The Maine Wilderness – Can you go home again?

Great East Lake, Maine

Have you ever gone back to the old neighborhood you grew up in? Or that vacation spot you loved when you were a teen?  If you have, you might understand my trepidation when hubby decided, since we were in Maine anyway, that we just had to go to a fish camp he had fond memories of — from 40 years ago, when he was 12.  Warning bells start to go off.  Those places that were remember so fondly from our youth, the ones that shine so brightly in our memory, can be disappointingly dull when revisited years later.

We left Bar Harbor and headed northeast.  Wheaton’s Lodge is in Forest City, Maine (lots of forest, no city, in fact no town. It’s pretty much in the middle of nowhere on the Maine/Canada Border.)  On the way we pass through the town of Lincoln and run smack into the middle of a parade. It’s Saturday morning and not a holiday, but  we are confronted with kids, balloons,  ATV’s, horses and fire engines. There’s not much for us to do but make lunch, sit in the cockpit of the RV and watch the parade. At least we had good seats.

Relaxing

The driveway at Wheaton’s Lodge is too narrow for the RV so we park it on some empty land nearby. We were going to be staying in a cabin for two nights. We are immediately greeted by Simon, the camp dog. Lissa, our golden, is thrilled to have a new friend and they head off together. As we walk up the driveway we are  greeted warmly by Jana, the owner. She got us settled in our cabin and made sure the RV was secure.  We meet Jana’s husband Dale, it was his grandfather who took hubby fishing 40 years ago. They were thrilled that Rich had come back after all these years.

The lodge is just as he remembered.  Small cabins nestled in the woods alongside a quiet lake. It’s rustic, but well maintained. No phones, TV’s or air conditioners; just beds, a table, shower and a screened porch. And food, lots of home cooked food.

Lunch Delivered to our doorstep

We spend the weekend fishing, relaxing in the hammock and watching the sunsets. We had picnic lunches delivered to our doorstep in the morning to be enjoyed with whatever activity we chose for the day. We wish we had planned more time at the lodge, but Monday morning we had to head out to New Brunswick, Canada. St. Andrews by-the-Sea awaits us. We get the RV, pack up and head out, relaxed, well fed and happy.

I guess you can go home again.