I’ve seen the Penobscot Narrows Bridge now from my vehicle, by foot, from high above and way down below at water level, by day and by night, and I think it’s one awesome piece of work.

Saturday evening I paddled under it after watching a day’s worth of celebration of the bridge at Bridgefest. My vantage point for the day was the Bucksport waterfront, which, by the way, is a thing of beauty in and of itself. If you haven’t ventured to this mill town for the past several years, you owe it to yourself to take a walk on the beautiful waterfront walkway.

The view is a magnificent, what with the new bridge, the old bridge and Fort Knox across the way. Along the walkway you’ll have a chance to take in the view and a little history spelled out in bronze plaques here and there.

I think it’s on par with the great work Bangor has done in the past 10 years or so cleaning up its waterfront and building a pedestrian walkway, bulkheads and docks. Thanks to the forward thinking of town and city officials for providing a place to get out and enjoy the state’s largest river.

And thanks to Alvion Kimball and friends and their army of volunteers in the Bucksport area who put the Bridgefest celebration together. From my vantage point everyone enjoyed the day – and the fireworks and bridge lighting later in the evening were the icing on the cake.

As I mentioned I took the opportunity along about suppertime to paddle across the river to Fort Knox where crews were assembling the fireworks display and promptly got booted out of there – they were live rounds in the cannons I was reminded in no uncertain terms. I headed downstream out of range post haste.

From the cockpit of a kayak, the bridge is way tall. It was a dizzying experience just to try to look up the Washington Monument-look-alike towers. From downriver the view was just as impressive, maybe more so because the sad, old rusting hulk of a bridge is somewhat hidden.

Get outdoors

After last week’s column in which I mentioned an article from the Washington Post on Nature Deficit Disorder, a term coined by Richard Louv, author of the best seller, “Last Child in the Woods,” I received some friendly feedback. If you recall, Louv argues that “indoor kids are more prone to a range of childhood problems including obesity, depression and attention disorders.” He also contends they “miss out on the spiritual, emotional and psychological benefits of exposure to the wonders of nature, including reduced stress and improved cognitive development, creativity and cooperative play.”

While I’m not sure I’m qualified to judge the effect on children, I can tell you I get cranky when I don’t get out. And so do some others of you.

Here’s what Bangor native Pam Wells had to say about the idea of being outside:

“I read your article about getting outside and I really want to say ‘thank you.’ I too suffer if I must work inside too long. Fortunately, my boss and staff recognize this and are always telling me about things to photograph. [She’s an artist, too.] But that’s not what I want to thank you for.

“I am, by profession, a children’s mental health provider. What distresses me a great deal is seeing children receiving a mental health diagnosis and then playing for hours inside. While I believe the diagnosis may be valid, the management of the symptoms is often simply medication. The physical intervention, which should involve enjoying fresh air, exploring the natural world and just plain burning energy, is forgotten.

“Thank you for reminding people that being outdoors is an important aspect of being a child.”

When Wells isn’t out photographing nature or in front of her computer using Dream Weaver, Corel Draw, Photopaint, Photoshop and Microsoft Publisher, or volunteering for the Maine Youth Fish and Game Association or the Friends of Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, she’s doing her job as a licensed clinical social worker. She is currently a contracted supervisor for Catholic Charities, St. Michael’s Center in Bangor.

Thanks, Pam, for the note!

Fort to Fort paddle

And while I’ve got my nose in the mailbag, I wanted to pass this note along from Mark Goff and his wife Anne Powelson, who are avid paddlers and who have helped make our annual Paddle Smart from the Start Safety Symposium a hit now for seven years.

They paddled on the Kennebec River last weekend in the Fort to Fort Paddle during the Old Fort Western Fort to Fort Canoe and Kayak Expedition. As advertised, it’s simply a chance to celebrate and enjoy the historic 17-mile waterway between Fort Halifax in Winslow and Fort Western in Augusta.

It’s the route that linked Fort Western and Fort Halifax in the 1750s and ’60s and which was followed by Benedict Arnold’s forces in 1775 as they attempted to take Canada from the British at the beginning of the American Revolution.

Goff said it was their first time attending the event “and I can tell you that it won’t be our last. The river was very pleasant to paddle on with a very helpful current and just enough breeze to keep us cool. It was remarkably undeveloped; I only saw about four houses along the entire 17 mile paddle.

“We saw more eagles, osprey and heron than I can ever recall seeing on a paddle before. We must have seen over a dozen eagles; there was a section of the river where it seemed that every other tree had its resident eagle!

“We also were surprised several times by tremendous leaping fish hurtling out of the water. We figured these large fish (some looked to be up to 5 feet long) were the sturgeon we had heard about. They were incredible to see and hear and caused a few moments of consternation as we considered what the effect would be of one of the beasts landing on a kayak!”

I’m jealous, Mark, I haven’t made this trip yet, but after hearing from you I’d like to make plans for next year’s voyage. Hopefully I can join you and Anne for the day.

Kayaking the islands

Kittery resident Tom Tieman is a man on a mission: to fight brain cancer.

Beginning today at Kittery he intends to paddle the Maine Island trail some 350 miles to Machiasport to honor the legacy of his sister-in-law and to inspire his co-worker’s continued fight against brain cancer.

It is his hope the journey will raise awareness and $10,000 in donations in support of the National Brain Tumor Foundation. In the United States, every day 500 adults and children are diagnosed with brain tumors, according to the foundation.

To learn more about NBTF, contact them at 800-934-CURE (2873) or www.braintumor.org. And to learn more about Tieman visit www.MaineTrek.com, or to make a donation to help him meet his goal, visit his personal online page at www.firstgiving.com/MaineTrek.

Venus ,Saturn cross paths July 1

Astronomy magazine sent this along the other day, and I in turn pass it along to you. If you happen to be out Sunday evening look skyward for a heavenly show when Venus and Saturn can be seen close together in the evening sky.

The magazine says, “For about two hours after sunset, the two planets appear separated by about 11/2 full-moon widths (0.8?) from our perspective on earth. Astronomers call such a close pairing a conjunction.

“A planetary conjunction occurs when a planet is aligned from our line of sight with another object, such as a star, the Moon, or another planet.” I’d call it an exclamation point.

For more information about this event, visit Astronomy magazine’s online media kit at www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=5696.

The magazine describes the two planets thusly: “Venus and Saturn, located in Leo the Lion, make a stunning show as darkness falls. Venus glows low in the west at magnitude -4.6, the brightest ‘star’ after sunset, while Saturn shines 120 times fainter but still bright enough to see without the aid of binoculars or a telescope. All viewers, not just seasoned astronomers, can enjoy this planetary display.”

Jeff Strout’s column on outdoor recreation is published each Saturday. He can be reached at 990-8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangordailynews.net.