RV-Dreams Journal

Day Off & Then Back To Counting Birds - (Schoodic Peninsula, Maine)

Tuesday

We have Mondays and Tuesdays off from our volunteer job counting migrating sea birds.  On this Tuesday, we slept in, got a little RV-Dreams work done, dealt with a couple of things that came up regarding my Dad in Louisville, completed our daily exercise routine, and then made a trip to civilization.

On the way, we stopped off at the J.M. Gerrish restaurant in Winter Harbor to get our free volunteer scoop of ice cream .... and to check out their menu for future visits.  By the end of the week, they will only be open until 3:00 and serving only breakfast and lunch.

We just got here and businesses are already closing for the season or cutting back hours.  School started here today, so that appears to be an end-of-summer signal that potential customers will be decreasing.

After ice cream, we headed into Ellsworth, the home of our nearest Walmart (30 miles).  Before stopping at Walmart, we went to Cadillac Mountain Sports looking for rain pants for me and checking out their sale.  At the right price, it may not hurt for us to acquire a couple more insulating layers.

That was pretty much it for that day. 

 

Wednesday

We were at our post on Schoodic Point ready to count birds at 6:30 a.m.  Linda has been popping up with the alarm at 5:30, making her a cup of coffee, and making a second cup just before it's time for us to leave the rig.

It was cool and foggy, but we had some decent visibility for awhile.  Our "office" was open for business - binoculars, spotting scope, three bird books, our field data sheets, and a binder of other useful information.

 

 

The Harbor Porpoises came by, and then all the gulls on the rocks took off at once.  Seconds later, a Bald Eagle flew in front of us - the gulls saw it before we did.

We could see the birds flying by between us and the fog blanket farther out.  However, by 7:40, the fog moved onto shore giving us zero visibility out to sea.

 

 

 

We couldn't see any migrating birds and that pretty much makes them tough to count.  Knowing the fog could lift quickly, we waited until 8:30.  But it only got worse, so we packed it in.  We went back to the rig, and I modified a spreadsheet Seth sent us so we can enter our daily observations.  We saved it online so he can view it and add his observations from when he goes out on our days off. 

We did our morning run, the fog finally lifted, and it turned into a pretty, but cool, day.  There were a lot of people at "the Point" when we did our afternoon counting session.  In fact, I think we had more interactions with people than we counted birds.  It was a slow birding session.  We chalked it up to the southwest wind off the ocean that was in the face of the southbound migrants.  The wind was also keeping us chilled.

The air temperature was in the 60s, but it took four layers and gloves to keep me warm.  It's amazing how much colder it feels when the sun is blocked by clouds and there is a breeze coming straight off the ocean.  Linda only had on three layers and she was a little uncomfortable.

But we saw some birds, saw the Harbor Porpoises again, and we got a good look at a Gray Seal munching a fish in the water in front of us.

Soon, it was time to go and we were looking forward to finishing off our leftover chili in the warm confines of our fifth wheel.

That's another couple of days in the books.  See you tomorrow.  :)

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Volunteer Gatherings & A Bike Ride - (Schoodic Peninsula, Maine)

Today, Monday, was our first day off and we could sleep in, although we still went to bed at 9:00 last night.  I got up early and wrote a Journal entry while Linda took advantage of her extra sleeping time.  She can sleep 12 hours, no problem.  :)

When she got up, she put on a crockpot of chili, and we went for our run about 11:00.  We changed it up and just went to Schoodic Point a couple of times, so most of our run/walk was along the ocean.

After getting back and getting cleaned up, we went to a volunteer meeting at the Schoodic Operations Center at 1:00.  It would be our first chance to meet all the other volunteers at the same time.  One couple is leaving tomorrow, so I think they wanted to go ahead and do their recognition "ceremony".

With 2016 being the Centennial for the National Park Service, they have a special award this year for anyone that has put in 201.6 volunteer hours - a Centennial Volunteer Challenge Coin.  So, the volunteers that have been here all summer got their coins, a certificate, coffee mugs, and a coupon for free ice cream in Winter Harbor.  Even Linda & I were given coffee mugs and the ice cream coupon, and there was lemonade and snacks for everyone.  By the time we are finished, we'll earn coins of our own although we really couldn't care less about that.  We just want to do a great job for Seth.

It was nice to meet everyone, and it is nice to be recognized and appreciated.  We have found that the appreciation is more often expressed at public entity volunteer jobs than at jobs working for private employers that pay wages.  Even though 32 hours per week is expected (which is more than expected by private employers in exchange for a "free" campsite), we'd still rather do a volunteer job (assuming we don't need a paycheck) because the atmosphere tends to be better (there are, of course, exceptions).

After the "meeting", we spent an hour with Seth asking questions and getting clarification on a few things.  He said we've already counted more birds than expected, and it appears to be an early migration.

Seth is slowly building the SeaWatch program and we are the next stage.  Ultimately, he would like to have two sets of volunteers plus himself for seven-day coverage during all daylight hours, but there is an administrative process to get to that point and it may take awhile.  We told him we've already had inquiries as to whether he can use more volunteers now.  :)

So, here is what he said.  If there are RVers out there that think they might be interested in being a SeaWatch volunteer in the future AND you can come stay at the Schoodic Woods Campground (or anywhere else) on your own dime for a few days this season, you can come out with us and get a feel for what we are doing to see if it's something you'd really want to do (assuming you have the skill sets necessary for the position).

We finished up around 3:00, and Linda decided she was going to do laundry.  After today, she'll do laundry on our work days between our bird counting sessions when there is plenty of time so she doesn't have that chore on our days off.

She asked if I was going for a bike ride.  I had been thinking about it since it was another gorgeous day, and since she didn't want to go, I set out on my own.

First of all, our bikes (Electra Townies) are cruisers designed for comfort with the pedals forward and the ability to put our feet on the ground while sitting during stops.  They work best on flat roads, flat rail trails, and hard-packed beaches.  They aren't built for speed or hills and, in fact, they are terrible on the knees on hills, and with the forward pedals, you can't stand up and ride when you need that extra power.  So keep that in mind during the following description of my ride on the Schoodic Loop and the bike trails across the interior of the peninsula.

Also, for those really interested in my convoluted route, it might be easier to follow along on the Schoodic Trails Map.  Click on the image below to get to a larger version that you can print.

 

 

I stopped to get photos of Rockefeller Hall.  

 

 

It was built in 1933 to house Navy personnel, and then it went unused after the Navy left the Schoodic Peninsula in 2002.  A major renovation was undertaken and Rockefeller Hall opened to the public in 2013.  It serves as the Welcome Center for the Schoodic Institute and includes interactive exhibits about the Institute, Naval History, Acadia National Park, and the Schoodic Peninsula.  It's another location to get information, especially if you skip the ranger station at the Schoodic Woods Campground on the way in.

Exiting the Schoodic Institute campus, I stopped to take a photo of low tide across Arey Cove to Little Moose Island.

 

 

 

The road runs along the northern end of Little Moose Island where there is a land bridge to walk over and explore during low tide.

 

 

 

Next up was a stop at the Blueberry Hill parking area where you can access the shore and the Alder Trail across the road.  I took one photo looking north from there.

 

 

Going north on the eastern side of the Schoodic Loop Road, there are several pull-offs and turnouts to stop and take in the views.

 

 

 

Just before the one-way traffic ends on the loop road, I took a left onto the bike trail that cuts across the peninsula to the Schoodic Woods Campground.  The bike trails are wide, gravel paths and there are about nine miles of connected, well-signed trails.

 

 

  

The surfaces aren't really hard-packed yet and the loose gravel made it difficult to climb the hills going up to the center ridge of the peninsula on my cruiser.  I had to walk my bike even on small grades as it was just too hard on my knees.  But for folks on better-suited bikes, it may not be so bad.

The downhills were fun, but there are quite a few signs warning of steep downhills with turns that could be disastrous if you don't take heed and skid on the loose gravel while trying to stop or make the sharp turns.  I was definitely conservative in my riding as I made sure I didn't end up with road rash.

I stopped to take photos of two snakes I found on the trail.  The first was only about ten inches long, and I'm pretty sure it's a Red-bellied Snake.

 

 

 

The second was a beautiful green snake that goes by the descriptive name Smooth Green Snake.

 

 

It was about a foot and a half long.

 

 

Eventually, I made it across to the western side of the peninsula to the campground.  This is the office/ranger station.

 

 

It's also where the free Island Explorer shuttle picks up on its Schoodic Route.  

 

 

I rode through the campground and took some pictures in Loop B, the water/electric loop which is most suited to larger RVs.  It really is a nice campground, with paved roads and large, gravel sites with good separation.

You could put two large RVs in many of the sites and three Class Cs in some.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a link to a great article about the campground that includes photos of sites in other sections - Acadia Campers Fired Up Over Schoodic Woods Campground.  It also talks about reasoning for not installing showers.  The existence of the campground has already increased tourism in the small towns and visitation to the Schoodic side of Acadia has also gone up.

The dump station is quite nice and well thought out with a dumpster, a recycling bin, ....

 

 

and even a hand sanitizer dispenser on the post next to the potable water spigot.

 

 

I should have just headed home from the campground, but I wanted to cover more of the bike trails, so I did the climb up to Birch Harbor Mountain.  I probably pedaled half the distance and walked the bike half the distance.  On the way down, I got a nice view of Birch Harbor.

 

 

There aren't many views from the interior bike trails, and that may be one of the reasons I didn't see another soul on them.  There are lots of tracks on the trails, so somebody is using them, but it appears most cyclists are sticking to the paved loop road.  With the uphills, loose gravel, and lack of views, I can see why that might be the case.

I looped back down from Birch Harbor Mountain picking up the trail toward Schoodic Woods again.  But before reaching the campground, I took a left and went down the steep hill toward Frazer Point.  With the completion of that section, I did about 7.5 of the 9 miles of bike trails.  Been there, done that, don't need to do it again.  I don't think Linda would have enjoyed it at all, so it was best I went by myself.

Back down by the water, the trail goes over this really nice bridge next to the road.

 

 

 

That little, short section of the bike trail that can be seen from the loop road might give the impression that the bike trails are easier and more scenic than they really are.

Frazer Point is where the southbound loop road becomes one-way, and it's also a fantastic picnic area with lots of parking, picnic tables, and fire rings.

 

 

 

There's also a boardwalk out to a small dock.

 

 

 

It looks like a great place to launch our FastTrack kayak for a trip along the back side of a couple of islands and up into a quiet cove.

From Fraser Point, I was back on the paved road where I stopped for a few more photos.

 

 

 

The great thing about being on a bike is you can pull off for photos even in spots where there aren't any pull-offs for cars.

There's only one climb on the paved road that took some effort, but at least I didn't have to stop and walk the bike.

Now, there is a semi-secret place along the coastline that I knew about from prior research.  It's not shown on any park maps, and if you ask about it, folks providing information are supposed to act like they don't know what you're talking about.  Due to the potential over-use and danger along the cliffs, it's not publicized at all, and we will respect the park's wishes and not disclose the name or location.

We've been privy to similar information about special spots at other National Parks, and we haven't posted that information on the Journal either.  The information is available on the internet if you dig a little, but we don't want to burn any bridges by providing details on our website.  I will, however, show some photos.

 

 

 

 

Here's a little video as well.

 

 

It's fantastic.

There is a social (i.e. "unofficial") trail, danger signs, and ropes keeping people off the vegetation, but it is a very dangerous area, so it's best if only the people that are willing to do the work to find it go there.  And if you find it, go in stealth mode, keep your impact to a minimum, and be very, very careful.

Finishing up my longer-than-expected bike ride, I took one more photo at West Pond.

 

 

I got back to the camping area around 6:30 after 15 or so miles and lots of photos.

The volunteers have a campfire every Thursday evening around 6:30, and they decided to have one tonight since one couple is leaving in the morning.  We joined them for about an hour and a half.  It's a nice group of folks, but we won't be interacting with them much during our work time as our duties are very specific and separate.

 

 

We mostly listened to their conversations as we got an idea of what they do, and then we answered a few questions before heading home for some of Linda's chili.  

Another great day on the Schoodic Peninsula.  :)

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How We Found Our Volunteer Job & Another Day By The Ocean - (Schoodic Point, Maine)

We've had a few questions about how we found our current position as "Bird Migration Volunteers".  Though we posted the information back in March, we always have new readers and it never hurts to go over it again.

In addition to being subscribers of Workamper News and getting daily emails of "Hotline" jobs for RVers, we periodically go to the Volunteer.gov website and check for positions on federal properties.

On the main page under "Find A Volunteer Opportunity", you can search for positions based on various criteria including location and, under "Housing/Amenities", you can filter down to spots that have RV/Trailer Pads or Camp Sites.

 

 

Searching there this morning, there were 515 volunteer positions across the country at federal park units that have RV/Trailer Pads.  However, sometimes, the positions that have RV sites aren't always "tagged" properly and they may not come up in the search.  So, we'll always look at the "Recent Postings" and we'll do a search on location if we have a particular area in mind.  Every once in awhile, we'll come across an interesting position and the details will show that an RV site is available even though the position didn't show up when we filtered by "RV/Trailer Pads".

So, knowing we were going to summer in the northeast this year, we did a search last February for positions in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. There were two positions in Maine on the Schoodic Peninsula so we applied for both in late February.  One was a late-summer, short-term campground host position at the new Schoodic Woods Campground, but after doing our phone interview, we were informed on March 3 that they decided not to hire for that position at all.  So, we inquired about the Bird Migration Volunteer position which we had also applied for.

I think our initial interview regarding the campground host position helped us with the Volunteer Coordinator, and she suggested we send an email directly to Seth.

We got our first email contact from Seth on March 8, and we set up a phone interview.

In his original email, we were told that there were the following limitations for the RV parking:

• We cannot accommodate a 5th wheel RV
• The length cannot be more than 40 feet
• The RV cannot be a tow-behind, rather it must be “enclosed”

The motorhome requirement didn't make any sense to us, so we pressed the issue.  Seth liked us in our interview, so he tried to find out more details - clearly the limitations didn't come from him.  He was told it was an access issue, but he wasn't convinced.  So, we sent him photos of our rig, and he sent us photos of the road and of our proposed site.  He even went the extra mile and took measurements of the site and took photos of his car there for perspective.

With the photos and measurements, we assured him we would have no problem getting in and the site was plenty big enough.  I had already checked the Verizon Coverage Map, and knew we were good to go there.  

 

 

So, on March 25 we had our Volunteer Agreements and it was official.

Arriving here, it was hard to believe that having a fifth wheel and the length restrictions were ever an issue.  There is a somewhat tight turn at the bottom of the hill coming into the camping area and it could be a little difficult for some folks with big rigs to back into the sites, but we've seen a lot worse.  I guess the lesson is to question potential disqualifiers if they seem to be somewhat random.

Another lesson for those looking at workamping or volunteer positions is to follow up.  If we don't hear anything back after our initial application, we'll follow up with an email or phone call just to make sure our information was received.  That's not intrusive, and it often prompts the employer to take some action.  If the action is telling us "no thanks", then at least we know and we can move on.

Anyway, I hope that discussion was helpful for some.

 

Today's Observations

We were back out on "The Point" at 6:30 this morning.  Each of the last two mornings there have been people out there already.  The sunrise isn't visible from Schoodic Point, so it's been surprising to us not to be the first ones there.

It was another lovely morning.  Fortunately, the biting flies were gone and we got to count birds in peace.  We had several strings of migrants numbering in the 30 - 70 bird range.  And the Harbor Porpoises swam by several times.  The ocean was so calm, we could hear them blow as they surfaced.

Seth had told us "It will be hours of sitting on a bluff looking out over the ocean".  And this morning was the epitome of the attractiveness of that statement.  We know it won't always be that perfect, but we'll take it as long as we can.

We wrapped up our morning session at 9:30, and headed home for our exercise and late breakfast/early lunch routine.  Linda said "This routine is good for me", and I agreed it's good for both of us.

After finishing the prior day's Journal entry, we were back out on "The Point" at 3:30.  The parking lot at Schoodic Point was full, and there were people scattered all over the rocks.  We really like to see people just sitting and enjoying the beauty of nature.

The clouds had come in which actually makes seeing and counting the birds easier.  

 

 

However, we didn't have much bird activity in the afternoon session, just a few singles and doubles and a couple larger flocks.  But the Harbor Porpoises put on a show for everyone.  They went up and down the shoreline time after time.

 

 

I managed to get this shot showing their rounded head and lack of a "beak" that their dolphin cousins often have.

 

 

Harbor Porpoises are one of the smallest marine mammals (cetaceans) with a maximum length of about six feet and maximum weight of about 200 pounds, although most are quite a bit smaller.  The American Cetacean Society calls them "shy and elusive", but they certainly didn't seem shy today.

Twice, in the vicinity of the porpoises, I saw a seal.  I couldn't identify whether it was a Gray Seal or a Harbor Seal, but I suspect it was a Gray Seal.  They are aggressive hunters and while we'd like to think they were feeding with the porpoises, they have been known to attack Harbor Porpoises.

We had quite a few interactions with the public.  Most wanted to know what we were looking at and what we had seen.  Some wanted to know where the birds were migrating from and to.  Guess we need to brush up on that answer for the various species.  It's not very helpful to offer up the obvious "They are going from north to south".  :)

After our time ended at 5:30, the sun was shining through a hole in the clouds, and I couldn't resist a few photos hoping they would show what we were seeing.

 

 

It was amazing.

 

 

Here's a zoomed shot of the above photo - a boat and the illuminated clouds behind.

 

 

And with that, we called it a day.  :)

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First Day Counting Birds On Our Own - (Schoodic Peninsula, Maine)

We were up at 5:30, and we headed out to Schoodic Point sometime after 6:00 to get set up at our ocean-side office.

 

 

The sun was already up and it was a gorgeous day with little wind and bright blue skies.  The lobster boats were out early.

 

 

The first thing we do is count the different types of gulls sitting on the rocks ....

 

 

and whatever is swimming out in front of our observation site.  Today, it was all Common Eiders.

 

 

After those first counts, then we scan the ocean with our binoculars looking for flying birds and counting the ones that we're pretty sure are migrating.  If they are close to shore or fly toward shore and it's pretty clear they aren't in a migration flight, they aren't counted.  But Linda & I are still watching them closely so we can memorize flight patterns and distinguish one species from another in flight or "on the wing" as birders call it.

Often the migrating birds are way off shore, so we have to use the spotting scope Seth provided to identify them.

 

 

Using a scope for a stationary bird is one thing, but getting it fixed on moving birds, following them along, and getting them identified is no easy task, so it takes practice.  I won't bore you with a daily report of the bird counts, but I'll try to include anything particularly unusual or interesting.

While scanning for birds on such a calm day, breaks in the surface of the water caught our attention.  We saw several Harbor Porpoises, and we got a good look at a small whale.  We think it was a Minke Whale due to its size; it's the smallest of the baleen whales.  We're about fifty yards above the water, so getting good, clear photos of anything in the water is tough, but we were pretty excited to see a whale on our first day. 

We also saw an otter feeding in front of us.  It got out on the rocks and devoured a fish, so we got a really good look through our binoculars.

 

 

We watched as one of the whale-watching boats from Bar Harbor headed out for the morning.

 

 

 

Also, a few lobster boats came near the shore checking their traps.

 

 

 

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of buoys out in front of us marking lobster traps.  Each harbor has a fleet of boats, each boat is allowed a certain number of traps, and each boat has its own color-coded buoys marking its traps.

The birds slowed down after 8:30, but we scanned until 9:30 completing our first morning session.

This is the view of Arey Cove as we were leaving Schoodic Point.

 

 

Arey Cove separates the main part of the peninsula from Little Moose Island.  At low tide, you can walk out to the undeveloped island for some quiet exploring - we're looking forward to doing that one day.

Back home, we got changed and went for our morning run.  Linda did a little better today, but she was sore quickly after we finished.  She sat outside in her lounger for a few hours and got in a nap.

We headed back out for our afternoon session, and were all set up and counting by 3:30.  It was still beautiful.

 

 

But the biting flies were swarming.  We had to put on bug spray, and several people that stepped out on the rocks quickly turned around and went back to their cars.  It was pretty bad.

We identified and counted birds, and we again saw several porpoises.  We also had a lot of visitor interaction as there were quite a few folks enjoying the afternoon (as long as they had bug spray).

At 5:30, we packed everything up, and I wandered across the rocks taking advantage of the wonderful lighting and snapping a few more photos.

 

 

The small cliffs in the background of the next photo are part of Little Moose Island.

 

 

Our first bird counting day was complete, and we headed home.  We can only hope that we have a lot more days as pretty as this one.

Linda made us dinner, and we had a relaxing evening.  It was so relaxed, we went to bed at 8:30.  Tomorrow, we'll do it all over again - if we must.  :)

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Morning Training, Afternoon Free Time, & Dinner With Friends - (Schoodic Peninsula, Maine)

As planned, we met Seth at Schoodic Point at 8:30.  He was easing us in to our duties.

Even on warm days it can be chilly if it's breezy and the temperature can change very quickly.  I packed a gym bag with several layers of clothing so I have multiple options if necessary.

We picked our spot, had our binoculars, and set up spotting scopes.  Seth went over the data collection sheets and our daily routine.

 

 

Upon arrival each morning, we will count birds that are resting on the rocks and floating just offshore, mostly gulls and eiders.  Then we will scan a particular section of ocean within our view for flying sea birds.  He helped us with identification as many of the birds fly at quite a distance from shore.  We're scanning with our eyes and binoculars and identifying with the scope.  We have to do the best we can with counts, identification, and making a judgment call as to whether the birds appear to be local or migrating.  

After each initial morning count of "resting" birds, we're only concerned with counting migrants.  Fortunately, there is a category for "Unidentified Species" - we're performing a scientific study and guessing is not allowed.  :)

The rest of this month, we will be practicing and getting ready for the increasing migration coming in September. 

We will be doing our SeaWatch Wednesday through Sunday from 6:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. and then again from 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.  We have the hours between the morning and afternoon counts to ourselves, and then we have Monday & Tuesdays off.  In addition to our bird counts and other observations, we will be interacting with the public, so if you come to Schoodic Point during our counting hours we'll be happy to explain what we are doing if you are interested ... as long as we aren't inundated with large passing flocks.

We'll be out there rain or shine or fog, but if we have gale force winds or storms or it's fogged in so bad we can't see, then we don't have to subject ourselves to the elements.  We still have to go check the Point - although it's only a mile away from our campsite, the weather there could be completely different. 

If you just want to come out to Schoodic and visit during our off-duty times, just let us know and we can make arrangements.

The plan for today was to wrap up around 10:30, and a fog bank rolled in about that time.  Seth was very pleased with our first time out there, and we'll get more confident and proficient in the next few days.

Today we concentrated on Common Eiders and Double-crested Cormorants, but we also learned to identify Northern Gannets, and the common gull species - Herring Gulls, Great Black-backed Gulls, Laughing Gulls, and Ring-billed Gulls.  We had a few Black Guillemots and White-winged Scoters as well.  This is certainly right up our alley, and we'll enjoy it.  Of course our level of enjoyment will depend on the weather each day.

 

Since we now have our schedule, we can plan our days.  Linda suggested we exercise every day right after our morning bird counting session.  Her reasoning is there will be mornings when we are freezing, and exercising will warm us up and then we can get a good, long hot shower and take care of any business needs until our afternoon session.

So, she joined me for my three-mile run.  We took it easy and I let her pace us.  She made it a mile and a quarter without stopping and ended up running a good two miles or so of the three and a half miles total.  I was quite proud of her, and I hope we keep it going.

After showers, I got some work done and she took the Jeep out to scout for some local produce.  She also stopped at the small grocery in Winter Harbor to check it out.

The fog from the morning lifted and it had turned into a lovely day.

On her way back, she got behind Wayne & Linda on the Schoodic Loop Road.  They were doing the scenic loop and going for an early dinner in Birch Harbor at the Pickled Wrinkle.  So we decided to join them.

Linda led them to our campsite where she picked me up, and we made our way to the restaurant.  A nice lady took our picture out front.

 

 

We sat outside and ordered the Pickled Wrinkle appetizer.  From their website:

Lobster fishermen find wrinkles in traps they haul from the ocean floor. In tough times, wrinkles were relied on to help feed Maine families, and pickling was a great way to preserve the protein packed morsels.

We had to try them.

 

 

They must be an acquired taste, 'cause we all thought they were terrible.  Perhaps a preparation other than pickling may have helped.

Linda had the scallop sliders and I had the haddock sliders.  They were very good.

So, we enjoyed our meal and chatted for a couple of hours before parting ways.  In a few days, Wayne & Linda will be moving to the park campgrounds on Mt. Desert Island.

On our way back home, we stopped for a couple of photos.

 

 

 

Wild rose plants are all along the Schoodic Loop, and the fruit of the rose (aka "rose hips") is visible everywhere right now.

 

 

 

We drove out to Schoodic Point where folks were gathering for the sunset.  We decided to go back to our rig and take the half-mile walk on the Sundew Trail and enjoy our own private sunset.

 

 

Lots of people climb Cadillac Mountain to watch the sunrise.  Not nearly as many people get to see the sun set behind it.

 

 

 

Not a bad day.  :)

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Quick Tour Of Acadia - (Schoodic Peninsula, Maine)

Well, it wasn't exactly a "quick" tour, but it was a limited tour of highlights related to what we'll be doing as volunteers.

We met Seth at his office at 9:00 this morning.  We started with a drive out to Schoodic Point where we will be observing birds flying by. This will be our "office" for the next couple of months.

 

 

I'm sure I'll have a lot more photos from there over the next few weeks.

We continued on around the Schoodic Loop Road stopping at Blueberry Hill which is another bird observation point.

 

 

 

The Schoodic Loop Road is a park road that runs around the lower half of the peninsula.  Actually, it's more of a horseshoe shape and it requires using Hwy 186 between Birch Harbor and Winter Harbor across the top to complete the 11-mile "loop".

 

 

The loop runs south down the western side of the peninsula and becomes one-way at Frazer Point Picnic area just south of the Schoodic Woods Campground.  It's popular with cyclists and bikes also are required to comply with the one-way requirements.  So once you pass Frazer Point, you are committed to going all the way around.  From the Schoodic Institute, we also have to go north up the east side of the peninsula to get anywhere.

We made another stop at a place where seals often hang out (offshore a little bit on a ledge not visible in the photo below), but they have yet to arrive this season.

 

 

As we got to Winter Harbor, Seth stopped at the Schoodic Marine Center which has a small natural history exhibit on whales.  It has bicycle and kayak rentals and it's one of the two places in Winter Harbor where you can take a pedestrian ferry over to Bar Harbor.

 

 

It's a 45-minute ride each way and the Schoodic Ferry per-person fare is $25.00 round-trip or $12.50 one-way.

We saw two Bald Eagles fly by as we left the Marine Center and continued on over to Mt. Desert Isle, the main section of Acadia National Park.

Though it's spelled "desert" like the Sahara Desert, many locals pronounce it like "dessert".  According to the AcadiaMagic.com website:

Many visitors to the area, as well as those about to visit, are confused about how to pronounce the word “Desert” as used in Mount Desert Island. By most who live in Maine, it is pronounced more like “Dessert” as in a cookie or a piece of pie. More often than not, the second syllable is accented as in “de-ZERT” following the French manor of speaking.

It's a 45-mile drive from our site, and it takes a little over an hour to get to the more popular section of the park.

We stopped by the Hulls Cove Visitor Center and Seth introduced us to a couple of rangers that are involved in some of the bird ecology programs.  It was packed as today was the first day of free admission to the National Parks as part of the centennial celebration. The National Park Service turned 100 today, and all the parks have free admission today through Sunday (Aug. 25 - 28, 2016).

Seth drove us up to the top of Cadillac Mountain, the highest coastal peak in the eastern U.S. at 1,547 feet.  When we were here back in early August of 2011, the parking lots at the top were full and today was no different.  People were scattered all over the mountain.

 

 

 

The distant land mass in the photo below is the Schoodic Peninsula.

 

 

Our purpose for going up to the top of Cadillac was to visit the Hawk Watch site which overlooks Bar Harbor and the Porcupine Islands.

 

 

The Hawk Watch location is just off the North Ridge Trail and the hawk watchers should be there between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Monday - Friday.  Often there is a ranger there as well to answer questions.

On the way down the mountain, we stopped at a secondary Hawk Watch site and met Jason.

 

 

 

Today, there was a strong southerly wind which hampers migration and there weren't many raptors, but as September arrives there will be more and more.  If you stop by either spot, tell them "Seth's SeaWatch volunteers sent you".  :)

By the time we finished visiting the Hawk Watch sites, we were all getting hungry.  Seth attempted to take us to one of the local restaurants in Bar Harbor, but there was no parking to be had anywhere.  With the combination of free admission to the park, peak lunch time, and a beautiful day, Bar Harbor was just completely overrun.

So, we headed back and left the crowds behind.  We stopped at the Chart Room and had a nice lunch.  Linda & I had eaten there when we came to Acadia five years ago, so we knew it was good.

Back on the Schoodic Peninsula, we stopped at the new Schoodic Woods Campground.  It just opened last Fall, and it's a great campground with large RV sites. The 32 sites in B Loop have 50 amp electric and water hook-ups for $40 per night.  Other smaller sites also have 50 amp electric but no water hook-ups, and then all the rest of the sites have 20-amp electric.  Generators are not allowed.

The facilities are all new, the roads are paved, and the free Island Explorer Shuttle stops there.  Bike trails crossing the peninsula that connect with the Loop Road can be accessed at the campground.  There is a dump station and flush toilets, but no showers.  It seems strange not to have included showers in this new campground, especially with 26 tent-only sites.  The "stay limit" is 14 nights between Memorial Day and Columbus Day.  The campground opens late May and closes in early October.

Seth does programs in the campground on Wednesdays, and last night he met Betty & David who have been to multiple rallies.  Wayne & Linda are also there (they followed us onto the peninsula yesterday).

Continuing on the Schoodic Loop Road, we took the gravel road to the parking area for Schoodic Head, the highest point on the peninsula at 440 feet.  It's a short walk up to the top and beyond the summit is an overlook with some nice views.

 

 

We also visited the bird banding site along the Alder Trail.  An experienced bird banding couple has two separate areas where they are capturing and banding migrating birds.  They alternate between the two sites, and we look forward to meeting them and helping if we can.

Soon, we were back at the Schoodic Institute.  We had a great day touring Acadia and getting to know Seth and the other bird programs. We agreed to meet out on Schoodic Point at 8:30 tomorrow morning to begin our training.

Back home, I changed and went for a run.  Seth had told me a route that would make a three-mile loop.  It was great with part of it being on the loop road where the views were wonderful.

It started clouding up, but I went for one last walk before calling it a day.

There are three paved RV sites in our little camping area, and then there are 13 other campsites about half of which are large enough for big RVs.  We aren't allowed to have campfires, but there is a community firepit with provided wood just outside the volunteer area.

 

 

There are pavilions with gas grills, ....

 

 

a tennis court (hopefully, somebody here plays a little tennis), .....

 

 

and a ball field (with Schoodic Head in the background).

 

 

The ball field doesn't seem to get much use.  Our rig is in the trees and downhill from the ball field a little. 

Just beyond the firepit, is the start of the Sundew Trail.

 

 

 

It's a little over a half-mile walk in the woods that has a couple of benches on West Pond, .....

 

 

and two more on Frenchman's Bay looking west over to Mt. Desert Isle and Cadillac Mountain.  It will be a great place to watch the sunset on clearer days.

 

 

So, that's pretty much it for our first full day here.  It was a nice day of orientation.  Tomorrow, we start our training out on Schoodic Point where we started today's tour.  So far so good.  :)

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Arriving At Our Fall Volunteer Jobs - (Schoodic Peninsula, Maine)

My hopes for early departures never seem to pan out.  About 10:20, we were still doing our morning routines when I reminded Linda that check-out was at 11:00 here at the Palmyra Golf Course & Campground.  That lit a bit of a fire, and we got moving.

Since we hadn't done a full set-up for our one-night stay, it was easy to get ready and we pulled out of our site just before check-out time. We made a stop at the Walmart in Newport, Maine and stocked up on several items before hopping on the interstate (I-95) to begin our 90-mile journey to the tip of the Schoodic Peninsula.

 

 

 

From I-95, we took I-395 in Bangor which ended at U.S. Hwy 1A which took us U.S. Hwy 1 in Ellsworth.  The pavement is torn up in Ellsworth and it was no fun going through that short section of road construction.  

Eventually, we made it to the Schoodic Peninsula where we took ME 186 south through Winter Harbor, past the new Schoodic Woods Campground (and the sign that says "No RVs Beyond This Point"), down the Schoodic Loop Road to the Schoodic Institute (aka the Schoodic Education & Research Center or SERC).  Linda commented on the beauty of our new "driveway".

 

 

The campus was the site of a Navy base from 1935 until 2002 when it was closed.  For the history buffs, check out "The Navy At Schoodic Point".

There are old and new buildings and former military housing has been converted to house people that come in as part of the many educational and research programs hosted by the institute.

We pulled into the small one-road volunteer camping area behind the ball field (another remnant from the Navy being here), and found our site at the end of the road.  It's completely private and a few sites away from the other volunteers.

 

 

We have full hook-ups with 30-amp electrical service, and though a tree is blocking our rooftop satellite dish, we managed to find a gap for our portable dish. The phone service bounces between 3G and 4G, but our Verizon 4G data modem has a pretty solid signal.  We might have to use a booster to enhance the speed, but it will certainly do.

As soon as we got set up, we went to meet with the park service Volunteer Coordinator, Alicia, and our supervisor Seth, Bird Ecology Program Director.  We are technically volunteers for Acadia National Park, so we had to fill out their standard paperwork, and Alicia gave us the park-related information we needed including a volunteer handbook.  We also had to watch a 10-minute "Leave No Trace" video.

Though we are Acadia volunteers, we are under the supervision of the non-profit Schoodic Institute as part of the scientific research joint venture between the two organizations.  One other volunteer couple under a gardening program is working with Schoodic while the others here work for the park service.  We'll get to know them in the next few days.

Our positions are new and we are the first resident volunteers in the SeaWatch program.  Five days a week for a few hours a day, we will be sitting on a bluff overlooking the ocean identifying and counting sea birds as they fly by.  We'll follow scientific protocol and record the data from now through the end of October.  We'll also be involved in other birding activities as we wish.

Now Seth has been quite upfront that we'll need to get up very early and be on the bluff at first light.  Also, the weather can be downright awful and there are times we'll be freezing our tails off especially as it gets later in the year.  It doesn't necessarily paint the best picture for future volunteers, but we'll see how it goes.  We have lots of layers and rain gear, and our backpacking stove will come in handy to make hot chocolate while we're out there.

Seth gave us a walking tour of the campus and showed us the various facilities where research is conducted.  One of the apartments is dedicated to the volunteers and it has two sets of washers and dryers (free), plus a library, a TV, and some exercise equipment.  He showed us where trash and recycling goes.

Though our duties will be very specific, they want us to have a good understanding of the Schoodic Institute and the park as we'll be informal ambassadors of both.  Tomorrow, Seth will give us a behind-the-scenes tour of the main part of Acadia on Mt. Desert Island, and then we'll get started on our training.

We told him we prefer to work weekends, and he said that would work better with his schedule since he has to do the SeaWatch on our off days.  We're looking forward to getting our schedule set so we know the days and hours we have to explore.  There is sightseeing, hiking, paddling, and lobster eating to be done.  :)

Well, that's it for now.  Until next time.  :)

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More Rain & A Move To Maine - (Palmyra, Maine)

Sunday

Last night, after returning from our little camping and paddling trip, for some reason, we stayed up until almost 2:00 a.m.  I don't think that's ever happened in our eleven years on the road.

I still really wanted to do a hike up to Mt. Washington, New Hampshire's highest peak and the highest peak in the northeast.  Last night the weather report showed that the mountain would be clear today, but when I checked it at 6:00 a.m. this morning, it said it would remain in the clouds.  That, coupled with the lack of sleep, made my decision.  I went back to bed.

It turned out the day was really nice, and I regretted not making the hike.  Tomorrow's weather is supposed to be much worse.  Oh well. Another time.

In addition to returning a few emails and doing some catch-up work, we gave each other haircuts (yes, I'm even doing some trim work for Linda now) and took it easy.

In the afternoon, Rush & Lola came by.  They are full-timing now after having attended our Boondocking Rally and our Spring Educational Rally earlier this year.  They arrived with Rush's mother, Betty.  Linda made some raspberry lemonade and we chatted for a bit.  Along with several others, we will likely see them in Maine later this Fall.

As the evening came, it clouded up and started to rain.  A cold front moved in and it got significantly cooler.  We got out our electric heater and went to bed.

 

Monday

After highs in the mid 70s to lower 80s the last few days, today's high was supposed to be around 60.  It was in the 50s most of the day as the rain came.  I spent the day writing the Journal entries from my Franconia Ridge Loop hike and our weekend paddling excursion while Linda took the opportunity to do laundry and catch up on some reading.

We've also been dealing with mice.  For the last couple of weeks, we've seen signs of mice in one of our kitchen drawers.  Fortunately, they haven't chewed their way into our pantry, but it appears they are coming up from the basement under the sink.  We set some traps, and today we caught our third mouse.  Hopefully, that's all of them.  When we get to Acadia, I suppose we should empty out the basement and do a full-blown mouse prevention.  It's been a few years since we sprayed the bottom of the rig with Mouse Free and plugged all our little access points with steel wool.  The Mouse Free seemed to work, but it wasn't a fun process doing it ourselves, and I'm not sure we'll go that route again.

Anyway, that will do it for our time here in New Hampshire.  We have to be at our volunteer job on Wednesday, and we'll make one stop in Maine before we get there.  I found the Palmyra Golf Course & Campground on the Passport America website and called to make sure they have openings.  It's about 150 miles away and will allow us to make an overnight stop so we can arrive fairly early at the Schoodic Peninsula on Wednesday.

 

Tuesday

Today was a gorgeous, clear day with temps in the 70s.  We got our usual late start and finally pulled out of the Twin Mountain Motor Court & RV Park around 11:30.

We turned left out of the campground on U.S. 3 and headed north a few miles to NH 115 which is a very nice connector road to U.S. 2. We took U.S. 2 through Gorham, NH and into Maine through several small towns all the way to the Palmyra/Newport area.  Seeing the bright blue sky and Mt. Washington in full view made me wish we would have stuck around another day, but we needed to move on.

U.S. 2 is a great road in New Hampshire, and it was pretty good most of the way through Maine.  It had been newly paved in a few areas. The speed limit in Maine on U.S. 2 was mostly 50 - 55 mph, but as we approached intersections and went through small towns it would drop to 40, 35, 30, and even 25 in places.  Again, the road was good, and we enjoy going through the countryside, but it made the 150-mile drive seem really long today.

The Palmyra Golf Course & Campground is less than a half mile off U.S. 2, and we arrived right at 3:00.  We drove through the golf course to get to the campground in the back.  They have both water/electric sites with 30 amps, and full hook-up sites with 50 amps. With tax, the full hook-ups are a little over $36/night, but with our Passport America discount, we paid $18 and change.  The Passport America discount is good for two nights, weeknights only.

The campground has a pool and some meeting space, and it we might consider it for a future Fall Rally some day.  The only problem with that is they don't have cabins and there really isn't a good hotel nearby for those without RVs.

We were assigned site A5, a back-in site in the more open area.  We got backed in and set up quickly.

 

 

 

Just like the last place, the sites are a bit close together, but they are large and have picnic tables and firepits.  The water and electric hook-ups are way in the back, so I had to use two hoses for water.  The sewer hook-ups are back, but not all the way in the back, so it just depends on each RV as to whether one or two sewer hoses will do.  With just a one-night stay, we didn't hook up to sewer.

With the low angle for satellite in Maine and the trees behind us, we didn't think our rooftop satellite would lock on, but somehow it did.

 

 

It's a decent little RV park.

 

 

Though I didn't look closely, it seemed the water/electric sites may have a little more privacy and shade.  There are two dump stations and they have Wi-Fi, although I'm not sure how well the Wi-Fi worked.  We have Verizon 4G service, and we always use our own connection.

I decided to check out the golf course.  By 4:00, I was teeing off.  Campers get various discounts and they have golf specials during the week.  Today was $1-a-hole day (cart not included), but after 4:00 it was $15 for all-you-can-play with a cart included.  I opted to walk and carry my clubs for the exercise - it's a good walking course.

The course has an interesting layout.  Some holes require precision shots and others are wide open.  The tees and greens were in pretty good shape, but the bunkers were terrible and the fairways were "patchy" at best.  The "rack rate" of $38 for eighteen holes and cart is probably a bit high for this course, but with the various discounts and specials, it's a pretty good value.

I played horribly, but it was a nice walk.  After getting stuck behind a couple of groups, I cut my round short so we could go get some dinner and make a stop at the Walmart a few miles down the road.  

Linda had phoned in a prescription, and we needed to pick up a few more items before heading to Acadia tomorrow.  On the Schoodic Peninsula where we'll be working, we'll be about 30 miles from the nearest Walmart, and we're just not sure yet about the local grocery in nearby Winter Harbor.

We went into Newport looking for a local restaurant, by-passing the McDonalds, Burger King, and Pizza Hut.  There wasn't a lot to choose from, so we ended up at Cervesas Southwest Grill, not exactly the Maine cuisine we were looking for, but the Southwest Stir Fry with chicken and the honey teriyaki chipotle sauce was pretty good.  They'll also let you get the cheaper and smaller lunch portion for dinner if you ask.

We got to the Walmart right at 8:00, and made it to the pharmacy at 8:04.  Oops.  It closed at 8:00.  We decided to head on home and we'll just make a stop in the morning as we have to go by there anyway.

Back home, I watched the Little League World Series, printed directions for tomorrow's drive, and we called it an early night.

Tomorrow, we have about a 90-mile drive, and then we'll be parked on the campus of the Schoodic Institute until the end of October assisting with the gathering of bird migration data.  See you from there.  :)

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Passport America - Another Refer-A-Buddy Promotion

Passport America is at it again - it's time for another Refer-A-Buddy promotion.  This one expires November 30, 2016.

 

 

This offer is not only great for those that have been contemplating signing up with Passport America -

"The 'Original and World's Largest' 50% Discount Camping Club ..... with nearly 1,900 quality resorts and campgrounds all across the US, Canada and Mexico."

but it is also a nice perk for current members who refer new members.

 

 

New Members

During this special promotion, new members using the Member Number of an existing referring member get: 

Benefits of Becoming a Passport America Member: 

• 50% off nightly rates at Campgrounds & RV Parks across North America (restrictions apply - see individual park listing)
• Receive the all-new International Campground Directory, personalized 50% Discount Travel Card and RV Decal.
• FREE e-Newsletter about Passport America Campgrounds and RV related news.
• FREE Trip Routing, Campground Updates and valuable information online 24/7 at www.passportamerica.com.
• FREE online edition of the RV America Magazine with updates on new parks.
• PLUS a friendly and professional staff who is always happy to serve you!
• PLUS, for signing up today you will receive THREE months FREE!

That last line is the big benefit of signing up during this promotion.  :)

So, if you've been considering signing up for Passport America, click on one of the links or banners in this post, sign up before November 30, and use our name and Member Number 342286 in your application.

Howard Payne - #342286

For full-timers, it's a no-brainer.  Three nights at a $30/night RV park saves $15 per night or $45 and pays the annual membership cost of $44.  You have to pay attention to the restrictions for the discount at each park, but us full-timers usually have no problem working around those.

   

Existing Members

This promotion is also great for existing members.  :)

For EACH new member you refer that uses your name and Member ID Number, you get:

• $10 CASH
• Entry in a drawing for $1,000 cash grand prize or multiple other cash prizes, gas cards, gift cards, and more
• The person that refers the most new members gets $500 cash

So, if you are a current member, this is a great time to refer a friend and have a chance at some nice prizes from Passport America.

If you aren't yet a member, sign up now and then refer your friends.

 

Sign up today at PassportAmerica.com

OR, for an even faster sign-up, call 1-800-681-6810.

 

And remember to use our name and Member ID Number:

Howard Payne - # 342286

 

This is the one membership we highly recommend for full-timers and extended travelers as you can recover the annual membership fee so easily.  In fact, we're going to use our Passport America discount at the Palmyra Golf Course & Campground as we make our way into Maine today - $17 for full hook-ups with 50-amp electrical service.  Nice!

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A Peaceful Day On Mountain Pond - (Twin Mountain, NH)

The loons called once in awhile all night long, and we could hear small animals in the brush around the shelter here on Mountain Pond.  

 

 

Linda said she didn't sleep very well, but I had a pretty good night.  I got up and took some morning photos.

 

 

 

After a leisurely morning having breakfast and reading, I decided to do a quick trip around the pond.  Frogs were abundant.

 

 

This little video doesn't show much, but I did it to try to catch the loon call.

 

 

There were some boards over the wetter parts, ....

 

 

but the trail was mostly rocky on the eastern end and the south side.

 

 

There is no elevation change, so other than having to be careful about turning an ankle on the rocks, it's an easy 2-mile walk.

The trail allows for views of the pond through the trees, but there are few spots where it goes right to the shoreline for photos.

 

 

 

I looked for signs of wildlife, but saw only squirrels which scolded me for being in their territory.

A few people were on the trail on this Saturday.  Some stopped to chat with Linda while I was gone, and then more stopped after I got back.  There were maybe a dozen folks spread out throughout the afternoon.  We spent a good amount of time with a foursome from Massachusetts.

It was a pretty breezy day, so we didn't do any paddling.  We just enjoyed our little spot and hoped maybe the wind would die down later.

In the meantime, Linda had the idea that our boat seats, turned upside down, would make great backrests for reading in our tent.  She was right.  We got in the tent, propped ourselves up on the overturned inflated seats and read until we fell asleep.  So, we had wonderful mid-afternoon naps.

In the late afternoon, it clouded up a little.  Around 6:00, Linda said, "You know we've had a nice day, but we could pack up and sleep in our own bed tonight".  I responded "I was thinking the same thing".

So, we broke down camp, packed everything up, and loaded the FastTrack.  The wind had died down for our trip back to the put-in.

At the put-in, there was a couple camping with their dog.  The black lab mix was going nuts barking at us.  They said in all their years of camping, no one has ever approached their campsite from the water, so the dog was confused and very excited.  She was harmless, and they helped us get our backpacks on solid ground.  Nice folks.

We donned our packs, and portaged the boat back to the parking area.  We deflated it, rolled it up, and threw it in the Jeep.  We'll clean it up and pack it tomorrow.

It was a great couple of days on the water.  It was wonderful to be able to paddle in to a campsite, have a short portage, and have the Jeep only a mile away giving us lots of options.  Mountain Pond was a great place for us to get into nature together.  :)

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