My midway trip report was lost in the hard drive failure, so I'll recap some of my trip again.

Cape Cod was pretty much a bust from a photographic standpoint (2 sheets of film were exposed) because of weather. Rain and/or high winds were it for the two days we were there. Plus, unexpectedly, access to the National Seashore was harder than expected with actual locked fences at a couple of the access points we tried. Provincetown was a wet and soggy place so we spent most of our time in art galleries. We stayed at a nice B&B (The Parsonage Inn) in Orleans owned by a great British couple. It was purchased and remodeled by them last spring. A very comfortable place with wonderful breakfasts that weren't overly culinary. A great combination deli, bakery and food store right across the street. Lots of good restaurants close by, many within walking distance.

The weather turned beautiful for our drive to Acadia and continued so for the three full days we had there. We stayed at the Asgarth Station in Bar Harbor which we liked, but we had to change rooms twice during our 4 nights there. Jane and Steve were great, although if we stay there again, we will ask for simpler breakfasts.

Being unfamiliar with the closed park, I had a very difficult time getting photographs. We were early for fall color on Mount Desert Island which appeared to be gearing up for a rather poor show this year.

The first two days, I would hike a half-mile, a mile or two several times only to end up where light was bad or the views were uninspiring. I did a hike to Jordan Pond and managed to shoot a couple of sheets along the way, but I was not motivated to walk around a rather difficult trail looking for possibilities at the lake. By 2 PM on the second day after starting with photographing the Bass Harbor Lighthouse at 8am, I was exhausted and frustrated and called it quits. Day three, my wife and I decided to quit trying to fight the park closure and enjoy it. We rented bicycles and rode around the car-free, 27 mile park loop. We also did it the wrong way because we could. We had a great time. It was a bicyclist's dream and a few were taking advantage. When else would we have a chance to ride around a national park with no cars?

Anyway, my wife and I will return when we can spend two or three weeks in the area and really have a chance to figure out places and light. Three full days just wasn't enough especially with the difficulties in getting around for quick site inspections. We should have eliminated the Cape Cod portion of the trip.

The drive home thru western Mass and New York was absolutely beautiful and in full autumn dress! We didn't stop anywhere to try to make photographs because we had two rather exhausting 11-hour driving days to get home. We had a day in between to visit a cousin in Ithica, NY and get a quick tour of the rather spectacular waterfalls and canyons in town as well as a walk on the beautiful campus of Cornell University. Alas, no time for LF photography.

I only exposed 12 sheets of film (I took 40 with me). I'll post a pic or two if I got anything worth while. The C-41 and E6 is off to Dodge Chrome and I'll start developing my B&W today.