Spring Riding in Katahdin is GREAT!

Science Project Phase II

Today we went down to Winterport and started phase two of Shelby's science project. We performed an analysis of a known standard which is being incubated in an air incubator for 5 days. The standard has a value of 195 mg/l. This test will tell how accurately and consistency of the way Shelby conducts the testing procedures. She needs to come within + /- 30 mg/l of the known standard. We'll see how things go when we check the oxygen depletion on Thursday evening in the 7 BOD5 bottles she set up today.

Deer Out Today - Spring On It's Way

These guys were enjoying the sunshine as well as a little feed today. Springs on its way for sure.

Middle School Show Choir Scores a 1 at Bangor High School

The Millinocket Middle School Show Choir performance at Bangor High School on March 5th earned them a score of 1 and advanced them to the next round in the competition. The State competition is next in Houlton. Our little Short Bus didn't tell anyone she had a solo part in the routine. A brief video of her "performance" can be seen below!


























Our little "Shelby the Chimney Sweep".























Kayla D. and her solo.....

Great Day to Enjoy the Outdoors

Taylor and I scooted out after lunch today and hit some of the remote areas off the beaten path. We left and headed up the Stacycille Road and made the Logan Pond Loop. The trail was in excellent condition and we continued on up to Abol Bridge Store along the West Branch.

I stopped for a quick shot of the mountain from the bridge. I don't think Taylor was overly impressed sitting on the narrow snowmobile bridge attached to the side of regular crossing.

We crossed the bridge and headed down the Herd Pond Road. Lots of trucks in the parking lot which usually means lots of people fishing the lakes. We stopped for a quick pic at Abol Falls.

We continued on down the trail coming to the intersection of the Grant Brook trail where juice box must a been taking a nap as she came into a corner. The man upstairs was looking over her today. Unscathed, as well as the sled, we stopped for a break to collect our thoughts and for another pic from Dad.

We continued on to the side trail to Third Debsconeag where we headed over to Fourth Deb. Stopped for a pic of the ledges by the Chewonki Camps.

While we were on 4th we skipped over to the camps where I showed Taylor the old Indian Camp. The walls in this camp were covered in Birch bark with many old artifacts in the building.

We back tracked to Third and headed down thru to Second Debsconeag Lake. We kept right along going down to the end and over to First. One party of ice fisherman were spending the day on the lake. We passed to the end of the lake and thru the thoroughfare onto Joe Francis Deadwater where we stopped for another Katahdin picture.

Getting back on the trail we made a brief stop where the trial came onto Passamagamet Lake we scrounged in the saddle bags and found a bag of bar ba que chips. Juice box did her thing and we headed back home. Our round trip covered 78 miles on this sunny and seasonable day today!

6th Grade Science Project

Shelby has started working on her science fair project. Her first progress report is due this Wednesday February 25th. She has chosen as her project the Bilological Oxygen Demand Before and After Wastewater Treatment. We set up our first set of seeded samples today with a influent duplicate at the Winterport Water District's wastewater treatment plant. She has had a visit to the East Millinocket Wastewater Treatment and plants for more orientation at 2 other plants, hopefully Bangor Wastewater Treatment Facility and Veazie Sewer District.

The incubation time at 20 degrees Celsius is 5 day for today's samples so she is going to have to come down to Winterport Friday after school and perform the final dissolved oxygen tests on her 11 sample bottles.

The lab in Winterport. These are Shelby's analysis materials.

The dissolved oxygen meter and BOD bottles.

Preparing the seed for the bottles.

Our Ride Today

Well Dad forgot his camera today so we'll just have a little text post. We got about 5 inches of snow from yesterday so we broke out a few of the trails around the Debsconeags today. We left the house around 11:00 and headed up thru to the Wadleigh Pond Traill and out Deep Cove. We swung out around Ambajesus Point and up the backside of the West Branch Boom House.

We sledded up ITS 86 to the Whitehouse intersection and broke the trail out over to Third Debsconeag. The scenery was amazing as the new snow clung to all the trees. Eyeballing my rear view mirrors to make sure Short Bus and Taylor were following me I headed to the lakes outlet and cruised thru the untouched fluff down to Second Debsconeag Lake. We stopped out of the wind just before the lake and stayed in the woods while I hunted for a bag of potato chips that we left in the trunk bag from the trip before.

We jumped onto the lake and headed thru more unsoiled powder snow with the Venture leading the way and 2 red Phazers clinging the the tracks I leave behind. We got to the end of the lake and hopped on the old carry trail for about 3/4 of mile until we hit ITS 86 again. Crossing the ITS we traveled thru the woods for about 20 yards where we hit First Debsconeag Lake. Cruising down the side of the lake in that pile of fluff from last night we came to the thoroughfare and traveled along the side of it into Joe Francis Deadwater. We finally hits some fresh tracks there and hooked up on the carry trail trail into Passamgamet Lake.

A check behind me showed two thumbs up from 2 red helmeted kids and away we went down the lake. We picked up the old trail at the end of the lake where a large group of people were ice fishing. We hooked back up on ITS 86, crossed the bridge over the West Branch and traveled on out to Grant Brook, down the state road, down the poleline and stopped at the Northern Timber Cruisers Snowmobile Club for some late lunch.

Back home at 4:00 PM and covers on the sleds.