Sebago Lake State Park Campground

We drove up to Maine from Maryland allowing 2 days to get there even though it is normally a day trip. We wanted to make sure that LIBB (Little Itty Bitty Baby, Travel Trailer) had no problems and our TV (Tow Vehicle) did not overheat. Very little traffic and only one slow down from an accident allowed us to keep driving. We ended up stopping in Connecticut for the night and were glad that we had no problems along the way. 

We did not know that there were 2 entrances into the campground. One via a one lane rickety bridge and one way did not. Guess which way we took .... Yup I was scared to cross it with LIBB in tow ... but Mike did not even flinch! I would recommend coming in through Naples. Campground Entrance: Lat 43.929666 / Lon -70.583851; 3 Campground Lane, Naples, Maine 04055

We pulled into our first Maine location at Sebago Lake State Park Campground on May 31, a day early. A 16-day adventure. We were able to get in (first come, first served rule) the extra night in the same spot we had reserved, so no moving required. It was self-check in with an envelope to complete and pay and then be on your way. The road in was paved until the camping sites and then they were dirt and gravel over worn out pavement. Frost heaves and rain wash outs made for a very bumpy ride. Fortunately, nothing came loose inside the trailer. 

We setup LIBB in about 15 minutes and we were cooking our meal when the park ranger, Tom, came and checked in on us. He gave us our camp car pass and gave us the scoop on the local wildlife we might encounter. 

Mr. and Mrs. Mallard Duck decided to be our guardians and came to visit each day!

 

The campground was overall a great place to stay, some of the sites were a little small and a little close to each other but some were large and more secluded. Bathrooms, gender specific, were close, clean and handicapped accessible, although the cement floor was slippery when wet. They had a separate area for showers that were not gender specific. The showers were warm but not hot, no option to control the temp, but no complaints. They did have 2 shower heads one tall enough for Mike at 6'2" and the other would at kid height. It was a great feature; you could use either way or both at the same time. It felt like getting a lower back massage when on both. The showers turned off after a few minutes, but you simply hit the button and it would start up again. Great way to save water! Picnic table was handicapped accessible as well with a longer overhang on one of the ends. There was the standard firepit area as well which varied by site from a metal ring to a rock enclosure. Boat launch from the section we stayed in was convenient and used by others.  There was also a dishwash station that was large enough to do your items without worrying about dropping them or where to place them. It was convenient for the primitive sites. The campground also sold ice and firewood. Firewood was $8.50 (10 sticks a bundle) at the campground and $5 outside the campground (5 sticks a bundle). No pets allowed.

The views were exceptional. 

We were a few sites down from lake beach and enshrined in beautiful, grand pines. Glad we had full hookups as no sun was getting through those glorious trees to reach our solar panels that charge our battery.

My favorite insects, dragonflies, also graced us with their presence. He was hard to photograph. I wish I had the camera and skill of some of my friends to capture these moments better.

Another Mrs. Mallard with her 10 babies in tow. They would not cooperate and get in the picture at the same time.

Yes, purple sand beaches, is this not my dream spot or what! Purple beaches are caused by the presence of a large amounts of almandine-pyrope garnet or other purple minerals like manganese or rose quartz that have accumulated in the local sediment.

Can't go camping without a fire. 15 days of camping and 13 days of rain. Finally, the rains stopped long enough to have one! Ah, Warmth!

Hiking, plenty of that too. We took leisurely strolls in between the rain and checked out the area. We walked down to the Songo Locks. Of course, it was raining so we did not stay long, and I only snapped a quick photo.

"Songo Lock is the last surviving lock of the Cumberland and Oxford Canal, a 19th-century canal in southern Maine, United States. The lock is located on the Songo River, just above its confluence with the Crooked River at the northern end of Sebago Lake State Park in the town of Naples. The lock, built in 1830, is now used primarily during the summer months by pleasure craft. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and designated as a Maine Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2001."  Taken from Wikipedia

We highy recommend the area!

2023 Fees are based on Maine resident $25/35 and non-resident $35/45 and no hook ups vs hookups.

Sebago Lake State Park Campground

Sebago Lake State Park Campground Map

Journey North

We left Richmond on March 1 and headed north.

The drive started out in the wee hours of the morning to hopefully miss the snowstorm that was rolling in north of us. Mike's work has sent him off with a travel kit of water, diet coke, cheese and crackers, celery, carrots and humus and some chocolate too. No need to stop for snacks along the way. They even placed it all in a large personal size cooler with freezer packs. We split the goodies as we were taking both vehicles north.

We stopped for gas, slowed for rain/sleet storms, avoided peak traffic times and dodged accidents and found ourselves in south western CT around 5 pm. We decided to stop for the night as it had been a long drive and the rain was heavy. Pub 99 was next to the hotel so we stopped in for supper and felt like we were welcomed home. The people were friendly and kind, the gold fever wings delicious and Sam Adams' Cold Snap on tap!

The next morning, we headed out with our end designation of Mike's parents in Maine. We immediately noticed the difference in driving. Southern drivers tend to be oblivious that anyone else is on the road with them. They travel in the passing lane, travel on the speed limit, enter and on ramp without the thought of merging, lane change without reason and text while driving. New England drivers are more aggressive and therefore in my opinion pay attention to the task of driving. They pass in the passing lane and return to the travel lane once they passed a vehicle. They vary their speeds to let oncoming cars merge. They alternate in slowed traffic; they move out of the way when a car comes up from behind. It was a refreshing change. They are focused on driving and nothing else.

We arrived and settled in just in time for the snowstorm to drop its beautiful white flakes. Mike's parents were gracious hosts and fed us well. 

We ate at our favorite haunts and shopped our favorite stores in the area. I met up with a friend from my Westbrook teaching days and she offered me my dream job! More on that later. We settled into a routine and worked on looking for a house. We spent our weekends looking at open houses and weekdays by appointment looking for our new house.

House hunting was a frustrating and disappointing time. As our previous realtors can attest, we know what we want and really do not settle for less. So, the homes on the market were extremely overpriced, thanks to COVID, and underwhelming. Most places were asking for $200-300,000 over their true worth and then needed a $100,000 for necessary updates and repairs. Those priced correctly with no work needed sold for $100,000 over asking price. Knowing this was not a forever home, again, we decided to keep looking, and looking, and looking.

Viles Arboretum

A beautiful Autumn day we decided to explore a place in Mike's neck of the woods that we had never been to  before. We find that we have seen more of other people's hometowns than our own. We bundled up and jumped in the car with Mike's parents and headed to Viles Arboretum located on Hospital Street in Augusta, Maine.

I could not seem to find a great deal of information about this place but will share what I learned.

In 1843 the State Hospital which later became Augusta Mental Health Institute (AMHI) purchased land across the street for spring water. They created a mile aqueduct to remove the constant problem of insufficient water for the hospital and its patients. They continued to have issues and made improvements to the delivery system for 33 years until they supplemented with city water.

As well as a source of water the land was used by the hospital for farming and livestock. The patients would till the land, feed the animals, and harvest the food. They would prepare the meals fresh from the farm. It was a great system that provided the patients with a sense of purpose and of course many therapeutic benefits.

Later an acre per patient was added increasing the land property.

Image taken from Maine Encyclopedia

The Arboretum (224 acres) that is here today started in 1981 when the Maine Forest Service developed it. They started with the planting of 120 trees, built fences, trials, and bridges for easy navigation. William and Elsie Viles provided guidance and funding and were honored by renaming the Arboretum after them. Later they added a visitors center, educational wing, botanical labeling, and brought art into the walkways.

Stone sculptures were dispersed throughout the gardens. They were for sale by local artists. We also were able to see new one being carved.

The trails were well labeled and the provided map was helpful in navigation.

Gorgeous apples in the orchid.

Decisions, decisions...

In 1992 the Harvard University Arnold Arboretum sold its hostas collection to the Viles Arboretum which now boasts over 200 different varieties. I love learning the names of trees, plants, and grasses and thanks to the adoption of the Arnold labeling protocol I can easily see the names of them. Living in New England I think everyone can identify the Sugar Maple but I wanted to capture the size of the trees.

American Chestnuts (Castanea dentata) on the other hand might not be so easily identified. They used to be the dominant tree in the north east forests but a fungus that was inadvertently introduced in the 1800s from Asia devastated the tress from Georgia to Maine. The American Chestnut Foundation is trying to revitalize their growth and has 16 state chapters growing a variety of species to ensure the genetic diversity and local adaptability of the trees. They added the trees to Viles in 1998 and have the largest collection in Maine.

The tree is gorgeous no matter the season.

This green spikey cupule or burr holds the fruit inside. There can be from 1 to 7 nuts inside.

Sadly the deer and squirrels have already eaten the fruits.

Milkweed (Asclepias L) named after the Greek god for healing.

I was seriously fascinated with this weed. I lived in Maine for 20 years and vigorously expelled it from my lawn and garden that entire time. I never let it to get the pollination period so I never knew how soft and beautiful the seeds where. The plants in several different stages of growth covered the fields at the arboretum.

They remind me of dandelion seeds when you would release them into the air and they would float into someone else's yard.

 

The leaf of the milkweed is pretty much the exclusive food source for Monarch butterfly larvae. The leaves are toxic to many animals so they avoid the plant. The butterflies accumulate large amounts of the poison causing them to be distasteful to other creatures.

If prepared correctly it rids the body of warts and dysentery. It can also suppress coughs and asthma attacks. 

During WWII milkweed was used for pillow filling. It is also used to clean up oil spills. 

Mike's mom was a wealth of information about this plant. 

We walked around for about an hour but the pictures do not show all that was seen. My camera battery quickly dies upon our arrival and the spare battery was charging at home.

Overall it was a peaceful walk and we all agreed it would be colorful to visit it in spring and summer when the flowers are in bloom.

Lake

Mike and I spent a week at Lake Cobbosseecontee in West Gardiner where he grew up. The lake is always a peaceful place to visit and we enjoyed the respite it provides. After traveling around the US, site seeing, and various hotels it was nice to have a bed for the week.

My niece, Maggie, came up for the week with us so we could spend some time with her before we left. I think she had a great time swimming, kayaking, 4th of July parade, party barging, jumping off the dock, riding Bey, Tally’s horse and playing with Mike’s nieces. They came down each day and were fun to have around.

Friends came up for a day and we had a great time catching up. Nancy was awesome at photographing the day!

 

 

The dock is one of the few places to catch some rays and read a book.

Loons lulled us to sleep each night and graced us with their presence during the day.

The party barge which we took out everyday is peaceful and calm. We went out for fireworks on the 4th and got to see 2 separate firework displays. They were great!

Overall had a great week and really enjoyed seeing everyone.