Daytrip to Orr's & Bailey Island
You learn to love the distance between peninsulas. A ten-minute boat ride from tip to tip can take hours in the car. This landscape forces us to slow down and explore one arm at a time.
We always look forward to days where we pick a peninsula to wander down, stopping only when we feel compelled. For this daytrip, we left Portland on a drizzly afternoon and headed to Orr’s and Bailey Island. While we only had a handful of hours before the daylight disappeared, we soaked in (literally) all that we could find left of the late foliage.
We left the city without much of a plan, eager to see where the roads would take us. We hopped on Route 1 before veering down Route 24 with Orr’s and Bailey Island in sight. We caught reflections of the beautiful burnt orange oak leaves reflecting against the high tide and swerved off the road to snap some photos. The mist in the air made for low contrast, but the essence of the changing seasons was not lost in the photos.
Next, we decided to scoot down to Land’s End, the southernmost point on Bailey Island and work our way back from there. What was a light drizzle on the mainland was much more like a heavy fog with aggressive seas assaulting the rugged granite coast.
Further up the road, we stopped for a shot of the iconic fishing shack, adorned with lobster buoys and a charming red trim. On a clear day, you can see many lobster boats, lined up for their next trip to sea. Since we couldn’t get a great view of the harbor through the fog, we made our way up to the mouth to get some last shots before the light faded.
With our appetites growing, we waved goodbye to Harpswell, picking up some takeout in Brunswick to enjoy back at home. Even though we only had a few hours to explore, we still love the ease of access to places that just feel "out there", and can offer an escape or an adventure when one is needed.
