Camden, Maine 9/2 - 9/8

What a wonderful week to be in Maine! Not a single drop of rain.

Mrs and I hit the road at about 8:30 on a crystal clear morning with the kayaks and our new little camper trailer. The trip up was rather uneventful and we arrived at Camden Hills State Park at about 2:30 in the afternoon.

After checking in with the Ranger, we made our way up to site #89. This was a great site that overlooked almost all of the loop we were on which turned out to be a good spot to people watch.
I took the above image moments after our arrival.

The bathroom & shower building located within a comfortable walk from the campsite.

Site #89 set up to our liking. It took us about an hour to set up, which is about normal for us. I expect now that we are familiar with the trailer, it will get easier.

At first we were a bit annoyed at the small fire ring provided with no real grate for cooking. It did have two small bars across the back third of it, which turned out to be more than enough. They were a bit bent though, so I had to smash them with the flat side of the hatchet once we had a good fire going and they were sufficiently heated.

We slept OK the first night, though the bedding in the trailer is a bit thin and uncomfortable. Our neighbors were a bit loud with their good-byes early in the morning, but once they were gone, it was back to snoozing.


3 September

Plan for the day was to do some hiking. We walked from the campsite to the trail head for the Ocean Lookout and Mt. Megunticook.


A small portion of the well-maintained trail.


From the Ocean Lookout with auto road visible on Mt Battie, and Camden beyond that.

Looking west from the Ocean Lookout. I also completed a geocache while up here.

The actual summit of Mt. Megunticook is a short distance from the overlook and is completely surrounded by trees. This cairn marks the top.

We continued on the Ridge Trail to Slope Trail and came to this great little place called Spring Brook Shelter. It can be rented in the winter by cross-country skiers and sleeps up to 7 individuals, though we only counted 6 bunks.
From what I have found, the original structure was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and was torn down and rebuilt in the 1990s. Original plans were used and lumber used for the new building came from Camden Hills State Park.

We followed a recently upgraded multi-use trail back to the campground. We put some miles on the hiking shoes.

After taking much needed showers we headed off to Camden for some essentials and took a quick drive up the Mt Battie Auto Road (also in the park) before supper.


4 September, 2009

Kayaking on Norton Pond and Megunticook Lake.

We launched the boats at the boat ramp in Lincolnville. I believe this place is called Breezemere Park. We paddled the length of Norton Pond through a small channel and into Megunticook Lake. A perfect day for kayaking with hardly a ripple on the water.


We saw quite a few common loons, bald eagle(s) and osprey.

We landed on Young's Neck, had lunch and then continued on our way.

Heading back to Norton Pond.

Mrs entering the channel to Norton Pond from Megunticook Lake.

After the paddle we stopped in Camden and got coffee at a place called Zoot Coffee. Here I managed to spill what seemed like an extraordinary amount of coffee on the counter and floor, not long after the owner had finished mopping. These moments are rare for me, but I do them right when they happen.

We happened to be in town the same weekend as the annual Schooner Festival which is a good coincidence. We drove up Mt Battie along with numerous other folks to see the fireworks display in Camden Harbor.
An interesting way to see fireworks, but not overly exciting. Still, it was good to see so many folks out and enjoying the fantastic night.


5 September

Tourist Day in Camden

Rt 1, Camden.


One of many schooners in Camden Harbor. Most if not all were available for cruises. The white vessel is The Appledore.

A whole lot of rigging.

One of several VWs we saw over the week.

Camden Harbor, in part.

Sadly I did not take the time to read the plaques at the base of this statue to even know who it is supposed to represent. Unfortunately my mind is tainted with The Simpsons, so naturally all I could picture was Jebediah Springfield when I saw this. Google it.


Camden First Aid truck on display at the harbor.


Camden Public Safety complex.

Camden PD.


After a lazy time around camp we drove up Mt Battie to watch the sunset. Wonderful evening to be up there with great views of the nearby islands.

Mrs and I searched for and Mrs found the geocache on Mt. Battie while we were there.



6 September

Merryspring Nature Center


Mrs had seen the sign for Merrspring Nature Center and we decided to go check it out. The shop itself was closed, but the grounds were open. Great spot to see gardens and hike the trails on the property. This little gem is tucked in between neighborhoods and a small shopping center off of Rt 1 in Camden.

Outbuilding in the gardens with the reflection of the nature center building.

A small sample of the gardens.

More gardens.
And a place for the kiddies.


Owls Head, Maine

This could very well be the highlight of the trip for me. We took the short ride out to Owls Head after Merryspring. What a great spot. After walking up the steps to the lighthouse and then looking around at the surroundings we went down to the beach below the lighthouse.


Looking back at the lighthouse from the beach. We enjoyed exploring the rocks and tossed some stones into the water. Mrs is quite good at skipping rocks. I think I was trying too hard. Beautiful spot.

On the way back out to the main road, we stopped at a fish pier to look at the lobster boats and gear. They were selling lobsters at a shack on the end of the pier.


All of the above images are from the small harbor at Owls Head.



7 September

Out for a drive.

Our last full day in Camden, we decided to just take it easy and go for another ride. This time we went slightly north on Rt. 1 to Belfast and then back south via Rt. 52.

We took Beech hill Road off of Rt 1 in search of knights Pond. I had information on a geocache there and wanted to see it. We found this little herd of cattle along the way.

Mrs photographing the cattle.

4Runner at Knights Pond.

Northport Volunteer Fire Department

Lincolnville fire Department. I was very curious about what kind of truck was behind that door!


After the drive, we stopped in the down town area of Camden again. I wanted to take in more of the harbor and people watch. We enjoyed another Zoot Coffee coffee, and looked at the many boats.

All in all, a great trip. I could not cover every bit of it here, but wanted to share some of the sights. I hope to return again.