Sunrise on Harwich Port

In a year where most of us were confined to our homes and local towns, any escape was a breath of fresh air. This series of photos is from a morning in Harwich Port, where we were able to take a few days of vacation in late summer. I snuck out at first light in an attempt to find some new material and wound up driving the length of the town from Dennis to Chatham.

At the mouth of Herring Run

Herring Run

First light at Wychmere Harbor

Neel Road Beach - a tiny plot of about 200 feet of public shoreline

An overlooked path at Red River Beach

Salt marsh between Harwich Port and Chatham

A great blue heron stalking

All calm at Pleasant Street Beach in Chatham

The Last Rays of Summer

Finding a spot like this at sunset is rare, especially on a long and hot Labor Day weekend. The few others at the beach were enjoying the view over the water and I snuck back over the dunes to catch the reflection on the salt marsh. As summer turns to fall and the crowds depart, you have more of these scenes to yourself. We’ll return soon for some more perfect sunsets.

Sunrise on Acadia

Acadia National Park sees some of the first light on the East Coast. On a cold October morning, I ventured out in the dark into the park and walked down a trail to this spot, Boulder Beach. It takes a scramble down some large rocks to get to the shore, so it was deserted; nothing but the sound of waves and rocks knocking together. There was a slight pre-dawn glow to the sky, then the sun really lit up the rocks along the entire coastline in an intense, deep orange.