Baxter

My husband and I took a long weekend vacation up to Baxter State Park after July 4th. We went through Patten to the north entrance. We camped at Lower South Branch Pond for two nights. The Upper pond is on the left and the Lower is on the right. The beach and camping area is at the far end of the pond, not in the photo.

When our children were younger we would go to Baxter every summer for a week. One week we stayed at the remote lean-to site at the head of Upper South Branch Pond. Happy memories.


DH and I rented a canoe and paddled across one pond to the next. At the narrows you have to get out and drag the canoe. This year there is a loon nest in the upper pond. The ranger said this is the first time loons have nested on the ponds, so it is a very special event.

Near the loon nest is a cliff where people(that would not be me, dear reader) like to jump off. My gentle daughter loved to go cliff jumping from the time she was about 7. The water is 75 feet deep or more and the kids always wore life vests. They would jump in and pop up like corks. One year three college boys climbed the cliff while we were there. They seemed wary of jumping, but they saw my intrepid daughter and son jump and survive, so they eventually jumped in, too.

This is the view of Katahdin from Daicey Pond. The building on the right is the library. It is full of old books, there are board games and puzzles to fit together. Sometimes the rangers give talks in the evening. DH and I rented a canoe here and paddled around the pond.

Daicey Pond is the first place we brought the kids camping when DD was 3 and DS was just 2. DS shared a bed with DH and fell out in the night. I woke up when I heard his head hit the floor. Ouch! After that DH slept on the outside of the bed, but DS hogged the bed even though he was just a tiny thing.

I thought about quilts all the time we were camping. How about a maple leaf tessalating quilt of greens and blues? Or a quilt made up of horizontal strips to show the colors of the mountains, the lake and the reflections? Chipmunks and deer? Dainty blue dragonflies? Of course, there was the ubiquitous black fly, but I'd rather forget about that! I am covered in red dots so I won't forget too soon!

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Next weekend is the Ocean Waves quilt show on Orr's Island. Anyone going?