Change of Plans

We watched the weather forecast for Canada and determined that it was far too miserable to proceed.
I even read a news article today about the police in Newfoundland arresting the weatherman because they are upset with all the nasty weather he has been forecasting.  They have not had any summer weather at all this season.  It was cold enough for us in Maine.  We decided not to go for a case of pneumonia and find a new area to explore.

I remembered as a preschool kid going to the White Mountains in New Hampshire.  It was the first road trip I remember taking with my parents.  I have an old photo taken on that trip near the Thousand Islands of New York.  I look to be about four years old.  My sister would have still been in diapers.  The standout memory is of the Old Man of the Mountain, a huge chunk of rock that jutted out over the valley that looked like a man's head.  In my mind's eye I can still clearly see it.  I am happy to have that memory because the Old Man fell to his doom on May 3, 2003.

Thank you epodunk.com

We packed up on a very foggy cold morning in Lubec, ME and made a beeline to New Hampshire.
We found a very nice campground near Gorham, N.H..  They parked us on a site right between two million dollar motorhomes.  We feel like the Clampets in Beverly Hills.  There are sounds coming out of one of them I have never heard in a motorhome.  I know it has a washer, dryer and dishwasher but this sound doesn't sound like one of those.  It is probably the hot tub or the bidet.

The area is very beautiful.  The weather is mild and partly cloudy.  This is what we had in mind when we decided to escape the Florida heat for a short time.  We took a short ride around the area just to scope things out.  We stopped at the Wildcat Ski facility.  Only a few people were on the grounds but this place must be a mob scene in snow season.  We located a short hiking trail and decided to take a walk in the woods.  It was an easy trail that Darlie could handle.  She snapped photos of every nut, berry and moldy leaf she could find.

Photo of your typical in shape hiker

We came upon a covered bridge near Jackson.  This one was built in 1876.

On our way back to the campground we came upon a very bad traffic accident involving a motorhome and three cars.  Traffic was blocked for an hour and a half.  Everyone was out of their cars visiting and stretching their legs.  A few even dashed into the woods to relieve themselves.  We had a nice visit with a local man.  He told us some of the local lore and bemoaned the very hard winter they had just had.

Thursday morning, the 23rd, we headed out to drive the auto road up Mt. Washington.  It is a privately owned and maintained road to the top.  It is very narrow and winding with many blind curves.  Signs at the entrance warned those who fear heights should not attempt to drive the road.  I am petrified of heights but that wouldn't stop me from having a thrill of a lifetime.  The fee to drive this road was $28 plus $8 per passenger.  With the fee you received a CD describing the construction of the road, driving instructions and a bumper sticker to document a successful ascent and descent of the mountain.

View from the road

The first five miles of the road weren't too bad.  It was very narrow so passing a car coming down made us nervous.  You have to get real close to the edge to give them room to pass.  At about mile six, the road turned to dirt and got narrower.  We prayed we wouldn't meet anyone on this section.  We did.  We lived.  So did they.

We were thankful for pullouts along the way

At about the place where the dirt turned back to pavement again we drove into the clouds.  Visibility was only a few feet.  You couldn't see blind curves until you were in them.  Descending cars had their lights on but you only got a few seconds warning of their approach.  The wind really picked up at this point.  The sign at the bottom of the mountain said the wind was 60 plus mph at the summit and the temperature was 40 degrees.  Our truck was really rocking around in the wind.  Many people ride their motorcycles up the mountain.  You could see the wind pushing them around dangerously.

Reaching the clouds

Suddenly, a sign popped out of the gloom and fog.  It said parking with an arrow that pointed off into the mist.  The thought went through my mind, "If I turn here, is there some land to park on?"  You couldn't see it or how much of it there was.  I sat there for a moment wondering what to do but the thought of someone rear ending me forced me into action.  I made the turn and there was indeed a parking lot much to my relief.

Do you see the stairs?

It was so foggy, visibility at this point was only a few feet.  The icy wind was blasting us.  A woman popped out of the fog.  She was looking for the stairs that take you up to the observation building.  We fumbled around, walking car by car back to the road.  There we located a stairway.  Once at the top we could see absolutely nothing but fog.  We were afraid to venture too far not knowing what lie ahead.  Momentarily, the fog thinned.  We could make out the dark shape of a building.  Once inside we signed the register.  The ranger there told us the peak is like this sixty percent of the time.  We would have liked to have a clear day.  You can see for many miles from this highest peak west of the Rockies.

Mt. Washington has the worst weather on earth.  It even rivals Antarctica.  Winds in winter are often far above hurricane force while temperatures drop to 40 below.  An unusual type of ice forms up here called rime ice.  It is formed by the mist driven by high wind and subzero temperatures.

We were dreading the descent.  Starting out in the fog was a bit frightening.  Visibility was only a few feet for the first mile or so.  Then we broke out of the clouds.  Going down was much easier than going up.  Darlie was crying when we left the top but she was soon snapping photos again.

Wildcat Ske Slopes

Lubec, ME and Campobella, NB

Our next stop is Lubec, ME. . We are staying at the furthest east campground in the USA.  Sunset Point Campground is the summer residence of many who come here to escape hot weather further south.  Some have been coming here for many years.

View from our campsite

Lubec is a very beautiful place.  It reminds us of the Pacific northwest.  The bay often is hidden in a thick fog bank.  Tides here are among the most dramatic in the world.  The tide rises or falls at the rate of five feet an hour.  The tides range in the twenty-five feet range.  Which is much different from our Florida tides of just a few feet.

There isn't much in Lubec itself other than a few gift shops and an IGA grocery store.  The area has several very beautiful lighthouses.  Fog horns sound continuously warning mariners of the dangerous rocks in the bay.  Occasionally, the fog breaks allowing sunlight to stream through.  The appearance of the water changes from steely gray to a deep blue which highlights the giant boulders and rock cliffs along the shoreline.

We passed over the bridge from Lubec to Campobella Island which is in New Brunswick.  After checking through customs we drove the length of the island to another lighthouse on a point of land.
This light house is separated from the main island by a narrow channel.  When the tide is fully out, you can walk across the bottom of the channel to a ladder up to the lighthouse.  Best not to stay too long though.  The incoming tide will leave you stranded until the next low tide.

Can you see the stairs to the lighthouse?

Campobella is also the location of FDR's summer house.  You can tour the grounds and even get a ticket for tea with Eleanor.  We chose not to do that.  The grounds and the house is part of an international park.

We stopped for lunch at a local fishery restaurant.  It was highly recommended to us by the attendant at the campground.  Darlie had seafood chowder.  It was jam packed with huge scallops, lobster meat, large clams and shrimp.  It was very good.  I had halibut.  I was disappointed as it was not fresh fish as advertised.  The flavor and texture was that of previously frozen fish.

After buying the souvenir t-shirt, we returned to Lubec.  We spent the rest of the day visiting with others in the campground and enjoying the beautiful view we have here right on the water.

Fireweed

Sunset Point Campground

Bar Harbor, ME

We have been in the Bar Harbor area for the past three days.  The weather has been sunny and warm. We are in Hadley's Point Campground.  Sites are close here but we have a large open area in front of us that makes it feel more roomy.

Muffie's favorite spot in the trailer

Muffie in her car seat

Our neighbors are from the Rochester, N.Y. .  They are a family of five here for a week long vacation.  We were raised in the Rochester area so we had many things of mutual interest to talk about.  Their company made our stay here memorable.  

The Bar Harbor area is jammed packed with tourists.  This is not the kind of place we like to visit.  It is too much like home in the winter season.  

View of Bar Harbor from Cadillac Mountain

Riding around Acadia NP was disappointing to us.  We are used to seeing wildlife and spectacular views in national parks.  There were very few areas where you could see water or the ocean as we had thought we would.  In all our travels throughout New England we have seen one deer and a woodchuck I almost ran over.  This just isn't our kind of place.  Obviously, we are in the minority as evidenced by the crowds.

We asked a campground attendant where we could get a good lobster dinner.  He directed us to Abel's Lobster Pound down on Rt 198.  We have never had lobster like this in our lives.  It was the sweetest most flavorful lobster ever.  Darlie went down to where they cook the lobsters to see the operation.  The chef there told her they don't season them in any special way.  They just cook them in seawater.  He said most places over cook lobster which kills the natural flavor.

We stopped at the Black Sheep novelty shop to look for some gifts.  The owner asked Darlie if we had been up to Cadillac Mountain.  I told Darlie earlier we should go up there while the weather was so clear and bright.  Darlie was tired and wanted to wait.  The lady at the store convinced her to go while the weather was so good.  If we didn't we would miss the best thing Acadia had to offer.

Cadillac Mountain

Cadillac Mountain was the best thing about being here.  The view from the top was spectacular.  The top of the mountain is solid granite outcrop rock.  Every direction offered a stunning view over the water and islands surrounding the park.  Had we waited another day, we would have missed this clear view of the area.   We awoke to rain and low hanging clouds the next morning.  The summit of Cadillac Mountain is in the clouds.

Sunset at Abel's Lobster Pound

In the morning we depart from here.  Our plan is to go up to Canada.  The weather forecast is not good, however.  We failed to bring warm clothes with us.  Other than a pair of jeans and a sweat shirt, we are unprepared for cold damp weather.  We will take it a day at a time.  

We Are In New England At Last

July 15, 2015

It had been my intention at the beginning of this trip to post a daily account of our travels.  However, all the modern technology we have with us has failed to perform.

My new Jetpack from Verizon deleted my data allowance after the first day of use.  We tried several times to call customer service with our Tracfone but it’s performance is so hit and miss we kept getting cut off while on hold.  After three days we still don’t have internet access and the phone is still spotty.  

After another day beating our way up I-81, we finally surrendered in a little place called Hegins, PA.  The campground was at the bottom of a long 9% winding grade.  My new diesel F 250 handled it perfectly shifting down when needed and braking smoothly.  I am very pleased with the truck.  In the morning it had to climb back out of that hole, which it did effortlessly.

Monday went well if you don’t count going around in circles with a thirty foot trailer in tow in rush hour traffic in Albany, N.Y..  I kept missing the exit.  I did stop to ask directions when I found myself down a narrow side street.  The guy explained a route that sounded easy enough.  Off we go again up onto the expressway.  Again we took the wrong exit and found ourselves headed for the Adirondacks.  I almost changed my plans to go to Vermont at that point.  The Adirondacks are nice.

We kept cool heads.  We learned long ago all these things are part of the experience.  If things like this didn’t happen there would be little to write about many days.

After several more attempts to land on Rt 7 east we finally crossed the Hudson River.  That was a good sign we were headed in the right direction.  We phoned ahead to Greenwood Lodge and Campsites in Woodford, Vt. which is located just east of Bennington, VT.  

The owners run a tight ship.  I felt like I had to qualify to get a campsite.  However, they do a great job with the place.  They purchased the two hundred acre property fifty five years ago.  It has been the owners sandbox ever since.  There are woods, open fields, streams and lakes.  The many years of work preparing this place is obvious.  They even have a “river walk” along a stream that runs from a man made lake.  You really get the sense of being out in the wilds walking along the stream.  The campsites are spacious with a variety of open and wooded sites.  The utilities are very neat and functional unlike many places we have stayed. 

I have a new name.  I call myself by my native American name, “drives in creeks”.  I picked a beautiful wooded site along a creek.  It looked like a simple deal to back into it.  However, I made a rookie mistake.  I didn’t get out and look everything over before making my attempt to back in.  I failed to notice I had little maneuvering room along the creek.  As I started my way back into the site, I felt my rear wheel drop over the bank. 

It is always a high point to a campers day to have some idiot drive into the campground and screw up in sight of everyone for entertainment.  This was my first opportunity to be center stage.  I took a bow and headed up to the office.  While registering, I heard the owner tell his wife he was going out to put the tractor away.  

A small tug from his tractor was all it took to pull me out of my precarious perch.  Things could have been a whole lot worse.  Darlie, the coward she is, sneaked away with the dog so as not to be associated with today’s village idiot.  The upside though, I didn’t have to introduce myself to anyone in the camp.  “Oh, you are the guy in the creek.”

We spent two days wandering around Bennington.  It is a very picturesque community with a Revolutionary War legacy.  President Lincoln’s son had an estate here which you can tour today.  There are a couple of museums of local history and artists.  The quaint downtown’s prominent feature is the clock at what is known as the Four Corners on Main Street.  Many shops with things of interest to visitors fill the old buildings.  All is very neat and spotlessly clean.  A prominent feature when you enter the town it the tall war memorial commemorating the Revolutionary War battle fought here.  You can buy a ticket at the memorial’s gift shop to take an elevator ride to the top where you have a panoramic view of the entire area.

We spotted an old Tasty Freeze building with a crowd of customers around it.  We had to stop.  We haven’t seen one of these places in years.  Are they still in business?

The menu featured a Vermonster burger.  We ordered two and some homemade fries.

Fifties music played from the outside speakers as we ate our lunch.  It reminded us of simpler days.

Back at the campground we took a walk on the river walk to the lake.   The air was cool.  The air smelled of freshly cut hay.  Birds sang.......you know the story.

The morning started with a gentle shower.  We love the sound of rain on the roof of our trailer.  Getting out of bed was just that much more difficult.  We had to get up early to head over to Maine for our next stop.

The ride over was exhausting.  There are no major highways that go west to east in New England.  The secondary roads we traveled wound around and up and down.  We decided to stop at a campground in Thomaston, ME.  We will go onto Bar Harbor and Acadia NP tomorrow.  We made reservations for three days.  We hope to eat lots of lobster while we are there.

Tonight a very nice couple from Boston invited us over to sit by their campfire.  Phil and Cheryl have been camping for many years.  We chatted until well after dark sharing camping stories and warm fellowship.  

I apologize for the photos.  These are a few from my camera.  Darlie has most of them on her camera but we forgot the cable to download them.  We will pick one up and I will update this post with better photos.

Long hard day

We were up early this morning.  Mist was rising from  Lake Harmony while Muffie did her morning duty near the water's edge.  A blue heron flew off giving us a disgusted look for dropping such a deposit in his living room.  As all good campers should, I scooped it all up in a plastic bag and made my way back to the trailer.

This place is sandy.  It is worse than spending the day at the beach.  It stuck to our shoes like mud.   It was a mess to clean up but we couldn't avoid tracking a litter box load of it into the truck.

We made good time early.  But when we hit the South Carolina line, the interstate dropped from 3 lanes to 2.  It was a traffic jam miles long.  We moved along like a giant slinky, fast for a few minutes then down to a crawl.  We got trapped in 5 stop and go situations.  Only one was due to an accident.  The rest were just due to there being more traffic than the road could handle.   Miles before every major intersection, traffic slowed to stop and go until you cleared the exit, sometimes many miles away.

Are we there yet?

South Carolina has bigger fish to fry than debating whether or not to fly a flag.  The roads are outdated and very rough.  I thought it would shake our trailer apart.  The only place in the state where we found any construction widening the road was near the capital of Columbia.    We couldn't have any of those bureaucrats delayed in traffic when they are debating such high priority PC matters.  PC majors on minors, solves no problems and creates bigger problems in the end.  Fix the Blankity blank roads!

My Girls Resting

We finally gave up in the mountains of Virginia on I-77 near Fancy Gap.  We found a campground tucked away in the hills with lots of shade trees, a couple of ponds and lots of nice people to visit with.  Tomorrow we do it again.  I hate interstates.

We are finally off on a new adventure

We have had many delays starting our latest trip.  Why do all kinds of things pop up just as you get ready to leave.  Weird little things were happening with the trailer.  I turned on the gas and had nothing.  The tanks are full.....so what's up with that?

I resorted to my internet resource. Forest River Forums.  I had my answer in minutes.  In case you ever turn the gas on and nothing happens here is what could solve the problem.  If you turn the valve to full open real fast there is a safety device that could sense a sudden rupture or leak.  It will shut the system down.  To solve the problem, shut off the gas tank valves, disconnect the tanks from the regulator hose, reconnect everything, then just crack the tank valve and let it sit for a few minutes.
Then open the valves to full and you have gas again.  I will practice slowly opening the valves in the future.

We decided to breed our bichon frise when she came into heat last month.  She will be due around August 20th.   We made this decision to have a trained puppy ready for our grandson for Christmas.  He loves our little Muffie and would love to have a dog of his own.  It will be a very big surprise for him.

Consequently, our plans for two months on the road had to be reduced to just one.  To escape the summer Florida heat we plan to go to the Canadian Maritimes.  We would have liked to take it easy and spend more time along the way but that is not possible.   Problems all solved, we hit the road this morning.

We will cover ground pretty fast to get to our destination.  That isn't our style but most of this trip is over land we have covered many times before.  So we won't be missing much.  We will slow down when we hit New England.  That is the only area not filled in on our states map.

Tonight we stopped at an RV campground we visited in the past.  It is called Lake Harmony RV Park in Townsend, GA.  They have a little lake here with a swimming beach.  The sites are well shaded.  I count 46 of them.  They have full hook ups with cable and wifi.  The wifi is very good.  The sites are sandy with some grassy areas.  The owners are super nice folks.  We were late arrivals but they were there waiting for us with big smiles.  They led us to our site and helped guide us in.  Then stayed around until they knew everything was good.  Very good service.

Tomorrow we will do our 400 miles and call it quits early enough to relax a bit before we take off again.   We didn't take any photos today but when we get up north we will have plenty to share.
See you on the road.