R and R

Recap and recovery. The trusty Iphone found us a tire store in Elkin, NC, about an hour from where we stayed and getting the tire replaced only cost us an hour and not a lot of moola either. But the day was long and hard, the anticipation of arrival is not there as on the outbound journey. Gene had predicted early in the day that we would arrive at 6:20 PM and he was on the money. The house looked fine, no disasters. The yard, not so much! All the grass appears to be dead and the bushes and dogwoods are wilted to the max. The exception is the area around the fish pond which neighbor Kathy has been caring for. We left a large tank of water for that purpose. We turned on the water and water heaters, got the car out and went off to our favorite Mexican restaurant. Upon return Gene immediately began watering and I emptied the camper fridge and got our essentials out. There is always tomorrow.
Well, today is that tomorrow and there is a lot of unloading, sorting and cleaning. But easier to tackle after a good night's sleep, surprisingly not as good as I was getting in the camper.
The northeastern part of our wonderful country is certainly lovely. I will miss the mountains, streams, lakes and rivers. Those magnificent forests resplendent with fir trees. The inns, the country stores with fresh produce and baked goods. The green pastures with horses, cows and sheep. The wonderful barns, wish I could have photographed more of them. The lack of big box stores, strip malls and real malls. We were blessed with blue skies and puffy clouds. Only lost one day due to rain. This was a dream we had and we brought it to reality. Thanks for coming along with us and check in every now and then for further adventures.

Homeward Bound

The campground in Tobyhanna was nicely appointed and probably the most wooded of those we've stayed in. As we drove into this narrow passage into deep woods for some reason I started thinking about Hansel and Gretel. Our site was adjacent to the bathhouse so not hooking up the water was no problem, we just popped over there to the very nice showers. Without the stabilizers, there was some sway when we moved around and we noticed a tap, tap on the left side. Upon inspection Gene found the window by the dinette was loose at the bottom. This is an emergency exit and fastens with red handles inside. It has never felt secure and we never open it as it is difficult and flimsy. It would not fall out as it is hinged at the top, but could break if banged excessively.
We were up and at 'em early this morning, but Pennsylvania is a big state. Lovely, but big! And after seeing almost no big rigs in New England, 80% of the vehicles today are tractor trailers. And there is still a lot of construction. Needed construction, as some of the roads are in very bad repair.
I spent a good part of the morning on the iPhone and computer (love that Verizon hot spot!) researching a place to stay tonight. Gene said perhaps we should stay at a motel if we could get one cheap. Well, we couldn't fine one cheap that had room to park a trailer. There was a nice campground right at the area where we decided to overnight so we are staying there. We are at Ft. Chiswell Campground, one exit from where I-77 splits off to Charlotte from I-81. The state of Virginia. It is just one step up from a parking lot in that each site has a tree, but neat and clean with nice bathhouse and level sites. We are only here overnight, and still let out just one bed but we did let down the stabilizers and did the full hook up. About three hours from here some people honked and gestured and upon inspection, the rear left tire was shredded. It was 99 degrees and Gene thought perhaps it just blew out from the heat. Fortunately we found a suitable spot nearby to change it. Gene is just so good at this sort of thing and all went smoothly. However, we are nervous to be without a spare and will likely look into getting another one tomorrow. Hopefully, we will also get home tomorrow.

Tobyhanna, PA

We spent our last day in New England in a town that is the epitome of a postcard New England town, Woodstock, VT. We have been here before so this was just a re-run. We walked the town and the village green and re-discovered the covered bridge right across from the green. This one was built in 1969 to replace an previous bridge when the cost was deemed to be less for it than a modern one. Vandals tried to burn it in 1974 and it cost more to repair than the original pricetag. We ate at a tiny cafe where they make their own everything, bread, jelly, baked goods, etc. That is one thing we love about this part of the country. Then we drove all the backroads to see the houses and farms. We got a few groceries at a store where they two checkers share an aisle too narrow for two carts so you have to do a little dance to figure out how to share that space with the people in the other line. Ya'll, they just do things different up here. I bought a fruit that I think is half plum, half apricot. Strange looking spotted critter, but it was good. Visited the Taftsville Country Store that is brick and has a post office in the back room as well as two Golden Retrievers to love on. I had only spotted one and started to pet it when the other one barged up and licked me! Another covered bridge was across the street. We cooked on the grill in order to give Gene one more chance to eat the butter and sugar corn on the cob he loves so much.
Today, up and out early...until the car failed to crank and we found the batter connection was loose. Only a 10 minute delay but a heart in the throat moment for a little bit. Then rattling down 100 miles of bad road to catch the interstate in Glen Falls, NY. Stopped for breakfast near Rutland, VT at a place that has its own sugar house, you are eating around the equipment which is in the center of the room. Historically the home of a Civil War General whose horse is buried on the grounds with a giant rock acting as his tombstone. The maple syrup here was cheaper than any we have seen on the trip so we got some. A maple tree has to be 40 years old to start producing and it takes 40 gallons of sap to make 1 qt of syrup, so you see why it is pricey. Oh, yeah, and the season is only 4-6 weeks long.

These two pics were taken near Killington, VT which is a ski area. Many of the businesses had decorations made from haybales and these were the only two I managed to half capture. The first one is a really bad shot but if you enlarge it, you might pick out a teddy bear at the far left. The other was cows and I only got half of it.
Through Saratoga Springs(that was our last trip north, the Adirondacks), Albany down to Binghamton, Scranton. And tonight we are in Tobyhanna, PA. Where? Those who have known me a long, long time know this is where I lived for 2 years in junior high. The old neighborhood, which were the oldest homes in the town, has gone downhill. The house was hard to pick out for 50 years of change had not been kind to it and the historic Methodist Church across the street was a vacant lot. Wasn't much there in those days and there still isn't though the Army Depot has grown a whole lot, coming right up to the town and suburbs have grown to the south complete with a golf course.
The drive today was complete with a lot of mountain scenery, at times, rows and rows of them fading into the haze. Very pretty streams and rivers and bogs, but still no moose. So this was a moose-less trip. That little bear sure was cute though!
To make things quicker, we have barely made camp. We only connected electricity, did not use the levelers and opened one bed. The plan was to take up to four days to get home, but get Gene into a car and he is like a racehorse at the gate, all he can see is the finish line. Early afternoon, he proposed doing the 18 hrs in two days and staying in a motel tonight. But I squelched that one real quick. Was not going to walk into a house that has been empty for 5 weeks at 10PM and face who knows what. The spiders and bugs may have taken over. Gene's answer was that we could always spend the night in the camper.

Canterbury Shaker Village

For the past two days we spent time on the interstates in New Hampshire and Vermont and we do not recall seeing a single tractor trailer and few other trucks of any kind. You do not realize how welcome this is, however we wonder how they get products into this part of the world. We also saw a Comfort Inn and a McDonalds, the commercialism of which was jarring after not seeing anything but local restaurants and inns for three weeks. You do not realize how much the chain commercial establishments rob us of the beauty of our land. I am starting to sound like a tree hugger but there are lots of them to hug here. The vistas are unspoiled and magnificent.
We journeyed about two hours to see a Shaker Village today. This was my one hard request on this trip as I have wanted to do it on the previous two and somehow it never happened. We were so fortunate to get Darryl as a tour guide. His family went to work for the Shakers when he was two and he was raised in the village. We learned that, unlike the Amish, the Shakers did not shun technology. They invented several things that added to the wealth of the community, which numbered 300 at one time. They believed that labor saving devices gave one more time to worship God. They also used dancing in their worship as there are references to David dancing in the Old Testament, hence the name Shakers.Because of the vow of celibacy, they increased their numbers by evangelism, but also by taking in orphans. After the Civil War, state run oorphanages became numerous and their numbers declined dramatically. The Shaker religion appealed more to women as they were treated as true equals with equal autonomy in all matters. The order prospered and this one owned a vacation place complete with motor launch on Squam Lake. They had steam heat, electricity and an automobile before the governor of the state. By 1900 there were 95 women but only 5 men there. The women took over some of the men's tasks and hired out the others. This community became a trust in 1969 and several of the women still lived there. The last one died in 1992. There are three Shakers still living in a community in Maine. The single building in one photo is the meeting house built in 1792. The interior blue and white paint dates to 1838. We were not allowed to take photos inside the buildings and that is a shame as we saw people making brooms and the oval shaker boxes. We also saw the machines they used to spin yarn and knit sweaters which they sold. And their innovative ways of dealing with the laundry and sorting it and getting back to the proper person.
Our tour started at noon, and it was cool and breezy. After two one hour guided tours we explored other parts on our own. By 4 PM I was wrung out and weak from the heat. Many of the buildings were closed up with no ventilation and the temperature had risen to 93! I suppose that is telling us, we might as well go home as we are not going to be cool up here either.
Other interstate observations. They have symbols at the exits for food, lodging and gas, but no indication of which ones as we do in the south, but they waste a lot of money marking each tenth of a mile along the edge, sometimes every 20th. You do not know which way to turn to find services until you are at the point of turning where you see a sign across the street with arrows (sometimes).
The last photo shows the small space we have been living in. Today makes four weeks and four days on the road and we are doing well at it.

Quechee Valley, Vermont

This morning I did not jump out of bed to ride the wagon, but did catch it going by and really that was good enough. My view was better than the folks on the wagon.

The next photo is an attempt to show how nicely landscaped some of the permanent trailers were. The light was not too good, but notice the flowers planted on the rock and the landscaping in front. There was nice upholsted patio furniture on the deck and a lovely bed with flowers and hostas in the back also.

No matter how short the trip between campgrounds, it always seems to take us hours and hours. Today's journey was to be 60 miles. Took almost four hours. First we backtracked into NH to a nearby welcome center as we had no info on that state. Then took the scenic route back which means a lot of 30mph road. Looked for a place to eat in one town, but didn't find it. Happened into Hanover, NH, didn't know Dartmouth was there. Did soon. Found lots of places to eat, not many to park. Found a CVS where they threatened to tow if you did not shop there. Shopped there and left the bag prominently on front seat. Found a really nice place to eat and enjoyed a nice lunch. Had enough leftover for tonight.

Our arrival at Queechee Pine Valley KOA Campground was marred by the fact that we were assigned the worst spot in the place. It was next to the pool and so narrow that if we opened out awning, it would overshadow the flower beds around the pool. Can understand if we were only staying one night, but we are staying three. Think they save larger sites for larger rigs but this one was ridiculous. They did change us to another when we asked, but why did we have to?

After setting up we went to see Quechee Gorge and yes it is deep. Then we explored the area around there and saw a couple of covered bridges. Things last a long time up here because they do not have termintes and mildew. Went by a country club and Gene remarked on a ski lift above it, then said, "I have skiied there!" The scenery is so Norman Rockwell or maybe Currier and Ives....or somebody. Winding lanes, overhanging trees, some turning colors, covered bridges, mill ponds, barns, cows. Rockwell is from Vermont.

Have not mentioned how many French speaking people we have encountered (or did I?). At one campground there were different French Canadians there on consecutive nights and Gene joked that must be the French site. One of those guys brought two chairs out to his campfire and the dog promptly jumped into one. The fellow fussed and gestured until the dog got out of that chair and into the other one. A little later when the guy got up to add wood to the fire, the dog again changed chairs!! Again the guy made him go back to his own chair. This was a hoot! But seems like we have heard French everyday we have been here.

Does your brain ever play tricks on you? I think mine does. When I was guiding Gene backing into our spot today, I was distracted by a movement a few sites down. I glanced over and my brain said, "Oh, there is a man walking a deer." Then I thought," Whatever am I thinking?" and took another look. I think it was a golden colored Greyhound, but I swear when the dog had his head down, he looked just like a deer. These two balloons went over while I was cooking supper and Gene was outside reading. I guess you know that if you click on the photos, they will enlarge.

Sugar Ridge

Late afternoon yesterday and on into the night we had a lot of wind. It almost took our awning but Gene was right there and prevented damage, then rolled it up. Reminded us of the gale we rode out in Galveston last October. The temperature dropped a lot and so we used both heaters, one at each end of the camper.
I tried out television, an almost foreign concept, and found a show on Vermont Public Television about preserving old barns. It showed several designs and discussed the renovations and current uses. There are grants from a trust one can get to do this. Many present day farmers could not afford new barns and therefore would not be in business were it not for the old ones. There are so many and some are quite unique.
The second barn picture is to show how they attach the house and barn so as to be able to tend to the animals in the winter without going outside. We think that the center two structures were the first house and barn, then as they prospered, a larger house was added at one end and a larger barn at the other. Upon closer inspection, we found that this is a bed and breakfast. However, the shed visible in the back is full of dairy cattle and the aroma is, shall we say "pungent?" Gene notes that one would not know this until you arrive and it is too late.
Today we toured a sugar maple house and Cabot Creamery. The process of making maple syrup only takes place for 4-6 weeks in the spring but we saw the equipment and photos of how they do it. The syrup is very expensive. We did not realize that Cabot is a Co-op of up to 600 farms. It was started about 100 years ago when farmers had more milk than they needed in the spring and got together to market it at greater distances. Gradually they experimented with other products. They have about 30 products now and three "company stores" in the state. They offered extensive tastings and their products certainly do taste good. It was interesting to see how the cheese is made, packaged and stored.
In search of lunch we went to a place called Rainbow Sweets in the next town which Gene had seen a brochure on at the creamery. When we walked in, the proprietor/chef looked up from his customer and asked "Two for lunch?" When I nodded he indicated a spot at the counter and said, "Stand here, don't talk and I will explain your options." When he finished, he showed us what he had cooked for the day, rather exotic fare, then toured the pastries all while doing a soft of comedy routine. We chose our food, he then pointed to what chair I should sit in, because it faced the pastry counter. He pretty much kept up his banter most of the time touting his wares and joking around. He has been there 34 years. We had something from Morocco and good but unusual. We also got two pastries to go because you pretty much were not going to get out of there without. The tariff was really high for lunch...you do not know the prices in advance, but like Gene said, the entertainment was worth it and he recommended a good place to eat where we are going next. Since we were alone with him for awhile, he just chatted with us about where we were from and where we were going.
We explored more of the countryside on our way back to the campground. The terrain is very pastoral in nature consisting of rolling hills with farms nestled into them and green, green pastures for dairy cows and a backdrop of dramatic mountains. My father's mother's family are from here, a town called Northfield, just south of Montpelier. We visited there on our last trip and visited the family cemetery plot. It only hit 70 today and it on it's way into the 40's tonight but heat wave coming after this. Forgot to say we got up early this morning and were at the rec hall before 8:30 for the wagon ride with the Belgian draft horses, only to find it was canceled. Don't know if I am up to trying again tomorrow.

Our 150 mile journey from Greenville to the Rangeley Lake Region seemed to take forever due to flagman delays for paving, the bad roads yet unpaved, a road closed and detour, and an unmarked (at least from our direction) highway intersection. One we reached Rangely, we still had to go 16 miles into the woods. We never saw more than three cars on this road in the three days we traversed it. The campground is on a lake and Gene is in hog heaven. It is rather basic but has a well stocked general store, the picturesque lake and canoes to rent at a fraction of the cost of other places we have visited. It does not have internet or phone signal. Our site is like a box canyon, bounded on two sides by rock formations as high as the roof of the camper and on the back by a rocky bank. Very private except that the campground children like to perch on these rocks and hover over us. From our patio the view is of sun dappled birches interspersed by fir trees. Gene wants to stay another night so we have adjusted our schedule accordingly.

On Tuesday we drove into Rangely to get phone signals so we could attend to some chores and download email to read later. We explored the towns and lakes in the area and checked out a neat overlook (see photo). We decided to walk part of the Appalachian Trail to see a particular rock formation that was near the road. However, upon entering the trail, a sign indicated the site to be almost two miles distant and we did not envision a four mile hike. We did continue down the trail a bit to a very picturesque creek where we saw quite a few moose tracks in the wet soil. We had a lot of respect for our friends, Rob Fowler and Billy Smith, who walked the trail, finishing in their 70th year. It is not easy going. The path has eroded and is rough going with exposed rocks and tree roots and rocky steps to go up and down. The weather is gorgeous, sunny and in the 70's with a breeze. We can feel the end of our trip coming and dread going back to the heat. We have been under our blankets and using a heater for at least two weeks now.

I have been bemoning the lack of wildlife on this trip but late Monday afternoon while out searching for a phone signal (go to a certain spruce tree with a ribbon tied to it and try), Gene spotted a large female moose crossing the road. And Tuesday afternoon on our way back from town we saw a young black bear scampering up a bank on his way into the woods. That was a real treat!

Our plans for Wednesday was to rent a canoe, pack a lunch and go exploring on the lake. Before 9 AM it started to rain. And rain, and rain and rain and rain. Gene got bored, so I sent him to do laundry. The camper became an island and he rolled up his jeans and wore flip flops. Sorry to have missed our adventure, but there is drought here and these people needed the 8 hour rain that covered most of the state. We went back to town to eat mostly just to get out of "this little box" as Gene called it and found a place serving Mexican at filet mignon prices. Not as good as our local place and three times the price but interesting. The people at the next table were the chef's parents and talked loud so we found out how the place was once a sheep farm and they are restoring the old house and so forth. They bring a homemade lip balm with the check that the chef's wife makes and it was very effective.

Gene bought some WD40 back in Eastport and has been using it steadily to improve our lives. First the braces on the four corners that were hard to crank, the step, the car door and most lately the bathroom door and cabinet which sounded very Addams Family-ish. If we stay here long enough, we will get this thing ship shape. The rough roads here have wreaked havoc on the cabinet contents and two kept opening in spite of bungee cords. Today I tied a shoe lace around the knobs and they still opened, but only half an inch and nothing could fall out.

Today we came across New Hampshire following a wide and meandering river for miles and enjoying the scenery. In spite of a myriad of signs warning of moose crossings and much diligent neck craning, none showed themselves. Likely my last chance. We drove near Mt. Washington, the highest peak in the eastern US. At first shrouded in clouds, it showed itself before we lost sight of it at last. We are settled at Sugar Ridge Campground in Danville, VT, owned by the people with the Belgian draft horses we met at the fair last weekend. It is a beautiful place with the sites terraced on wooded hillsides. Many people seem to stay here permanently and have lushly landscaped their sites with flowers and hosta around the natural rock formations. Some have grassy lawns. Gene pronounces this a 10 and finally we have sewer, internet, and cable. All the comforts of home. The wind is picking up and it is getting cooler and cooler. Yay! Another chance to shiver. Eat your heart out Liz and Cory!

More Greenville

We have been putting in 12 hour days during our time with Jane and Roy and consequently, I have had little time for anything else. Please excuse any misspellings and grammatical errors. For the next several days, things should be lower key. In my post yesterday, I left out our shopping expedition that afternoon. Greenville is not a tourist town but has several nice shops and a topnotch outfitter since it is a launching spot for the great northern woods. Look at a map of Maine and you will see that the roads stop in Greenville and the wilderness starts.

The shopkeepers are friendly and chatty and the woman running the yarn shop is from Stone Mountain. Her mother still lives there. And to my knitting friends, I got some killer yarn and a nice book I will show you when I return. At the shop next door we saw several photos of a DC3 which is at the local airport. We called the guys who were at the outfitters to share this info. We were to meet them at the campsite but when we returned they were still at the airport. This plane was one of two outfitted with pontoons but they are being refurbed and it it on wheels at the moment.

Yesterday was Roy's day of memories. He comes here each winter to cross country ski and wanted to visit one of the camps to see what it looks like without snow. On the way, we visited the site of a B-52 crash a waiter told us about. We went 7 miles down a gravel road and found that there were several carloads of people already there. We were surprised at the popularity and how much stuff is still there after almost 50 years. We got so much misinformation from locals it was laughable, but the real scoop (Wikipedia) is that it lost its vertical stabilizer in turbulance and low altitude and crashed in January of 1963. Three crewmembers ejected, two lived. 7 died and this site is a memorial to those people, paper companies who own it have forbid harvesting the area and a snowmobile group maintains it. Roy enjoyed Gene telling him what the various parts were. It was really scattered over a wide area.

We then headed on to the camp by way of Kokajo, population: not many. Again, the pavement just ended and down gravel roads we went. Each year Roy and friends are driven to this camp, then cross country ski to two more and then back to their autos for a four day adventure. The camp is a logging camp from the 1800s owned by the Appalachian Mountain Club. A couple lives there and run it year round. The building pictured is where they live as well as the dining hall. There are several rustic cabins, real rustic. There is no electricity except by generator, and no running water. Toilets are outdoors. I asked Roy why there were refrigerators on the porches if there was no power. He said to keep your food from freezing in the winter. It is on a beautiful lake and you can see remnants of the sluice where the logs were released to float down to Moosehead lake.

We are leaving here today, moving further south and west.

State Fair

Cuddin' Jane wanted to see the Maine State Fair which had two days to run, so off we went to Skowhegan for the day on Friday. Another perfect day. We were fortunate to have Roy, a farm boy from Tennessee, who had both shown in and judged livestock at fairs to tell us the fine points of what was happening. One outfit showing Belgian draft horses also runs a campground in VT and we may look them up next week. The fair was a lot smaller than we had imagined. You enter by driving though a culvert under the race track, park in the center of it and then walk through another culvert to enter the grounds. We decided if they had a heavy rain, you would have to swim in. The two engineers (actually Jane is also an engineer) Roy and Gene examined in detail all the antique tractors, wood splitters and sawmills and discussed them endlessly. We spent a lot of time with the horses, but also toured all the other competitions and exhibits, ending with the sulky races which Gene seemed to know a lot about. There were only two races left when we arrived. On the last race Jane placed a bed on #2. Gene and I both picked #4 based on his good looks. Jane's horse was next to last, but ours came in second. Unfortunately, we had not bet.

I have neclected to mention how much the folks here in Main fly the flag. It is everywhere on houses and business and mailboxes and most towns have them flying on the power poles through town. Some folks have multiples lining the front of their properties. A habit the rest of us should adopt.

The food here in Greenville is the best we've had in Maine. Gene thinks it is because the sportsmen come back here year after year and they get repeat business while on the coast they have an endless supply of new tourists. In the evenings we gather around our campfire at our campground until bedtime, then meet at 9 the next morning for breakfast to go at it again.

Saturday is Gene's turn for memory lane and after touring the history museum we head up the west side of the lake to Rockwood where he camped 30 years ago. In the photo of Jane, Gene and me, that is Mt. Kineo in the background on an island. Gene climbed the lower end of it with infant daughter Emily strapped to his back. This island was the site of a huge hotel in the 1800's. They had 500 rooms and a dining room that seated 425. There were many steamships that ferried the tourists from Greenville up here as there were no roads. The hotel had a staff of 1000 to tend to these tourists. The hotel burned but there are a few outbuildings left. Unfortunately, the campground Gene used to stay at in is now a private estate, but we could see part of it from the road over the Kennebec River which starts here. The marina at Rockwood was very busy with folks lining up to launch. We then explored some of the backwoods, namely a route along a stream and past two ponds that Roy may want to canoe someday.

The forecast for Sunday is rain, so we will see what it brings.

Observations

Where we have certain lingual idiosyncrasies in the south, the two I have noticed here is that every reply starts with a suscint "Yep." "Yep, she looked good." "Yep, yep, we sure need rain." In fact, I think I am catching this too. Yep, I think I am. And the other is "All set."In a restaurant this phrase means, are you ready to order, do you need anything else and are you ready to pay. Handy. Saves all those words.
The glorified trailer park was not so bad. They were mostly neat, most had wooden decks and some were decorated and landscaped. Most also had fridges outside and lots of stuff stored outside so a bit crowded looking. But they also had a roped off swimming area in the lake with two floating docks and a pier for tying up boats. I am sure many families are having memorable summer experiences. It was just not very polished and the laundry room was scary. We witnessed another game which I think is called washers. Similar to horseshoes but there are two rectangular boxes with a cup in the center of each of them. You toss metal washers and get two points for getting in the box and three for in the cup. The campground holds a tournament every Friday night and we are told that folks take it very seriously.
On our way to this location I called for directions and was told it was "right on Hwy 9 and there is a sign." As we approached the area, I did see a small highway sign with arrow pointing right and a 2. On the coast, these signs usually indicated something is 2 miles ahead on the right so we went on and peeled our eyes. Nothing. We stopped at a convenience store (do not think like the ones you know....very basic and rustic). Nice young woman told me that you indeed should turn down that road and go 2 miles. I remarked that we were told it was right on the highway and she said that in that area the people would likely describe it that way. Oooookaay. Then she warned me to be sure to observe the 4 way stop down that road as people often drove right through it. When we got to said intersection we found out why people didn't stop. It was not a 4 way but a 2 way stop. Starting to feel like we are in the twilight zone or one of those movies where a stranger encounters aliens disguised as people.
But that is behind us. We left that area yesterday headed again north and now west. For awhile there are few signs of human habitation, then telephone lines, finally power lines and as we approach Bangor, more and more signs of civilization. We also encountered the worst road I have ever been on that calls itself a highway. We had many delays for paving but wondered as the parts they were paving were not nearly as needy as that first part. The last 25 miles to Greenville took us 45 minutes due to construction delays. But we are here in a charming albeit rustic campground. School starts in Maine on Monday next so it is sparsely populated, but it is dotted with apple trees and has spacious wooded sites. We spotted two large rabbits feeding nearby. The good thing is that we again have cell and internet coverage which were both spotty at the last location.
Greenville is on the shores of Moosehead Lake where Gene camped about 30 years ago several times. Cousin Jane and Roy have joined us here and are staying in a motel with a stunning lake view. Roy has come here often in the winter for cross country skiing. This is a jumping off point for people headed off into the wilderness to ski, hike, snowmobile, or fish. You can see Mt. Katadin, the end of the Appalachian Trail, beyond the far side of the lake. So for a small settlement, there are a lot of restaurants, trading posts, a large outfitter. A sophisticated gift and furniture shop nestled in the back of a shopping center next to a laundromat looked out of place. And the lake is just right there with a backdrop of mountains. This is also a center for seaplanes as they take folks off to wilderness camps from here. There will be a seaplane fly in here the weekend after Labor Day. We have seen a couple of them tied to docks along the lake.

Eastport and Lubec

Traveling from our campground to Eastport and Lubec, we can clearly see Canada on the far bank of the river we are running along. In fact, our cellphones are on Canadian time, (an hour later) and when Gene attempts to make a call, he is warned that considerable international charges are likely to occur and quickly abandons that effort. I found these two towns to be so charming on a previous visit because they are "real." There are tourists, but not hoards of them. They are situated on peninsulas of a bay and you can see one from the other if it is clear, but there is no mode of transportation between them other than driving around the bay. The tide change here are the most dramatic of any in the U.S. (world?). Look at the water line on the picture of a building on a pier. It comes and goes rapidly with a big current. In the foggy, rocky beach pic, the tide is coming in and the beach was separated from the high rock by about a foot. Within 30 min, that separation was 5 ft. or so.

Eastport is home of Sarah Graves, author of the Home Repair is Homicide series, and the hardware store carries autographed copies of her books, all centered around the renovation of an old house in this town. We are told by the hardware owner and others in Maine that global warming is real. The ponds and lakes that formerly were frozen by Thanksgiving, now might not freeze until January, if at all. They miss the recreation of skating or ice fishing them. Fog is playing cat and mouse in the harbor and it is fun to watch. At one point there is a mound of it like whipped cream, and a sunbeam is lighting the middle, giving in an opalescent glow. The lovely islands we see in the harbor are Canadian as is Campebello Island which is just out there too. One can boat around them, but not land, unless you can avoid getting caught the hardware store owner told us. The whale watching sailboat is full today so we move on to Lubec. You will notice a photo of me daydreaming of living in that house on the bluff. What a quintessentially Maine house in the perfect setting!

On the outskits of town we immediately come upon Monica's Chocolates. Well, gee whiz, we sure cannot pass this up. The business is located in a house where chocolates of all description are displayed in an L shaped room. A bedroom to the left holds Peruvian textiles. The dining room is a tea room that serves meals 5 days a week. Monica is Peruvian and enthusiastic and you only understand part of what she says, but she insists that all of us go into the basement to see the chocolate being made and there are four people down there busily working on various types of candy. Another part is for packaging and storage. She has been in business for 5 years. Does not like internet business as it is too much for her to keep up with. She says go on internet to get information, but to order "you call." Each truffle or bon bon is about $2, but they are truly to die for. And you cannot eat more than one at a time because they are so rich. She gets her chocolate from four differnt countries. I asked what she did before this and she said she was a clothing designer in Peru. Thats a real change.

After going out on the jetty to look for the seals that are not there this visit, we pick up blueberry treats for our dessert and drive out to Quaddy Head Lighthouse, the most photographed of any...guess because of the red and white stripes. (But, hey, how do they know?) We follow a path along the bluff and on the right is a charming forest, all mossy and mushroomy and damp from the fog. Gene is sure that is where the Hobbits live. We descend a stairway to the very, very rocky beach and have trouble focusing because there are so many interesting shapes and colors. The tide is coming in and waves are crashing against the larger outcroppings. We hear lobster boats just out there, but cannot see them. This little excursion was so enjoyable.

After taking a more inland route back home, we are shocked to find people setting up a twin to our camper two spaces over. Actually, upon inspection, is it 2-3 feet shorter. We make contact and take tours of one another's rigs. Theirs is a few years newer and some things are better. They have two wardrobes and more bathroom storage, and a larger kitchen, BUT no sofa. We would not trade storage for the sofa, because their only living space is the dinette. They are intrigued with our "back porch," the platform the previous owner installed with a large tool box and room to strap other things on. Speaking of which, I neclected to mention the woodie station wagon and camper we saw in Eastport parked in front of the Woodie Club. How would you like to camp in that? Claustrophobic City!! The wagon is 1946 and the camper 1939. Notice the little wooden trunk in from of it.

What a difference!

What a difference a day makes!! Woke to the patter of rain on my little tent-bed roof. Oh, no! Packing up in the rain. We checked radar and timed our take down to a break in the weather and that worked fine. Headed on up the coast to Ellsworth and then turned north to the wilderness. It was not long in coming, believe me. We turned onto a new "highway" that more resembled a goat path. It was barely paved and what there was seemed determined to become unpaved. So glad we had stowed everything and tied it down with all the bumping. This went on for about an hour I guess, and then we came to highway 9 to the east. A two lane but smooth road with wide shoulders. But gosh, there is just nothing out there but blueberry barrens. For miles and miles we saw only one diner and one gas station. Finally, as we approached the area of our campground we saw another diner and stopped for lunch. They had very good food and television (inexplicably turned to the financial channel) and cell phone service.
The person at the campground told me that it was "right on 9." Wrong, it was 2 miles down a side road. When we arrived, they told us to drive around and see where we wanted to park. It is like a glorified trailer park. I guess this is a fishing camp of sorts as it is on a lake, that we can barely see if we drive down and peek between the trailers. It is not all that junky, but when you have a lot of long termers close in, their stuff seems to be everywhere. We found a parking lot type pull through with plenty of blank space on both sides of us, so it isn't horrible. As we were setting up, we were assaulted with hordes of flying things that I never identified, but oddly, we have not seen any since. (I am not complaining) We did have to set up in a drizzly rain and it has continued the remainder of the evening on and off but there is a promise of sun tomorrow. No pretty things to photograph today...just rain swept barrens. We have no cable, no phone and barely internet, but we have sewer! So I do not have to go to the questionable bathhouse.
Everything in the camper has to do double duty. After dinner, the first thing you do it clean the stove, so you can fold in the grease guards and put the top down because that is where the dish drainer goes. Then you clean off the table so it can go back to being a computer desk. The center bars that hold the tent beds up become towel racks or hanging racks for drying laundry. The large cutting board goes from being extra counter top to a printer stand. The beds are storage bins during the day and then all that stuff goes on the sofa or dinette during the night. I have to wonder how messy people ever can camp. It is a challenge sometimes even if you are organized. We are fortunate to have the Suburban as a garage/closet/pantry.
To those who wondered how long we could get along in this tight space, we had our first spat today on day 19. Pretty good, I think.

Downtime

After two days of intense exploration, one with a marathon walk and the other with a marathon drive, we are taking the day off. Many people have left and we have an unobstructed view of the ocean. It is cool and windy and very quiet with most of the children and dogs gone. We sat down by the seawall and read awhile until the wind just got too much. There are whitecaps in the water and the tide is coming in. The first picture is the view from out site and where we sat. This morning as everyone was leaving a woman approached Gene and asked where he was from. I think she heard him talking to another person. Since they live in Maine, we asked for suggestions of where to go next and they told us about some places. As they were leaving when she came back and said we were welcome to come stay at their place as they had a lot of land and could hook us to water and electricity. We thanked them profusely and told them we would let them know. After studying maps and so forth, we decided to go further north toward Eastport. We found a campground inland so we can see Eastport and some of the north Maine woods. But we were impressed with this stranger's kindness.

The economy here looks pretty good. Of all the little towns we have been in, I have seen only one empty store and was told the owner had a stroke and closed the business. These places are tourist shops mostly and the merchandise is upscale and expensive and they are all making a living. One market I went into yesterday had all the spices known to man in large jars and you bought as much as you wanted. They also had about 9 bins of various types of flour that you bought by the pound. And this place was so busy that people had to wait for parking places. I have seen an inn or two that was closed. Many of these little towns either do not have schools, or only have them up to a certain grade level. The town then pays tuition for the rest of the children to a private school. A unique approach and they are free from government mandates.

We went to another farmer's market and again were impressed at the variety. One woman was spinning yarn and selling it. I watched her and asked questions for awhile as I have never seen someone do it. One woman was selling meat and had about sold out. Another man had made his meat into sausage. Lots of fabulous baked goods, art, granola, wood products, sheep skins. We talked to one artist who out of the blue told us about a good place to lunch, but alas it was 11 and they didn't open til 12. As we left, we said, didn't you think that young woman looked a lot like that artist? We decided she was drumming up business for her daughter!

Gene thinks his two photos of this island are award winning material, what do you think? As an aside, The Flagship Detroit DC3 is on the cover of Flying Magazine this month. Gene has gotten some calls wanting to know if he was the pilot. He said, no, but they were his students! His friend, Martha Lunkin wrote a great column about the '3.

I really liked Eastport when we were last there and am glad we are going back. I painted the lighthouse in the harbor there. Should have brought the passports so we could go to Campebello. We may do a whalewatching trip as I still want to see some seals or porpoises or whales or something. Then on Thursday we head to Greenville to meet Jane and Roy for three days there. After that we head west toward Vermont and New Hampshire. I am somewhat sad to leave the coast. It is so enchanting.

Farmers Market

The picture to the left is the view of the ocean from my window when we returned to camp this afternoon. There was a cool breeze blowing in the window too, reminded me of going to Florida when I was a kid before air conditioning when you could hear and smell the waves. I am amazed at how fast the tide moves in and out. In just an hour or so, it had retreated dramatically.

Just after dinner I started thinking the music I was hearing was not someone's stereo, but live. I looked out the window and sure enough, there was a guy with a guitar on a little stage on the beach. So I grabbed a jacket (yes, I said grabbed a jacket, sorry, guys) and down we went. This guy and a mandolin player did a good job. Some guy from the audience even played harmonica with them for a couple of songs. I am loving this entertainment provided at these campgrounds.

This morning we found Renys, which is what they have around here instead of (What???) maybe K Mart?, except it carries name brand stuff, discounted. They had Eddie Bauer, Keds, Columbia.

Then we went to the Farmer's Market, which I wanted to do to get the real flavor. And I was not disappointed. Gene said all the people looked like they came from Mother Earth News. Long grey hair worn in a plait, and Gene says, the men too. There was such a variety of wares, from fresh meat truly off the farm, to artisanal cheese, to vegetables, flowers, pork sausage, baked goods, yarn, baskets, they had it! The honey seller was quite a character, she also had homemade dog biscuits. In another picture you might spot a golden retreiver sleeping under a red table, as we stood there, the dog came up and begged a biscuit and then went back to his owner. They had live music too. It was an interesting scene.

On our travels we have noticed several women of character like the honey seller. Without exception they wear their grey hair long, most wear no make up. Some drive distinctive vehicles like a vintage Morris Minor woodie or a motor scooter. One was wearing black jeans, a denim apron and straw hat. We encountered another on the beach today, swimming and sun bathing completely alone.The honey seller said she has two sisters who "fix themselves up" and people ask her why she does not. Her answer is "then I would not be me."

In our drives along backroads we noticed several odd arrangements of mail boxes. Some are mounted in moveable buckets, one was hanging on a chain from a tree and several were on some see-saw looking apparatus with a chain or rope on them so they could be pulled down to be filled and then would go back up. Gene said it is to keep from getting hit by the snow plow. How interesting!

Down By the Sea

Yesterday we moved again. We are in Searsport, ME just 5 mi from Belfast, which is one of the larger cities on the coast. Our site has ocean views and there is a small beach and a seaside "Boardwalk" of sorts with benches and chairs from which to enjoy the awesome vista. Downside is no cable or sewer. You have to pay to get your tank pumped. The rent is rather high but then one pays for ocean views wherever you are.

On the way here, we stopped at Camden Hills State Park as I had heard of its views. As you can tell from the photo, it is wonderful and this is only the town of Camden. To th left is a panorama of the Blue Hill Peninsula, many many islands and even the mountains of Acadia National Park in the distance. Do not know why my photographer did not capture the other half...shall have to speak to him about this matter.

Yesterday afternoon we visited the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport. It encompasses 7 or 8 buildings right off the main street. Three old ships captains houses and some barns. They have an amazing collection of seafaring memorabilia and geneology of the area's sea faring families. In another life Gene was a sailor with a boat moored in Panama City, and an airplane to get himself there. He also sailed competively and so he really enjoys looking at the different sloops, ketches, schooners and so forth. The barns contain a wide array of the different types of boats used along the coast and one of the houses has a large art collection as well as memorabilia brought back from voyages. Also lots of pictures of life on the sea and shore. There were also many ships models on display. There was a docent in each building, admission is only $8. I think it is run by their historical society which is a wonder considering that the population of this town is just 3500.

We went to Belfast for dinner on a deck overlooking the bay. Good dinner and very nice server, a young man studying special ed, who had a great personality and was very attentive. We walked around the seaside a bit before returning home to a festive atmosphere as most of the campers in our area were outside enjoying a cool evening and campfires. And there are always the decorative "patio" light strings. We could see a light house blinking on an island across the water.

We have now been on the road for two weeks and seem to have settled in. We are astonished at how much food will fit into our little fridge, meal prep seems to be a snap and we seem to have a routine and system for every task. I think I sleep better here than at home. One wonderful additon was a large cutting board we bought to cover half of our double sink. It doubles our counter space and also functions as a printer stand when needed. One casualty is our fan which got left outside during a rain. Although it was under the awning, it seems to have expired.

And more

We are headed south to Rockland and Port Clyde today knowing we have been there before but the latter was a real fav of mine on a previous trip as a sleepy fishing village. I have painted two pictures from there. One, a watercolor of a boat by a dock and the other an oil of the Marshall Point Lighthouse. First we stop in Rockland for lunch. We split a lobster club, a dish that Bobby Flay had done his Throwdown on. Then looked at the harbor. Then I did a 30 min shopping survey. eeayah, I think I have seen it all, except maybe a pretty cotton shirt I expected to cost $30-50 and cost $322. Didn't even have gold threads. Who buys these things?
On down the coast stopping at more little villages until we hit Port Clyde. Egad!! I guess it has been discovered since we were here. Cars on top of cars. Not so many people so I think they are out on the cruises that leave out of here. We did park and look about a bit. On the way back we stopped at the Owl Head Lighthouse which we had not seen before. The light itself is ho hum, and closed for painting, but the view from the bluff it is on is unparalleled. We are about in sensory overload from all the beauty we have seen here in the past week, and we still have a week to go. All our days are sunny. We had rain one morning early and we are having it again tonight.
The house with the pretty flowers sits facing the ocean about 20 feet on the other side of the road. This is just example of the hundreds we have seen like this, wonderful house, great gardens.

Deja What?

Driving north this morning to check out possibles for our next campground, we rounded a corner and there was an awesome vista of blue water just right there. "Oh, wow, I've never heard of this town before!" I exclaim. Whereupon Gene says, "We've eaten at that restaurant before." And sure enough, we have with Jane and Roy and I can remember every detail of the inside of the restaurant and how we shopped the gift shop waiting for a table and where we sat etc, etc. But do not remember that view.

We were going to look at three campgrounds, but only looked at one. We move there on Wednesday. I will save the details for then, but it has a great feature. One thing I noticed was a lot of books for sale on knitting and spinning. Turns out the owners raise goats and she dyes and spins the wool into yarn. They had a lot of it on dispay, unspun. The husband told me they have Fiber College there in September offering 36 classes and last year had 900 people participate. It is on their website. Google Searsport Shores Oceanfront Campground. Thirty minutes later we are back in Camden for lunch. We are seatedtowards the back of the little restaurant near a door open to a balcony and a view of Camden Harbor. We were here also with J &R but on a rainy day and today is picture perfect. My Reuben is to die for and Gene's turkey club is so big that we get a box for half of it. The breeze from outside wafts over us while we eat and as Gene's father used to say, "I wonder what the pore folks are doing today."

After lunch, he heads for the harbor and I for the shops. There is a river running under the shops and some are sitting on piers. The photo above is taken from the balcony of one and you can see at the right where it spills over. From the harbor looking up it splits and cascades down two sides of a rock mound into the bay. My bad for not photographing it from below also but I was distracted by the bakery I had just come from and was going back to.

It seemed to me the shops and merchandise here are more upscale than Boothbay Harbor where there were a lot of touristy tee shirt shops. Lovely things with lovely prices. Saw a bunch of gorgeous cotton sweaters, really great designs. Wish I could knit like that! Maybe if I live long enough. One shop was exquisite in its design. Hooked rugs on the walls. White distressed tables down each side and one long one in the middle and a display of lovely candles on each with the assessories on each table matched to the color of the candles. Clean and beautiful. A girl near me commented on the beauty and I replied that the use of color was wonderful. Whereupon she commented that I matched the table we were looking at, pale turquoise, sure enough that is what I was wearing.

Then I found the bakery on the way to find Gene and we bought our dessert and headed toward home along the back roads looking at those great houses and a farm with banded cows. They are black with a wide white band around their middle. Really odd looking critters.

When we returned the campground is half empty. There is no one on either side of us and no one in the whole row across from us. There are no children here, most everyone is about our age. A lovely afternoon reading in the shade in deep quiet. (Our last place was pretty busy, which is ok, too. And there was a miniature railroad across the street that blew it's whistle all day, which is fine, but I don't miss it!)

Gene loves the "butter and sugar" corn they grow here and we are having it every meal. Thanks to Jane, I am doing it in the microwave using her method and it is quick and easy and delicious. We have yet to eat lobstah, waiting for just the right circumstance....have 8 days until we head inland. This last photo is one I zoomed in on for Gene to see this sailboat with the tall, tall mast.

Tomorrow we go south to Rockland, to a light house and further down the coast toward Port Clyde.

A Day Off

This vacation stuff is hard work, you know. So on Saturday we decide to take a vacation from vacation. The weather is sunny, crisp and cool. We spend most of the day at the campground which is lovely in itself, doing chores and taking several walks. I really start noticing all the dogs. People don't just have a dog, they have two and three dogs! There are little "ankle biters" as one woman with two Goldens called them but there were also a pair of Malamutes who shared space with a Pomeranian. Three dogs in a camper! Even a big one? Too much! In the late aftrnoon two women on horseback ride by. Who knows where they came from! We only venture out to get vittles for supper from a local farm market. We bought a piece of a local cow, two local Yukon Gold looking taters, and some un-local Bibb lettuce. We had a real feast. It was all so fresh and so tasty. That night we sleep well under all our blankets and even a touch of heat. We are lovin' it!
Sunday is moving day. Doesn't seem like that much work to break camp now that we don't have to do it every day. Gene has selected our "more up" camper, one he saw at a RV place near Anniston when Liz and Cory were home last month. It is a 28 ft. Springdale and while out walking he comes upon one and chats with the owner. He has found some on the internet for good prices, just last year's models. Only hang up is that it is a 5th wheel so we aslo need a truck to pull it with.....details, details.
Our new campground is not far away and we are there in two hours, including stopping for breakfast at Deb's Diner where I had a blueberry pancake the size of a medium pizza! They warned you to bring your appetite! And it came with four pieces of bacon. Heart attack city! Well the new address is nice but is not Shore Hills so Gene is pouty...that is the problem with getting the best one first. No others quite measure up. But this place is small and quiet and well situated for exploring the coast of Penobscot Bay.
We drove over and walked around the Rockland Harbor, realizing we had been there before when we saw the old limeston kilns. Lots of beautiful boats bobbing in the sparkling water. It is 83 and so, to Gene, a heat wave. We drove on south a bit and came upon a Wal Mart where we stocked up on some provisions. Then to a Farm Market for more fresh food. Our last stop was a gourmet food store. If you need any Hazelnut, Almond or Walnut oil, I know where you can get it....at a price. How about a bag of tri color rotini for $9.75 (and not a very big bag either). Hysterical note....they carried the Graffiti Zoo chocolates made in Conyers.
And all around these harbors are most extraordinary homes. With wonderful gardens. The flowers are extravagant everywhere. The farm markets sell bunches at reasonable prices. Tomorrow we will head north up the coast and the next day south. Then we will move again, where, we do not know.

Coolest

Today we drove down the next peninsula over to Pemaquid Lighthouse. We had lunch in a restaurant/gift shop on what was once a porch overlooking the ocean. We had a wonderful view of the surf breaking on the rocks below. Food was good too. Encountered my first pay toilet in decades. BTW, most of the campgrounds here have pay showers too. We have been using the one in the camper since we have a sewer connection and do not have to worry about a full tank.

We think we were here with Jane and Roy about ten years ago but do not remember the restaurant. Plus they have added an artists gallery. I shot a million photos trying to get one of a wave actually breaking on the rocks and failed. Gene says its because a digital camera thinks about it after you tell it to shoot.

Just up the road is a fort or a site where several forts had been. They had dug up a lot of artifacts and had them in a museum. It was interesting to see pottery from all over the world from the 1600 and 1700's. English teapot, French wine glass, etc. And a little carved piece, perhaps a good luck charm, made from Elephant ivory. It had come a long way and is indicitive of the tenacious nature of those who sailed the seas in those primitive times. They had exposed foundations of several buildings and built a reproduction of one of the forts. The day was beautiful, the view was breathtaking, the wind was whipping. Temp about 80.

Before dinner we took a walk and discovered a part of the campground we had not seen. We stopped to watch some neighbors play a game where you throw a bolo at what could be a drying rack and you get points depending on which rung it wraps around. Judging from the cheers we heard before and after our walk, they played for hours. Just after that we found a babbling brook that runs behind the sites just a few down the hill from ours and then into the river at the bottom. The sites to the left of that have river views and then there is a path leading to an "island" (high tide perhaps). You walk across a low place with marsh grass and onto this wooded island which was shaded and delightful. On the far side are rocks from which to fish. This is the best campground I have ever been to as far as the sites. On the other side some are in a meadow with limited shade, but they face a pond with lilies and a fountain in the middle. Shore Hills, Boothbay, Maine. This is our last day here as on Sunday we will go to the more populated eastern shore of Penobscot Bay where Camden, Rockland and Rockport are.

While we were on the island the wind started blowing in earnest, as in gale. It was the cold front we had been expecting. The low for the night was 52 and high for today predicted mid 70's. This is what we came to Maine for.

If anyone is reading this, how about leaving a comment so I will know. Thanks