We have once again decided to return to civilization. We realized yesterday that August is almost half over and we still want to see some of the coast of Maine as well as New Hampshire and Vermont then move into up state New York to visit niece, nephew, and grand-nephew, then on to Pennsylvania to visit family (some alive and some dead) and then on to Virginia to see sister. We want to do all that and more and still get home before too much snow flies. Therefore we made the hard decision to come back to civilization where we have to contend with road noise and people. We have had a wonderful time in the back country of Maine where we have been very much "off the grid" and away from the worries of the world. We are probably back now for some time and my posts will become more frequent. Hope you enjoy this one that should almost catch you up with our doings. I will make another post tomorrow to share what we did yesterday and today. Thank you for reading!
10 August 2013 - Scraggly Lake
Well, Trox did it again. We left Millinocket yesterday morning heading for a camp ground in Shin Pond Village. It was supposed to rain last night and we thought it might be nice to have hookups during the rain. When we got there neither of us were real excited about the place and the day was young so he suggested we push on and try to get to Scraggly Lake. It was still early enough that if we couldn't get there or if it was yucky we could come back to Shin Pond for the night. When we arrived at Scraggly Lake it was wonderful and there was a site or two to pick from at the camping area which is adjacent to the boat dock. We picked one back in the trees and kind of isolated from the others (there are only 4 or 5) and settled in. I went for a paddle and when I got back Trox went for one also. It had just started raining when Trox left and it never quit until about midnight sometimes raining VERY hard. We were glad to be in an RV and not a tent. This morning the sun is trying to stay out. Predictions are some rain but by afternoon to be clear and sunny for a few days. We have a great site where we can put the boat in the water and are protected by lots of trees.
When I went paddling I found a flock of Common Loons - I counted at least 10. They let me get pretty close. On our way in here we kept seeing a bird that was obviously a raptor of some kind and very big. It has a white head but doesn't look like a bald eagle. He spotted it on his paddle and got a picture. It may be a young bald. This morning Trox is off on his bike looking for raspberries or blue berries.
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| I counted up to 10 Common Loons in this flock |
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| The sky was very overcast and the body of this loon almost blends with the water |
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| Same group with camp area in view |
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| Common Merganser |
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| Lots of Frogs around! |
13 August 2013 - Hay Lake
I have lots of pictures from Scraggly Lake and am just getting around to updating all of this now. We spent three nights at Scraggly and just left yesterday morning in search of our next destination. The weather never really got super nice while we were there and the main part of the lake stayed very choppy until the last evening we were there. We both got lots of paddling done but some of it was in VERY choppy water. Trox got in some hikes and bike rides also. And of course he managed to find a patch of raspberries that were just waiting to be picked - so he did.
One day his bike ride/hike took him up to the top of Owl's Head which is a big "hill" overlooking the lake.
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| Common Merganser The water splashing is not due to the birds but the chop - like I said, it was rough |
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| Cool looking fungus of some kind | |
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| From Owl's Head looking southwest towards camp site. You can see the camp site at the water's edge in notch near center of picture |
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| From Owl's Head looking north towards islands. There is a long low peninsula in this area that blocks off an area called the 'Back Parlor' |
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| Another Common Loon |
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| Common Merganser They have a narrow bill (orange) with a hooked upper mandible that has saw like teeth along the edges specialized to catch slippery fish. |
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| Yellow-Rumped Warbler |
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| Trail head sign for Owl's Head This trail starts at the water's edge and is accessible via kayak or other boat There are other trails you can reach by foot |
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| The frogs come in all different colors! | |
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| The elusive King Fisher! Trox has tried and tried to photograph a King Fisher and finally succeeded! To see this little guy you will have to zoom in on the pictures | ||
| Impressive synchronized swimming |
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| Yellow-rumped Warbler |
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| This little guy was showing his teeth! Not sure whether he was pissed or smiling for the camera |
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| Fish in the water |
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| This guy was really cool. He could stretch out to be long and narrow or shrink so he was fat and short. He is black with a row of reddish marks along his back. We found out later he is a blood sucker - a leech |
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| Common Merganser | |
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| Momma and calf |
13 August 2013 - Along the East Branch of the Penobscot River
We have been skirting the Baxter State Park. I posted some pictures of the west side of the park where Trox hiked in one day. We also visited the south end, near Millinocket, and we are currently parked just outside the northeast entrance along the East Branch of the Penobscot River which comes off the Great Matagamon Lake. We spent last night at Hay Lake and had an early dinner and then both of us got a nice after-dinner-paddle. This morning we got up to an absolutely flat lake covered with fog. Trox went paddling while the fog was still clinging to the water and manged to paddle the perimeter of the lake - almost 7 miles. When he got back I went for a short (less than 2 miles) paddle and then we set off for the area we are in. We are staying at a campground and have a nice site right along the river. We are planning on spending some time paddling the Great Matagamon Lake but it has been raining since we got here.
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| An island I spotted on my evening paddle |
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| Trox pushing away early this morning The fog is blocking the trees at the far end of the lake. |
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| Merlin's parking spot from land The fog has lifted and now you can see the trees at the end of the lake. |
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| Merlin's parking spot from water |
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| A lily pad on my morning paddle |
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| The rules at Baxter that prevent us from entering. We are an inch or two too wide; a foot or so too high; and a bunch of feet too long |
| I close this post with a video that isn't worth watching but listen to the sounds - they are wonderful! |
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