Maine in May

The drive north for 2026 camp opening was pure adventure. With WQXR on the Bluetooth and a sunny morning ferry ride across the Sound, I landed relaxed in New London, Connecticut, before noon. My first stop was Portland overnight and an early start next day for the Bangor Library, and then onto the University of Maine in Orono. My idea was to break up the trip over the course of a couple days with research for my new book. The history section in the Bangor library had a wealth of information dealing with the early timber industry in the area, as well as about the founding of the Jewish community in Maine by those fleeing persecution in Eastern Europe in the early 20th century. I also did a deep dive into the legacy of Joe Polis, the Penobscot tribal leader who led Henry David Thoreau into the Maine woods in the 1850s. My yellow legal pad was filled with references and notes to work with later.

I arrived at camp by dinnertime and spent the evening catching up with Katie and Greg about their lives over the winter. No snow of late, but plenty of rain to raise the water levels on the lake and surrounding waterways. Not a good thing for us fishermen. Nevertheless, the next morning, Greg and I took a long ride in the Defender to one of Greg’s “hidden” streams to fish for brook trout. We tried everything, but the best part of the day was lunch. Next morning was an early rise to meet up with my friend Andy, who took me to his cabin on West Lake, a remote area south of Danforth. Fishing for salmon on this unapproachable lake was a challenge. Trolling is not my thing. Yet once the sun came out, the fish found us, and we landed a bunch. Despite low temps and a stiff wind, my last day at camp was a winner. It is a bit humbling not to catch. I do like it better having a photo on my cell phone with a fresh catch to show off when I get home.