Deirdre Fleming did a great story on paddling to Eagle Island off Harpswell.

I was all excited to do a blog entry about the island (one of my favorite paddling destinations). But I remembered that I already did one that includes a list of alternate launching points. So I decided to pull out one of my stories:

I need to thank Pat for organizing Tuesday night's paddle around Cushing Island. It was sort of organized at the last minute. But I had my kayak on top of the car and was good to go.

Pat, Ron and I took off from East End Beach toward Fort Gorges and Little Diamond Island. Then to Peaks. There was quite a bit of chop generated by the boat traffic. It was just enough to make sure we paid attention.

The boat traffic practically disappeared once we got to Cushing. There was one boat parked off the cliffs to do some fishing.

This is one of my favorite spots. The cliffs on the northeast part of Cushing rise high above the water. There's always great wave action crashing against them. Sometimes I like to test my skills by getting close to the cliffs. But last night I kept a respectable distance between me and the rocks.

Like I said, there's little boat traffic. And we the views of Casco Bay are stunning. This also is less protected water. The water is moves out here because of tides and weather. Our boats bob on top of rolling swells instead of being slapped by the mini-waves found between Peaks and Portland. On big weather days, the water can be tricky to manage. Last night, it was just enough to make us pay attention.

The trip along the east side of the island is a treat too. We get strong currents and views of Portland Head Light. And there's a good chance of seeing seals. And we saw one last night keeping an eye on us in the water.

Again, none of the waves were threatening. But they required our attention. Especially here. That side of the island is all rock. There would be no place to land if there was trouble. The waves crash upon jagged, ugly rock.

The trip back to EEB tends to be less eventful except for the boat traffic. But it takes you past House Island. There's plenty there to see from the water. (Don't land on the island because the family that owns it enforces its "No Trespassing" policy.)

Because of timing, this also is the time to see great sunsets.

It's an intermediate trip. It's between six and seven miles roundtrip. Which means you should be a decent paddler in a longer kayak to make it back by dark. But returning in the dark can be done safely. Remember to bring lights. You also need to have some experience in active water. Once you get past Peaks, the ocean changes. You can get into some high waves quickly. Bracing skills could be a lifesaver. And don't forget to look both ways. You cross two major channels - twice. And the area surrounded by Peaks, Cushing and House islands is a high traffic zone. Casco Bay ferries are in there regularly.

And it is one of my favorite trips. Once you get past Peaks, you feel like you are more than a few miles away from Portland. It's a great way to escape most of the modern world without leaving our backyard.

Wow, it's Tuesday already. Saturday's paddle seems so long ago. But I shall blog on.

Elaine and I took off from Sand Beach on Cousins Island about an hour after high tide. The air temps were perfect for a paddle. The water... cold enough for me to put on the shorty wet suit. And the wind was pretty tame.

We headed northeast through the Moshiers, past the Bustins and stopped at Sow and Pig islands. It was a good paddle but we had to cross a couple busy channels. There were quite a few stops as we waited to make sure we didn't cross in front of large power boats. It has been awhile since we have been in traffic like that. But we were alert and careful.

Sow and Pig are a couple of very nice, small islands. A few boats stopped there too. We saw a couple people in a paddleboat round a corner. That's a first for me.

I should keep a list of rare boaters I spot like the birders do. Not only did I see the paddle boat, but I spotted the somewhat common red-breasted single paddler.

This paddler was spotted heading out in a small kayak (without bulkheads) taking nothing with him but a paddle. It was a fine paddle. But he had nothing else. No:

• PFD
• Floatation to keep water out of the kayak if it flipped
• Anything to keep him warm if he got wet
• Any equipment to help him get back in the kayak if he fell out
• Signaling devices
• Hope in Hell of surviving a swim back to land once he got more than 50 yards from shore.

And he got out there. Paddlers like him usually stick close to the beach. Maybe explore a nearby cove. But he put himself between the island and mainland.

Sure, it was a calm day. And he probably has done it lots of times. But if anything went slightly wrong, he had nothing to help him survive. Not even a buddy.

The good news is that he got back to the beach about the same time we did. He was very dry. I'm sure he had no problems.

But still.

I just returned from camping at Moosehead Lake. Elaine and I were lucky enough to snag a site on the shore. It wasn't the greatest launching conditions (just a bit of muck), but we could paddle from our campsite.

The weather was variable but not bad. I spent the best day, Tuesday, in the tent on the edge of nausea. On Monday, we had a rain shower or two. Each only lasted a few minutes. The worst weather came Thursday morning as we packed up the car. That's really not a bad way to schedule a vacation.

We had a 14.5-mile paddle around Sugar Island. Moosehead is surrounded by mountains so we had a great, new view each time we rounded a corner.

Moosehead is a big lake that can see waves worthy of the ocean. But you duck behind an island, you can be sitting on water doing its best imitation of glass.

This makes it official. I love my Chatham. It performed beautifully. The wind had very little influence on it. I chalk it up to its low volume, lack of a rudder and its excellent tracking.

I'm not bragging but Elaine and I had the biggest kayaks up there. That kind of surprising. Like I said, Moosehead had ocean-worthy waves. I understand a lot of people prefer small, recreational kayaks. And there are a lot of protected coves they are content to paddle around.

But I wonder why such a huge body of water with so much variety doesn't attract "serious" kayakers like us. I do turn my nose up at flatwater paddling. But there are challenges there for sea kayakers.

Like I said, the waves. And it is big enough that you can do long distance paddles without getting bored. It's worth carting the sea kayaks up to Greenville.

Stay tuned for more and photos from the lake.

Not too shabby.

I attempted some surf Saturday. I know MaineWaves.com forecast flat conditions. But it said the exact same thing for three days. I thought surely with 10-15 knot winds and two- to three-foot waves in the marine forecast that there would be something worth grabbing.

Last night, Dave and I had a great paddle off East End Beach in Portland. There was a little wind and chop starting out but it was a great paddle.

EEB is a great place to launch a kayak. There is plenty of room on the beach, and the waves are minimal. Parking is a bit tricky. There's not much by the boat launch and beach. About half the time I have to move my car to the upper lot after I unload the kayak and gear. It's not that bad unless I forget something in the car.

Anyway, I got lucky last night and snagged a parking spot close to the beach. (Timing is the secret to life.)

We decided to circle the Diamond islands. I would have liked to have to go between them but it was half tide and the "gap" between them was gone. But our route had us crossing only one major channel. Last night wasn't a problem because there were few boats.

EEB is a great area to paddle but kayakers really need to watch for boat traffic. A lot of recreational boater are in the area. When the summer really heats up,

Things did get a bit tricky as we paddled from Fort Gorges to Little Diamond. Small waves were coming from behind me. They weren't too tough. But as my kayak would start to surf, another set of waves would hit me from the starboard side. Neither wave set was anything scary. But combined, I had to think a bit more than usual.

Dave thought he saw a seal dive ahead of us. I missed it. But a bit later, a cormorant surfaced near Dave's bow and took off like a rocket. Not sure who was more spooked - him or us. It was a good laugh.

I relaxed bit as we paddled along the coast of the Diamonds. I loved being beside the small cliffs of Great Diamond. A falcon checked us out, and we saw a seal swimming between Diamond and Peaks. The seal didn't seem to notice us.

Then we had a great return trip on the other side to EEB. It was the calmest either one of us could remember in that stretch.

It was one of the most peaceful paddles we have had in that area. And one of those trips that justifies the cost of the kayak and gear.

I finally got the Chatham in the ocean Saturday. It was a great day. Warm air temps, no clouds. But there was just a bit of wind and chop.

My Saturday didn't get off to the start I envisioned but I managed to paddle up the Nezinscott River in Turner on Sunday.

Elaine and I started near the Androscoggin. The Nezinscott ws very flat and slow and this point. It was a lot like paddling a long, thin lake. Going upstream was very easy and leisurely.

You wouldn't believe how quiet and unspoiled it is. Actually you would. Turner isn't very well developed.

We a few miles to a set of rapids and turned back. I stuck my bow as far up as I though prudent (Elaine had a different idea of prudent than I did by the way).

We were having a lovely time. I worked on some leans and turns. I didn't push it too much. I had been warned about getting my stitches soaked.

At one point, we floated along a farm field. We heard a tractor roar up and could see it through a thin tree line. Its course paralleled us.

That's when it started to rain. No, more like hail. Big, dirty, stinky chunks.

Homeowners do yard work during the Memorial Day weekend. Farmers do field work. Specifically, manure spreading.

We were just out of reach of the falling chunks. Elaine went wide to be safe. I went wide and forward. I had this bright idea I could race the tractor. Not to brag, I kept just a bit ahead. Really. But I knew this would be a race of stamina. Thus I gave up and conceded to the tractor.

I should have kept going. I was out of reach of the chunks but not the smell.

I understand. It's farm country. And I'm not complaining. I smelled worse at low tide on a hot day.

It gives me a good story to tell on a Monday. How may other paddlers can say they had to dodge hail storms of manure?