Campobello Island :: Sunset

Thursday, September 20th - -   Another very nice day was coming to an end. I was driving around Campobello Island looking for a good spot from which to view the sunset. The weather had been as close to perfect as you can get for this time of year and clouds had developed in the western sky, foretelling of the rain that was forecast for tomorrow.

 Do you see that streak of color on the left? I had seen something like that a few days before but had not been in a place where I could stop to photograph it. Today I was able to pull safely off the side of the road... It wasn't a rainbow since it wasn't raining and it certainly wasn't in the shape of a traditional rainbow. The streak of color remained in the sky for about 10 minutes then gradually faded away.

And the sunset? Oh, yes. It was magnificent. As an old man I spoke with the next morning put it "The sky just went ballistic!" He was so right. And the photos don't really do it justice.

I couldn't resist taking a panoramic shot, which included the moon (that little white streak in the upper left-hand corner). You're gonna have to double-click the image to view a larger version.

I moved to a location a little further along the road for a slightly different viewpoint. A few minutes later the color had disappeared from the sky.

My one day on Campobello Island was almost over. The next day (Friday, September 21st) I would travel west, back to Belfast, where I would spend 3 days with my cousin Anita (my dad and her mother were brother and sister) and her husband Tom. We got caught up on everything since my previous visit 3 years ago. We talked about so many things during our time together, reminiscing about our younger days and discussing various family members (both living and dead). Yes, it was a very good visit. Thank you, Tom and Anita! I treasure the time we had together.

Campobello Island :: Mulholland Point and Seals in the Narrows

Thursday, September 20th - - In 1958 the governments of Canada and the United States entered into an agreement to construct a bridge across the Lubec Narrows to provide easy access to and from Campobello Island.

The Roosevelt Memorial Bridge was opened for operation in 1962. A portion of Campobello Island can be seen on the left while the town of Lubec, Maine is on the right. Taken from Mulholland Point.

 There is a small park at Mulholland Point, which includes the Mulholland Lighthouse. Several signposts provide information about the bridge, the lighthouse, and give a brief history of the town of Lubec, Maine.

But what fascinated me, not visible in that first photo, was the high waves caused by the out-going tide. And then, there were those little black specks in the water, which upon closer examination with the help of the zoom lens, turned out to be seals!

I happened to arrive just as the tide was starting to go out. The water was moving very fast out in the middle of the narrows where the waves were the highest.

The larger seals would fight their way up the current and then rapidly float back downstream. They were certainly having fun, and I was certainly enjoying watching them.

There were probably about 25-30 seals in the group. I'm guessing that it must have been a good feeding area. The seagulls were flying all around also dipping in and out of the water.

 The seals were continually diving and disappearing into the water, resurfacing some distance away from where they went under.

The next morning on my return to the United States, I stopped to get a shot of the Mulholland Lighthouse and the town of Lubec, Maine on the other side of the narrows. Even though the tide was low and not moving rapidly, there were seals floating in the water. I even saw an eagle flying amongst the seagulls.

Campobello Island :: Head Harbour Lightstation

Thursday, September 20th - -   Also known as the East Quoddy Head Lighthouse, the Head Harbour Lightstation sits on a small island at the northeastern tip of Campobello Island. Built in 1829, it is the oldest surviving lighthouse in New Brunswick and one of the oldest in Canada. Its distinguishing feature is the red St. George Cross on the front.

However, at low tide, this island is no longer an island. I arrived at Campobello too late to take advantage of the low tide and visit the station. Ladders, partially visible in the second photo, allow visitors access to go down and walk across the bay.

The first three photos were taken between 12:45 and 1:30 while the last three were taken between 5:30 and 5:45 (Eastern Time, in reality though they were an hour later because Campobello Island is in the Atlantic Time Zone).

Campobello Island :: The Roosevelt Cottage

Thursday, September 20th - - The Roosevelt Campobello International Park was created in 1964 as a memorial to Franklin Delano Roosevelt who spent summers on Campobello Island from the time he was a year old in 1883 until he was stricken with polio in 1921. FDR last visited Campobello in 1939 but Eleanor and the children returned often, through the early 1960s.

The view of the FDR cottage from the visitor center.

The visitor center has a 15-minute film about the Roosevelt's and Campobello Island as well as several exhibit areas. All are worth spending the time to view.

 This little fenced-in area was identified as the "Best Photo Area" and I would imagine just about every visitor to the FDR cottage has taken a photo from this spot... including me.

 It does make for a pretty picture, doesn't it?

I did not take any photos of the interior. There are 34 rooms furnished with ordinary, every-day items that were used by the Roosevelt family. Nothing ostentatious or fancy, rather more of a practical and utilitarian nature with an emphasis on comfort and simplicity. That, in itself, was impressive. The rooms have been restored with their original furnishings though the wallpapers are reproductions. The tour of the home is self-guided with docents available to answer questions about the house, its furnishings, and the family.

Later in the day, I took a drive along the carriage roads. Unlike those built by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. at Acadia National Park, these roads can be used by motorized vehicles.

According to one of the brochures, very little of the forest cover from the Roosevelt era has survived in the 2800 acre park. Apparently, the interim owners (after the Roosevelt family sold the land and before the park was established) logged the island for pulpwood. The area has been allowed to regenerate. I saw very few large trees on my drive through the forests.

The Herring Cove Provincial Park borders the Roosevelt Campobello International Park. We stayed at the Herring Cove Campground, which was quite nice and reasonably priced. The two parks take up roughly the first third to almost half of Campobello Island. The rest of the island is privately owned by the 1100 or so residents.