Enjoying Moosehead Lake

 

On Friday we joined our friends Jim and Lynn for a 3 1/2-hour drive to Greenville, Maine. There we boarded The Katahdin and enjoyed a 3-hour cruise on Moosehead Lake. Moosehead is Maine's largest lake, and it's a beauty. 

The weather didn't cooperate as well as it could have, but still, we enjoyed the boat ride, the playful loons, the spectacular views, the adventure of it all.

The Katahdin was fully restored a few years ago after being left to deteriorate for several decades. In one of the cabins are "planks" acknowledging those who have donated money to the restoration and maintenance of the vessel. I began reading names of donors and was surprised to see so many had the first name of "Imo." I thought, huh, these folks must be Finnish perhaps. Then as I read on, I began seeing planks with "In memory of" preceding various names. Duh. The "Imos" were actually In memory of's. Sometimes I'm not the brightest bulb in the box.

I don't think the fall foliage was quite at its peak, but it was nearly there, and it was beautiful. The weather was crisp; on Saturday morning the temperature was in the low 40's.

After our cruise, we checked out the Moosehead Marine Museum and learned a lot about the history of the lake and the entire Moosehead Region.

Then, another highlight of our trip was dinner with close friends of Jim and Lynn. We had the most delicious lobster casserole EVER, a recipe found in Linda Greenlaw's The Lobster Chronicles. Mercy, it was good. No casserole needs to be THAT good. The lobster casserole, the salad, the rice...all of it was perfect when combined with old friends, humorous stories, and good wine.

We spent the night in Greenville, at a small motel. I loved the sound of the Canadian Pacific, I think, train passing through town at precisely 5:30 a.m. I hadn't heard a train whistle in years.

It was a good weekend for being reminded of why I love Maine so much.