Smiling faces in Maritime places...

[spider]

Just got back from paddling some of the 'down east' coastal waters. Though I haven't yet put together a more conventional report. I did want to put down so thoughts while they are still fresh in my thoughts.

Steuben to Machias... five days a paddlin

Perhaps you may have never heard of Steuben. I will say that the people at Mainayr Campground were exceedingly good to us.

I found reference to them straight from the MITA guide book. Not only was this modest campground almost completely empty with large spacious grassy campsites, the owners were trusting and most gracious to us.

Our plan was to rendezvous with my friend Philippe from Quebec and launch at high tide from directly their place. In the long run we got a little restless and launched nearby.

Friendly hard working lobster men women and families. Some were the 1st to give a wave or a nod of the head, in one case a family hauling traps the two young children give huge wave of the arms in their enthusiasm to say Hi.

I have often hear we are the "speed bumps" are always in the way. That might be true further south but here on this trip every wave of the hand from us was always returned, every time we stayed out of their way was appreciated an on an occassion or two that someone had to change course or slows so that their wake would not add to our 'conditions' all was done without incidence never did we hear a harsh word or feel that we were unwelcome in any way shape or form.

That said we are good at staying out of the way and ourselves took care that we put our "best foot forward" also. A little good manners on our part went a long way on this journey.

Jonesport: this was our breakfast stop one morning, eating breakfast beside the public launch. "Beside the launch" is the key phrase. Soon the launch was buzy with men unloading traps from their pick ups. A couple hundred traps i would say.

Not only did the initiate some friendly banter, but during one of the breaks in the chores went over the charts with us and telling of local places that go see if they were us. All this without us even asking. Very nice indeed.

more laater...

[spider]

Rogue Islands are very beautiful...or at least we are told they are. We paddled through the heart of them to Halifax Island.

The guys working the traps suggested the preferred route through the Archipelago. We figured our bearings and off we went...the fog moved in within minutes...a heavy fog it was.. the swells.. well they grew a bit big. Visibility down to a hundred yards or so, there are a few times I think we are seeing the outline of the islands only to realize it is the horizon line of an on coming swell.

We keep a type of fog horn with us that you can blow into to make the sound...it looks a bit like a pipe.

Making the crossing I stick the pipe in my mouth as we paddle.

Looking like some version of "Popeye the Sailor Man" gone strangely astray. We see our destination a few yards before crunching into terra ferma. We are exactly on target I am pleased and give a mental thanks to some of the things learned at the John Huth seminar earlier in the season

I have read that we are not welcome in the Rogue Islands.. signs every where saying No Trespassing. Though this may be true we saw no such thing...then again we saw nothing in the fog and of course the reverse was also true, we were for all purposes invisible.

We made course to Halifax Island, blind in the fog. Remarkably the Island is right where it should be. It will turn out to be our favorite and by far the cleanest of all the Islands we visited.

Visiting with an Irish family who made landfall for a short visit on the island. After a fair amount visiting the fellow says that he would imagine we are competent paddlers.

With a chuckle I affirm that we are all competent paddlers till the day something goes wrong...he finishes the thought for me... because then all are called a "bumbling sot" when all goes wrong. Loved the way he said it. Same in any country so it would seem.

Tales told twice...

We are staying sometimes on MITA sites and sometimes else where. This following day we land yet need to wait for the peak of the flood tide to float the boats up a creek a bit for discretion. We pass the time telling stories to each other. neither of us remember for sure how many times we have told these same stories to each other...if at all.

I wade in the creek to see if the water is deep enough for our purposes...it occurs to me at long last I am truly "Up the creek without a paddle..."

The Sun burning down in all it's glory... I seek shelter in a nearby cave. I have a weakness for caves...I like them. When the tide finally starts to flood the cave I wade out.

Now finally I have the answer to "what rock did you crawl out from". Why that rock over there madame..thanks for asking.

Machiasport

finds us making landfall as the tide is heavy against us. We land near but not exactly on the public launch. It is a good thing for shortly this unassuming spot is the hub of all activity. It is the 'general store' of information and activity.

Stuck in the mud...

We let the tide ebb out without us for we need to make arrangements for my wife to pick us up the following day. I had promised my wife, who is graciously going to pick us up, one days notice. Our phones are dead, friendly folks offer me the use of their cell phone.

I learn it is somewhat embarrassing to forget your wife's phone number.... gentlemen I suggest you do a much finer job in this department.

Clammers...a hard working bunch if ever there was. They pull up with pickup trucks pulling small trailers upon which sits a small boat. Seems in a blink of an eye they unload jump in their boat and off they go. They are chasing the low tide. The opposite of us.

Ideally they want 2hrs before and after maximum ebb for their work.

We watch them with interest... having approx 6 hrs till the tide brings us enough water to float our boats.

Hard working folks I will say again....certainly there was a grandfather or two out there digging in the hot sun. Bent over digging by hand or hoe you can see the years of passage weigh heavily on stooped shoulders if your eyes are discerning .

When they return on the flood tide with work done most notice we are still there and some ask if all is okay... anything we need ?

Much to my surprise they are very surprised that we have been traveling for 5 days along the coast. It seems like a long time to those we spoke with.

For reasons not clear to me I thought they would think it was a small amount of time... just a drop in the bucket so to speak,. Instead one calls to another when they find out and talk it up quite a bit.

I had thought our trip quite modest...but with the enthusiasm from those we talk with our spirits are buoyed even more....yes, legends in our own minds...

[spider]

link for the SPOT version of the trip http://www.spotadventures.com/trip/view?trip_id=268872

or photos only

https://picasaweb.google.com/spideryak/DowneastMaine201102?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLWnrqfi8qbNSw&feat=directlink#slideshow/5634548487461566546

esc to exit

[gyork]

link for the SPOT version of the trip http://www.spotadventures.com/trip/view?trip_id=268872

or photos only

https://picasaweb.google.com/spideryak/DowneastMaine201102?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLWnrqfi8qbNSw&feat=directlink#slideshow/5634548487461566546

esc to exit

Great photos and wonderful prose capturing the essence of the trip. Thanks Spider.

[bbjorn]

Nice trip report Spider. The photos are beautiful. It seems your trip was a diplomatic mission. It's interesting to hear that, far from the ill-will we've come to expect from lobstermen, you found just the opposite. Maybe our belief that we are disliked comes from a few unfortunate encounters, and the oft-retelling of those. I believe that as long as we are careful to stay out of their way, and maybe even keep an eye out for opportunities to assist them (as Doug did two weekends ago at Cape Neddick), we can repair any past bad feelings and share the water amicably.

Looking forward to your full report.

Blaine

[spider]

Thanks.

All the photos are from Philippe. I'm sure he'll appreciate the compliment very much.

I don't carry a camera as yet, though I like to write the text quite a bit.

I also tend to think the population density is much less in these parts so more "elbow room" for everybody.

Thinking it through a bit.... when I see someone hauling traps in rough water I'm pretty confident that they are keenly aware of the sea state and know water rough for them is also rough for us and we are giving it our best shot to make headway without getting run over....seems those are the times you will see a quick wave or nod of acknowledgment....or at least those are some of the nicest of "souvenirs".

[tyson]

I think I've always found the folks in Maine to be friendly. Respect them, they respect you.

[kate]

Excellent report and wonderful photos! Brings back memories of my own trips there. I love the suggested image of you as Popeye with the foghorn pipe. You traveled a fair piece over 5 days. So glad that you got to camp at Halifax Island. One of my favorites.

Was there anything you'd do differently next time? (besides memorize your wife's phone #) Any particular piece of gear that worked well or didn't work?

Kate

[spider]

Thanks

(Just got back from a 10 day fresh water trip up in Quebec so was "off the grid" for awhile)

We reference your trip reports from time to time for info (and of course you set the "gold standard" of trip reports)

Before the 5 day salt water trip we did a 3 day salt water trip to work out some of the kinks in our approach

I picked up a tiny free standing tent, for the 5 day trip and retired my other small hoop tent as impractical....I loved the new set up.

Also bought prescription sunglasses also a huge improvement...changing glasses mid water was also impractical.

Some other things that come to mind... it was mighty nice to have the high tide for launching and landing, partly good luck on that one but will give it more attention for other trips.

Our days ran from on the water by 6 am to about 2 pm a nice rhythm for our journey.

The lack of signage was very noticeable to us including Rogue Bluffs State Park where we searched for a good length of time till we decided were looking at it the whole while.... the "Bluffs" being in the eye of the beholder I guess.

Other trips in the area we might make will build on the what we learned from this one, some campsites just are not worth the effort of finding, others are a gem to treasure for pleasure.

The 5 day trip was a much shortened version of what we had envisioned last year. Then reality reared it's head... so we broke it down into two segments of 5 days.

After the 1st segment we agreed we were an adventurous pair but not necessarily a strong pair, esp for the Bold Coast section.

After meeting the only other kayaker, a fellow full of muscle, it was easily apparent we had room for improvement.

I would like to be able to chock of 20 mile days one after another no problem. Not that I always want to travel a twenty mile day, but that is the level I want at my disposal.

For the most part I travel days on the water we seldom travel miles per day. On foggy iffy days travelling is fun for awhile but can also just become a slog where you make a destination but miss some of the ingredients which add to the flavor.

....at least that is what some old spidery guy says from time to time.....

My wife an I are heading up to Deer Isle - Campobello Isle in a few days to scout things out. We will surley make contact with the outfitter you mentioned and see if he remembers "Dora the explora"... if I remember the name corectly...

[kate]

Thanks

(Just got back from a 10 day fresh water trip up in Quebec so was "off the grid" for awhile)

We reference your trip reports from time to time for info (and of course you set the "gold standard" of trip reports)

Before the 5 day salt water trip we did a 3 day salt water trip to work out some of the kinks in our approach

I picked up a tiny free standing tent, for the 5 day trip and retired my other small hoop tent as impractical....I loved the new set up.

Also bought prescription sunglasses also a huge improvement...changing glasses mid water was also impractical.

Some other things that come to mind... it was mighty nice to have the high tide for launching and landing, partly good luck on that one but will give it more attention for other trips.

Our days ran from on the water by 6 am to about 2 pm a nice rhythm for our journey.

The lack of signage was very noticeable to us including Rogue Bluffs State Park where we searched for a good length of time till we decided were looking at it the whole while.... the "Bluffs" being in the eye of the beholder I guess.

Other trips in the area we might make will build on the what we learned from this one, some campsites just are not worth the effort of finding, others are a gem to treasure for pleasure.

The 5 day trip was a much shortened version of what we had envisioned last year. Then reality reared it's head... so we broke it down into two segments of 5 days.

After the 1st segment we agreed we were an adventurous pair but not necessarily a strong pair, esp for the Bold Coast section.

After meeting the only other kayaker, a fellow full of muscle, it was easily apparent we had room for improvement.

I would like to be able to chock of 20 mile days one after another no problem. Not that I always want to travel a twenty mile day, but that is the level I want at my disposal.

For the most part I travel days on the water we seldom travel miles per day. On foggy iffy days travelling is fun for awhile but can also just become a slog where you make a destination but miss some of the ingredients which add to the flavor.

....at least that is what some old spidery guy says from time to time.....

My wife an I are heading up to Deer Isle - Campobello Isle in a few days to scout things out. We will surley make contact with the outfitter you mentioned and see if he remembers "Dora the explora"... if I remember the name corectly...

It sounds like we have similar attitudes toward these trips. I tend to carry them out much as you describe here.

Oh, I think Bruce will remember the woman with the pink kayak! Please send him my regards. And Dora's too!

kate