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| Photo taken August 25, 2012 in New Hampshire |
A visit to Mount Vernon,
Maine, turned into an amazing five-week adventure as I took on the role of
nanny to my twin nieces in 2011. After arriving on a rainy weekend in mid May, I
awoke the next morning to a pristine view of Belgrade Stream flowing past my
sister’s rental property. Adapting the mindset of being on an extended vacation,
I waited patiently for a moose to meander by
Although the rain continued that Sunday,
my sister took me to see Maine’s infamous Bar Harbor. During the drive, we spotted
scorched blueberry barrens. My brother-in-law, a native Mainer, told me the
barrens are burned intentionally to ensure a plentiful harvest. Hopefully the fires
didn’t scare the moose into hiding.
Within my first few days in Mount Vernon,
I was surprised to see two deer amble across my sister’s backyard. Hopefully a
moose would mosey on by, too. However, I pondered if the honking geese in the
cove nearby kept them away.
The geese grew quiet and the rain finally
stopped the following week. However, pollen blanketed every square inch of the
outdoors. The fine yellow dust, coupled with my severe head cold, kept me inside.
I wondered where moose go to escape such outdoor elements.
I finally encountered one of the
antlered beasts while sightseeing near the southern coast of Maine. Did I
mention it was of the chocolate variety? Yes, that’s right. Not the
pudding-kind of mousse, but a life-size moose carved out of chocolate at Len
Libby’s candy store in Scarborough.
Memorial Day provided a three-day
weekend to explore Canada’s Campobello Island. Before crossing the Canadian
border, we stopped at a welcome sign touting Lubec, Maine, as the easternmost
town in the United States. Wouldn’t it be something if moose roam that far east
of their stomping grounds?
The scenic views of lobster boats rolling on
the sea and ribbons of fog lacing through piney bluffs on the island were
breathtaking and serene. I thought surely moose would enjoy the island way of life,
but doubted they’d swim over from the mainland.
A couple weeks into my visit I still had
not seen a moose, but scored big regarding the wildlife scene. Wild turkeys strutting
across a country road caught my attention. As I inched my car through the bewildered
birds, they skedaddled in all directions with wings flapping and neck wattles waggling.
Their gobbles faded into the background as I eyed the disheveled flock in my rearview
mirror. Adding to my wildlife encounters was the
annual turtle migration taking place all over the state. One morning I
discovered a large turtle digging a pit in my sister’s gravel driveway to lay
eggs. Come to think of it, watching a moose giving birth on the driveway would
have been a welcome surprise, too.
Shortly thereafter, my sister, nieces
and I went on a whale-watching tour out of Boothbay Harbor. Two hours into the boat
ride a whale breached, eliciting oohs and aahs from everyone on board. A moose frolicking
on any of the islands we passed could have sent me into another frenzy of oohs
and aahs as well.
A glimpse of the evasive creature would
have made a sweet ending to my last full day in Maine as my nieces and I
pedaled bikes around Portland’s Back Cove. However, such a sighting would not
happen on this trip. Another 14 months would pass before I would actually see a
real, live moose.
The picture posted at the beginning of this blog entry was taken
this past Saturday. While visiting my sister for a third time in Maine, we decided
to take a scenic drive through New Hampshire. She had just passed the entrance
to the Wildcat Mountain Ski Resort on Route 16. As she rounded a bend in the
highway, we came upon cars stopped in the middle of the road. A female moose trotted
across the highway. Before I could focus my camera, the critter disappeared
down an embankment and into the dense foliage. With the exception of a married
couple in an SUV and us, all the other motorists drove away. As I ran across Route 16 toward
the place where the moose was last seen, the SUV owner was rushing to the same
point. We noticed a dirt road through the trees. He deduced that we could
probably gain access by driving back to the ski resort. That is how we came
upon the same moose munching on vegetation.
We were less than 15 miles from the
Maine border when we spotted that moose in New Hampshire. On my sister’s bucket
list was a desire to see a moose roaming free in Maine. Fifteen miles is not
worth balking over in order for her to check that item off her list. I’m just
happy I was privy to the event.
Maybe one day she’ll be a participant in
an item I want to cross off my bucket list—a hot-air balloon ride.
