Summer Travels
2009
click on state for write-ups & pictures.
Waterboro, SC
Rice Festival
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Smithfield, NC
Eva Gardner Museum
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Bay Bridge Tunnel
Cape Charles, VA
Kiptopeke State Park
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Burlington, NJ
Jack's 40th Class Reunion
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Intercourse, PA
Kitchen Kettle Rhubarb Festival
Paradise, PA
National Christmas Museum
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Bloomsburg, PA
Bloomsburg Fair
Paradise, PA
National Christmas Museum
Ronks, PA
Visits from friends
Halloween at Campground
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Groton, CT
Nautilus Memorial Sub
Force Library & Museum
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Newport, RI
Salem, MA
New England Pirate Museum
Wax Museum
Salem Witch Trials Memorial
Salem Witch Museum
House of the Seven Gables
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Boothbay, ME
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Antique Boat Parade
Maine Aquarium
Schooner Parade
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Eastport, ME
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Train Museum
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Portland, ME
Fort Williams State Park
Portland Head Light
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Perry, GA
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Stone Mountain, GA
Stone Mountain Village
Laser Show
Haunted House Tour
Carillion Bills
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Norwich, VT
The Baker’s Store at King Arthur Flour
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St. Johnsbury, VT
Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium
Maple Grove Farm Tour
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Waterbury, VT
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory Tour
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White River Junction, VT
Quechee Gorge
Littleton, NH
Chutters, World's longest candy counter
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Lincoln, NH
Clark's Trading Post, Bear Show
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Shediac, NB
World's Largest Lobster
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Sussex, NB
Murals
​​Woodstock, NB
Hartland Bridge
Potato Chip Factory
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Baddeck, NS
Alexander Graham Bell Museum
Sail Boat Ride
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Canning, NS
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Digby, NS
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Halifax, NS
Tall Ships Parade
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Hunt Point, NS
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Liverpool, NS
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Ludenburg, NS
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Mohone Bay, NS
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Pictou, NS
Reenactment of Hector landing
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Turo, NS
Tidal Basin, Reversing Falls
April 22, 2009
We packed up the motor home and headed out for our summer travels. We pulled into the campground near home and went back to close down the house. We found out we forgot to take the ice out of the freezer and it had melted and ran all over the kitchen floor. We never gave it a thought to empty the ice maker. The floor is now “dull” where the water was. I’ll have to wax that area in November.
South Carolina - April, 2009
Walterboro, South Carolina Pictures
April 24, 2009
The drive up I-95 felt long but the traffic wasn’t all that bad which we were glad for because there was a lot of road construction on I-95N. We set up and relaxed until 4 PM when we went to downtown Walterboro for dinner. This weekend is the 34th Annual Rice Festival on Hampton Street, the next street over from the restaurant. The Rice Festival is a celebration of the rice fields in this area and to the farmers who developed the town. Before the parade started we set up our chairs under a large tree and waited. The Rice Parade’s Marshall’s float was the Tuskegee Airmen, about 30 of them all in their red jackets followed by various other floats from the high schools, crime prevention, Miss Walterboro, fire trucks, a man on a horse and even a sewer truck! That’s a first for us. Afterwards we ate lunch at a place called Fat Jack’s Grill’n & Chill’n. It’s just a small place but very nice, decent prices, good service, a wide selection and the food was very good and packed with people. Downtown we walked both sides of E. Washington Street going in and out of 12 or more antique stores with really nice stuff. We also walked back through the Rice Festival arts & crafts before heading back to the motor home. The festival really shows the diversity of nationalities the area. We saw all kinds! We also saw lots of cops around.
North Carolina - April, 2009
Smithfield, North Carolina
April 28, 2009
Smithfield is an old city with hometown charm. There are lots of banks, lawyers and shops. We went into a shop called "Gayle’s Old N' New" that had really nice furniture and antiques.
Ava Gardner Museum - Ava Gardner Museum
After some history from the woman at the front desk we sat through a 17 minute film about Ava’s life. She grew up around the Smithfield area and was discovered by an MGM Executive when he passed a photo shop that had Ava’s picture in the window. She was given a screen test but at the time her accent was so bad they just had her walk around on stage and hired her because of her beauty. She made her fame after she married Mickey Rooney but the marriage only lasted one year. As her career blossomed so did her relationships. She married Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra and was pursued by Howard Hughes for 20 years but never married him. She semi-retired to Paris and passed away at age 67. She is buried here in Smithfield with her parents.
Virginia - May, 2009
Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel &
Kiptopeke State Park All Pictures (Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Kiptopeke State Park
Cape Charles, Virginia
May 3, 2009
We drove south down US-130 to pick up US-58E to go over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. US-58 isn’t a bad road but it isn’t the smoothest either. We pulled over about a half mile from the bridge to turn off the propane. We were a Class 11, a four-axle vehicle towing a two-axle vehicle and cost us $28. We expected much more and were pleasantly surprised. The Bay Bridge-Tunnel is the largest bridge-tunnel complex in the world. Opened in 1964 the bridge-tunnel is one of the seven engineering wonders of the modern world. It spans the Chesapeake Bay for 17.6 miles from shore to shore and has two mile long tunnels, two bridges and four man-made islands, almost two miles of causeway and 5-1/2 miles of approach roads, totaling 23 miles. The islands consist of thousands of 15 ton boulders known as riprap which were dropped to create the outer rims of the islands then filled with nearly two million tons of sand and rock. Each island is about the size of Yankee Stadium. You can pull over on the islands but we didn’t want to with the motor home. Before getting to the eastern shore we drove through Fisherman Island National Wildlife Refuge the continued to the eastern shore. The bridge is well maintained and the tunnels well lit and wide and the traffic was light.
New Jersey - May, 2009
Jack's 40th High School Reunion Pictures
Burlington, NJ - May 6, 2009
We took a drive around our old hometown of Burlington and Riverside visiting with friends and family and attended Jack’s 40th High School Reunion aboard the Liberty Bell Paddleboat. Jack recognized several of his classmates and I immediately recognized Mr. Craft and Tina Zaires, our friends who owned a Greek restaurant in Burlington. There was a table where you could sign up for door prizes and a copy of Debbie Sharp’s book, Shattered. They had a tree to remember those who have passed away and another tree with our name tags. Everyone had their old High School Picture on their tags and I just had my name as a guest. Paula figured as soon as they saw the name “Hubler” they would know who I was. There were 147 graduates and about 29 showed up. First was the class picture then it was up stairs to the second deck for cocktails and socializing. The class reunion was dedicated to Debbie Engel-Sharp and they gave her a large basket filled with food and stuff and a beautiful framed picture signed by everyone. She was brought to tears more than once. The buffet was served as the paddleboat sailed up the Delaware River. I really don’t know how far we went but we were back at the dock by 11PM. Outside was absolutely wonderful. I met all of Jack’s “girlfriends” and got a good picture of all of them together. A few guys thought Jack “robbed the cradle” thinking I was much younger than the rest. Wow, imagine that! We both had a great time. Paula and Marlene did a really good job.
Pennsylvania - May, 2009
Kitchen Kettle Rhubarb Festival Pictures
Intercourse, Pennsylvania - May 15, 2009
The roads were pretty good except for traffic. As we passed the National Christmas Museum we saw Santa Clause jogging down the road. Okay it wasn’t really Santa Clause but the owner of the National Christmas Museum dressed up just like Santa Clause and he was jogging down the road; looked really funny. We will now enjoy the great Amish food in some of our favorite spots. Kitchen Kettle was having a Rhubarb festival going on. We walked around with lots of others looking at the tables set up with everything Rhubarb; pies, cakes, raw rhubarb, and rhubarb kabobs. They had two bands playing music and a few games for the kids plus a Rhubarb derby. The kids were making racing cars out of rhubarb and racing them down a track and having a ball.
National Christmas Museum Pictures
Intercourse, Pennsylvania - May 18, 2009
When our friends, Sandy and Pic showed up they said they also saw Santa walking down the road. We found out that the “walking/jogging Santa” is a local resident and not associated with the museum so we told the museum owner he should think about hiring him! Our friend Pickett was like a kid in a candy store. We kept hearing “Oooh”, “Myyy” and “Wow”. I think he thought all the stuff was for sale because he picked up a box of old Christmas cards. It took him ten minutes to look through the first room and there are twelve. The museum is very well done and we met Santa Jr. before we went in. The amount of toys, Christmas ornaments and Christmas stuff was overwhelming. Boy does it bring back memories. Each room has a different theme from ornaments to toys to mangers to candles. You walk through a storybook about Mr. Christmas with decorated trees and animals depicting the characters in the story. Then you go through more trees and through a walkway of the Birth of Christ. They have displays of mangers from around the world that were really beautiful. Then you walk out into a large room that has a total wall display of the town of Bethlehem with houses, sheep, horses, and of course the manger where Jesus was born. Finally you walk into a room filled with a train display under a very large Christmas tree. Sandy and Pickett just loved it and Pickett was disappointed he couldn’t buy any of it. We spent the rest of the time here walking around the campground, meeting new people and enjoying the ones we already knew.
Connecticut - June, 2009
Nautilus Memorial Submarine Force Library and Museum Pictures
Groton, Connecticut - June 4, 2009
At the entrance there are two hull rings. The small one, ten foot diameter, represents the hull of the 1900 USS Holland (SS 1) sub that was the U.S. Navy’s first submarine. The larger hull, with a diameter of 42 feet, represents the USS Ohio Class Trident submarine. Inside the building there is a film on submarines, a Medal of Honor Gallery, a Submarine model wall, Polaris A3 Ballistic Missile, Torpedo display, the Bushnell “Turtle” display, the first mini sub, other models and an area that goes through the timeline of the Cold War. Outside sitting in the Thames River is the USS Nautilus (SSN 571). The USS Nautilus was a nuclear propulsion sub whose keel was laid on June 14, 1952. Over the next several years the Nautilus would shatter all submerged speed and distance records. The Nautilus did the first crossing of the North Pole by a ship and accomplished reaching the geographic North Pole, 90 degrees north. It also logged its 300,000th mile underway in the spring of 1966 once again entering the record books. The Nautilus was designated a National Historic Landmark by the Secretary of the Interior on May 20, 1982 and is now open to the general public. We were given a “talking rod” and headed into the submarine. I sure am glad I would never have to do duty in this thing; there isn’t much room and every tiny hint of space is taken up by something. And the sleeping arrangements! I sure couldn’t sleep in the four high bunks. Outside also is an Italian Mini-Sub used to transport frogmen close to an enemy ship so they could place a mine on it and get out before it exploded. Next was a Swimmer Delivery Vehicle (SDV) or “SEALs” (Sea-Air-Land) sub carried piggyback on a larger sub to give the SEAL team greater range of mobility. Next was a SS X-1 experimental submarine that used a closed-loop hydrogen peroxide system allowing the use of diesel engines under water independent from an external air source but when the USS Nautilus was built using nuclear power, the US Navy abandoned this method of propulsion. And last there was a World War II Japanese Type A two-man mini-sub that was carried piggy back on a mother ship to where they were needed. All of them looked like large round, heavy concrete tubes and if you’re claustrophobic, forget it! It was interesting.
Rhode Island - June, 2009
Newport, Rhode Island Pictures
June 6, 2009
We took a ride into Newport, RI and found out we couldn’t use our tokens for the Newport bridge; they discontinued using them in January so we had to pay $2 to go across. Also the Jamestown Bridge is now called the Jamestown Verrazano Bridge and the Newport Bridge is now the Pell Bridge. The traffic was backed-up over the bridge going into Newport. Oh that’s right, this is Saturday and this weekend Newport is having their New England Clam Chowder Cook-off. Not only that but there is also an International Film Festival, an Art Festival, the Salva Regina Alumni Reunion and at Fort Adams there is Family Fun day. The place was packed with people. We finally got to the Stop & Shop store, parked the car and walked over to LaForge Casino for a bowl of clam chowder and a sandwich. Hey, first things first; it’s been so long since we’ve been here for the clam chowder, we just had to do that first. It is sooooo good! I told the waitress to bring a bowl and a squeegee. When she said “What”? Jack explained our love of the stuff and lack of eating it for several years. We sat in the Porch and saw they now have tables outside along the pathway around the grass court of the Tennis Hall of Fame. After we ate I was able to go out and take pictures. After lunch we walked down Thames Street to the boat yard where they were holding the Clam Chowder Cook Off. The contest and sampling is done in several large tents and they charge $20 to go in. We just ate the best so there was no reason to pay that amount to go in. We continued on to Bannister’s Warf. It was so crowded, the place was jumping. We walked all the way down Thames Street to our old timeshare and back. Not a lot had changed; a few buildings changed hands and the place that had lawn ornaments is now a parking lot. Christie’s Restaurant is in a smaller building on the street and their old building was torn down and is being replaced by a building housing condos and retail shops. Oh, and The Pier, that used to be a really nice place to eat but changed to Vincent’s on the Pier and increased their prices, is now closed. Ghee I wonder where Barbara Bush went! That’s an inside joke because a waitress there looked just like Barbara Bush. Guess she retired. We continued our walk over to the Aquidneck Lobster Co. where you can buy fresh lobsters and fish. You can still buy lobsters and fish but it also has a Waterfront Market that has a jewelry store, a cafe, and an outside deck you can sit on. Things always change. Continuing up Thames Street back to Bellevue Ave. we sat on a bench for a little while then took our ride down Bellevue Ave. but the shrubbery is so grown up you can’t see most of the homes; even the mansions were hard to see, let alone take pictures of. We continued around Ocean Drive. There were people flying kites and one guy had three kites of Red, White and Blue that had tails at least 60 feet long that were spinning up, down and all around the monument and the American Flag. What a show! Well, at least Ocean Drive didn’t change it’s still a beautiful drive. There are a few more large homes being built so I guess Newport still has money.
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Massachusetts - June, 2009
Salem, Massachusetts All Pictures (Pirate Museum, Witch Museum, Witch Trail Memorial, House of Green Cables)
June 12, 2009
Salem is a large city but the downtown area is really quaint. There are plenty of old buildings that have been restored and contain lots of museums, restaurants, cafés and shops; of course there are plenty of witch related souvenirs. A red line is painted on the sidewalks creating three loops around the city that goes to all the historic and fun spots. There is also a red and green trolley you can hop on if you don’t want to walk.
New England Pirate Museum - Pirate Museum
A guy dressed like a pirate takes you through the museum telling you about the figures and their stories. I think he was disappointed when he told us about some gory stuff and we didn’t react in horror. He was trying to be scary and funny at the same time but didn’t do too well. The first room we met the first pirate in New England. This pirate was robbed by British pirates and decided it was an easy job, so he started his career in New England. Then we met the first woman pirate. She would go out on a ship and pretend to be in distress and when the rescuers pulled alongside her crew of pirates would kill everyone and take their goods. We then moved onto a very dark room that had a large ship that was said to be the actual place in Salem where the dock was in the 1600’s. Across from the dock was the Blue Anchor Tavern. Pirates would dock their ship and go to the Blue Anchor, get drunk and start bragging about their pillaging. They were then offered a free room to spend the night but in the morning, they were arrested. Then we walked up steps onto the ship. Here are figures of pirates during a mutiny showing the captain being thrown overboard. We moved on to the sleeping quarters of the ship where the pirates were splitting up the spoils of their pillaging. The guide said if a pirate lost a body part during battle to save the ship and survived, he was honored by getting a larger split of the treasure they stole; some say it was 800 silver dollars more. Is that really worth losing a limb? That’s why you see pirates with eye patches, peg legs or hooks. Then we saw the hanging of Captain Kidd. The Puritans of Salem and Boston hired Captain Kidd, then a privateersman to get rid of Blackbeard in 1691. However, Captain Kidd became a pirate himself and was caught, tarred and hung from a mast in the harbor to rot as a warning to others not to mess with the Puritans. Blackbeard is said to have buried treasure over $300,000 million in silver bars in a cave on Lunging Island but the entrance to the cave had been closed by storms and he never recovered it before he was beheaded in 1781. They say the treasure is still there today and the family that owns the island is going to try to recover it with the help of the staff from the TV show Unsolved Mysteries. We then followed steps down walking through a cave with skeletal remains of the residents. We were heading out of the cave when one of the figures moved! We thought all the figures were wax but this one wasn’t…yep, we jumped; now that scared us!.
Salem Witch Museum - Witch Museum
After being led into a large darkened auditorium a narrated story is told about the witch trials in 1692. As the story progressed so did the scenes. Thirteen sets light up to display figures telling the story. The daughter and niece of Reverend Samuel Parris of Salem Village fell ill. Both girls had been listening to the stories and watching magic tricks performed by their black nanny, became interested in the black arts and in January 1692 started acting strange. The doctor unable to detect fever or any other symptoms of known diseases diagnosed them of bewitchment. In their hysteria, they named the nanny and others which was taken as accusations. The towns’ people became suspicious of their neighbors and the Governor formed a court to try cases of witchcraft. By October 1692 a later court disallowed spectral evidence and the witch hunt was over. Next was a wall examining the continuing witch hunts of our day; the internment of Japanese-Americans after Pearl Harbor, the McCarthy anti-Communist hearings and the disservice to homosexuals due to Aids. We were then led into another room that goes through the evolving perceptions of witches from the good witch Glenda and the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz to the wife and home maker witch Samantha in the TV show. They also had a wall comparing the parallel of Christianity. Then there were two figures that explain the witch of today. Today there are communities of witches known as Wiccans and is a vibrant part of the city’s fabric. I bet Halloween is really something else here. It was pretty good. Oh the word witch comes from the Anglo-Saxon “wiccha” and Indo-European “vekka” which “means a wise person, healer and to know” just in case you didn’t know. The displays run around the room depicting scenes from the witch trials. The figures are very good and each scene progresses through the trial, hanging and burial of the 19 “witches” in Salem in 1692. At the entrance is the Salem Witch Trial Memorial Statue. This beautiful statue is a tribute to the immoral tragic hanging of Rebecca Nurse, the first woman accused of witchcraft.
Witch Trials Memorial - Witch Trials Memorial
It’s simply a block wall with embedded “seats” every few feet apart, nineteen in all, in a horseshoe shape. Each “seat” is engraved with the name of the person that was hanged and the date, 1692. At the entrance to the memorial are large flat stones that are engraved with the words, “I do plead not guilty” and other words in protest of the hangings. In back of this memorial is the cemetery where they and other Salem residents are buried. We wanted to see the Frankenstein’s Lab but it was closed because the school kids conduct the tours and scare people so it won’t open until school is out. That was disappointing.
House of the Seven Gables - House of the Seven Gables
This house was built by Captain John Turner in 1668. It was restored back to the original seven gables after several alterations through the years. We had a guided tour through the house telling us about the life and the changes made to the house throughout the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The house increases in size and the heights of the ceilings the more wealth the family obtained. You can see the house today is restored to its’ original style and size but has a few additions because they were mentioned in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, “The House of the Seven Gables” published in 1851. One is a secret staircase behind the fireplace and a “penny store”. The penny store was built in most sea captains’ homes so the wife could have income while her husband was out to sea but the Turner’s didn’t need the extra income. Outside are a beautiful gardens and the view of the harbor is awesome. The childhood home of Salem native, Nathaniel Hawthorne is also here. You can walk through the house on a self-guided tour. It is very plain. Nathaniel Hawthorne is the author of the “Scarlet Letter” and his visits to the Turner Seven Gables house inspired his novel “The House of the Seven Gables”.
Maine - June, 2009
Fort Williams State Park and Portland Head Light Pictures
Portland, ME
There are large grass areas in the park and only three walls of Fort Williams left. Fort Williams is a former military installation begun in 1878 and known as the Battery at Portland Head. It guarded the entrance to Casco Bay and was the headquarters for the harbor defenses of Portland and remained an active military base until closed in 1964. The Light House is Maine’s first lighthouse and very picturesque.
Boothbay, Maine All Pictures
(Boothbay, Botanical Gardens, Antique Boat Parade, Maine Aquarium, Schooner Parade, Windjammer Days Street Parade
June 18, 2009
This is a small congested bay town with all kinds of shops and restaurants. The houses, shops and restaurants are all “jammed” into a three block area along the bay. It’s great walking around town and the bay is just beautiful.
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens - Botanical Gardens
June 20, 2009
They are having a Garden Fair this weekend with vendors, live music, workshops and signing by noted speakers. The road leading to the Gardens is a long dirt, now mud, road but at least it was packed down good. The parking lot was another story, it was muddy and puddles everywhere. The building had the workshops, a gift shop and a café. Outside on the Great Lawn were tents with 40 vendors selling all kinds of flowers, pots and garden ornaments. The lawn is beautiful lush grass but with all the rain we were splashing water with each step. We walked along a gravel pathway leading into the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses; sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch. There are flowers and plants, walls of stone, a waterfall and herbs. In an indoor/outdoor area they were giving free foot massages and in the middle of the garden was a large winding Labyrinth where you take off your shoes and walk on the smooth but bumpy stones for some foot reflexology. From here we continued walking through the Woodland Gardens, Rose and Perennial Garden. The path was dirt but considering all the rain weren’t all that muddy. There weren’t many roses in the garden but the plants were lush and some really different ones. The trail continues down the hillside with stone walls, rocks and plants of every kind. We then walked into the Meditation Garden where the rocks form steps and seats where you can sit and meditate while looking at the River. We then continue along the Shoreland Trail following the river passed a place called Fairy House Village. This area is for kids where they have to make piles of stones or tree bark. We continued on through gardens of native plants to a Gazebo then back to the main trail. The mosquitoes were really getting to Jack so he went back to the Visitor Center but I went on to the Rhododendron and Perennial Garden and the waterfall. The Rhododendrons were all gone as were most of the perennial flowers. The waterfall was only about 60 feet high but the stones were wide and the water flew over in wide flat sheets down to a pool at the bottom surrounded by water fern. The path continues back to the Visitor Center and passed a soon to be Children’s Garden to open in 2010. By the time we got back to the Visitor Center we walked at least two miles. Back into town we saw a mast from a tall ship and checked it out. It was the Schooner Friendship but it was being worked on at the shipyard. She’s 171 feet long with a main mast of 120 feet. She has three masts and is a replica of a 1797 Salem Vessel. She will be kept in Boothbay port and used for tours and sailing programs when completed.
Antique Boat Parade - Antique Boat Parade
June 23, 2009
There were about 25 boats. We couldn’t see them up close but a guy was announcing each one telling the year and owner. Most were built in the 1960’s and 70’s and nothing we saw was all that impressive. An hour later the parade was done and we were on our way back to the car.
Maine Aquarium - Blue Lobster - Maine Aquarium
June 24, 2009
We drove down to the YMCA just outside of town and caught the shuttle bus to the Aquarium. The Chamber of Commerce said this was the best place to see the Windjammers coming in under full sail. We had an hour so we walked through the Maine Aquarium. This has got to be the smallest aquarium we’ve ever seen; it is only one room. There are tanks along the walls with various fish, a lobster display with a blue lobster and a petting fish tank where you can “pet” a shark (small ones). The kids loved this petting pond and it was the most popular attraction. We were through in ten minutes!
Schooner Parade - Schooner Parade
We walked down toward the water and sat at a picnic table with another couple and waited for the Windjammers to arrive. We saw a few out in the bay and the drizzle started to increase. A little after 2 PM the Coast Guard led the first ship into port. The Heritage is a schooner built in 1983 here in Maine and designed and built by the captains and owners and is 95 ft long. Next was the Nathaniel Bowditch. She was built in 1922 in East Boothbay, Maine as a private racing yacht. She is a gaff-rigged topsail schooner and is 110 feet long. Next was the American Eagle. The 92 foot schooner was built in Gloucester, Massachusetts in 1930. For 53 years she was a working member of the famed Gloucester fishing fleet. She is also a National Historic Landmark. Next came the Lewis R. French, a 64 foot coasting schooner built in Christmas Cove, Maine. In 2007 she celebrated her 136th birthday making her the oldest active sailing vessel in the U.S. and a National Historic Landmark. Last came the Harvey Gamage, a 131 foot long casting schooner. Harvey Gamage was launched In 1973 from the shipyard of Harvey F. Gamage in South Bristol, Maine and is 131 feet long. For twenty years the ship was used for some of the longest running and most successful sail-training programs in the U.S. It is now devoted exclusively to sea education programming.
Windjammer Days Street Parade - Windjammer Days Parade
This was a small parade downtown Boothbay and only lasted an hour. It was interesting and the guest of honor was Boothbay's oldest citizen, Evie at 101 years young.
Eastport, Maine All Pictures (Eastport, 4th of July Parade)
July 1, 2009
Our travels took us north on US-1. There weren’t many towns to go through but the road itself was good in some areas and bad to really bad in others. At the campground our site is right next to the Passamaquoddy Bay (Bay of Fundy). We have a nice deck we can sit on to watch the water and look at Canada across the bay. The campground restaurant serves meals every night and we took advance of that every night. We sat outside until the fog came in and now we can’t even see the boat at the end of the dock. By 8 PM we could hardly see the campers across from us and by 8:30 PM it was raining. During a brief time of no rain a truck pulled up in front of us and unloaded large crates of live lobsters. There is a red lobster pound right outside our door and they were putting them in there. We’ll have to get some lobster. The July 4th holiday was celebrated by a having a sailboat race, Frisbee contest, Limbo competition, a movie, bike races, an old fashioned country rib bar-b-que cookout, bingo and a rock n’ Roll concert. Today is Canada Day and there are fireworks at Deer Island which is right in front of us. We heard the “booms” but the fog was so thick the only thing we saw was an occasional soft glow; even the finale didn’t show through.
July 2, 2009
I woke up at 4:30 AM this morning to see the sun rise (Eastport is the first land in the U.S. touched by the sun when it rises) but it was so foggy I couldn’t even see the sun rise. Yep, I actually woke up at 4:30 AM, but of course I went back to sleep but at 5 AM Basil, the campground owner and another guy were getting lobsters out of the pound so I watched them. We walked into town to check out the goings on. There were tents set up with jewelry, clothing, and some other crafts, there were race car races for the kids, a huge blown up tiger slide, a climbing wall and a cupcake decorating contest for the kids. A Coast Guard Cutter is supposed to be coming in port but no one knows if it did or not because the fog was so thick no one could see into the harbor.
July 3, 2009
I woke up this morning at 5:15 AM by some kind of noise. We were in the middle of a really bad thunderstorm. The noise was our neighbor’s awning. The wind blew it up and over his fifth-wheel and later found out it popped the rivets and bent the two support bars; the awning itself was fine. He was lucky. Jack got up and brought our chairs inside and even our small awning over the slideout was blown up on one side. We had torrential downpour of rain, lots of lightning and thunder and even what sounded like hail. Surprising the wind didn’t even rock the coach. It lasted until around 6 AM when we were able to finally get back to sleep. Around 1:30 PM we took a drive downtown for the activities. The local fire company was giving demonstrations and competing on how fast they could get the hoses ready to spray water, how fast they could fill a large barrel with water by carrying water back and forth and how fast they could close off a broken sprinkler system. The kids loved it because they got wet from flying water. It would have really felt good if it had been 80 degrees but it was once again foggy
and only 67 degrees.
4th of July Parade Pictures
July 4, 2009 Happy 4th of July
We went to downtown Eastport for the 4th of July celebrations. When we got there they were just starting the blueberry pie eating contest and a decorated doll carriage, wagon, bike and trike parade. Some people really used their imagination for decorating. One took a wagon with a lobster trap on top and three of their kids inside dressed lobster outfits; really cute. They had a dozen or more bikes decorated and about the same of doll carriages. They also had two dozen cars and two dozen motorcycles for a show, and a parade. First came the fire trucks, ambulance and police, etc. followed by the bands then the floats, etc. There were clowns, floats and groups from local businesses. They had Keystone Cops and the Shiners’ in mini-cars that would ride around a truck with ramps on both ends. They would drive up and over the truck while it moved down the street. There was a really large crowd and lasted about an hour. Tonight’s dinner was baked Haddock in a casserole with breadcrumb topping and baked large sea scallops that were excellent. During the meal, Bill the cook, asked us how we enjoyed our meals and told us the secret of making the fish: take a glass dish, put butter on bottom, put in fish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, put crumbled saltines on top with lots of butter and bake for 27 minutes. He told us not to tell anyone he told us the breadcrumb secret so I didn’t tell; right?.
Scarborough, Maine Pictures
July 9, 2009
Scarborough is along the coastline which is just beautiful. We even found a small place that had great seafood called the Lobster Shack.
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Nova Scotia, Canada
Tall Ships - Parade of Sail Pictures
Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada
We took the ferry over to Halifax and walked around the Boardwalk. There were probably 20 Tall Ships docked all along the docks. We walked from the ferry station all the way to Pier 21 looking at and taking pictures of the ships. There were bands playing, vendor tents and places to eat all along the Boardwalk. There was also an area for the kids with four or five large blow-up slides. One ship had the crew climb up the masts to secure the sails. What a site to see ten or twelve guys standing on the rigging, leaning over the mast, rolling up the sails. Of course all the ships had their sales down and secured but the ships were still beautiful. They were everywhere along the docks and it was a long walk probably two or three miles. At the end, at Pier 21, the Russian Tall Ship, Kruzenshtern was docked but you couldn’t get very close. She is the world’s second largest Tall Ship in the world and she is enormous! These ships are great and we spent all day looking at them. Boy were our feet tired.
The Parade of Tall Ships sail around the harbor in Halifax. We packed a couple of sandwiches, grabbed the binoculars and left around 10:00 AM. By noon two tugboats went out into the harbor spraying water, signaling the start of the Parade of Sail. We found a set of steps and settled in for the parade. Bluenose II led the Parade followed by all the others. The ships were just beautiful and they sailed by with enough room in between so we could look up the names. Jack, bless his heart, got the names looking through the binoculars and wrote them down for me. All the ships had some sails up but not all of them; they were still awesome. The Parade of Sails lasted until 3 PM. There were about 35 ships and I took pictures of about 26 of them because some looked like regular sail boats. One such “small” ship was the Jolie Brise, the winner of the first Fastnet Race and two more after that making it the only vessel to have won the Fastnet three times. The last Tall Ship was the Russian Tall Ship, Kruzenshtern but it didn’t have any of its sails up. That was disappointing. I sure would have liked to have seen the ships all at FULL sail in the bay but there was no way we could do that.
Towns Around Nova Scotia - All Pictures (Canning, Digby, Hunts Point, Liverpool)
Canning - Canning, NS
July 21, 2009
Our campground is eight miles up a mountain right across the road from a tourist spot called “The Look Off”. We put up our screen porch and sat outside for a while. We walked across the road to the Look Off and looked off. The views are stunning. While I was in the laundry the three legged cat came in and couldn’t get enough of my petting. She followed me back to the motor home and would have gone inside if the door was open. She followed me everywhere but when she finally laid down under our picnic table I was able to go inside and not have her follow me.
Digby, Nova Scotia Canada - Digby
July 24, 2009
Digby is a relatively small town with one road as Main Street, a few really nice shops and a beautiful marina, a small boardwalk and a really beautifully done walkway along the bay. We sat on a bench for a little while, walked all around town and down by the docks checking out all the local restaurants. Digby is on the Bay of Fundy and the very cold water is perfect for scallops. They are some of the best we’ve ever eaten.
Hunts Point, Nova Scotia Canada - Hunts Point
Hunts Point is a very small village with a pretty port. The beach is great and only six other people were on it.
Liverpool, Nova Scotia Canada - Liverpool
There is not much in Liverpool except for the pretty waterfront.
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Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia Canada
Wooden Boat Festival All Pictures (Wooden Boat Festival, Turo - Reversing Falls)
July 29, 2009
Mahone Bay was one of my favorite places with its beautiful churches and reflective waters. We were disappointed because things don’t look the same to us as they did. We remember one side of the street lined with shops, a great ice cream parlor and beautiful homes on the other side. But now it seems they tore down some buildings and put up a parking lot! The parking lot goes with the new Shop & Save, right downtown along the water. There are still a few shops but the strip I remember doesn’t seem to be there anymore and we didn’t see the ice cream parlor we remembered. There is also a large vacant lot just before the pier where all the festivities are being held that we don’t remember being vacant. There is an Irving gas station across from the marina and it looked to have more piers that jutted further out into the bay. At least the Gazebo is still there. Sometimes progress isn’t pretty and the quaint town is turning into a town with nothing special anymore. I wrote that we ate some really good chowder at the Salt Spray Café & Chowder House that’s an old Victorian House with very good chowder.
Turo, Nova Scotia Canada
Reversing Falls - Turo - Reversing Falls
The Tidal Bore is an amazing natural phenomenon. Twice daily a wave of water rushes from the Minas Basin to fill the channel of the Salmon River when the tides in the Fundy Bay rise. In a matter of minutes the water rushes up the basin against the low tide water flowing out. This makes a wave reversing the water back up the Salmon River. (The height of the Tidal Bore increases or decreases with the range of tides that are influenced by the moon). The waters reverse every six hours when the tides change and hundreds of people come to watch. Two large flood lights turn on so you can see the water almost as well as in daylight and at 9:10 PM you hear the low roar of rushing water. The sound is amazing but to see this wave come rushing up the river was really fascinating.
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia Canada Pictures
Lunenburg is a nationally and internationally (UNESCO) designated heritage site. It is fashioned as a planned Colonial settlement and is built on a hillside along the bay. It’s quite quaint and the buildings are painted in bright colors and they have horse-drawn carriages giving tours. We walked along Blue Nose Road with its shops and restaurants. Lunenburg is also the home of the tall ship Blue Nose but it was not in port today but did see the tall ship Caledonia.
Baddeck, Nova Scotia Canada All Pictures (Baddeck, Sail Boat Ride. Alexander-Graham-Bell Museum, Pictou)
August 6, 2009
Baddeck is a beautiful little town with several shops and restaurants and the home of Alexander Graham Bell for many years. We walked around town checking out the shops then sat for a while at the small park to watch the boats. The prettiest part of Baddeck is the lake surrounded by mountains; just beautiful. Our neighbor found out the waiter at the campground is German and asked if he ever cooked any German food. The guy told him if at least six people wanted a German meal, he would make it. We got six people and had a German dinner that night. Boy was it good and even Jack liked it.
Sail Boat Ride - Sail Boat Ride
Baddeck, Nova Scotia Canada
I went on a sail boat ride aboard the Ameba. As we pulled away from the dock, the Captain picked up a “Sailing for Dummies” book and sat down in front of the wheel. This guy was friendly, funny and answered any and all questions. His father built the sailboat and he gives tours four times a day; what a job! We motored out of the harbor and when we got far enough he cut the engine and hoisted the sails. Oh what a wonderful feeling! The only sound was the lapping water of the small dingy boat he had to pull alongside. We were under full sail and oh what a delight. We must have gone a few miles out into the lake. He pointed out the different islands and at one point we almost joined a yachting race. We sailed within 30 feet of the sailboats. We sailed along the coastline and in front of the house where Alexander Graham Bell lived, what a place and he said Alexander Graham Bell is buried at the top of the hill. We saw one small harbor seal and he threw fish out to two bald eagles bringing them within 20 feet of the ship. At the furthest point out we lost the wind and just sat there in the water and finally had to turn the engines on to get us lined up with the wind. When we were in line, John, the Captain, said, “here she comes” and the sailboat listed to one side so fast we all thought we were going to see water. John assured us there was no way she, the sailboat, could go over into the water because there is more haul under water than on top but we weren’t too sure when that wind caught the sails. We sailed for two hours instead of the usual hour and a half. I loved it. Happy Birthday to me.
Alexander-Graham-Bell Museum - Alexander-Graham-Bell Museum
Baddeck, Nova Scotia Canada
Alexander Graham Bell spent the last thirty-seven years of his life here in a house across the bay. The telephone was not the only invention for Bell and the museum contains artifacts, audio-visual programs and photographs that tell his story. He was a teacher, inventor and most of all a humanitarian and bridged the world between sound and silence by teaching deaf people to speak. He and Casey Baldwin produced the fastest boat in the world, the HD-4, a hydroplane that was tested here in the lake.
Pictou, Nova Scotia Canada - Ship Hector Reenactment - Pictou
August 13, 2009
Pictou is a small town built around a marina. There is one road with shops and restaurants. Along the harbor are docks and the schooner Hector is docked there. This weekend is the Hector Festival and today there were three groups playing at the center. Sunday is a reenactment of the time when Hector landed in this new country. There were several tents set up with volunteers dressed in period costumes demonstrating cooking, weaving, etc. There was a Scottish Pipe and Drum corp. that played several songs and three female dance groups who performed traditional Scottish dances. At 3 PM they did the reenactment. In September 1773, 200 Highland Scots arrived aboard the Ship Hector to the Nova Scotia shore here in Pictou and were greeted by the 84th Regiment of Foot and Costumed settlers. After hearing the news of their arrival, a wave of Scottish immigrants in the thousands came to the land of New Scotland. The reenactment had a small boat with a few men, one playing the bagpipes and several women and children rowing across the harbor. There were two guys in costume on land that shot off guns and two others shot off a cannon. Once the boat was ashore the people were greeted by three men from the 84th Regiment of Foot and costumed settlers. All the people there could then ask the costumed people anything about the period and watch demonstrations. It was pretty good but we felt sorry for the volunteers dressed in traditional clothing because it was layers and layers of clothing and it was very warm 80 degrees.
New Brunswick, Canada
Shediac, New Brunswick Canada Pictures
August 17, 2009
There are lots of boats in the marina and the seawall must be 15 feet high plus there is a larger than life statue of a lobster. There are three shops with tourist stuff and two restaurants. We walked to the end of the parking lot and on the bulkhead were probably 200 teenagers having a grand time jumping off the bulkhead into the water.
Sussex, New Brunswick Canada Pictures
Sussex is a small town that is famous for its murals. There are 26 paintings by 15 artists on all different buildings depicting life in Sussex’s past. We started in Sussex Corner where there are four murals then drove into downtown Sussex for the rest. Most are within a four or five block area and within easy walking distance. Some are nice paintings and others have some really detailed designs. We also saw a guy “touching up” one mural. The town is a quaint town with lots of businesses and several shops. At the campground I played Bingo or rather tried to play. Everyone was speaking French including the caller and I didn’t understand a single word. Just before we started, I heard the caller say “English” with a question infliction in her voice and I raised my hand. She said she would also call in English. She called in both French and English but It was still hard because she made a few mistakes speaking the English numbers and the accent was hard to understand plus everyone was talking French. I don’t think I’ll do this again.
Woodstock, New Brunswick Canada All Pictures (Hartland Covered Bridge, Potato Chip Co.)
August 8, 2009
The town of Woodstock is a very old town with several Victorian homes, clothing boutiques and real estate offices. Our campground is only 25 sites and right on river so we met most of our neighbors. Campers sure are a diverse group. We even had a retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police and another Navy guy that Jack really hit it off with.
Hartland Covered Bridge - Hartland Covered Bridge
Hartland, New Brunswick Canada
This bridge is the world’s longest covered bridge. You can actually drive across it over the Saint John River. The Hartland Covered Bridge was constructed in 1901 to cross the Saint John River and measures an astounding 1,282 feet. This one-lane bridge was built out of cedar spruce and hard pine and local businessmen helped with its construction at a cost of a mere $30,000. It was officially opened in July, 1901 with a toll of three cents for pedestrians and six cents for a single horse and wagon. Initially, the bridge was not covered but in April 1920 two spans of the bridge were destroyed by river ice and repairs included a roof added in 1922. The walkway was added in 1945. On June 23, 1980 the bridge was declared a National Historic Site and in 1999 it was declared a Provincial Historic Site. We walked along the walkway on the side of the bridge for a few hundred feet. The construction is awesome. We left and went over the new bridge across the river where Jack stopped the car and I was able to walk back on the bridge to take a picture of the entire covered bridge from the side. The drive on NB-103 goes along the Saint John River and the river valley.
Covered Bridge Potato Chip Company - Covered Bridge Potato Chip Co
Hartland, New Brunswick Canada
It is a small factory that you can walk through for a small fee of $5. Each window lets you see each step of the process of making potato chips. They don’t peel the potatoes and the whole process is automated. The potatoes are washed, cut and delivered to a large vat of 305 degree oil. The chips are cooked for 6 minutes constantly being turned and mixed by a machine moving back and forth in the vat. Then they are loaded onto a conveyor belt where the smaller pieces are separated out and the excess oil is removed. From here they are mixed with seasonings, inspected and then goes into a machine that fills the bags. While we were watching, a guy filled two small 2 oz bags with chips and brought them out to us. This was a free sample and pure potato chips without any seasoning. By the time we finished watching the process and walked into the store, we just had to get some potato chips; They all really really good. Most of their distribution is throughout Canada with one or two in the US. They should expand because they are that good. We bought a baulk bag, equivalent to six bags, and when they brought them out the chips were still warm. When we got back to the motor home we gave out bags to our neighbors and we still have lots.
Maine - September 1, 2009
Gorham, Maine - Train Museum Pictures
September 2, 2009
Gorham is a small town with charm and history. The Gorham Historical Society is housed in the old railroad station that was once the starting point for the Grand Trunk Railroad. Engine 735 and several cars sit in the yard of the railroad station. There is one railroad car that houses all kinds of artifacts, pictures and documentation from the days of the Grand Trunk Railroad. A guy was just opening the door so we took a look. For a donation he told us some stories of the railroad, crashes and demonstrated the mail “hook”. There was so much stuff in the railcar, every which way you turn was more stuff. The Grand Trunk Railway (GT) was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec; however, corporate headquarters were in London, England. The Grand Trunk and its subsidiaries, along with the Canadian Government Railways, was a primary precursor of today's Canadian National Railways. Several impressive construction feats were associated with the GTR: the first successful bridging of the St. Lawrence River on August 25, 1860 with the opening of the first Victoria Bridge at Montreal (replaced by the present structure in 1898); the bridging of the Niagara River between Fort Erie, Ontario and Buffalo, New York; and the construction of a tunnel beneath the St. Clair River, connecting Sarnia, Ontario and Port Huron, Michigan. The latter work opened in August, 1890 and replaced the railcar ferry at the same location.
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Vermont - September 2009
St. Johnsbury, Vermont All Pictures (Campground, Fairbanks Museum, Maple Museum, Littleton, NH)
September 9, 2009
Our site at the campground is the first site in the middle (pull-thru site) so our “yard” is probably 100 feet wide. The sites for the pull-thru sites are very long and they could fit three motor homes in each. Sites are shared so we have a neighbor right next to us on the driver’s side. All the pull-thru sites are the same. The back-in sites are not shared and nice along the river. We enjoyed the days of playing bingo, walking round the campground talking to neighbors and taking day trips around the area. You can really get your exercise walking uptown to downtown and I do mean DOWNtown. The streets are really steep. We walked up the hills to uptown where the homes are really nice old style Victorian. Most of the shops are in the downtown area that is in the 1800’s.
Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium - Fairbanks Museum
St. Johnsbury, Vermont
This building was built in 1891 and expanded in 1894 because the collections had outgrown their space. Franklin Fairbanks was the founder of the museum and it is his collections that are on display. He started collecting items from the age of 12. Franklin Fairbanks’ uncle was the inventor of the platform scale which he, in his later years, improved and became the head of the corporation. Fairbanks collected not as a hobby but as something to share, in the hopes of sparking another person’s curiosity. There are two large bronze lions guarding the entrance that have been there since 1894. Inside the museum is two stories high with a really impressive solid oak barrel vault ceiling running the length of the building and cherry display cabinets. The museum collection has over 170,000 objects including 450 birds, various stuffed animals, rocks and minerals, shells and fossils. There are also artifacts from Japan, China, India and Egypt and doll collections of Marguerite Hoyt White that includes American dolls of the 19th and 20th centuries and ethnic dolls from around the world. There are also all nine pictures done by John Hampson that have come to be known as “Bug Art”. John Hampson took a great interest in the study of insects and each picture is made up of thousands of insects and butterflies. It was really interesting to say the least. One such picture I took consisted of 10,982 insects and butterflies. Franklin Fairbanks also kept meteorological records and established a weather center in the basement of the museum making it the longest continuous account of daily weather patterns in the country. Today it serves five commercial and public radio stations with a listener base of over three million. You can walk through and look into the weather center seeing several computer and two technicians at work. From here we went upstairs to a small planetarium which is just one darkened room with lighted pictures of space and planets.
Maple Grove Farm of Vermont - Maple Museum
There was another couple there when we arrived so the four of us went through the tour. We first sat and watched a short film about the processing of maple syrup. We were then handed a hair net to put on to proceed into the processing room. This plant produces maple candy, maple syrup plus Emiril Legasse’s salad dressing. They were not making any candy today so we just looked at the machines as she explained the process. This facility does not make or even refine the maple syrup but rather purchases it from local maple producing farmers; in fact they purchase 11,000,000 gallons a year. They supply the barrels to the farmers who pick them up from the factory, fill them and return them to the factory to be emptied and sterilized and ready to be used again. They do caramelize the syrup in making the famous maple leaf candy so it will last up to one year with no other preservatives. They did have several large batches of candy that was made yesterday. One batch was even going to be distributed to Disney in Florida. The process takes several days to complete. The original candy made with 100% pure maple syrup is very sweet. The other couple kept asking questions, some interesting but most were like he wanted the guide to think that he was intelligent, really interested or really stupid. Anyway it took us about 20 minutes to go through.
Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory Pictures
Waterbury, Vermont
It’s about 50 miles from here. They give tours every half hour and we were just in time for the 2:15 PM tour. We first watched a film about Ben and Jerry. They were two guys who separated wanted to do something but were constantly rejected so they joined forces and took an ice cream manufacturing course through the mail. They aced the course and started making ice cream. They opened their first ice cream parlor in an old renovated gas station in 1978. In 1984 they bought an old motor home, painted it green with cows and called it the “Cowmobile”. They traveled across country giving away free ice cream cones. Unfortunately, it burned to the ground four months later, but no one was hurt. In fact, Ben said it looked like the world’s largest baked Alaska. Ben & Jerry's hated wasting ice cream and began feeding a pig farm in Stowe, Vermont, with its ice cream waste; pigs go wild over all flavors except Mint with Oreo® Cookie (it seems that the pigs don't like mint). The company has a three part mission; financial, social and environmental. They have developed environmentally friendly cartons and reduced waste. Afterwards we moved on to the viewing platform to watch a film about the ice cream process and look at the machines through the viewing windows because they won’t making ice cream today. After the film we moved down to the flavor room where Ben and Jerry developed several flavors. Today we got a sample of Orange Cream; it was just like an orange cream sickle. This room also has a display board of the newest flavors. We then walked through the last room where there are posters of their most famous flavors. Then it was back out to the gift shop where we started. The whole tour only took 20 minutes. Outside we walked up the hill where a replica of the “Cowmobile” is parked. Further up the hill is the Ice Cream Graveyard. Here there are grave stones for all those flavors that didn’t sell so they discontinued them. The statements on the grave stones were funny.
Quechee Gorge Village Pictures
White River Junction, Vermont
There is a very large antique mall and train museum, a pewter shop, royal towne gallery & gifts, the country store, furniture store and jewelry shop. Quechee Gorge Village Antique Mall. This place is huge. They have loads of stuff in several rooms. They also have a toy & train museum downstairs with a large train display with buildings that are very well detailed. There is a children’s play room and an animated farm but it wasn’t working today. The toys is a really extensive collection of lunch boxes, dolls, pez containers, Crackle Jack toys, McDonald toys, Star War toys, toy guns, and a whole display case full of miniature toys. We spent more time looking through this stuff than upstairs. Laro’s New England Specialties Shoppe and the Christmas Shop is next door. The Specialties Shoppe has a lot of Vermont made products and a pretty nice store. The Christmas Shoppe next door has dozens of decorated Christmas Trees and lots of decorations. A bridge on Route 4 goes over Quechee Gorge. Most people drive over the bridge, park their car and walk back to the middle to look down 163 feet to the waters of the Ottauquechee River. You can also walk a path along the river for half a mile but we have done this before so didn’t this time. Getting down isn’t bad but coming back up is a chore.
The Baker’s Store at King Arthur Flour no pictures
Norwich, Vermont
This is a bakery, store and school. The school is separate from the bakery and store and you can’t go into it. The bakery had a few muffins, chocolates and pastries but not a whole lot. What they really had a lot of was baking utensils. They have absolutely everything you could possibly need to cook including not only the utensils but the flour, spices, extracts, chocolate and any other ingredient needed in cooking. They even have mixes of muffins, cakes, breads and cookies. Prices are on the high side but I’m sure there isn’t anything you couldn’t find if you needed it.
Littleton, New Hampshire Pictures
Littleton is a decent size vibrant city. There are beautiful Victorian style homes, lots of shops and restaurants. We parked at a store and bakery down by the river, which is a beautiful cascading water over large rocks. There is a covered pedestrian bridge crossing the river to the Senior Center. Today there was a flea market going on. They had all kinds of handywork, produce, jams and jellies, artists and crafts. The town was very busy with people walking around everywhere. Every store was open and there is a real variety of merchandise and felt very vibrant and friendly. Littleton also has a candy store called Chutters, that is in the Guinness Book of World Records as having the World’s longest candy counter. It really is a counter loaded with jars of candy that runs for 112 feet, the length of the store. The jars are filled with all kinds of candy. What a sight!
Clark’s Trading Post Pictures
Clarks Trading is an amusement and entertainment park. They have a train ride, trained bears, a small town with all kinds of old trucks, etc. We showed up just in time for the train ride on the White Mountain Central Railroad. The train is steam powered and goes along a track across the front of the park, through a 1904 covered bridge and along the Pemigewasset River. Along the way we entered Wolfman’s territory, a shabby, smelly, long bearded guy in a weird car. He carries a shotgun and drives along the train route shooting at us and complaining we were trespassing. They say he thinks we are going to take over his mines. The train goes about a mile, stops and backs up to go back to the station only to be shot at again by the Wolfman. We then watched the bear show. Two bears performed today. One was 374 pounds and the other was 434 pounds. They usually have five to seven bears that perform and they take such good care of them that they live into their twenties. In fact, one bear lived to the age of 38 years old where in the wild they only live for 4 years. The bears, raided a tent, garbage can, walked across a board, rolled atop a large ball and barrel, shot hoops, swung on a swing and rode a scooter; all this for a tablespoon of ice cream. The Clark family has been training bears for these shows for the past sixty years. We then walked through the rest of the park. They have an Old Man in the Mountain ¼ scale rock climbing wall, water blaster boats, Merlin’s mystical mansion haunted house, a house of optical illusion and a Segway park where you can try your luck on the Segway human transporter. The rest of the park are buildings set up as an old town with the town garage, ice cream parlor, an Americana Museum that contains all kinds of early artifacts and a 1884 fire station with an old hook and ladder and other horse-drawn fire engines. They also have a gift shop, candle shop and an old photo parlor. Interesting place.
Pennsylvania - September, 2009
Hobbie, Pennsylvania (no pictures)
September 25, 2009
We drove the back roads back to I-81. It was a nice ride except for the two cows that looked at us like we were from outer space, the dog that ran out almost in front of us, the bridge in town that was only one lane and really tight because a blacktopping machine was on it, our alarm clock going off and our smoke detector going off scaring us half to death. Then when we got to the Pennsylvania Turnpike there was no person in the toll booth and I only had a $20; they only use machines. Jack pushed the button to talk and fortunately a guy came over but he had to go get change. We spent a couple of days visiting with Jack’s aunt and uncle, Ralphene & Dick.
Bloomsburg Fair (no pictures)
This place is huge and they have everything. There are rides for the kids, crafts, vendors both outside and inside buildings, 4-H clubs, industrial machines, tractors, trailers, cars and animals. We walked through dozens of food vendors and Dick said that’s way he doesn’t usually come because he eats his way through the fair. You would gain 50 pounds if you stopped at every food vendor. Today was Senior Day and all those 65 or older got in for free and there were hundreds of seniors among the thousands of people there. We walked our feet off trying to look at everything but it was a good day.
Ronks, Pennsylvania Pictures
September 29, 2009
We spend the next three weeks enjoying the countryside, eating good Amish food and visiting with friends. Jack’s “girls” came up for a weekend and we all had a ball. We went to the Pumpkin Patch for everyone’s supply of pumpkins, to the Farmer’s Market and played games til 2 AM. Needless to say we also ate good and lots of it at Miller’s Smorgasbord. We all got the full buffet and were there for almost three hours! We talked, ate, talked, ate, talked and ate. My sister and husband came up for a surprise visit and other friends, Sandy and Picket came up for a couple of days. We had a great time showing them around.
National Christmas Museum Pictures
We took my sister and husband to this place and as I took a picture of them on the steps Santa Bill showed up. Santa Bill is the Santa at the museum. After talking to him for a few minutes we went inside. The first display, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus”, a display of the child’s letter sent to Santa Claus, tells you a little about the museum and leaves you to take the tour yourself. They have streets of memories where the display cabinets contain all kinds of ornaments, toys, candles and Christmas stuff ever. There are antiques, Christmas around the world, Santa’s North Pole Workshop, a 1950’s Woolworth’s 5 & 10, a pathway through Tudor Towne with animated figures of woodland animals as they hear about Christmas and Father Christmas who visits Tudor Towne. There are Christmas trees, an entire room that’s under a Christmas tree with several train displays and Nativities from around the world. We spent two hours looking at everything and Dolores and Joe just loved it.
Halloween Day at the Campground Pictures
Flory's Campground, Ronks, Pennsylvania
I offered my help if they needed it and was asked to be a judge for the Halloween costume contest so at 4 PM I went up to the rec. hall to wait for all the costumed kids to show up. There were at least eight young kids all dressed in costume and fifteen teens to adults all dress as well. I was surprised to see so many adults dressed. Lou had also asked two other women to help judge, thank goodness, so I wasn’t alone. They set up three chairs in front of all the costumed contestants. After they all paraded around the campground the three of us had to choose two winners out of the kids and two out of the teens and adults. Let me tell you, it was difficult. They all looked really good. We actually picked two winners out of the kids and three for the adults; one teen as Alfalfa, a couple that were fat security guards and a family of nine that dressed as Snow White, her Prince and the seven dwarfs. Of course everyone got a prize and the winners got $10 in quarters for the game room and 100 points. I don’t know what the points were for but I guess it’s for the game room too. By 5:50PM when all the games were done it was getting really cold. They are having a Blue Grass band coming in for tonight at 7PM but I for one won’t be there. It is going to be in the 50’s by that time and I don’t like Blue Grass that much to stand in the cold to hear it.
Georgia - October, 2009
Antebellum Plantation – Ghost Tour All Pictures (Ghost Tour, Stone Mountain, Laser Show, Carillion Bells)
Stone Mountain, Georgia October 22, 2009
We saw three deer run across the road and jump over the fence on our way there. They were beautiful and large. We also stopped along the way to take pictures of the most red and pretty trees lining the walkway that we’ve ever seen and it made a great picture with the mountain in the background. For $14 each they take a group of ten people at a time walking along the pathways in front of the buildings and stop at each where a costumed volunteer tells a scary story. We walked through the large house at the Plantation out to the summer porch for another story. We stopped eight times and heard eight stories and ended up in the gift shop. Jack also bought me a little ghost that flashes different color lights when turned on.
Stone Mountain, Georgia - Stone Mountain
October 23, 2009
Today is cool right now at 10 AM and supposed to get up to 70 degrees or so. We took a drive along the Stonewall Jackson Drive for as far as we could. The bridge was washed out somewhere along the road but we were stopped before we could get there. We turned around and went passed the campground back to the Stone Mountain Inn and the Mountain View Restaurant for lunch. We sat at the windows looking out at Stone Mountain. We then went back to the Robert E. Lee Blvd. as far as we could to the circle around the Quarry Exhibit and Griss Mill, turned around and drove back to the Memorial Hall and skyride area. We walked through the gift shop and into the Memorial Hall. In front of the Hall where people sit to watch the laser show was a large wooden ramp thing that’s some kind of show slide to open in December. We did watch a free film about the carving of the mountain. One man designed the carving and invented the way to do it but two others continued the work over a period of 30 years. It was changed three times. We rode all the way around the mountain on Robert E. Lee Blvd. and stopped to take a few more pictures of those red trees. I saw the Confederation Hall we passed earlier and decided to take a look. The walking trail up the mountain starts here and we walked a few hundred yards up the mountain but hadn’t planned to go to the top, especially not as the sky ride was closed due to rain and it was a mile to the top. Inside the Confederation Hall we walked through the gift shop into a pictorial walkway of how Stone Mountain was formed. We also watched a movie about the Civil War in Georgia. We took a ride on the Stone Mountain Scenic Train. It's a 1940's train and goes five miles around the mountain. Views of the mountain was obscured by shrubs and trees but it was a nice ride.
We went back to the park the next day and found out we really didn’t need tickets or pay to come into the park. You only pay if you wanted to go on the train, attend any shows or go to the museum and Plantation Hall. We wanted to see the shows so we bought tickets. We walked from one end of the park to the other. The 4D show was Journey to the Center of the Earth and with the 3D glasses it was pretty good subjecting to light sprays of water, moving chairs, air blowing in our face or on the back of your neck and blinking lights. There were a few kids crying after the air hit them. We all fell down several holes to the Center of the Earth, were chased by dinosaurs and blown up a hole back to the surface.
Laser Show - Laser Show
Stone Mountain, Georgia
When the time came to go to the laser show we were almost tempted to stay put because the temperature had dropped to 50 degrees. I wasn’t about to get cold sitting out there for an hour so I put on my green winter jacket over my hooded jacket. I may have looked like a baby whale but I was warm. We also took two blankets and found a spot along the stone wall. The show had a lot of lasers making cartoons, pictures and a tribute to Georga’s athletes. The best laser completed the carving by adding the legs of the horses and galloping across the mountain. All this was followed by fireworks. The show was excellent.
Carillion Bells - Carillion Bells
Stone Mountain, Georgia
The woman was just starting when we walked up. She asked if we had a favorite and naturally Jack told her “I’m proud to be an American” and “Wind under my Wings”. She played them both. We walked the pathway down to the bell tower and sat down on a bench enjoying the music. We asked her if she played any military songs and told us to come back the next day she would play them all because she just loved playing them. We drove back to the Carillion Bells to hear the military melodies the next day. It took a good twenty minutes to play them all. The bells are really pretty and we thanked the woman for playing them who thanked us for coming back.
Great Pumpkin Puppet Parade - Carillion Bells
Kids of all ages dressed in costumes, some holding scarecrows and everyone walked up and down the road from one end to the other. Afterwards they gave prizes to the ten best costumes and three judges picked the best three. We agreed with the first and second runner ups but the winner was a teen who was a lemon and not very inventive, we thought. The kids were really cute in costumes of a queen, pirates, bears, monkeys, tigers and just about everything else. Continuing our walk we saw face painting, hair design where the little girls had their hair pinned up with ribbons, stars and glitz. They also had a pumpkin party where you could buy a pumpkin for $7 and paint it and listen to a story teller. They also had a Tub of Suds that the kids had a ball playing in covering themselves in soap suds. In the back of the park there’s an adventure course where you are harnessed and have to walk along wooden and rope bridges hanging in the air. We then walked over to the “Barn” where for a fee, unless you have a wrist band, can go in to play. All the kids shoot balls out of machines, throw balls and try to hit targets or baskets to get points and fill up a large tank that apparently releases thousands of rubber balls to start all over again.
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​Perry, Georgia (no pictures)
October 28, 2009
We stopped to see my brother, Al and his wife, Sylvia. He now has a full beard and mustache that’s so full you can’t even see his mouth. That’s a really different look for my brother. One morning we saw something we never saw before. The couple next to us has a fifth-wheel and getting ready to leave, the guy had his wife back the truck up to the fifth-wheel to hook it up while he stood on a ladder leaning over the bed of the truck flipping the lever. He had his body and head between the truck and fifth-wheel and Jack commented that he hoped the fifth-wheel or truck didn’t come up or down because it would crush him. He was also flipping the lever more than Jack thought he should be. He finished hooking it up, put up his leveling jacks and pulled the truck forward. The next thing we knew, the fifth-wheel came crashing down on the truck’s bed and really dented the side rails of the truck. The fifth-wheel apparently wasn’t locked in and it came out of the hitch and dropped onto the bed of the truck. Boy was the guy mad and we couldn’t blame him. He walked around scratching his head and yelling at his wife. After a while he put the jacks back down on the fifth-wheel to raise it up and checked out the damage. He finally hooked it back up again. He pulled the truck forward a few inches and back again to test the lock on the hitch. He was satisfied it was locked so he put up the jacks again but both sat in the truck for twenty minutes afraid to move. He finally did drive away and this time the fifth-wheel followed him. We never saw that before and don’t care to see it again.
Back Home in Florida
November 1, 2009
We cleaned out the tanks real good and filled them with water and bleach to give them a really good cleaning on the way home. We left and let the tanks clean them along the way. We went to the Orange City RV Park for the night so we could go home and start things up again. The next day we pulled our motor home back into the compound. We are home again. In another few weeks we’ll start planning our 2010 trip.