The Other Portland

Many of you think of Oregon when you hear someone mention Portland. It shouldn't be a surpise, however, that the "other" Portland, in the New England state of Maine was founded over 200 years earlier, and is actually the namesake of its Oregonian younger sister by virtue of a coin toss. (Really, look it up :)).

When I originally booked the Jet Blue Jetpass, I immediately knew that Portland would be on my short list of places to go. I have a couple of dear friends that are raising a family just outside of Portland, and this was a great opportunity to go visit them, and see some of the sights Maine has to offer.

I flew into Maine from New York on Friday evening and my friends picked me up for a chill night walking downtown Portland. There was an artwalk going on with street vendors, gallery shows and musicians that was a ton of fun, and we later met up with some more friends at a popular local pub, Novare Res.

Our original plans of hiking Mt. Washington were changed when the forecast called for some high winds, rain and snow, something we weren't prepared for or willing to chance running into for the limited window we had available. We took the opportunity instead, to have a relaxing morning eating breakfast at a nearby diner, and checking out the race expo for the Maine Marathon being run the next morning by Kelly, one of my gracious hosts. The afternoon held a trail run and a first for me: geocaching. It's unfortunate that I didn't carry my camera with me on the run, as there would have been some fantastic photo-ops in the Maine woods as we found glacial ponds and marshes along the snow-mobile trails that are so prevalent in the area. Something to remember for next time... The evening turned out as good as the day was, with a last minute score on tickets to the Sufjan Stevens show at Port City Music Hall.

Sunday started with a flurry as the kids were corralled and packed into the car to head down and spectate the Maine Marathon & Half Marathon being run in and around Portland. A fun mid-sized race with around 3000 participants, the event provided several good shooting opportunities, and was a blast to see and be a part of.

After the race, the next stop was the Portland Headlight, one of the most beautiful, and as a result, one of the most photographed lighthouses in the country. The lighthouse is situated on the old Fort Williams military base in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. It was a blast walking and photographing the fort ruins, the rocky coast, and of course, the lighthouse itself.

After the lighthouse we went to downtown Portland to walk around grab a cup 'o' joe, and check out late afternoon in the city, which held some great lighting, especially down on the old port.

A fantastic meal at the home of my Portland friends capped off a great weekend. Enjoy the photos, and until my next post... blessings.

dg