We stopped on the way up in Bangor for a rare Chic Fil-A Breakfast, it was tremendous. We also stopped at Wal-Mart to get water and Canaan new swim trunks.
While waiting at an extra long light to enter 95 north bound Kate & I jammed out hardcore to REM's It's The End of The World much to the amusement of the folks in the car in front and behind us, and the embarrassment of Canaan.
We had a good chunk of time before we could check into the campground so we headed into the woods as I wanted to check out Pockwockamus Rock. Located about a mile from the south entrance of Baxter State Park it was painted by the Maine Youth Conservation Corps in 1979.
Next we took the infamous Golden Road to the Abol Bridge. Golden Road is a 96 mile logging road that was built by the Great Northern Paper Company from 1969 - 1972. The logging trucks have the right away and they pretty damn near fly down the road.
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| On Abol Bridge |
On the way to the Abol Bridge one came roaring by his so fast it shook the van and the dust cloud in it's wake was so thick we literally couldn't see out the front windshield. We had to stop and wait for the dust to settle.
There is a foot path on the Abol Bridge which is part of the Appalachian Trail has an amazing view of Mount Katahdin.
We made our way to Pinegrove Campground where for only $65 we rented a cottage for three nights and it was a steal. I need electricity for my CPAP machine having the cottage is great in case it rains.
The first floor has a pull out couch, half bath, fridge, stove with oven and table. The upstairs loft has two twin beds and a full size bed. Kate and the kids slept upstairs while I crashed on the pull out. We brought the EZ-Up for an outside shelter and we did all our cooking outside on the griddle or the fire pit. We wanted to give the kids the the most camping experience we could.
The campground is on the East Branch of the Penobscot River and we went swimming in the river after getting set up. The water was nice and had a nice current. All the kids had a great time. The only downside were the horseflies and the horrendously rocky shore.
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| The rocky beach shoreline at the campground |
We crossed over in Houlton stopping a few miles in at the information center for the restroom. As we pulled up the long access road we all spied the playground and Addison said "Oh no" and Wesley immediately followed with "Oh I see it." Which made us all laugh.
The kids got flags and I found out where I could convert some currency. Wesley asked for a brown donut, which is funny because we very rarely buy donuts. So when in Canada you go to Tim Horton's for a mid morning snack for the kids.
The two sites of interest for us were in the Hartland, New Brunswick area both things Kate and I had done on our honeymoon. First stop was the World's Longest Covered Bridge spanning 1,292 feet over the Saint John River.
We parked in the visitors and walked under the bridge to a food truck to get some lunch that we ate on the picnic table on the shore of the river. It was very good.
After walking the bridge we went to the Covered Bridge chip factory and took the tour. The kids enjoyed watching the chips being made but liked the flavor station much more. They give you a bag of fresh chips with no salt or seasoning on them and you can season them with many unique or typical flavors.
Before returning to Maine we stopped at Sobey's the local grocery store in Woodstock to get some Canadian goods like Mars bars. Also Canaan, who hates macaroni and cheese, insisted on buying Kraft Dinner because YouTubers he likes love Kraft Dinner.
Back in Medway we went down to a beach that Kate had seen that was on the river down the road from the campground. Maintained by the town it's free to use, there is a roped off swim area, and during certain hours has life guards on duty.
We bought pizza for dinner at River's Edge Motel & Pizza based on a couple reviews on line. When we got there I definitely would never had stopped there driving by because it's essentially in the backroom of a house. But the pizza was amazing!! The ladies were wicked nice and told us about the community pool.
Thursday was a rest and relax day. Kate made french toast and bacon for breakfast and she fulfilled one of her dreams in feeding an Appalachian Trail hiker. Mateo, trail name Ox, had been hiking the entire trail when he injured his knee and needed to rest up. As a result he had to wait 10 days to get a day pass for Baxter State Park. We had a great chat and he appreciate the trail magic of breakfast.
We went to the community pool when it opened at 1pm. It is really, really nice! The big pool is about ten feet deep with two diving boards and gets as shallow as 3 feet. They have a large kiddie pool that goes from 6 inches to two feet deep.
They had five lifeguards on and every 25 minutes they make the kids take a 5 minute break but adults are allowed to stay in the pool. The pool is free to use and it was loaded with neighborhood kids and few adults. If this was in our area Wesley would be swimming in no time as he loved the kiddie pool side.
Canaan and Addison had a fantastic time using the diving boards and we where there until it closed at 4pm.
Back at the campground Kate cooked up some delicious burgers and Mateo joined us for dinner. It was really cool meeting him and he hung out with us for a very long time until the bugs came out.
The campground isn't very large but is very nice. It has the three cottages, one is bigger than the others, a tv room, camper they rent, a kids room with a Wii and foosball table, and outside swing sets.
We brought the kids scooters with us and Wesley loved being able to scooter over to the playground area with his siblings. Kate and I both read a whole book with her's being much better than mine was. She told me about it in great detail as she progressed in the story.
The owners are extremely nice and take great pride in keeping the facilities clean. We wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. The only complaints I would have are the rocky shoreline which they can't do anything about, and the firewood we bought from them was a little green and didn't burn that great.
Friday morning we took our time packing up camp and heading home. We stopped in Bangor for lunch at, you guessed it, Chick Fil-A and I bought a new pair of Converse All Stars at Famous Footware. We got home in the early afternoon, which was great because it gave us time to unpack, get the laundry done and unwind.
All in all in was another fantastic summer camping trip for us and we explored a new part of the State and some New Brunswick. Also we had some good relaxing downtime.
We parked in the visitors and walked under the bridge to a food truck to get some lunch that we ate on the picnic table on the shore of the river. It was very good.
After walking the bridge we went to the Covered Bridge chip factory and took the tour. The kids enjoyed watching the chips being made but liked the flavor station much more. They give you a bag of fresh chips with no salt or seasoning on them and you can season them with many unique or typical flavors.
Before returning to Maine we stopped at Sobey's the local grocery store in Woodstock to get some Canadian goods like Mars bars. Also Canaan, who hates macaroni and cheese, insisted on buying Kraft Dinner because YouTubers he likes love Kraft Dinner.
Back in Medway we went down to a beach that Kate had seen that was on the river down the road from the campground. Maintained by the town it's free to use, there is a roped off swim area, and during certain hours has life guards on duty.
We bought pizza for dinner at River's Edge Motel & Pizza based on a couple reviews on line. When we got there I definitely would never had stopped there driving by because it's essentially in the backroom of a house. But the pizza was amazing!! The ladies were wicked nice and told us about the community pool.
Thursday was a rest and relax day. Kate made french toast and bacon for breakfast and she fulfilled one of her dreams in feeding an Appalachian Trail hiker. Mateo, trail name Ox, had been hiking the entire trail when he injured his knee and needed to rest up. As a result he had to wait 10 days to get a day pass for Baxter State Park. We had a great chat and he appreciate the trail magic of breakfast.
We went to the community pool when it opened at 1pm. It is really, really nice! The big pool is about ten feet deep with two diving boards and gets as shallow as 3 feet. They have a large kiddie pool that goes from 6 inches to two feet deep.
They had five lifeguards on and every 25 minutes they make the kids take a 5 minute break but adults are allowed to stay in the pool. The pool is free to use and it was loaded with neighborhood kids and few adults. If this was in our area Wesley would be swimming in no time as he loved the kiddie pool side.
Canaan and Addison had a fantastic time using the diving boards and we where there until it closed at 4pm.
Back at the campground Kate cooked up some delicious burgers and Mateo joined us for dinner. It was really cool meeting him and he hung out with us for a very long time until the bugs came out.
The campground isn't very large but is very nice. It has the three cottages, one is bigger than the others, a tv room, camper they rent, a kids room with a Wii and foosball table, and outside swing sets.
We brought the kids scooters with us and Wesley loved being able to scooter over to the playground area with his siblings. Kate and I both read a whole book with her's being much better than mine was. She told me about it in great detail as she progressed in the story.
The owners are extremely nice and take great pride in keeping the facilities clean. We wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. The only complaints I would have are the rocky shoreline which they can't do anything about, and the firewood we bought from them was a little green and didn't burn that great.
Friday morning we took our time packing up camp and heading home. We stopped in Bangor for lunch at, you guessed it, Chick Fil-A and I bought a new pair of Converse All Stars at Famous Footware. We got home in the early afternoon, which was great because it gave us time to unpack, get the laundry done and unwind.
All in all in was another fantastic summer camping trip for us and we explored a new part of the State and some New Brunswick. Also we had some good relaxing downtime.
Later Readers!
