Kenduskeag Paddlers: Where is the Shopping Cart?

[michaelalden]

There seems to be some confusion among some friends and aquaintances of mine as to the location of the area on the Kenduskeag known as the "Shopping Cart". I hoped some veteran paddlers here might be able to shed some light on our good-natured dispute.

I tend to think of the area just upstream from the Mill Street Bridge just off Valley Ave as the Shopping Cart Hole, (the rapids just downstream from the Maxfield Mill portage).

But someone else told me I have it wrong, and that this area is actually called "The Washing Machine". And that the Shopping Cart is actually further upstream, just after the Bullseye Bridge.

And another person said we're both wrong: the Shopping Cart is actually much closer to Bangor, before you hit the concrete canals. Hmmm.

Another fellow said he'd never heard of the Shopping Cart or the Washing Machine, but refers to the rapids closer to town as "Stevie Wonder". Because when he hits the rooster tail at the end of the rapids there, he can't see anything.

Going back to the Shopping Cart, I've read that the area earned this nickname a long time ago when shopping carts from a local market found their way to the bottom of the stream. But it's unclear where that store would be off Valley Avenue. Was there a a market there at one time? There is a store closer to the Bullseye Bridge, but it is not a large market, more of a convenience store, and I'm not sure that store was around way back when.

Any thoughts on this?
Just for fun.

-Mike

[cdalton]

I think it's as you say, just downstream from the Maxfield Mill portage.

The description in the AMC river guide (BTW, did some local person write that section?) makes it clear that it's below the mill site and above the second valley ave bridge. The stuff just after Bullseye Bridge isn't scary enough to be notorious.

Here's where I think it is:
"http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=04401&ie=UTF8&ll=44.811034,-68.779902&spn=0.001317,0.002814&t=h&z=19&iwloc=addr"

At least, that's where I dumped. I hope it was shopping cart ... I'd hate to think I dumped on "schmoe ledge".

[paddlechic]

It's where you've photographed the last two years Mike. And as far as shopping carts go, there's still some along the river just after the bridge so people are pushing them up from somewhere still. I don't know about Bangor, but in a lot of areas I've seen homeless people use the carts a lot, both to push their belongings in (so to speak) and to sleep in.

[johnalsop]

Steve. send me an email [e-mail] so i will have your address. I have never seen a shopping cart in the kenduskeag and dont think it would stay in one place very long but i saw on in the charles that looked like it had been there for years. cheers ja

[johnalsop]

Steve. send me an email [e-mail] so i will have your address. I have never seen a shopping cart in the kenduskeag and dont think it would stay in one place very long but i saw on in the charles that looked like it had been there for years. cheers ja

[Jeff Owen]

There was a shopping cart in Shopping Cart for years, right below the rock on shore that you "hug" as you stay to the right of the standing waves. I remember it from when I was a kid waiting for my dad, with Steve Woodard's dad, to come through. I don't, however, ever remember seeing a washing machine 200 yards upstream.....

[michaelalden]

May 1, 2008 18:41:53 GMT -5 @Jeff Owen said:

There was a shopping cart in Shopping Cart for years, right below the rock on shore that you "hug" as you stay to the right of the standing waves. I remember it from when I was a kid waiting for my dad, with Steve Woodard's dad, to come through. I don't, however, ever remember seeing a washing machine 200 yards upstream.....

All very interesting. We have different paddlers referring to the same area, but with different terminology. My friend calls the Shopping Cart area "The Washing Machine", but I don't think it's based on any household appliances he found in the area; it seems to be the action of the waves against his boat which reminds him of the knockabout action of a Maytag, I guess.

The Gonzos of Nova Scotia (and I'm sure many of you know who they are) often refer to this same area as "Thunder Hole", which really throws locals for a loop as most Mainers might think of Acadia Nat'l Park when asked about "Thunder Hole". The Gonzos have taken notice of "blank stares" when they refer to the Thunder Hole of the Kenduskeag.

PS - an anonymous person read the little thread we have going here, and emailed me privately, informing me that the Shopping Cart area as we know it did indeed have many shopping carts just under the waves, rusting away and causing problems. A stream cleanup effort removed these shopping carts, along with the complete chassis of a rusted out car.

[Gonzo Bernie Levy]

The thunder hole

This is such a challenging, beautiful feature on the river and should never be call as low as a shopping cart. Thats why we call it "the thunder hole". I believe we heard the name the first or second time we were on the river 96 or 97. Thanks, love the race.
Bernie