Great North Woods Maine.

I am at a camp ground /Big Moose Inn near Baxter State Park in Maine with limited cell and Internet access. I will update as available. Been here a day and checking out the surroundings and making plans. I went for a drive with the RV up the Golden Road. Named for the cost it took to build it and the wealth of timber that comes off it. A hundred mile paved logging road to Quebec.

I didn't intend it but the road was featured on another Discovery Channel show "American Loggers" and Pelletier Logging Company.

Made contacts with some local companies and more fun begins tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Acadia National Park

(Note:  Due to limitations of internet access at the time this entry was added at a later date.)

At first I didn't understand what Acadia National Park was. It looked like a mess of roads and towns and islands. Once I got in and drove the loop road it made more sense.

I arrived into town in time to make it to the NP visitor center just before closing. Quick check with the ranger and $4.95 map, good to go. As I do often in a new place I circle the perimeter to get the lay of the land and Acadia just happens to have the loop road. Views of rugged coast line and surf and wooded hills. Half of the loop is only one way. There is a spur that goes up to the top of Cadillac Mountain which I made in time to watch the sunset. I found some ripe hucckleberrys, a high rock and held my ground. This time no one stood in front of me. Night spent at KOA just to be close to the park. In late, out early.

Sunset from Cadillac Mountain.

Moon rise from Cadillac Mountain.

Saturday I made it Bar Harbor before the shops opened and went for a run along the shore path and through town  A few people up heading for the tour boats.  I stopped by the visitor center and got a tip on the best bakery (from a very nice grey hailed old lady) and scored a killer bagel with maple-walnut-raisin cream cheese.  Continued my run and out of town before it got too busy.  No place to launch the kayak as the RV parking was at the end of town away from the docks and shore.  Keep searching.

Too early to check into the camp ground I headed to a parking area on found a prominet feature of the park, its carriage roads.  There is a network of 50 plus mile of well maintained old carriage roads now used for hiking, bicycling and still horses.  A good afternoon spent on the mountain loop trail.  15 mile up and down through the woods (with and extra mile hill climb repeat at the end just for fun and the decent.)  To the camp ground in the park in time to launch the motorcycle and get another trip on the loop road.  It's newly paved and half of it is one way.  I may have been moving slightly faster then the speed limit but I was busy watching for deer.

Carriage road.

Sunday was a rain day.  Spent most of the day in the RV cleaning house and catching up on chores.  The rain let up in the afternoon and I got a 4 mile trail run up to Eagle Crag.  The trails are strange in that they are mostly exposed roots and rocks  Some areas clean granite that almost looks paved.  Fun anyway and made it to the top and some views out to sea.

Foot.  Sign.

Acadia trail.

Cooling off / drying off on the trail run.

Monday morning was a blue sky and calm day after all the rain yesterday. I got up early and headed for the parking area I had scoped out before as about the only place I could get close to launching the kayak. Seal Harbor was calm and quiet. I paddled out to sea and into the Atlantic Ocean! Next stop Wales. A few lobsterman out working but not much else. I checked out a buoy bell. One bell, four knockers with different sizes. So depending on which way to moved the bell made different tones. I just enjoyed the morning floating around and paddled back along the coast line. As I made the last turn back into the harbor an eagle flew by and over the trees. A good end to my visit to Acadia National Park. I think this will be the farthest east. And Cadillac mountain (1530 feet) is the highest point on the eastern shore north of Brazil.

Looking back from the ocean. 

Screen shot from paddling out into the Atlantic ocean.

Atlantic Ocean.

Off to the Maine woods and mountains.

Strange foot print in the mud.  Bigfoot?

Osprey and Oven Pans

The past few days have been about getting the RV serviced at Camping World in New Hampshire (oil change, AC recharged and generator adjusted). But yesterday I Drove to the coast of Maine and stayed near Freeport, the Home of L.L. Bean. At first the town looks like a quaint little village until you look and all the shops are discount stores. It's an outlet mall disguised ad a town. I did stop and look around LL Bean. It's like REI except with hunting and fishing. They did have a cool taxidermy display of two moose. There remains had been found after they had locked antlers and couldn't get them apart. Sad for them but part of life.

Made it to the camp ground and out for a paddle. I finally made it to kayak in Maine. It too reminded me of the Pacific NW. I went out in the bay and paddled past a small island. The whole time I had heard what I thought were just sea birds on the water. Then I noticed people on shore looking over my head with binoculars and saw the osprey nest. The bird calls coming from the nest with two young birds and an adult. If you watch and listen to the video you can hear them in the background. As I paddled around the small island I found an osprey feather floating in the water. It was very calm and peaceful on the water.

Launch ramp

Floating osprey feather

Osprey nest.

Osprey nest.

Some cool rock layers in the water.

Slack High Tide.  Calm

When I was putting the kayak back in the roof I noticed the cover was missing off the vent for the refrigerator. It must have gotten ripped off by a flow branch sometime in the last week. I bit panicked because the forecast was for rain I quickly called a local RV shop. They may have something but where already closed. I drove to the closest supermarket and bought a couple of aluminum roasting plan. The vent is like a chimney and if it rains water will get into the RV. With the pans and some duct tape a fashioned a new cover in the market parking lot. It help overnight and a drive on the freeway today. The RV shop was able to order a replacement a d have it dropped shipped to the place I'm starting next week. It's always something. I did get my lobster dinner though !

Missing cover.

Temp cover.  Lasted on the freeway.

Update July 31, 2012. Through the marvels of shipping I received my new vent come via UPS at the camp ground I'm staying at in the Maine north woods. New cover installed and this time screws added do it won't come off.

New cover installed.

New use for aluminum pans: turned into a fun for my new (used) stand up paddle board. Oops did I forget to mention I was leaving Bar Harbor and passed a LL Bean outlet having a 20% off the already discounted demo SUP? Fits just nice under the kayak. It's made by of all companies, Bic. They have a world wide water sport division. The fin went missing but I have a new one on order. In the mean time. More uses of foil pans and duct tape.

Link to kayak video;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwkOG8bHQUs

New Olympic Sport?

Yesterday was a trial for a new Olympic sport: Bikarchery. Mountain Biking and Field Archery. So you have to mountain bike though the woods to a field archery range. Run to the target location. Shoot three arrows. Run to the next target. Repeat. Then mountain bike back to the finish. Just a thought. I had fun doing it.

A few more hours at the Camping World shop finishing up the AC repair. Good as it gets for now.

Ended the day with some fly fishing. No bites. ( fish or bugs )

Relative cleanliness scale of clothing when traveling and living on an RV.

-1. Purchased from the store you never know who tried it on and put it back)

0. New. Washed. Never worn.

1. Normal clothing warn often and just washed and dried and put away.

2. You put it on but take it off because you changed your mind and put it back away.

3. Worn for a few hours. No major physical activity. Good for a few more times. Fold it up but not put with the clean cloths.

4. Worn a few times or for two or more days. No visible signs of dirt or grease. Too dirty to put on after a shower.

5. Ready to be washed but you pull it out and wear it one more time for a special task where you are going to get dirty quickly anyway. Probably don't want to wear it in public places (like in line at Starbucks )

6. Worn but washed in sink. Hung up to dry in shower. Return to level 2.5

.
7. Its been in the worn already pile You think it's ok. Put it on. Then something in the garbage must smell bad but then realize its the shirt. Quick escape and into the laundry bag.

8. It's already in the laundry bag. Pull it out but give up hope even if it's your most favorite.

9. High likely hood it could spontaneously combust.


10. So dirty and nasty the Haz Mat team is called to transport it to Yucca Mountain for long term storage.

Number of days since doing laundry: 10?

Camp ground lesson from Massachusetts

There is an online company called Reserve America that you can reserve camp sights all over the country. All of the Massachusetts State Parks use them. Reserve America charges a translation fee of around $8 per reservation and you can see what sites are available. I used them before for Cape Cod. I had looked at the park from last night and saw lots of spaces so I waited to just check in at the camp ground and save the fee. What I didn't know was that you can't make same day reservations. So when I got to the new park this afternoon they where full! Then I drove around and checked 3 other nearby parks and all full. One area maned by two grumpy old guys. They could barely look up and just said "we are full. You are too late. You should have called yesterday." I tried to talk to them and explain I just needed a place to park and no hookups they could care less. Right near the entrance was a large open grassy field that would have been just fine. I don't know why they wouldn't let me stay ?

I tried calling the camp grounds the day of and all I got was a recording to call Reserve America. I called Reserve Amaerica and they don't do same day reservation. They said call the camp ground. Something is wrong here?

Anyway I used a new iPhone app called Allstays and found a WalMart near by. Larry the manager was very nice and said no problem. Just park over in the corner of the lot. The store is up on a hill that overlooks the town below and I had a great sunset. Started the day with some yoga.


Update: All was quiet and slept through the night. Sunrise over the hills. Off to find the local Starbucks.

A Morning yoga

View from WalMart lot.  Better then most camp grounds

Sunset.

Sunrise over The Land of Wal.

Bad drivers and attack clams.

Mass drivers are the worst.

Cut in front of me on the freeway within less then a car length Then slow down to get off at an exit with no one behind me for half a mile.

I'll leave space in front of me for breaking distance and people will pull out and I'd have to break to avoid hitting them.

This all confirmed by a local police officer who was camping in the park. ( He was in the Military and had need to Whidbey NAS. )

The only person that waved when I let them in was from Connecticut.

A man in Starbucks asked me about the RV. He said the attitude of the drivers is that where they are going is more important then anyone else and it's their road. Everyone should get out of their way.

I went for a bicycle ride and at a four way stop sign I waited with a car along side of me and went with them. As I proceeded the car to the right pulled forward into the crosswalk and blocked my path.

And if the bad driving wasn't enough. I was sitting in my campsite, which was on the edge of the campground, watching the sunset. A man walk in front of me and stood there until it went down. He looked around many times and ignored me. Sun set and he walked away. You can see him in one of the pictures.

Cape Cod was nice and there where some nice people but I'll be glad to get out of this state.

Went for a run along the beach this morning. What a difference with no people and low tide. Had to watch out for the attack clams going after my toes :-)

Miles driven: 64
Defensive driving maneuvers: 3,624 and counting.

Saltwater,Seagulls,Swans,Sunsets

I must have tired myself out because I fell asleep before I could write anything last night. Yesterday morning I ran a couple laps around the lake trail in the campground. Then drove over to Salt Pond Bay. Took a nice paddle in the protected bay and saw seagulls and swan's and a bunch of other seabirds. The tide was going out so I couldn't go to far but had an onshore breeze that pushed me back in.

Someplace along the way (Arkansas?) I stopped and bought some wheels for the kayak. I finally figured out how to use them and take them with me. Much easier the dragging the boar.

I've added a new favorite food group : Lobster salad. Yum. Along with some sushi I had a picnic on the beach and watched the sun set.

This morning I slept in. Temps are down to low 70's and good sleeping. Took a swim across part of the lake and off I go.