Traveling New England: POST #3

3 August 2013 - Allagash Gateway Campground on Ripogenus Lake
Well, we do have wifi when the generator is on - from 0700-0900 and 1700-2100 - but not enough umph to push pictures in order to update the blog. We are able to pick up our email though. Trox did a ride yesterday and discovered we are right next to state park. Not sure I mentioned earlier, but Maine has a passport stamp program similar to that of the National Parks but they go an extra step. For every 8 stamps you collect you get a prize. I have already gotten one prize for my first 8 and am working on my second 8. While he was out for his ride I went paddling but didn't get far. When I left the water was flat and the sky was blue but within 30 minutes I could hear rumblings and the sky was turning black so I headed back. I got back to the landing and had just pulled the kayak out of the water when it started to rain (again!).

This morning we got up and Trox went berry picking - blueberries this time - just right outside our door. He came back with more than plenty for this morning's pancakes. Once we had breakfast we donned our packs and walked about a mile to the state park - Penobscot River Corridor. I got my stamp and we wandered around the grounds. The park is primarily a water park so I may try to paddle over to their boat dock later today. Right now it is raining.

Just before I started back yesterday
because of the thunder.
Didn't stay this blue or calm for long!

Dragon Fly spotted on our walk this morning

View from boat launch at a state park
I think the peak just to the center
way in the back ground is Double Top

Just in case you were wondering
if it gets cold here in the winter

A monument to the Woodsmen

A female purple finch
spotted at the park

Now this is a first!
A heated Dunny!

04 August 2013 - Harrington Lake
The weather never got nice enough yesterday to paddle so Trox and I spent the rest of the day just wandering around the camp area. Someone responsible for the campground had a great sense of humor. The current owners keep the birds well fed and we enjoyed watching the antics of the birds around the feeders.


Red Breasted Nuthatch babies wanting to be fed!

This is one fat Purple Finch!

These little guys are all over the place
Eastern Chipmunk



American GoldFinch Females on top row; males on bottom


Dunnies with decorations and cute names and a propane powered telephone! NOT!

We left Allagash Gateway Campground this morning and drove about 22 miles to a campsite on Harrington Lake. The company that owns most of the dams in this area - Brookfield - have little campgrounds around and about. This is the third or fourth one we've stayed at that they own. The nicest and most developed was at Indian Pond. The others have just been sites in the woods along water. We don't know if anyone will come by and collect a fee later or not but if they do it will be $6.00/nite/person. They all have been well maintained and clean and have pit toilets that are acceptable.

Have I mentioned that all the roads in this area are dirt. They are owned and maintained by the logging and paper companies. On the map they are clearly marked private. We have been surprised at how well they are maintained and are well enough covered with some kind of base that we haven't worried about driving them when wet. On our "long" drive to this new camp site we crossed the Ripogenus Gorge. This is supposedly a class I-V rapids gorge and the rafters love it!

Rafters spotted on the Ripogenus Gorge

6 August 2013 - North end Harrington Lake
OMG! SUNSHINE! THE SUN IS SHINING! It has been wet and dreary for three days and this morning we woke up to SUNSHINE! YES! It is Tuesday and we arrived at our current camp on Sunday afternoon. We are about 100 feet from Harrington Lake although the area we are camped on is very swampy. As soon as we set up camp Trox took off for a ride. He found his way to another pond and managed to get some birding in!

Our launch site just up from campsite

Common Buckeye Butterfly
spotted on edge of campsite

Duck Pond
Trox got here on his ride

Canada Geese at Duck Pond

Yesterday was dreary and it kept raining and stopping and raining and stopping and you get the idea. We ended up spending most of the day near the camp. We did take a short walk and did some birding and checked out another campsite but that was about it. By late in the day both of us were getting a pretty good case of camp fever and so Trox took off padding despite the threatening sky. He did about 10 miles and said coming home was a challenge with small white caps and a head wind. But he felt his trip was well worth it. He got to see a bull moose and got some really great pics! He also got to see a bald eagle.


Red Cross Bills in the road on the walk

launching through the swamp

Bald Eagle

Great Blue Heron


Bull Moose - note the white caps!

That was yesterday and like I said, today the sun is shining. We got up and had breakfast and I headed out in the kayak! In the sunshine! Launching through the swamp was okay but coming back I got lost in the jungle! THAT was a challenge.

Blue sky makes for blue water!

Common Tern
Man, was I jazzed over this picture!
I actually got to photograph this guy before Trox!

lost in the dead snags
NOT fun!

Our campsite near Harrington Lake


A neighbor pulled in late last night

When I got back Trox had hot water waiting for me and I got a bath - oh, that felt so good! Then Trox took off on his bike to check out another pond. He just got back and we are breaking camp and moving. He says that we can get in on the road and that the pond is really nice and there are MOOSE! It is also really close to Baxter State Park which is a wilderness area that we can't drive into with Merlin. He took some pics so I could see where we'e going!