To my regular readers, my apologies for the six-month gap in blog posts. I have indeed been traveling, and I hope to bring you up to date on the more interesting trips within the next few weeks. I did, however, receive an outstanding part-time employment opportunity conducting a regional community music ensemble, the preparations for which took quite a bit of time; there were also the usual encumbrances of life, not to mention the summer wedding of youngest daughter Allison and the arrival of my third grandchild Mari. So, I do have some excuses — but let’s get on with the blog!

There is in southwestern Maine one of the biggest lakes in the state, Sebago, which (along with being the water supply for the city of Portland) hosts a fascinating bit of history in the Songo Lock. This lock and its associated canal were built in 1830 in order for goods to be shipped between the coastal city of Portland and the western mountains of Maine. In its heyday, the lock was one of several lifting boats uphill from Portland through Sebago Lake to the small town of Harrison, at the north end of adjacent Long Lake. The Songo Lock is the only one of these extant today, and it still works the same way — a man walks a large gate in an arc to close the lock, and then opens the dam to allow water into or out of the lock as needed.

Below are some views of the lock area. You can see the gear mechanism that opens and closes the floodgate to fill and empty the lock.

We thought it would be fun to ride through the lock, and for the very reasonable price of fifteen dollars we finished our picnic lunch on the lock grounds (having paddled to the lock from our campsite at nearby Sebago Lake State Park), jumped in our canoe and headed into the Songo Lock. Here you can see the approach to the lock:

Within the lock itself there is a rope affixed to both side of the lock running its length, so that you can avoid being pulled into the lock doors as they open and close. It’s fun to sit in your boat and watch yourself rise or fall relative to the walls of the lock as it fills and drains!

Here’s a view of your intrepid blogger navigating through the lock; note the height of the water relative to the photos above. You can see the rope handrail in the photo below as well:

As we traversed the lock on the spur of the moment, we did not have with us the required fifteen dollar fee. No problem — the attendant kindly extended us credit as we promised to come back later and pay up. Later that day we rode our bikes back to the lock and made good on our promise, the attendant expressing surprise that we were as good as our word; sadly, it seems that most such cash-strapped patrons simply travel through the lock and disappear.

Sebago Lake State Park is one of the state’s biggest, with two camping areas along with a dedicated beach and swimming area away from the campgrounds. Our site had a nice view of the lake:

Sebago Lake itself is beautiful, and the water sparkling clean (as one would expect for a city water supply), such that you can see down into it to great depths:

Be advised, however, that this is a BIG lake subject to high winds, sudden squalls and dangerous waves! To access the Songo Lock you must traverse about two miles on Sebago Lake, from the campground to the Songo River; but once you enter the river, you are sheltered from (and oblivious to) the winds on the lake, so the river is flat calm. Therefore, although our paddle back down the Songo River to Sebago Lake was relaxed and carefree, our voyage on the lake back to the campground was anything but, as we battled two-foot waves and a decidedly antagonistic headwind. Honestly, even for a seasoned paddler like myself, it was all I could safely handle — and it could easily have become much worse. If you choose to venture onto Sebago Lake in a small boat of any kind, pay careful attention to the weather forecast and and wind direction, and be prepared to change your plans if the waves kick up! But, that said, this is a highly recommended destination and one of the most memorable of the summer — and where else can you paddle back almost two hundred years into history?