08/29/2023          Adventures With Trevor....

- This year I made another bear hunt with a friend I met at Ross Lake a few years ago and decided to take my grandson Trevor with me. He learned that bear hunting is 5 hours of boredom in a tree stand and 5 minutes of adrenaline. Our hunt was in T3 R9 NWP (Cedar Lake TWP).

08/30/2021          Return To Ross Lake....

- I returned to Ross Lake for another bear hunt. On the morning before the hunt started I decided to get some late summer fishing in on Knowles Brook in T9 R16 WELS. The hunt was fun even though I didn't get a bear. After two years of harvesting 2 year old bears I held out for something larger and passed on another 2 year old this trip.

06/08/2021          Thirty Years....

- Today Nancy and I celebrated 30 years of marriage. We decided to get in an adventure (since that is kind of our thing) and drove to Surry where we found a blueberry field to hike around. The swallows were everywhere.

12/19/2020          Pandemic Powder....

- I think we all want to leave 2020 behind given COVID-19 and all the other challenges of the year. Nancy and I decided we needed to get some adventures in the books despite the challenges of 2020. A recent snowstorm left lots of snow in the southern part of the state and we only had an inch or two in Dixfield so we packed a lunch and took a trip. First stop was to investigate the ice conditions in Sebago. Clearly the lake is wide open and ice fishing won't be happening soon. We proceeded on and found the woods full of snow in Baldwin more than ready for trekking with snowshoes. On a backroad in Limington we found this sliding hill among the power lines going down to the Saco River. We stopped in Newfield where someone had bait traps placed under the ice, plenty of snow on top which will probably make conditions slushy once the temps warm up. We stopped for lunch at a boat launch in Hiram at Stanley Pond. The frost on the lake had some really unique properties. In Porter we continued to find deep powder in the woods. Our last stop for the day was more powder in Parsonsfield along the Ossipee River. All in all a really nice day to get out and enjoy Maine's outdoors even when the world seems to be going to hell. Here's to a better 2021.

06/16/2019          Father's Day Fishing Fling....

- Probably the last adventure for a few months since we will be splitting our time between Maine and the D.C. area for a new job.  I took today to explore some new areas and fished the beginning of Austin Stream in Bald Mountain TWP (T2 R3).  The distinction is that there are two Bald Mountain TWPs.

05/21/2019          Adventuring Continues Day 3....

- The trip has been cold and wet and thoroughly enjoyable.  Early fishing, camping in cold weather and no cell phone signal always helps recharge the batteries.  I returned home the long way and made sure I had time to stop and fish along the way after breaking camp.  First stop was to fish Musquacook Stream in T11 R11 WELS.  Further down the American Realty Road was Long Pond in T11 R10 WELS.  Last stop was in T11 R8 WELS to fish the Machias River before leaving the woods completely.

05/20/2019          Adventuring Continues Day 2....

- After waking up at Ross Lake and fishing the lake and local streams I took the truck to do more shed hunting.  I stopped and searched a game trail in T10 R14 WELS and did the same in T11 R16 WELS.

05/19/2019          Adventuring Continues Day 1....

- A long winter and work kept us from adventuring for months.  Spring is having a hard time getting a foothold this year so I decided to press my luck for a spring fishing trip even when there is still snow on the ground.  First stop for new territory was to fish Upper Churchill Stream in Moose River.  Before heading into the North Maine Woods I also did some shed hunting in Thorndike TWP.

09/01/2018          Ready to Return....

- An excellent week in the North Maine Woods, it was time to return home with a cooler of bear meat and a hide to drop off at the taxidermist.  No sense in hurrying too much so I decided to fish on my way home.  I started with a float on Narrow Pond for some heritage brook trout in T8 R14 WELS.  A little later I stopped in Eagle Lake TWP to dop a fly in Allagash Stream.  One more stop before going through the Telos gate in T5 R11 WELS to fish Telos Stream.  It was a great vacation and I was happy to return home.

08/31/2018          Bearish About the Possibilities....

- I was getting discouraged because on the previous days trip to Quebec I couldn't get a tire for my truck and I was still driving on a donut spare.  I drove east to Presque Isle and was able to get a tire there after a very slow ride.  Happy that I had a new tire and content that I was still on vacation, I fished my way back to camp and had a great time fishing below Churchill Dam in T10 R12 WELS.  I was glad to find fat brook trout in the well oxygenated water downstream from the dam.

08/30/2018          Bearing Down on Quebec....

- During the trip I blew out a tire with a cut below the tread and the tire couldn't be patched.  Similar things happened to others at camp so I loaded up three tires and drove to Saint-Pamphile Quebec to replace the tires.  Returning to camp I scouted for moose and came across this nice bull in T15 R15 WELS.

08/28/2018          Bear-ly Made It....

- Not a new adventure in the strictest sense because I have already been to this township on my moose hunt.  I did fill my tag thanks to my guide putting me in a good location and shot my bear with 15 minutes left to the day for legal shooting time.

08/26/2018          I Can't Bear the Anticipation....

- My very first guided bear hunt is this week and on Sunday I drove to the camp where my guides were waiting.  It is still August and fishing is active so I took my time and savored the trip  I stopped to fish in Medway on the East Branch Penobscot River.  Next stop was Partridge Brook in East Millinocket.  I also stopped at Dolby Pond in TA R7 WELS.  Once I hit the dirt roads I made one more stop in T1 R8 WELS to check out Marden Pond.  I made it to Ross Lake Camps that afternoon to begin my bear hunting adventure.

08/07/2018          Sweltering Search for Stripers....

- A really hot day on the coast so I took some time after work to look for striped bass along Willard Beach in South Portland.  The beach had a lot of people and the stripers were not to be found.

08/03/2018          Late Summer Scouting....

- The turkey hunting near our home was a bust so I have been spending time this year scouting new locations.  Had a chance after work to look around two new areas; the first was near this field in Buxton and the other was this likely spot of woods with a lot of oak trees in Hollis.

07/03/2018          County Bound Day Two....

- While visiting some of our favorite haunts in the area we also stopped to check out the fishing on the Aroostook River in Washburn.  This must be where all the chubs originated because they sure have some big fallfish in this river.  I also tried a small stream in Perham while there.  The water is warming up now and the trout fishing will be off until September I fear.

07/02/2018          County Bound Again....

- Nancy and I took another trip to Aroostook County to enjoy the scenery and get in a few adventures.  On our way up we stopped in Weston for a hike.  Normally you can see Mt. Katahdin from this spot but the heat and humidity was not doing us any favors with visibility.

06/20/2018          Return from the North Maine Woods....

- After a great fishing and camping trip I took the long way home; sampling the fishing as I traveled the east side of Moosehead Lake.  First stop was Pine Stream in T3 R13 WELS.    Passing the Caribou checkpoint I came to Ragged Stream in T2 R13 WELS where I cast a fly for salmon and trout.  Next stop was the fabled Roach River in T1 R13 WELS.  The source of the river is First Roach Pond, another popular fishing spot in Frenchtown TWP.  As I approached the south end of the lake I stopped at the inlet to Lily Bay in Lily Bay TWP.  Last stop before refilling my gas tank was Mud Brook in Beaver Cove.  Not a bad vacation if I may say so myself.

06/17/2018          Father's Day Fishing....

- This is my eighth trip to Wadleigh Pond in the North Maine Woods, an opportunity to unplug with no Internet and no cell phone signal.  Since it was going to be a four day trip I thought I would fish my way there (given that the trip was almost 6 hours without stops).  My first stop was to chase brook trout in a small stream in Rockwood Strip T2 R1.  I made a few other stops along the Demo Road including the North Branch Brassua Stream in Brassua TWP.

06/07/2018          Anniversary Eve....

- Nancy and I were on the eve of our 27th anniversary and decided to take a trip toward the downeast part of the state.  Fist stop was a hike near the Penobscot river on Verona Island.  We also explored the blueberry barrens in Deblois where we had to dodge honeybees that were working to pollinate the fields.

05/22/2018          Late May Ponds....

- I finished my day in the office and then sought some smallmouth in a few ponds nearby before heading home.  First I tried Parker Pond in Vienna.  It also holds some salmon and the state stocks brook trout there as well.  Before calling it a day I went down the road a bit and also tried Taylor Pond in Mt. Vernon.

05/21/2018          Presume Nothing....

- Lunch break found me checking out the Presumpscot River in downtown Westbrook.  The river holds some brook trout that fall down from the upper river as well as some smallmouth.  As I headed home I did check out a likely spot for turkeys in Gorham.

04/01/2018          Foolish Fishing Day....

- Once again it is April 1st, opening day of the fishing season and coincidentally April Fool's Day.  Keeping with tradition I headed out looking for open water and new adventures.  I started at the Riley Dam in Canton.  I had to trek down through the snow to get there.  Moving on I stopped at Bunganock Stream in Hartford where I found another fishing fool, a hooded merganser keeping company with a couple of mallards.  I proceeded to try the West Branch Nezinscot in Sumner.  I thought maybe I could find some holdover brown trout in the Nezinscot River in Buckfield but the fish were not cooperating.  Next stop was Crystal Lake in Harrison where I found this mallard standing sentry on the ice.  Looking for more open water I stopped at Long Lake in Bridgton.  I made a similar attempt at Moose Pond in Denmark.  I made one last try in moving water on the Saco River in Brownfield.  As the day came to a close I thought I would scout for turkey (season opens in 4 weeks) and called in this field in Sweden.  I had some return calls but ol' Tom wasn't coming out to show himself yet.  Of course I had to take a picture of the sign along Route 5 that makes you feel like you are at the center of the world's crossroad.

03/11/2018          Late Snow, Late Snowshoe Opportunities....

- We have had our usual March snow storms and the southern part of the state was hammered this year.  I was working in that area so on a Sunday I took the opportunity to use my snow shoes.  First stop was in the woods of Lebanon.  Then I explored Mousam Lake in Shapleigh.  I traveled near Loon Pond and took to the woods in Acton.  In Waterboro I found some early signs of spring, robins feeding in the Sumac.  Heading back I stopped in the Massabesic Woods in Lyman.  My last stop of the day was to explore these fields in Dayton.

02/26/2018          Early Shad Scouting....

- The shad will be running soon and I wanted to scout out some new fishing spots before the anglers showed up.  I had time to look along the Salmon Falls River, first in Berwick and then downriver close to the dam in South Berwick.

10/12/2017          Moose Redux Day 4 (and Grouse!)....

- Now that the moose was at the butcher I had a day to explore and see if I could get my limit of ruffed grouse.  First I headed north to T14 R15 WELS just over the Blanchett-Malbec bridge that crosses the St. John River.  I also explored T13 R15 WELS.  Heading south I continued to have good luck in T12 R14 WELS walking the alders.  I finished up filling my bag limit in T11 R14 WELS.  It was nice to put four of these birds in the cooler to take home.

10/11/2017          Moose Redux Day 3....

- I didn't get a chance to sleep in the day after bagging my moose.  I hit the road before first light with the beast in the bed of my truck and drove out of the North Maine Woods; first to the tagging station and then to the butcher.  I returned to Ross Lake early in the afternoon and headed out to do some grouse hunting.  The birds were numerous and I had success in T10 R15 WELS and in nearby T10 R16 WELS.

10/10/2017          Moose Redux Day 2....

- Second full day of the hunt and we worked an area just south where we were the day before.  We went down a number of roads in the morning setting up and calling, listening for return sounds.  We viewed calves and cows but I had a bull tag so we kept working the area.  As the afternoon moved on we set up at the end of another old road in an overgrown cutting.  At 4:15 in the afternoon I was able to fill my tag in T11 R15 WELS.  A nice 6 pointer, about 2½ years old.  We will have a freezer full of meat this year.

10/09/2017          Moose Redux Day 1....

- Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife took pity on my abbreviated moose hunt last year and reissued my tag for this year.  I returned to Ross Lake Camps and we were in the field before first light.  We walked over a mile down an old cutting in T12 R15 WELS and called for the better part of the morning before we moved along to other areas.  We spent quite a bit of time here because of the fresh sign including a fairly fresh wallow as well as sign of bull thrashing in the alders.  It looked like a hopeful spot but nothing responded.  We ended the day soaking wet despite our rain gear when the skies opened up.  We vowed to put in another 12 hours the next day after a hot meal and a night's rest.

09/03/2017          County Bound Again....

- Nancy and I like to travel to the county and we made a weekend trip to explore with a little bit of hiking and checking some fishing spots.  First stop was at the Aroostook River in Fort Fairfield.  We traveled northwest to check out the St. John River in St. John Plt.  Further upriver we looked across the river into Canada from St. Francis.  Before calling it a day we found this colorful field to hike around and stretch out legs in Winterville Plt.

06/09/2017          Continued Search for Striped Bass....

- Nancy and I explored the southernmost part of the state and we stopped at Fort McClary in Kittery where I saw these eiders.  There is a good rocky shore here where the stripers hang out.  This guy had the same idea but he was casting from his boat instead of from shore.  Nancy and I continued our search and went upriver, stopping at a nice spot on the edge of the river in Eliot.

06/08/2017          Fish Chowder Spot....

- My family likes my fish chowder, especially when I make it with big humpback white perch.  One of the best places I ever found for catching good size perch is China Lake in the basin in Vassalboro.  I like this spot because there is a good boat launch or you can fish from shore and have good luck.

05/18/2017          Stripers....

- It is early in the season but I had heard that the schoolies were back.  One popular spot is where the Spurwink river flows out to sea at Higgin's beach in Scarborough.  I fished the dropping tide but didn't see any signs of bait or of the striped bass.  Despite the lack of fish it was a nice night to start casting my fly rod again.

04/30/2017          Downeast Hiking....

- After spending the night on the Machias River we headed towards the coast for some hiking.  The Mason Bay Conservation Area in Jonesport has some wonderful trails and sights where you hike near the shore with views of blueberry fields as far as you can see.  We also spent some time walking along the shore of Beals and Great Wass Island in Beals.  Both areas were clearly fishing villages with lobster traps and boats in almost every door yard we saw.

04/29/2017          Downeast Freshwater....

- We took our first real adventure trip in quite a while by heading towards Downeast Maine where Nancy indulged my scouting for spring fishing.  I spied out a few streams in Franklin where we also spotted this large flock of geese resting on the shore.  We also stopped to view the "Galamander" which was used for mining granite in the area.  Further along the way we stopped at Tunk Lake in T10 SD.  Before we ended our trip we stopped on the banks of the Narraguagus River in Cherryfield where we spotted elver nets on the opposite shore.

02/03/2017          First Adventure of 2017....

- School is done and now it is time to step the pace back up on the adventures.  I am fortunate that my current office in Biddeford is close to a gem of southern Maine; the Eastern Trail.  I was able to go out for a lunch time walk and get away from the country and enjoy the trail.  In the summer there are hikers and bikers, in the winter there are people cross-country skiing and walking along the trail.  I started following the trail through the woods and found myself crossing the town line into Arundel.  I see a few more possible adventures involving the Eastern Trail in the future.

10/10/2016          Missed Moose and Sad News....

- For 25 years I have been applying for a moose permit in Maine and this year I was finally drawn for a bull tag in the October hunt.  Our tag was in Zone 1 and I hired out a guide from that zone since I was not equipped for a moose hunt.  Being a once in a lifetime hunt my thought was to ensure a better chance of success hiring a guide.  I selected Ross Lake Camps and they were wonderful.  The first day of the hunt started early and we were in the woods by first light.  Unfortunately the wind was blowing with gusts up to 20 MPH so it kept the moose down and the calls didn't travel very far.  Moving from one spot to the next we came across the partridge in full display in T12 R13 WELS.  Later we followed the roads to another spot in T13 R14 WELS where this barred owl was resting on a tall stump.  We finished the day without a moose but high hopes for the rest of the week since we saw a lot of sign including fresh raking.  We returned to the camp after dark for dinner and I learned that my brother had passed away unexpectedly in a car accident.  We returned home as soon as possible and missed my opportunity for a moose.

08/24/2016          Stripers and Work....

- I continue to be focused on completing grad school so adventuring has been slow.  Today there was a company outing to Fort Williams in Cape Elizabeth and after the fun and games I took my salt water rod down to the shore for some striper fishing.  Grad school should be done by the end of the year and I think there will be some good adventure posts for October.  More to follow (think moose).

11/28/2015          A Little Snow on the Ground....

- We were exploring one of our favorite parts of Maine by taking some back roads in northern Aroostock County and stopped near some grouse cover in Cyr Plantation.  It is a sign of things to come this winter with all of the white stuff on the ground.

11/27/2015          Penobscot Partridge....

- Well when I finished school for my BS it didn't take long for me to figure I should keep with the discipline and go on for an MS.  It has not allowed us to fully engage with the adventuring.  This week though is Thanksgiving break so Nancy and I decided to get away for a few days.  We explored some partridge cover in Penobscot county with our first stop near Hemlock Stream in Argyle.  A little further up the road we stopped near this beaver bog in Edinburgh.  To round out the day before we headed into the County we stopped near the Penobscot River in Howland.

06/25/2015          Need to Pick Up the Pace....

- I finished my BS degree and celebrated with  another of the more difficult adventures.  Davis Twp is hard to access because the roads are gated.  It is the home to Kennebago Lake.  It is not private, there is access if you boat down from the Tim Pond Road.  I took my kayak down into the lake and paddled well into the lake.  I cast a gray ghost along the shore and managed to pick up a couple of brook trout then made the hard paddle back up river.  Now that I am getting back to the adventures a difficult trip makes for a good re-start.

06/27/2014          Four Thousand Foot Adventure....

- Adventuring has been slow since I decided to go back to school (three classes a quarter while I'm still working full time).  Since the pace will slow down I am rewarding myself with tough adventures between semesters.  Redington Twp is one of the more difficult adventures because most of the township is a navy survival training area.  Since the navy has access roads gated the only other way in is to hike the Appalachian trail.  I got on the trail in the Rangeley area, crossed Saddleback Mountain and The Horn and then proceeded down to set up a campsite for an overnight.  The shelter was full but I was able to find a campsite nearby.

10/26/2013          Duck, Duck, Goose....

- Spending a nice brisk Saturday in the county is refreshing.  First stop was to check some jump shooting opportunities in a beaver flowage in New Sweden.  I also did the same along the river in Stockholm.  We found nice opportunities along Madawaska Lake in Madawaska Lake TWP (Formerly T16 R4 WELS).  The same occured in Cross Lake Twp along Dickey Brook.  Of course the canada goose situation was exciting with large flocks in the air.  Here are some we found on Daigle Pond in New Canada.  Long Lake in Saint Agatha was covered with geese as far as you could see.  Lastly, we found even more fowl opportunities along the St. John River in Grand Isle.

10/25/2013          County Bound....

- Nancy and I took a mini vacation up to the county, my primary mission was to check out waterfowl and partridge opportunities.  We stopped so I could scout the Penobscot River in Milford along the way.

09/27/2013          Chasing Away Any Misery....

- My last full day so I went exploring for new fishing locations and camping spots.  First stop was on Chase Stream Pond in Chase Stream Twp.  The brook trout were small but plentiful and with the sun shining they would strike at almost anything.  Then I traveled north to Misery Pond in Misery Twp.  I won't speak about the fishing here, there may be folks that would do me harm if I did :-)  I drove back to the Capital Road then northwest to fish at Somerset Junction on the West Outlet in Misery Gore Twp.  Driving back to my campsite I decided to take a detour to fish Lower Enchanted Pond in Lower Enchanted Twp.  Even the small brook trout had their fall colors on this time of year.

09/26/2013          Pounding the Ponds....

- Gray skies and the wind wasn't too bad so I took the canoe and visited some ponds for brook trout.  First stop was at Little Indian Pond in Squaretown Twp.  After that I went north to fish Parlin Lake in Parlin Pond Twp.  My last stop before going back to the campsite was in Jackman at Big Wood Pond.

09/25/2013          Revel in the Rivers....

- Time for an end of season fall fishing trip.  The Kennebec River has got to be my all time favorite river; brook trout, rainbows, browns, salmon, smallmouth bass and even stripers.  The river stretches from Moosehead to the ocean.  I stopped first in Solon to give the river a try.  As I headed to my camping destination I stopped and fished Black Brook in Moxie Gore.  After setting up camp at Indian Pond Campground (28 sites and I had the place to myself!) I walked down to Harris Station.  I had the river all to myself and caught salmon from the Kennebec in Indian Stream Twp.

08/24/2013          Bangor Bound....

- Nancy and I decided to run some errands in the 2nd largest city in Maine.  Given that it was a gorgeous Saturday and we were not in any hurry we took our time and adventured along the way.  First stop was to check out the Sandy in Unity, fast deep water and smallmouths.  Another stop at a small bog in Troy for panfish.  In Dixmont we stopped at Center Pond.  As we approached town we stopped in Hampden to fish the Souadabscook Stream as it approaches the Penobscot.  Since we weren't in a hurry we circled the metropolitan area.  At a farm pond in Glenburn we came across a large flock of Canada geese.  In Hudson we found some small spring fed streams.  After leaving the area we found another stream in Levant that deserved our attention.  Lastly, we stopped to fish the Sebasticook in Corinna before making our way home for the day.

08/23/2013          Bigelow Bound....

- Took a mental health day for some August fishing.  I drove to Bigelow Twp and stopped along the shore of Flagstaff Lake.  This is public reserve land and there are a couple of nice campsites along the shore.  It was a bit windy for open water so I drove on the other side of the Bigelow Range to T3 R5 BKP WKR where I bushwacked my way to Spencer Stream.  I came across an old coyote kill of a moose when I was walking back out.

07/17/2013          Heading to Chicago....

- I needed to travel to Chicago for a business trip, flying out of Bangor.  I had extra time on my hands so I stopped for some fishing on the Kennebec River in Fairfield.  Friday will be the tenth anniversary of the Great Adventure.  I had hoped to make a good adventure to mark the occasion but this trip spoiled that plan.  Not a big deal, plenty more opportunities ahead.

06/26/2013          Rainy Day in the South....

- I had an event to attend for a friend and arrived early.  Put on my rain gear and hiked around some fields in North Berwick locating some likely turkey hunting territory.

06/20/2013          Moosehead Fishing....

- I had a party to take to the East Outlet on the next day so I arrived in Greenville and fished Moosehead lake.  I also fished the lake in Moosehead Jct Twp on the south end of the lake.  The trip to the East Outlet the next day was a success.

05/18/2013          Kickin' it Home from Ki-Jo....

- Time to head home but not with a head of steam.  I took my time and fished my way back.  My first stop was at this brook in Brownville.  I also stopped at the junction of three rivers in Milo.  I tried some out of the way spots, including this no-name brook in Parkman.  One last fishing stop on Ike Brook in Cambridge before I made it home to unpack.

05/17/2013          Kickin' Back in Ki-Jo Day 2....

- Another day of exploring and fishing.  Spent some time in my float tube on Jo-Mary Pond in TB R10 WELS.  Then I went over to fish the East Branch Pleasant River in TB R11 WELS.  Lastly I hiked into one of the more difficult places to get to, Veazie Gore, where I also found the town line marker.

05/16/2013          Kickin' Back in Ki-Jo Day 1....

- My first full day in the area and I went exploring.  Fished Penobscot brook in T1 R11 WELS where I saw this moose.  I drove the roads and then hiked past the gate into Shawtown TWP where I found these mayflowers.

05/15/2013          Kickin' it to Ki-Jo....

- I took a lazy drive to a fishing and camping vacation on this sunny Wednesday.  First stop was in Mercer at the Mercer Bog to cast for bass.  What I really want is to catch some trout so I stopped at Lemon Stream in Athens next.  Further up the road I gave Higgins Brook in Harmony  a try.  As I got closer to the Ki-Jo Mary area I stopped in Guilford to cast into the Piscataquis River.  Once I entered Ki-Jo at the Jo-Mary Gate I stopped at Johnston Pond in TA R10 WELS.  I worked my way further north and set up my campsite at Big Pleasant Pond in TA R11 WELS.

05/11/2013          Stark Raining Bad....

- Lazy Saturday morning seemed just right to do some brook fishing.  I ended up in Starks.  The drizzle was OK but whenever the skies opened up and let a downpour loose I knew I was getting soaked with a May shower.  Still a fun morning.

04/01/2013          New Fishing Year and the Spring that is not Here (yet)....

- Spring is slow to arrive this year but that is not going to interfere with my opening day ritual of not catching fish.  I headed over to New Sharon to try my luck in the Sandy River for April Fool's Day.

03/23/2013          Boothbay Bound....

- A week away from opening day of fishing season and we were a little restless. We decided a hike along the coast would be in order so we packed up and headed east on a brisk March day.  First stop was in Hallowell.  The river was wide open, no ice.  This is one of a few spots where it is possible to fish for sea run smelt with rod and reel.  Another spot for that type of fishing is in the park in Gardiner.  As we approached the coast we also checked the action in Wiscasset along the shores of the Sheepscott River.  We eventually found ourselves in Boothbay Harbor.  We had the shore to ourselves.  Taking some side roads we also found a nice place to stretch our legs in Boothbay and took in more fresh, clean salt air.

02/02/2013          Sand Pond Smallmouths....

- A nice sunny morning to go ice fishing.  The temperature was around 15° and all my hear was ready to go.  I headed to Sand Pond in Chesterville and set up my portable ice shack and some traps.  Wasn't long before I landed the fist of two smallmouths.  I also managed to land a fat pickerel.  I had the pond to myself all day.  I even managed to create a video of me landing one of the smallies, I put it on our YouTube channel and you can view it at this link.

02/01/2013          Post Thaw Adventurin'....

- The January thaw ended yesterday and it knocked down the snow levels and made for some nice hiking opportunities.  Nancy and I took to the fresh air, first walking along the Crooked River in Waterford.  Later on we stopped so I could check out the ice fishing experience on the Little Pennesseewassee Pond in Norway.  The State stocks the pond with brook trout as well as browns. It also has a good bass population.  One more hike in Oxford before we called it a day and headed back home, walking near the Little Androscoggin River.

01/19/2013          Take a Turn in Turner....

- Life's been busy for both Nancy and I but we needed to get an adventure in and get out of the house and away from our (pre) occupations with work and other stuff.  We spent some time on Bear Pond in Turner snowshoeing on the pond and generally getting some fresh air.  A nice way to start our 2013 adventuring.

10/20/2012          Birds and Bunnies....

- Foggy morning, time to take the shotgun and walk the woods roads looking for partridge and hopefully a snowshoe hare or two.  I focused my efforts in the Kennebago Divide, crossing the river north of Little Kennebago Lake and going north.  I found myself at the end of a dirt road in Seven Ponds Twp.  As the day wore on I went to walk the roads in Oxbow Twp.  To complete the day I drove west then worked the roads in Tim Pond Twp.  All in all it was a nice day.  I had to wear orange out of safety, it was youth hunting day and a lot of youngsters were out with their parents looking for their first deer.

09/25/2012          Fishing My Way Home....

- After another great day at Crescent Pond I fished my way back to the checkpoint.  First stop was at St Francis Lake in T8 R16 WELS.  After some time there I wandered along Turner Brook in T7 R16 WELS.  And of course I had to stop and fish the St. John River as it flows out of Baker Lake in T7 R17 WELS.

09/23/2012          Annual NMW Fall Fishing Trip....

- Made my annual fall fishing trip up to the North Maine Woods.  Spent much of the time on Crescent Pond where we have already adventured but on this day I volunteered to survey a pond for the Audubon Society.  I hiked in to Middle Russell Pond in T9 R14 WELS and spent the day exploring around the pond, fishing it and making notes for the field survey.

08/26/2012          Behind the Ski Slopes....

- There are a few of the places I need to visit that are more difficult than others, some have no roads and some are islands.  I tackled one of the more remote wilderness townships today and hiked to Caribou Pond in Mount Abram Twp.  It was a pleasant hike of about 3 miles traversing the valley behind Sugarloaf Ski Resort.

08/12/2012          Dog Days Day 3....

- The return home started overcast and then began to drizzle rain.  We first stopped to fish the small water between Elbow Lake and Quakish Lake in T3 Indian Purchase Twp.  Further down the road we stopped at the Pleasant River in Ebeemee Twp.  All in all a successful trip and 700 miles under our belt wandering this great state.

08/11/2012          Dog Days Day 2....

- Warm water fishing was on tap for today.  First stop was along Limestone Stream in Limestone.  Next along the way was one of many stops on the St. John River starting in Van Buren.  Next was in Madawaska where the Acadian Festival was in full swing.  The sun started to peek through the clouds by the time we tried our luck in Frenchville.  The Musky Derby was drawing a crowd when we stopped in Fort Kent to try the Fish River.  Above the Fish River in Wallagrass we found a nice spot to hike and enjoy the scenery.  Last sop for us was at the St. Croix Stream in Masardis.

08/10/2012          Dog Days Day 1....

- The warm slow days of August found Nancy and I with a long weekend and the need to adventure again.  We meandered northeast, spending this day stopping at yard sales (not an adventure despite Nancy's enthusiasm) and checking bird cover.  First stop was in Exeter walking along the boundary lines in the corn fields.  We stopped to walk along more cover in some overgrown fields in Bradford.  We also found some likely edge cover in Springfield.

05/28/2012          Memorable Memorial Weekend Part 3....

- After a couple of great days fishing it was time to head back into cell phone range.  Before I did though I made a few stops along the way.  First I fished a lower stretch of Hurricane Brook in T5 R19 WELS.  After passing the Twenty Mile checkpoint I stopped to fish in Socatean Stream in West Middlesex Canal Grant.  Over all I have to say it was a superb four days of catching native brook trout.

05/26/2012          Memorable Memorial Weekend Part 2....

- Since I couldn't stay at my first choice of campsites I moved up the Golden Road and pitched my tent at Hurricane Pond in T5 R20 WELS.  I fished both the pond and the brook coming out of the pond.  Again the trout did not disappoint me.  It was truly a tranquil spot and I didn't see another soul for the two days I stayed there.

05/25/2012          Memorable Memorial Weekend Part 1....

- Long holiday weekend and my first trip to the north woods for some native brook trout.  I wanted to fish Frost Pond in T4 R5 NBKP but had to settle for the Frost Pond Flowage.  The road was washed out and I couldn't get my canoe to the pond.   The brook trout did not disappoint me.  I pitched my tent at a nearby camp site on Dole Pond.

04/15/2012          Tombstone Every Mile?....

- Nancy and I made the return trip home once again watching for yard sales and adventure opportunities.  First along the way we took a short hike in Linneus where we found snow in the woods.  We also stopped in TA R2 WELS so I could try out a small beaver bog for fishing opportunities.  Later one we were surprised to find more snow in Forkstown Twp.  While checking out another beaver bog in Haynesville we found this moose browsing.  Despite the Dick Curless song we did not see signs of a "Tombstone Every Mile".  After stopping for yard sales along the way we took an opportunity to stretch our legs and using the walking trails at the waterfront in Bangor.

04/14/2012          Yard Sales and Spring Fishing....

- The spring weather has really come through for us and it was time for Nancy and I to adventure.  Since "shopping" does not constitute an adventure by the rules I've set for myself, Nancy and I shared the trip with an agreement that we would stop at likely yard sales and stop at likely spring fishing spots.  For the purposes of the journal I'm only chronicling the fishing and hiking spots, not the yard sales :-)  First stop on our trip was at Oosoola Park in Norridgewock.  The Kennebec seems a bit low for this time of year.  As we drove through the state another likely spot came up in Carmel on the Soudabscook Stream.  We enjoyed a drive up the Airline rode and then turned north on Route 1.  In Topsfield we found this likely bog.  Stretching our legs, we hiked near this million dollar view in Brookton Twp.  It's hard to tell from this picture but there is a view of Mt. Katahdin in the distance.  We stopped to explore the fishing opportunities at another stream, this time in Orient.  Lastly, near the end of our trip we came to a park in downtown Houlton where folks were fishing the Meduxnekeag River.

04/01/2012          Tom Turkeys and Trout....

- Today is the first day of open water fishing and coincidentally the wild turkeys are beginning their mating season.  The spring hunt doesn't start until the end of the month so it is a good time for some scouting.  Here is a tom I came across in Milton Twp.  He was the second tom I came across but the first I could get my camera on.  I searched for some trout in Songo Pond in Albany Twp.  I learned that the smelts have been running so then I tried for salmon in Keewaydin Lake in Stoneham.  Just down the road was another opportunity for trout and salmon at Kezar Lake in Lovell.  I still want a backup location for the spring turkey hunt and I found some nice overgrown fields in Stow where I found some turkey sign and heard some gobbles.  Before calling it a day I fished the Saco River in Fryeburg.

01/22/2012          Snowshoes for Shrimp....

- A little bit of cabin fever, news reports that it is shrimp season, time for us to get outside.  We drove to the coast to buy some fresh shrimp and found some snowshoe areas along the way.  First stop was in a set of fields in Chelsea, just outside the state capital.  Just down the road we stopped at Travel Pond in Jefferson.  Still plenty of snow as we neared the coast, we found some nice woods edges in Washington.  Lastly, we stopped at some fields in Union before we hit the coast.

08/20/2011          Bountiful Blueberries....

- Almost the end of the season for blueberries so Nancy and I headed to the region we went to last year.  First stop was on the shores of the Dead River, just before it meets the Kennebec in West Forks Plt.  Great spot for rainbow and brook trout fishing.  Blueberries were plentiful in T5 R7 BKP WKR.  We chose to head west through the Plum Creek property and continue picking.  In Appleton Twp we found some stunning views.  Then we found more fields in T5 R6 BKP WKR where I got this picture of some pearly everlasting.  The day was warm, luckily no flat tire this year.  We found some cool water and a nice fishing hole in Skinner Twp near the head waters of the Moose River.  Before we hit the paved roads again we stopped along Kibby Brook in Kibby Twp.

08/02/2011          Early August Backwoods Fishing Trip....

- My friend Brick came up for a trip to the North Maine Woods.  With warmer water temperatures we decided to try some deeper water and explored some of the northern most parts of Somerset County.  In Hammond Twp we found this cow moose and her calf.  Further along we started looking for a campsite on the shores of Penobscot lake and found this large field of lichen in Dole Brook Twp.  We settled on a campsite on the lake at the dam in Prentiss Twp (T4R4 NBKP) and began fishing for blue back trout.

05/27/2011          Trip to Friendship with my Best Friend....

- Nancy and I wanted to smell some salt air and have some seafood so we took a day trip to the coast.  We stopped at Tilton Pond in Fayette, a small pond down the road from us that is loaded with smallmouth and largemouth bass.  After the stop we proceeded to Friendship.  We hiked along the shoreline while some sea kayakers were getting their gear together.  There was an almost 20° difference in temperature from Route 1 to the shore.  Very refreshing.

05/25/2011          Last Day of The North Maine Woods Experience for Now....

- Time to break camp and head home but no sense in going the fast way.  I fished Millinocket Stream in T8 R8 WELS for a bit.  Then I headed east and fished the tiny Four Mile Brook in T9 R7 WELS.  Lastly, after clearing the checkpoint in Oxbow Plt I fished the Aroostock River.

05/24/2011          More Allagash Region....

- Woke to some bright sun shine for a change but the temperature was still chilly.  Last year I had heard about Chandler Pond so I gave it a try in T8 R10 WELS. Later in the day I decided to try moving water so I moved my campsite to Munsungan Stream for some salmon fishing in T8 R9 WELS.   The water was a chilly 51°.  I had the place to myself.

05/23/2011          Early Season Fishing....

- Took a few days by myself to head up through the Telos gate into the North Maine Woods.  Besides visiting some familiar spots I expanded the adventure by fishing Sly Brook in T7 R11 WELS.  I wandered the roads to fish and make camp at the campsite on Little Pillsbury Pond in T8 R11 WELS.

11/21/2010          Why Not Wyman?....

- Happy birthday to Nancy!  For her birthday she wanted to take a hike on this clear crisp day so we decided to hike a small piece of the Appalachian Trail in Wyman Twp.  The trail was nice, there was a bit of snow on the ground in places and we had a good hike.

11/14/2010          Peruvian Hedgehogs?....

- Time to go look for a quarry.  There aren't many left in Maine that we haven't visited but close by in Peru is a quarry called Hedgehog Hill Quarry on the side of Tumbledown Dick Mountain.  As you can see the view north is spectacular.  The quarry was small but interesting, Nancy found a nice garnet in in a fold of feldspar.

07/31/2010          Enchanted Berries?....

- Nancy and I went blueberry picking in a secret spot in Upper Enchanted TWP today.  Aside from one of my frequent flat tires from driving the roads too fast it was a fruitful (pun intended) day.  Here is final collection before cleaning (picture).

07/17/2010          Early Big Ten Season....

- Went back to the North Maine Woods for a weekend of fishing, unfortunately the very high temperatures has driven the water temperatures up.  Thinking that we might explore a little and find some fish in oxygenated water we gave the St. John a try.  First stopping in T9 R17 WELS (we shared the river with a couple of moose) and then hiking down an old skidder trail in Big Ten TWP.  Unfortunately we were late in the season and the water was a warm 78°.

07/01/2010          To the Temple of Trout....

- A nice evening after work so I went to Temple Stream in Temple with one of the doctors I work with.  Water was a very cool 60° and we caught a few nice brook trout.  Given the size of some of the fish we caught (3-4 inches) my guess is that there is a native population here.

06/26/2010          Not Ready to Park the Adventure Bus Yet....

- Nancy and I took our Saturday and thought we would go exploring some new areas.  With fly rods in hand we stopped on the Kennebec River in Caratunk.  After spending some time there we drove to Johnson Mountain TWP for some scenic vistas and hiking.  We drove into the woods and stopped in Bradstreet TWP when we noticed an abundance of wild strawberries.  We also noted that the wild blueberries would be ready here in a few weeks.  Won't have to twist my arm to come back to this area :-)  Lastly we stopped at Chub Pond in Hobbstown TWP.  Despite the name it is a nice little trout pond.

06/24/2010          Time to Drive South....

- It was time to break camp and head out of the woods.  Five hours to get home for me and another three for Brick to get back to his home after dropping me off.  We still didn't want to leave so we took our time.  We even found time to spot a cow moose and her calf in T4 R11 WELS.

06/23/2010          A Cup of Coffelos Please....

- We spent hours and hours fishing Coffelos Pond in T6 R11 WELS.  This pond has some huge brook trout but unless you know how to fish for them you will get as frustrated as we did.  If I was to publish the facts on the Internet I think some locals would have serious harm done to me.  Suffice it to say, even with a Hex hatch, dry flies are not the way to fish this pond.

06/22/2010          We Took to the Woods....

- The fishing was not what we had hoped on Round Pond so we moved to the east on the logging roads.  We found plenty of small trout and salmon in Caucomgomoc Stream, the outlet of Caucomgomoc Lake in T6 R14 WELS.  Continuing east we also stopped on the shores of Umbazooksus Lake in T6 R13 WELS.

06/21/2010          Learning to Share Your Campsite....

- With a young bull moose.  Brick and I drove into the North Maine Woods through the Twenty Mile Checkpoint and headed to a campsite on Round Pond.  We quickly learned that we had company here in T7 R14 WELS.  He gave us a wide berth but returned a few times during our stay there.  We paddled the lake and fished.  It was a very pleasant campsite.

06/20/2010          The Fish Learned to Fear Us....

- Met my friend Brick early in the morning and we headed up to meet with two other friends of his at East Outlet.  We fished the river in Sapling TWP.  We caught over 20 fish, including some nice sized salmon and brook trout.  From there we went to one of the guys camp in Bowerbank on the shores of Sebec Lake.

06/12/2010          Holy Mackerel....

- Time for a trip to the coast.  We planned to visit a few of my favorite mackerel fishing sites.  Before we made it to the coast we stopped to stretch our legs on the shore of Chickawamkie Pond in Rockport.  Then it was on to the harbor in Belfast.  There used to be a sardine factory near the docks that really brought the mackerel in.  The fish are still around even though the cannery is closed.  A little further up the coast we stopped at the public pier in Searsport.  Before we called it a day we drove up to Prospect to see the new bridge across the Penobscot River.

05/31/2010          Memorial Day Meandering....

- We woke to a nice brisk, sunny morning and went to the woods.  Nancy has been making videos so we went in search of wildlife while stopping off on some adventures.  First was a bit of morning fishing at Sarampus Falls in Alder Stream Twp.  The entire township is Penobscot Indian territory.  We continued our ride north where we saw moose and a fox.  We stopped beside a small pond in Coburn Gore.  It was still a bit chilly and the black flies started coming out so we drove through some woods roads and found ourselves fishing on the Cupsuptic River in Upper Cupsuptic Twp.  There are some wilderness campsites there managed by the Cupsuptic Campground, we may find ourselves back here this summer with the truck tent.

01/31/2010          Searching for the scent of salt air....

- We took a little get away to the seacoast, spent the night in New Hampshire then traveled our way up the southern coast, hiking along the beaches and coastline.  First stop was in Kennebunk where we watched some eiders in the water.  Next was a stop in Kennebunkport with a view of Goat Island.  We meandered up the coast further and found it to be high tide along the sea wall in Biddeford.  We then stopped at the jetty at the mouth of the Saco River in Saco, otherwise known as Camp Ellis.  Lastly it was time for a stroll on the sands in Old Orchard Beach before we went home.

01/16/2010          Brettuns Pond Brookie....

- Nancy and I went to Livermore to visit with some friends and do some ice fishing on Brettuns Pond.  We had a great time, nice and sunny and fun with friends.  Plenty of yellow perch were caught along with a couple of brook trout, including this one caught by yours truly.

09/25/2009          Fall Fling Trip Day 3....

- The morning started much cooler, fall was certainly in the air.  I took my time driving south to the Golden Road scouting more territory for partridge along the way.  The foliage was wonderful as well as you can see from my stops in T7 R15 WELS and T6 R15 WELS.  I stopped at Scott Brook in T5 R14 WELS but the water was low and cold.  More grouse scouting in T4 R14 WELS and Northeast Carry Twp before I headed out of the woods and back home to rest up for the next adventure.

09/24/2009          Fall Fling Trip Day 2....

- After a rainy night I woke up to bright sunshine and decided to move camp to Wadleigh Pond.  I had all day to get there so took some new roads along the way.  First stop was along the North Branch of the Penobscot River in Comstock Twp.  Then a stop on Little Lane Brook in T4 R17 WELS.  I stopped to get a picture of a small moose running through a march in Elm Stream Twp.  It was the week before moose season opened and I did see a lot of moose hunters scouting for their trip.  I also stopped to check out the bird hunting opportunities in Russell Pond Twp and St John Twp.  Finally I arrived and set up camp in the afternoon along the shores of Wadleigh Pond.  When the wind died down in the evening the pond was covered with rises and I caught my share of brook trout.

09/23/2009          Fall Fling Trip Day 1....

- After a day fishing with friends on the Carrabassett I took a solo trip back to the North Maine Woods.  Being in no particular hurry, enjoying the trip and adventuring along the way was called for.  First was a stop along the Kennebec River in Bingham to fish for salmon, brookies and rainbows.  Wandering up the road then found me hiking a small woods road in Mayfield Twp scouting for next month's bird season.  Short trip further along the road and I was on the shores of Kingsbury Pond in Kingsbury Plt.  The sky started to get gray so I turned north towards Moosehead Lake but made stop in Monson along the shore of Spectacle Pond.  I also did a bit of bird scouting in Shirley.  Finally I made a big push north and stopped in Soldiertown Twp T2 R3 NKBP before going through the 6 mile checkpoint and spending the night on Canada Falls Lake.

08/25/2009          County Trip Part 4....

- With the trip over and my talk at the medical center complete we drove back home but not without making one stop to explore the woods in Hersey Town Twp.  It was a great 4 days, we saw a lot of the state we hadn't seen before in a season that is just wonderful.  I wonder if fall wouldn't be even better for a return trip to the county.

08/24/2009          County Trip Part 3....

- The countryside in this area of the County is truly spectacular and we continued our exploration and hiking.  Not all the fields are planted with potatoes as seen by this field of canola in Mapleton.  Traveling west we came to Ashland, gateway to the North Maine Woods and explored along the Aroostook River.  Traveling north we came to Nashville Plt and then came to the shores of Portage Lake.  As the day wound down we returned to our fascination with the wind mills, first viewing them in Presque Isle and finally venturing to the slopes of the mountain in Mars Hill.

08/23/2009          County Trip Part 2....

- We went into some of the farmland for some Sunday hikes and came across this old farmhouse in Woodland surrounded by highland cattle.  The afternoon was spent in a corn maze in Caribou.  We spent a lot of time here and really enjoyed it.  If you are in the area in the summer or fall look for Goughan's Berry Farm.

08/22/2009          County Trip Part 1....

- Nancy and I took advantage of a speaking engagement I had to wander up to the county and enjoy the scenery.  With slightly cooler temperatures it was a great mini-hike opportunity.  On the trip up we stopped in Passadumkeag along the Penobscot River.  As continued north we also stopped in Macwahoc Plt for a jaunt along Molunkus Stream.  Robinson Mountain in Island Falls provided some nice vistas for us to view.  As we got closer to the end of our rip we became fascinated with the view of the wind generators viewed from Blaine (the wind mills are in Mars Hill).

07/17/2009          Late Season Trout....

- The rains that drenched us in June and the cooler than normal temperatures have extended the brook trout season this year.  Normally I would be targeting smallmouth bass or fishing ponds in the evenings.  Today I took a trip first to the headwaters of the Sandy River in Sandy River Plt at the Sandy River Ponds.  Then a trip into Dallas Plt to scout some new territory.  I continued along Route 16 and fished the South Branch of the Dead River, first in Lang Twp and then in Coplin Plt.  It was nice to be catching brookies this time of year.

07/12/2009          Tumbledown and Trout....

- This morning was sunny and less humid after thunderstorms the night before.  I left for a bit of exercise and some fishing opportunities.  First I drove to Weld and found the south trail to hike popular Tumbledown Mountain.  Further down the road is a shorter but very steep trail in Twp 6 North of Weld.  After enjoying the hike and scenery I went to Phillips to try fishing the Sandy.  The water was still very high from the past month.  I gave fishing one more try in the South Branch of the Carrabassett in Salem Twp.

06/26/2009          Back to Civilization....

- The ice had melted in our coolers and the supplies were almost gone, it was time to drive south and end our adventure.  We drove south to the Golden Road and took a quick detour to Hannibal's Crossing on the West Branch Penobscot in Lobster Twp.  Then back toward the west and south to Seboomook Dam, the head waters of the West Branch in Seboomook Twp.  After exiting the North Maine Woods we stopped on a stretch of the Moose River in Sandwich Academy Grant.  While at the Moose River we met a gentleman named Mike Stavola.  He was kayaking his way across the northern forest from upstate New York to Fort Kent Maine.  Search Facebook for Kayakathon or check out Northern Forest Canoe Trail.

06/25/2009          Blueback Trout?....

- The next morning we drove back to the Realty Road then further west.  We stopped to fish in the thoroughfare on the Allagash River, between Umsaski and Long Lakes in T11 R13 WELS.  We then headed towards the south and stopped at Thoroughfare Brook in T9 R13 WELS.  Looking for a campsite and an opportunity to use the canoe we stopped at Crescent Pond in T9 R15 WELS.  The campsite was incredibly muddy so we decided to keep it as our back up plan in case there were no sites available at our destination, Wadleigh Pond in T8 R15 WELS.  Lucky for us there was a site available and we fished the pond, my friend Brick caught his first blueback trout.  There are only a handful of ponds in Maine with a population of these arctic charr.  Here is a quick video of him landing a fair sized blueback, note the forked tail in the net as he holds it up.

06/24/2009          Rolling along the Realty Road....

- After entering the North Maine Woods the day before through 6 Mile Checkpoint and friend and I traveled to the Machias River as it dumps out of Big Machias Lake in T12 R8 WELS.  We drove down the Realty Road, which is one of the major roads in the North Maine Woods, and watched a moose in Pratt Lake (T11 R9 WELS).  Sorry, no good picture of the moose.  Lastly we continued down the road then went a bit north to camp and fish on the Musquacook Stream in T12 R11 WELS.

06/21/2009          Patriarchal Pondering and Wet Wandering....

- Some of my fondest memories of my father are from Father's Day.  We would sometimes grab some frosty beverages and head out for a father/son fishing trip.  Sometimes one or more of my brothers would join us, we usually caught fish and we always had a good time together.  Since he passed two years ago I've made it a new tradition that I visit him and then head out for some fishing.  Today was a bit wet, seems that the rains have just kept coming for the past few weeks but it didn't deter me.  First I stopped in Farmington at the Sandy River, the water was very high.  Following the Sandy upstream I came across this deer in Strong.  As I worked my way towards the cemetery where my father rests I stopped at a small brook in Freeman TWP.  After visiting his grave I headed home but not until I spent some time fishing in Anson and lastly in Industry.

05/28/2008          Bowlin for Brook Trout....

- I was invited for a trip with some colleagues.  We spent Memorial Day weekend at Bowlin Camps on the East Branch of the Penobscot River.  Weather was incredible and we spent the entire time fishing for salmon and trout in T5R8 WELS.

(Note:  The adventures are still slow coming but I expect the pace to pick up some in 2009.  I haven't given up hope yet :-)

06/17/2007          Fathers Day Fishing....

- I took off for an Sunday trip for fishing, hitting some old favorites but also adding some new locations to the list.  First stop was for smallmouths in my backyard in Dixfield.  Further upriver was an opportunity to fish in Mexico.  I headed away from the Androscoggin to try my luck on the Webb River in Carthage as well as giving the Sandy River a shot in Avon.  All in all it was a pleasant Fathers Day!

06/03/2007          New Home, Slacking on the Adventures....

- As some folks know we moved to the western mountains last fall and bought a house this spring.  We've been so busy taking care of settling in that the adventuring slowed down.  Today I packed up the canoe for some fishing on Little Jim Pond in Jim Pond Twp.  Paddling to the far shore of the pond also puts you in King and Bartlett Twp.  Heading back to the south I stopped along Flagstaff in Eustis.  Last stop was a small brook in New Vineyard.  Come back often for updates, we are settled into our new home and living in a beautiful part of Maine, many more adventures are on the way.

11/19/2006          And Back West....

- The return trip was less eventful as it started to drizzle but we did find a break in the weather and stopped in T22 MD near Lead Mountain.  This is one of the first places I ever hunted partridge and it was nostalgic to be on these woods roads again.

11/18/2006          Due East, Don't Hurry....

- Nancy and I had started suffering a bit from cabin fever.  We've been staying close to home since I started my new job at Franklin Memorial and it's been about two months since I quit smoking cigarettes.  We decided to take an adventure and take our time going due east, stopping where ever the mood struck us until it got dark.  First stop was to admire the Kennebec River in Skowhegan, the waters were running high and this spot, known as Big Eddy is popular for brown trout in the summer.  Next along our route was a hike in Palmyra, there are still standing corn fields even in November.  As we approached the coast we stopped in Dedham to stroll along Philips Lake.  At the coast in our eastward journey we stopped at a small park in Hancock to admire Sullivan Falls, a fast moving tidal fall.  Further on down the road we stopped in Sullivan where we found this flock of mallards.  The weather was fair for this time of year and we enjoyed a hike in Winter Harbor at Schoodic Point.  Later in the day we strolled another beach in Gouldsboro.  Jonesboro is in the heart of blueberry country but these fields of bright red rose hips were worth admiring.  We still had plenty of day light left when we came to Roque Bluffs and hiked another beach.  Lastly, before we called it a day we stopped in Machias and strolled along the Machias River.

10/21/2006          Parading Pick-up Trucks....

- It is an October ritual that you can find on just about any Saturday on a dirt road this month, pick-up trucks carrying partridge hunters slowly rolling along the roads looking for a bird.  Many of these hunters are traveling to a selected area to pursue the birds, some are "heater hunters" preferring the warmth of the cab and satisfied to find their quarry in the road at which time they get out of the cab, load their shotgun and let a shot fly at the bird.  I took today to walk some of the back-roads.  Starting in Carrying Place Twp a walked the roads.  It was windy and it had rained the night before so after a while I got in my truck, joined the parade and drove north to Bowtown Twp.  After stalking my prey along the shores of North Otter Pond, I headed southwest to Carrying Place Town Twp.  It is not a typo, the two townships have similar names and between them hold the Carry Ponds.  Lastly, I headed south in Highland Plt for one last hike with my shotgun before heading back home for lunch.

10/08/2006          Morning Mist and October Fishing....

- There is still fishing to be had this time of year and sometimes the moment can bring surprises.  I went to Madison to try for some brown trout.  The occasional trout would rise to the surface but the real pleasure this morning were the four deer that were wandering along the opposite shore.

10/07/2006          Dirt roads and Grouse....

- Fall has set in and today was the first day of bird season.  Spent the morning in Embden walking logging roads in search of my quarry.  Crisp morning temperatures, low humidity and wonderful foliage make these adventures some of the best.

08/19/2006          Gem of an Adventure....

- We were invited to spend the day at a closed quarry in Rumford called Black Mountain quarry.  The site is a lithium rich pegmatite where we found lepidolite, pink tourmaline and rose quartz.  The lithium gives the minerals in this location colors of pink, red and purple.  Here is a close up of some lepidolite (purple mica).

07/01/2006          Brook Trout Bonanza....

- Nancy and I headed north with our truck tent for the holiday weekend and spent a couple of days camping on the Greenlaw Stream in T11 R7 WELS.  We fished the stream for hours between downpours and thunderstorms and the brook trout were certainly accommodating.  None of the fish had much size, the largest being only 10 inches but there certainly were enough to keep both of us busy.

06/10/2006          Rainy Rendezvous....

- For about twenty years now I've managed to fish with two friends.  This year we headed to meet at the Magalloway River.  I had a good jump start on them and drove north in pouring rain.  I stopped for a bit in Hebron to hike around during a slower drizzle.  A little bit later I stopped in Woodstock to try fishing North Pond.  After a great day of fishing the Magalloway River we headed back to camp.  I took a quick trip down the road to try the Carrabassett River while it was raging.  The water was much more fishable in Kingfield.

06/04/2006          Meandering for Moose....

- Instead of building an Arc to combat all the rain we've had, Nancy and I decided to get out and look for moose.  We stopped at Smalls Falls and on a hiking trail in Madrid we found these white lady slippers.  We meandered up through the country and hit some paper company roads, sighting three moose along the way.  We did stop for lunch and some fishing on the Upper Kennebago River in Stetsontown TWP before heading back home.

04/02/2006          Headin' Home the Long Way....

- After a wonderful weekend with my best friend (who is also my wife) we headed back traveling along Route 11.  We stopped on this windy day for a small hike in T4 R9 NWP.  Further down the road we decided to stretch our legs one more time on this woods road in Charleston.  What a great weekend to start our open water fishing season.

04/01/2006          Opening Day on the West Branch....

- Nancy and I headed out early to fish the West Branch Penobscot River.  We had a wonderful morning, Nancy broke her fly twice and we didn't land any keepers but still had a wonderful morning.  While the skies dropped rain on us we decided to head down the Golden Road.  We got a nice collection of dried flowers and seed pods along a marsh in T3 R12 WELS.  Further down the road we stopped in T2 R12 WELS and found even more.  The skies opened up so we went back for more fishing.  In the afternoon we stopped in T1 R9 WELS for another hike, this time along a bog where we saw these mallards.  We headed back to the hotel for the evening.

03/31/2006          Pre-scouting for Opening Day....

- I took Friday off to head north with Nancy for opening day (tomorrow).  We had high hopes for fishing the West Branch Penobscot.  We checked into our hotel room and with day light to spare we headed out to look for our destination.  We were hoping to fish the dead water in T2 R9 WELS.  We hiked down to the river, about fifteen minutes, only to find it locked solid with ice.  Not a total loss when you consider the view we had of Mount Katahdin :-)

03/05/2006          Trying to Hurry Spring....

- Today is one of those warm sunny days you sometimes get in early March that give you just a hint of spring in the air.  I went out this morning to see if I could find some Pussy Willows for Nancy.  As the picture shows I was successful in finding what I consider Maine's first flower of spring.  All it took was hiking along some wet areas that get plenty of sun shine.  For today, I was lucky enough to find some in Bowdoin.

03/04/2006          Eight Months is Too Long....

- Nancy and I agreed that 8 months was far too long since our last adventure.  Between real-life work, a new grandson and Nancy's recent adventures in Alaska we certainly fell behind in our local travels.  We decided to make up for it with some down-east hiking along the shore.  Our first stop was in Camden.  Even in the winter it is a beautiful harbor to walk along.  From there we left route 1 and traveled to Penobscot.  Winter still had a grip, even on the frozen salt water along the shore.  Further on down the road we came to Blue Hill where we saw this flock of Cedar Waxwings along the shore.  After a stop for lunch we traveled into Acadia National Park and stopped for another hike in Mount Desert.  Our last stop was in Bar Harbor where we hiked along Cadillac Mountain.  We are certainly blessed to have these kinds of opportunities all around us within a day's trip.

07/04/2005          Take the Long Way Home....

- We reluctantly broke camp and started the ride back home.  Since we weren't ready to call it quits yet we decided to meander home instead of taking a beeline back.  Our first stop was in Long Pond Twp where we hiked in the woods checking out the early summer wild flowers.  A little while later we came on a nice stretch of the Kennebec River in The Forks Plt.  We spent some time there having a shore side lunch and giving our fly rods some exercise before we headed back to home.  All in all I'd say it was a good trip and look forward to the next one.

07/03/2005          It Could Only Happen to Me....

- I left the campsite to check out other fishing spots and to look for moose since we were all the way up here.  What are the odds of puncturing two tires?  I was driving through Plymouth Twp when I hit a bump and punctured both rear tires.  One was losing air fast so I put on the spare, the other was losing air slowly.  I went back to the campsite to tell Nancy and then headed back to civilization, all the while watching for air pumps to keep the tire full.  Four hours later the tire was repaired and I was back in the woods with my wife.  That kind of adventure I don't need :-)  At least Nancy was there to help me laugh it all off.

07/02/2005          Head North Young Man....

- A three day weekend and time for a new adventure.  Nancy and I went camping into the North Maine Woods, a giant expanse of timberlands in the northern part of the state.  After a long drive and leaving civilization behind, we stopped in Tomhegan Twp to hike a bit and stretch our legs.  Then we traveled through the 20 Mile Checkpoint and found the North Branch campsite (called the Honeymoon site by the gatekeeper) and we camped in Pittston Academy Grant.  It gave us a chance to try out the truck tent Nancy gave me for Father's Day.  It was a wonderful day and a peaceful night with just the sound of owls and coyotes through the evening.

05/31/2005          Mixing Business and Pleasure....

- I was supposed to have today off, trying to extend the long Memorial Day weekend one more day.  Unfortunately I needed to attend a meeting for the State and decided to keep the day as a vacation day and fish my way to the meeting.  I started out in Richmond and fished Upper Pleasant Pond.  All the rain has kept the water levels high but it didn't seem to bother the bass any.  From there I headed to the Cobbosseecontee Stream in Litchfield.  Bass and browns here, the river and the lake where it originates is well known for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and hefty brown trout.  As the time was nearing for the business meeting I made one more stop and fished the Cobbosseecontee again in Manchester at the outlet from the lake.  Not a bad morning considering I spent the rest of the day in meetings.

05/29/2005          Sunday's Slight Respite....

- A little bit warmer and many more breaks between showers on this day as we drove back south.  We drove down the Fish River Trail and stopped in T14 R6 WELS and caught up with this big fellow.  Later on, Nancy and I decided to pull into a woods road in T7 R5 WELS for some sight seeing, hiking and general leg stretching.  More rain followed so we continued to drove south, we finally stopped for lunch along the shore of the East Branch Penobscot in Grindstone Twp.  Later on in our travels we stopped in Long A Twp for more hiking.  We had some bonuses on this trip like this Lady Slipper getting ready to bloom, this Painted Trillium (they were everywhere) and lastly this snake that surprised Nancy.  He looks to be about 18 inches long.  Our last stop before getting back on the highway was in the town of Alton where my brother-in-law used to be first selectman.

05/28/2005          Soggy Saturday....

- By my reckoning it has rained for seven straight weekends.  Nancy and I just couldn't take it and decided to go far, far away.  We drove to the end of Interstate 95 and then drove north, staying in Maine and driving close to the New Brunswick border.  We stopped at yard sales and flea markets all along the way.  We had a brief break in the rain and stopped for lunch and a hike in Hamlin along the St. John River.  We finally decided to settle in for the night at the Overlook Motel and Cabins in Eagle Lake.  Eagle Lake has some of the fattest salmon and a healthy smelt population.  It was nice to settle in for the evening with the view from our cabin and listening to the loons.

05/13/2005          Turkey Hunting....

- I received my turkey permit this year, unfortunately I don't have many days to hunt this season.  I was fortunate to get permission to hunt a large woodlot in Freeport.  It was a sunny and cool morning and I could hear gobbles in the distance but never had any birds get near my decoy.

05/01/2005          May Day....

- Seems like we've had rain every weekend when we have had free time lately but we just needed to get out.  We took a day trip to make sure all was well at camp and stopped in Paris to check out a small quarry with rose quartz.  From there we checked out the road into our camp and then headed to Andover to check out the water levels and see if the fiddlehead crop was in.  We hiked along the Ellis River and the water was still filling the banks. It was much too early for the fiddleheads.  Oh well, we got out of the house and adventured a little.

04/01/2005          Show Time....

- Opening day of fishing season and the first day of the Maine Sportsman's Show.  It was a cloudy and rainy day so I tried my hand on the Kennebec before the show started down near the former Edwards Dam site in Augusta.  No fish to be had this day and I did OK dodging the ice flows in the river.  This is where I caught my first Atlantic salmon, the last year there was a season for them in Maine.

02/05/2005          Time for a Shrimp Run....

- It's shrimp season so Nancy and I decided to take an adventure and go up the coast looking for fresh shrimp off the boat.  We went all the way down the eastern shore of the Penobscot River and went to Stonington.  The temperature was in the teens but with no wind it was pleasant to hike along the shore.  From there we went to Deer Isle for more hiking.  We did pick up 10 pounds of shrimp from a local fisherman and I smoked half of them for Super Bowl Sunday.

01/01/2005          New Year, New Adventure....

- Well, it has been a dry spell what with selling our house (finally after 8 years) and then the holidays but I returned to Adventuring today and hit the hard water for opening day of ice fishing.  Today's trip found me in the north since there is still quite a bit of open water around.  I went to Wyman Lake in Pleasant Ridge Plt with two dozen smelt.  Not a bad day, I landed a splake and 6 brook trout, the biggest was fifteen inches (here) as well as a fat yellow perch.

10/18/2004          Central Maine Grouse....

- I needed to tend to business in Central Maine so I managed to take a few hours and get in some bird hunting in a woodlot in Albion.  It was good to cover this territory, the air was clear and crisp.  I only flushed one bird, seems most of the nut crop is down this year, no acorns or beechnuts.  I did manage to see one nice buck while hunting but he was gone before I could get the camera out.  Not surprising since this part of the state holds the largest herds of deer around.

09/04/2004          Labor Day Scouting Trip....

- I spent the weekend with plans to fly fish and scout out partridge territory.  Leaving early in the morning from camp I headed up toward the Rangeley Lakes region.  First stop was in Roxbury along the Swift River where I saw this large flock of 16 wild turkeys.  After this stop I headed towards Height of Land and scouted along Moll Stream in Township E.  I passed through Rangeley and decided to try for some salmon in the lower Kennebago River.  Then it was time to hit some back roads looking for grouse territory.  I hiked down the Mud Pond Road in Adamstown Twp and saw some nice bird cover there.  Then I found my way into Magalloway Plt to Little Beaver Pond.  I wish I had brought my float tube, it was very difficult to cast from shore here.  I drove from there and headed into the western woods on the Parmachenee Road.  I scouted the grouse cover and flushed a bird in Parkertown Twp.  From there I tried my hand fishing for brook trout on the Little Magalloway River in Lynchtown Twp. Last stop was one last search for birds where the road ran out in Parmachenee Twp.  Once again I found some good bird cover and managed to flush another partridge.  Not a bad scouting day.

08/29/2004          Back to Basics with Bass Bugs....

- A hot and humid day, Nancy had plans for the day so I headed out to beat the weather with some bass fishing.  I took all my favorite bass flies and the fly rod and headed out in search of another adventure.  Before I started fishing though I took in the Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary in Lewiston.  It was early in the morning and the warblers were making music.  There are about five miles of hiking trails here and it is a year round park.  There is some good information about the park and it's marked trails at the head of the trail.

- I had read a story recently about Sabattus Pond.  It seems that the pond had a very bad algae problem back in the 1980's.  Terrible algae blooms would appear and take over the pond in July and August.  In addition, the white perch population seemed to have exploded.  Well someone illegally stocked northern pike into the pond.  Seems the pike ate the perch which in turn allowed zooplankton to recover.  Zooplankton are the grazers of the pond's algae.  With less perch, the zooplankton grew in population and they ate more algae.  One heck of a way to eliminate an algae problem!  Well, I wanted to see the pond after reading that and thought I would try some bass fishing at the same time.  First stop was in Sabattus.  The fish cooperated some and then I headed along the eastern shore in Wales, hiking down through some lovely hay fields.  Lastly, I went to Greene, fishing Hooper Brook, an inlet to Sabattus Pond.

- Now it was time to find some new water.  I headed through enormous corn fields in the town of Leeds to try my hand fishing Dead River.  No luck, so I headed into Livermore Falls at the recreation park in downtown.  Still no luck.  Now it is over the river and try some wooly buggers in the Androscoggin River in Jay at the Pine Island Recreation Area.  This was better, well oxygenated water seemed to hold the smallmouth bass.

- One more stretch of area to try, I headed to Wilton to try Wilson Pond.  This town is slowly recovering from the loss of a major employer just like so many other working Maine towns.  I headed from there into Washington Twp to try Wilson Stream.  No luck but a very pretty spot.  Lastly, I went to try fishing Hills Pond in Perkins Twp.  It was very picturesque here with a resident pair of loons swimming around the pond.

08/28/2004          Fossils and Fly Fishing Redux....

- OK, we had another location to travel to that could give us both an opportunity for fun, Ripogenus Dam has both a plethora of fossils as well as some cold water fly fishing.  We left early in the morning with a destination in mind on a hot and humid August day.  It was well into the seventies by 8:00 am as we traveled up the highway.  By late morning with the Interstate behind us we caught the Golden Road outside Millinocket and headed into the North Maine Woods.  We made a stop to hike a woods road in T2 R10 WELS.  We were able to also get one last picking off the wild raspberry bushes.  Then it was onto our destination at Ripogenus Dam and Ripogenus Gorge in T3 R11 WELS.  The rocks around the gorge are a very hard sedimentary rock with many fossils like this: (picture).  While Nancy cracked rocks around the dam, I went into the gorge to catch salmon and brook trout on dry flies.  There just are not too many places you can do that in late August.

07/11/2004          Flagstaff Fossils and Fly Fishing the Falls....

- We are closing in on the end of the first year of the Great Adventure.  Today was a day trip for Nancy and I.  Our destination was Grand Falls on the Dead River to give Nancy some more fly casting experience.  We stopped first at a little place I had discovered bird hunting about ten years ago in Flagstaff Twp, I call this Fossil Rock as this huge rock is a sandstone rock that is covered with fossils, you can carefully peel away layers and expose fossils like this one (picture).  After exploring around this locale we continued on our way, finally reaching the falls in T3R4 BKP WKR.  This is just one of the most beautiful locations in the state.  We cast to salmon in these waters but unfortunately the water was fairly warm, close to 70 degrees.  As we left for the day, we passed through Lexington Twp.  There is an abandoned apple orchard here as well as a hidden beaver bog so we bushwhacked and explored the area before heading home for the evening.

07/06/2004          Falmouth by Sea....

- I had a chance to go fishing with Cap'n Bob this morning.  We fished the mouth of the Presumpscot River in Casco Bay and fished up close to Mackworth Island in Falmouth.  It was a splendid morning, all fogged in and not a ripple on the water except for the busting bait fish.  We fished the falling tide and managed to tag a few striped bass.  Here's a schoolie I brought to hand (picture) and here's a boil when Cap'n Bob hooked one on a clouser (picture).  All of this fun and I was still in my office for a 9am meeting, what a life!

06/27/2004          Sunday Morning, Sunday River....

- I headed up to camp for an overnight trip.  It was still pretty early in the day and I wanted to go fishing so I sought the headwaters of Sunday River to try for brook trout.  First stop was in the Mahoosuc range on Goose Eye Brook in Riley Twp, a feeder stream for Sunday River.  After fishing pools and listening to this brook babble along, I headed down to the covered bridge in Newry on Sunday River.  A nice cool and shady spot to wet a fly on the water.  I ended my meanderings, heading back to camp and I found this spot on the Androscoggin River in Hanover where the evening fly fishing should be good.  I plan to take Nancy back there.

06/26/2004          Rain, Stripers and Baked Beans, Mmm Mmm Good....

- This day found me going to Portland to visit my mother in the hospital.  After I left her I decided to catch the falling tide and fish for stripers along the East End.  There's a good spot near the water treatment plant where Back Bay drains back to Casco Bay and often you can find the stripers going with the tide.  The other unique aspect is that you can do all this in view of the B&M Baked Beans factory :-)

06/19/2004          How Do You Pronounce That?....

- Nancy was ready to pick up a fly rod again so we headed out between rain showers to find new water.  We found our selves on the Cupsuptic River in Lower Cupsuptic Twp.  Very pleasant trip on woods roads and then this meandering water in such a quiet setting.  This is what Maine is all about!

06/18/2004          Close to Home, Waiting For a Weekend at Camp....

- I needed to take care of some things for work today so I stayed close to home.  I fished the Androscoggin River below the dam in Lisbon Falls, a small community that appreciates the finer things in life with their fishing park :-)  After spending some time catching smallmouths I journeyed over the bridge to the opposite shore in Durham.  Here's a bonus picture of one of the smallmouth bass I caught on a wooly bugger.  Now it's time to get things packed so we can head to camp this weekend....

06/15/2004          Huston, We Have a Problem....

- My friend Wally and I decided to revisit one of our favorite waters, Huston Brook Pond.  We have been fishing the pond for many, many years.  It's a fly fishing only water in the Bigelow Preserve.  The last few years, the tote road to get to it has been closed so we thought we would face a three mile hike.  Well, we had a happy surprise to find that we could drive about two of those miles before we came to a washed out bridge.  We found our way into the pond, this place has one of the steepest trails I've ever climbed.  But there we were in Dead River Twp.  The pond is hit or miss for fishing, this time we actually had white caps and a terrible wind that blew straight down the pond.  Wally and I fished a few hours, struggling to keep the canoe in one place.  The rises were few and far between and hard to spot in the waves.

06/05/2004          No Surplus of Fish....

- This was a day for the Rapid River.  Clear blue skies and 70 degree temps.  Whenever I drive to the Rapid I pass along the West Branch of the Ellis River and always thought it looked like the Carrabassett River one of my favorite brook trout rivers.  I stopped along the East B Hill Rd in Andover West Surplus to float a dry fly down through the pools.  While I fished every fishy looking pool I could find apparently there were not any trout populating them.  Oh well the Rapid River didn't let me down later in the day.

04/25/2004          Not So Gray Day....

- Nancy and I wanted to get a good hike in today so we headed to Bradbury State Park in Pownal.  Wonderful hikes all around this small mountain and some great views from the summit.  Clear skies today and no humidity allowed us to see all the way to the blue ocean waters.  Since we were already enjoying State of Maine properties we went over to the State's Wildlife Park in Gray.  These are a couple of the bears they are rehabilitating.  The park was great I could have spent the day there viewing all the wildlife.

04/11/2004          Why Not Minot?....

- This is a great time of year for rock hounds the weather is cool and there aren't any bugs.  Plus the crowds are non-existent.  So after a trip back to Mt. Apatite in Auburn we headed over to the Pitts-Tenney quarry in Minot.  The rock here is very hard but you can find some nice cinnamon colored grossular garnets if you look around.  Sitting in a quarry can cramp your legs so afterwards we headed over to Range Ponds State Park in Poland.  The gate was closed so we hiked in and went all the way to the beach.  Lots of exercise and we saw the beach before it gets really crowded.

04/10/2004          Time for Some Noyes....

- We wanted to get some rock hunting in today but it turned colder than we thought.  The temperature was in the high 30's and the wind was blowing strong.  We ended up in Greenwood at the Waisanen Quarry and the Tamminen Quarry on Noyes Mountain.  It took us a while but we did find some color specifically a couple of nice chunks of lepidolite (purple mica for the uninitiated).  We also grabbed some small pieces of quartz for the tumbler.  Here's to waiting for warmer weather.

04/03/2004          Acadia Bound....

- Nancy picked the location today so we headed to Acadia National Park to a red granite location we were interested in finding.  On the trip up she spotted the Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery and Salmon Museum.  We just had to stop.  It is located in Orland.  This picture is inside a display in the museum if you look close you should be able to see at least three baby salmon.  We kept going up Route One after that stop and found ourselves in Southwest Harbor hiking the Ship Harbor Nature Trails and collecting a bag full of red granite that will be seeing a few months in our rock tumblers.  Nice day as usual despite the 30 degree temps and overcast skies.

04/02/2004          Another Rainy Day of Fishing Must be Maine....

- I spent the morning dodging raindrops around the Belgrade Lakes region.  Let's just say there were no fish to be had in the open waters of Long Pond in Belgrade or feeder streams in Rome or Smithfield.

04/01/2004          Opening Day or April Fools Day to me (as usual)....

- It is opening day of fishing season so it must be raining.  Regardless it is a holiday that demands attention and I was up for the event.  I started the morning at Panther Run in Raymond casting a Black Ghost fly for the non-existent salmon.  Then I moved along to Casco and thought I would try  Pleasant Lake.  Like so much of my day many waters were still frozen shut.  I drove north to Otisfield to find the same situation on Thompson Lake.  OK looks like running water may be the way to go so I stopped at Angel Falls on the Little Androscoggin River in West Paris.  No fish but at least I could cast :-)  I tried a couple more locations stopping in Wayne at Berry Pond and then one last stop in Readfield at Maranacook Lake before calling it day.  It is a typical opening day and I have gotten it out of the way.  OK fish watch out now 'cause it just gets better after this!

03/28/2004          We Just Might Have Found Spring After All....

- Today found us departing on a cold cloudy morning for the southern coast.  We arrived in York and walked along the beach at Short Sands.  It was pretty breezy but refreshing.  Then we went up the coast a little to explore Perkins Cove in Ogunquit.  It was nice but it was still cold and windy.  We gave it one more try stopping in Wells but the wind kept things pretty raw.  OK enough of this let's go inland a ways.  Sure enough as we drove into Sanford the sun came out and the temperature warmed so we walked around a little park and got the picture of early geese arriving  on the Mousam River.  Now we were in the spirit of spring we found ourselves in Limerick and even though this pond was frozen over it was really nice out for a walk.  Next stop along the way found us walking along the shore of the Saco River in Steep Falls Standish.  The river was moving at a good clip and had me in the spirit for opening day of fishing season.  One more stop and that was in Naples to check out the possibilities for fishing Sebago Lakes shoreline.  Clearly we found some open water.  Check back in a few days to find out where I decided to spend my first day of fishing in April.

03/27/2004          Is It Spring Yet????

- Nancy and I went searching for evidence in the north country that spring did indeed arrive last weekend.  Unfortunately it is hard to find proof north of Lewiston.  We drove all the way to Chain Of Ponds Twp.  Lower Pond was still covered in ice (of course).  Narrows Pond had a troop of ice fishermen getting in the last weekend of hard water fishing.  We traveled south from there and made a stop at the Wire Bridge in New Portland.  The Carrabassett River was showing signs of experiencing the run-off from melting snow.  For this neck of the woods it looks like spring is progressing normally and luckily we don't think there will be any big surprises like flooding this year.

03/20/2004          Oh Deer....

- It is the first day of spring and opening day of open water fishing is only twelve days away.  We took a ride to the headwaters of the Kennebec to check out the water conditions.  First stop along the way was Abbot.  The Piscataquis  River was still frozen over hard.  We headed up the western shore of Moosehead Lake and stopped at East Outlet of the Kennebec in Big Moose Twp.  We saw deer tracks everywhere and Nancy had one run in front of her on the trail we were walking.  We then headed up the road a little further for West Outlet in Taunton & Raynham Academy Grant.  More deer sign everywhere we walked.  Lastly we headed up to the Moose River in Rockwood Strip T1 R1.  There we came across this small herd moving across a field.  All the way back we continued to see deer heading out of the woods quite a trip.

03/14/2004          Apatite for Adventure....

- We drove to camp again just to see how the snow pack is doing.  I'm still hoping to stay at camp for opening day of fishing season but it doesn't look promising.  Anyway that was our morning.  We planned things so that the afternoon would be warmer and we would visit the quarries at Mt. Apatite in Auburn.  We weren't disappointed.  It had been many years since we had been there.  You can't drive in anymore you need to hike in from the National Guard Armory.  Either way it's a nice hike and nice to have a place like that preserved for mineral collection.

03/13/2004          Seeking Signs of Spring....

- We spent the late morning today searching for signs of spring.  We ended up in Alna along  the shores of the Sheepscott River searching for pussywillows (which we did find thank you very much).  Still a little cool and still frost in the ground and ice in the river but winter is finally losing its grip.

03/07/2004          Almost Spring Time to Check the Topsham Quarries....

- Nancy and I hiked into our favorite local quarry Square Pit in Topsham.  We kept our eyes out for antler sheds and other wildlife sign.  Mostly we observed ATV tracks along with a few deer tracks.  All in all it was a great pre-spring hike.  Not a lot of snow 40 degree temperatures and plenty of fresh air.  Can it be long before the pussy willows are out?

02/29/2004          Reporting from Route 16....

- Nancy and I continued the adventure this weekend.  We actually started our day in Millinocket but without any adventure to log.  We drove across the state to visit the camp in Bethel and stopped for a little adventure along the way specifically along Route 16.  First was a stop in Moscow.  This was along an active woods road with much logging activity as well as snowmobilers.  A little later we stopped on the shores of Lily Pond to watch a small flock of Turkeys in Concord TWP.  Lastly we thought to stop and check on a friends camp in Carrabassett Valley.  While there we both watched an Ermine scurry around.  Unfortunately you will have to trust us about the sighting.  Every time I had the camera pointed at him he jumped under the snow when the camera was out of range we would scurry around and parade his shiny white fur and black tipped tail.  Oh well guess he won't be immortalized on our web page :-)

01/07/2004          We're Back....

- It's been a bad couple of months.  More than a couple of funerals and I tore a muscle on my ribs.  Wasn't sure when the Great Adventure would continue but I had my chance today.  Cold weather has started to set in and I managed to go smelt fishing in Bowdoinham.  Here's a bonus picture of the success... (Pic).

11/27/2003          Working off the Thanksgiving Feast...

- We decided to get out and get some fresh air this afternoon.  Quick trip to Lands End on Bailey's Island in Harpswell and we were in the fresh ocean air at high tide.  Usually this time of year you can see eiders swimming near shore but not today.

11/02/2003          Don't give up...

- We haven't added to the Great Adventure for a few weeks but that doesn't mean we've lost our ambition.  Real life work and closing the camp have dominated our last few weekends but we are planning our next trip as I write.

10/12/2003          Moose Cave Gorge...

- Nancy and I wanted to take in the foliage one more time before the leaves dropped.  We went to Grafton Twp and hiked around Grafton Notch State Park.  The foliage did not disappoint us and the trails were wonderful.  Moose Cave Gorge is a very easy hike if you are interested.

10/11/2003          C is for Coyotes...

- This was a glorious day for bird hunting so I headed over to C Surplus A little triangle in the middle of nowhere on the map.  I had hiked down this trail for twenty minutes or so when I heard a cacophony of coyote cries.  It was a pack of them about a mile or two away howling for ten minutes.  What an incredible sound!  I managed to flush four birds this day.

10/05/2003          Peak Foliage near Rangeley...

- Nancy and I headed home from camp the long way.  Since the sun was now shining (and Maine still has blue laws about Sunday hunting) we decided to take in the foliage near Rangeley Lake.  First stop was at Coos Canyon in Byron.  There is an area just upriver in the Swift River that is popular for gold panning.

We passed Height of the Land a scenic outlook and came to Rangeley Plt.  One of our favorite past times for hiking is to take in out of the way logging roads.  We weren't disappointed on this little jaunt with the wondrous colors of fall.

10/04/2003          Grousin'...

- Bird season has officially started and I had high hopes all week.  The weatherman said it wouldn't start raining until 2PM so I headed out early.  First stop was in Andover North Surplus.  Of course it started drizzling hours before it was supposed to start...  Oh well I headed up the road to another set of logging roads in Township C.  I hiked about fifteen minutes from the truck when a wall of water came down and kept pouring.  Typical bird hunting weather for me :-)  We'll see if next weekend is better for the grouse.

09/28/2003          A Coastal Crawl...

- Last weekend we had the remnants of Hurricane Isabelle this weekend we have Hurricane Juan passing to our east on its way to Nova Scotia.  Nancy and I heard that between the storm swell and an astronomical tide the surf should be impressive.  We decided to crawl up the coast in the fog and drizzle to get some exercise.  First stop as we waited for the tides to rise was Edgecomb.  A pretty little town along the shores of the Sheepscott River.

From there we worked our way over to Newcastle and stopped at Sherman Lake.  Still foggy out but it made for a nice respite as we soaked in some fall drizzle and fall colors.

The tide was getting higher so we headed for a loop around Pemequid Point.  We stopped in South Bristol to catch some of the local color.  This is a very pretty little fishing village on the coast.  Unfortunately no big waves yet.  Then onto Pemequid Point in Bristol.  The area around Fort William Henry is very pretty and a lot of historical points to observe but still none of the killer waves we wanted to see.  We continued through to Bremen to see the Audubon Society's Todd Wildlife Sanctuary.  We weren't there very long before the rain started coming down in sheets.  We finally ended up visiting a previous site Reid State Park to see this and this to finish the trip with a splash :-)

09/21/2003          Early Fall Foliage...

- After touring the coast we spent the night on the St. Croix River in Calais.  The skies were clearing and we knew that there was plenty of early fall foliage just waiting for us to view.

We decided to take the Airline Road (Route 9).  Our next stop was along the blueberry barrens in Crawford.  Beautiful panoramic views and early fall colors surrounded us.

A little later we found a woods road for a hike into T26 ED BPP.  Maine has some interesting naming conventions for some of the unorganized territories ED means "Eastern Division" and BPP means "Bingham's Penobscot Purchase".  There was quite a bit of animal sign along this road coyotes fox moose and bear had all traveled before us.

We continued our trip into the heart of the state and traveled along "The Whaleback" in Aurora.  This is a very unique glacial esker that looks over the East Branch Union River; peat bogs abound below your feet.

We found ourselves entering civilization a little later and stopped to walk along the Penobscot River in Eddington.  This spot holds special memories for me it was the first place I ever fished for Atlantic Salmon.  While I didn't catch any that day I was awed by the ones that others had hooked and released in the famous Eddington Pool.

Last stop for us on our meander home was in Montville at the Frye Mountain State Game Management Area.  Everywhere we walked we found old apple trees and deer sign.  A glorious end to a great weekend adventure.

09/20/2003          Downeast Downpours...

- Hurricane Isabelle hit Virginia earlier in the week and we were scheduled to get dumped with rain as part of her aftermath.  Not to let that spoil our weekend we headed up the coast to visit some of our favorite beaches on the coast.  First stop was Lincolnville on the Ducktrap River.  Until the Atlantic Salmon was declared endangered this was one of my favorite spots to fish.

We continued wandering up the coast visiting a few "junkatiques" along the way.  Eventually we hit our next destination in Machiasport Jasper Beach.  The beach is littered with a volcanic rock that resembles jasper.  We hadn't been here in almost ten years so it was nice to return even in the fog and drizzle.  We left when the skies opened up (again) and dumped some major rain.

Speaking of rain our next stop was wet as usual Quoddy Head State Park in Lubec.  Every time we come here it rains.  We'll probably keep trying though the trails along the cliffs have breathtaking views.

09/14/2003          White Mountains Wild River...

- Nancy and I spent a back-breaking day at camp on Saturday so we decided to take some leisure time on Sunday.  We had thoughts of exploring the Wild River to see if it would be worthy of a fishing trip next spring.  First stop was Gilead and a hike down the Wild River to the point where it joins the Upper Androscoggin.  Grape vines grow everywhere along this stretch and we also saw Jack-in-the-pulpit plants.  After that we drove up into the White Mountain National Forest into Batchelders Grant Township to follow the Wild River upstream.  We found some very deep pocket water and some small trout sipping along the surface.  The river reminds me of the Carrabasset and I think I'll give it a try next May or June.

09/11/2003          More Fall Fishing...

- I had to run an errand to Bethel so I took an opportunity to fish the Little Androscoggin River in Mechanic Falls.  The day was almost like a fine June day with temperatures in the seventies and no humidity.  I fished the stretch of river all by my self with only an Osprey sharing the water with me.

09/06/2003          Rapid River...

- Another legendary fishing location this time in Upton at Lower Dam on the Rapid River.  The fishing was good with a few salmon brought to net and the native brook trout were stacked up like cord wood in full spawning colors getting ready to breed a new generation.  This spot is truly in the middle of God's country and with no humidity and cool air you can see for miles.  Until the people hatch occurred towards late afternoon we felt like we were the only people around for miles.

08/31/2003          Legendary Fishing Locales...

- Who else but me could manage to get skunked at two different legendary fishing spots.  First I headed over to Lincoln Plt to fish the storied Magalloway.  I never thought to check about high water releases.  I still fished the pool but I had to keep clear of all the white water kayakers.

Then it was time to try a new spot.  Off to Richardsontown Twp to fish Upper Dam.  The water was still pretty warm coming out of Mooselookmeguntic.  I did see someone catch a small salmon at the dam and had a few lazy fish follow my fly but I was unable to catch anything this trip.  Oh well next time...

08/23/2003          Bethel Hike...

- Those who know us also know about our little cabin in the woods in Bethel.  This was a sunny Saturday and the hot and humid weather of summer had broken.  We took a long hike in the woods around the camp.  Among the many sites we took in was a large ant nest that had been rooted by a bear.  We also saw a small fox run across the logging road in front of us.

08/09/2003          Benton Bass then Back to Bath...

- One of the nice things about this adventure is that I get to revisit some places I haven't been to in a long time.  I lived in the Waterville area for over ten years and I have some good memories of fishing the area.  Today I needed to go to Benton for business and took the opportunity to fish at Benton Falls.  I spent many hours there catching smallmouths and even with the extremely warm and humid conditions I managed to find a 14" smally in the river below the dam.  In the past I've caught some browns there as well as white perch.  With the swallows darting around you and the resident eagle looking down from the tree top it is a very peaceful location.  Alas I had to return home for the afternoon.

08/03/2003           Where are the Mackerel?...

- A cloudy Sunday afternoon and I need some fish for my bear bait site.  First stop is Back River in Arrowsic.  This water runs with a very fast current between the Kennebec and Sheepscott Rivers.  It is a good striper area but I was hoping for mackerel today.  Nothing was hitting so I continued on to Reid State Park in Georgetown.  Had a great afternoon there fishing a Sabiki rig in the surf.  I ended up catching 30 harbor pollock and only two mackerel.  I could only keep six of the pollock for bait so now I have eight fish to contribute to the bait site.  Except I donated a pollock and a mackerel to a couple of guys that needed striper bait on my way out. so I guess six fish will have to do.....

07/26/2003           Raiders of the Lost Pegmatite...

- Nancy and I searched for the Beemis Prospect a pegmatite in the woods of Township D.  The hike in is fairly short but very strenuous.  Starting at the logging road that goes from Houghton to Beemis we followed the stream down until it formed a deep gorge.  At the end of the gorge we found the prospect high up the bank to the right.  Poking through the tailings we managed to find some dark green tourmaline.

07/19/2003           Of Striper Fishing and Berry Picking...

- I figured if I was going to start this adventure let's start it close to home.  So I started with a striper jaunt right in Bath where I'm living.  Bath has centuries of history as a shipbuilding town.  On the banks of the Kennebec River situated below Merrymeeting Bay is a deep water channel.  One of my "Out of the Way" fishing locations is behind Stimson's seafood processing plant.  For obvious reasons the stripers hang out here.  The place doesn't get too crowded and even on a busy day it is a quiet place to, go very relaxing.

Next stop along the adventure was West Bath right next door.  A nice little hike in Sabino along the eastern shore of the New Meadows River.  Blueberries were ripe and they were a nice refreshment for the hike.

Following that hike it was on to Phippsburg.  OK Phippsburg means Popham right?  Not this day.  It was a very sunny Saturday in July and there is no possible hope of parking at Popham Beach.  But if you know your way around Fiddler's Reach on the Kennebec River there is a great area for striped bass fishing.  Bait fish hold up in this large bend in the river and if Popham is crowded this is the second best place to try.

Last stop for this Saturday was a hike along the Nequassett River in Woolwich.  There is a small dam with a very impressive alewives harvesting operation.  The river runs shallow and wide below the dam and is very quiet and peaceful even though you are only yards away from Route 1 with all its bumper-to-bumper traffic.  The hike was pleasant and I got to see a kingfisher as well as pick some raspberries.