2015 Winter of Snow

Nature Center Entrance

If the winter of 2014/2015 hasn't restored faith for outdoor winter sports enthusiasts, they must be locked in a cave.  Okay, it has admittedly been a bit cold, but the snow is first rate.  Rather than past years when storms started as snow, changed over to rain, and then then froze solid a couple days later, this winter has dumped one plowable snowstorm after another with perfectly textured snow.  Much of this snow has accumulated along the Maine coast, thus providing some exceptional skiing opportunities in places that don't always get enough snow for winter fun.

We took this opportunity to head for the Midcoast region of Maine and Hidden Valley Nature Center.  Located just west of Route 215 on Egypt Road in Jefferson, this center lives up to its name.  Rather than pyramids or deserts along this winding side road a half-mile from Route 215, we discovered several small parking areas plowed out and lined with roof-rack-topped SUVs.  The 8 to 10-foot-tall snowbanks were a good indication that the skiing was going to be phenomenal - and it was.

Nature Center Gatehouse

We clicked into our skis and started off down the trail.  About a couple hundred feet in, we came to a small wooden gatehouse with a sign prompting us to sign in and drop the $5 per person usage fee donation into the lock box.  After dropping our cash and studying the map, we were off to explore the pleasantly groomed trail network. 

It's easy to see why their brochure claims that this is "A Gem of Wilderness in Midcoast Maine."  The center encompasses about 1,000 acres of land and nearly 30 miles of multi-use trails.  Not only is it open for cross country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter, but in the summer there's a bog walk and vast network of nature trails in addition to three cabins and several campsites for overnight stays.  All of this less than 10 miles from bustling Route 1.

This part of the state boasts rolling hills covered with both hard wood and soft wood.  Along many of the meandering roads stand 100-year-old farmhouses and white clapboard villages.  As someone who grew up in Vermont, I find that this part of Maine reminds me a lot of the  Green Mountain State.   But back to the skiing.

The groomed trails were wide enough for people to pass one another in each direction.  One of the first people we crossed paths with was Andy McAvoy, the director of the center who introduced himself and asked if we'd been there before.  We chatted a bit before he set off with his dog to continue his rounds on the trails. 

The trail signage was pretty good, save a couple of intersections, so the trails were easy to follow and the rolling hill through the well-spaced trees provided enough variety to make the skiing fun and interesting.  We found ourselves going on the flats for a bit, then climbing a short little hill followed by a gentle downhill.  Granted we stuck to the easy and moderate trails, so we didn't come across anything overly challenging.

A building called The Barn acted as the lodge.  Inside this brand new building, a fire crackled in the wood stove around which members and other skiers socialized.  Just outside the front door was an extra wide trail that was the primary north-south route with offshoots to all the other trails.

During our short visit, we only covered a fraction of the trails, but one could probably spend a day exploring this beautiful area.

We left Hidden Valley Nature Center happy to discover this precious gem and promising to return at some point down the road.

The main drag.  Kidney Pond Trail looking towards Bowl Loop.

Warming by the fire.

Red River Camps

Main Lodge at Red River Camps

For our summer vacation this year, Bethany and I decided to relive memorable experiences we had in 2001 and 2002 - a trip to Red River Camps (RRC).  RRC is a remote sporting camp located in the Deboullie Public Reserved Land in T15, R9.  For those of you not familiar with what T15, R9 is, it stands for Township 15, Range 9 and it's an unorganized township in northern Maine about 20 miles from the Canadian border.

In 2001, Bethany and I and our Golden Retriever Bud visited RRC for the first time.  We stayed in the Island Cabin.  Yes, it is on an island and the only access is via canoe from the dock at the main lodge, unless you are a good swimmer, then I suppose you could do your best Michael Phelps impersonation to get there.  The second year, we stayed in Upper on the mainland, for two reasons.  One, it was more convenient than having to paddle back to shore every time you wanted to go anywhere and two, it was also the year Bethany was pregnant with Ashton.

These experiences have stuck with us since we first visited, and many times over the years we kept saying we were going to go back.  Well, this year we did and we brought Ashton who is now 11 and Nickel, our 4-year-old Golden.  Once again we stayed in Upper because we like this cabin with its bunkroom and full kitchen.  Plus it was convenient to walk down to the dock and dive into the pond to cool off anytime we wanted - something we did a lot during our visit.

From the L/A area (that's Maine lingo for Lewiston/Auburn Area), it took about 6 hours to drive to RRC with periodic bathroom breaks for us and the dog.  We drove I-95 to Sherman, to Route 11 North to Portage. Then we took a left at Dean's Motor Lodge and drove about 4 miles to the Fish River Checkpoint where you have to check in and pay a fee to access the North Maine Woods.  The fee was $50 and it is a usage fee to travel through paper company land.

The North Maine Woods is about 3.5 million acres of working forest land.  It is primarily owned by paper companies so there are rules of the road to remember when traveling across their property.  The most important rule is that the logging trucks have the right of way, so when you seen them coming, pull over and let them pass.  

View up the hill to Upper (on right) and Denny (on Left).

The camp sits on the shore of Island Pond and includes the main lodge and eight cabins built from hand-hewn logs.  Some of the cabins date back to 1886.  The cabins all have different shapes and sizes and different setups, but they all have hot and cold running water, propane lights and woodstoves for those cooler nights, if you happen to be there in the shoulder seasons.     

Fortunately for us, we were there in the peak of summer.  The temperatures were in the 80s and we had a constant breeze that kept the air circulating both inside and outside the cabin.  Our first order of business was to check in with Jen Brophy, the owner, she's the daughter of Mike Brophy who ran the camps when we first visited back in 2001 & 2002.  Then it was down to the dock for a swim in the pond.

Pushineer Pond Boat Launch with Deboullie Mtn. in Background

After supper we strolled down around the corner to Pushineer Pond.  Years ago when we first visited, if you wanted to drive the road around Pushineer and over to Deboullie Lake and the trail head for Deboullie Mountain, you had to drive through the Red River which begins as an outlet to Pushineer Pond.  A few years ago the State built a bridge, so the crossing went from precarious to smooth sailing.

 

The next day, our goal was to visit the "Ice Cave" and summit Deboullie Mountain.   It was hot, but there was a breeze, so we doused ourselves in DEET and drove to the trail head.  Even with the bug spray, the mosquitoes and deer flies practiced their dive bombing skills and kept buzzing by our ears just to let us know to keep our guard up. 

Looking west across Deboullie Lake to Gardner Mtn.

Looking east across Deboullie towards Pushineer Pond

Water break in the "Bug Free Zone"

The trail is about a 2.5 mile hike through the woods, across the rock slide and practically straight up the mountain.  The wooded path follows the shoreline of Deboullie Lake for about a mile and a half.  It crosses the rock slide at about the mile and a half mark.  Besides the views, the rock slide was a "bug free zone" so we savored that moment before delving back into the forest and up the mountainside.

When I say up the mountainside, this is no exaggeration.  From the lake to the summit is a strenuous hike for nearly a mile.  I have to give my family credit (including Nickel) for persevering and making it to the top.  At the summit, I was the only one to brave the climb up into the fire tower.  It was straight up and the breeze was pretty brisk, but the views from atop the tower were beautiful.  For me, the view of the vast expanse of green wooded mountains and sparkling lakes was well worth the trip.

View of Gardner Pond from the fire tower

View of Deboullie with Black to left and Pushineer to Right

Ashton attempting the tower climb

The descent was less strenuous, but the bugs were a bit more annoying, probably because we were all sweating and the bug spray was wearing off.  At the foot of the mountain, it didn't take Nickel  much coaxing to cool his paws in the lake.  He just walked into the water and stood there, something I probably would have done if I had a change of clothes with me.

Nickel cooling down at the foot of the mountain

Ashton cooling off by the ice caves

We stopped by the ice caves and let the cool draft cool our heals a bit before heading back to camp.  Even on July 1st with temperatures in the 80s, there was ice in the caves.  We're told it's a great place to keep a bottle of water you can enjoy on the return hike from the mountain.  Too bad we didn't take that advice.  We were stuck with the warm water that went up and down the mountain with us.

When we returned to camp, it didn't take us long to shed our hiking gear and dive into the refreshing pond.  The water temperature was cool, but not cold, so we spent a good amount of time in the water during our stay.

Up to this point we had stayed in Red River Camps and drove across the Red River to go hiking, so it was only appropriate that we played in Red River Falls for a bit.  A few hundred yards down the road from the camps was Red River Falls.  It isn't a swimming hole, but you can wade in the river and sit in the falls as is evidenced by the photos below.

Ashton at Red River Falls

Steve cooling off

Surrounded by the raging river (Ok, raging may be an exaggeration)

Later in the day Bethany and I did some paddling around Island Pond.  When we paddled away from the shore, Nickel (who won't let Bethany out of his site for a minute) took off through the woods trying to catch us on land while we paddled across the pond.  He seemed determined not to let Bethany out of his site.  When we got back from our paddle we learned that Ashton, running barefoot through the woods, and Gloria, one of our Red River hosts, had to trudge through the woods to catch him.

On our final night, we took a drive by the other lakes in the area, commenting on which campsites were the best.  The waterfront ones always ranked high.  Then, after three nights, we packed up the car and headed home, happy we had the opportunity to introduce our son to this special place.   

Red River is a wonderful place where you can escape the daily routine and experience the North Maine Woods in a rustic log cabin, but with basic amenities.  You can let your everyday stresses melt away and just take in the peacefulness and beauty of your surroundings.  Take a dip in the pond.  Listen to the wind rustling the tree leaves or the woodpecker tapping out its own form of Morse Code in a nearby tree.  Read a book on the porch.  Go out at night and look up into the vast universe to see stars you haven't seen before.  These are some of the simple things that made for a memorable vacation.

Parting pictures:

The garden in front of the Galilee cabin

Sunset at Red River Camps

Boathouse reflection in placid Island Pond

Imagine jumping into the cool lake from the end of this dock

Ashton and his stuffed animal entourage settled in on the top bunk

View of Main Lodge from the Boathouse

Bethany, Ashton and Nickel on the steps of Upper

Steve and Ashton on the porch of Upper

Maine Town Shorts

Sunset on Route 9 (The Airline) in Wesley, Maine

One of the advantages of working for a state tourism office is having the opportunity to travel around the state.  I'd like to share a few images and comments from my excursions for three weeks in May 2014.

Sculpture at UMaine Machias

Machias
On the campus of the University of Maine at Machias stands a  sculpture called the "Islands of Maine" placed here during a rather unique event that takes place in Maine every other year.  It is a stunning reminder of the 2009 Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium.  This fascinating event brings in artists from throughout the world every two years to produced sculptures that are then permanently placed in Downeast Maine communities.  A sculpture trail map is available on the Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium's web site.  The trail map is your guide to a kind of sculpture scavenger hunt through the communities of Washington and Hancock Counties.

While in Machias, we had breakfast at the iconic Helen's Restaurant right on Route 1.  It is one of those places with home cooking including renowned blueberry pies.

Machias also happens to be the home of the Burnham Tavern where a group of citizens and Veterans of the French and Indian War plotted to kill the captain of the British vessel that was anchored in the harbor, forcing them to provide wood for British soldiers' barracks in the Boston area.  The townspeople eventually chased the ship down the river in what is often referred to as the first naval battle of the American Revolution.

University of Maine Museum of Art in Bangor

Bangor
While Portland gets all the big national press about being a liveable city, a foodie city and many other kudos, The Queen City of Bangor is quietly working its way up the food chain to a point where it might soon rival Portland for some of these honors.  The American Folk Festival was the catalyst for the new waterfront concert series that now brings some big name entertainment to the banks of the Penobscot River.  Names like Snoop Dogg, Dave Matthews Band, Boston, Cheap Trick, Foreigner, ZZ Top, Brad Paisley,Willie Nelson and many others.

Franciscan Friars brew and sell their own beer

For a city that claims to be the hometown of Paul Bunyan, it has a lot more to offer than lumber (although it once was the lumber capital of the country).  There's a new contemporary vibe to the city as more and more restaurants pop up.  A lunch spot I recently discovered is Bagel Central on Central Street.  It's in a bright airy space with exposed brick walls, floor to ceiling windows and a large lunch selection.  I like the fact that I can walk from there to the Friars' Bakehouse a couple doors down for a tasty chocolate chip cookie and other fresh baked goods, not to mention their own craft beer.  Yes, we're talking about Franciscan Friars, who operate this small but popular bakery and lunch stop also on Central Street.

There's a great Children's Museum with three floors of interactive exhibits that my son thoroughly enjoyed when he was younger, and professional theater at the Penobscot Theatre Company in the Bangor Opera House, both on Main Street.  Just off I-395, flanked by an army tank on one side and helicopter on the other, is the Cole Transportation Museum. With its trucks, trains, cars, bikes and many other historic modes of transportation, I think it is a hidden gem.  Add to these, Hollywood Casino and the Cross Insurance Center, and you will see this is a thriving little city with lots to keep you occupied.  Next time you're in the area, don't pass it by.

The city common in Waterville

Waterville
The National Trust for Historic Preservation manages a program called The National Main Street Center and Waterville, Maine is one of the cities that has received this honor.  Waterville works hard to hold events that bring many people to the city.  Every year, on the first Wednesday in August, they close off part of Main Street for the Taste of Greater Waterville.  Many of the local restaurants offer up samplings of foods they serve.  It's a great time to bring the family out for food, live music and fun activities.

2 Cent Bridge in Waterville

The Maine International Film Festival is one of Waterville's premier events.  This annual event hits the screens in July, boasting 10 days, 100 films and 50 film makers.  Screenings typically take place at Railroad Square Cinema, the Waterville Opera House and other venues.    

If you're there, take a short walk across the 2 Cent Bridge.  It's a pedestrian footbridge that was built in 1901 as a short cut for workers in downtown Waterville to get to work at the mill across the river in Winslow.  It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, but don't worry, you no longer have to pay 2 cents to get across.

Art lovers should not miss Waterville.  The Colby College Museum of Art just underwent a multimillion dollar renovation making it the largest art museum in the state.  There is no admission, so there is no excuse not to visit.

Main Street in Belfast looking east towards the harbor

Belfast
Much like Bangor, Belfast is another up and coming little city.  Although not as big, it definitely has a lively downtown and funky vibe.

We stopped for lunch at the deli in the Belfast Co-op.  With homemade breads and other fresh, healthy foods, it is a tasty place to get a great meal and support local food producers.

It has all the usual downtown stores and restaurants, including the Colburn Shoe Store which claims to be the "Oldest Shoe Store in America," but with all the popular brands.  There's the Chocolate Drop Candy Shop offering sweet treats including ice cream to cool you down on a hot day, and the Marshall Wharf Brewing Company down on the waterfront.  While you can't buy their beer on site, you can purchase it next door at the 3Tides or up the road at the aforementioned Belfast Co-op.

In the 1800s, Belfast was a thriving shipbuilding community.  In the 1900s it became a prosperous port exporting things like hay, ice, apples and fertilizer.  Eventually poultry, sardine and potato processing plants crowded the waterfront and Belfast was called the Broiler Capital of the World.  In 2011 it became one of 10 nationally designated Main Street communities within the state of Maine.

Sculptures overlooking Rumford Falls

 Rumford
Although it is best known for the huge New Page paper mill, looming over the banks of the Androscoggin River, Rumford is starting to find new ways to attract more visitors.  Since the late 1800s the mill has been the lifeblood of the town, but if you slow down and take a little time to explore the town, you'll find a couple of tourist attractions as well.

On the north side of town is Black Mountain, a big, little ski mountain.  This community ski area has a vertical drop of more than 1,300 feet with a nice variety of trails for beginners and intermediate skiers.  Their ski school program is great for kids, I should know as my son took lessons there for three seasons, and their cross country ski facilities have held world-class events, including the U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships in 2011.  Even better is the price for a day ski ticket, just $15 last year.  Believe me, it is well worth the price.

Rumford Falls is the highest falls east of Niagara with a vertical drop of 176 feet.  By comparison, the American falls (Bridal Veil Falls) is 176 feet high and the Canadian Falls (Horseshoe Falls) is 167 feet, so a vertical of 176 feet in Rumford, Maine is pretty impressive.  Granted, the water flow is less magnificent, but it's still a pretty impressive statistic.  You can picnic at the park next to the river overlooking the falls while taking in the Native American sculptures produced by Eugene Boivin.

Ashton and Paul Bunyan in Rumford

If you stop to see the falls, you also have to get a selfie with the axe-wielding Paul Bunyan statue.  He stands right next to the info center near the falls.

Lots of places claim Paul Bunyan and I won't enter into a debate about where he originated, but in Maine you can view two statues of the famous lumberjack.  One in Bangor and one in Rumford.

There's also 49 Franklin, a reception hall and Mystic Theater run by Scot Grassette who also happens to be a magician.  Scot is part of a grassroots effort to raise awareness of the local arts in the Rumford area.  One of the programs he's trying to get up and running this summer is an outdoor art walk at Hosmer Field, the local recreation field in town.  The vision is to have people walk the paved path enjoying visual artists and performing artists along the way.  They're shooting for Sunday, August 17th, so check it out if you're in the area.



Well, that's all for now.  My family intends to explore more Maine towns and hidden gems throughout the state that perhaps I can share another time.

North Camps in Rangeley, Maine 2013

North Camps Rangeley, Maine

Typically at the end of August, the flow of arriving tourists to Maine begins to slow.  One reason is that school starts a bit earlier now.  When I was younger, school always started the day after Labor Day, but now kids are back at their desks at the end of August, making summer vacation just a little shorter.
 

3-Bedroom cottage at North Camps

Our last hoorah for the summer was a trip to North Camps in Rangeley, Maine.  My family was joined by my in-laws.   We rented a three-bedroom camp right on the north shore of beautiful Rangeley Lake.  As summer in Maine goes, the temperatures were cooler, but with cooler temperatures, came less haze and bluer skies.
 

Farmers market in the old Phillips train station

Along the road to Rangeley, we made a detour into the town of Phillips for the farmer's market figuring we could get some fresh lettuce for dinner.  Instead, we left the farmers market with homemade fudge, maple syrup, and homemade root beer - admittedly, the fudge didn't make it up the road too far.

North Camps is made up of 12 cabins spread across 20 waterfront acres.  There's a playground area for kids, a tennis court, horseshoe pits, 3 docks and countless Adirondack chairs waiting for occupants to have a seat and enjoy the lake and mountain views.

The living room in the cottage.

Our cottage had three bedrooms, a large living room/kitchen, bathroom, small porch on one side and a screened porch on the other.  This particular cottage was attached to the main lodge which housed the camp's office.  Upon check-in we discovered that we were staying in the only cottage that didn't have well water, something we were unaware of when we booked.  In this one cottage, the water was fed from the lake, so the camp owners had to provide us with drinking water.  Originally they brought us a couple gallons, but it wasn't long before the five of us needed to ask for more, which for some reason seemed to surprise the owners.  It was a bit of an inconvenience, but it worked out.

Since it was late in the season, we were the only people staying there, aside from the family that runs the place, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves.  So much so, that the owners kept leaving periodically for an hour or two informing us that they'd be gone for awhile.  This was a little frustrating because if we wanted to use the tennis courts, horseshoe pits or ping-pong table, we had to borrow the rackets, balls, or shoes from them.  If they weren't there, we were out of luck until they returned.

I know what you're thinking...tennis court, ping-pong, docks.  It sounds like a really nice resort.  Well, it was nice in a rustic cottage sort of way, which is fine by us.  We're not that picky when it comes to amenities.  But let me tell you a little about these amenities.

The tennis court next to our cottage was a bit underutilized.

The tennis court was probably a nice clay court back in the 1960s, but today it is overgrown to be a cross between clay and grass.  The lines are long gone and the rackets they provided were the old wooden ones I used when I was a kid back in the 70s.  While we did attempt to volley a bit, the court really wasn't in shape for a real tennis match.  Instead we relinquished the rackets and made up our own game with a large inflatable baseball-beach ball that was just lying around, and had a good time.

Proper footwear recommended.

Ironically, there was a sign suggesting that people should wear tennis shoes on the court, which would have made sense if the integrity of the court was worth preserving.  For this court, however, I was thinking that the sign was placed there about the same time the court was built, so we ignored it.

 Next to the tennis court was a playground for little kids.  It would have been interesting for toddlers and young children, but it was much too small for my 10-year-old.  It consisted of a couple of Little Tykes climbing toys and an old swingset.


The highlight of the amenities was the ping-pong table, although table was perhaps a bit of an exaggeration.  It really was a 4x8 piece of plywood on four tree limbs that were about 4-inches in diameter.  It was extremely weathered since I believe it it sat outside in front of our cabin permanently, no matter what the season.  As a result, the table top was warped and cracked making the ball do all kinds of interesting bounces.

Home of the World Outdoor Rustic Plywood Ping Pong Championship

Despite the condition of the table, we invented a new game.  The World Outdoor Rustic Plywood Ping Pong Championship,  The object was to keep the ball in play as long as possible.  You would get a point it the ball hit the other person's side of the table and then hit the ground. However, the ball could bounce as many times as needed on one side of the table.  We had a really good time playing this game.

A cottage next to the "beach".

The camps talk about a private beach on their web site and there is a mostly stone beach from which you can swim.  But, after all, you're in Maine, so a stone beach is not out of the ordinary.  When we decided to go swimming, the water temperature reflected the fact the that the summer was not exceptionally warm.  The lake temperature was not "Atlantic Ocean" cold, but it was probably about 74, which feels cold on the body, particularly when the air temperature was in the mid 70s with a stiff wind.

Since the water temperature was not conducive to wading in and slowly getting used to the water, swimming consisted of, jumping off the dock into the chilly water and getting out almost immediately to dry off.  I'm sure in mid-summer on an 80 or 90 degree day, it is fine.

All in all, we had a nice time.  The camps are rustic and yes, they could use a little infusion of cash to improve the facilities a bit, but it worked for us.  Despite the commentary above, we would consider staying there again, but in one of the other cottages.

It is a relaxing place to visit and the Rangeley area is beautiful.  Below are a few photos I took around the property.
 

Steve and Ashton at Smalls Falls near Rangeley

Path to additional cottages.

Pretty flowers in an interesting flower pot.

Ashton on the bench swing.

View of the swim area.