It was another laid-back morning. Bob slept in, but I got up to work on my blog from yesterday. It was another beautiful blue-sky day with temps expected to reach 83 degrees for our steamship ride on the Katahdin.
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Built in 1914 by Bath Iron Works, she was built in 3 sections in Bath and reassembled in Greenville. She participated in the nation's last log drive in 1975. She was added to the National Register of HIstoric Places in 1979 and began giving cruises on Moosehead Lake.
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After lunch, we left and drove to the ticket office in town. The cruise left at 12:30, but we had to get there early to buy tickets. We had some extra time before we left the dock to relax before they blew the whistle for everyone to board. We left the dock at precisely 12:30 for our 3-hour cruise.There were about 30 people on board today which was nice since there was a lot of room to move about. It was the perfect day with light winds. The lake was like glass.
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The scenery was spectacular. Bob and I spent most of the trip in the lower level looking our from the bow of the boat. Apparently, the lake freezes over every winter, but this winter was so severe that the lake finally opened on May 9. The temperature of the lake is 75 degrees in the first 5 feet of water. Deeper than that is it pretty cold, yet we've seen people tubing and jet sking on the lake while we've been here..
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From that vantage point, Bob could be in the shade and we could view both sides of the lake at the same time. Leaving the harbor, we passed this unusual structure. It was the Mile Light which was built by placing a light on the top of the old boiler from the Katahdin when her engines were converted from steam to diesel.
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There were little coves and islands where people had homes or cottages.
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There was quite a bit of boat activity on the lake for a Friday afternoon as people traveled from place to place on the lake.
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As we cruised, the crew announced the different places of interest along the way. The cruise would be 90 minutes up the lake to the turn-around point and then 90 minutes back to the dock. We crossed over to the West Cove where we blew the whistle at the people at Kelly's Landing. They responded with waves and screams.
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Seaplanes came and went as they flew above us.
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As we passed through the narrows, Mt. Kineo came into view. There is no access road to Mt. Kineo. You can reach the state park on the island by boat from a public access point on the mainland. Mt. Kineo (elev. 1789 ft.) dominates Moosehead Lake. The cliff face rises 700 ft. above the lake surface.
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Shaw Mountain could also be seen through the gap to the east of Mt. Kineo.
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Little Spencer Mountain and Big Spencer Mountain towered high in the sky to the east.
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We made the turn to make the trip down the lake back to the dock. On the return trip, we moved about the boat to check out the different areas . I sat out on the stern to get a good look at the scenery and a little sun.
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The inside was built with the typical turn-of-the-century wood paneling.
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Bob took the opportunity to ring the bell.
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We made a visit to the wheelhouse and were invited in by the captain.
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The captain invited any interested passengers to come to the wheelhouse to steer the boat.
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Bob was the first one to volunteer.
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.On the return trip, we caught sight of 2 ski areas on the mountains. You can see where the ski runs are cut out of the trees.
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Passengers were also invited to tour the engine room and Bob jumped at the chance. He was given a 1:1 tour of the engine room by Ray. The temperature down there was 120 degrees. Ray said he enjoyed talking with someone who knew something about engines. I totally enjoyed the cruise–the weather, the scenery, and the serenity of being on the water.
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We returned to Greenville at 3:30 and pulled into the dock.
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Before we disembarked, Bob and the captain discussed the difficulty of docking the boat in the confined area of the harbor.
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We headed back to the campground with a stop at the grocery store for a few items. Once we were back at the trailer, Auggie and I sat outside while Bob washed 1/2 of the trailer–the part that was in the shade. The windows needed washing really badly. We had our leftovers for dinner tonight and took our evening walk. More campers arrived today for the weekend, so the campground was busier. We had a wonderful time on the water. Time on the water is always well spent!