The Greatest Mountain

Before we reached Moosehead lake, we visited the tourist information center from which there was a magnificent view of a wildflower meadow, trees, mountains, clouds and sky from its deck.

We found out where there was a public spot to eat our picnic lunch on the shoreline, and got chatting about our route and plans for the day. Turns out, we were unknowingly planning to take the ungroomed logging road (euphemistically called the Golden Road) for 32 washboard miles, where 25 mph is about as fast as the road conditions would allow. We still had to drive along the sinuous edge of Moosehead before reaching this infamous trail - there just wasn't enough time in the day to complete this traverse, nor was it fair on our little compact Honda FIT (".. only automobiles in excellent working order are advised to be used ...") But, the Abol Bridge was on this route, and I just HAD to get there.

We made the tough decision to forego seeing the biggest lake for views of 'the greatest mountain.' We adjusted our route accordingly, having to do some backtracking, so we'd be placed to put our car through ONLY 10 miles of suffering each way on the logging-trucks-have-right-of-way road to reach the viewpoint I desired. I just LOVE adventures.

This view of Katahdin from South Twin Lake was just not satisfying enough for me!

Oh boy, the Golden Road was indeed memorable. Dusty, rutted, bumpy, potholed, uneven, stony (have I used enough adjectives?), but at least wide enough to let a logging truck pass! It was WELL worth it to be greeted by this magnificent view of Katahdin - just what I'd wanted!

The Abol Bridge is a single lane span with a separate pedestrian/snowmobile section over the Penobscot River, which provides the most beautiful, unobstructed view of Maine's highest peak. The Indian Place Names of New England lists Abol as meaning "bare of trees."

A truly majestic sight and a magnificent day - I wanted to reach out and hug the beautiful scene. I even let Dale stop to look at some train tracks on the way home! We got home late, but tired and oh-so happy, and with enough energy and resources (I found a needle amongst my crochet things, and 'harvested' some thread from a discarded project in the bottom of my bag) to mend the hole in his pocket before bed!