Eager to fit in the season's final few days of truly glorious canoeing, my paddling pal Anne Tarbell and I headed for the sunny sandy Saco River on Wednesday.

There were only a handful of others on the river, including a couple who had camped the night before on a sandbar -- an experience that ranks among the Saco's main attractions.

Paddling on the sunny sandy Saco River was glorious on Wednesday, but only a few canoeists and kayakers were out there to enjoy it
Scott Andrews photos

Anne and I launched my little Maine-made Bear Creek canoe at Walker's Bridge on Route 302 in Fryeburg and took out at Route 160 in Brownfield. Total disance was 8.6 miles according to the Appalachian Mountain Club's chart.

South Portland canoeist Anne Tarbell checks the river chart after lunch at Walker's Rips

Plus we tallied a couple of miles on side ventures into Pleasant Pond and Lovewell Pond, also among the Saco's many attractions.

Total time, including lunch on a sun-drenched sandbar, was a bit under five hours. And mind you, those were among the most glorious hours of 2005.

With its crystal-clear water, pleasant current and outstanding scenery, the Saco River rightly ranks as Maine's most popular paddling excursion. I try to get on the river at least two or three times each season. September and October, due to lack of bugs and lack of people, is a great time to get out and enjoy this gem.

If you want to go soon, don't wait past Saturday. The Fryeburg Fair opens Oct. 2, and motoring around the area becomes quite problematic until it shuts down Oct. 9.

No canoe? No kayak? No problem. Rental companies such as Woodland Acres Camp 'n' Canoe in Brownfield, are ready to help with equipment and shuttle service. You can also call 935-2529.

No canoe? No problem. Rental companies such as Woodland Acres Camp 'n' Canoe in Brownfield are ready with gear and shuttle services

Reading about the legal and bureaucratic jockeying regarding the state's Androscoggin River cleanup plan in today's paper was a stressful experience. So a friend and I grabbed our paddles, popped my canoe atop my Subaru and did a no-stress afternoon on the Andro.

Anne Tarbell of South Portland has paddled many miles on the Androscoggin River
Scott Andrews photos

Anne brought along her favorite paddle, marked with a few of her prior trips

Anne Tarbell, of South Portland, and I have paddled the Andro many times before. Yesterday we chose the 11-mile section between Livermore Falls and Twin Bridges in Turner.

Anne and I enjoyed a no-stress afternoon on the Androscoggin on Thursday

We were the only humans on the river. Saw three eagles, innumerable ducks and far too many Canada geese.

Our little canoeing adventure was exceptionally pleasant. Just wish those bureaucrats, greenies and lawyers did more paddling and less squabbling.

Seems to me that the state's 10-year plan to improve the water quality ought to be a rallying point for everybody concerned -- rather than the launching point for a flotilla of lawsuits.

Read the story.

Hungry canoeists and kayakers please note: There's a new riverside eatery in Bethel.

Called simply The Cafe, it's a new venture between Bethel Outdoor Adventure and Campground and Sara Matheson, the nice young lady who actually does the cooking.

A new riverside eatery, The Cafe, opened on the banks of the Androscoggin River in Bethel last month.
Scott Andrews photos

Sara Matheson is the proprietor of The Cafe on the banks of the Androscoggin River.

Sara makes it clear that she caters to paddlers.

Right now Sara's serving breakfast and lunch to hungry paddlers and guests at the campground. She roasts her own meats and bakes her own bread.

"We serve a mean sandwich!" she told me when I checked it out on Monday. Her cookies and muffins are also good.

Another key point: Free WI-FI access plus a computer for customer use. So you can keep up with this blog while you sip your coffee or tea. Sara's also a crafter, and sells some of her handiworks in her little eatery.

The Cafe is located inside the office of Bethel Outdoor Adventure at on the north side of the Androscoggin River, right by the Route 2 bridge.

Jeff and Pattie Parsons, the owners of Bethel Outdoor Adventure, rent canoes and kayaks. Plus they allow those who bring their own to use their launch area -- which I've done on many occasions. Their take-out is at the end of the best stretch of canoeing on the Androscoggin, the section between Shelburne, NH and Bethel.

Pattie Parsons of Bethel Outdoor Adventure has many canoes and kayaks to rent. Plus paddlers who bring their own can use BOA's landing.

For info on lodging and dining in Bethel, check out the chamber of commerce's website. Or call 800-442-5826.

Autumn on the Androscoggin River is an awesome mini-adventure, and my friends Rocky and Lisa Freda, who run Sun Valley Sports in Bethel, stand ready to help people get out there paddling.

Lisa and Rocky Freda, owners of Sun Valley Sports in Bethel, stand ready to help people get out on the Androscoggin River for some awesome autumn paddling
Scott Andrews photos

Rocky and Lisa rent and sell canoes and kayaks and run a shuttle service for paddlers, so your trip can be strictly a downstream affair. The sections of the Andro that they serve are mostly easy day trips of between two hours and all day. Mostly flatwater paddling with moderate current. Superb foliage in a few weeks!

Canoeing the Androscoggin River in the autumn is an awesome mini-adventure

Sun Valley Sports is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2005

Their business is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Click here for more info, or telephone Sun Valley at 824-7533. Sun Valley's website includes links for several fine lodging and dining establishments in the area.

For still more info on lodging and dining, check out the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce. Or call 800-442-5826.

Hundreds of people attending the Great State of Maine Air Show are entering the drawing to win a Loon 138. It's a popular kayak made by Old Town Canoe Company, which has a sales area in Hanger 5 that's attracting good crowds. Old Town also has canoes on display in the spacious hanger.

Kayaks on display at Old Town Canoe Company's commercial exhibit at the Great State of Maine Air Show
Scott Andrews photos

Canoes are also displayed

Close to 50,000 people poured into the Great State of Maine Air Show on Saturday and about the same are expected Sunday the 11th. Big traffic hassles getting in and out! But it's a great show, and the last we'll likely see in this state -- due to the projected shuttering of Brunswick Naval Air Station, the host site.

About 100,000 people are expected over the two-day air show

The U.S. Navy's Blue Angels provide sensational airborne showcases for today's aviation technology and piloting prowess.

The Navy's Blue Angels, shown shortly before take-off Saturday, are the biggest draw

But for historical interest, nothing beats the demonstration and tours of Memphis Belle, the World War II B-17. About 12,000 copies of the big, four-engined bomber were produced; they ruled the skies over Nazi Germany in the victory phase of the war. Memphis Belle is one of only a handful of airworthy planes remaining from that conflict, which defined America's place in the world.

Memphis Belle, one of handful of airworthy B-17 bombers remaining from World War II, is of enormous historical signficance

Click here for details on the Great State of Maine Air Show. One crucial detail: It's free.

Up the creek without a paddle? That was what comedian-bassist Bernie Coombs had to say about his band, Back to Basics, at the Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival on Sunday afternoon. I enjoyed this Brunswick-based fivesome -- the funniest guys at the festival since the Synchonized Swimming Team retired a few years ago -- along with about two dozen other bands at the four-day festival, which wrapped up Sunday night.

Back to Basics has won some awards, and according to their website, they're "definitely not plastic."

Up a creek without a paddle? Back to Basics, a Brunswick-based bluegrass band, plays a song for swimmers and paddlers at Thomas Point Beach
Scott Andrews photos

There were lots of paddlers at the festival in addition to a gazillion banjo, guitar and mandolin pickers. I counted nearly two dozen kayaks, two canoes and the "Vermont yacht" pictured here a couple of days ago. I met a group of students from St. Joseph's College in Standish. They were on a paddling excursion on the New Meadows River, a freshman orientation trip guided by Scott Shea and his Seaspray Kayaking Company.

Freshmen students at St. Joseph's College in Standish stopped for a coffee break at Thomas Point Beach

A dad and his two sons return to their campsite from a kayaking trip

Legendary banjo picker Earl Scruggs was the top draw at the festival

Maine is topnotch for outdoor activities, but it lacks nightlife. At least that's the conclusion of a recent report. But paddlers sample some of both this Labor Day weekend.

Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival takes place on the shores of the New Meadows River, a tidal estuary in Casco Bay that's very popular among paddlers.

Paddling among the islands of the New Meadows River
Scott Andrews photos

A so-called "Vermont yacht" is pulled ashore Friday afternoon at Thomas Point Beach by an attendee of the big bluegrass festival, which runs through Sunday

While most kayakers enjoy gunkholing around the myriad islands, you can find Maine's biggest bluegrass festival at the end of a westerly arm of the New Meadows River, not far from Seaspray Kayaking. Pickin' and grinnin' runs from 9 a.m. till about 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Click here and check out the schedule.

Casey Henry, banjo picker with the Tennessee Heartstrings, plays a cut from her new album titled "Real Women Drive Trucks"

A "shore dinner" awaits paddlers and pickers alike at Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival

Along the shores of the Kennebec River, Three Rivers Fun -- a whitewater adventure company owned by rock guitarist and raft guide Joe Christopher -- offers a bonfire and rock band Saturday night. The band is J.C. and the Pickups. Guess who's the front man.

Although Three Rivers Fun is best known for its commercial rafting and inflatable kayak trips through the Kennebec Gorge and the Dead River, the section of the Kennebec below The Forks is excellent for casual cruising in canoes and recreational kayaks.

Inflatable kayak on Kennebec River
Photo courtesy Three Rivers Fun

I've rafted with the company before and also stayed at their campground. Still crave action after the sun sets? Head for the Boatmen's Bar, where J.C. and the Pickups will rock your aqua-socks off.