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Boston Globe

Moose on Main Street — and other reasons to go to Greenville, Maine

Beane has been doing this job for three years, and is out in the woods nearly every day, fishing, hunting, and guiding. He encounters moose regularly, on the logging roads in a mud-spattered Chevy Suburban (our transportation on this day) or from a canoe in one of the many ponds. 'We get a lot of people from Massachusetts and New York — and a New Zealand couple last fall — who've never seen a moose,' he says. 'It's always a unique experience.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up This is the view of the lawn and lake from a carriage house room at the Lodge at Moosehead. Nice, eh? Diane Bair Searching for Bullwinkle Thanks to this job, we've seen moose in the Moosehead region, in Attean Pond, and even along the shoreline of Greenville's famous landmark, 40-mile-long Moosehead Lake. But it's always a thrill to see a 1,000-pound ungulate in the wild, and we were here for it. Along the logging roads (privately owned but open to the public for respectful recreation use), we saw forests in various stages of growth and harvesting. Moose like to forage budding hardwoods, along paths they can navigate with a rack of antlers, Beane told us. Advertisement We drove past a stand of white birch trees, and Beane stopped the truck: 'There's a moose down there.' Before we could get a good look, the hulking dark shape vanished. 'You might see a massive face sticking out between two trees. Then they disappear like a ghost,' Beane said. We saw a few white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, a woodcock, a snowshoe hare, and an eagle, but no Bullwinkles. He didn't do a moose-call, but described it as an 'Errrr sound, deep, guttural, and nasally,' using a funnel-like device. Tread carefully — there might be fresh moose scat under your feet as you head out to the ponds near Greenville in search of you-know-what. Diane Bair To boost our chances, Beane parked the truck and we hiked to a couple of ponds to look for moose eating grasses in the water. No joy there, either. 'It's too early for moose to be at the ponds. The grass isn't tall enough yet,' he assessed. We did see fresh moose tracks in the muddy road, and moose scat (poop) in the trail. 'The dark color indicates it's pretty fresh,' Beane said. But no moose, only some overturned tree roots with moose-like shapes. Our necks were getting sore. 'Is there such a thing as moose-neck?' we asked our guide. 'No — only whiplash when you see a giant one!' he said. Advertisement C'mon, moose! We were thinking, hoping to conjure one. 'The moose must be at a meeting today, and nobody told me,' Beane said. At the Moose Lodge, maybe? 'No moose for you!' our companion Paul said. (Seinfeld fans will get it.) Still, it was nice to be out in nature, enjoying its fresh May greenness, even on a rainy day. We didn't see another soul on our journey. It was relaxing, even as we bounced along the bumpy gravel roads. Moose watching demands a Zen-like level of awareness — you block out everything else as you search the landscape for a moose-like form that might emerge any minute. Or not. 'I'm hoping for a surprise moose on our way out,' Beane said, as we headed back toward Greenville nearly four hours later. But we still had a shot. 'At night, you can see moose ambling around town,' he noted. Thus, the moose warning signs along the roadways. 'You can see a lot of deer up and down Main Street, too.' So, we didn't get lucky on this safari, but we vowed to come back in summertime and paddle one of the pristine ponds to give it another go. Even if you strike out moose-wise, you still had a nice paddling experience. She'll be dreaming of ungulates in this snazzy number. Outfit your whole family in moose gear in Greenville. Diane Bair Moose Overload: It's a thing But in Greenville, there's no lack of moose-y things. You can quickly reach Moose Overload and never actually see the real thing. In Northwoods Outfitters' retail store, we saw infant-size moose-printed onesies, adult jammies with moose, moose-emblazoned socks, and 'moose ears' pastries. Pop into the Kamp Kamp general store, and you can buy a lamp with real hooves as a base. We're not sure if they're moose feet or deer feet, but still. The Corner Shop (books and gifts) has an entire display children's picture books devoted to moose subjects Even Northern Maine Minerals, a store with rock and mineral specimens, has a giant stuffed you-know-what. Advertisement We suspect these are deer hooves, not moose, but this lamp at Kamp Kamp still makes a statement. Or something. Diane Bair In summertime, you'll be focused on the water, though. Greenville is located on the southern end of Moosehead, Maine's largest lake. The passenger steamboat Katahdin, aka The Kate (seasonal, from $60; cruises past piney islands and Mt. Kineo, the 800-feet mountain that seems to rise from the water. Fishing of all kinds is a major pastime here. The adjacent Moosehead Marine Museum (mid-June to mid-October) is full of nautical finds. Wake up to this? Absolutely. Lakefront campsites at Lily Bay State Park are among the best in New England. Diane Bair Where to camp, stay, and eat Love to camp and hike? Get ready to be wowed by 952-acre Lily Bay State Park ($6 day use per person, non-resident; $30 + $5 fee to camp, non-resident; Prefer to sleep indoors? The Lodge at Moosehead Lake ) from $425 in summer season; Advertisement The inn serves breakfast to guests, and offers chef's tasting dinners about once a month in high season. Innkeeper Beverly Burgess does the cooking herself, or brings in a guest chef from another acclaimed Maine restaurant. But Burgess—not a trained chef-- holds her own in the kitchen. On our visit, her seven-course dinner included a spring pea soup with wasabi cream--pure springtime in a bowl. The tuna crudo made a convert of the raw tuna hater in our party. Relying on ramps, fiddleheads, and other seasonal greens, the meal was a medley of lovely bites. Halibut with apple-fennel foam and ribeye with porcini dust were among the courses. The arancini in pea and ramp puree with parmesan tuile at 368 Maine tastes as good as it looks. Diane Bair Where else to eat in town? With a population of around 1400, Greenville is small, so there aren't a lot of choices. The Stress-Free Moose ( Takeaway message here: C'mon up for some moose watching (by water, if possible) and enjoy the raging beauty of bluer-than-blue Moosehead Lake. You'll likely get lucky, moose-wise. Even if you're skunked, you'll have a good time. We did. Just don't blame us if you bring back some moose-printed pajamas. And please leave the moose poop on the trail, for someone else to discover. If you go: Advertisement Diane Bair and Pamela Wright can be reached at