7/30/11 Bangor

Rain predicted again today so we just went downtown and walked around for an hour. Kelley picked the route . We managed to get our walk in without getting rained on.












Kelley did manage to get us to the Kenduskeag stream




and got herself a swim and a cool down.

7/28/11 Fawn Pond and Lake Wood

Routes on the map , except for the Breakneck, are approximate. The last time we tried to find Fawn Pond via the old trail we came to Lake Wood first and a local person told us we had missed a fork. Today we found the fork and found our way to the pond. The map of the old trails shows a trail from the north of the pond to Lake Wood. This we did not find and after some bushwhacking came out of the woods at the parking area for Lake wood. We followed the shore south until we came to the trail we had used last time and took that back to the Breakneck.



Start of the Breakneck on a beautiful morning.


On Fawn Pond


Lake Wood

As we were walking along the shore a group of kids came out of the woods and dove off of the rocks into the lake.



Kelley also liked the lake.


Despite not finding all of the trails it was a nice hike. 2 3/4 hours

7/27/11 U. Maine Forests

Rain yesterday and forecast for today so we went to nearby trails in Orono. Our route as shown on the above map is approximate as I find it difficult to match the trail markings with the map. We were also on unnumbered trails which are not on the map.

We started on this wide track but it narrows and then narrows even further when you get on the side trails.




It was still a pleasant hike. Kelley found a few places to get into the water and I found a few things to photograph.












No rain until a few sprinkles as we neared our car. 2 hours

7/25/11 Northern Headwaters and Goose Ridge Trails

A beautiful sunny morning with temperatures in the 70's . More of the Sheepscot Headwaters trails. This time we started from the Whitten Hill trailhead ( new parking area) and walked to the Northern Headwaters Trail (#1), clockwise to Mink Run (#10),Goose Ridge (#7) to Perry Road and then back to complete the loop. Mostly a very pleasant woods walk. The trails are well marked and maintained. The only problem for Kelley was some stone work next to this pond. She eventually worked out a route around it ( and got a nice swim).



Among the ferns on the Goose Ridge Trail


We came across several of these old stone fences-most more tumble down than this one.


3 1/4 hours

7/24/11 Downtown

An easy day with a walk around town to give Kelley a little rest and me a chance to deal with the neglected garden. I let Kelley choose the route and she did a lot of sniffing to find our way. We met several nice people who made a fuss over Kelley and that made her happy.

There are day lilies all over town. I've never seen so many or so many varieties.

7/23/11 Little Long Pond and Harbor Brook

Another hot and humid day so we headed back to the Long Pond area to give Kelley lots of opportunity to get into water and cool off. We started from the parking lot, taking the trail down to the pond and then along the pond to the Jordan Stream Trail








After we passed under the cobblestone bridge

we took the carriage roads to the Asticou and that to the Harbor Brook. Kelley liked this a lot and for parts of the hike walked in the stream beside me on the trail.

When we reached the road we took that back to our car. This flower was growing in someone's yard. The foliage was deep purple.

Pretty good hike. It was cloudy and that kept the temperature down a bit. 2 3/4 hours

7/22/11 U. Maine Forests

Hot and humid weather continues so we did a short walk close to home at the forests at the University in Orono. This was a new section for us but a friend had given me a trail map. Unfortunately the trail were different than those on the map with different numbers at the intersections ( those that had them) . A pleasant walk anyway and Kelley even managed to find a little water to get into.

7/21/11 Ship Harbor - Wonderland Area

Prediction was for highs in the 90's with high humidity so we headed for the ocean. We took the Ship Harbor Trail to the ocean and then followed the shore to Wonderland and beyond that, again following the shore (there is not a trail) . This was a fairly leisurely exploration and the temperatures were much cooler than at home due to breezes coming off the water.

Entrance to Ship Harbor



Ship Harbor Trail




At some points the shore rocks were large and difficult for Kelley so we would do a little bushwhacking further inshore and then return to the shore. Mostly this was dry scrub but we came upon this little area of lush grass and large vegetation that seemed out of place and a little magical.





Someone had obviously arranged these stones but we liked them











A hover fly







Near where we turned back.

We returned to the Wonderland Trail and took that to the road and the road back to where we had parked. A very enjoyable outing. 2 3/4 hours

7/20 11 Bog Brook Loop

Hot and humid so we picked a nice shady woods walk. Started on the Halldale spur and did the loop, adding the side trails: Big Pines, Marsh View, Whitten Hill, and a new one-Eric Bruun. Unfortunately for Kelley there was very little water for her to get into-the marsh was dry but we did find a couple of streams with a trickle of water.




This was a very pleasant woods walk in spite of the heat and lack of water. 2 1/2 hours

7/19/11 Sears Island

Hot and humid so we headed for Sears Island hoping it would be cooler--not a lot. We walked the east shore to the Blue Trail and took that to the gravel road which runs into the old paved road and back to our car. These are some of the things we saw.

When we were on the old road we met two women and Anna. This made Kelley happy. A bit further on she took off ahead to get to the shore so she could get in the water. Anna followed right behind and by the time we caught up they were having a good old time in the water.

An enjoyable time-2 1/4 hours