We spent a couple of days in Maine before heading to Vermont.    For me the highlight of Maine is always the ocean.   We really enjoy walking on the beaches and the scenery of the majestic Atlantic Ocean.   Along the famous rockbound coast of Maine are lighthouses, beaches, fishing villages and thousands of offshore islands.   Maine is the least densely populated U.S. state east of the Mississippi and is called the Pine Tree State as nearly 90% of its land is forested.  

Our early morning walk on the beach.  It was a very stormy looking morning,  however the rain held off.

Katie in her play position.  As soon as Maggie gets close enough, Katie pounces.   

Some interesting rock formations on the Old Orchard Beach in Saco, Maine.

Portland Head Lighthouse,  Cape Elizabeth Maine established in 1791.  Portland Head Light  is the oldest lighthouse in the state of Maine.  The light station is now automated and the tower, beacon and foghorn are maintained by the United States Coast Guard.  The former lighthouse keepers' house is now a maritime museum within Fort Williams Park.  

There is a beautiful walking trail  along  the coast overlooking Casco Bay.   

While driving along the scenic highway 100 near Stowe,  Vermont  we took a detour to  Moss Glen Falls.  As you can see many of the leaves were already off the trees.

A close up of some of some of the rocks.

The next day we spent more time near Stowe.  We found some smaller falls on route 108 in between  Smuggler's Notch and  Stowe.  There was another photography workshop going on so I figured it must be a good place to stop.  I spent some time chatting to a couple of the photographers and just as they were leaving someone came running up to me to say hello.  It turns out we were both on  the Monument Valley workshop in the fall of 2011 and she had spotted me from the car.  It really is a small world!  

A close up view of the water and leaves.

The colours were quite pretty even without the reds.

Stowe has this beautiful new hotel called the Stowe Mountain Lodge.  We stopped to take a look and I took this shot from the parking lot which looks up at Mount Mansfield.  You can see the ski trails in the distance even though it was foggy on top.  

"The Road not Taken".  We went for a walk in the Robert Frost Farm in Ripton, Vermont.  This is where Robert Frost lived and wrote in the summer and fall months from 1939 until he died in 1963.  

Stowe, Vermont.

Photographed in Vermont on the way back to Toronto.