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CVOA Mid-Coast Trip at Tanglewood & Islesboro

Sept. 10, 11 & 12

We’ve once again lined up a terrific weekend in mid-coast Maine but this year at Camp Tanglewood in Lincolnville, instead of Blueberry Cove in Tenants Harbor.

And this year a bike ride on Islesboro, instead of a hike around Monhegan. That’s one of the options.

Camp Tanglewood is the sister camp of Blueberry Cove, where we’ve gone for the last two Septembers, and is also operated by the University of Maine Extension Service. It covers over 900 acres, including a waterfront area on the Ducktrap River. Camper-wise, it’s about three times bigger than Blueberry Cove but we’ll have the place to ourselves.

The outing this year is planned for Friday, Sept. 10 through Sunday, Sept. 12.

The schedule will include a lobster cookout Friday night with steak or chicken for those not into crustaceans. We’ll have a continental breakfast in the dining hall from 7 – 9 Saturday morning and a sandwich bar where you can make your own lunch.

From there on, the options are plenty. The Maine Ferry Service boat to Islesboro is about four miles from camp and boats leave just about every hour on the hour starting at 8 a.m. It’s a three-mile, 20-minute boat ride and once you’re there, there’s a network of roads to bike throughout the nearly 15-mile long island. We can’t guarantee any John Travolta or Kirstie Allie sightings, but who knows.

Return ferry service is available every half hour until 4:30 p.m.

For those not interested in Islesboro, Camp Tanglewood has a number of hiking trails right on their grounds and the Camden Hills State Park is nearby. There’s kayaking or canoeing on the Ducktrap River, as well as many other shore areas in the mid-coast region. And, of course, beautiful Camden Harbor is the next town to Lincolnville and Rockland is just a 15-minute drive.

Saturday night, we plan another of CVOA’s famous pot luck suppers and a pancake breakfast Sunday morning.

The facilities at Tanglewood include a dining hall with room for up to 75 people and a complete kitchen with walk-in refrigerator and freezer, just like Blueberry Cove. And plenty of outlets for crock pots or other electrical appliances. Plus all the pots and pans, dishes and silverware and just about anything else we might need.


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I’ve attached a copy of the Tanglewood Village map. We’ll be staying in the Habitat Area in the upper right-hand corner of the map. As you see, there’s a number of cabins in that area and it includes Tanglewood’s tenting area. There are toilet facilities at Habitat and it’s just a five-minute walk from there to the dining area and bath houses with ample toilet and shower facilities.

The cabins have no water or electricity and are generally bunkhouse-style but there’s enough of them so we should be able to provide privacy for most couples.

Costs for the weekend will be about $60 per person for tenters and $80 for those using cabins. That includes all the costs of the meals being provided and the cost of the ferry service to Islesboro.

CVOA will arrange for most of the food for the weekend: lobster, steak or chicken with corn, salad and chips for our arrival meal Friday; the breakfast Saturday, including lots of coffee, juice, fruit, breads and hot and cold cereals; all the fixings for a bag lunch with cold cuts, cheeses, peanut butter, jelly, breads, fruit and snacks; one of our famous pot luck dinners Saturday night; and pancakes and bacon for breakfast Sunday with real maple syrup. We’ll provide bottled water for hikers and bikers, and milk for cereal and coffee but bring any other beverages you want.

Our agenda is roughly as follows:

Friday afternoon, Sept. 10 – set up camp at Tanglewood (we plan to be there by 2 p.m.); debriefing (BYOB) at least by 5 and the lobster/steak or chicken feed is around 7 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 11 – breakfast starts at 7 a.m. and goes until 9; make your own bag lunch –- we’ll have all the fixings. Our Saturday debriefing will start around 6 p.m. with our pot luck dinner at 7:30 in the dining hall.

Sunday, Sept. 12 – Pancake Breakfast 7 – 9 a.m. Break camp anytime, and take the time to explore the area.

Directions to Tanglewood are also attached.

If you want to go, or have questions, contact me or Barb at johnmccatherin@tds.net, or at 235-2121. I’ll need to know how many in your party, if you are tenting or want a cabin, whether you want lobster, steak or chicken and what you’re bringing for the pot luck dinner Saturday.

It should be a great weekend.

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