Having a cabin is a great thing but first you’ve got to acquire one.

Cost for Maine property is soaring, of course.

Still, Your Scribe vows to look around from time to time to mention properties that might be doable.

I won’t put a price on “doable,” but you’ll get the idea.

My first foray into identifying “finds” took place late last autumn.

The mission of Your Scribe as he motored northwest on Route 35 was to check out a 'camp on a river for $79,900.'

I had seen this posting in a free real-estate guide, and thought I'd see what you get for that sum.

The river was the Ossippee, and the town in which the cabin was located was Parsonsfield.

Parsonsfield is a very appealing town. And watching the snow-capped mountains of western Maine come into view made the heart soar.

But when Your Scribe reached the camp itself, he was crestfallen

The cabin was shabby, and all properties in the “compound” were rundown.

I half expected Tom Joad (impecunious protagonist of 'The Grapes of Wrath') to come out from behind one of the ramshackle cabins and declare, 'No summer people should have to live like this.'

Well, it wasn't that bad.

But to get to the 15 cabins that lined the bank of dark, fast-moving river, you had to drive through a onetime refuse dump.

And there were several abandoned mills on the rutty dirt road, which would be frightening for families with small children.

Rhonda, the real-estate lady who gave me directions, had said that the road was bad and several buildings were in disrepair.

But I had dreamed of finding a gem.

No way. After I had passed the discarded tires and broken furniture that lined the access road, I knew the camp would be modest.

It was. A 100 by 100 parcel. Chipping paint on the house, and windows barely staying in place. Rickety steps to get from river bank to the fast flowing water.

Maybe $79,000 really doesn't get you much.

That being said . . .

You might try the classifieds of the Maine Sportsman, the monthly newspaper for the hunting and fishing crowd.

In the April issue, an ad featured a cabin in New Vineyard that sleeps six for $37.500. (It doesn’t appear to be on water).

The edition also featured a camp in Eustis that is 20 minutes to Sugarloaf for $65,000.

Sometimes properties advertised in local newspapers appear more reasonable.

A small hunting shack on the Sandy River in New Sharon with one acre of land listed for $49,000.

A photo suggested it wasn’t grandiose but you’ve got to start somewhere.

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