Maine Cottage Jackman and Cozy Cove Cabins News

ATV Maine to Quebec!

That’s right, starting the summer of 2007; you can ride your ATV from Maine into Canada. On July 21st, 2007 the Border Riders Club sponsored an ATV rendezvous with the Quebec ATV club, I believe they are called Zacs, to open the ATV trail into Canada.

It took Quebec ATV clubs a but longer to get landowners permission but finally, their trails are completed through to the border. They have some great ATV clubs in Quebec also and are very excited at this opportunity. Don’t forget, this will be the last year to cross the Canadian border by land without a passport…

We now have about 400 miles of trails that you can ride your ATV in the region… from your cabin door here at Cozy Cove Cabins; you can go South to the Forks, East to Rockwood and now North into Quebec. No need to trailer out when you stay at Cozy Cove Cabins! Trail access is just 300 yards away from us. Spend the day, the weekend, or a week with your family and friends exploring all this area has to offer: miles of wilderness trails, scenic vistas, babbling streams, remote fishing spots or swimming holes to cool off, and simply, enjoy the outdoors. Then come home to a cozy cabin on the lake, take a swim to wash off the dust, bar-b-q with friends or sit by a campfire as you watch the sun set over Big Wood Lake. What could be better?

Cabin #6 – Zakopane (zuk-o-pun-ee) –Interior changes 2007

Cabin 6 was not on the agenda this year for renovations but in February 2007, we found a problem that required our attention. Once that “can-o-worms” was opened, we decided to continue on the rest of the cabin.

If you stayed in Zakopane before, you may notice some changes but for the most part, they are very subtle. It started with the bathroom floor, which was completely removed, repaired and replaced. Then Steve did some under the cabin work to level and insulate and we laid new carpet and flooring. The logs were all varnished and new shelves were made, of course, keeping with the log interior. The electrical and plumbing was also updated. We removed the old fluorescent lighting and put in a small ceiling fan which will be wonderful for our guests in the summer months. Since this is a very old log cabin, the front door is not a standard size. We considered replacing it and enlarging the opening for all of you tall people but decided that this was not what the cabin is all about. Instead we simply replaced and repaired the door frames and doors.

It is still the cozy little love nest it always was but will feel a little newer and more comfortable. This past summer, we completed the exterior siding and stain. Yeah, another red and green one gone! Although we discourage smoking in all of the cabins, Zakopane is the only one that is a NO SMOKING CABIN!

Sans Frontier Festival
combined with an Old fashioned 4th Of July Celebration

Canada celebrates “Canada Day” on July 1st as this is when the British North America Act created the Canadian Federal government. The US, of course, celebrates its independence from England on July 4th, when Democracy was born.

So years ago, Jackman residents and our neighbors in St-Theophile, Quebec joined together to celebrate both the Canadian and our American Independence days. They call this the Sans Frontier Festival or Friends across the border festival. Alternating the location every year, it is held in Jackman in the odd numbered years, then in St-Theophile, in the even numbered years.

This summer, this 3 day event (starting on June 29th) was held in Jackman and hosted by Johns Four Season Campground. (He has built a lovely pavilion which is great for all kinds of events.) There was lots of food, music, dancing, and horseshoe tournaments all weekend long. They even had a Casino night sponsored by the JMRRCOC.

Then of course, the Town of Jackman had a wonderful day planned on July 4th including hot dogs and cotton candy and good old fashioned fireworks. Here at Cozy Cove Cabins, we even had our first annual pre fourth of July potluck on the beach to celebrate. Hope you were able to join us this year for some the festivities.

Moose Point Tavern closes

Many of our guests enjoyed this restaurant not only for the great food but also for the ambiance and view it provided. The dining area overlooked Big Wood Lake and the awesome sunsets. It even had a deck for outdoor dining. Some of our guests only came to the region to celebrate an anniversary or a birthday at the Tavern. June 24th, 2007 night was the LAST NIGHT for Moose Point Tavern. The owner and the food will be missed, but we wish Carolann the very best in whatever she does next.

Murphy's Weather Report

Reporting weather based on the news is a difficult task since we get our news from Bangor or Portland. Not only is that about 130 or 160 driving miles away, it’s at a different altitude. The weather they report is not always what is happening in Jackman.

We had a link to our own weather report that I updated daily or weekly on the side bar of our bloggie but this is changed a little. We will still link you to this but it has a new name now. Since we all know that Murphy is the one who runs the place, of course, it is called “Murphy’s weather report”. LOL We plan to capture her playing in the snow or in the sun so you can not only read about the what the weather is but you can see it happening from time to time.

Although we do not intend to make this report an up-to-the-minute weather forecast, nor video tape every day, we will update it whenever significant weather changes occur based on what we see here at Cozy Cove Cabins . We’ll let you know the most important things like how much snow is falling, when the lake freezes, when the ice goes out and if the sun is shining.

For more detailed and up to the minute reports we will also have links to local weather and trail reports.

So if you’re planning a trip to Jackman check out our weather report and videos for the latest. We will also add a few other tidbit videos so come back often to see what’s happening in Murphy’s world! And of course, don’t forget to check our Jackman Maine Vacation Blog at least weekly.

Cabin #3 – Baja- Renovations completed 2006

For those of you who have stayed with us before may remember cabin #3: It slept 10 people with 3 twin bunk beds and even a queen bunk bed. The kitchen was where most of the beds were and it left very little space to sit around and enjoy your friends! In the winter, some people did not mind this cabin as all they needed was somewhere to sleep…and it had plenty of space for that…but it was hard to clean, dark and had no other appeal.

In 2005, we began the demolition by replacing and repairing the wall toward the lake. Eventually, we completely gutted this cabin from the floor up. Even though it is still a “bunkhouse” as we kept 3 twin bunk beds for now, it offers much more room and is great for a family or a bunch of girls doing a weekend get away or guys hunting for that Big Buck.

The kitchen now looks out over the dining area (still large enough for everyone to sit around the table) and out to the lake through a large picture window. You might even enjoy doing your dishes (the one thing we expect to be done before you leave) since the view is incredible.

The exterior was sided with cedar shingles and stained. YEAH! Another rusty red colored cabin and green trim gone. There are, of course, some more things we would like to change but for now, stay with us in the Baja Bunkhouse and enjoy just a splash of Mexico. It is a fun cabin and we hope it will brighten your day

New Pub in Town

Schmooses opened their doors in March 2006. It is a bar and grill with 2 plasma TVs, DJ on the weekends, Karaoke on Ladies Night, and serves lunch and dinner. Schmooses is not as close to Cozy Cove Cabins as other pubs but if you need to, you can still walk "home". Check it out next time you are in town.