The snow is all gone, we think!
In the three years we've been running Fish River Lodge, we've learned a simple lesson: lodge owners never lack for something to do! Other lodge owners warned us of this. My goal was to publish a journal entry every few weeks but a more realistic goal has become to publish monthly.
Gas prices are hurting all of us. When I wrote last month we were paying $3.67 a gallon. Today it is $4.09. But don't let the price of gas discourage you from discovering our secret! The St. John Valley is a wonderful destination for those looking to get away from the hectic pace of life and allows visitors to take a step back in time to enjoy the hopitality found only in Aroostook County. Come discover scenic vistas, bountiful wildlife, no crowds and no long lines, no traffic and in many cases no traffic lights, and the peace and tranquility that we have found no place else.
4/30-5/10 Record snowfall brought record floods to the region. On April 30, we woke to a washed out driveway (all the way down to the sewer line!) and rising lake. Overnight we had received over 3" of rain which quickly melted much of the remaining snow, resulting is record flooding. All over The County roads were washed out and closed. A portion of the town of Fort Kent was evacuated. We began receiving calls from our Guide School participants at 7:00 a.m. Billy Doughty called first seeking an open route for his drive over from Greenville. We gave him an alternate through route 212 but by the time he got there it was closed. Others called with similar reports. For several days the only way to get in and out of northern Aroostook was via route 1 at Presque Isle, to Ashland, and up route 11 toward Fort Kent. Eagle Lake rose up to the driveway in front of cabins 7 & 8 nearly blocking access. All Guide School participants had arrived safely by 6:00 p.m.: Robert & Sandra Beske (Castine), Peter Cesary (Millinocket), Daniel Chiekering (Patten), Paul Corliss (Proctor, VT), Mike D'Angelis and Dana Dolson (Patten), Billy Doughty (greeville Jct.), Robert Morrill, Sr. (Monticello), and John Richardson (Augusta). Like a rising tide the lake crept closer to our cabins leaving a narrow passage open so the Beskes could maneuver around the snow and rising lake to go back and forth between cabin 8 and the lodge for class. We watched floatsam pass back and forth, with the will of the wind, all weekend. Helicopters flew over frequently deliverying supplies and medications to residents from Fort Kent to Allagash. The Irving Woodlands helicopter flew over their 2000+ mile road system estimating at least $1 million in damages. Bruce Labbe took his boat out to round-up the town's picnic tables as they were floating away. He tied them to their shelters which were swallwed up by the lake...the water crept to the edge of Old Main Street. Through it all we did our best to keep "business as usual" as we surveyed the local damage and read reports from the newspapers and internet. Instructors Carrol Ware and Adam Cates conducted another excellent guide school, preparing students well for their written and oral exams. Phil Corriveau delivered a load of gravel, Wayne bulldozed it and repaired our driveway. One May 6th, we had dinner at China Garden in Fort Kent with Bill and Alison Smythe and Jean LeBlanc to celebrate the completion of our first three years at Fish River Lodge! On the 8th we went for a drive in the back country to look for moose sheds but didn't get far due to washed out culverts and roads. Also on the 8th we announced "official" ICE OUT on Eagle Lake (this means we can get a boat to the Square Lake thorofare). On the 10th we found a "new" truck. We'd been looking at private-sale trucks and checked dealer lots for something to replace our "retired" plow truck. We found a well-kept, 1999 Chevy Z71 extended cab at Brother's Auto Sales in Caribou while "touring" the northeastern portion of The County. We saw several "ribby" deer on the way home. Those deer had survived a very long and hard winter.
5/11-5/17 Started raking the yard although it is very wet, still some snow banks remain. Mike Michaud stopped by to invite us to see his collection of 40 moose antler sheds he'd picked up this spring - VERY impressive assortment! After raking all day we called our moms on Mother's Day, then Wayne and I went for a walk in the woods to look for sheds. I gathered a bunch of fir cones and we saw two cows and two bull moose. One bull I jumped out of his bed - he was bedded in the snow. I guess 55 degrees is warm if you're a moose! We still have one little snow bank left on the 14th...more raking...Wayne is working part-time mowing lawns for Northern Maine General. We're both working about 25 hours a week for the corporation now. This week Wayne got ready for mowing season by replacing sod which had been plowed up over the winter. We finished much of our own yard work this week. On the 16th Wayne and Grant put the dock in. Our fire pit is still submerged beneath the lake. On the 17th Wayne removed the deck in front of old #9. The neglected cabin is beyond repair so we use it to store life jackets, paddles, and lawn chairs. The waterfront is looking very tidy now! Dick Keegan and his fishing buddy Cliff arrived for a week of spring fishing. Their motor was acting up so Wayne loaned one of ours.
5/18-5/24 Larry Converse party arrived to stay in cabin 1. Larry is familiar with the region because his dad was a sheriff in Portage for many years. Larry's dad became dear friends with warden (now retired) John Robertson. John is guiding Larry this week. The fishing has been slow due to high and cold water. Surface temp at 48 degrees. On the 24th Wayne repaired the carrying beam on the porch of cabin 6. That night John Robertson joined us for dinner and lots of fish stories! Wayne prepared appetizers of tout and salmon, moose, cheese and crackers. The weather has been unsettled with rain and wind daily, high temps in the 50s, if we're lucky. Although the fishing has been slow, every one has caught fish every day. Some have caught more than others. Jeff Love (Dover/Foxcroft) and his brothers and friend Scott arrived for the Memorial Day weekend. On the 23rd I came home to find the lodge deck rails and rocking chairs lined with song birds waiting out a passing thunder storm. There were juncos, house finches, white throated sparrows, chickadees and a pair of rose breasted grossbeaks trying to keep out of the wind and rain. We're looking forward to hosting Lou Gagnon (Henniker, NH) for an October bird hunt - summer hasn't yet begun and we're already making plans for fall! I met with Steve Daigle at Paper Signs, Ink in Fort Kent to begin design work for our "moose mailer" to go out to all zone 2 and 3 moose permitees.
5/25-5/31 Up early to meet Mike Michaud and his grandson Kaleb for our annual "back country fishing expedition". We loaded our gear on to ATVs and began the journey to "Secret Lake". We had to make several detours around trees that had come down after Saturday's wind and rain. We stopped at "the worm hole" to dig earth worms and I picked a few fiddleheads..."There's nothing better on a May morning than a fist full of fiddleheads and a coffee cup full of worms, except a cooler full of brook trout in the evening! " We found snow deep in the woods, I took a picture of my fiddleheads on the snow. We enjoyed a sunny, if not breezy, day on the water. By 3:00 p.m. we had all caught our limit of 8-12" brook trout. Back at the lodge we filleted and smoked the fish and grilled moose steaks to go with Mike's fiddleheads and locally grown potatoes. It was a hearty meal shared with freinds. The Jeff Love party joined us and we relaxed late in to the evening around the bon fire (which was so hot we needed a heat shield!) Memorial Day we burried Victor "Mouse Trap" (our beloved lodge cat). We will miss he and Alli's antics and his abilities as a mouse hunter. That afternoon we took the ATV out among the rain drops to explore more back county. We watched a HUGE beaver (35+ lbs.) working on his massive dam, and we located some potental bear hunting areas. Between mornings at work we cleaned cabins and caught up on laundry. On the 28th Wayne took Bill and Alison Smythe fishing. Alison caught a FAT 3 lb. salmon, Bill's fish were "racey". Today's the last day of the month. It is windy and rainy again. Joe Decker just drifted by - his motor quit on his way in. He's paddling wildly trying to make headway, got his motor started by replacing a spark plug and got ALMOST to shore and it quit again! He drifted by in the wind, again, paddling wildly, then switched to the trolling motor as Wayne was preparing to go out and get him in our boat. Joe floated by again in the wind when the trolling motor ran out of gas. He finally made it back to shore. Joe Decker is from Point Pleasant, NJ. This is his 40th season at Fish River Lodge. We will celebrate his many trips to the lodge tonight when he is our guest for dinner. Joe's struggle to get to shore when the wind and motors would not cooperate reminded me of another quote from Douglas Wood's "The Thing with Feathers": "The optimist's secret? Act as if you cannot fail." And the snow we saw on Sunday is all gone today, we think.
Gas prices are hurting all of us. When I wrote last month we were paying $3.67 a gallon. Today it is $4.09. But don't let the price of gas discourage you from discovering our secret! The St. John Valley is a wonderful destination for those looking to get away from the hectic pace of life and allows visitors to take a step back in time to enjoy the hopitality found only in Aroostook County. Come discover scenic vistas, bountiful wildlife, no crowds and no long lines, no traffic and in many cases no traffic lights, and the peace and tranquility that we have found no place else.
4/30-5/10 Record snowfall brought record floods to the region. On April 30, we woke to a washed out driveway (all the way down to the sewer line!) and rising lake. Overnight we had received over 3" of rain which quickly melted much of the remaining snow, resulting is record flooding. All over The County roads were washed out and closed. A portion of the town of Fort Kent was evacuated. We began receiving calls from our Guide School participants at 7:00 a.m. Billy Doughty called first seeking an open route for his drive over from Greenville. We gave him an alternate through route 212 but by the time he got there it was closed. Others called with similar reports. For several days the only way to get in and out of northern Aroostook was via route 1 at Presque Isle, to Ashland, and up route 11 toward Fort Kent. Eagle Lake rose up to the driveway in front of cabins 7 & 8 nearly blocking access. All Guide School participants had arrived safely by 6:00 p.m.: Robert & Sandra Beske (Castine), Peter Cesary (Millinocket), Daniel Chiekering (Patten), Paul Corliss (Proctor, VT), Mike D'Angelis and Dana Dolson (Patten), Billy Doughty (greeville Jct.), Robert Morrill, Sr. (Monticello), and John Richardson (Augusta). Like a rising tide the lake crept closer to our cabins leaving a narrow passage open so the Beskes could maneuver around the snow and rising lake to go back and forth between cabin 8 and the lodge for class. We watched floatsam pass back and forth, with the will of the wind, all weekend. Helicopters flew over frequently deliverying supplies and medications to residents from Fort Kent to Allagash. The Irving Woodlands helicopter flew over their 2000+ mile road system estimating at least $1 million in damages. Bruce Labbe took his boat out to round-up the town's picnic tables as they were floating away. He tied them to their shelters which were swallwed up by the lake...the water crept to the edge of Old Main Street. Through it all we did our best to keep "business as usual" as we surveyed the local damage and read reports from the newspapers and internet. Instructors Carrol Ware and Adam Cates conducted another excellent guide school, preparing students well for their written and oral exams. Phil Corriveau delivered a load of gravel, Wayne bulldozed it and repaired our driveway. One May 6th, we had dinner at China Garden in Fort Kent with Bill and Alison Smythe and Jean LeBlanc to celebrate the completion of our first three years at Fish River Lodge! On the 8th we went for a drive in the back country to look for moose sheds but didn't get far due to washed out culverts and roads. Also on the 8th we announced "official" ICE OUT on Eagle Lake (this means we can get a boat to the Square Lake thorofare). On the 10th we found a "new" truck. We'd been looking at private-sale trucks and checked dealer lots for something to replace our "retired" plow truck. We found a well-kept, 1999 Chevy Z71 extended cab at Brother's Auto Sales in Caribou while "touring" the northeastern portion of The County. We saw several "ribby" deer on the way home. Those deer had survived a very long and hard winter.
5/11-5/17 Started raking the yard although it is very wet, still some snow banks remain. Mike Michaud stopped by to invite us to see his collection of 40 moose antler sheds he'd picked up this spring - VERY impressive assortment! After raking all day we called our moms on Mother's Day, then Wayne and I went for a walk in the woods to look for sheds. I gathered a bunch of fir cones and we saw two cows and two bull moose. One bull I jumped out of his bed - he was bedded in the snow. I guess 55 degrees is warm if you're a moose! We still have one little snow bank left on the 14th...more raking...Wayne is working part-time mowing lawns for Northern Maine General. We're both working about 25 hours a week for the corporation now. This week Wayne got ready for mowing season by replacing sod which had been plowed up over the winter. We finished much of our own yard work this week. On the 16th Wayne and Grant put the dock in. Our fire pit is still submerged beneath the lake. On the 17th Wayne removed the deck in front of old #9. The neglected cabin is beyond repair so we use it to store life jackets, paddles, and lawn chairs. The waterfront is looking very tidy now! Dick Keegan and his fishing buddy Cliff arrived for a week of spring fishing. Their motor was acting up so Wayne loaned one of ours.
5/18-5/24 Larry Converse party arrived to stay in cabin 1. Larry is familiar with the region because his dad was a sheriff in Portage for many years. Larry's dad became dear friends with warden (now retired) John Robertson. John is guiding Larry this week. The fishing has been slow due to high and cold water. Surface temp at 48 degrees. On the 24th Wayne repaired the carrying beam on the porch of cabin 6. That night John Robertson joined us for dinner and lots of fish stories! Wayne prepared appetizers of tout and salmon, moose, cheese and crackers. The weather has been unsettled with rain and wind daily, high temps in the 50s, if we're lucky. Although the fishing has been slow, every one has caught fish every day. Some have caught more than others. Jeff Love (Dover/Foxcroft) and his brothers and friend Scott arrived for the Memorial Day weekend. On the 23rd I came home to find the lodge deck rails and rocking chairs lined with song birds waiting out a passing thunder storm. There were juncos, house finches, white throated sparrows, chickadees and a pair of rose breasted grossbeaks trying to keep out of the wind and rain. We're looking forward to hosting Lou Gagnon (Henniker, NH) for an October bird hunt - summer hasn't yet begun and we're already making plans for fall! I met with Steve Daigle at Paper Signs, Ink in Fort Kent to begin design work for our "moose mailer" to go out to all zone 2 and 3 moose permitees.
5/25-5/31 Up early to meet Mike Michaud and his grandson Kaleb for our annual "back country fishing expedition". We loaded our gear on to ATVs and began the journey to "Secret Lake". We had to make several detours around trees that had come down after Saturday's wind and rain. We stopped at "the worm hole" to dig earth worms and I picked a few fiddleheads..."There's nothing better on a May morning than a fist full of fiddleheads and a coffee cup full of worms, except a cooler full of brook trout in the evening! " We found snow deep in the woods, I took a picture of my fiddleheads on the snow. We enjoyed a sunny, if not breezy, day on the water. By 3:00 p.m. we had all caught our limit of 8-12" brook trout. Back at the lodge we filleted and smoked the fish and grilled moose steaks to go with Mike's fiddleheads and locally grown potatoes. It was a hearty meal shared with freinds. The Jeff Love party joined us and we relaxed late in to the evening around the bon fire (which was so hot we needed a heat shield!) Memorial Day we burried Victor "Mouse Trap" (our beloved lodge cat). We will miss he and Alli's antics and his abilities as a mouse hunter. That afternoon we took the ATV out among the rain drops to explore more back county. We watched a HUGE beaver (35+ lbs.) working on his massive dam, and we located some potental bear hunting areas. Between mornings at work we cleaned cabins and caught up on laundry. On the 28th Wayne took Bill and Alison Smythe fishing. Alison caught a FAT 3 lb. salmon, Bill's fish were "racey". Today's the last day of the month. It is windy and rainy again. Joe Decker just drifted by - his motor quit on his way in. He's paddling wildly trying to make headway, got his motor started by replacing a spark plug and got ALMOST to shore and it quit again! He drifted by in the wind, again, paddling wildly, then switched to the trolling motor as Wayne was preparing to go out and get him in our boat. Joe floated by again in the wind when the trolling motor ran out of gas. He finally made it back to shore. Joe Decker is from Point Pleasant, NJ. This is his 40th season at Fish River Lodge. We will celebrate his many trips to the lodge tonight when he is our guest for dinner. Joe's struggle to get to shore when the wind and motors would not cooperate reminded me of another quote from Douglas Wood's "The Thing with Feathers": "The optimist's secret? Act as if you cannot fail." And the snow we saw on Sunday is all gone today, we think.
Labels: May 2008
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