch, but instead drove out the A Max Brewer Parkway almost out to where NASA Security had the road shut down. Right behind we were parked was a public building/boat docks with bathrooms etc. So, it was perfect. Also, after the launch, it was very difficult to get back in towards Titusville and head back north on 95. But, we have been to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge numerous times and I knew if I drove the opposite direction from Titusville out the Parkway that I could work my way north on back roads. That is what I and just a few others did and I avoided all traffic backups. Last year, it just happened the shuttle was supposed to make a landing while we were there. So, I included some photos of that as well. The landing was not nearly as well attended as the launch, but it was still a great experience.

New York City

2009-03-30T21:40:12Z

My wife and I were lucky enough to visit New York City for a couple of days to take in the sights and watch the play Wicked (which I HIGHLY recommend seeing). We were lucky enough to get in the background scenes on the Good Morning America show, and then walked to the Today Show and got to see Matt, Ann, Kathie Lee and Hoda. I even surprised my wife with a row boat ride through Central Park. We had a really great time. I will probably add some more photos as I get them edited.

Sunrises in Acadia National Park

2009-03-22T00:00:06Z

Just some sunrise and early morning shots that I have compiled over the years while visiting Acadia National Park.

Washington DC

2009-03-08T20:16:25Z

About this time every year I get anxious for the cherry blossoms in Washington DC. I live about 2 hours from the district, and I may drive over for a visit on Fridays after work, or I may even just take a day off work. I really enjoy just heading over there and just walking around taking in the sights and sounds. I usually take the Metro, getting on at New Carrollton and getting off at the Smithsonian. From there I just walk until I get tired. Usually I end up walking around the tidal basin, I may head down towards the Lincoln Memorial, and a lot of times I just continue to walk across the Arlington Memorial Bridge over to Arlington National Cemetery. So, for this week, here are some of my shots from my past ventures in the distict. I did not label each photo, so if you have any questions just let me know.