UPTA MOOSEHEAD LAKE

My grandfather bought a piece of property on Moosehead Lake, Maine back in 1953. Twelve acres, 1,200 feet of water frontage. Rather remote.

Back then, the State of Maine had some common sense. If the state took property for nonpayment of taxes, they actually sold it. If the state owns it, there's no tax revenue. Anyway, the state would publish a little magazine once a year to auction off the state-owned properties. My granddad got this one. In the 60's, he built a little cabin on it. We've been coming back ever since.

Oh, and his winning bid? The back tax amount: $635. That'll make you pucker .

I was there recently, doing chores like splitting wood and clearing out the trail. I did some bird hunting (unsuccessfully) and some writing (successfully.) I also took these pics of the dawn across the lake.

That sure seems worth $635, inflation be danged. (As of this writing, for the nerds among us, that's about $7,705)

Also, to the southeast is Big Spencer Mountain. It had weird clouds shrouding it. Who knows what kind of cloud this is?

What did I write at camp? A lot. But if you want to know more, you need to sign up for my newsletter.

If you don't have a generational camp to go unwind and just be by yourself for a while, there are other options. Camping is fun. Make like a true Mainer and go car camping out in some random spot up north, or, my personal favorite, a gravel pit. With landowner permission, of course. That not your style? Might I suggest a hotel, bed and breakfast, Airbnb, rental cabins like at The Wilsons, or make like a twenty yo and ask to spend a weekend in your parent's garage. Anyway, there's something centering about a solo adventure somewhere. I highly recommend it.