Photos from our Road trip through New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine

My wife and I recently returned from three weeks in New England, and it was simply amazing to tour New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine! I have been to New York's Upstate and Finger Lakes regions several times, but it was the first time either of us had visited those other states.

We came home blown away by the beauty we saw. Every time we crossed a state line we were surprised with more natural sights that took our breath away.

And coastal Maine was the icing on the cake. What a wonderful and gorgeous area!

New York

While not technically part of New England, we we began the trip by driving 1,400 miles to Elmira, N.Y., so I could show my wife Yvette (whom I affectionately have dubbed My Trusty Assistant, or MTA for short) what I really believe is the most amazing waterfall in the United States: Watkins Glen's Rainbow Falls.

Watkins Glen State Park is literally packed with waterfalls, although Rainbow Falls is the jewel in the crown of the little park.

I already have shot this wonderful park, and by the time we arrived it was packed with people. So I didn't spend a lot of time shooting, but you can see all my Watkins Glen prints here!

Rain was threatening, so we decided to head on to Lake Champlain where I was scheduled to photograph a Bassmaster Elite Series event starting the following day. On the way, however, we passed within minutes of Ithaca Falls, which I had never seen.

So we detoured and made the short hike to the amazing waterfall - just before the rains began.

I loved this waterfall, which towers over the lower portion of Fall Creek and has nice tiers on the way down. I used my Lee Filters to slow down my shutter speed and darken the skies a bit, and the resulting print is just wonderful!

We drove through rain the rest of the way to Lake Champlain (which shares border with the genuine New England state of Vermont), and I spent the next four days shooting bass-fishing photos for Bassmaster. However, I did get up early on the final day of the event and drive to the Lake Champlain shore for a sunrise over Vermont and New York, and it was a gorgeous one!

I used some sailboats as the foreground elements for what turned out to be a colorful sunrise. I was working from a floating dock, which did make it challenging. I simply increased my shutter speed to offset the movement of the dock, and used a Lee Filters .9 soft grad neutral density filter to darken the sky and balance out the overall exposure.

This print titled "Dawning Promise" really captures the essence of an Upstate New York sunrise.

You can browse my entire New York Collection by clicking here.

New England proper: Vermont

I had a couple of days to kill before I needed to be at the St. Lawrence River for a second New York Bassmaster Elite Series event, so MTA and I crossed into Vermont to begin our tour of New England. Man, what a beautiful area.

I had told some of my Bassmaster buddies I wasn't going to shoot any waterfalls for a few weeks (because I'm sort of obsessed with them), but it didn't take long for me to break that promise. Go figure!

We were passing through the quaint village of Vergennes, Vermont, when I saw a small sign that indicated there was a waterfall. I quickly made the turn and found a beautiful scene that included Vergennes Falls and the downtown area of the village. It was perfect!

The rest of our time in Vermont was spent driving through little Villages that looked as if they belong in Hallmark movies. It's just a wonderful state that harkens back to a time before big-box businesses took over. Almost every business is locally owned, which we just loved!

As we poked around I really focused my photographic attention on the amazing covered bridges for which New England is know. And there are 19th Century covered bridges everywhere in Vermont!

I still have prints to work up, but you can check out my growing Covered Bridges Collection by clicking here!

New Hampshire

After another four-day Bassmaster Elite Series assignment, my wife and I headed east again with the ultimate goal being the coast of Maine. However, we decided to spend a night in New Hampshire before driving the scenic Kancamagus Highway on the way to Freeport, Maine.

It was a great decision! The Kancamagus Highway winds through the White Mountains National Forest, which offers eye candy wherever one looks. It's simply a stunning and diverse landscape that demanded stops along the way.

Lily Pond was one of our first stops along the beautiful Kancamagus Highway, and it was just stunning!

I'll be writing a separate blog on this beautiful drive, so be on the lookout for it. In the meantime, you can click here to view the growing Kancamagus Collection.

Maine

We finally arrived in Maine, which has been on my bucket list of years. We ate dinner with buddy and photographer Rick Berk that evening, and then the next morning headed to Portland Head Lighthouse, which was commissioned by George Washington,

When we walked to the overlook, my wife and both gasped. The scene was just amazing! Not only was there the beautiful lighthouse standing before us, the rugged Maine coast was more amazing than I had ever imagined. I couldn't wait to get down on the rocky ledge, which is exactly where Rick and headed.

I worked from a couple of angles as the Atlantic Ocean surged around the rocks, and have created a wonderful print showing this iconic New England Lighthouse. Click here to see the prints!

This stop whetted our appetite, so we were excited as we drove to Acadia National Park for a three-day stay. Now, Acadia has been at the top of my to-do list, so I was amped up when we arrived.

While my wife really wanted to just hang at the cottage and relax, I wanted to set up for sunset. Thankfully (at least for me), MTA easily caved and we headed out for Jordan Pond for what turned out to be a nice sunset that set the clouds above glowing.

We decided to sleep in the next morning (it had been a long two weeks) because the forecast was for thick clouds, meaning there was little chance of seeing a colorful sunrise. And that was the right decision: We awoke to dark, gloomy skies.

It didn't take long, however, for us to pack up and head to nearby Bass Harbor Head Light, another cool lighthouse.

While Yvette poked around the grounds, I found a faint trail down the rocky shore and set up for what turned out to be a great view of the old lighthouse. The clouds were perfect for a black-and-white treatment, and I simply love the final print!

The visit to Bass Harbor Head Light set the stage for some really great opportunities to photograph Acadia National Park. This public piece of property was way more than I every hoped, and we enjoyed every second of our visit.

One of the goals I had was to shoot at Boulder Beach during a sunrise, and I checked that off my list. This is a really interesting location, with the beach being composed of large, perfectly smooth boulders with the iconic Otter Cliffs in the background. Sunrise lights up the cliffs for what is just an amazing scene.

I used a Lee Filters Big Stopper neutral density filter and a .9 soft grad ND in combination with a polarizer to create a dreamy vision of Boulder Beach and Otter Cliffs as waves washed among those rocks. The final print, "Sunrise at Boulder Beach," is one of my favorites from Acadia NP!

"Sunrise at Boulder Beach" is one of my favorite prints from my time at Acadia National Park.

• Sunrise at Ocean Path
• Storm Over Otter Cliffs
• Ghost Waves at Schoodic Point
• Sunset at Bass Harbor Marsh

And one of the most popular photos from the trip came during the sunset at Bass Harbor Marsh. After I finished capturing the scene, looking toward the setting sun, I packed up my gear and drove across the bridge to head back to the cabin. Yvette and I looked the opposite direction and were greeted with an amazing scene: The moon was suspended in colorful, wispy clouds still being lighted by the sun over the marsh.

I quickly pulled over, grabbed my gear and ran - literally ran - to set up, knowing I only had moments before the magic would be over.

The resulting image was "Moon Over Bass Harbor Marsh," which has proven to be one of the most popular prints from the trip. In fact, I've sold a couple of versions of it!

These are just a few of the photos captured during my time in New England, and it's sparked a desire to go back to that wonderful region. It's been among my favorite road trips, and I've traveled all over the United States!

I am still working on new prints, but you can browse my entire New England Collection of prints by clicking here!