Saturday wanders

There was an autumn chill in the air, but the sun was shining. It was a good day for wandering.

I headed into the southwestern corner of Maine, starting with a walk in the Saco Heath. My footsteps took me through woods to start, then along a very long boardwalk over peat bogs, back to woods, and then... repeat. Luckily once I was a bit into the woods the ground was (mostly) dry because at one point I just needed to lay on my back to look up at the trees towering over me, to try to catch a photo.

Saco Heath has become a favorite spot for me, and yet... I still haven't seen it in bloom in the springtime. I need to leave myself a reminder to be sure to pop up there in May, with hopes of seeing some color.

I moved a little further south, stopping at the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve. This was a first time visit for me to a place that jumped out when I did a quick search for places to walk in south coastal Maine.

As I started down the Knight Trail, heading toward the water, I could hear a distant crashing sound. I was a good half mile from the coast at that point in time. The sound? It was the waves crashing against the shore. I suppose the ocean was preparing for today's nor'easter, practicing crashing. I walked to Laudholm Beach, then followed the shore around to an estuary, stepping on what I thought was solid sand but in fact was a very wet and soft surface. Oops! I backed out of that area quickly, absorbed the scenery for a while, then headed back the way I came. There is another trail that I should have been able to follow back, but I wasn't sure where the trailhead was from the beach. The next time I go there - and yes, I believe there will be many "next times" - I think I'll follow the Laird-Norton trail so I can see where the beach entry point lives.

Two wandering places, sunshine, wind, a bit of a chill in the air, absolute beauty. It was a great way to spend a day.