Gulf Island Pond

Loons, turtles Canadian Geese with chicks, an otter, turtles, a myriad of birds, ducks, and a few sea planes  greeted us on our paddle today. We put in at the end of East Waterman Road in North Auburn – almost into Turner, and not far from Twitchell Airport. The weather was perfect – clear blue sky and about 80 degrees with no wind until about 1 PM when a light breeze developed and offered a bit of relief.

There were few houses or camps along the shoreline – amazing for waterfront in Maine. Maybe because the textile and paper mills polluted the river so badly that people never considered owning riverfront land. How ironic. The pollution, in the end, saved the riverbanks form overpopulation.

We were happy to paddle without another boat in sight on this pond (actually a lake) created by damming the river in Auburn years ago. Only in the early afternoon did we see two motor boats in the distance.

We found some sandy spots to stop for lunch and a snack – places where we could get out of our kayaks and stretch. I packed a lunch of Quinoa Salad with a bit of blue cheese thrown on top at the last minute. We had home-made granola bars, apples, strawberries, and dried apricots.

 I'll be happy to use my Neck Warmer tonight and turn in early.

May 19, 2012

Runaround Pond

2nd Day of Kayaking in Maine, May 17, 2012 -- Runaround Pond

We put in off Runaround Rd. (about 1.5 miles from Rte. 9 in Durham, ME) at the public access where a sandy shore made carrying in easy. A Portable Potty at the  put-in helped to make the trip more comfortable. The water temperature was surprisingly warm -- easy to stand in for several minutes while loading and unloading.

The spring landscape was painted as an impressionist's canvas with dots of greens, pinks, grays, blues -- more colors than one can find in tubes of oils. The sky settled the eye with its calm blue background as it's reflection danced on the windy surface of the water.

We saw only one house in the distance. What a nice surprise to paddle on water where the shoreline is not wall-to-wall camps.

We spotted a myriad of active birds, ducks and a few turtles as we paddled quietly up the left branch, then turned around and found the right branch of the pond. It was a perfect paddle for a windy day. Like every day we kayak, I am tired and ready for my Maine Warmer by 8 PM.

Left photo: lunch break on the left branch

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.