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

Conversational Mysteries, in Lieu of the Internet

I would have thought the weather would be cold and rainy by this time of the year in central Maine, but it is not. Instead, we have had perfect autumn weather, with blue skies all day and mild evenings by the campfire - enough to keep off the chill. It is too cold to swim, so we missed out on that, but we have had long walks and hikes to some of the beautiful places around here. It is incredibly peaceful. We have everything we could want, and do not miss the things we left behind (email, for one); though perhaps it would have been nice to have internet, if only to settle the occasional argument or solve a conversational mystery:

• What are the lyrics to the "Underdog" theme song?
• Who was Mighty Mouse's girlfriend?
  

We can wait until we get back to find out. But we'll be back up here soon - a few days is not nearly enough to enjoy this beautiful place.

Jeff Schult
10/21/2008

Black Bear Sighting

What a beautiful place. My family thoroughly enjoyed this escape from overpopulated New Jersey. The hike to the falls was great - the view exceptional. The B-52 site was humbling. Hope to come back soon. Did not see any moose, but we did encounter a black bear on Eliotsville Road, about four miles from camp.

The Frett Family
(Jeff, Heather, Lindsey, Taylor, Brian & Rachel)
Aug. 24-30, 2008

Take Time For Yourself

We have had a magical time this week! This is the first family vacation we have taken since our son was born (he's 14-months old) and we have all loved it! We took our kayaks out on Prong Pond and Lake Onawa - both such beautiful places! We hiked every day - to the lower & upper falls, up Borestone, etc. Grady, happily tucked on my back, would talk to the trees, birds, insects and take naps along the way. My husband and I loved the rope swing. As we dropped in the water, Grady waited to share a smile once we surfaced! We also read stories, books; I knit a dress for a friend who just had a baby; we played dice, sat by the fire, and of course ate delicious s'mores! A perfect place to remember to always take time for yourself! Many thanks.

Erin, David & Grady Hazlett
Rumford, RI
August 17-24, 2008

P.S. - We also picked blueberries twice, because Grady went crazy over them! Yummy!