North Maine Woods

We took a vacation to the North Maine Woods this week, in our pickup camper. First, we had to get to Maine, so we went up by Well Seasoned and waved out the window as we sped by.
Crossing into Maine I thought of Stinny , who is over it that general territory. We took Rt 2 east to Norridgewock before running out of daylight. I’m not quite sure where tree killer is, but I’m thinking a bit further east.

Passed harvested potato fields along the Androscoggin, before getting to Rumford and its mill.

 

Since it was dark and we were slow to get on the road, we pushed over to Bangor, got groceries and eventually found a gas station that wasn’t closed at 8:30pm on a Tuesday evening (?), and then swung south to Ellsworth, where we tried Walmart camping for the first time.
I should have planned better and connected with DaveGunter , as we really enjoyed meeting him at a GTG a few years ago.
A crisp morning, on the road fairly early. Part of the goal was to drive the northern part of Rt 1, starting there, as we had grown up in southern Maine and had covered that part of Rt 1 more than we cared to repeat.




Edit: Bar Harbor is in the low ground between Champlain Mtn on the left, and Dorr and Cadillac to the right.

 

One of my highlights of the trip was finally reaching West Quoddy Head.




Then lunch (it was their last day serving lunch for the season)

 

I didn’t know about the French coming to Saint Croix Island so early (1604). It wasn’t a successful settlement.

Here is the rig…

 

Had you just stayed on 2 out of the wok you’d have come about 1.5 miles from me on your way to Bangor. We just headed back your direction last weekend.

 

Watched a couple of Bald Eagles fishing by Calais.

Then our road gets serious about heading north. I have fished and hunted in Lee, so had a general idea of what to expect for countryside, but we both found it to be hillier than we expected. In Weston there is a great view to the west. Katahdin had its head in the clouds. Saddleback stood out alone, and further off might have been Mt Abram and others.

 

Supper in Houlton - this is where I first met the border patrol many years ago as I rode a bus north to meet a girlfriend’s parents. I guess I stood out - as I recall, that was before pictures on our driver’s license. Just a few questions and then sent me on my way.

 

Spent the night camped in the yard of the Mrs’ father’s place, near Caribou. This was another reason for the trip. Morning, and we were heading north. Wide open views, Canada in the distance, across the St John.

 

Once Rt 1 ended we continued on to the gatehouse in Allagash. $62 for two days and one night. Beats the heck out of any amusements in town!
Heading south now. Lost cell coverage near Fort Kent, so using the bible of the Maine Woods (DeLorme’s Gazetteer (one of my early career jobs was working for him, doing defense dept mapping)).

 

Great pictures.. Lots of places I have never been even living in Maine. Like the f350 and slide in camper. Thanks for sharing.

 

The St John bridge on the Blanchet Rd is in the distance in the pic below. This is looking west, and is about 15 miles from the Canada customs. Loggers in the early years would sometimes come into the woods from that direction because there was easier access. Wood flows that way, too. The bridge is a one-lane affair. We swung south at this point, heading to a camp ground.

 

Well, with that rig, those French had a real good head start back in 1604, but anyone can see just why it wasn't a successful settlement.

There was no where to buy gas for that rig!

Nice pics, thanks

 

The North Maine Woods is an association of land owners. I believe the paper companies owned the land up until the 1980’s, when investors realized they could break them up and sell the land holdings for a nice return. I had moved to the West when this was going on, so I could be a bit fuzzy on the details.
Camping is at approved places only, and is first-come basis. There were some sites with tents but clearly no one there - I think it was moose hunters, ensuring that they would have a site this weekend.
Outhouse, picnic table, fire ring and firewood at each site. It was raining, so we skipped the fire.

 

Thanks.........am enjoying seeing your trip

 

I didn’t want to run the generator early in the morning, as a courtesy to the few tent campers, so we drove a couple of miles to a logging camp and asked permission to brew coffee and run her toaster in their parking lot.
A moose weigh station was being set up, and we had a good chat with a logger and a forester who were living there in the large bunkhouse. When I got home I did some research and realized I should have asked more questions. Somewhere there is a restored 100-horse barn.

Edit: sorry, no good pics of the main buildings. Google Clayton Lake logging camp.

 

Water flows north there, and southward a little south. In 1926 the guy controlling these lands hauled in a railroad overland by Lombard tractors. They were used a while and then abandoned. A short hike into the woods brings you to this…

 

And then this…

 

Back on the road. Loving the Larch foliage.