I posted yesterday that my daughter-in-law was having a contest on her web site and that a prize would be awarded to the person that guesses where their new home will be. I also posted that if the winner mentions moosetique.com in the post on the threetastes.com site, that I, too, will send a prize from here in Maine.  ” Click HERE to read the post.

What will you win if you are lucky enough to guess where they will be moving?  Click HERE to see the prize package from Three Tastes.  Click HERE to join in on this fun contest and to read the hints and rules. When you post your guess, just tell her that you found her contest on moosetique.com and I will also send the winner a prize which includes a moose refrigerator notepad, a moose crossing magnet and a moose keychain.

This is a great opportunity to win two gifts from opposite corners of the country. Go to the contest page on threetastes.com right now and submit your guess. Remember to add that you found the site via moosetique.com in your post.  Happy guessing!

UPDATE: Click HERE to see what you will win from moosetique.com if you are the lucky person that correctly guesses where the threetastes folks are going AND you have put moosetique.com in your post. Click HERE to see the prize that threetastes is offering to the winner.

My son and daughter-in-law are moving from Hawaii in a few weeks and she is running a fun contest on her very popular food blog—Three Tastes.  All you need to do is be the first person to guess where their new home will be. Click HERE to go to the site and join in. You may be the winner of a “Three Tastes of Hawaii” gift which will feature a  a tasting sample of some of their favorite flavors of Hawaii.

What does topic have to do with Maine or moose??? Nothing—but hey, this is my family and I am in Maine musing about their move.  That has to qualify for a Maine Musing topic

Be sure to tell her that you found her post via moosetique.com.  If the person that wins mentions moosetique.com, I will also send a gift to the winner from right here in Maine. Happy guessing!

It’s summer here, although as I write this, it is difficult to tell. The temperature today has been closer to spring or fall temperatures, but as they say up here—if you don’t like the weather, just wait ten minutes and it will change. Hope springs eternal.

We are in the midst of blueberry season here in Maine.  Maine boasts the title of being the world’s largest producer of wild, lowbush blueberries. Wild blueberries aren’t planted like the highbush varieties and they spread by way of underground runners which make more blueberry bushes. The blueberry “barrens’ throughout Washington county are a site to behold. The barrens were glacially formed and are huge rolling plains of sandy soil, the perfect medium for raising blueberries. It is by no means the only place in Maine where you can find wild blueberry barrens but it is where you will find the largest fields and they go on for miles and miles. Needless to say, blueberries are a major industry in Washington county where nearly a quarter million acres of barrens yield millions of pounds of blueberries annually.

I have traveled through the barrens both in my vehicle and on an ATV. Watching the fields change with the season is a sight to behold. 

During the month of May, growers import millions of commercial bees to aid the native bee population in pollinating the barrens and fields (NOT a good time to go ATVing through the barrens). By June white blossoms cover the plants. As the berries mature, they turn green to blue and then the bushes turn a beautiful reddish color as the cool, crisp days of fall arrive.

The berries are harvested both by machine and by people. Migrant workers are seen working along with the locals to get the berries picked and ready for harvest. They pretty much work from dawn to dusk because the berries must be harvested before the first frost.  These low bush berries are hand raked and then put through a winnowing machine to remove the leaves and twigs before they are washed and processed.

If you are in the area and would like to witness the harvest, the largest stretches of barrens are off Route 1 in Cherryfield, Delois, Columbia Falls, Epping, Centerville and Jonesboro. Wesley and Crawford on Route 9 also have large barrens.

If you are in the area during the third weekend in August, be sure to check out the Machias Blueberry Festival. It features over 200 craft booths, races,  entertainment, eating & baking contests, and lots of food. It is a great festival and definitely worth attending.

One more thing! While in Machias, do not leave without having a meal at Helen’s Restaurant. They are known for their outstanding pies but they also have wonderful seafood.

Well, that’s it for now.  Enjoy the Maine blueberry season!

A friend just sent me the link to this youtube video and I would like to share it with all of you. Wish it was in my backyard.

We left camp on Sunday late in the afternoon.  This is usually a great time to spot some wildlife and we were not disappointed.

A baby osprey and its mom were in the nest at the swampy area in Coombs Brook. We have had the camp for ten years and the ospreys have nested here for at least nine of those years.

Ospreys are large raptors that can grow to about 24″ long with a wing span of about six feet. They are a fish eating bird and usually nest near the water. They build their nests in the tops of trees. I have read that nests are approx. 40″ in diameter and can weigh over 200 pounds! Ospreys mate for life and return to the same nest each year.

This baby is getting to be quite big and will probably be leaving the nest before long. We feel very fortunate to see the ospreys raising their family each year.

Driving down the road just a bit, I spot a young moose in the road. This one has no desire to move from the road and as I travel very slowly toward him, he just continues to meander down the road.

At this time of year, it is common to find these young moose out and about. Moose moms keep their young ones with them for about a year. About the time that the new babies are born, the mom sends the yearling off to live on its own. It must be a confusing time for the yearling because they seem to do a lot of wandering around aimlessly. We followed this guy for about three quarters of a mile to a cross road where he finally turned left.  As I continued to go straight and passed the cross road, I expected to see him continuing to walk down the middle of that road but he must have stepped into the woods at the side of the road because he was nowhere to be seen. How can something so large disappear so quickly?? 

Another reason that moose (large and small) are likely to be spotted on the roadways at this time of the year, is that they are trying to get away from the bugs that swarm around them.  This cow moose was in a swamp and not on the road but if you click on the photo to make it larger, you will see that her back end is covered with bugs.  Bet she wishes that she had some bug spray!

Other than a few bunnies, the rest of the trip home was uneventful. Unless you consider the young deer that ran in front of me right in the middle of Old Town in a very populated area. Since I was driving, I couldn’t take a photo but it nonchalantly headed through a lawn once it crossed. Gardeners in the area probably aren’t too fond of the deer.

Well, that was our trip home. I wish I could say that all were that neat but most are pretty boring with us seeing nothing but miles of dirt road. We keep looking though—we never know what we may see.

Last Sunday Nicatous Lake looked more like the Atlantic Ocean. The wind was howling and the waves were pounding with white caps everywhere. Ok, this didn’t look like a great day to go bass fishing, so what to do??

It turned out to be a perfect day for an ATV trip. We left our camp and headed out on the trail that goes around Sabao mountain to the 42-00-0 road. Yep, that is the way that the roads are named in this remote part of Maine. No names—just numbers. We are traveling on dirt woods roads which stretch every which way so remembering the numbers comes in pretty handy. There are no houses out here, just miles and miles of dirt road. I carry a GPS but never did learn how to really use the darn thing. I’m in the lead with hubby following. He is the better navigator but it is sooooo dusty back there! He lets me take the lead and when the roads confuse me, I just stop and wait for him to tell me which direction to go. Is that love or what?? But I digress.

After traveling for about twenty miles, we turned on to the 60-00-0 road and tacked on a tree was a sign with an arrow pointing that said “Reggi’s Way”.  As we traveled down that road a few miles we passed another sign. This one was larger and was in an adirondack chair. It read “Reggi’s Way Camp” and also hot dogs, soda, chips, coffee, etc.  Now this may not seem all that strange to most folks but you have to remember that we are on ATV’s and have traveled about twenty-five miles and haven’t seen a building—just mile after mile of dirt road. Traveling another couple of miles we came upon the chair to the right which read that Reggi’s was just a quarter mile away. By this time we were really intriqued and we were ready for lunch.

We continued a bit further down the road the road where it crosses between the Getchell Lakes. This is when we decided that Reggie must really have a sense of humor because this is what we saw (photo to left-click on any of these photo’s to get a larger view).  Yes, that is a skelton fishing in that canoe. Again, here we were in the middle of nowhere. We had gone thiry miles or so and had not seen anything but an empty campsite at Third Machias lake.  Still not knowing what to expect, we kept on driving. As we came around the corner a sign appeared that said to watch out for the dogs. Dogs!! Yikes. I am really afraid of dogs and by now I was really hoping that we were talking about friendly dogs. As that thought ran across my mind, low and behold, right on the side of the road was a small camping trailer with a picnic table, another picnic table in a screened-in tent and a couple of trash cans. We had arrived at Reggie’s Way!

We stopped just beyond the trailer and a big dog (gulp) came out to greet us. He was a friendly dog, thank goodness. Reggie appeared a few minutes later apologizing for not being right there when we had arrived. Seems that some careless campers had left a campfire burning somewhere on the lake. Her significant other and another friend of theirs had been helping two other guys to put the fire out. Reggie had just come back from taking the fire pump to them.

 Reggie is a very friendly lady that smiles a lot. She took our order and proceeded to cook it. Needless to say, she can’t make things in advance out here in the boonies because she is never sure how many folks will show up.  We had a nice cold soda and our hot dogs were soon ready.  Reggie came out with a basket of chips that she also sells (part of the hot dog special).  She then ran to her camp and came back with a basket of brownies.  Needless to say, we each had to try one of her homemade brownies. The food at this “diner” has a very modest price. She is just trying to make a few extra dollars. She also has jelly and jam for sale from the  wild berries that she picks. There was even a basket of VHS tapes that she was selling for a dollar each because they had seen them enough.

Reggie and her significant other have lived on this lake year-around for the last few years, including last winter which was one of the worst that we have seen in Maine in quite some time. I don’t think that the roads are plowed. That would mean that they would need to leave a vehicle at a place that is plowed and snowmobile to it when it is necessary to get supplies. Phone service in the area is sporadic. It takes a tough breed to stay the entire winter in a remote area like this and for sure, Reggie is one of those folks. 

While we were eating, her significant other, Chip, and their friend, Ted, who had turned into impromptu fire-fighters, came back to the camp. They, too, joined into the lively conversation. Reggie gave us a “Ted” stone where she had painted a likeness of Ted, who has a large belly (sorry Ted, but you really do). When my hubby asked who was the artist, she replied—”me, what else do I have to do out here“, she said with a smile. What else, indeed?? Seems to us that Reggie must never sit down.

If you are in Township 43 and see a sign that says “Reggi’s Way” be sure to follow it and say hi to Reggie & Chip. Tell them that you found them on moosetique.com.

As an add-on to this post, I would like to mention that after finding Reggie’s Way, I came home to do an internet search to see if anyone else had found this eatery in the middle of no where. I found a blog that is titled  “The Giddy Garden Gnome” and found that she had found another part of Reggie’s business (did I not tell you that Reggie was a very enterprising woman?? ).  Click on the Giddy Garden Gnome link and scroll about half-way down the page to see what Giddy and company found last fall while out for a ride. Yep, Reggieis one enterprising woman!

While we are at our camp on Nicatous Lake we do lots of ATVing. The trails that we ride on are mostly woods road and the riding is great!

One of our favorite places to go is to the village of Grand Lake Stream. It is an easy ride of about 35 miles each way and the trail is a loop trail so we have to travel back on the same roads that we came in on.

Entering Grand Lake Stream village is like stepping back into another era. The tiny village consists of some old time sporting camps, a fire station, a church, a post office, and a store. The village store sits in the middle of the village and they have something for everyone, including groceries, fishing lures & gear, gifts and gasoline. They have a wonderful snack bar where you can get a sandwich, hamburger or a pizza. There is also a historical museum and the state salmon hatchery.

Fishing in this area is outstanding. Folks come from all over to enjoy their sport. Grand Lake Stream and the surrounding lakes are in the St. Croix watershed. They have landlocked salmon, square-tailed trout, lake trout and some of the best small-mouthed bass fishing in Maine.

After arriving at GLS, we usually head straight for the Pine Tree Store for a sandwich and a soft drink. We then jump back on the ATV’s and head for the dam to watch folks flyfishing. Early in the spring we watch the salmon trying to jump up the rushing water of the dam.

After lunch, we jump on the ATV’s and head across the dam back toward camp. Hopefully, we will see some wildlife on the way.

What a wonderful way to spend the day!

For most of the year, the moose just sort of grunts and is pretty quiet. When mating season comes around (September - October), they have a very eerie call. This is especially true if you are sleeping in a tent and hear this sound in the dead of the night.

While camping a few years back at Round Pound (T7 R14 WELS), we pitched a tent at the wilderness campsite at the end of the lake. There are lots of Round Ponds in Maine—this one is just south of Allagash Lake. Wilderness up there means just that. No campground attendants, no lights, no traffic—just us camping in the middle of the woods. During the night, we had moose walking within 25 feet of our tent. We also heard the eerie sound of a moose looking for a mate. Needless, to say it was difficult to sleep that night.

This is the sound that a moose makes. It is not a pretty sound! This sound can be heard for miles. Click HERE to hear what it sounds like and then just imagine being in a tent in the middle of the night and hearing this strange noise. A night like this is not for the faint of heart but this is one of the greatest memories of camping that I have.

Nicatous Lake is one of my most favorite places in Maine. It is located approximately 65 miles northeast of Bangor. The fact that we own a camp on the lake makes it even more special.

Nicatous Lake is a long, narrow lake at the head of Nicatous Stream, tributary to the Passadumkeag River. It is approximately ten miles long, containing 5,165 acres. It is widely considered to be one of Maine’s most beautiful water bodies with its pristine sand beaches, intricate coves and 98 islands. By purchasing an easement on the Robbins paper company land and additional acreage owned by International Paper, the state of Maine helped to foster sustainable forest management while extinguishing all development rights on the purchased land, protecting shoreline buffers, conserving wildlife habitat and opportunities for traditional recreation. In addition to the easement, the state acquired 76 of the 98 islands in Nicatous Lake. The lake is one of the top five loon-nesting lakes in Maine, and has three bald eagle nesting sites. There are six deer-wintering areas in the area and ample range for species such as bobcat and black bear. There is excellent bass and perch fishing in the lake and many trout ponds with a short distance. I am told that nearby West Lake supports trophy-sized land-locked salmon.

There are many campgrounds in the area and two lodges on the lake. Most campgrounds are remote and require boat or canoe access.

Oh yeah, did I mention the ATV trails that run near the lake?? There are hundreds of approved trails (usually woods roads) that are closeby.

This area is truly one of Maine’s nicest places to visit.

Staycation is a new buzzword taken from the words, stay and vacation. It means taking a vacation at home or somewhere close to home.  With the tight economy and gasoline over four dollars a gallon, folks are finding creative ways to spend their summer vacation.  Living in Maine, we have MANY opportunities for interesting and fun “staycations”.  

No matter where you live in the state, there is most likely a park or attraction nearby. Most of us have pleasant backyards where we can enjoy  our time off.  Just think, no packing or kids asking “are we there yet?”. Now is a great time to enjoy our local area and find out why folks from away have been taking their vacations here for years.  Maine is truly a vacationland and lucky us…we don’t have to travel to get here!

 Loading ...