Senior Photos in the Woods

This is a very special vacation for us as our only son will start his senior year of high school in September. We have been visiting the Moosehead Lake area for years, and brought three 17-year-old boys out to the wilderness to take their senior photos. Yes, we are crazy! Instead of having to travel around for photos, we were able to get most of them down by the stream, and they look great!

This week has been lots of fun visiting Mount Kineo, Bar Harbor, Borestone Mountain and the falls, and of course a couple of stops at "Reny's" - Love it!! We've met up with the usual suspects: a bull moose, baby moose, eight deer, two foxes, mink, turkey and, just today, someone's bull got loose and was alongside the road, too!

I think the boys realized there's more to summer vacation than computer games and texting ...

Next year we might be back as "empty nesters". Thank you!!

Dale, Dori & Dalton Robie
Savona, NY
July 18, 2009

Close Encounters of the Moose Kind

My wife and I had a wonderful stay at Big Wilson Camp. As many previous guests have noted, the tranquil beauty of Borestone Mountain made for a memorable hike. We were just contemplating how we could somehow record the sound of the falls to lull us to sleep back home in NJ. The cabin is so comfortable, too. It's been wet out, mostly, but we enjoyed our nights by the woodstove, with the cool evening breeze gliding gently through the screens.

I wanted to share a moose story with future guests. We kept wondering if/when we would see a moose. We made a fishing excursion to Salmon Pond (near Greenville) and while setting up my rig, I heard a loud couple of splashes across the pond. Lo and behold, a large bull accompanied by a female had run into the pond. I ran to the truck to get Adria and we got some great photos & video of these two moose, frolicking less than 50 years away. After awhile, I resumed fishing and Adria went back down the trail to the truck. I thought nothing of the increasingly close proximity of the female moose's "mooing" calls until I looked up and saw her standing about 20 feet away, looking right at me! I don't know much about moose, but the sight of such a large animal, who was completely undeterred by my presence, gave me the idea that my best interests lay about 20 feet off the ground, so I scampered up the nearest pine tree until she went on her way a few minutes later. Quite an exhilarating experience! I only wish I had the camera with me. My wife had taken it with her down the trail. Would've made for some amusing footage!

Anyway, the whole trip has been a thrill. We are hooked on Maine and hope to return again soon. Enjoy!

The Keppel's
Sicklerville, NJ
July 7, 2009