06/21/2026
Inspired by a stunning Milky Way and lupine field image from Wanderland Photographic, I went in search of my own little lupine patch along one of my favorite stretches of road in Maine, which is Rt16 between Rangeley and into Errol, NH. It is part of a much bigger Western Maine loop I do every fall. From Bethel to Grafton Notch, into NH to Errol, then back into Maine to Rangeley, through Height of Land, Roxbury, Rumford, then back into Bethel. During peak fall colors, I do believe it is one of the most stunning drives in Maine.
Anyhow, back to lupines. Or so I thought. Rt16 is also home to some of the darkest skies in Maine, and I have spent many a nights along this stretch photographing the Milky Way. There was one side road that is a favorite of mine to take in some vistas during fall, with lot of fields prime for lupine. I booked a tent site in a campsite right next to this road, got there early in the afternoon to set up camp, then set out to explore Milky Way options. Just as I was coming to the end of this particular dirt road, with no lupine in site yet, I rounded a corner and came across a wild patch of Irises! I screamed right out load, to myself and the universe, and knew that I had found what I was looking for. It just wasn't lupines. :)
