Natanis Point Campground

Above is a slideshow of my favorite photos from our camping trip this past weekend. It was so hard to choose!!

Why didn't I keep a journal during the trip? I took a notebook, but I just never stopped long enough to write in it! Now, I'm going to try to remember, using my photos as a helpful guide, all of our adventures...

We left home at around 11:30 on Saturday morning, with a truck full of gear, topped off by a borrowed canoe. (17 foot - Old Town Tripper) We needed to stop in at the post office to ask them to hold our mail, so Dad decided to drive North on Route 26 until we reached Route 232 in Rumford Point, at which point we turned right onto Route 2 East. We continued on Route 2, through some road construction, until we reached Route 27 North in Farmington, and then we were on the road to our destination! We stopped for lunch at McDonald's in Rumford Center, and wondered where everyone else was and whether we would see any of them on our journey.

We did! In Industry we saw my parents at a gas station and pulled in to jokingly ask them, “Where are you going?” We continued the trip together and arrived at Natanis Point Campground in Chain of Ponds Township, around 3 pm.

Our campsites turned out to be even more beautiful than we had expected! We were surrounded by water, which was perfect for the kids - they could fish and swim to their hearts' content. And the bigger kids could canoe and fish as much as they wanted to as well! Because of the proximity of our sites, the kids could run between them for visiting and yet we were a bit apart from the rest of the campground, so we didn't need to worry too much about being too rowdy - a good thing with this rowdy crew! And there were plenty of roads to ride our bikes on - up to the bathhouse, down to the store, or around the loop to check out the other campsites for future reference.

The weather was good, although really windy at times. But, if you weren’t comfortable with the temperature or conditions on one site, you could always go to a different one. Because of the way the sites are arranged between the ponds and on a rise, they each varied greatly – it was kinda weird. Things were a bit damp on Sunday, but the only heavy rain was during the night, so we never got particularly wet, except for when we were swimming, of course…

That evening, after getting camp set up, we all traipsed over to Grammie & Grampa's camp for steak grilled over the campfire, corn on the cob, baked potato and biscuits! Does it get any better than that? Everyone was stuffed at that point, so we ambled off for some more fishing and those of us that were renting canoes walked down to the store to get them and paddle them back. Then, we moseyed back for Dad's birthday cake, Chocolate Marble Bread with Ganache, and ice cream. When it came time to sing "Happy Birthday", it was just as well that there weren't any other campers nearby! ;-)

Sunday morning we got up bright & early - around 5 am! We hadn't gotten a very good night's sleep - the wind had picked up and the roaring was like a freight train coming through camp! Fortunately, everything was adequately tied down, so nothing had blown away during the night. Dad got the coffee going and I started the Sourdough English Muffins. A couple of hours later I was frying bacon and eggs to put on those freshly cooked muffins!

The boys spent that morning fishing and playing in the water while Dad and I battened down the hatches. We were not prepared for rain, and it sure looked like that was what was coming. We borrowed a gazebo and more tarps from my parents and constructed a much better shelter. All the while, dough was rising for our bread for lunch. About 10 am Dad started charcoal to heat the Dutch oven and at 11 we put the bread in it to cook. The first loaf was ready in time for lunch - I made tuna to put between slices of fresh bread. Unfortunately, Dad had trouble getting the oven hot enough for the second loaf, but that worked out in the end, as you will see.

Sunday afternoon we took a bike ride around the campground and found our way to the Beaver Bog Trail. That was really cool and looked like a great place to watch for moose. Daisy thought it looked like a great place to swim, preferably after knocking Grampa into the drink! Luckily, Grampa is steady on his feet and stayed dry!! After hiking back up out of there, we found the trail to the beach on the other side of Natanis Pond. It was a really steep incline, but we decided to go down it anyway, not releasing Daisy & Duke until after the coast was clear. Boy, didn't those dogs have fun playing in the water! They had us rolling with laughter at their antics!!

That evening, it was my sister & her husband's turn to make supper - Barbequed Chicken, Corn on the Cob, Pasta Salad, Biscuits and chunks of Sourdough Bread that had finally finished cooking. YUMMY!! Again, everyone was too full to think about dessert yet, so Dad & I went off to the showers. When we returned we roasted marshmallows for S'mores...

We turned in early and hoped for a good night's sleep. However, Daisy got very sick during the night. Several times Dad had to get up and let her out of her crate and out of the tent. It was awful and we were extremely worried about her, especially when she wasn't better in the morning. She was a very sick puppy!! Finally, she was able to keep down a Tums, some steak and carrots. We also switched her water to bottled water, thinking that perhaps it was because they recommend boiling the water from the campsite, and yet she was drinking it straight from the tap. We also wondered if there was something wrong with her food, and switched her to Duke's food. I guess we'll never know for sure what made her sick.

Monday morning Dad cooked his sausage and egg bake in the Dutch oven, and we fried up some brook trout that Grampa had caught at home. We slathered the biscuits and English muffins with butter & jelly and finished them up. After breakfast I started more bread for lunch, but this time we were able to cook both loaves at once so that we would already have bread for Tuesday's lunch as well.

Later on that morning, everyone, including Daisy & Duke, got into their canoes with fishing gear and we paddled from Round Pond over to Natanis Pond to spend the morning catching Yellow Perch. Not particularly appetizing fish, but it was a whole lot of fun anyway! Daisy did great in the canoe, probably because she still wasn't feeling well. She sure thought it was some exciting when Dad caught a fish, and almost leapt into the pond after it when he tossed it back in - YIKES!!

Back at camp, we finished up the tuna salad for our sandwiches. Naptime! A pair of juvenile Northern Flickers came through camp, so I was sure to photograph them - even crawling so close to them that when something spooked one of them, he hit my head during his escape! It was amazing!! The other critters around camp were a chipmunk, whose hole was located right under one of our hammocks, and a red squirrel. They sure kept Daisy busy trying to catch them!

Most of Monday afternoon was spent playing/fishing on the beach and in Natanis Pond. The kiddos discovered that over by the bridge it was sandier and no more than chest deep for several hundred yards out into the pond - wicked cool as far as they were concerned!! Dad & Uncle J took their fishing poles out and stood in the shallow water while casting out into the deep part where the bottom of the pond drops off. Supper that evening was at my brother & sister-in-law's camp - Chicken & Dumplings, homemade bread, and Cherry Pies, roasted over the fire, for dessert.

Afterwards, we all piled back into the canoes for a paddle across Round Pond and up the river that runs north out of it. We were hoping to see moose, but we only heard one blowing at us, although even that was pretty cool. We did see a beaver, and boy hasn't he been busy out there! It was a perfect evening to paddle, the sunset was incredible and the moon was full. It was beautiful!! We returned to camp by following the beacon that Grampa set up for us - I don't think they were worried yet, but it was getting pretty dark by the time we made it to shore. After the kiddos and grandparents went to bed, the 6 of us shared a bottle of wine and talked late into the night.

Tuesday morning, my brother and my sister's husband left camp around 4 in the morning to try their hand at fishing in that river we had found the previous day. Six+ hours later they returned, with a few trout, sore muscles and stories to tell of all the many portages they made and the exploring that they did!

Meanwhile, I made pancakes and bacon for breakfast, and Dad started the Bean Hole Beans. Then, we hit the beach again, much to the kids delight! At one point, I was heading back to camp to get something, when this car drove in. "Boy, don't those folks look familiar!" I thought to myself. Sure enough, it was my cousin and his wife! They own a camp up in that neck of the woods, and Grammie had told them that we would be camping there. They decided to take a drive over and visit with us. It was great to see them and we all sat around in lawn chairs, chatting, for a few hours. Well, all of us except my brother-in-law, who laid flat out on his back and snored! I guess that's what happens when you head out fishing so early!!

Lunch was chicken salad on my sourdough bread from the previous day. Then, we enjoyed another nap while the kids played. All 5 of them got along so well all weekend! They had a blast and can't wait to do it again!! Later on, my brother, Dad & I took the kids for a bike ride along the Around Pond Trail. The trail was great, although a bit challenging in a few places, and the views were incredible! We had thought it wasn't going to be very long, but it turned out to be a 10 mile loop back to camp!! It took us a couple of hours, but even my 5-year-old nephew did GREAT! We took plenty of breaks and had a wonderful time!! When we came to the road, we lined up, alternating adults and kids, told them to stay on their side of the white line and that whenever we hollered "Truck", they were to hit the ditch! Those trailer trucks do NOT slow down for anything! They are hauling goods into and out of Canada on that road and the faster they can do the trip, the more they can haul. By being careful, we were able to stay safe and that was by far the easiest part of the trip - good pavement and mostly downhill.

When we returned to camp, Dad & I finished cooking the Bean Hole Beans, I made Corn Sticks in the reflector oven, Devil's Food Cake in the Dutch oven, and the kids roasted hotdogs over the fire for all of us! Another scrumptious meal, if I do say so myself!! After which we went fishing at the brook we found during our bike ride and moose hunting, unsuccessfully, at the local DOT maintenance facility.

While we were putting the kids to bed, my brother suggested that we go "Hornpouting". Hornpout are also called Brown Bullheads - Adult bullheads are usually about 10 inches long and weigh less than one pound. You cast a baited hook on the bottom of the pond, which they have no trouble finding because night-time is their usual time to eat. It was a first for all of us except Dad, who had done it as a kid, and my brother-in-law, who had caught catfish down South, although hornpout are a bit different and much smaller. We tossed some of the leftover bbq chicken into the pond, which attracted the shiners & minnows, and then used worms on hooks to catch the hornpout! It was really fun, although it got really cold!! Supposedly they are good to eat, but we put the hornpout into a pail with water so that the kids could see them in the morning and then returned them to the pond. The kids were fascinated - boy, are they ugly fish!!

After all that cooking, Wednesday morning's breakfast was CEREAL! ;-) We spent the morning packing. When that was finished, Dad and I took our boys for another bike ride around the trail we had done the afternoon before - it only took us an hour! It was great, again! Then, while Dad loaded up the truck, the boys went swimming again. We gathered everyone in front of Natanis Pond for a group photo, got into our vehicles, took photos of the convoy and headed south. Lunch was at the Pines Market in Eustis, we stopped for a minute to see the bateau at the Dead River Historical Society and did some shopping at Nowetah's Museum and Indian Store in New Portland - that was really interesting, particularly her antique basket collection, which was right up my sister-in-law’s and my alley, since we’ve spent so much time weaving baskets together!

This really was the best trip – being out-of-doors, surrounded by my family & wildlife, with lots of fun activities, or the option to rest, and cooking/eating delicious food…in a word…AWESOME!!