Show me an example Maine Moose Tracks - Greenville Maine Moose Watching Tours: November 2011

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Giving Thanks

The holidays can be such a hectic time of year for most of us. We find it hard to slow down and reflect on the good things that have happened in our lives. Thanksgiving Day is your first excuse to do so! Thanksgiving is a day for giving thanks for all of the blessings you have received during the past year. Yes, we enjoy time with our families and friends, we feast, we may nap, we may watch football, we laugh and enjoy one another. But, every year, we need to take the time to reflect and be thankful for what we have and what we have achieved.
We are thankful for our Registered Maine Guide's that worked hard to provide a special experience for our Maine moose watching guests. Jared, Joanie, Glenn, Jessica, Brett and Brian led many moose tours during the 2011 season. We provide moose and wildlife safaris, both with groups and private tours. Guests can enjoy land and canoe tours to see moose. Our guide's are always eager to take guests to the best spots for maximum moose sightings. Some of us are just as excited as the guests are when we spot moose!
We are thankful for our location and building, overlooking Moosehead Lake in Greenville, Maine.


We are thankful to be able to provide a service to our guests that is personalized, informative and exciting! Seeking out moose and other wildlife in the North Maine woods is a special journey that our guests really engage in, which makes it fun for all of us!
Thank you to the moose watching guests that joined us in 2011. Some of you, on more than one occasion! We appreciate your continued interest in us and what we do.
Our winter work isn't as glamorous as moose watching is, but we have to do the administrative business during the winter! Stay connected with Maine Moose Watching tours during the winter months, via Facebook, Twitter and our Maine Moose Tracks blog.
We are excited to tell you that we are uploading pictures of some of our moose tours to our new moose gallery, so when that is complete, we'll let you know! Until then...

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Blue Ridge Parkway and the Shenandoah Mountains


Wildlife and scenery abound during this leg of our road trip. What a beautiful drive our road trip has been. We drove from Asheville to Roanoke, Virginia on the Blue Ridge Parkway and talk about seeing a lot of deer. Deer are everywhere here. Manny and Abby are so exhausted after this trip through the Blue Ridge Parkway, they are sure to be tuckered out after Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah's. This is beautiful and rolling hillside country, with brick homes and farms along this scenic road, with larger populations, 2-3000 feet below in the foothills. This road trip journey is spectacular and worth it for anyone that loves to take the time to see the country, and is not in a hurry to get anywhere. One thing I've learned on this vacation is that the Northeast is in much more of a hurry than anywhere south of Pennsylvania...at least during this journey, that is for sure! It is an important foot note, since I will try to push less and listen more.
After staying in Roanoke, it was up early and back to our scenic drive. The Blue Ridge Parkway is closed, just north of Roanoke mid November until April for road work, so we skipped it and move on to the Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah's. This is deer country to the max! We saw over 100 deer in the Blue Ridge and Shenandoah's. We also saw 3 bears...mom with her two cubs. I tried really hard to get a picture, but there happened to be another spectator nearby that was noisy, to say the least! Anyone that has joined me on a moose watching tour, knows the importance of being respectful to wildlife, staying quiet and keeping our distance. We saw the 3 bears, so I have them in my memory, but would have LOVED to have gotten a great picture to share. But, I walked away from this memory recalling the importance of quiet observance in nature.


From the scenic drive of the Blue Ridge and Shenandoah's, to Cooperstown, New York and the Baseball Hall of Fame...we are loving our getaway!!!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Great Smoky Mountains

Our trip from Nashville to Asheville was absolutely beautiful. We traveled into Gatlinburg, which is a funky town at the TN entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains. There are tons of activities, shops and restaurants here to enjoy. The drive through the Great Smoky Mountains is beautiful and a must do for anyway that loves the outdoors, mountains, wildlife and breathtaking scenery. Except for Mount Mitchell and Mount Craig, the highest mountain peaks in eastern North America are found in the Smokies - the most massive mountain uplift in the East and one of the oldest land areas on Earth. Sixteen summits rise more than 6000 feet, and the main ridge does not drop below 5000 feet for 36 miles. It's amazing!
Here, at the Newfound Gap, I am 1972.00 miles to Mount Katahdin Maine on the Appalachian Trail.
As we continued on our journey, just before we arrived in Cherokee, NC we happened upon these reindeer, grazing in this field. I was so excited when I saw cars parked along the side of the road. Any one of you that has gone on a Maine moose watching tour with us understands that when you see cars along the roadside in the wilderness, it's either a moose or a PMS (possible moose sighting). This was a confirmed reindeer sighting and five of them, I might add. I can't tell you how excited our dog friends were. We always excite Manny and Abby about seeing MOOSE. So, when we see cows, deer and this time reindeer...they were just as excited as I was!
So, we are in Asheville now and have plans to check out the city and relax again, before our trek north. We feel rested and I would say are both looking forward to traveling north to our home of the great State of Maine. We will be traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway, from start to finish or from finish to start, however you see it. It's 469 miles and I can't wait.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky


J really wanted to go to Mammoth Cave National Park and tag another state in our quest to see the U.S., which yesterday we conquered. We love the National Parks and this was another one that definitely lived up to it's potential. Mammoth Cave is an amazing place. As Registered Maine Guide's, we have a lot of respect for those that lead trips and tours. We went on the guided Historic Tour of Mammoth Cave. Our guide was very knowledgeable. We went 310 feet below the earth's surface, into the bowels of Mammoth Cave. We learned about the network of underground paths that are Mammoth Cave and what is yet to be discovered. I'll be honest, I was a little nervous about going on the cave tour because we were told there were sections that would be narrow and that we would have to crouch to get through. Yes, I know, I guide people on whitewater rafting trips, moose tours, and overnight trips in Maine and shouldn't be nervous about going on a cave tour, but I was. There was no reason to be nervous, though. The experience was amazing and well worth it!
In Bowling Green, KY we stopped at the Corvette Museum and then stopped in Portland, TN at the Sumner Crest Winery. The winery representative was awesome. She told us all about wine in TN, we sampled a bit and couldn't leave without purchasing a couple bottles. We have some great ideas for our travels east in TN for some more winery stops along the way!

Veteran's Day Nashville Style

What a great way to spend the day in downtown Nashville and get to see the Veteran's Day parade.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

It's a jungle out there

Ahhh! Relaxation and time for a little fun! Granted this adventure is not moose watching in the wild, but a great way to see unique animals of all kinds. We spent the day at the Jacksonville Zoo. The vision of the zoo is: “Inspiring discovery and appreciation of the Earth’s wildlife through innovative experiences in a caring environment.” We had the pleasure of viewing all types of wildlife and also were given the opportunity to make the experience more interactive. The giraffe exhibit happened to be one of my favorites. These animals are beautiful. The cool thing about the giraffe exhibit at the Jacksonville Zoo is that you can feed the giraffes. I absolutely loved this experience. It was neat to look into their faces, while they gently took the piece of lettuce from my hand.
We saw all types of snakes and reptiles, jaguars, elephants and kangaroos to name a few. There was a native Florida animal section where we saw a red wolf, black bear, tons of birds, alligators and more snakes.
Speaking of birds, we had the chance to enter into a bird sanctuary. Birds drank nectar from little cups we held out for them. It alarmed me at first to have the birds land on me, but I have to admit I really liked this experience!
Going to the zoo is much different than our Maine moose watching tours. Moose watching is truly a wild experience to enjoy in the north Maine woods. But, going to a zoo and seeing animals that I wouldn't normally have the opportunity to see was definitely worth it for me!