Appalachian Trail - Near Stratton, Me.

For some time now, I have wanted to walk on the AT.
Well, I finally got my wish.
To read a really good book about being on the AT read
Bill Bryson's book, "A Walk in the Woods".

Remember the show "Northern Exposure" ?

This is not Cicely, Ak., but Stratton, Me.

Sunrise on Flagstaff Lake, Stratton, Maine

Sunday Morning October 5, 2008

Rangeley, Maine

Rangeley is centrally located between the headwaters of both the Androscoggin River and Kennebec River, the town lies on the eastern shores of Rangeley Lake in the northwestern mountains of Maine. A sign in town notes that Rangeley is halfway between the Equator and North Pole. It is named after an Englishman, Squire James Rangeley, Jr.

The cool mountain climate and abundance of sport fishing made Rangeley a highly desirable and ultimately exclusive resort destination. Some inhabitants became fishing guides, and among the anglers was President Herbert Hoover. The big hotels would decline, however, with World War II. In 1958, The Rangeley Lake House was razed. But motels have taken their place, and Rangeley remains a popular resort.

Crazy as a Loon?

What in (English-speaking) Europe is called the Great Northern Diver is called in North America the Common Loon (a species of bird). It has a weird, haunting cry which presumably suggested to someone the howls of the insane. Hence, crazy as a loon.
(This description was found on the internet from a google search).
The loons you see above were on the lake behind the lodge where we were staying in Stratton, Maine.

Bullwinkle

Gina and I checked in the Tranquility Lodge in
Stratton, Maine. www.tranquilitylodge.com
This is the most clean place I have ever stayed
in all my travels.
Now, for the moose story!
We told Melodie, the B&B host that were wanting to
see a moose over the weekend. She told us lots of
stories about people seeing multiple moose. She
said that our best chance of seeing the animal was
to go back down the road to the "pits" down by the
salt piles which are used for the roads in the winter.
Melodie said about dusk or just about dawn would be
the best time to see the moose.
Saturday evening about two hours before dark we
drove to the "pit" to wait for the moose. Several other
people stopped to see the moose as well, even a tour
bus came by for a few minutes. It was now getting
very close to dark and we had yet to see a moose.
Gina said we would wait until 7:30 and then head down
the road in search of the mysterious moose that we had
yet to see. We drove about 2-3 miles down the road toward
Rangeley, Me. on the road which is known as "moose alley".
I am traveling about 35 mph around a curve and Gina spots
a moose coming out of the edge of a field toward the road.
I pull the vehicle over to see it better and can't see it very well
so I do a u-turn and park on the opposite side of the road.
The moose was as big or bigger than a Clydesdale horse (used
in the Budweiser commercials). The rack on the moose was
at least 3 feet wide. I couldn't get a shot off because I was so
excited that the strap on the camera got caught on the gear shift
of the blazer. I was so aggravated that I didn't get a pic. but it
probably would not have turned out very well because it was now
dark.
We drove back to the lodge and bedded down for the night to rise
early the next morning and head back out at 5:30 in search of more
moose. We go back to the "pit" and shined the headlights into the pit
and did not see anything. We drove further down the highway than
we had the night before and still no sighting. So, we turn around and
head back toward the lodge. As we approached the "pit" I thought
what the heck, so I pulled back by the pit and there it was just standing
there waiting for us. He milled around for a few minutes and then headed
back into the woods after being spooked.
We were so excited to see this animal. We then headed back to the lodge
to look for the next animal on our list.
Stay tuned to see whether we found the next animal............................