782 July 19-21, 2022 Katahdin Woods and Waters Scenic Byway

We made a good decision when we delayed our trip for overnight tent camping. It rained all night and into Tuesday morning. I took laundry to town, walked, got some groceries, and filled the Jeep with gas. By the time I got back to the RV, the sun was shining. We packed all our gear and off we went.

We traveled back to Baxter State Park. We were able to get a leanto reservation for South Branch Pond Campground. It was 38 miles on a gravel road. We had let some air out of the tires, the grader had come through and smoothed the road, and it had rained overnight so there was no dust to contend with. It was a beautiful ride.

We stopped at Ledge Falls.

There were sections of extremely thick forest.

We stopped for lunch at Nesowadnehunk Field.

We arrived at the campground and we were alittle disappointed to see that we couldn’t drive the Jeep right up to the leanto. We decided to sleep in the leanto instead of the tent.

After getting set up, we walked down to Lower South Branch Pond. It looked just like a mountain pond in Maine should look…lovely!

Tim was going to sit on the wooden wall when he noticed this pair of mating snakes.

We saw this immature frog in the clear and shallow water. Can you see that he still has his tail?

We enjoyed some blueberry wine and then we heard the thunder! We gathered our things using the leanto as a protection from the rain. The leanto turned out to be another really wise decision!

The rain passed and we cooked our omelets with spinach and mushrooms and cheese and ham. The best part of the meal though were the blueberry biscuits…smothered in bluebarry jam.

We had a pleasant evening by the fire.

On Wednesday morning, we saw that some little critter had dug a hole under the platform where we slept.

We took the Pogy Notch Trail. According to the trail map, it looked like the hike followed the edge of South Branch Pond.

The board walk!

For the first mile or so, we walked about 50 yards from the water, with just glimpses of the lake through the trees.

At last, we came to a boat launch where we could see the view.

We came to a stream crossing and “nimbly” skipped across the rocks.

We hiked further and found another path with lake access.

We could see the trail climbing up to the top of the cliffs overlooking the water…yes we climbed!

It was good effort and absolutely worth it! Such peace and serenity.

We took a spur to a small set of falls. Another family was there as well.

We turned and walked back the way we had come.

We hiked almost 5 miles.

We packed up and left the campground enjoyed some lunch at Trout Brook Crossing.

We were not yet sure where we were going to spend the night. Tim asked for my opinion and I said we should just drive and see if we found a place that we liked. Ideally, I added, this place would be on the water, with a beautiful view, would have blueberry wine for sale, hot showers, and maybe even have a restaurant…we laughed! We exited Baxter State Park at the northern end through the Matagamon Gate. A couple of miles later, there was the Matagamon Campground with HOT showers; 3 1/2 minutes for 4 quarters.

The shop did sell blueberry wine and they did have a little restaurant, but we opted for our smoked salmon and veggies and leftover blueberry biscuits.

We had our site on the edge of the East Penobscot River, with a beautiful view. I am so spoiled.

There were tons of dragonflies.

This family of ducks kept coming to visit, clearly they were used to being fed.

This is Mama duck. She and I are having a conversation about teaching her ducklings not to beg for food.

We slept well to the sound of the river rushing by. I got up around midnight. The moon had not yet risen and it was very dark. The Milky Way and the stars were stunning.

Thursday morning I took a walk on the small roads near the campground while Tim did his yoga and stretching by the river.

We continued on Katahdin Woods and Waters Byway through small villages. We passed brooks and streams and ponds and lakes. Apparently, Maine has more lakes and ponds and rivers than any other state.

Tim wanted eggs for breakfast and we found Grindstone Falls Rest Area a pretty place.

We got back to the RV at about lunchtime. We organized and cleaned and repacked gear for another adventure tomorrow night. We went into town in the afternoon to gather a few supplies, mail some postcards, and fill the Jeep with gas.

Then in the evening, we went back to River Drivers Restaurant for dinner. We enjoyed savory lobster bisque and salads. For dessert, they had blueberry pie and I just knew that it would be luscious. I was right and although Tim had refused dessert, when he saw the vanilla ice cream with the warm blueberry pie, loaded with blueberries…he couldn’t resist. The server was smart enough to bring two forks!