Dyer Long Pond in Jefferson, ME

 The put-in at the southern end of this lake is lovely and picturesque and parking is easy but the ground water
seems to be high in this area, as advertised in QUIET WATERS, so you might want to have your water shoes on before you get out of the car. We were glad to have our heavy duty mosquito repellent handy, even with the wind blowing 10 to 15 mph.  Fortunately, the town grader had just been over the dirt access road, making it smooth and easy to drive over.

This lake is developed, but not completely, and many of the houses and camps are spread out. The east side of the lake is fairly deep, and in windy conditions, we were reluctant to take out for a break.  If the water and air temperatures were warmer we might have risked getting wet.  The west side of the lake is shallow but much of the land is posted or too filled with low growing vegetation to get close to shore. So we ate out lunches in our boats.  

A bald eagle startled us as we paddled under the overhanging branches where he had been perched. I think we startled him too. We heard more wildlife than observed on this lake, maybe because we put in late morning instead of earlier. On this day, with a steady northwest wind, about half of the time, we were paddling moderately hard. Because the lake is fairly narrow, the waves were minimal, and we were able to find sheltered areas.

This beautiful patch of Water Iris was a nice surprise.

After three hours without a stretch we were ready to disembark, but happy we had a chance to see this lovely spot in Maine. I was wishing I had left a Maine Warmer on the dashboard of my car so when we drove home I would have heat to relieve my stiff muscles.

We drove up on Rte 1 to Rte 215, along Damariscotta Lake, and found the drive to be quite beautiful in mid-June. The drive back to the Portland area was about ½ hour faster, taking Rte 126 west to Gardner and south on 295.

Nequasset Lake in Woolwich, Maine

This quiet lake and stream provided a wonderful wildlife experience and was easy to access. We put in at the bridge on Old Stage Road off of Rte. 127, only a few miles from Rte. 1, at the north end of the lake. The put-in was easy, and we were able to get a parking place in the four-car lot. Otherwise we would have parked on the side of the road, before the bridge. There are not any public rest rooms, which we fortunately anticipated ahead of time. But there were places to stop on the lake and get out of the kayaks for a few breaks.

Nequasset Stream

We paddled the stream first – about a mile north and a mile back. I was surprised that we only saw one painted turtle sunning itself on a rock, but we saw a huge snapping turtle sunning itself in the water, just under the surface. I was happy to paddle away from that creature. Great blue herons and small birds entertained us as we enjoyed the beautiful scenery. We maneuvered under and around a couple of fallen trees. The stream ends at a small waterfall and an open meadow with some houses in the distance.

We turned the kayaks around and paddled with the current back past the put-in and under the bridge to the lake, where we saw an osprey scouting out his lunch just above us. He dove into the lake a couple of times and came up with nothing, but the third time he carried it away a decent sized fish. About half way down the 2-mile long lake, we saw a bald eagle fly overhead and hoped we would catch sight of him again. When we stopped on the east side of the lake, we watched young fish swimming close to shore like they were chasing a food source or playing tag.

 

Nequasset Lake

The lake was outlined by rocks and we saw a small dark, almost black, animal making its way just above the rock line. At first, we thought it was an otter, but it seemed fatter than an otter, and it had an almost cat-like shape. Later, speculated that it was probably a fisher cat.  I thought it must be hunting fish, but I read that fisher cats seldom eat fish.

Nequasset Lake does not have many houses on it and is a drinking water source for the surrounding area. It’s a wonderful place for a paddle and one I would love to paddle again. 

April 16, 2012 First Paddle on Lower Range Pond

First day of kayaking in the new year, and on some lakes in Maine the ice isn’t even out yet. We packed a lunch of lentil salad, apples and strawberries, stopped at the accountant’s in Portland to sign our electronic tax return form, then escaped into a glorious get-a-way day.

We drove to the state park on Lower Range (pronounced rang) Pond only to find the entrance gate down blocking automobiles from entering the park – not pedestrians of which there were plenty. It is only April 16^th. Carrying kayaks and all the gear was not worth it for the little bit of paddling we planned to do.

We drove to Middle Range pond, talked with a few of the locals, and found a free-bee parking space and put-in just off of Schellinger Rd. Take an immediate left just after crossing the bridge on Rte. 26 heading north.

Most of the lake was lined with camps until we approached a shallow and narrower end of the lake near Upper Range Pond. We saw Loons, a Canadian goose (looked like it might have been protecting a nest), a Merganser, a muskrat, red-winged blackbirds, and a few turtles. It was quite marshy and the bugs were enjoying the nice weather as much as we were.

We found another put-in with a motor boat ramp (state-owned) between Upper Range and Middle with plenty of parking. However, a couple who were just taking out their kayaks said that the parking lot was full at 11 AM when they drove in.

We lunched in the shallows of the marshy area then paddled to the state boat ramp where we were able to disembark and stretch our legs. There are not any public bathroom facilities – a big drawback. But it was early in the season and we didn’t encounter any other boats on Middle Range for the few hours we were in our boats.

I’ll be ready to heat up my Maine Warmer and put it on my shoulders and lower back. Lifting kayaks onto the car-racks – even after doing overhead weight lifting all winter long – makes shoulder muscles tight. It will be nice to relax those tight muscles with a Great Big Back Warmer.