Summer Travels
2015
click on state for write-ups and pictures
Pennsylvania - May
Ronks, PA
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Strasburg, PA
​Strasburg Railroad
Pennsylvania - September
Ronks, PA
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Lancaster, PA
Rubber Ducky Race
Gap, PA
Hot Air Balloons
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Lake Ontario
Video
Cape Vincent
​ War of 1812 - Reenactment
War of 1812 - (Video)
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Willington, CT
Willington Pizza
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Danville, VT
Vermont Great Corn Maze
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East Hardwick
Perennial Pleasures Nursery & Tea
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Marshfield, VT
Berry picking
Martin Covered Bridge
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St. Johnsbury​
​ Dog Chapel
Walking trails
Maple Creemie Taste Testing
At Campground
Water Wars
Christmas in July
Frozen T-Shirt Contest
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Stowe
Von Trapp Lodge Resort
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Waterbury
Ben & Jerry Ice Cream Factory
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Bangor
Cole Land Transportation Museum
Stephen King's House
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Bar Harbor, ME
Windjammer Cruise
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Boothbay, ME
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Camden, ME
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Eastport, ME
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Ellsworth, ME
Downeast Scenic Railroad
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Rockport, ME
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Newburyport, MA
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Campello Island
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We are "On the Road Again"
May13, 2015
We packed up our motor home and headed out on our summer travels. So far our travels have been uneventful which is good. Only once did we run into traffic but we never stopped, just drove very slow. We are in Wade, North Carolina and we've managed to miss all the rain. Temperatures here are in the 70s making it great for sleeping.
South of the Border as we passed.
Pennsylvania - May 2015
In Pennsylvania All Pictures (Memorial Day in campground, Amish Farm
May 22, 2015
We are now in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. We will be enjoying the Amish countryside and great Amish food for the next three weeks. Hope Everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend.
Strasburg Railroad Pictures
Strasburg, PA - June 7, 2015
Our girlfriend, Sue, came up for the weekend and we went to the Strasburg Railroad. This is a museum with the real BIG trains. They have over a hundred trains, inside and outside on display. There are displays, pictures and a history of trains. It's fascinating to walk among these giants.
June 12, 2015 Video of Lake Ontario
We traveled through Pennsylvania into New York stopping at a campground that had a frog made out of tires and really cute and another with a beautiful lake surrounded by the seasonal trailers and a campground on the shores of Lake Ontario where we met with friends and watched the sunset. I also made a video of Lake Ontario
We then went to Clayton, NY where I visited the vineyards of Coyote Moon, bought my supply of wine and walked around town.
Frog made with tires, really cute Read the sign
See I told you wine was good
Beautiful Bed & Breakfast across from the waterfront
Frog made with tires, really cute Read the sign
Click on picture
New York - June 2015
Cape Vincent, New York
Reenactment of the War of 1812 Pictures Video
Cape Vincent, New York - June 27, 2015
We stayed in a campground in Clayton on the St. Lawrence River in the Thousand Island area. I got more of my favorite wine from Coyote Moon and walked around the town. One day we drove into Cape Vincent to watch the Reenactment of the War of 1812. Down at the dock, the tall ship called Fair Jeanne picked up the British troops and set sail into the harbor. This ship was going to be used as the invading British ship during the reenactment. Just up from the dock was the encampment grounds with dozens of white tents set up to demonstrate life of the soldiers. There were demonstrations of cooking, sewing, a doctor’s tent and General’s tents. There was an artillery demonstrations of muskets and a cannon. Dozens of "Living Historians" walked around dressed in authentic uniforms of the American forces, British forces and Indian forces. Yes there was a tent for the Mohawk Indian Chief, Joseph Brant who fought with the British dressed to the hilt with red face and all. There was also a British cannon on display that was one of two found at the bottom of the St. Lawrence River in 1962.
This cannon was built in 1668, allocated to New York, captured by the French, recaptured by the British and subsequently sunk in a battle for Carleton Island, Cape Vincent in 1809. It was discovered by two scuba divers and is now displayed at the Canadian War Museum Ottawa, Ontario. It was fun talking to the enactors, in fact we talked to one guy who was a Major and who collects artifacts, participates in many reenactments and even gives lectures on the wars. He was very interesting and explained that most people don’t even think the War of 1812 was important but in fact, established Canada and the United States as forces to be reckoned with. We also saw a group of “Pirates” walking around and asked what they had to do with the War of 1812. After laughing, he said they were here “just to have fun”. This is the third year for the reenactment and thought they would add something different.
We had time before the reenactment started so we went to the restaurant across the street and while there the group of Pirates came in. They were loud and acted just like Pirates but turns out they are a singing group and performing at the restaurant that night. The guys and gals were dressed like Pirates, drinking beer and treated us all to a song; and they were pretty good. I walked over and asked if I could take a picture, they held up their mugs to accommodate me. Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!
Once back at the grounds, we walked over to the docks to wait for the reenactment to start. As we waited for the British ship to arrive, a guy stood next to the cannon and started to explain the differences in the uniforms and the different divisions participating in the reenactment. It was the same guy we were talking to. He told us about the green coats or riflemen, the blue coats or artillery, those in civilian clothing who were called “Civitia or Militia” troops, the blue jacketed “regular” soldiers, the grey coat roundabouts and the guy in a white coat which was the summer uniform and of course the red coats, the British. He also described the reenactment as it progressed.
The first ship, called a sloop, sailed up to the dock and fighting began with musket and cannon fire from the British troops and returned by the American troops, both were very loud. Then the British ship (tall ship Fair Jeanne) sailed into the port and offloaded more British soldiers. Both the British and American troops lined up shoulder to shoulder exchanging fire every few feet. The British troops would fire and while they reloaded, the American troops would fire. They continued this process until the British advanced up the dock onto the green square. Fighting continued this way on the green until the American troops finally pushed the British troops off the green and back to the docks. The generals of both sides met and the British conceded a defeat. Everyone cheered. It was fun to watch but really slow waiting for each side to load their muskets and waiting for the other side to do the same. It’s so hard to imagine men lined up shoulder to shoulder, walking directly toward the enemy and firing. I just can’t imagine fighting this way but that’s how they fought back then. Oh, there were three causalities, one British. After the reenactment, kids were given a chance to fall into formation, shoulder a wooden musket and follow orders of their commanding officer; they had a ball. We had a good time and very interesting.
July 5, 2015
Well I played bingo all week at the Mohawk Casino & Bingo Hall in Hogansburg, NY and didn't win anything. Naturally I was close and waited for one number but it never showed; close in bingo doesn't mean anything. I did however, do okay at the slots. In fact I played one machine that I thought I was set for life when I got not one but two screens with all the same symbol. Now usually payout for five of a symbol is anywhere from 100 to 5000 credits BUT NOT THIS ONE! It paid 50 credits for $50 and the other paid 70 credits for $70. I should have looked before I played. Oh well, I made back what I spent.
click to enlarge
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Vermont - July 2015
St. Johnsbury, Vermont
Dog Mountain Pictures
St. Johnsbury, Vermont - July 8, 2015
We continued our travels around Lake Champlain to St. Johnsbury, Vermont. We are here for the next three weeks and have since met our neighbors who haven't been here before so we are showing them around. They are also from Florida and just love playing Pegs & Jokers. We took them to the Dog Chapel the other day so check out some pictures.
At our campground; water wars; walking trails with Jane Time with Jane
July 18, 2015
Our neighbor, Jane has got me walking through St. Johnsbury and on trails through the forest. We have walked 2 to 3 miles each day until today because it is raining. I must admit I do feel pretty good afterwards, especially if we stop for lunch. The time goes by so fast because we talk the whole time. We also went through the Fairbanks Museum and she joined in a thing called Water Wars in the campground. Several people participated and everyone got totally soaked. Boy did they have fun.
We have spent over a month here at the Moose River Campground in St. Johnsbury, Vermont and have left to continue into Maine. The time has really flown by and I am sad to leave. We have met a wonderful couple, Jane and Greg, who soon became best of friends. We taught them how to play Pegs & Jokers and now love it as much as we do. Jane and I have had a ball beating them (actually they won more times than we did, but it was still fun). Jane and I have become new best friends and just clicked. Jane's a walker and she soon got me walking two to three miles a day on trails around town. We also spent days together sightseeing, touring and doing our own survey on "who has the best maple creemies (maple ice cream, yummm). Most days we laughed so hard our sides hurt. Thanks guys for the great food and loads of laughs. We will miss you both and I will definately miss my NBF but we are looking forward to seeing you again in Florida.
Read below to see some of the stuff we did while here.
Christmas in July at our campground Pictures
St. Johnsbury, VT - July 25, 2015
The campground celebrated Christmas in July. A few rigs decorated for Christmas, but we don't carry Christmas stuff so we decorated in Halloween in July getting some neat comments. The campground decorated around the entrance and put lights on the large pine tree making it look really pretty and even had a Moose tree topper. We were visited by Santa Clause riding in on a motorcycle. At night a three piece band played and everyone enjoyed the music around a huge bonfire.
Raspberry & Blueberry Picking Pictures
Marshfield, VT - July 26, 2015
Our neighbors, Jane & Greg wanted to go pick raspberries and blueberries at a farm about a half hour from the campground and asked if I wanted to go along. Of course I would. The farm has rows and rows of raspberry vines and blueberry vines. We grabbed two flats of pint baskets and headed out to the fields. The owner showed us where to pick and how to pick them by holding the stem with one hand and the berry with the other then twist or pull very delicately to release it from the stem leaving the middle behind. It was really fun and not as messy as I thought it would be (no juice on shirts at all). Jane and I picked five pints of raspberries and Greg picked four pints of blueberries all by himself. Now we have fresh, organic berries for cereal and to be topped with whipped cream. Yummmmm.
Von Trapp Lodge Resort Pictures
Stowe, Vermont - July 28, 2015
Jane and I drove into Stowe, Vermont to tour the Von Trapp Lodge. We parked at the lodge and walked through the gardens. Beautiful flowers everywhere and the views are awesome. Inside the lodge we saw a Von Trapp Family History Tour just starting so we went next door to the Outdoor Center, got our tickets and joined the tour. We went inside a large tent where a woman was talking about the history of the family. Maria Kutschera was an orphan and brought up as an atheist. One day she attended a church service thinking it was a musical program and was so taken by the priest and his message that she decided to live her life in a convent to honor God and pay penance for her passed life. Captain Georg Von Trapp went to the convent to request a tutor for his one daughter who had scarlet fever and the nuns sent Maria under contract for ten-months to return to the convent afterwards. She immediately fell in love with the children and the children grew to love her, in fact, so much so that they didn’t want her to go back to the convent at the end of her contract so they decided the only way was to have their father marry her so she could stay. When asked this of the father, he said, “I’m not sure she even cares for me”. The children immediately asked Maria if she cared for their father. What could Maria say to all the children but “of course I do.” Back to the father they told him, “of course she does” so he asked her to marry. Marie, not knowing what God wanted, went back to the convent and asked the nuns. When she returned to Captain Von Trapp, he said: “Well?” She responded by saying “They said I have to marry you”. They were married in 1927. Maria introduced the children to singing and soon they were singing for friends. The priest, Reverend Franz Wasner became their musical director and in 1936 they entered the Salzberg Music Festival and won first place. They started singing throughout Austria as the Von Trapp Family Singers and became so popular it attracted the attention of Adolf Hitler. They abhorred the Nazi regime and when ordered to fly the Nazi flag over their home and perform for Hitler’s 50th birthday, they refused. Knowing their defiance of Hitler’s orders, they had no choice but to escape. They filled their rucksacks, walked to the train depot and escaped into Italy by train. Their fame had them performing all over Europe and even the United States. The Von Trapp family purchased 2,400 acres in Stowe, Vermont and built their home, now the Trapp Family Lodge, and had more children for a total of ten. Captain Georg Von Trapp died in 1947 and Maria continued to run the Lodge and perform with the family until 1955 when they stopped performing. The lodge opened as a resort in 1950 run by Johannes Von Trapp, youngest son to Georg and Maria Von Trapp then burned to the ground on December 20, 1980. A new Austrian-style lodge with 93 rooms was built and opened in 1983. Today the lodge is owned by Sam Von Trapp, Maria's grandson. Sam and his wife are expecting their first child and hope to carry on the Von Trapp name.
After listening to the woman in the tent we walked up to the cemetery. The cemetery is a beautiful small garden with pansies over each grave with a beautiful carved iron marker. Maria Von Trapp died in 1987 at the age of 99-1/2. We then walked into the Lodge and watched a film done by Marie talking about her life and the life of the Von Trapp family. She saw the movie, Sound of Music and said she liked it except Julie Andrews was nicer than she was and MOST was true. After the film, Sam Von Trapp came in to answer any questions we had. He and his wife live on the property and his two sisters and a cousin help give tours, lectures and answer questions. In the hallway are pictures of the family singing, working the farm and building the house.
The Von Trapps never saw much of the huge profits The Sound of Music made. Maria sold the film rights to German producers and inadvertently signed away her rights in the process.
We thought we would walk up to the Chapel but it was a quarter mile, or a 25 minute walk, up the hill. Well it was now sunny and 80 some degrees so we didn’t need to see it that bad! We decided to drive down to the Bakery/Brewery and eat lunch. The views were awesome and they serve traditional German-Austrian style lagers.
Frozen T-Shirt Contest at our campground Frozen T-Shirt Contest
St. Johnsbury, Vermont - August 1, 2015
The campground had a frozen T-shirt contest. I went down with my camera to see what was going on. It wasn't what you would think. Three guys, Roy an older guy and two young boys were given a block of ice with a t-shirt inside. Each had been put in a container of water and frozen. They had to “thaw” the t-shirt and put it on. The three guys tried throwing them on the ground, holding them against their bodies for the warmth, blowing on them and even sitting on them. After about ten minutes the skies opened up and the rain came pouring down. Hey, they were already wet from the frozen shirts anyway so they just kept on going, rain and all. They kept trying to keep their hands warm because not only did the temperature drop but the rain was really cold. Roy won in 28 minutes and 34 seconds time then helped the others. All three had such a hard time getting the third thawed, they started banging it on the bench (which was not legal) and put all kinds of holes in it and it was new when they started. Finally all three were able to put the shirts on. Then, the sun came out and it was a beautiful day. It definitely helped to warm them up.
Waterbury, Vermont
Ben & Jerry Ice Cream Factory Pictures
Waterbury, Vermont - July 28, 2015
We then left Von Trapp Lodge and drove down Rt. 100 to Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory about 20 minutes away in Waterbury, Vermont. Jane was here before but missed the Flavor Cemetery so we walked up the hill. She thought the gravestones were so funny and a great idea. We were going to get an ice cream but the line was way too long so we left. We did pass a place advertising Maple Creamies (maple ice cream) so we stopped for a cone. Boy is this stuff good. Yummmmy.
Marshfield, Vermont
Martin Covered Bridge
Marshfield, Vermont - July 28, 2015
Martin’s Bridge, a 44-foot long covered bridge, was built by Marshfield builders for Harry Martin and his son who owned adjacent land separated by the Winooski River. It was uncommon for a covered bridge to be built solely to provide agricultural access to private farm land and not built by a town or state. Martin’s Bridge is the only original covered access bridge left in Vermont. It is also distinctive with its tall and narrow shape. This allowed passage of horse drawn hay wagons piled high with loose hay. It also survived the state-wide floods of 1927 that destroyed 1,200 bridges throughout Vermont.
44 foot long covered bridge built for the sole purpose of connecting father's and son's land. Only covered bridge built for the sole purpose of agricultural use for a private land owner
Unique feature is the height of bridge to allow horse drawn hay wagons piled with loose hay to go through
Other side of bridge looking at the Winooski River
44 foot long covered bridge built for the sole purpose of connecting father's and son's land. Only covered bridge built for the sole purpose of agricultural use for a private land owner
Click on picture to view
St. Johnsbury, Vermont
Maple Creamie Taste Testing Pictures
St. Johnsbury, Vermont - August 5, 2015
Jane and I walked 3.16 miles this morning then did a Maple Creamie run. Vermont is famous for maple flavored ice cream called Maple Creamies (may also be spelled creemee's) and Jane had some one day and told me how good it was so we decided to find out who around town had the best. Some farms make their own and others sell from a manufacturer that use either real maple syrup or maple flavoring. We went to four ice cream shops and rated each as we gobbled up their maple creamies. We had to ask for a “baby” size cup with two spoons because going to four places eating ice cream is a lot of ice cream even when you walk 3.16 miles beforehand. We rated each from one to five on both texture and flavor. Our first stop was at The Father’s Daughter Gift & Antique store that sells ice cream. The Maple Creamie is from Kingdom Ice Cream Co. It was very smooth with good flavor and cost $1.75. We gave it a 3 texture, 4 flavor. We next stopped at the Maple Grove Farms where they make their own. It was icy and light on maple flavoring and cost $2. We gave it a 2 texture, 3 flavor. We then moved on to The Milk House Ice Cream Shop. This place is always packed and the ice cream is made by Gifford’s Ice Cream Co. The texture was grainy and it didn’t have much of a maple flavor. They also charge you an extra 50 cents for that maple flavoring and cost $2.45. We gave it a 2 texture, 2 flavor and threw it away. Our last stop was at Abbi’s Ice Cream. This is a maple farm that makes their own maple syrup but started selling ice cream about five years ago. The ice cream is made by Kingdom Ice Cream Co. and made with maple syrup. The ice cream was very smooth and had a strong maple flavor and cost $2 in a cone. Abbi’s was our winner. Not only are the maple creemies super good but you can sit outside under a tree to enjoy it and the people are really friendly. We had a ball and boy are our bellies full.
Maine - August 2015
Bangor, Maine
Cole Land Transportation Museum Pictures
August 11, 2015
Our drive into Maine was very bumpy, the roads were not very good but we made it and didn’t have any mishaps or broken dishes (paper doesn’t break). We stopped in Herman, Maine about six miles from Bangor. While there we went to the Cole Land Transportation Museum. This museum was built as a tribute to Maine’s land transportation pioneers who’s work cleared and reshaped the land and constructed the highways and rail lines beyond the seacoast. They have over 200 vehicles and 2,000 photos. There are horse drawn equipment, snow removal equipment, firefighting equipment, vintage automobiles and railroad memorabilia. They even have a large display of Cole’s line of freight hauling rigs. I’ve never seen so many snowplows and other construction equipment like this before. It was interesting We also drove into town and tried our luck at the Hollywood Casino. We play penny machines and Jack was doing just that when he got up from one and sat down at the next machine and pressed the “max.” button. As he saw the credits disappear, he realized it was not a penny machine but a dollar machine! Fortunately, he hit a good roll on the first spin and won $640. He cashed out and made it a point to check the denomination from then on. Luck like that won’t happen twice. A 31-foot statue of legendary lumberjack Paul Bunyan still stands tall over what was once the “Lumber Capital of the World.” In the 1830s, the city was home to more than 300 sawmills, and you can still see the Federal-style mansions constructed during the lumber boom in the Broadway region.
Eastport, Maine Pictures
August 18, 2015
We went on another bumpy ride along SR-9. We stayed at the Seaview Campground overlooking Passamaquoddy Bay and Grand Manan Channel and our site was the last site before the water. The views are awesome and we look across the bay to Campobello Island and Deer Island in Canada. The weather inland was in the 80’s but here it’s 78 or cooler with a wonderful breeze coming off the cool water. The campground also has a restaurant with specials and the food is pretty good. We only had to walk up the hill to eat. Eastport is the furthest most city in the United States meaning the sun’s morning rays touch land here before anywhere else in the U.S. The first morning there we woke up at 5:40 AM to a brilliant sun coming in the window. So I got up and took a picture of a beautiful orange sun just above the horizon reflecting across the water; beautiful. Of course I went back to bed afterwards but we saw the first rays of sun to touch the U.S. The rest of the seven days we were there the mornings were so foggy we couldn’t see the sun at all until 10:30 AM. The tides here are also impressive. The Bay of Fundy has 40 to 50 foot tides twice a day and the tides here are very close to that so the dock at the campground is a really long one. It’s fun watching the tides and walking on the bay floor at low tide.
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I heard they play bingo at the Youth Center and at the Passamaquoddy Indian Reservation so naturally I played there and I actually won more than I paid. The people were really nice and I sat next to a guy named Chip who said he was the reservation chief but retired two years ago. Ever hear an Indian named Chip? I also met a couple from Pembrook, ME who said they play there so I went there too. When I walked in, I thought one woman sitting at a table looked familiar but dismissed it until she came up to me with her husband. To my shock they were Russ and Muriel Leighton. They lived in our community in Florida before they went traveling in their motor home full time. Russ was the bingo caller. Pembrook was their home town and told me they decided to stop traveling, sold their motor home and bought a house here to retire. They even visited us at the campground to say Hi to Jack the next day. They haven’t changed at all and say Hi to everyone back in Florida.
There seem to be a lot of campers with dogs here. We’ve seen real little ones that can’t even walk the dock because their feet fall through the grids, another smaller dog sunning himself flat on his back and two large dogs that were tied to a picnic table and when they saw another dog they wanted to meet they just dragged the picnic table along in back of them. One camper had two really large black dogs the size of a small horse in a small camper. One thing I will say is that the barking wasn’t bad and it was very quiet at night. One night I thought I heard a blowing noise but it was too dark to see anything. The next day one guy asked me if I’ve seen any whales in the bay and said he saw some last week. I wonder if that blowing noise was a whale coming up the bay. We have enjoyed sitting at the water’s edge watching the boaters, the high and low tides, enjoying the views and cool breezes and meeting the people camping here.
We are now just outside of Bar Harbor. Boy what a busy place but more about that later.
Ellsworth, Camden, Rockport & Trenton, Maine Pictures
August 21, 2015
We left Eastport, Maine in the fog Friday morning to Trenton, Maine about six miles outside of Bar Harbor, Maine. There are five free “shuttle buses” called Island Explorer shuttles that go all around the Mount Desert Island and Bar Harbor so we stopped at the Visitor Center and got a schedule and waited. We had to wave so the driver would see us and pull over. This bus is the #1 Campground bus that stops at five campgrounds on the island before ending at the Village Green in Bar Harbor. This bus is the only one that comes up this far outside the Bar Harbor area; all others start and stop at the Village Green. It took us nearly 50 minutes to get there and the ride was terrible. It is NOT a luxury bus and the suspension was shot. The bus dropped us off at the Village Green and we walked over to an information center to get a map of town so we knew where we were. All the streets in town are crowded with cars and people and we were glad we didn’t drive down here. This place is full of shops and restaurants and it was packed. We walked up Main Street and down to the docks but the fog was so dense we couldn’t see anything and even the boat cruises were cancelled. After eating dinner we headed back up to the Village Green and caught the #1 Campground bus back to the Visitor Center. At least this time the driver asked if anyone was going to the next campground and didn’t stop if not. On our way back to the campground there was a break in the traffic and a small black bear ran across the road right in front of us. He really had it timed right because traffic was really heavy that day.
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We stayed in Rockport, Maine a couple of days. Rockport doesn’t have a main street or bayside town but just homes and some businesses around the Rockport Harbor. We also drove into Camden, Maine and parked along the street to walk around the shops. Camden is a pretty little town on the Camden Harbor that is just as busy as Bar Harbor. They have all kinds of shops and restaurants and a pretty park on the bay.
Downeast Scenic Railroad Pictures
Ellsworth, ME - August 21, 2015
One day we drove up to Ellsworth, Maine and took the Downeast Scenic Railroad. After boarding we sat in an open car with picnic tables with a nice couple from Ellsworth who for one reason or another hadn’t taken the ride before. The train is a vintage diesel electric engine pulling restored vintage coaches that goes through the Ellsworth area on a one and a half hour ride. We headed out riding through Ellsworth seeing mostly forest and stopped after 15 minutes. Then the engine uncoupled from the rest of the train, came passed us and hooked up again at the other end. It took longer to uncouple and hook back up than it did for the ride here. Once hooked up we rode passed the rail depot and further down the line through the “wet lands”. There are eagles and osprey but we only saw a few nests and a lot of bare trees. We slowed going by the Washington Junction Yard where old trains, train parts and old buildings sat under restoration. This time instead of unhooking and hooking up again, the train moved forward so far then backed up onto a secondary track and forward again onto the track we came up on making a three point turn. Once the entire train was back on the track, the switch was thrown and we headed back to the depot. The scenery wasn’t much but we enjoyed talking to the young couple.
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Bar Harbor, Maine Pictures
Windjammer Cruise
Bar Harbor, Maine - August 21-27, 2015
On Monday I went on a Windjammer Cruise out of Bar Harbor. This time we parked at the Visitor Center on the island and caught the Island Explorer #1 Campground shuttle to the Village Green. This way we only stopped once. One thing you have to watch is whether you are getting on the “inbound” or “outbound” bus. As we got on Jack asked if they were going to the Village Green and the driver said “what?” oh, yeah. After we sat down a woman asked us “did you say you wanted to go to the Village Green? we just came from there”. This was the outbound shuttle. We got off ASAP - There was no way we wanted to go all through the campgrounds again. Once on another #1 Campground bus we asked “are you going to the Village Green, NOW?” This time the answer was “Yes” so we sat down. Ten minutes later we were getting off at the Village Green. You really have to look at the schedules to make sure you get the right shuttle or ask if they are inbound or outbound BUT this is definitely the way to get downtown. Parking is at a real premium and you could be looking all day for a spot if you drive down. Anyway back to my windjammer cruise. The windjammer, called Margaret Todd, is a 151-foot 4-masted schooner. We boarded at 1:15 PM for a 2 PM cruise sitting at the dock 45 minutes before the captain told us the safety rules and pulling away from the dock. We were told we would sail among the Porcupine Islands of Frenchman’s Bay for about two hours. After we were out in the bay, the captain asked for volunteers to help hoist the sails then all four sails were fully raised, the engines were stopped and we were under sail. A Forest Ranger was on board and told us about the sea life, harbor seals, birds and information on the islands. We did see two birds related to the puffin and three harbor seals. We sailed past Sheep Porcupine Island, Burnt Porcupine Island and Long Porcupine Island to face Cadillac Mountain in the Arcadia National Park. Cadillac Mountain at 1,528 feet high and is the highest mountain in Hancock County and the highest within 25 miles of the shoreline in North America. Thousands of years ago it was a large volcano and Cadillac Mountain is what was left after it erupted. You could see the sun reflecting off the car windshields at the top making the island sparkle. We sat there for what seemed like an hour before turning around and sailing back toward the piers. Everyone I talked to felt like I did, I thought we would at least be under full sail and really sail around the islands, not just back and forth in front of them. They even recommended bringing sweaters and jackets because it can get cold out on the water but it was still 82 degrees and in full sun, it was hot. It was nice being on the water but looking at the same side of the same islands and waiting to see harbor seals is not my idea of sailing. I was really disappointed.
We are now in Boothbay, Maine, another small harbor side town with a pretty harbor and more laid back than Bar Harbor.
Boothbay, Maine Pictures
August 27, 2015
Once we were settled into our campsite, we found out the shuttle schedule and took it into downtown Boothbay. We found out the hard way that the shuttles only run until 5 PM so we had to drive our car downtown for dinner. We asked one driver what happens if you miss the 4:30 PM shuttle back to the campground and were told we would have to walk back or catch a taxi. At six plus miles, we sure didn’t want to do that. Boothbay isn’t as busy as Bar Harbor and parking wasn’t a problem. Boothbay is so much more laid back than Bar Harbor and much nicer to walk around looking in the shops. They don’t have as many shops but there’s no shortage of places to eat. They have a nice boardwalk, great shops and I really like the harbor views. Boothbay Fudge has a saltwater taffy machine that’s over 150 years old and still being used. You can watch them make the taffy and the machine wrap them. This machine feeds in the taffy, cuts it, pushes it into a wrapper and twists it to seal then drops it out into a bucket all in less than a second. I tried to take a picture of it but it was just too fast to catch.
We found a great sandwich place called the Bridge Street Café with good prices and even had a turkey and cranberry mayo just like that at Dylan’s in St. Johnsbury, VT, the only difference was Jane wasn’t here to share it with. We ate dinner at Kaler’s Crab & Lobster House getting Mary’s Lobster Pie (just all lobster in a Newburg sauce) that was really good. While we were enjoying our dinner we watched as a couple with two young children introduced them to whole lobster. The mother told us it should be fun to watch and it was. The parents had three whole lobsters in the center of the table and just let the kids have at it after showing them how to do it. The kids had a ball but dad had to finish the job. One day we stopped and had a hot dog at Dunton’s Doghouse, a small food truck. They are famous for their hot dogs and I wanted to try them. A hot dog is a hot dog. BUT they have all kinds of toppings and I had one with chili and cheese that was really good and I even bought some chili back. They also have burgers and seafood and Jack had a small order of fried shrimp and scallops that were delicious.
Back at the campground our poor neighbor was having a really bad day. First the hose came out of the pipe when he emptied his tanks so he had to clean that up, he had locked himself out of his fifth-wheel and forgot where he hid the spare key and he got so frustrated that he ran over the wooden structure holding the trash can with his truck when he left. It just wasn’t his day. Another neighbor pulled in with a “Retro” trailer. It is a small 50’s Retro that was brand new in red and white with wide white rim tires, really cute.
Massachusetts - August 2015
Newburyport, Massachusetts Pictures
August 29, 2015
We continued our travels into Salisbury, Massachusetts and took a ride downtown to Salisbury Beach. The main street is just one block long with the beach at the end and crammed with surf shops and fast food places on both sides of the street. We then drove south across the Merrimack River into Newburyport, New Hampshire. Several streets are lined with upscale shops, coffee shops and restaurants and a brick “pedestrian mall” with more shops is in the center of town. We walked around town looking in the shops and found a restaurant called “Loretta”. The owner told me it was named after his mother and when I told him that's my name also, he said he would give me a free dessert if I ate there. Wow, what a deal but we didn’t eat there. The marina is really pretty with a beautiful wooden boardwalk.
We will be leaving here and going into Connecticut. The weather has been great. We’ve missed most of the rain but it’s getting hotter, no more bay breezes.
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Connecticut - September 2015
Willington, Connecticut Pictures
September 1, 2015
Traveling down I-90 was bumpy and for a toll road was terrible. I-84 was better than the other roads, including the toll road. We stopped to get fuel at Pilot (six lanes) and had to wait longer than any other time since we have been traveling. We pulled into the campground and couldn’t find an office. A truck pulled up next to us and it was a young guy from the campground. The office was further up the road but it was locked and this young guy had to get the key so we could register. We were put on a site at the top of a hill with a 30-foot drop. The site is easy to get into and out of and right on the exit road and very few campers around us. The campground is a fair size with a large lake. Most sites are seasonal or weekenders and none have sewer. We set up and took a ride around to see what was around. There isn’t much and after driving what seemed like 20 minutes, we stopped at a small pizza place in Willington, CT that seemed to be a 50's type restaurant with its red and white tablecloths but had a bit of everything inside. I took a couple of pictures.
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Pennsylvania - September 2015
Ronks, Pennsylvania
September 10, 2015
We are now in Ronks, Pennsylvania in Amish country. We haven't done much sightseeing along the way but the drive was pleasant and the weather was good.
Rubber Duckie Race All Pictures (Rubber Duckie Race, Hot Air Balloons over campground)
Lancaster, PA - Sept. 12, 2015
On Sunday, Sept. 13th the Lancaster Central Park hosted the annual Rubber Duckie Race. Each year, usually in July, the Schreiber Pediatric Rehab Center holds the race to raise money to continue their work for kids with disabilities. They have all kinds of games for the kids, jumping houses, pony rides, face painting and bingo. We walked around watching the kids play some of the games, got cheeseburgers at the vendor truck and I played bingo and won three games. There were only about 12 people playing and I gave my prizes of stuffed teddy bears away to the kids that didn’t win. The duckie race was scheduled for 5 PM and people would purchase a “duckie” for $1 each and fill out a ticket and that ticket number would correspond to the number on a duckie that would be put in the Conestoga River. Kids would volunteer to stand in the river and catch them as they crossed the finish line. The winning duckie would win $1,000 gift certificate while the next nine would win various other prizes. The next 50 duckies would win a t-shirt and a coupon for a free Turkey Hill ice cream. BUT today the river was seven feet higher than normal and was running really fast so instead, they put all the tickets in a big bin and drew out the winners. We didn’t win anything and I was really disappointed not to see the rubber duckies floating down the river. They say it’s a real site.
Hot Air Balloons flying over campground Pictures
Then we got back to the motor home we spotted seven hot air balloons floating over the campground. They were just beautiful. We also went to an Amish benefit selling all kinds of stuff, including buggies. Our neighbor painted his Country Coach motor home himself in shades of purple to match his car. He was also part of an organization called Marriage Matters in Arizona. They hold sessions on marriage counseling, BUT purple?
October 1, 2015
We are still in Ronks, PA holding up in our motor home. It has been raining for days and now they expect Hurricane Joaquin to hit the east coast. Fortunately the latest forcasts predict it's path to go east and not hit land. We are still expecting high winds and plenty of rain so everyone is getting ready. Two weeks ago, the owner of the campground put up a lento and this week the rain was just too much for it and brought it down. Hope everyone stays safe and dry.
October 13, 2015
It's hard to believe we have been in Ronks, PA for over a month already. We are leaving tomorrow and heading to Charles Town, WV and then on to Natural Bridge, VA.
On Sunday I went to Meat Bingo and actually won four times. Do you believe it, four times. I got two packages of top round steaks which was 12 steaks and a package of chuck tender steaks that must have had at least 15 small steaks in it. The other game I won with another woman so they draw a number out of a barrel and the highest number gets the meat while the other person(s) get a $5 off ticket for the next meat bingo; I got the $5 ticket on that one. All that meat was just too much for us so we sold some to the campground owners.
The owner put up this lento but with all the rain we had it was just too much for the roof.
This club had 17 of these units in the campground. They even had guys selling them.
This is the other colt that didn't look to good six months ago but he seems to be just fine now.
The owner put up this lento but with all the rain we had it was just too much for the roof.
We have enjoyed our time here and are heading back home. For the past two weeks the weather has been cool and breezy with temperatures down into the 40's at night and up to the 60's during the day. Jack just loves it but I'm always under my snuggy.
Click on picture
It' time to head back to the warmth of Florida. I'm going to miss feeding the horse her apple. The other day she was in the barn and when we called her she came galloping out up to us. Even the Amish guy couldn't believe it. She sure likes those apples. I have added a few pictures of the lento with its damaged roof, the horses and the little Casita trailers that showed up one weekend. There were 17 of them.
Travels through Virginia Pictures
October 19, 2015
We left the Amish countryside and horse drawn buggies and drove through Virginia into West Virginia staying at the Hollywood Casino parking lot and back to Natural Bridge, Virginia. Camping without electric, water or sewer is "Boondocking" and that's what we did in the parking lot. Actually it's much like being in a campground except without any outside sources, our lights ran off the battery so we had lights, fresh water came from our own tank which we had enough of, and we didn't need the sewer. Our refrigerator, stove and heater runs on propane so we were fine there also. There were also no kids running around and we could walk to the casino. We spent a few hours there and even though we did do some winning, we left our contributions. By the time we came back to the parking lot there were eight more rigs all around us. Oh, without electric we couldn't use the microwave or watch TV but we also got around that by eating at the casino (even got a discount for using our points) and we watched movies on my computer but we had to pull our night shades all the way down to keep out the bright lights of the casino.
We stopped at the Natural Bridge KOA for the weekend and enjoyed watching kids and adults celebrate Halloween by decorating pumpkins and apples, winning prizes for their costumes and giving out candy for trick or treat. They also had a scream walk haunted trail but it was too dark and cold to get any pictures but the kids sure had fun.
I thought our drive through the Shenandoah Valley would be full of color leaves but most have gone from green to mustard yellow or brown with only a few trees of bright yellow or red and there are plenty of leaves on the ground. We are now in Max Meadows, Virginia and last night it went down to 31 degrees, brrrrrr. I thought heading south would be warmer...
Happy Halloween to all.....
Homeward bound
October 28, 2015
Well our travels have taken us from Natural Bridge, Virginia through Georgia and back into Florida. On our way we didn't do much except for checking out the local antique shops and eating at some interesting places. At one antique shop we were greeted by a beautiful friendly golden retriever. After commenting to the shop owner how friendly he was, she told us she thought he was our dog. The shop was next to a major highway and we all feared he might venture out and get hit. Fortunately, he had a collar and the shop owner called but there was no answer. She left a message and hopefully they came for him. We also ate at the place in Mooresville, North Carolina called Big Daddy's Restaurant & Seafood. The place had race cars on the roof and all kinds of pictures of Don Garlits and other racer drivers inside. I asked if the restaurant was affiliated with Big Daddy Don Garlits but the woman just gave me a blank stare and said it was only a theme; had she not heard of Big Daddy Don Garlits? We stopped in Perry, Georgia where we visited with family and almost met up with friends from New Jersey. I say almost because they were at the same campground on the same day we were but unfortunately we were gone all day and so tired when we got back, we didn't even check our emails to find out they were there. That's okay though because they are now here in Florida so we'll see them here. The weather has been good for our travels and we didn't run into any rain until we were twenty miles from home. We had to drive through a heavy downpour but just like Florida, wait ten minutes and the sun will come out. Actually, it was more like twenty.
So now we are unpacking the motor home and getting back into our Florida lifestyle. It's good to be home. Hope everyone has enjoyed our travels and had a good summer. Stay safe, keep in touch and hope you will follow along with us again next year.
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We are back home enjoying the warm weather and our Florida lifestyle.
We hope you have enjoyed traveling with us this past summer and plan to join us again next summer.
Our warm wishes for a great winter, a wonderful Christmas and joyous New Year.
Loretta & Jack