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!