Cape Elizabeth Summary (Oct. 8)

The trip to Cape Elizabeth in southern Maine was by far the shortest journey so far. Nevertheless, not once was there a lack of beauty or interest. Amanda, Rob, Nicole, Liz, and I traveled a couple of hours south on the interstate until reaching Portland. It was our first time in a large city for quite some time, so naturally the excitement level rose immediately. We soon left much of the tall buildings and shopping centers behind, however, as we approached Cape Elizabeth. Our first destination was the "Portland Head Light." Shortly after parking, the gorgeous lighthouse came into view. Even though the sunshine was not in our favor, the coast was still as breathtaking as ever.

After spending a few moments admiring the lighthouse and browsing the gift shop, we headed out on a small trail along the edge of the coastline. The simple trail naturally wasn't satisfying to us, so we often found ourselves scurrying across rocks and making our way down to the water before continuing. We, obviously not thinking, hadn't brought hiking shoes; thus making the steep and slippery rocks an interesting challenge.

We continued our trek down the scenic trail, encountering the remains of old military buildings. However, these images weren't rare in my eyes, as I often visited a similar park just 20 minutes from my hometown. Nevertheless, I found the public accessibility to be quite interesting, especially as I entered one of the old concrete buildings used to accommodate large defense weapons during World War II.

We finished our small hike at a small beach, where we came across a small rock tower built by visitors of the park. After walking along the soft sand, giving our feet a break from the jagged rocks, we headed back to the car to drive to our next location.

We reached the second lighthouse only 15 minutes later. However, unlike our previous stop, this park lacked any interesting trails that we could see. Regardless, we walked out onto the edges of the cove. The rocks here were a little trickier to cross, but their characteristics were significantly more interesting. They seemed to crack and crumble in large flakes, and when they were crushed further they resembled wood chips. At some points they were quite high off the ground, making for an interesting walk. Unfortunately, a thick fog began to roll in quickly, cutting our trip short. Nevertheless, our trip to Cape Elizabeth had been a relaxing and successful one.

I would recommend Cape Elizabeth and the Portland Head Light to families and nature photographers for the following reasons:

• Parking is cheap, if not free.
• There are plenty of scenic places to have a picnic.
• The trails are easy, making for a fun walk with the children.
• The local history makes for a good educational experience.
• The various sights and abstract rocks make for interesting photography.
• The atmosphere of the town is friendly.
• It's an interesting location for a relaxing day away from home.