Nova Scotia in October

After spending eight hours driving down Route 1, we finally crossed over a small inlet in the Bay of Fundy into the land of "aboots," hockey obsessions and Tim Horton's. For three hours we trekked through gloomy suburbs and seemingly endless slabs of farmland until we made it to Canada's Atlantic Playground: Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia feels like Maine without the discount Burberry and Timberland outlets. It's rugged, has extreme weather, and is unpopulated.

A small camping ground and surf shop outside of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Sunrise on Lawrencetown Beach.

We woke before sunrise, packed up our tent and got in the water just as the sun was coming up.

Surf's up...

Surfing when the water is warmer than the air is an interesting proposition. The air was in the mid 30's and the water was in the high 40's. After 45 minutes the swell started to die down and the wind picked up. With the haste that only a surfer in freezing conditions knows, I jumped out of my wetsuit and into wool socks and my Mackinaw jacket.

Yours truly freezing my royal Rastafarian nay-nays off after playing in the water.

After a wild 24 hours, I headed down to Yarmouth, hopped on the CAT and five and half hours later I was back in the U - S of A.

Here are some more links,
Nova Scotia in October (Picasa),
Down East in October (ART),
Down East in October (Picasa).

Down East to Nova Scotia in My Danners

These boots are made for walkin'.

And thats just what they do.

I love my Danners. They are made in my home town of Portland, Oregon.

Here are some more links,
From Down East to Nova Scotia (Picasa),
Danner,
Down East in October (ART).

Down East in October

Last week I set sail with two of my roommates on Coastal Route 1 for the eastern-most part of the United States: Down East Maine. We packed up Dan's car with our surfboards, sleeping bags and an old Eureka Camping tent from my College's outing club and headed due east.

Ranging from Belfast to Quoddy Head, the Down East region is the most unexplored coastline in the East because it's simply a pain the ass to get to. It is three hours from Portland, six hours from Boston and ten hours from New York.

For two days, we cruised up Route 1, following the coastline and making trips down gravel roads in search of views.

A wind turbine nestled in a corn field.

By night we squatted on empty plots of land such as this subdivision. Early morning fog near Winter Harbor.

An outhouse in Quoddy Head State Park.

One of our squatting campsites in a housing development near Bar Harbor.

Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

Tucker overlooking the Atlantic.

At night my -20° F rated sleeping bag made the temperatures in the low 30's feel cozy and inviting and my wool socks and jacket kept me warm in the early morning coastal haze. After 400 miles of driving on and around Route 1, we finally crossed the border over a small cove in the Bay of Fundy and began the second leg of our trip.

Here are some more links,
Down East in October (Picasa).

Changing Seasons: Fall

Last October, I started blogging in an act of bored desperation. I had recently purchased a Canon XSI on a whim and had started taking photos of things around me and writing about things that captured my imagination. While sitting on a bench overlooking the Colby Quad, I took off my shoe and decided to toss it up in the air and take a photo. Funny how such a seemingly frivolous activity can have unforeseen positive consequences on your life.

My LL Bean Bucks overlooking the Colby Quad on chilly fall afternoon in mid October, more than a year ago. The integrated footpad disintegrated in August and I brought them by the Freeport store. Ten minutes later, I walked out with a gift card for the full retail price and immediately invested in my Butcher Mocs.

My Paul Smith Canvas Sneakers overlooking two feet of packed snow on the Colby Quad in mid January. I haven't worn these since last fall and probably won't until spring.

My Common Projects overlooking the Colby Quad in late April. Retired for the year.

My Vans Eras flying over the Colby Quad on a hot a humid day in mid August. After a summer of sockless use they smelled like the Ebola Virus and I permanently retired them a few weeks back.

My Ralph Lauren Wingtips looking glossy on October 16th after three months of blood and tears to break them sock-less. I plan on having these for years.

Since that October day last fall, I return to that bench once a season with different shoes and sit down for half an hour listening to music and throwing my shoe in the air. Confused freshmen and groups of prospective students touring the campus walk by and stare for a second or two in disbelief.

Here are some more links,
Changing Seasons (Picasa),
Changing Seasons: Summer (Picasa).