August 5-6, 2017 Meetup at Mattawamkeag Wilderness Park in Maine

[leslie]

Rosemary just called me. I asked for FHU, and my husband and I will be down by the river next to Gregg and Joan. They have #4, and we will have #5, if the seasonal renter doesn't come in; if the seasonal comes in, we will be in #3.

We met Joan and Gregg when we were camping in Bluffton, SC. We are looking forward to seeing them again and meeting everybody else in person, after chatting on these boards. Fast Eddie and Kool Karen have met up with us several times now. I am hoping they can make it too.

[gbpack]

Thanks Leslie. Joan & I are looking forward to seeing you and your husband as well. Yes, we are in site 4 and it sounds like Merlin is in site 6, so you'll be right between us (if that's where you end up staying)! But site 3 would be nice as well!

[PEIslander]

Leslie, Merlin & Gbpack --- Yours truly, Mr. & Mrs. PEIslander (Ross & Heather), and our small but mighty CL11FDB will be your neighbors down by the river. We'll be in site R1.

When I spoke with Rosemary about making a reservation she seemed genuinely pleased our group were coming to the park. I was a bit surprised they didn't want a deposit. When we booked she said all the six sites (R1 thru R6) by the river were now booked. Perhaps we'll be joined by a couple of seasonals in those riverside sites.

I've done a fair amount of research on the Wilderness Park. All the sites are spaced out but overall the campground is modest in size so I'm sure it will work out well for us no matter which site anyone books. From the town the park is eight miles down a narrow, slow speed, dirt road. I read where one local wrote that when taking that road, it is highly unlikely that you'll meet anyone coming the other way -- and if you do the other vehicle will be going slow too. His point -- don't worry about it. I also saw where someone said only 250 campers use the campground each year! It is not uncommon to find references to the park as an undiscovered "hidden gem" and how well-loved it is by the locals and those in the know. There aren't lots of reviews on the web but it seems those that intentionally chose it as a destination universally love it. I did find a few reviews that were less enthralled but they seemed to be travelers who arrived without anticipating being so far back in the woods. (Sounds like its a bit too adventurous for the typical motorhome folks).  From what I've read that the campsite sounds much like an old Boy Scout campground - Kind-a rustic with a simple charm. It is in a little over 1000 acres of old-growth forest (deciduous & coniferous). Washrooms and showers are old & tired -- not up to the Disney Fort Wilderness standard. On the other-hand the manager Carleton that David mentioned gets rave reviews.

The Mattawamkeag River is the longest in Maine and the only one without dams. Heather & I are thinking about buying some inner tubes to experience tubing there. I hope others will pick up on this idea and join us. I'll bring a compressor. There's also more than 15 miles of trails in the immediate area. I've read that the mosquitoes aren't too bad in August.

I also read about Gordon's Brook that joins the river just where the road enters the Wilderness Park. Apparently there's a local legend of a boulder in the woods, somewhere near the brook, that has a gold vein in it. The location has been lost and is waiting to be found. Perhaps one of us will find it and live happily-ever-after!

As you can tell by this post -- I'm really looking forward to this gathering!

[DavidM]

Ross:

It is great that you will be there this summer and I hope that Paul, Melanie and their new baby also can come.

For those of you who don't know, Paul, Ross, I and our wives have met up for two camping trips over the past two years- the first at the Bay of Fundy NP and the other at Acadia NP. Ross actually found MWP late last summer and I jumped in and organized this bash. Paul lives in New Brunswick and Ross on Prince Edward Island, so we try to select the campground in Maine or NB.

So we now have 5-6 confirmed attendees. Merlin, have you booked yet?

David

[Chappy133]

We are signed up for water & electric site. Look forward to meeting you. Ross did you contact Rosemary? They called me because they needed your last name. I sent an email but did get a response. See you all in August.

[Paul]

For this year I don't plan in advance I'll see more closer to the date but most likely won't come, Mélanie doesn't seem to think it's a good idea to cross the border with a new born, I am telling her it's only Maine it's like New Brunswick lol. I think it will be easier to decide if we come or not when the baby is here in May For 2018 we will be able to come if we don't come for the 2017 meetup!

[Merlin]

Ross:

It is great that you will be there this summer and I hope that Paul, Melanie and their new baby also can come.

For those of you who don't know, Paul, Ross, I and our wives have met up for two camping trips over the past two years- the first at the Bay of Fundy NP and the other at Acadia NP. Ross actually found MWP late last summer and I jumped in and organized this bash. Paul lives in New Brunswick and Ross on Prince Edward Island, so we try to select the campground in Maine or NB.

So we now have 5-6 confirmed attendees. Merlin, have you booked yet?


David

Yes, we (Roger and Jan) are booked into site R6 for Fri-Sun. I sent you an email on that last week. We are coming in via New Brunswick and may meet up with Paul at a park near his home the week before the MWP weekend.

[PEIslander]

Ross did you contact Rosemary? They called me because they needed your last name. I sent an email but did get a response. See you all in August.

Thanks for that email. I called Rosemary using the number you provided and she booked me into site R1. We'll arrive Thursday 3rd Aug and leave on Monday the 7th.

I really hope the park has their annual bbq when we are there. We'd likely get to meet lots of locals as I suspect it is for the volunteers and not just the campers.

One thing I noticed about the park on Google: It is listed with a lot of different phone numbers! I assume most of them don't work or aren't the current one that should be used. With the one on their website (207-290-0205) you can leave a message. The one Chappy133 gave me seems to be Rosemary's cell phone. I won't publish it here but if anyone needs it they can contact me. Chappy133 can likely help with that too.

[gbpack]

Ross - Thanks for all of that info on the park. Yes, we read the reviews as well and I agree with your assessment (it will be a great spot for those who choose it as a destination). We'll just have to take our time driving in there! We will be staying the same 4 nights that you are (starting Thursday, leaving Monday) and we look forward for to meeting you and your wife (along with all of the others!). One question about the river..... Do you think it flows slow enough for us to kayak on? If it's too swift, then we would have a hard time getting back to the campground. We are trying to decide whether to bring our kayak along. Thanks,
Gregg & Joan

[Chappy133]

We are bringing our recreational kayaks. We could bring a third as a loaner too. Good river information at: http://www.riverfacts.com/rivers/11349.html

Downstream from the CG is some Class IV water. This not recreational kayaking. http://www.riverfacts.com/maps/11350.html

[PEIslander]

In August we may find the river too low for kayaks. Or at least right at the park. Earlier in the year maybe. Apparently there are some great stillwater areas miles upriver from the park --- but they probably aren't  accessible from the park without driving back to town (some say that takes 45 minutes!) and then driving miles up the road on the other side of the river.

Here's a few pics of the beach at the park that I found on Google. I don't know the time of year for the first -- likely in the summer.



The next two were taken in mid-June. I found them on a nice blog posting about visiting the park: http://thebookerblog.blogspot.ca/2015/06/into-wild.html





Maybe the idea of going tubing has potential!

[DavidM]

I just made a reservation at Schoodic Woods Campground in Maine for the Sunday night following our MWP meetup. Schoodic Woods is a new National Park Service campground that is part of Acadia National Park, but it is about 5-10 miles east of Bar Harbor across Frenchman's Bay on Schoodic Penninsula. It opened in 2016 and has a nice driving loop along the rugged Maine coast similar to the main Acadia NP on Mt Desert Island.

That campground has three types of RV sites. Loop B is pull through and has 50A power and water, but no sewer it seems. Loop A has 50A power and 20A power, the former is an "RV site" and the later is a "standard electric site". All types are available for August 6, although there are only a couple of pull through sites left.

So I thought I would pass this on to those attending MWP. You might want to give this campground a try. It is about a 2-1/2 to 3 hour drive from MWP. Go to https://www.recreation.gov/campgroundMap.do for reservations.

David

[leslie]

I have heard good things about Schoodic. I think you will enjoy it. After Mattawamkeag, we will be heading south and staying in Skowhegan for a few days before heading to another rally in Hermon ME.

[gbpack]

Thanks David. We will be at Acadia NP for 3 nights prior to the MWP outing and then begin heading back to OH after that.

[Chappy133]

We are headed to Acadia too after our get together.  Staying at Blackwoods Campground on the A loop till Thursday.  Next will be Recompense Campground outside Freeport for some waterfront camping on Casco Bay.  Great private campground 15 minutes from the shopping and dining in Freeport.