As the sun sets on this dramatic landscape, locally known as the top of the world, the first day of winter has begun. On the shortest day of the year in Houlton, Maine, the sun begins to set at 3:30 in the afternoon.
     Maine can be compared as a land of extremes. Summer days can extend for 16 hours. Wintertime temperatures can dip to minus 30 degrees, and contrasting summertime highs can reach the 90s. Tides can fluctuate 20 feet along the coast. A half hour's drive from Portland takes visitors to the Desert of Maine, a 40 acre sand dune. This desert is in great contrast to the state's nickname, The Pine Tree State.