Maine, Bugs, and Sunday River
Introduction:
Like anything, we need a beginning. This past weekend, I made a trek to Western Maine. Before I even started this project, I spent about a month planning my loops and a timeline to complete it within one year. I know, artificial timelines, why do people do this? Heck, I shake my head when some YouTuber says they need to get a month’s worth of work done in 15 minutes because reasons.
First, the planning helps clear my head to focus on my photography. By planning out my routes, I know where I am going from week to week. Without this planning, I’ll spend too much time figuring out where to go. I think New England has over 200 official covered bridges.
By planning my loops, I’ve done the initial planning for where to go; I even research whether the covered bridges are on private land, whether there’s parking nearby, etc. Then, I give myself a time limit because, frankly, every project needs a beginning, middle, and end. I am currently in the early stages, but I know that in a year I’ll need to start a new project. It also helps ensure that my photography doesn’t get stale and that I am always pursuing something new.
Without the level of planning, I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the drive as much. With the routes mapped out, I can then focus on some side attractions, what cool things would be worth seeing, and that is what finally happened this week. With a bunch of pre-planning, I am able to take more photos and see more things.
This loop took me to the Sunday River Covered Bridge, then over to the Hemlock Covered Bridge in Fryeburg, Maine, and finally to the Parsonsfield-Porter Covered Bridge. Along the way, I battled 100’s of mosquitoes looking for a fresh meal at the Hemlock Bridge, poor angles at the Sunday River Bridge, and quickly talking shop with a wonderful couple at the Parsonsfield-Porter Bridge, but I am getting ahead of myself.
The Journey
The drive started as usual: on the road by 5:30 AM, for the longest stretch of the day's driving. After a quick stop for fuel at the liquor store right off the highway in Concord, NH, I set off to cover the remaining two-plus hours.
Typically, I refuse to stop for anything before the first bridge, since that’s the best light of the day and, frankly, I prefer to have the bridges to myself that early in the morning. But this drive was a bit different.
About 15 minutes from the first bridge, I saw what I think is an old Dodge pickup with an antique sign in the bed, Mother Nature trying to reclaim it. I pulled over about 100 feet up the road and grabbed a few shots before continuing my journey to the Sunday River Bridge.
When I arrived, I had the place all to myself and got some early shots before the crowd started rolling in, which is key since this is the part where I photograph using a manual-focus tilt-shift lens, and it takes time to properly set up.
Thankfully, I was quick to wrap up and moved on to the next stop of the journey, the famous World Traveler Sign Post in Lynchville, Maine. I pulled over, leaving the truck running, and quickly walked over to grab a few snaps.
Truth be told, I should have stayed a few extra minutes because the photos did not survive the initial culling; one has to be brutal with the process. It was still cool to see the landmark, and it must be quite the tourist attraction. When I walked up to the signpost, there was a visitor log. I had never heard of it, so maybe not that famous?
After navigating down a dirt road named Frog Alley Road, I was at the Hemlock Covered Bridge, quickly realizing parking was a premium, even at this remote location.
As soon as I got out of the truck, I was engulfed by a wall of mosquitoes. Even opening the truck door invited in many “passengers” who would remain with me for the rest of the day. I survived for maybe five minutes outside before getting back in the truck to drive a bit up the road to grab some other photographs. Maine had again reminded me why you always need to be prepared, and frankly, I wasn’t.
Once I left Hemlock, finally safe from the bugs, I made a detour in Fryeburg, Maine, for a short 20-30-minute street-photography walk. My goal was to grab a few interesting shots of the buildings along my walk. Thankfully, I did walk away with a compelling photo of bushes framing a door that hadn’t been used in a very long time.
Once back at my truck, I did a mental reset of my gear and re-organized my thoughts to be ready for the final bridge, Parsonsfield-Porter Covered Bridge, which might have been the most graffiti-covered bridge I’d seen. I took a few pictures, chatting with a couple who were traveling around Maine before beginning my long ride home.
One of my favorite elements of any road trip is driving on old dirt roads. Maybe someday I’ll make dirt roads in New England a project, but for now they are enjoyable with no pressure. Although the shots again didn’t survive the culling, I have them in my archive to reference later when needed.
The last bits of the day included stopping in Sanbornville, New Hampshire, to see an old abandoned Railroad turntable that a park is now built around. And finally, a stop at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord to see the replica Mercury rocket that I think might be visible from Route 93 if you look closely.
All in all, a good day that started at 5:30 am and ended at 5 pm. Never be afraid to take a local adventure road trip; I’ll bet there is plenty you haven’t seen.
The Triptych - Sunday River Covered Bridge: Jackie+David
This was a tough week to pick a favorite triptych. I think they all had good merits and told interesting stories. However, when I showed them to my wife, she really enjoyed this shot. Below is one of the panels from my final triptych that you can see on my website. She said she enjoyed how the light was coming through it.
The shot also includes a concrete fawn lawn ornament that someone just randomly left at the bridge. Like, why would that just be something there? Then, amongst the graffiti, there is a piece of wood, not very big and, to tweak a movie quote, “that has no earthly business in a Maine Covered Bridge”. Written on it was “Jackie+David”. I found this rather interesting and had every business get its photo taken.
If you want more, please read the full field journal to explore my behind-the-scenes lens notes, discover the bridge’s conflicting history, and view the complete high-resolution triptych on the official site.