Night on the Rockland Breakwater

As much as I enjoy walking the mile out over these giant blocks of granite in daytime, doing this at night was an experience I won’t soon forget. The first difference you notice is that sounds that are in the background during the day suddenly come to life at night. Waves wash along and slosh within the blocks with a raucous noise. Smell, too, comes on stronger. The scent of saltwater mixes with the warm aroma of spring green blowing off the land. Light from Rockland that seemed dim and far away gradually brightens as your eyes adjust to the dark. You watch them reflect on the water, and soon you see many more stars in the sky above, as well. The lighthouse, small and dim, always seems far away, but by the last 100 yards, it suddenly starts to grow larger and looms suddenly overhead. That’s when it all becomes clear. No longer distracted by the push of forward progress, you let all smells, sounds, feelings, and sights wash over you. You are in the moment, and there’s no where else you would rather be than out on this long line of rocks in the middle of the ocean, in the middle of the night, with a sky full of stars and not a soul around.

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Filename: Rockland Breakwater at Night.jpg
Copyright: Benjamin Williamson
Image Size: 3802x5323 / 25.7MB; Astronomy Astrophotography Coast Coast of Maine Dark Gifts Image Landscape Lighthouse ME Maine Maine Art Maine Gifts Maine Landscape Photography Maine Photography Maine Scenic Photography Milky Way New England Night Night Photography Night Sky Ocean Photography Prints Rockland Scenery Scenic USA breakwater
Contained in galleries: Favorites, Archive

As much as I enjoy walking the mile out over these giant blocks of granite in daytime, doing this at night was an experience I won’t soon forget. The first difference you notice is that sounds that are in the background during the day suddenly come to life at night. Waves wash along and slosh within the blocks with a raucous noise. Smell, too, comes on stronger. The scent of saltwater mixes with the warm aroma of spring green blowing off the land. Light from Rockland that seemed dim and far away gradually brightens as your eyes adjust to the dark. You watch them reflect on the water, and soon you see many more stars in the sky above, as well. The lighthouse, small and dim, always seems far away, but by the last 100 yards, it suddenly starts to grow larger and looms suddenly overhead. That’s when it all becomes clear. No longer distracted by the push of forward progress, you let all smells, sounds, feelings, and sights wash over you. You are in the moment, and there’s no where else you would rather be than out on this long line of rocks in the middle of the ocean, in the middle of the night, with a sky full of stars and not a soul around.