Day 81 – September, really?! Time flies. We were up by 7 a.m. Sunny & 52 degrees. It did not reach the low 40’s like it had been predicted, neither last night nor the night before. But we’re sure that’s coming. Tying up loose ends from August, we checked yesterday to make sure our Absentee Ballots had been mailed to us for the NYS Primary, and we checked with our medical insurances & Social Security/Medicare to make sure the issue regarding our home vs. mailing addresses had been satisfactorily taken care of. It appears things are on the right track again. Life’s little aggravations.
After lunch we went back out on Echo Lake for another leisurely paddle. We saw the Black Ducks & Dragonflies, plus several Kingfishers, a Great Blue Heron & a Merlin. Not too many people out on the Lake considering it was Labor Day Weekend. After our paddle we took a drive on the road around the east side of the Lake. This road would be a good place to ride our bikes next time we are here. When we came back to the Park, there was a long line at the Ranger’s Station. There was a wedding beginning soon in the trees by the Lake; we’d passed the decorations when we left the boat launch. Nice idea!
Click any picture below to see a slideshow.
We sat out in the tent until dinner time. The campground has filled up for the holiday weekend. Amazing the difference in the noise level between the weekend and the weekdays. The high today was 70 degrees, partly cloudy in the afternoon.
Aroostook State Park: 87 State Park Road, Presque Isle, ME 04769, (207) 768-8341, website is www.maine.gov/aroostook, and for reservations www.campwithme.com. Check-in time 1 p.m. & check-out time 11 a.m. This was our second visit to this State Park. We camped in site #18U this time, a non-reservable campsite. It was a great site, better than our favorite last time, site #3U. For future reference, other decent campsites are #26M, #23M & #19M. A small campground with only 30 campsites, the State Park is busy on weekends & almost empty during the week. On the weekends, it can be very noisy but weekdays are wonderful. There are no hook-ups & no dump station (you can dump for a $25 fee at the Michaud private campground 3 miles north of the State Park on Route 1). Water is available at the building that houses the showers/restrooms. No electricity, but generators can be used during specific hours. The campground is clean & well-maintained. The Park Rangers are fantastic, very helpful & friendly. Kayaking on Echo Lake at the Park, plus at the many rivers & lakes in the area makes this a great location. Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge is northeast of Caribou. Beautiful scenery; plus hiking, biking, proximity to cities (Presque Isle & Caribou), fruit & veggies & baked goods from the nearby Amish community, cooler temperatures & less bugs in the summer; all for $27.25 per night. We would definitely come back again.
I thought you’d be interested in this: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20180822-recycled-shells-of-louisiana-oyster-reef-protect-new-orleans