But First a Whoopie Pie

Sunday September 8, 2013
Moosehead Lake Family Campground
Greenville, Maine

 

 

Yesterday was our last day at Moosehead Lake.

We spent most of the day hiking up and around Mount Kineo.  That was yesterday’s post.  If you’d like to read it here is the link.  But that wasn’t all we did yesterday.  We got back to Greenville from Rockwood about 3:30 and stopped in to see what was up on a busy day at the Seaplane Fly-In.

 

 

We went back down to Thoreau Park so named because of Henry’s three canoe trips around Moosehead Lake in 1853 and 1857.  He wrote about these trips and immortalized Moosehead Lake in his book The Maine Woods.  

 

Thoreau’s 1853 route is now part of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail where paddlers start from Greenville and paddle 40 miles north to Mount Kineo and cross North Bay before  arriving at ancient  Native American portage routes to the west branch of the Penobscot River where they begin a journey to Chesnucook Lake.  Must be some really hardy people who do this given strong winds on Moosehead which can quickly build to large waves.  Paddle close to the shore is no doubt the rule.

 

I got some ice cream at Moose Scoops and we watched a few planes take off and land.   That’s a nearly empty cup of Moose Scoops Maine Blueberry Ice Cream I’m looking out over.

 

 

 

And now we come to the Whoopie Pie.

 

 

 

 

By then the craft fair was closing for the day so we hurried over to see what sorts of things they had.   Apparently someone must have had a head’s up about rain coming.  We didn’t know anything about it but they were packing up early so we missed a number of the booths.  But we did see the usual wood working, knitted sweaters etc, candles, art works of all kinds, and maple syrup for sale.   But the hit for us was finally finding out what in the world is a Whoopie Pie.  We’ve seen them around Maine even more frequently than Moxie.   But they just look like a big twinkie kind of thing or a giant oreo of which I am not really a big fan. 

 

 

But here at this little craft fair was the Maine Whoopie Pie champion baker.  Apparently there is a state taste test contest for Whoopies.   Bakers enter in two categories, Traditional Whoopie Pie and Non Traditional.  The traditional is two round mound shaped pieces of chocolate cake with a sweet creamy filling between them. 

Cupcakes Etc has won THE BEST both of the past two years.  And here they are.  How can we not try THE BEST Whoopie Pie?  After all the whoopie pie is the “official state treat of Maine”.  Not to be confused with “The Official State Dessert” which is,  of course, blueberry Pie.

 

 

Anyway, Cupcakes Etc owner Jim Chastenay is not closing up and has even set out samples of his non-traditional strawberry whoopie.  We both take a taste.  Well this is not a dry cake with a sugary frosting in the middle.  I think I might well like the traditional chocolate whoopie which was the 2013 winner, but I’ve already spent my $3.00 on ice cream.  Forget to get a picture of the traditional pie.  Hope you’ve already seen one.  It looks like these except it isn’t mint or orange or strawberry, it’s chocolate.   David decides to use his $3 dessert money on last year’s non traditional winner the Paul Bunyan Whoopie Pie.

This Whoopie Pie is at least half again or more larger than the regular whoopies.  It has buttermilk cake, maple frosting with candied brown sugar and BACON.  This is not a vegan dessert!  But then again neither is ice cream.

 

 

David has great self control.  He does not eat the Paul Bunyan right here and now.  He saves it for …….  I have no idea.  

That is the end of our very last day in Greenville, Maine.  We would definitely return here again.

 

 

SUNDAY

On the road again.  Heading South.

 

This morning we are turning around.  We pack up and head south in the direction of Cape Cod.  It’s 350 miles from here to there and since I am not afflicted with PDD, we’ll only go half way there today.  And that will be a BIG day for us.  170 miles.   Our goal is Old Orchard Beach Maine south of Portland.

The trip is happily uneventful and costs only $7 in tolls to travel down I 95 for just over 100 miles.

 

 

 

We are staying at Ne’er Family Campground.  Not a destination spot unless you happen to like the traditional beach with amusement park.

I haven’t seen one in years so I thought I’d take the opportunity during the off season at what I hoped would be smaller than the well known ones like Coney Island or Atlantic City.

 

 

 

The park is right off the main road into town.  It’s about a mile from I 95 and a mile from the beach.  So the location is perfect.   The campground consists of one lane with small sites on the left and bigger sites on the right.  We pull into site 42 and are set up in minimal mode  by 3:00.   We’ll be here for two nights and pay $25 a night for FHU with our Passport American discount.

 

 

The Duckie’s view is of the smaller sites on the other side but they are happier looking at themselves.

We spend a leisurely rest of the day doing some of those regular life chores.  In retrospect, I make a mistake in not going down to the beach in the afternoon right after we get set up, but more about that tomorrow.

 

And now for that Whoopie Pie!

 

 

David unveils the Paul Bunyan Whoopie Pie for dessert after dinner and gives me a bite. 

I have to say it is really good.

  I was surprised that the strawberry one I sampled was as good as it was given my expectations.  But this Paul Bunyan is even better.  No wonder it was a winner!   And look at the size of it!   I have to hold it with two hands to get my bite and it was already half gone by that time.  :-))

 

 

 

By the way, you can eat all the great Whoopie Pies you would like AND see the Whoopie contest your very own self.  It all happens at The Maine Whoopie Pie Festival held around the 3rd Saturday in June in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine.  

Mark your calendar.