Abol will raise Cain for a while

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During the summer months, Wiggie and Joyce Robinson spend plenty of time at their camp on the West Branch of the Penobscot River.

It’s a truly special spot. Katahdin looms in the distance. Rafters float by. The promise of scores of nearby secret trout ponds keep Wiggie Robinson scrambling: He spends as many days fishing as he can … and plenty of other days puttering in a garden that has, over the years, advanced from simple “hobby” to major “commitment.”

Joyce Robinson says the couple will have been heading to their West Branch retreat for 24 years, come September.

When spring rolls around this year, the Robinsons – along with plenty of other outdoors enthusiasts who love the West Branch – will face a new challenge.

You may have seen the ad on these pages: Abol Bridge is coming down … and going back up.

For nearly two months this spring, the Abol Bridge – the Golden Road gateway to a variety of fishing spots on and around the West Branch – will be closed.

If you’re planning on heading to Big Eddy or Nesowadnehunk Deadwater for some early-season fishing, or think a nice late-April afternoon on Chesuncook Lake would be a great idea, there’s one thing to remember:

If you live on the Millinocket side of Abol Bridge … (as a Mainer, I always wanted to say this) You can’t get there from here.

OK. That’s not entirely true. You can get there from here. On foot. But to drive in? It’ll be a lot longer than before. First you’ll have to get to Greenville. Then drive up to Kokadjo … head into the woods … and work your way east and onto the Golden Road from there.

Beginning March 29, when replacement of the main superstructure of the Abol Bridge will begin … until May 20, when “light vehicle traffic” will be allowed on the new, improved Abol Bridge, folks looking to drive to many popular parts of the West Branch via Millinocket won’t have that option.

Heavy vehicular traffic will be allowed beginning June 21, if everything goes according to plan.

Kevin McVey, a land-use technician for for Katahdin Forest Management LLC, said “light vehicle traffic” will include fifth-wheel trucks hauling campers, but won’t include heavy delivery trucks, like beer or soda trucks … and obviously won’t include pulp trucks.

Wiggie Robinson, 81, said the bridge replacement was necessary. His main fear: Unforeseen circumstances.

“I just hope they’re able to stay on schedule,” he said. “There’s very little snow in the woods, so runoff shouldn’t be a problem.”

McVey said the original bridge was built in 1951, and years of hard use had taken their toll.

“It served us for what, 53 years? And through the years, it’s had just general maintenance performed,” McVey said. “It’s come time for a total rebuild.”

McVey said the bridge’s main addition – a pedestrian walkway that also serves as a snowmobile bridge – was built in 1986.

The only pieces of the existing bridge that will remain after the project are the concrete piers.

“Everything on top of the piers will be replaced, brand-new,” McVey said.

While sportsmen have utilized the bridge to access some of their favorite places, the bridge’s purpose – and that of the Golden Road itself – was simple.

“The road is to transport forest products, plain and simple,” he said. “That’s what it was built and designed for.”

For years, the steady stream of timber flowing east along the Golden Road supplied the mills in Millinocket and East Millinocket and kept the economies of both towns humming.

Wiggie Robinson, a former millworker himself, is willing to make a few changes while the bridge is being replaced.

Just don’t expect him to remain on the east side of Abol Bridge for two months.

“I’m gonna be leaving my pickup over there [on the west side of the bridge],” he said.

For Joyce Robinson, that means a few changes, too.

“It looks like I’ll be acting as a taxi for about six weeks,” she said with a laugh.

Wiggie Robinson still has plans to till his garden as soon as he can … and to plant his seeds … and to fish.

“The only problem is that I’ve got to get anything I want across [the river] by hand, or on my back,” he said.

It doesn’t seem possible (especially after Thursday night’s ice-and-snow surprise made the mere concept of “spring” seem a bit far-fetched) but one sure harbinger of spring is nearly upon us.

Next weekend thousands of outdoor enthusiasts – along with plenty of folks who’ve been dragged along by an outdoor enthusiast – will head to Orono for the Eastern Maine Sportsman’s Show.

The Penobscot County Conservation Association’s venerable event, which is being staged for the 66th year, will fill the University of Maine field house with exhibits and booths from all kinds of outdoor-related companies.

If you’re looking to buy a bird dog … you can get some tips. If you want to plan an exotic hunting or fishing trip … the info will be available. If you want to watch your child tie his or her first fly … that’s an option, too.

Of course, if you just want to stop by and try to win a drift-boat fishing trip with a certain Bangor Daily News staffer and a guide … I figure that’s a pretty good reason to head to Orono, too.

The NEWS will have a booth at the show again this year, and we’ll be giving away a trip with Registered Maine Guide Dan Legere – owner of Greenville’s Maine Guide Fly Shop – on the East Outlet of the Kennebec River.

The good news: You don’t have to buy anything (and we’ll probably have a few free NEWS trinkets to give you, just for stopping by).

That trip is scheduled for Sunday, June 13. Legere and I will meet the winning angler in Greenville, and Legere will spend the day proving why he’s one of the most sought-out guides in Maine.

When it comes to fly-fishing on Maine rivers and ponds, Legere’s got it pretty well figured out. He’s also very adept at preparing a delicious shore lunch.

Stop by our booth. Say “hi.” Stay awhile. And enter the contest.

And if none of that sounds overly attractive, I’ll resort to this well-known fact espoused by politicians everywhere: Everyone loves babies and dogs. And though I won’t be taking a baby to the Sportsman’s Show, I will be taking my year-old springer spaniel, Pudge, to his second straight show.

And while his master may be ill-behaved at times, Pudge is another matter altogether.

We adopted Pudge concurrent with last year’s show, and he ended up spending most of the time either greeting passers-by or sleeping at our booth. Many people stopped by and said kind words about him … and he’s let me know that he’d love to renew those old acquaintances.

The show runs next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Hope to see you there.

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.