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| Ready to Go! |
March/April 2018
As the Willie Nelson song
says, we are “On the road again…” And this time we are definitely ON THE ROAD
and not on the water. In early December
we purchased a 26’ Freelander Coachman “class C” motor home. In February we bought our tow car, a 2013
Honda Fit (now known as Cherry), equipped with a Blue Ox tow package. Our plan
for the summer/fall of 2018 is to visit the 7 National Parks located east of
the Mississippi, catch-up with friends and relatives along the way, and spend
time in New England to enjoy the beautiful fall foliage that we have missed
during the past ten years. We plan to
return to Okeechobee for a few weeks in December/January and then continue our
parks tour by heading west in February of 2019.
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| Our First Official National Park |
After organizing, packing
and provisioning At Last, too, we left Okeechobee on March 2, 2018 to begin our
National Parks tour and arrived at the Homestead Entrance to the Everglades
National Park. Since we have National
Park Senior Passes, purchased for $20 each, our entrance fee of $25 was waived
and the charge for our campsite at the Long Pine Key Campground was ½ price,
only $10/night…quite the bargain even if there was no electricity or
water. We could now officially check off
this park on our RV Touring Map. We had
previously toured the Everglades with Nathan during one of his holiday visits,
so we only stayed one night.
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| Relaxing at Long Pine Key Campground |
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| YUM! |
Our next destination was the
Dry Tortugas. Our plan was to stay at
Boyd’s, a private campground in Key West.
Many of the state parks in this area were still not open due to the
damage caused by Hurricane Irma in the fall of 2017. Boyd’s was expensive and the sites were extremely
close to one another. However, we did
not spend much time there.
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Beautiful colored water
7-Mile Bridge heading for Key West |
The first
day, we took the ferry to the Dry Tortugas and enjoyed a wonderful day on an
amazing island. (Unfortunately, we lost the photos of this section of our trip when Dave's cell phone took a dive into Taylor Creek at home.
“The Dry Tortugas, meaning turtles in Spanish, is
located 68 miles west of Key West, in the Gulf of Mexico. The waters are crystal clear and the marine
life and flocks of seabirds are abundant.
Fort Jefferson, the largest all-masonry fort in the US, is located on
Garden Key, one of the park’s tiny islands.
The fort was huge, with room for 1500 soldiers and the capability to
withstand a one-year siege. Construction
continued through the Civil War until the US Army abandoned the fort in
1874. The fort was never officially
finished. Its structure had settled into
the fine sand more than had been expected and there were fears that adding more
bricks and heavy cannons would cause the mammoth structure to sink. The fort, however, was not considered to be a
waste. Even though a shot was never
fired from its cannons, the fort’s mere presence helped prevent foreign
aggression. During the Civil War and for
a decade after, the fort served as a prison.
Its most famous prisoner was Samuel Mudd, the doctor who set the broken
leg of John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of Abraham Lincoln. In 1935 President Franklin D. Roosevelt
declared Dry Tortugas a national monument, and the area was designated a
national park 57 years later. Today,
enthusiastic history buffs, snorkelers, and bird-watchers visit this remote and
unusual national park.”
While in Key West, we spent
time on the famous Duval Street; visited Sunset Point (the cruise ships dock
here), where we saw street performers; enjoyed cocktails at an outside café
while people watching; and walked on the beautiful white sandy beaches in the
area.
We returned to Long Pine Key
in the Everglades where we visited a winery and did a wine tasting. Since grapes do not grow well in Florida, the
wines here were made from other fruits, such as mangoes, strawberries and
oranges. Although the wine was quite
different, it was tasty and we purchased a couple of bottles.
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| Statue in Key West |
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Street Performers at Sunset Point in Key West
We also saw these same guys in Kingston, Ontario while we were "looping". |
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| Chickens, Chickens Everywhere! |
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| Awesome Beach! |
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| Key West |
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| Another Awesome Sunset! |
Our next stop was Biscayne
National Park. We enlisted Cherry, our
tow car for this trip. Although the park
does have two campgrounds, one on Elliot Key and another on Boca Chita Key,
they are accessible only by boat.
“Biscayne National Park serves as a popular playground for boat owners
in the Miami metropolitan area. The beautiful
blue waters of Biscayne Bay, within sight of the city skyline, offer a wealth
of opportunities for cruising, fishing, and picnicking along the shore. Ninety-five percent of the park area is made
up of the waters of Biscayne Bay and the nearby Atlantic Ocean. The park encompasses four ecosystems:
· -a narrow strip of mangrove forest bordering the shore
of Biscayne Bay
· - a large part of the bay itself
· - the northernmost islands of the Florida Keys
· -the northernmost section of the world’s third largest
coral reef, in the Atlantic,
beyond the Keys
Unfortunately, it was an
overcast day with rain threatening, so the boat tour, which allows visitors to
access the bay, the Keys, and the reef with its colorful fish, coral, sea
turtles, and even sharks, was cancelled.
On March 8th, we
left Long Pine Key and returned to Okeechobee.
Our “shake down cruise” (We
are still boaters at heart.) in Traveling At Last, Too proved to be a success. We traveled 604 miles and became familiar
with our new transport.
We didn’t stay home for
long. By the end of the month, we had
re-provisioned and started out on our next adventure. We arrived at Gail’s sister Janice’s in St.
Petersburg on March 28th where we stayed until April 1st. We ran a few errands, did a lot of “porch
sitting”, and tried out new restaurant at the Vinoy. The Vinoy was the hotel at the marina where
we stayed while we were still on the Great Loop. Although we always hate to leave St. Pete’s,
we continued north on April 1st.
We spent two nights at Lake Griffin State Park. Our first night we had dinner with Dave’s
cousin Judy and her husband Ernie. They
are well seasoned RVers, having lived on their RV for sixteen years. After drinks at our campsite, we went to
dinner in The Villages. Although we had
heard a lot about this area in Florida, we had never visited it. OMG it was quite an eye opener. The over 55
crowd was everywhere and so were their golf carts. Several villages exist today, each with its
own theme. However, one never has to
leave the village for anything….doctors, dentists, banks, stores, restaurants
are all within golf cart driving distance.
It was quite the sight to see. We
were also told that many of the residents enjoy themselves in more ways than
one as it has been reported that this area has one of the highest rates of
STDs….go figure.
The next day we enjoyed
lunch and a visit with Andy and Debbie Carrano, Gail’s former superintendent in
Westerly and his wife. It was great
catching up on their lives over the past few years and sharing future plans.
On April 3rd, we
left Griffen State Park at about 8:30 am bound for St. Augustine. Shortly after departing, Dave noticed the
driver in a car next to us pointing and signaling. I assumed he wanted to get in front of us, as
the traffic was quite heavy. However,
the driver simply passed us and continued down the road. Suspicious something was not quite right,
Dave pulled over into Kohl’s parking lot.
As soon as we stopped, it was obvious that Cherry had a serious problem
with her front brakes. There had been so
much heat from them that her front wheel covers had melted. It was now obvious to us what the other
driver had been trying to tell us. We
were very grateful that he had or else further damage could have occurred. Dave called AAA and we were towed to a Honda
dealer. The good news was they could
repair Cherry for us. The bad news was
they needed to order the parts and we would have to leave the car for about a
week. We won’t even talk about the cost
of repairs…the brakes were really fried.
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| Cherry gets to ride the flat bed! |
We decided to continue our trip with Traveling At Last, Too and return in a week
to pick up the Fit.
We continued to make our way
to St. Augustine. We arrived in the
early evening and stayed at Gamble Rogers at Flagler Beach, another state park. The accommodations were good, but in the
morning, without our beloved Cherry, we had to take At Last, Too into the city
of St. Augustine to explore. Luckily, we
found a parking lot, where we left the RV, for no fee and began our tour of St.
Augustine. Since we only had a day, we
took a trolley tour in order to see the city in the most efficient manner. Our tour guide explained and narrated the
history of St. Augustine and pointed out Flagler College and its Lightner
Museum, the Bridge of Lions, the Fountain of Youth, the Old Jail, the Oldest
House, the Castillo de San Marcos, Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum, and many
other sights and attractions. After our
tour, we enjoyed a late lunch/early dinner in a Greek restaurant where the food
was very good. Then it was back to Traveling At
Last, Too and on to our campground for the night.
We stayed at Fort Clinch at
Fernandina Beach for two nights. This
state park is divided into two areas, the Atlantic Beach side and the Amelia
River side where our site was located.
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| View from our campground at Fort Clinch |
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| Sunset at Fort Clinch |
The ocean side seemed to be the better choice and we will try for it
the next time we are in the area. We
went to Fernandina Beach, formerly a popular site for many MTOA
rendezvous. However, the marina is still
not functioning at full capacity. The
fuel docks had been heavily damaged during Hurricane Mathew. Repairs were still being made and the docks
were not operating. After walking around the town, we returned to At Last, Too
and took a sightseeing trip to Amelia Island, an upscale resort area with many
high-end restaurants and hotels. Back at
the campsite, Dave took a walk to the beach area while I started to make dinner. When he returned, he showed me a photo he had
taken while at the water’s edge. It was
of another Pacific Trawler, flying the white Looper flag! Lo and behold it was “Blue Goose”. We had met John and Marilyn, the owners of
Blue Goose, when we were in St. Petersburg for the holidays. We became very friendly and after hearing
about our adventures on the Loop as well as other people they knew who had been
on this adventure, they decided to “LOOP”.
They left in late March and it was just an amazing stroke of luck that
Dave was at the shore taking pictures when “Blue Goose” passed by.
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| "Blue Goose" passes by us in Fort Clinch |
For the next two days, we
stayed at Silver Springs State Park in Ocala, FL. This was a nice campground with excellent Wi-Fi
and close to many stores and restaurants.
Best of all, however, we were joined for one night by Tom and Vickie,
our friends from the Great Loop who traveled on “Grand Baron”. They were now on their second year of RVing
in their bus, “Land Baron”. It was great
to visit with them while sharing margaritas and getting advice on many places
to visit and stay when we head out west.
Book Suggestions for our Travels
They will be putting their RV back in the “barn” for the summer and
splashing “Grand Baron” for more adventures on the water. Tom and Vickie left in the morning, but Dave
and I went to the park next to the campground and took a narrated tour in a
glass bottom boat. It was informative
and interesting. One non-marine fact we
all learned was this is a very popular area for the filming of diving shots in
many movies, including some James Bond movies.
We spent the next two nights
at the Santos Trail Head State Park. The
weather gods were against us at this point and two days of heavy rain caused us
to remain sequestered inside Traveling At Last, Too, catching up on cleaning, reading,
and just hanging out.
On April 11th, we
returned to Leesburg where we retrieved Cherry at Jenkins Honda. Next it was onward to Ft. McAllister State
Park where we stayed for two nights. We
were unable to secure a site at the popular Anastasia State Park. Ft. McAllister was convenient to Savannah and
now that we had our tow vehicle back, traveling in and out of Savannah was easy.
We booked a walking tour of
Savannah and had an excellent guide. The
city was the first planned community with each section of the city designated
for a specific purpose. The idea for
this planned city was the brainstorm of General James Oglethorpe who had become
interested in a structured layout for a city after visiting Europe. The city is divided into squares and each has
its own history and unique story. Our
guide, a major in architecture at the Savannah College of Art and Design,
thoroughly explained many of the various architectural styles that are
prevalent in Savannah. We were even
lucky enough to see Forrest Gump as he sat on a park bench in one of the
squares. The movie was filmed in this
square and daily, various actors assume the role. They will interact with the tourists, but the
actor portraying Forrest always remains in character.
After many phone calls, we
pulled into a Wal-Mart across from the Savannah Mall on Abercorn St. There were several 18-wheelers parked in a
gravel lot across from the Wal-Mart parking lot. We decided to leave Traveling At Last, Too there for
the night. We secured the RV and then
took Cherry into the city.
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| Our Saturday Night Campsite |
We were a bit
early, so we walked through some of the squares again and then settled
ourselves at the bar at McDonough’s Irish Pub.
My sister Judy highly recommended the Bloody Marys here! They did not disappoint, although we had to
ask for the bacon that is usually served with the drink.
Bloody Marys at McDonough's
The performance of the Piano
Men was awesome. Three men sat at three
pianos and performed the songs of Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Elton
John, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Rich, Louie Armstrong, Carole King, the Beatles,
and many more. They were joined for some
of the songs by two female singers as well as the MC. It was almost 3 hours of non-stop
entertainment. We are so glad we saw the
show. We had been a little concerned leaving
our RV in the lot with no one aboard, but she was fine and no one even noticed
we were there.
The next day, April 14th,
we returned to Okeechobee. It was a very
long ride, but we had received a call from an interested potential buyer for
our boat and we needed to get At Last in shape for a showing if things worked
out.
On this segment of our RVing
adventure we travelled 1435.7 miles.
May/June 2018
We spent about a month at
home readying the trawler for listing, going to doctors’ appointments and
putting the house in order. But once
again, on May 22nd, we left Okeechobee and spent one night at
Suwanee River State Park in Florida. Our
destination was Chattanooga, TN and the Memorial Day Party Weekend at the
Chattanooga Yacht Club. We traveled for
several hours, hitting horrendous traffic in Atlanta. We arrived at our friend Todd’s house at
about 9:00 pm after traveling 397 miles.
Dave secured Traveling At Last, Too in Todd’s driveway. Todd arrived a short time later. Unfortunately, Todd’s wife, Meg, and his
daughters, Emma and Laura, had just left for Okinawa to visit Meg’s parents. They would be gone until mid-July. We visited for a bit then, exhausted, we
headed to bed. The weekend was filled
with fun, laughter, friends, music, food and drink. The Chattanooga Yacht Club knows how to put
on a party. This was the fourth Memorial
Weekend that Dave and I have attended.
This year the theme was “Prohibition”.
The docks began to fill up on Friday.
Members from neighboring clubs filled the slips in front of the Club and
CYC members moved their boats from their boat houses and covered
slips to prime spots in front of the Club.
The boats ranged from small cruiser style boats to mega-yachts. On Friday, Karen, Todd’s mom, and I helped
to decorate the Clubhouse for Saturday night’s huge gala. We returned to her houseboat and made Jell-O
shots for the next day’s activities.
Moonshine and vodka were the secret ingredients. The entire Clubhouse
looked spectacular, inside and out. Friday
night, there was a buffet dinner and music.
Pictures could be taken in the “Photo Gallery” area and sign-up sheets
for the next day’s activities filled quickly. Saturday dawned to great weather,
a bit hot, and lots of activities.
Breakfast was served and the fun began.
There was skeet shooting, a favorite among the men; horseshoes; tennis;
corn hole competitions; as well as a boutique under the pavilion, mainly for
the women. For lunch there were three
different types of BBQ sliders…pork, beef and chicken served with all the
accouterments. The poker run was held in
the afternoon, and was hindered only by a brief downpour which really helped to
cool us all off. The open bar throughout
the weekend and the signature cocktails kept the party lively and the venue
jumping. When we arrived at the
Clubhouse on Saturday night we clearly saw that zoot suits, gangster garb,
flapper dresses, spats, pearls, feathers and long gloves were the dress of
choice. Costumes were optional and Dave
and I did not participate in the fashion parade. Dinner was excellent. After prizes were awarded, the music and
dancing began. Due to the high temperatures, many people returned to their
boats, shed their costumes and returned to the party in shorts and tees. The band was incredible. They played non-stop and had many costume
changes. Around 11:30 pm, the famous
Krystals arrived…slider type hamburgers that were instantly gobbled up and more
had to be delivered. Dave and I spent
the weekend on the Vick’s 85’ houseboat, as it was easier than driving back and
forth to Todd’s. Sunday morning began on
a quiet note and lunch consisted of leftovers from the party. Later in the afternoon, we returned to
Todd’s. His mom and dad went back to
Atlanta the next day. Once again the
Chattanooga Yacht Club threw a memorable party.
Prohibition at the Chattanooga Yacht Club
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| Tom signs up for the Skeet Shoot and Poker Run |
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| Friday Night Fun |
The Poker Run
The Big Party
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| Tom and Todd |
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| Tom, Karen and Todd ready to party! |
Great Decorations!
For the next six days, we
visited with Todd, did laundry, ran errands, watched movies, cleaned, ate at a
few restaurants and just enjoyed ourselves.
But soon it was time to continue on our way.
We left Todd’s driveway
on May 29, 2018 around 11:00 am. We were headed toward Tennessee/North
Carolina. We wanted to experience the
famous Tail of the Dragon. Due to the weather, we only traveled for about four
hours and stayed at Tumbling Waters Campground in Almond, NC for two
nights.
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| Tumbling Waters Campground |
The next day the rain eased up a
bit and we headed to the Tail of the Dragon in our tow car, Cherry. There is a stretch of road between Tennessee
and North Carolina that is only 11 miles long, but it has 381 turns in it. The
turns are of varying degrees. The road
is a favorite among motorcyclists and small sports car drivers. On the North Carolina side there is a motel
that only has motorcycle parking spaces and in front of the motel there is “The
Tree of Shame”. Parts that have fallen
from cars and motorcycles hang from the tree and a sign warns onlookers to
BEWARE OF FALLING PARTS. It was an interesting and fun ride.
The Tail of the Dragon
We left Tumbling Waters on
the 31st and headed north along the Blue Ridge Parkway to Shenandoah
National Park. We followed the Ocoee
Scenic River Byway, which took us through the Cherokee National Forest. We passed several marinas, and signs for
rafting and zip lining. It seemed to be
a very active area for anyone who loves the outdoors.
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Another National Park
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Our goal was to drive the
entire parkway. However, Mother Nature
had different plans and part of the roadway was closed due to washed out areas. We had to exit at Linville Falls and we
stayed at a private campground. It was a
bit pricey, but immaculately kept, both the grounds and the facilities. It was a pleasure to take a shower.
We left the next morning and
had to take a circuitous route to return to the Parkway above the flooded
area. The day was again gray and
overcast with intermittent showers and the usual spectacular views were
somewhat muted by the cloud cover. It
was still beautiful. We spent the night
at Rocky Knob on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Since it is part of the National Park and we have our senior passes (Who
said getting old doesn’t pay?), the fee for the night was $10.00. Of course, there were no showers, only
toilets, and no electricity, water or Wi-Fi at the site.
Blue Ridge Parkway
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| Mountain Laurel |
We left the campsite by 8:00
am. It was a rainy, foggy day that
proved to be very long. The weather and the winding roads made for slow
going. We entered Shenandoah National
Park and the $30 entrance fee was waived because of our senior passes. We stopped at Loft Mountain Wayside for a
bite to eat and arrived at Loft Mountain Campground at 4:00 pm. It took us 8 hours to travel about 200
miles. Once again the price at this site
was right…$7.50.
Views along the Shenandoah
We left Loft Mountain at
11:00. It was wet, cold, and rainy again. Our plan was to travel about 25 miles to Big
Meadow, a part of the Skyline Drive. We
arrived at about 2:30 pm. Since it was
still raining a lot, after lunch, we decided to go to Luray Caverns. It was a very interesting tour with lots of
stalactites and stalagmites. The guide explained about the formation of the
cavern, how it was opened to the public and many other interesting facts about
the cave.
Luray Caverns
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| "Organ" |
The next morning, June 4th,
I headed to the bathhouse to take a shower.
It was my first coin-operated shower on this trip. I deposited the coins ($1.75) and waited for
the water to warm up. Alas, my wait was
not rewarded…the water was icy cold.
Since I had no choice, I took the fastest shower ever and was rewarded
with a pounding headache, just like the kind you get when you eat ice cream too
fast. We left the campground at 8:00
am. As we were finishing out drive
through Shenandoah National Park, it finally happened! We saw our first bear just hanging out along
the roadside. Dave quickly snapped a few
shots before he/she scurried away. Okay,
it wasn’t a huge grizzly, but it was a BEAR and we have photos to prove
it!
Finally, a BEAR!
Just prior to exiting the
Shenandoah, we passed through Mary’s Rock
Tunnel, which proved to be the Skyline Drive’s greatest construction
challenge. It took workers three months
to drill and blast through 600 feet of solid granite. Twice each day they drilled 40 holes, each 12
feet deep, into the tunnel’s rock face.
Five hundred pounds of dynamite filled the holes, then, detonation. A newspaper reporter described the process:
“ After the blast goes off with a mighty roar it
requires two or three hours to clear away the loose boulders and stone and to
roll them over the side…Three 8-hour shifts of about 15 men each are on
duty…the machinery never being idle except on Sunday…Every day 15 or more feet
of solid rock are eaten away by the blasts.”
We arrived in Hagerstown, MD
at the home of our MYC friends, Donna and Arnold at 3:30 pm. We had dinner and spent the evening enjoying
each other’s company.
On the 5th, Donna
and I walked around her neighborhood where I admired the beautiful old homes
along the various streets. Arnold and
Dave left in search of a Ford truck business that would be willing to try to
diagnose a noise that Traveling At Last, Too continues to make. No luck so Arnold attempted to find the
problem. He and Dave did a little
adjusting of things and, hopefully, the noise will be history.
In the afternoon, we visited
the Antietam Battlefield that took place on September 17, 1862. This Civil War battle proved to be one of the
bloodiest in history, with the Confederate soldiers engaged in a 3-hour
stalemate against the Union forces at the Sunken Road. This battle left the road forever known as
“Bloody Lane”. Five days after this
battle, on September 22, 1862, President Lincoln issued his preliminary
Emancipation Proclamation.
Antietam Battlefield
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| Antietam Road |
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| From the Tower |
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| Gully |
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| Donna and Arnold |
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| Dave and Gail |
After touring the battlefield and climbing the
tower, we headed to Shepherdstown, the oldest town in West Virginia. Located just a few miles from Antietam, the
town cared for thousands of Confederate soldiers who had been wounded in the
battle. However, the town was occupied
by both Union and Confederate troops throughout the Civil War. Shepard College was incorporated here in 1871
and still operates today. Shepherdstown
was also the site of the Syrian-Israeli peace talks in 2000. It is a charming, picturesque town with lots
of shops, restaurants, pubs and taverns.
Of course, we stopped at a local tavern to enjoy an afternoon libation.
Shepherdstown, WV
On Wednesday, the 6th, we
visited the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, PA. For all four of us, it was a very emotional,
personal experience. The Visitor Center
Complex, on a hill above the crash site, provided a beautiful, but solemn introduction
to the story of Flight 93. It included
exhibits, a viewing window, a bookstore, the Flight Path Walkway, and the
Overlook. Among the exhibits were recordings of phone calls made by the
passengers and crew to their families, friends and authorities to report the
hijacking. Their calls—13 people placed
37 calls—told them of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. Their plane, they realized, was part of a
planned attack. Passengers and crew then made a collective decision, by vote,
to rush the terrorists and try to retake the plane. There were six minutes of struggle that
ensued, keeping the airliner from reaching its target believed to be the
Nation’s Capital. In addition to the
Visitor’s Center, Memorial Plaza borders the crash site, which consists of the
impact site (marked by a boulder) and the debris field. The fields and the woods are the final
resting place for passengers and crew; their remains are still present. A Wall
of Names honors the passengers and crew members that perished as heroes.
As we toured the Memorial
each of us recalled what we had personally experienced on September 11,
2001. Dave describes 9/11 as our
generation’s Pearl Harbor. It was truly
a day that all of our lives were irrevocably altered.
Flight 93 Memorial
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| Point of Impact is marked by a boulder. |
After leaving the Flight 93
Memorial we stopped at the Jean Bonnet Tavern.
This tavern is said to be the location where the farmers in the area met
to discuss the first ever excise tax imposed on a domestic product, in this
case, whiskey. The farmers resisted the
tax and their protest became known as the Whiskey Rebellion. As a display of their objection to the tax,
they tarred-and-feathered a couple of revenues agents. The protest was ended when President
Washington raised an army and put down the rebellion.
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| The bar has obviously been remodeled since 1762! |
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| An Eclectic Store |
On Thursday, the 7th,
we continued on our journey. We left
Donna and Arnold’s at 9:00 am after having spent three very busy days. As always it was a pleasure to visit with
friends. Our drive was a long one, but
we finally arrived at West Branch State Park in Ohio. We settled in for the night. In the morning, after breakfast, we continued
our National Parks tour with a visit to Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
“Ka-ih-ogh-ha” as the American Indians called it,
means crooked. This park preserves 33, 000
acres along 22 miles of crooked river between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. In 1974 Congress created the Cuyahoga Valley
National Recreation Area, but in 2000 the recreation area became Cuyahoga
Valley National Park. There are over 125
miles of hiking, skiing, bicycling and horseback-riding trails in this
park. Summer activities also include
picnicking, golfing, fishing, and canoeing and kayaking. Sledding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing,
and downhill skiing are popular in the winter.
After exploring a bit and visiting the Visitor’s Center, we took a ride
aboard Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
On Saturday, we travelled to
Shawnee State Park in Bedford, PA. We
arrived after four, got settled, had dinner and then headed to bed. We left the park at 9:30 am and continued to
Caledonia State Park where we planned to stay for a couple of days. Although the campground was a bit run down,
its location was excellent for visiting Gettysburg.
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| Abe & Dave |
Gettysburg National Military
Park is expansive. There is a 24-mile
auto tour with 16 stops that trace the three-day battle. “The battle of Gettysburg
began at Seminary Ridge on July 1, 1863.
On July 2, Union forces were on Cemetery Ridge, while the Confederate
forces continued to occupy Seminary Ridge. General Robert E. Lee ordered an
attack against the Union flanks. The
battle continued for 3 days. On July 3,
Lee’s artillery opened a two-hour bombardment of the Union lines on Cemetery
Ridge and Cemetery Hill. There was a
thundering duel for supremacy between the two sides. However, the Union defensive position was not
softened. 12,000 Confederates advanced across
open fields toward the Federal center in an attack known as “Pickett’s
Charge.” The attack failed and cost Lee
over 5,000 soldiers in one hour. This
attack ended the Battle of Gettysburg.
More men fell during the Battle of Gettysburg than in any other battle
on American soil.”
In order to see the park in
the most efficient and informative way, we took a tour. Our guide was knowledgeable and informative
and we had ample opportunities to stop and take photos. We also viewed the film, “A New Birth of Freedom”, and experienced the fully restored
Gettysburg Cyclorama.
Views along the Gettysburg Tour
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| Gettysburg Flame |
For dinner, we decided to
drive into the town of Gettysburg. A
young man at the campground had suggested the GarryOwen Irish Pub. It definitely did not disappoint. The French onion soup, oops no, I mean the
Irish onion soup was the best we have ever had.
It was made with Guinness, there were lots of onions, and the
cheese-topped bread remained crusty, even though it was immersed in the
soup. We highly recommend this pub to anyone
in the area.
On June13th, we left the
park at 9:30 am and continued towards Maryland where we stayed for four days to
visit friends. We arrived at BWI by
12:30 pm and spent about two hours catching up with many of Dave’s former
colleagues. Believe it or not, we
discovered there is a National Park in Maryland, conveniently situated to D.C.,
approximately 10 miles northeast of Washington and just within the Capital
Beltway, so we made our way to Greenbelt, MD where the park is located. The sites at the park had no electricity, but
showers, water and a dump station were available. The next four days were very busy. We traveled to Alexandria, VA to have dinner
with John Smith and Tricia Gagnon, Trish’s sister Mary, and their adorable,
energetic daughter, JP. On Friday, I
took an early morning ride to Broadneck High School and spent some time with my
former colleagues. It was their last day
of school. It was great to see everyone,
but I was glad that I was no longer involved in the every day demands of
education. Dinner on Friday was in
Bethesda, MD with our friends Kathy and Phil Christians, and Kathy’s sons,
David and Sean. Dave has known Kathy
since junior high school. We attended
her and Phil’s wedding last year and it was good to catch up with them again. On Saturday, we took a ride to MYC (our yacht club in Pasadena). Although, much has changed since we left
there in 2014, much was still the same.
We visited with Gary, “Un Believe-A-Bull”, Jim and Peg Healey,
“Sanctuary”, (Jim was the one who first
got us interested in The Great Loop), and Lisa, the Club’s friendly
bartender. We also had the opportunity
to visit and share a glass of wine with Pam and John Schuller. John is an enthusiast of Italy and the
Italian culture and we finally got to see the pizza oven he built in his
backyard. That evening we met Cheryl and
Wayne Schuster at the Szechuan Café in Pasadena. Good Asian cuisine is NOT available in
Florida and we (especially Gail) had been craving it for a while. Wayne worked with Dave in Providence as well
as at BWI. Again, it was great catching
up with old friends and sharing an excellent meal.
On Sunday, we made our way
to Moseley, VA to visit with Gail’s sister Kathy and her family. We spent four nights in her driveway. The visit was a flurry of activities. Her grandsons, Nicholas and William, are on
their community’s swim team and lots of time was spent at swim practices and
meets. Thankfully, we did have some down
time. Dave was still recovering from a
sinus infection and needed some rest.
Gail was able to clean the RV and defrost the refrigerator. It was a fast, but good visit and we left on
Wednesday, June 20th to begin our return trip to Okeechobee. We left At Last, too in Richmond at Colonial
Ford and Truck in the hopes that it could diagnose and fix the noise that the
RV continued to make. After leaving the
motor home, we proceeded south in Cherry (the Fit) until we reached Columbia, SC
where we took a room for the night. On
Thursday, we were up bright and early to visit Congaree National Park in
Hopkins, SC. The park is located in
central South Carolina and is home to primeval forest landscapes, diverse plant
and animal life and the largest tract of old growth bottomland hardwood forest
left in the United States. We arrived
quite early and hiked the main trail in the park. It was hot and very humid and VERY
BUGGY! We were done with our hike by
9:00 am and quite happy to return to the air-conditioned Fit. We spent a very long day on Rt. 95 and
arrived in Okeechobee in the early evening.
Congaree National Park
Our trip home to Okeechobee
was two-fold; many doctors’ appointments for both of us, including the removal
of Gail’s port, (YAY!) and preparing to list “At Last” with a broker. We quickly completed our business and we were
back on the road again on July 1st.
We spent the night in St. Petersburg with Gail’s sister, Janice. After a bit of porch sitting the next day, we
traveled to Selma, SC where we spent the night.
On the 3rd, we arrived in Richmond in enough time to retrieve Traveling At Last, too. Unfortunately, once again
the noise in the motor home went undiagnosed, as the garage was never able to
hear the sound when its repairmen drove the RV.
We collected the motor home, filled our propane tank, fueled the RV and
the Fit and headed back to Moseley, VA where we stayed for a couple of days again
attending swim meets, visiting with family, and celebrating the 4th
of July and Jennifer’s “half-birthday”.
Visiting with the Friedels
 |
| William, David, Nicholas, Jenifer |
 |
| Kate & William |
 |
| Dave & Kate |
 |
| Nicholas |
 |
| William |
We returned to Greenbelt
National Park in Greenbelt, MD for five nights.
During our previous stay, we had not been able to visit with everyone we
had wanted. This time we were able to
get together for dinner with the Gazys—Hamid and Namid. Hamid was Dave’s deputy director at BWI and
filled Dave’s position when he left. Namid is his lovely wife. It is always a pleasure to spend time with
them.
 |
| Hamid & Gail |
 |
| Namid & Gail |
We also spent some time in
Annapolis, one of our most favorite cities.
We had breakfast at the iconic Chick and Ruth’s, the restaurant known
for reciting the pledge of allegiance every day at 9:30 am. The next day we had
lunch with our friends Patrick, the CFO at BWI and his wife, Robin at Rams Head
Dockside, formerly Reckless Ric’s, in Glen Burnie, MD. Again, it was great to hear about everything
they have been doing. We ended our day
back in Annapolis at our favorite restaurant, The Chart House. The restaurant has been remodeled since we
were there last, but we were still able to find a table in the lounge area and
enjoy the view of the beautiful harbor.
 |
| The Chart House |
 |
| Annapolis |
 |
| Annapolis |
We left Greenbelt National
Park on July 10th and began to make our way north to New
England. Traveling over the George
Washington Bridge is never fun! However, we were quite shocked when we reached
the toll booth. First, our EZ pass did
not register and next, the charge to cross the GW with the tow car was $84.00! I don’t think we have recovered yet! One thing is for certain, we will find an
alternate route the next time we need to get to New England.
We arrived at Lake Waramaug State Park in
Kent, CT around 1:30 pm. Lake
Waramaug is one of the state’s largest
natural lakes. It’s Native American name
means “ a good fishing place”. When Dave
was young, his family used to camp here during the summer. He also was a lifeguard at Lake Waramaug when
he was in high school. He has many fond
memories of this area although the park has changed. There are now new rules and regulations. Swimming is limited, boating is no longer
allowed from the campground, and alcoholic beverages, including the possession
of alcohol, are prohibited. While we were at the Lake, there were many vacant
campsites.
We had appetizers and wine
at the Hopkins Inn. The Inn sits on a
hill and has a great view of the Lake.
The garlic bread and spinach salad were delicious.
Lake Waramaug
 |
| Campsite at Lake Waramaug |
 |
| Hopkins Hill Inn |
 |
| View from Hopkins Hill Inn |
 |
| The Lake |
On Wednesday, July 11th,
we used our National Geographic Guide to Scenic Highways and Byways book
to follow the Litchfield Hills Loop. According
to the book, Connecticut’s gently rolling
Litchfield Hills are often called the “foothills of the Berkshires,” but they
have a character all their own—which could be described as country squire
manners with just the right amount of rustic Yankee charm.”
We traveled through Kent,
Marble Valley, Winsted, Torrington, Litchfield, Washington Depot, and New
Preston. Throughout the ride, we saw
beautiful stonewalls, New England style churches, town and village greens, and
parts of the Connecticut Wine Trail. A
highlight of the ride was the covered bridge built about 1864 that links West
Cornwall with Sharon. There are several
buildings on the other side of the bridge, including a Shaker woodworking
showroom that we visited, a bookstore and a restaurant, under new ownership,
where we had a late breakfast. The
87-mile ride was picturesque with views of waterfalls as well as the Housatonic
River (whose Mohican name means “place beyond the mountains”). It was well
worth the time it took to follow this byway.
Dave’s brother, Gary and our
sister-in-law, June, joined us at our campsite before we went to the White
Horse Tavern for dinner. We rode in style that evening, as Gary chauffeured us
to the restaurant in his new Tesla.
Scenic Byway: Litchfield Hills
 |
| Parked at Judy's House |
Surprising May
 |
| The Girls |
Reconnecting with the Cornells
 |
| Me, Carol, Mikayla Nicole, Jessica |
 |
| Pete & Sue |
 |
| Chris, Brooklyn, Michelle |
On Wednesday, the 18th,
we followed another scenic byway tour from our book, Tiverton, RI to Sakonnet
Point. First, we stopped at Best Buy in
Warwick where Dave bought a Nikon P900 camera, which he describes as a point
and shoot camera on steroids.
This 14-mile drive involves
Rhode Island’s easternmost corner that is separated from the rest of the state
by Narragansett Bay and the Sakonnet River and by the Fall River area of
Massachusetts. This area is a far cry
from Newport with its tranquil vistas of farmlands, vineyards and the sea.
After passing through Tiverton, we turned toward Aquidneck Island, the easternmost
tip of RI. It is the largest of the
Narragansett Bay islands. The Wampanoag Indians gave the name
Aquidneck to this area, but early settlers mistakenly took the area for a
nearby island that the Florentine explorer Giovanni da Verrazano had named for
the Mediterranean island of Rhodes.
Rhode Island later gave its name to the colony and state that surround
this bay.
After leaving Tiverton,
Portsmouth came into view on the opposite shore. The protected shores of the Sakonnet are popular with boaters, and
in summer this stretch of the “river is flecked with white sails. We traveled further south past Sakonnet Vineyards,
a leading New England winery. The
secluded gem of a New England village, Little Compton, was next. Its specialty
is johnnycakes, a cornmeal-based RI tradition.
This is the area where the famous RI Red breed of chicken was developed
in the 1850s. We then headed to Sakonnet
Point. It is only a 2.5-mile drive
through rolling-meadows and small farms, with views of the 4-mile-wide Sakonnet
River near its mouth at Rhode Island Sound.
The end of the line was Sakonnet Point, where we found a little anchorage
for fishing boats and pleasure craft.
Fishermen often line the jetty in this area. The sale of lobsters is also common
here. However, perhaps, most spectacular
are the sunsets over Newport, which is just 6 miles across the sound.
Tiverton to Sakonnet Point
 |
| The Point |
 |
| The Beach |
 |
| Sail Camp |
After completing this scenic
drive, we continued to Massachusetts and had lunch at Horseneck Beach. We also drove through Adamsville where Dave
had his first hot air balloon launch in Massachusetts.
On Thursday, we traveled to Concord, MA and took a stroll through the picturesque town. Then it was on to Stow, MA where we had lunch at the Minuteman Airport with Dave’s friends Bill
Richardson and the owners of the airport, Don and Nancy McPhearson. Dave was a
flight instructor at this airport while he was at East Coast Aero Tech where he
obtained his airframe and power plant license. After a pleasant lunch, we returned to CT via
Cumberland, RI.
Concord, MA
Lunch at the Airfield
 |
| Lunch with old friends |
Friday was a very busy
day. We traveled to Newport, RI with the
goal of completing the famous Cliff Walk, a 3.5-mile walkway along the eastern
shore of Newport. It is famous as a
public access walk that combines the natural beauty of the Newport shoreline
with the architectural history of Newport’s gilded age. Wildflowers, birds, geology…all add to this
delightful walk. It is a combination of
paved, easy to navigate paths and unpaved rocky areas that are not so easy to
traverse. In some spots, the cliffs have
drops of over 70 feet. The beginning, at
1st Beach and Memorial
Boulevard, is the easiest part because it is paved and the most recently
renovated area. The last portion, from
Ledge Road to the end of Reject’s Beach and Bellevue Avenue, is the toughest to
navigate. We completed most of the Walk,
but the last quarter mile was mostly loose rocks, so we exited onto Bellevue
Avenue, took a trolley to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and then
walked back to 1st Beach.
On Saturday afternoon, after
doing laundry, we joined my sister and friends at Dog Watch Cafe in Stonington
Borough. It was a beautiful, sunny day.
We sat outside on the deck enjoying the view of the docks and boats of all
varieties and sizes. In the evening, we
all gathered for dinner and a “fire pit” at my sister’s friend’s house.
Our last day in Pawcatuck
began with a trip to Burlingame State Park in Charlestown, RI. We needed to use their dump station and their
charge of $5 was definitely reasonable.
In the early afternoon, we joined friends at Saltwater Farm Vineyard and
Winery. The Farm’s winery and tasting room are housed in a restored World War
II-era airplane hangar with a fully preserved and maintained 1800-ft grass
landing strip dating back to the 1930s.
On Sundays, from 3 pm-5 pm the Farm hosts a variety of local musicians. Wine and cheese as well as shucked oysters
are also available. You are also welcome
to bring your own appetizers, which we did.
It was a very enjoyable afternoon mingling with family and friends. Our evening concluded with a spaghetti and
meatball dinner at Judy’s.
July/August 2018
We left Pawcatuck, CT on Monday
at 9:45 am and arrived at Nickerson State Park in Brewster, MA. where one can
find camping, biking, hiking, fishing, and boating. We used the campground as a central location
for our activities on Cape Cod. After settling in at our site we took a ride to
Provincetown. This is always a fun town
to visit. It is located at the northern
tip of the Cape. The seaside town is on
the site of the landing of the Mayflower in 1620. P-town is known as a longtime haven for
artists and the LGBTQ communities. Commercial St. houses numerous galleries,
restaurants, nightclubs, cabarets, and specialty shops. We walked through the town and then had a
drink on a deck bar overlooking the water.
 |
| The Harbor in Provincetown |
 |
| Commercial St. in Provincetown |
On Tuesday, we had a great trip
to Nantucket. After a relaxing 2 ¼ hour ferry
ride, we arrived on the island. Nantucket’s dune-backed beaches, cedar-shingled
buildings, manicured lawns; cobblestoned streets and numerous restaurants,
high-end boutiques and steepled churches are all attractions that make
Nantucket a popular tourist destination.
There is also a Whaling Museum that recounts the island’s role as a 19th-century
whaling hub. Once again to visit the
island in the most efficient and informative way, we took a bus tour. Our driver/guide was very knowledgeable. We saw many quaint cottages as well as very
expensive mansions. The Sankaty Head
Light and the Old Mill, a still-functioning Dutch windmill built in 1756, were highlights
on the tour. We learned that in order
for the windmill to stay in balance, either two sheets are put up or four
sheets. Three sheets are never used as
that would unbalance the windmill, hence the saying three sheets to the wind
was born, meaning you are out of balance or not operating properly. We all know this phrase is often used to
refer to someone who has had a little too much to drink. We had a late lunch
and then walked around the town and wharf area.
After a pleasant return trip on the ferry, we returned to Nickerson.
Visiting Nantucket
 |
| Our Ferry: the Eagle |
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| The Village |
 |
| The Harbor |
 |
| Houses in the Harbor |
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| The Lighthouse in the Harbor |
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| Sankaty Head Light |
 |
| Sankaty Light |
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| Old Mill |
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| Bakery...YUM! |
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| Nothing like Easy St. |
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| Steeple/Clock Tower |
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| Flower Shop |
 |
| Enjoying the Harbor |
On Tuesday, we went to
Nauset Beach, a part of the National Seashore.
The beach is popular with swimmers, surfers, boogie boarders, and
kite-boarders. It was a windy, gray day, but we enjoyed our time there. There was a kite-boarder and some people were
swimming. We did see a seal in the
water. Seals are prevalent along this
area of the Cape, but anyone in the water needs to be cautious as seals are a
source of attraction for sharks. We
spent a couple of hours at the beach and then returned to the campground.
 |
Nauset Beach
National Seashore |
 |
| A bit foggy and gray |
 |
| Windy, too! |
 |
| Dave spotted a kite boarder through the fog. |
Unfortunately, our last day
on the Cape proved to be a rainy one. We
took a driving tour around Pleasant Lake and through Wellfleet.
 |
| Best Lobster Rolls in Harwich....according to our friend Molly |
We left Nickerson State Park
on Thursday, July 27th and returned to Gail’s sister’s in
Pawcatuck. It was a quick trip, but we
did manage to take a ride to Wickford, East Greenwich and Warwick. We also had the chance to have lunch aboard
our friends’ Jimmy and Francesca’s (new to them) boat. It was a quick turnaround. Before we left on Monday, July 30th,
we had breakfast at the Cooked Goose with Judy and my nephew JP who was home
from Oregon for a few days. We stopped
at Burlingame again and then headed toward 57 Weaver D to spend some time with Dave’s
brother Gary and our sister-in-law, June.
 |
| The shops in Wickford, RI |
 |
| Beautiful flowers |
 |
| More Shops |
 |
| Enjoying lunch in Wickford |
Breakfast at the Cooked Goose
 |
| John Paul, Judy and Gail |
We arrived in Manchester
around 3:30 pm. We settled in and had
dinner at 3 Jays. On Tuesday, June took us for a ride through Wethersfield, CT,
which is said to have the oldest and largest historic district in
Connecticut. It was settled in
1634. There are lots of historic sites
that can be visited such as the Webb House, the First Church of Christ, the
Wethersfield Ancient Burying Ground, and the 1680 Cove Warehouse where you can
try your hand braiding the tips of red onions into ropes. The historic district is a very interesting
drive through. Although we did not visit
any of the places previously mentioned, we did stop at the Main Street Creamery
and Café for some very fresh and creamy hard, not soft serve, ice cream. We also stopped by Wethersfield Cove, off the
Connecticut River, where Dave’s Mom and Dad kept their boat one summer.
57 D
We had dinner that evening
with Dave’s good friends John and Deb Fitzgerald and George and Ann
McPhee. Deb outdid herself with hors
d’oeuvres and veggie lasagna. It was a
wonderful night of delicious food and excellent company.
 |
| Dinner with the Fitzgeralds and McPhees |
On Wednesday, I did some
chores in the motor home and Dave gave Traveling At Last, too a much needed wash. For dinner that night, we traveled to Sweet
Pea’s Restaurant in Riverton, CT. The
setting for this restaurant is a unique, Victorian home. The family had celebrated Kristen’s
graduation from UCONN here several years ago.
The food did not disappoint. It
was expertly prepared and very delicious.
We enjoyed a leisurely meal. We
were surprised that we were the only customers that evening. Sadly, the next day Gary heard that the
restaurant was closing and the owner had sold the property. The owner had waited on us and there had been
no hint that his was happening--so sad to lose such a fine eating
establishment.
On Thursday, Gary cut his
workday short and we took a ride along the Mohawk Trail, one of the most famous
scenic drives in the Berkshires. It is a 69-mile scenic byway that meanders
through deep forest and historic towns. We traveled through Deerfield, where
the Yankee Candle Flagship store is located.
We continued to Shelburne Falls.
The downtown of this small “city” is mostly unchanged since early in the
19th century. The Bridge of
Flowers, located in town, is a 400-foot span across the Deerfield River that was
built for a trolley line that stopped running in 1928. Ever since, the Shelburne Falls Women’s Club
has cultivated a garden along the pedestrian walkway. There are more than 500
varieties of plantings. After visiting a pizza shop and getting take out orders
of lasagna for dinner later in the week, we continued our drive where we saw
beautiful rivers and falls, covered bridges, quaint towns, high mountains and
steep hills. We had dinner at Wolfies in
Deerfield and then returned to Manchester.
Shelburne Falls
 |
| Firewood for the Cold Winter |
The Bridge of Flowers
On Sunday, the 5th,
it was back in the car for a scenic drive through New London, Mystic, Haddam,
East Haddam, Portland, and Glastonbury.
In New London, we checked out the “dockaminiums” for sale, but quickly noticed the boats at
the docks were in constant motion due to the wakes from the passing boats,
especially the ferries. We drove through
the Ocean Beach area of New London as well.
After several hours of enjoying the scenic drive, we finished the day
with dinner at the Winchester Restaurant in Torrington, CT.
 |
| Gary, relaxing at 57 Weaver |
Laundry and finding a place
to dump the RV tanks was our mission on Monday.
Dinner was at Shady Glen, the Manchester restaurant famous for its
burgers with crispy fried cheese. The
décor is modeled after and old-fashioned soda fountain with the line cooks
sporting bow ties and soda jerk caps and the waitresses attired in green
uniforms with white aprons.
On Wednesday, Dave and I
drove to Glastonbury to have the oil changed in At Last, too. For lunch we met Dave’s friend John at
Hartford Road Pizza and had dinner with June, Gary and Kristen at a Chinese
restaurant in town.
Thursday, Dave and I
purchased some shelving at Home Depot and Dave installed it in the cupboards
above the sink, the couch, and the dinette giving us much needed space. He did a great job and it looks like it came
from the factory.
Great Job, Dave!
 |
| Beautiful roses from my honey! |
On Friday, Gary and June
were busy most the day, so Dave and I finished up the shelving and started to
plan for our departure. We had leftovers
for dinner and met Gary and June for a glass of wine later at 3 Jays.
On Saturday, we all had
breakfast at Kenny’s and Dave and I left Manchester at 10:00 am, headed for
Vermont. After a long day of driving, we
reached Molly Stark State Park in Wilmington, VT where we stayed for one
night. On Sunday, we left the Park and
continued on our Rt. 100 Scenic Byway drive.
This road is a main thoroughfare for some of Vermont’s most well-known
resort towns and many ski resorts are located either directly on or in close
proximity to Rt. 100. We explored the Mt. Snow area and then made our way to
Elmore State Park in Elmore, VT. Our
friends Molly and Mark recently retired to Elmore. Several years ago they bought an old
schoolhouse and renovated it. We had
visited the house when we were on Lake Champlain during our Great Loop
trip. Molly and Mark were not in Vermont
as they were traveling out west in their RV, but Dave was determined to find
their house. After several attempts, he
located the property. We were sorry that
we weren’t able to get together with the Brewers for a visit--maybe next time. For dinner I made chili and corn bread. Dave built a fire and for dessert we roasted
marshmallows. Yum!
We decided to visit Jay
Peak, which is located in the Green Mountains about five miles south of the
Canada-US border. It is the eighth
largest peak in New England and the fifth largest in Vermont. Its vertical drop is 2,153 feet. It is always a hub of activity in the winter,
but the resort has lots to offer in summer as well. We took the tram ride to the summit. The gondola is operated at a much slower
speed in the summer so its passengers can enjoy the view. After spending a short time at the summit we
went back the base, explored some of the shops and had lunch.
Jay Peak
 |
| The Tram |
 |
| View |
 |
| At the Summit |
 |
| Dave conquers Jay Peak! |
 |
| From the Summit |
 |
| Another spectacular view! |
In the afternoon, we drove through St.
Albans, VT. The small town is known for
its heritage and railroad history. Its
close proximity to Lake Champlain provides for boating, hiking, and
biking. Taylor Park is located in the
center of town and is often the site of many events and festivals. After
leaving St. Albans we took the Lake Champlain Byway. This byway consists of US Route 2 and US
Route 7. It includes Vermont’s largest
city, Burlington. Throughout the byway,
the scenery is spectacular. Views of
Lake Champlain, Vermont’s Green Mountains, and New York’s Adirondack Mountains
are always around you, and sometimes all three at once. We traveled to Burlington and relaxed at Spot
on the Dock while enjoying appetizers and wine before returning to Elmore State
Park.
We left Elmore State Park on
August 15th at 8:00 am. We
traveled through St. Johnsbury, VT and then took 93 South. The ride was
mountainous and beautiful. We entered
the White Mountain National Forest in Lincoln, NH. Our first stop was at the Visitor’s Center
where we gathered lots of camping information.
Gail even had her picture taken with a huge moose. We figured this would be her only opportunity
as our sightings of bear and moose have been limited. Our goal was to find a campground that we
could use as a central location from which we could visit all the areas that we
had mapped out.
The White Mountains
 |
| Still hoping to see a real one! |
After speaking with the
ranger at the Visitor’s Center we learned there are seven campgrounds located
in the White Mountain National Forest along the Kancamagus Highway.
This highway, pronounced Kan-ca-ma-gus, (We have been pronouncing this with an “n” after the –ma forever, never realizing it was the wrong pronunciation.),
stretches across the White Mountains for 34.5 miles from Lincoln to
Conway. The word Kancamagus means The
Fearless One. This scenic road climbs to
nearly 3,000 feet as it traverses the flank of Mt. Kancamagus at the height of
land in Lincoln, and offers outstanding opportunities for distant mountain
views, and native flora and fauna. The
“Kanc”, as it is referred to by the locals, was dedicated as the first of the
National Scenic Byway in the northeastern US—for its recreational opportunities
and aesthetic, cultural and historic values.
The Kancamagus
We decided to take a site at
the first campground, Hancock. Because
it is in a National Forest, our Senior Park Passes were honored and our camping
fee was half-price. There was, however,
a $5/day for our tow car. It was still a
bargain for us, $16/day. The campsite
was very spacious and the grounds were well maintained. But we soon learned that there are no
services at most of the campgrounds along the Kanc—no water, dump site,
electricity, or flush toilets. We took a
quick trip back to Lincoln where we dumped our tanks and filled with water at a
Mobil station in town. After settling
into our site, we headed out in the Fit to do some exploring.
Years ago Dave had managed a
resort in Waterville Valley, the Waterville Valley Estates, so we took a ride
to see how the area had developed.
Although there has been growth, much of the resort is the same. The Estates included houses, condos,
clubhouse and pool, ski trails with a ski lift and much more. We drove around and saw there was still much
land that was available for development.
Dave stopped in at the real estate office to visit with his former boss,
who surprisingly, was still there.
Views from Waterville Estates
The next day, we started out
early and began our drive along the Kancamagus toward Conway. Our first stop was at Rocky Gorge Scenic
Area. The Swift River has worn a narrow
cleft into this solid rock area.
Walkways along the gorge allow you to enjoy the running water as it
passes over the rocky bottom. As we were
returning to our car, we saw a young moose munching on plant leaves just off
the walkway. It was a great photo
opportunity. We were very excited as we had been so sure we would never see a
real one. From the gorge we continued to
Lower Falls. This is a very popular area
for swimming and picnicking.
Rafting/tubing is also a regular pastime in the area. We saw many people enjoying the water while
floating around on their tubes.
Rocky Gorge
THE REAL MOOSE!
 |
| Great Sign along the Kanc |
Lower Falls
 |
| Rafting is very popular! |
 |
| More rafters |
Along the way, we checked
out the other campgrounds on the Kanc. Dave’s
cousins were having a reunion in Newfound Lake the next week and we knew we
would be returning to this area after the reunion so we wanted to scope out
where we would camp when we returned. We were very interested in the Covered
Bridge campground. It was at the
opposite end of the Kanc from Hanover.
We could not access it from the Kanc due to the height of our motorhome,
but there was a back entrance that would give us access. We took the back road to check it out and
realized we were very close to No. Conway.
We liked the campground and its location, so we decided we would stay
here when we returned after the reunion.
We continued our drive to No.
Conway and through the Mt. Washington Valley area. This town is the
quintessential New England village with its quaint shops, cafes, a beautiful
park and an historic train station.
Cranmore Mountain is right up the street and Mt. Washington can be seen
in the distance. The town was bustling
with tourists and traffic was often slow moving since there is only one road
through this area. We did not stop in
town, but continued north further into the Mt. Washington Valley. We stopped by the Visitor’s Center at
Crawford Notch State Park, drove by Bretton Woods, passed by the Mt. Washington
Hotel (We agreed to return here on another day to have a drink on the porch and
watch the sunset over the mountain.) and then headed back towards Conway. Up the hill from the Visitor's Center we stopped to admire Cascade Falls. It made a lovely picture.
Crawford Notch State Park
Silver Cascade
As we were driving through, Dave noticed the
Hurricane Mountain Road. Always adventurous,
he decided to follow it. The road was
quite narrow and eventually turns to dirt.
We saw signs prohibiting trucks, large vehicles and RVs. A 17% grade was posted. The road is closed and gated in the winter. Dave
drove carefully and we traversed the area with no problem.
On Friday morning, after
defrosting the refrigerator, we left the Hancock Campground and headed to
Newfound Lake RV Park. We arrived early,
but were able to check-in. Dave’s cousin
Judy and her husband, Ernie were in the site next to us. After settling in—we actually had water,
electricity, sewer, and cable right at the site—I did laundry and some grocery
shopping. When I arrived back at the
site, many of Dave’s cousins had gathered.
His cousin, Barbara and her husband Bob will be hosting the reunion
tomorrow at their cottage on the lake. Dave’s brother Kevin arrived on his
motorcycle from Tennessee and Gary and June also got in from Connecticut. After much conversation and catching-up, we
all headed to a restaurant on the lake for dinner. After dinner, we returned to
our campsite with Kevin and Gary and June went to their hotel. Later that night, Kevin borrowed the Fit and
went to Manchester to pick up Regina, his girlfriend, at the airport.
Edwards Family Cousins' Reunion
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Our site a Newfound Lake Campground
Kevin's Tent |
The weather on Saturday was
a bit gray with the threat of rain, but no one let that ruin the party. It was in full swing by early afternoon. The reunion was well attended, about 20
people. Dave’s two aunts, Elsie and
Grace (both in their nineties) were a hoot.
They are both sharp as tacks and their memories are amazing. His cousin, Barbara, is the consummate
storyteller and had everyone in stitches.
Dave’s cousin Linda was also there with her granddaughter and her
friend, as well as his cousin Alan and his wife Bobbie. Grace’s daughter Kathy was also there and
cousin Judy. And we can’t forget the
Edwards boys….Gary, Dave and Kevin. There
was lots of food and drink, tons of reminiscing, and stories, stories, stories.
Several people went for a pontoon boat ride early in the evening, but Dave and
I declined and by 8:00 pm, we were on our way back to our campsite.
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| Barbara's Camp on Newfound Lake |
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| Kevin, Ernie and Kathy |
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| The sun was shining for a little while |
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| At the Table |
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| Cousin Kathy |
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| Cousin Linda |
It was a slow start to the
morning. Kevin and Regina packed up
their tents and the motorcycle in preparation for their ride back to Tennessee. (She is a real trooper…..she slept on the
ground in a tent and is going to ride 1000 miles on a bike!) Once again we all gathered at Bob and
Barbara’s for breakfast. After more food
and conversation, Kevin and Regina said their good byes and started on their
long journey. By early afternoon,
everyone had left and Dave and I as well as Judy and Ernie returned to our
campsites.
Sunday Morning at Barbara and Bob's
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| The Edwards Boys |
 |
Kevin and Regina prepare to depart
for their 1000 mile ride to Tennessee. |
We spent a quiet afternoon
reading and napping and then we picked up a couple of pizzas, and returned to
Barb and Bob’s for dinner. We spent the
rest of the night enjoying the company of family.
On Monday morning, after
breaking down camp, Judy and Ernie left.
Dave and I organized Traveling At Last, too and then went to meet Barb and Bob at
their boat club. We took a 2-hr cruise
on Newfound Lake in their pontoon boat.
It was a great ride. The weather
was sunny, the lake was huge, and the company was excellent.
Newfound Lake
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| Barb and Gail enjoying the ride |
As the saying goes, “All good things must
come to an end”, so we returned to the dock, said our good-byes and then headed
back to the Kancamangus.
We traveled for a few hours
and then registered at Clearwater Campground in Meredith, NH. We walked around the campground for some
exercise. Dinner was beef stew that I
had made the previous night in our slow cooker.
After cleaning up and straightening the motorhome it was off to bed!
August/September
We left the Clearwater Camp
Ground and made our way back toward the Covered Bridge. We traveled through the Lake Winnipesaukee
and Weirs Beach area. Next we went to
Moultonborough, NH to see Castle in the Clouds.
This attraction overlooks Lake Winnipesaukee and the Ossipee
Mountains. The Arts and Crafts style
home was built in 1913. It is a 16-room
home, but to tour it, you must also take the trolley ride. The price for the two us was almost $80. We chose to skip the castle. There is a
restaurant and an art gallery that you are allowed to visit, however. We walked around a bit, and then returned to
the RV and had lunch while parked in one of the meadows. Dave was able to fly his drone for a few
photos of the castle that we would not have gotten otherwise. We continued on our way and arrived back at
the White Mountain Forest and registered at the Covered Bridge campground for
the next 15 days.
Castle in the Clouds
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| View from deck at Castle in the Clouds |
The Covered Bridge Campground
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| Our campsite at the Covered Bridge |
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| Left behind at the campsite by previous campers |
The Bridge
 |
Too Low for the RV
Had to reach site by driving in the back way! |
Cellphone and internet
service are very sparse due to the mountains and woods, so we drove into Conway
and spent some time at a DD to catch up on texts, voice mails, and emails. We spent the rest of the day driving through
the area and identifying what we would like to investigate further. We took another ride through Crawford Notch,
Mt. Washington Hotel, Bretton Woods, Attitash, No. Conway and Conway. We checked out a few other campgrounds that
were part of the White Mountain Forest, but we decided our current site would
be the best from which to operate. For
dinner, we stopped at the Muddy Moose Restaurant.
On Thursday, after talking
with our camp hosts, Bob and Ann, we found a private campground where we could
pay to use their dump station and to get water.
After taking care of this chore,
we returned the RV to her site, jumped in Cherry and were off for the day. We drove to the Cog Railway. The railway is a steep grade railway with a
toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog
wheels or pinions that mesh with this rack rail. The train ride is about an hour ride each
way. Today the railway operates vintage steam locomotives and modern bio diesel
engines. We had considered taking the
Cog up to the top of Mt. Washington, but we had not yet decided. We spent time in the Visitor’s Center and
watched the trains depart and return.
The Cog Railway
We continued our ride to the
northernmost part of US Rt. 3, between the village of Pittsburg and the Canada
port of entry south of Chartierville,
Quebec at mile-marker 231. The Connecticut Lakes are found here. There are four lakes with the first being the
largest. Fishing for trout and salmon is popular here as well as water skiing
and tubing. We decided if you wanted to experience the wilderness, this was the
place to be. The mountain views were
spectacular and the group of lakes were expansive and beautiful.
A Ride to the Border
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| Parlez-vous français? |
We traveled back through
Dixville Notch. This is the small town,
population 12 that is best known for its longstanding middle-of-the-night vote
in the US presidential election. The
tradition is that all voters in Dixville gather at midnight in the ballroom of
The Balsams. The voters cast their
ballots and the polls are officially closed when all the registered voters have
voted, sometimes merely one minute later.
We were disappointed to find
that the Balsams Resort was no longer operating. It has been closed since 2011. Several attempts have been made to resurrect
and redevelop the resort, but funding has been difficult. The current developer needs $170 million for
the first phase of the project. He is
currently looking for investors from India, Vietnam, China, and Turkey. Our question is: Where have the good citizens of Dixville
Notch been voting since 2011?
The Balsams
Dixville Notch
On Friday, we took a ride to
Portland, ME. This city is located on a
peninsula and extends into Casco Bay.
The waterfront features working fishing wharves and converted warehouses
with restaurants and shops. We walked
along the cobblestone streets in Old Port, browsed through a variety of shops
and purchased some delicious cheese that cost and arm and a leg, but it was
worth it! We had lunch at the Ri Ra
Irish Pub. This was a restored authentic
Irish Pub made from materials imported from Ireland. The entry doors from the street to the shop
area were salvaged from Langtons Pub of Kilkenny and the old pot belly stove is
from Spike Island Prison in Cobh, Co. Cork.
After lunch, we returned to the Covered Bridge and were surprised to
find that the campground was full. The
weekend was definitely here!
Portland, ME
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| View from Ri Ra Irish Pub |
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| Pub |
Saturday was a “work
day”—take the RV to the dump site, get water, do laundry, clean Traveling At Last, too,
etc. Dave rode his bike into Conway to
where I was doing the laundry and back again!
There were lots of steep hills, but he seemed to accomplish the task
easily. It was dinner and then early
to bed because tomorrow was going to be a busy day.
More Covered Bridges
When we visited the Cog
Railway we also traveled to the Auto Road and visited the Information
Center. We learned that three times a
year the Auto Road is opened at 4:30 am so people can drive up it to experience
the sunrise on top of Mt. Washington, the highest peak in the Northeastern
United States at 6,288 ft. August 26,
2018 was one of those days. We decided
to Go For It! We got up at 2:00 am,
bundled up, and started our ride to the Auto Road. When we arrived at 3:30 am, we were surprised
to see so many cars, motorcycles, and pickups already in line. They allowed us to begin our climb a
half-hour early, at 4:00 am.
Mt. Washington Sunrise
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| Auto Road |
 |
| Still Climbing |
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| The Parking Lot |
The ride
was much quicker than I thought, only about half an hour, but when we arrived
at the summit it was quite foggy and difficult to see as we parked the car. We
climbed the steps to the summit building and went inside for coffee. We were hoping that we would be able to see the
sunrise, but you never know if the clouds and fog will roll in. We went out to the observation rail around
5:30 am. Sunrise was scheduled for 6:01
am. It was windy and cold, about 47
degrees. As we waited we could see the
sky lighten and then the fog would roll in and then back out again. Around 5:55 am, it looked like we were going
to have clear enough skies to see the sunrise.
We were able to get some photos as the sun was beginning to come out,
but just at 6:00 am clouds and fog obscured the sunrise! Even so it was beautiful and an awesome experience.
Sunrise on the Mountain
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| Fog on the Mountain |
As soon as the sun rose, many people left,
but we stayed behind for a few hours and enjoyed the experience and the
magnificent views. By 7:00 am it was
very sunny. We took our time descending
the mountain and stopped at many of the overlooks to take photos. Yes, Cherry did receive the famous bumper
sticker saying “This car climbed Mt. Washington!”
The Sun Finally Comes Out
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Cold and Windy
Notice Dave's beard and Gail's forehead |
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| Dave and Gail Enjoying the view |
On Tuesday we were back in
the car, and headed for Sebago Lake.
When the kids were younger, we used to camp at Point Sebago in our pop-up. We were looking for places we could camp when
we left the White Mountain Forest before heading to Acadia National Park in
October. We thought this might be a
possibility. Before going to Point
Sebago, we checked out a few other campgrounds near the lake. The private ones were more expensive than we
wanted to pay so we went to Sebago State Park.
The nightly fee was $49 with services and $44 with out. The sites were decent with a few on the
beach. We thought the park was a bit
pricey, so we decided to take a look at Point Sebago. As soon as we drove in, I knew it wasn’t the
campground I remembered. Now it is a
resort, with campsites, but also park homes, private homes, tennis courts, an
arcade, a sports center, a restaurant, a
snack bar, a lounge, a general store, guest services, a tiki hut, and more.
Immediately we knew this was way beyond our budget. We stopped at the Welcome Center and asked if
we could drive through to look at the resort.
For $20 you could get a pass for an hour that would allow you through
the gate. We took a quick drive around
and while I walked on the beach, Dave took a look at the rates for a campsite
here. During the season, the rates are
$75-$105 during the week and $75-$115 on weekends. A three-night stay is required. This is a
great vacation spot, especially if you have kids. There is lots to do in the nearby area and
the resort offers all sorts of activities.
So if this is your only vacation, the price is worth it. However, we have been RVing since March and
$100 a night is a bit steep for us.
While reading, Dave discovered an offer known as the Gas Saver. The Gas Saver Plan allows you to use a
campsite with full services, water, sewer, electricity and cable from 9/4 (the
day after Labor Day) until 10/21 (the day they close the resort for the winter
for $725 + tax. For us that came out to
about $17 a day for 46 days. It is easy
to get to many of the places we want to visit from here within an hour or two,
so after a bit of discussion, we rented the campsite.
Wednesday, once again we
spent a few hours at Starbucks. We had
received an offer on At Last and paperwork had to be signed and returned via
the internet. We finished our business
and went back to the site. Bob and Ann
had offered to let us try out their electric bikes so we took a spin around
Covered Bridge. They are E-Lux bikes and
I really liked how mine handled. Maybe
one day!
On Thursday, the 30th
we took a ride to Searsmont, ME where my sister Janice is camping in her 5th
wheel, SomerKamp, for the summer. She is
on a farm that belongs to her friends Cheryl and Jim. They no longer raise pigs and chickens, but
they grow most of their own vegetables and Janice spends lots of time weeding
the gardens and loving it. We had had
some mail sent to her so we needed to pick it up.
The Yesbergers in Searsmont, ME
We visited with Cheryl and Jim for a while
and then Janice, Dave, and I went to the Lincolnville General store for
lunch. This was quite a general store
with high-end wines, expensive cheeses, and a well-stocked deli, definitely not
what you’d expect in the country. We
shared a Thai beef salad and a wood–fired veggie pizza that was delicious. We
spent some more time with Jannie and then continued our drive around this area
of Maine. Dave drove me through several picturesque Maine seaside towns;
Belfast, Lincolnville, Camden, Rockland, Thomaston and Damariscotta. We also drove to Edgecomb where Dave showed
be the waterfront property that he used to own.
There is now a very nice house on it.
We continued on to Wiscassett where I willingly stood in line to have a
lobster roll at Red’s Eats. Although
expensive, $23, the roll was well worth it.
It had a lot of lobster in it and I mean lobster! There were several pieces of tail and
claws. It was so big that I could not
finish it. I took it home and had it for
lunch the next day. I was absolutely
stuffed! We finished our day by going
through Bath, where the Bath Iron Works is located and then we headed back to
the campsite at Covered Bridge.
Lobster, Lobster, Lobster
Friday was once again devoted
to changing the bed, doing laundry and grocery shopping. When we returned to the campground, the sign
on the entrance indicated that the campground was full. After all, it is Labor Day weekend! Late in
the afternoon, Dave and I drove to the Mt. Washington Hotel. We had wine and small plates and watched the
sun set over Mt. Washington. It was
awesome! We had great seats on the porch with an excellent view.
We met and chatted with several different people. It was a fun night.
Sunset and Wine at the Mt. Washington Hotel
Saturday was a quiet day. We spent some time in the WalMart parking lot
to obtain service and then took a ride up Cranmore Mountain. We had a quiet night at the campsite and
dinner was Sandy’s delicious Turkey Chili.
Sunday, September 2, 2018,
Happy Birthday, Dave! After breakfast we
took a ride to Kennebunkport, ME. What a
delightful town! It was very crowded and
parking was at a premium. We found a
spot and then walked through the town, stopping in various shops and
boutiques. A cup of coffee helped to
perk us up. After leaving Kennebunkport,
we drove through Ogunquit, ME. The motto
of this town is “a beautiful place by the sea” and with three and a half miles
of sheltered white sand beaches, it is a well-deserved name. The Ogunquit Playhouse is the site of many summer
stock performances. As we went by the
theater, I noticed the sign for Jersey Boys----I checked out the ticket
prices---I don’t think so. When we
returned to the site, we had felt mignon and a caprese salad for Dave’s
birthday and we shared a gourmet cupcake!
Another great day!
Kennebunkport, ME
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| Funky Wind Sculptures |
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| Heard it was good, but after Red's I'm spoiled forever! |
Labor Day was a quiet day
for us. We went to Starbucks to get
service and stopped at WalMart to pick up a few things. In the afternoon, we walked to the Covered
Bridge and went swimming in the rocky river.
It was a hot day so the swim was refreshing. When we returned to the site we organized the
motorhome in preparation for our leaving tomorrow.
Swimming in the Swift River
We left for Point Sebago on
September 4, 2018 at 8:45 am . We had a
great stay in the White Mountain Forest, but it will be nice to have
electricity again. We arrived a 10:30,
but had to wait until 12:30 to get to our site.
The resort was basically empty and our RV was the only one in our
circle. Our friends, Linda and Jesse (Bama Dream) met us at our site for lunch. After an afternoon catching up on each others
lives, they headed out to their campground in Denmark. We finished setting up the site, had dinner,
watched a little TV and then went to bed.
On Wednesday the 5th,
we visited Jesse and Linda. After sharing a great meal of ribs, corn on the
cob, and salad, Dave and Jesse went kayaking. It was back to Point Sebago as
the sun was setting.
Point Sebago
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| Dave at Beach Pavilion at Pt. Sebago |
We spent the next couple of
days, exploring the immediate area : Casco, Raymond, and Windham as well as
getting ready for our quick trip home to Okeechobee on Saturday. The potential
buyers were going to do a survey on Monday, the 10th and Dave had to
move the boat to Indiantown.
We traveled to Okeechobee on
Saturday, the 8th and returned on the12th. We flew out of the Portland Jetport on an
early 6 am flight. We had a 3-hour lay
over at Reagan in DC. We were lucky
enough to witness the arrival of an Honor Flight from Dayton, Ohio. It was quite touching to see the veterans
arrive. There was a large crowd to greet
them, waving flags and banners.
Honor Flight at Reagan International
Our
neighbor picked us up in Orlando and as soon as we arrived home, it was
non-stop until we left. We cleaned the
boat, moved cars to the Indiantown Marina, continued to clean the boat on
Sunday morning, and then we brought At Last to the marina.
 |
| At Last in Taylor Creek |
We had a noon bridge opening. It was a beautiful ride on the lake and we
arrived at 4:00. We finished prepping
the boat for the survey and then headed home.
The survey began at 7:30 on Monday and was not completed until after
1:30. As soon as we could, we left the
marina and headed for the St. Lucie lock.
The lock was open so it was an easy drive thru. Dave made an appointment for 5 pm for the
bridge opening on Taylor Creek. It was
another beautiful ride across the lake.
We arrived right on time for the bridge and we were docked behind our
house by 6:00 pm. Unfortunately, we
still had to drive back the marina to pick up the car. After returning from Indiantown, we had a
quick bite at Rio Bravo and then it was back home where we fell into bed
exhausted.
On Tuesday I got a much
needed haircut and pedicure. Dave
re-covered the boat and I cleaned up the invasion of ghost ants that seemed to
have invaded our house since we were away.
We went to the Board of Elections to fill out paper work so we could
vote by absentee ballot. We took our neighbors out for dinner as a thank you
for keeping an eye on our house. We
enjoyed hearing about their recent travels to Ecuador as well as what has been
happening in Okeechobee.
In the morning, Andy drove
us to Orlando. We had a layover in
Charlotte for an hour. We were thankful
that our flight was the 12th and not the next day, as Hurricane
Florence was on her way and many flights were being cancelled. We landed in Portland on time. Dave retrieved our car and we headed back to
our campsite in Sebago. We were happy to
be back on Traveling At Last, too.
Thursday, the 13th,
was not a day of rest. After doing our
morning chores, we went to Freeport and spent a few hours in LL Bean. This is their flagship store and you could
easily put in several miles just walking around. Dave and I both bought some much needed warm
clothing. The weather over the weekend
was forecast to turn cold, but we will especially need these shirts and vests
for Acadia in early October. After our
shopping spree, we had lunch across the street at Linda Bean’s.
Friday was a down day, but
on Saturday we returned to Freeport where we drove through Wolfe’s Neck
Oceanfront Camping. This campground has
sustainable farming on site with a co-op with organic gardens. There is a farm store, hiking trails,
hands-on farm programs and activities and barns with livestock that can be
visited. We decided to take a site here
on the 27th, 28th, and 29th. We will return to Point Sebago on the 30th.
Sunday we took a ride to
Reid State Park. There was a $16
entrance charge and the ranger told us not all the roads were open, it was very
humid and it was buggy. She suggested a
small beach in Georgetown instead. We
thanked her and found the beach on Five Islands that she was talking
about. We parked the car and went down
to the beach. It was a lovely spot with
many anchored boats, rocks to climb on, and a view of the Atlantic Ocean. We spent some time there taking photos and
enjoying the views. For lunch, we went
to Bath and dined outside along the water.
Around 4. we went to So. Portland and met our friends Vickie and Tom,
another couple we became friendly with on the Great Loop. They were back on the water again in Grand
Baron. We had also caught up with them
in Florida when they were traveling in their RV, Land Baron. We spent a couple of hours on their boat and
then went to dinner. It was an enjoyable
night and as always it was great to spend time with old friends.
Georgetown
Bath
Monday was laundry day and
then errands. We went to CVS and picked
up prescriptions and got flu shots and then just hung out at the campsite.
On Tuesday we took the RV to
Auburn for a few repairs. We had a leak
every time we used the hot water heater, the motor to the awning stopped
working, and several electrical outlets needed repair. After contacting the warranty company, we
learned they would cover most of the repairs.
The parts had to be ordered so we will have to bring the RV back next week.
When we got home on
Tuesday, Dave’s brother Gary called and
asked if we would like to see Elton John on his Farewell Tour. He was playing in Hartford Wednesday night. Of course, we said yes! We left Sebago around 8:00 and got to Vernon
by noon. After lunch, we visited with
June and when Gary arrived home, we headed into Hartford. We had a good dinner at a BBQ place and then
went to the XL center for the performance.
Entering the center was a nightmare.
They really did not have a good system, but we eventually got to our
seats, which were excellent. Elton
John’s performance was amazing as was that of his band. They played for 3 hours non-stop! It was definitely worth the ride from Maine. We spent the night in a hotel and met Gary and
June for breakfast after which we were on our way back to Maine. We stopped in Methuen to bring some flowers
to Dave’s Mom and Dad’s grave site. We
took the long way back by driving through Exeter (my birthplace), Hampton
Beach, Portsmouth, Kittery, Ogunquit, and
Kennebunk.
Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour
I am going to stop here and finally, post. I am sorry for the length of this. Read it in small doses. Connectivity and service have been a huge issue for us. Thank God for the Freeport Community Library with its free wi-fi and excellent internet coverage! I will post again soon.
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