We packed up this morning with a plan to go to Walmart, then Saco Ranger Station, then to Lily Bay State Park in Maine.
Walmart where we replaced a propane tank and got provisions for the next few days.
Ranger Station (where the rangers gave us all kinds of swag including some Smokey the Bear stuff and I love Smokey!):
I really want to see a moose on this trip. Months ago, Melissa and I made a shared file on Google Docs which houses all the information for the trip. Things like where we are staying, how much things cost, what we needed to pack, possible activities and hikes, etc. We lovingly call it “The Document” and I named our shared files YAMTF which stands for Yatzecks and Martins Together Forever. A few months ago, Melissa started adding a “tentative itinerary” for the stops on the trip. I added a “firm itinerary for Inland Maine.
I found a really remote spot called Lazy Tom Bog where you are “pretty much guaranteed to see a moose”. Melissa also found something that said May and June are the best months to see a moose and we just happen to be arriving on June 1st! Here are some Google reviews for the place:
Yesterday and this morning, we were starting to waffle on the plan. Fears included: would we even see a moose there, will we fit with 2 vehicles and 2 trailers, will it be difficult to turn around/get in/get out, what if it’s already taken, no water, no cell coverage, no bathrooms (except for the one in the camper). After discussing the plan to go to this very remote place, we decided to go to Lily Bay State Park and see about camping there instead. We didn’t have reservations but it’s a Monday before school is out for summer so we thought our chances were good. Then we could possibly visit Lazy Tom Bog for the day instead of overnight, leaving the trailers at the campground.
I took a small wrong turn which led to us taking two different paths to the campground. I was glad mine took me on the highway for about half of the trip. I get nervous on the side roads because Google has been known to send me under low bridges, down dirt roads etc which is not ideal with the camper. I was mentally preparing myself on the drive that I would possibly not see a moose so I started making a mental list of things I DID see on this leg of the trip.
- A snapping turtle crossing the road
- A tree infested with tent caterpillars
- A lone turkey standing in a driveway
- Four fox cubs playing on a riverbank
- A woman carrying a large dog around her neck like a shepherd carries a sheep
- Towns named Lisbon, Hartland, and Madison
- Abbot, Maine, “Maine’s #1 Town!” (alphabetically)
We made it to Lily Bay just after the Yatzecks. They had made friends with the staff at the state park and had gathered some information. Yes, the campground had openings but Lazy Tom Bog would fit all of our equipment and we would definitely see a moose if we camped there. We decided to give it a go. First we checked out the birds and squirrels hanging around just a few feet away from us at the feeder.
The park staff also gave us information about another option, Spencer Bay Campground which is a free campground with 30-ish sites not far from LTB. They also let us get water on the campground so I went and filled the tank.
About 1 mile before we arrived we had to turn onto a dirt road but it wasn’t too bad. Unfortunately, someone already was in the spot, telling us they just arrived a few minutes before us. We decided to go for the second spot, that free campground at Spencer Bay which was just 10 or so miles down the road…the dirt road.
While it is not the worst dirt road I have been on (Nole, remember that washboard road out west?) there were some deep ruts, muddy puddles, bridges of questionable engineering, and large rocks to contend with. We finally pulled into the campground and were unsure what to do. We thought the other place was too remote and this place was 30 minutes more remote! Also this dirt road was not pleasant to drive on and we would have to do it more than once if we were going to go look for moose tomorrow. Also, it was super windy and 50 degrees. Here is the view of the bay from the campground.
The campground is more developed than you would think for a free campground in the middle of nowhere and even has a host. It’s got pit toilets, picnic tables and fire rings. This is BLM land, also called public use land or the land of many uses. Most use of this land is free though they do want you to stick to established campsites so as not to destroy natural areas.
I went to talk to Jeff, the campground host, while the Yatzecks looked around. He said they have a moose in the area, “she’s friendly” and they saw her today! Meanwhile, the Yatzecks found a site with some trees as a wind screen.
We decided to stay and we set up camp. The host gave us some tips on where to go to see the moose and we walked down the road to the bog but no moose.
We made an ate dinner and then walked back to the bog. No moose.
We cleaned up dinner and got the kids settled then walked back to the bog. No moose! Melissa said “it’s pretty dense, how does she even get in there?”
Joe kept walking down the road and Melissa and I turned back. Then Joe came running, turns out the real bog is just down the road a bit and the moose was there! He got a picture and came back to get us. We rushed to see her and noted some droppings on the way.
When we got there, she was in the wooded area and was leaving but we are super hopeful we will get a good look tomorrow. We didn’t stay long because the spring peepers (frogs) were deafening.
We made a plan to get up early and camp out there tomorrow. All 5 kids slept in the camper tonight, hopefully our last night where the weather drops below 50. It’s June for goodness sakes! The kids stayed up until 10 making this board game when I finally made them go to their beds to quiet down. They were laughing hysterically and carrying on when the adults got back from our last ‘moose hunt’, another good reason to be far from the other campers.
Martins Take Flight 