Friday August 1, 2008
We answered some e-mails this morning (it has been at least a week without internet) and then headed for Niagara Falls. The park is the first state park in the US! It is beautiful. Luckily we see people biking and decide to unpack the bikes. Best decision of the day. We bought Niagara passes so we biked to the aquarium, discovery center and then made our way over the river to eat lunch at the “Top of the Falls” restaurant. It overlooks Horseshoe Falls…very beautiful. After lunch we did the Cave of the Wind walking tour underneath Bridal Veil Falls…we were very wet, but donated our Niagara falls sandals to the poor (they are included in the price of the tour). We then went to the Maid of the Mist boat tour. Blue ponchos instead of yellow, but no wait and we went to the base of the falls. The falls are pretty amazing…there is no way to describe the power of the water going over that cliff. After doing all that Niagara Falls State Park had to offer we went to Sean Manning’s winery, “Freedom Run” We did a tasting and bought a couple of bottles. It really is a beautiful place. Sean did the winery up right…we talked to the people there, Sean’s pottery is for sale there. Then, we went to the Jet Boats! Jet Boats…what can I say. They are fast and crazy. Of course, we had the boat that had a new employee on it (sitting right in front of us) so at the end of the ride our guide came up and sat in front of us and the fun began. Greg and I could not even breathe because of the amount of water coming over the sides. I am SURE that the pilot was trying to make an effect on the newbie and of course….it made and effect on the rest of us in the form of water up our noses! We ended our night on the deck overlooking the Niagara river with the sun going down and when we got back to the park we unfortunately had to do some laundry.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Thursday July 31, 2008
Today was a real travel day. We had decided to go as far as we could and then finish the trip to Niagara Falls on Friday. As it turned out, we were traveling great and we made it to Niagara Falls without a problem by 5. We are very happy and check into the AA campgrounds. Thought it was supposed to have 300 campsites…it has 33. Whatever, we are here, they have internet and the sites are level. It is a far cry from our beloved State Parks, but this is how we will be heading home. We decided to head into “town” to get some dinner. The actual town of Niagara is a little depressed so when we saw the Seneca Casino we decided to take a chance. We were going to go to the buffet, but about 200 Japanese tourists decended on the buffet at the same time. We ended up at the Seneca Casino’s premier restaurant and boy was it good. Prime rib and a filet…wine, creamed spinach, asparagus, good stuff. We then went into the casino and did what we do best in casinos…lose money. This night ended differently than we thought. We usually find a local diner to eat at!
Today was a real travel day. We had decided to go as far as we could and then finish the trip to Niagara Falls on Friday. As it turned out, we were traveling great and we made it to Niagara Falls without a problem by 5. We are very happy and check into the AA campgrounds. Thought it was supposed to have 300 campsites…it has 33. Whatever, we are here, they have internet and the sites are level. It is a far cry from our beloved State Parks, but this is how we will be heading home. We decided to head into “town” to get some dinner. The actual town of Niagara is a little depressed so when we saw the Seneca Casino we decided to take a chance. We were going to go to the buffet, but about 200 Japanese tourists decended on the buffet at the same time. We ended up at the Seneca Casino’s premier restaurant and boy was it good. Prime rib and a filet…wine, creamed spinach, asparagus, good stuff. We then went into the casino and did what we do best in casinos…lose money. This night ended differently than we thought. We usually find a local diner to eat at!
Wednesday July 30, 2008
We got up and going pretty good this morning heading for Canada. We made it through customs although we are always nervous answering questions…”where are you coming from?” “St. Petersburg, Florida” “You drove all the way from Florida today?” “Well, no, we are staying at…what is the name of that state park?” You get the gist…we are naturally nervous, especially Greg and they even asked who was sitting by him. I swear I didn’t think he was going to remember my name! We stopped at the visitor’s center and got great information on where to park and go in the old section. We parked and got on our bikes and took off. Montreal is very bike friendly. There are bike paths everywhere and we used them. We rode around the town and then finally found a “free” place to lock our bikes…most places were like parking meters and we had no Canadian coins. We ate at a little outdoor café and had pizza. It was a caper, artichoke, ham, olive pizza but each ingredient had its own section of the pizza…interesting. We ended up splitting up each piece…it was great. We also had a beer and for some reason (could have been the long day yesterday) it wiped us out! We went to the huge park that runs down the waterfront on the St. Lawrence River, got out our crazy creek chairs to “read” and promptly fell asleep! Two vagrant naps in one month…I don’t know what is next. We needed to move so we followed the bike trail for a good ways (saw people going through the locks on their boats) then loaded up and headed home. On the way home we decided to go to the movies (we had seen them from the interstate on our way in last night) so we got to the Plattsburgh Mall, ate at the Flaming Wok and watched the Dark Knight. After so much nature and city stuff it was great to do something mindless. We got back to our site after 10, so we still don’t know much about it.
We got up and going pretty good this morning heading for Canada. We made it through customs although we are always nervous answering questions…”where are you coming from?” “St. Petersburg, Florida” “You drove all the way from Florida today?” “Well, no, we are staying at…what is the name of that state park?” You get the gist…we are naturally nervous, especially Greg and they even asked who was sitting by him. I swear I didn’t think he was going to remember my name! We stopped at the visitor’s center and got great information on where to park and go in the old section. We parked and got on our bikes and took off. Montreal is very bike friendly. There are bike paths everywhere and we used them. We rode around the town and then finally found a “free” place to lock our bikes…most places were like parking meters and we had no Canadian coins. We ate at a little outdoor café and had pizza. It was a caper, artichoke, ham, olive pizza but each ingredient had its own section of the pizza…interesting. We ended up splitting up each piece…it was great. We also had a beer and for some reason (could have been the long day yesterday) it wiped us out! We went to the huge park that runs down the waterfront on the St. Lawrence River, got out our crazy creek chairs to “read” and promptly fell asleep! Two vagrant naps in one month…I don’t know what is next. We needed to move so we followed the bike trail for a good ways (saw people going through the locks on their boats) then loaded up and headed home. On the way home we decided to go to the movies (we had seen them from the interstate on our way in last night) so we got to the Plattsburgh Mall, ate at the Flaming Wok and watched the Dark Knight. After so much nature and city stuff it was great to do something mindless. We got back to our site after 10, so we still don’t know much about it.
Tuesday July 29, 2008
Well, today we went to Rangeley again and also to Farmington for a little detour where we ate lunch, drove back to Rangeley and took off for New York….we are behind schedule by 5 hours. It was a long trip, but we hated to lose our day. Greg drove most of the way and I took over when the roads got better. We ate in a little town in Vermont and got in at 9:30. Backed in and got the coach level (without any jacks!) and had a celebratory cocktail. We have no idea what this place looks like, but we are happy to be here. It is in Schuler Falls, New York and is a state park. I updated the blog (at least the text part since we have electricity tonight…but no internet), Greg read. Tomorrow…Montreal.
Well, today we went to Rangeley again and also to Farmington for a little detour where we ate lunch, drove back to Rangeley and took off for New York….we are behind schedule by 5 hours. It was a long trip, but we hated to lose our day. Greg drove most of the way and I took over when the roads got better. We ate in a little town in Vermont and got in at 9:30. Backed in and got the coach level (without any jacks!) and had a celebratory cocktail. We have no idea what this place looks like, but we are happy to be here. It is in Schuler Falls, New York and is a state park. I updated the blog (at least the text part since we have electricity tonight…but no internet), Greg read. Tomorrow…Montreal.
Monday July 28, 2008
Today we decided to go canoeing and headed to Oquossoc on the north west corner of Rangeley Lake. It looked like rain when we got there so we ate some lunch at the world renown 4 Seasons Café and then had the canoe rental company drop us off. We went down the Kennebec River and we did it because the guide book said it was a great place to see wildlife including MOOSE…we still haven’t seen one. And at the end of our trip we still hadn’t seen on or even much wildlife. We decided to drive to a place called Coos Canyon and low and behold, on our way when we least expected it (that’s what the chamber of commerce lady told us…you will see a moose when you least expect it!) out pops this big ass moose out of the bushes on the left hand side of the road and starts hoofing it down the road. There are all sorts of signs in Maine that say, “Break for Moose”, but I don’t even know why they need them. If you are stupid enough to speed up and hit a 600 pound GIANT moose, then you deserve whatever happens. Anyway, we did “break for moose” and while I frantically tried to get the camera out of its protective bag, it went into the woods on the right hand side of the road. No picture, but at least a sighting! We are now determined to get a picture of a moose and planned a trip to the DOT on the way to Stratton at dusk. After dinner we headed to Stratton and saw a moose on the way! At the DOT sight we saw another one (if you are keeping count, that’s 3). On the way out, we saw the same one we saw on the way in…at least I think it was and then another one! 4 moose sightings AND pictures. We went home happy.
Today we decided to go canoeing and headed to Oquossoc on the north west corner of Rangeley Lake. It looked like rain when we got there so we ate some lunch at the world renown 4 Seasons Café and then had the canoe rental company drop us off. We went down the Kennebec River and we did it because the guide book said it was a great place to see wildlife including MOOSE…we still haven’t seen one. And at the end of our trip we still hadn’t seen on or even much wildlife. We decided to drive to a place called Coos Canyon and low and behold, on our way when we least expected it (that’s what the chamber of commerce lady told us…you will see a moose when you least expect it!) out pops this big ass moose out of the bushes on the left hand side of the road and starts hoofing it down the road. There are all sorts of signs in Maine that say, “Break for Moose”, but I don’t even know why they need them. If you are stupid enough to speed up and hit a 600 pound GIANT moose, then you deserve whatever happens. Anyway, we did “break for moose” and while I frantically tried to get the camera out of its protective bag, it went into the woods on the right hand side of the road. No picture, but at least a sighting! We are now determined to get a picture of a moose and planned a trip to the DOT on the way to Stratton at dusk. After dinner we headed to Stratton and saw a moose on the way! At the DOT sight we saw another one (if you are keeping count, that’s 3). On the way out, we saw the same one we saw on the way in…at least I think it was and then another one! 4 moose sightings AND pictures. We went home happy.
On the AT
Piazza Rock (Moose and Squirrel)
2 seater with a cribbage board in between...boredom on the trail!Sunday July 27, 2008
Today was our hiking day. There are so many hikes to choose from in this area, but we chose to go to Piazza Rock which is about 1.8 miles (3.6 round trip) on the Appalacian Trail. This satisfied our lust for the trail (something we always wanted to do). We parked in the trail head parking lot and watched lots of hikers coming out and meeting the mail truck…these are serious hikers. Our hike was strenuous in some parts, mucky in others and ended in an area with a rock that was precariously perched high over our heads. We also met a caretaker who lives in the wilderness and keeps track of the people who come by…what a life. Our stop also coincided with an AT lean to and tent platforms. I could just imagine how welcome these places would be at the end of a day of hiking. There is an out house and in the lean to is a journal where hikers write notes about their journeys along with a deck of cards and a few other comforts. The out house was a 2 seater with a cribbage board screwed into the wood between the seats (better than a tv). We ate lunch on one of the tent platforms and then met a guy (trail name: Whiplash, as in Snidley Whiplash). He was hiking the entire trail and had started in Georgia on February 7th…he was getting close to the end. When I asked his trail name and he told me “Whiplash” I told him that Greg and I were “Moose and Squirrel”. To which he replied, “Really!?” and then of course I had to say, “No, just kidding”, but the Moose and Squirrel thing has stuck and we are now traveling under those names. I could have easily said, “Boris and Natasha”, “Dudley and Nell” or “Peabody and Sherman…wait, that doesn’t work” but Moose and Squirrel it is. After our 5 hour hike (I swear, I do NOT know where that time went) we went to a place called Smalls Falls. Lots of people go there (especially on Sunday afternoon) to swim in the pools down from the falls and jump off the cliffs…pretty scary. We found a rock in the stream and got out our “crazy creek chairs” (stadium seats to you non-Mainers) and read with our feet in the stream. What a nice afternoon. We ended the day with steaks on the grill and another fire and more reading (we have chosen some really good books!)
Saturday July 26, 2008
We started our day with a trip and a hike to the site of a crash of a B52 that happened in the 60s. It was pretty amazing to see the devastation that happens when a plane crashes into a mountain and how it tore the plane up. After that we took off for Rangeley Lakes State Park. We called the ranger ladies on the way and they had a site ready for us…so nice. We went into Rangeley and hit up the Chamber of Commerce for information before we ate a nice dinner at the Rangeley Inn and made a beautiful fire to contemplate!
We started our day with a trip and a hike to the site of a crash of a B52 that happened in the 60s. It was pretty amazing to see the devastation that happens when a plane crashes into a mountain and how it tore the plane up. After that we took off for Rangeley Lakes State Park. We called the ranger ladies on the way and they had a site ready for us…so nice. We went into Rangeley and hit up the Chamber of Commerce for information before we ate a nice dinner at the Rangeley Inn and made a beautiful fire to contemplate!
Canoeing on Prong Pond
Campsite at Lily Bay State park at Moosehead LakeFriday July 25, 2008
We are so happy! It is not raining! We rented a canoe, packed a lunch and canoed around Prong Pond (not really a pond…it is big and filled with islands). The lake is so beautiful, pretty wild with few houses, we really enjoyed the 3 hour paddle. We have still not seen hide nor hair of a moose and believe you me, we are looking. There is a sign that says that moose outnumber people 3 to 1…we have seen a lot of people, but no moose. We are really just on a mammal hunt now. I have seen a few chipmunks and a road kill porcupine but we are mammal deprived right now. After our canoe we went back home and read then took the canoe back, took a ride to Rockwood (we will go back tomorrow) and ended up at the “Stress Free Moose” drinking a beer, downloading pictures, bloging and using their wireless (which doesn’t work very good). And to make things even better we have live music now with a guy who is playing our favorite songs. We end the night with more reading and a fire. We really do enjoy these cool Maine nights.
Thursday July 24, 2004
2 words…it rained. We woke to rain and heard it would rain the entire day so we went to the visitor’s center and got info on hikes, canoe rental and where the Laundromat was. Then we did our laundry…it is something we have to do and a rainy day is best. Maine really doesn’t like signs and it was true at the laundry…not a single sign, just a log cabin…you would never know it was a laundry, luckily we had directions. We made a plan, checked on canoe rentals for tomorrow, went to the Maine equivalent of a Super Wal-mart…full of everything especially if it had to do with the outdoors. We ate at a little place on the waterfront of Moosehead Lake (and watched it rain). Back at camp, Greg took a monumental nap and I read tons. We really didn’t want to go anywhere so we ate in and read some more. I think we are on book #3.
2 words…it rained. We woke to rain and heard it would rain the entire day so we went to the visitor’s center and got info on hikes, canoe rental and where the Laundromat was. Then we did our laundry…it is something we have to do and a rainy day is best. Maine really doesn’t like signs and it was true at the laundry…not a single sign, just a log cabin…you would never know it was a laundry, luckily we had directions. We made a plan, checked on canoe rentals for tomorrow, went to the Maine equivalent of a Super Wal-mart…full of everything especially if it had to do with the outdoors. We ate at a little place on the waterfront of Moosehead Lake (and watched it rain). Back at camp, Greg took a monumental nap and I read tons. We really didn’t want to go anywhere so we ate in and read some more. I think we are on book #3.
Greg on Lobster #3!
Sunset off the Angelique
At rest on the AngeliqueMonday, Tuesday, Wednesday July 21,22,23, 2008
I am going to sum up the cruise is a short amount of space with just the highlights. The first night on board was a little rocky… I snored and had to get up at 4am to use the “head” and of course that woke Greg up because he is scared to death that I am going to fall getting into and out of the top bunk. That was remedied by me moving to the next cabin which was conveniently empty. So for the rest of the trip we had our own rooms with bottom bunks. We sailed out to beautiful wind, saw many islands, lost the wind, found it again and then settled into Buck’s Harbor for the night. It was chilly and overcast so the crew all jumped in the 60-something degree water for swims. There were 4 big Windjammers all anchored close and there was a meeting of people in the water between them all…pretty crazy. That night we also saw the most amazing rainbow ever. It was so close and started in the water and ended in the water. It then became a double rainbow. I hope the pictures turn out! Food is served either down below or on deck and is passable and there is lots of it. More sailing, eating, reading, talking to new friends. On Tuesday night we anchored off the coast of Caldwell Island which is owned by Maine and had a lobster bake on the beach. I ate 2 lobsters and Greg ate 3. They were new shell lobster (recently molted) so they were easy to get into…no crackers needed. Wednesday we still did not have good wind so we motored back to Camden and we got back on the road headed to Moosehead Lake. It felt really good to be back on the road. I don’t think we will be doing this type of Windjammer again. Not much to do on the boat all day except read and talk.
We arrived at Lilly Bay State Park outside of Greenville, Maine and got a wonderful campsite that we can stay in for 14 days (we won’t). We decided to go to Kocadjo which is about 8 miles north of us because they have a steak place and we don’t cook on the 1st night in. We arrived at Kocadjo and the road turned into a dirt road. All we saw was a trading post, but inside we could see people eating so we went in. Pic-nic tables inside, menu on a chalk board with no prices, but there were lots of people and they looked happy. Big screen TV playing the news. We ordered a glass of wine and the owner asked if we wanted large…of course we did but we didn’t realize that large was an entire tumbler filled to the brim! The owner turned the bottle upside down to fill our glasses…I’ve never seen that done! Steaks and scallops were great as well as the view of hummingbirds feeding through the windows. We went home and slept great.
Friday, July 25, 2008
On the AngeliqueSunday July 20, 2008
This morning we had to check out of our campsite and we did it in a leisurely manner. We only had to take the RV to the overflow lot at the state park because they gave us permission to park it there while we were on our Windjammer…like I said…Mainers are nice people. After packing our stuff for the cruise and putting it in the toad, we headed to Rockford and Rockport. We hiked to a lighthouse that was about a mile out on a breakwater made of huge granite rocks. It was drizzling rain and overcast so it wasn’t hot at all. We got our supplies for the trip (no alcohol is served on the boat) and at lunch at a great little deli called 3 Dogs. Very good food including big steaming cups of coffee and cheesecake topped with berries. It was a dreary day and rainy so we did our laundry before going to check in on the boat. Our cabin on the Angelique is VERY tiny, but so is everyone else’s! We have an upper and lower bunk and of course I told Greg that the upper was his which he didn’t mind until he got in it and there was only about a foot between him and the ceiling…he is a bit claustrophobic. So I got the top bunk! We walked into town and ate once again on the waterfront. Our sailing group is really small, 15 instead of the usual 29, and people introduced themselves and we got to know some of the crew. We will be sailing tomorrow morning.
This morning we had to check out of our campsite and we did it in a leisurely manner. We only had to take the RV to the overflow lot at the state park because they gave us permission to park it there while we were on our Windjammer…like I said…Mainers are nice people. After packing our stuff for the cruise and putting it in the toad, we headed to Rockford and Rockport. We hiked to a lighthouse that was about a mile out on a breakwater made of huge granite rocks. It was drizzling rain and overcast so it wasn’t hot at all. We got our supplies for the trip (no alcohol is served on the boat) and at lunch at a great little deli called 3 Dogs. Very good food including big steaming cups of coffee and cheesecake topped with berries. It was a dreary day and rainy so we did our laundry before going to check in on the boat. Our cabin on the Angelique is VERY tiny, but so is everyone else’s! We have an upper and lower bunk and of course I told Greg that the upper was his which he didn’t mind until he got in it and there was only about a foot between him and the ceiling…he is a bit claustrophobic. So I got the top bunk! We walked into town and ate once again on the waterfront. Our sailing group is really small, 15 instead of the usual 29, and people introduced themselves and we got to know some of the crew. We will be sailing tomorrow morning.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Our Sailing ship "The Angelique" on left.
Eating lunch on the Camden harborSaturday July 19, 2008
Today we decided to do some of the fun things that were going on in Camden. So we went a scoped out the Arts and Crafts show and book sale that was set up on the waterfront. We bought a necklace, some vases and books then ate lunch overlooking the harbor. It really is a pretty little town. After a trip back through the art and to a little market we came home and had a short power nap then took off for CellarDoor winery just outside of town. We did a tasting and while we were tasting the owner/chef came around with some great snacks made with crusty bread, grilled halloumi cheese and capers…really tasty. When we were getting our wine purchases together Greg found the cheese and was asking the owner if it was the type she used (he really liked these things…me too!) and she proceeded to give us a loaf of crusty bread, a jar of capers and a lemon so we could make them ourselves. Mainers are really nice people. We ended up at yet another great restaurant on the waterfront, watching the rain and eating steamers, mussels and lobster, We have decided that we REALLY love the steamers…they are right up there with oysters. Rain again tonight so for the first time in a while we watched TV…seemed nice. I also saw that the Rays won a game…Yea! EVERYBODY up here is a Redsox fan…it is so sad.
BarHarbor
Old Episcopal Church In Bar Harbor
Sand Beach crazy people.
Blowing rock.Friday July 18, 2008
Today we took off for Acadia National Park. It was a 2 hour drive, but of course we have to stop at Rooster Brothers in Belfast to get more coffee so it took us a little longer. When we arrived we decided to check out Bar Harbor first so we got out the bikes and rode around the town. Went to an old beautiful Episcopal church, ate a lobster roll lunch on park benches, got blueberry ice cream, bought a print and then took off for the actual National Park. The park loop road runs along most of the coast with views of things like Blowing Rock (where the waves come in and crash and spray), Sand Beach (where crazy people swim in 57 degree water), then goes inland where you can see beautiful vistas overlooking the coast and inland lakes. At almost the end of the loop you can drive up to the summit of Cadillac Mountain and look out over the coast and Bar Harbor. We did a couple of hikes…one to view the Rockafeller House, one along the summit of Cadillac Mtn, and one to “the Bubbles”. The Bubbles hike was a little rough, all up hill and very rocky…not much of a trail. We made it almost to the top to a beautiful overlook and it started to rain. Fear of sliding down the side of the mountain on rocks caused us to turn back…it was beautiful up there. After Acadia we headed home but we were looking for a place to eat. We ended up at Young’s Lobster Pound in Belfast. It is the biggest pound that I have seen with probably 20 huge tanks with lobsters of all sizes in them. We ordered our meal at the counter downstairs and watched our lobster and clams go into a net bag and into the steamer. When they came out we had the best lobster so far on the trip. They are served with, of all things, a bag of chips…makes no sense to me. We also had some lobster stew. The thing about these pounds is that they don’t serve alcohol. Luckily we knew that and had beers in the cooler! Never go anywhere in Maine without your cooler filled with water for the hikes and beer for the pounds! It was a rainy night and we were happily stuffed, so no fire, just checking on places to stay and reading. Great day
Saturday, July 19, 2008
CAmpground at Camden Hills State Park
Dinner on the docks in Camden. This is where our Windjammer will dock.
View of Camden Harbor from Mt. Battie in Camden Hills SP.Thursday July 17, 2008
We got up fairly early today…I will be happy when my coffee pot works again (no electricity) so I can quit poring boiling water over the grounds. Had a little mishap with hooking up the Toad, but all is well. It was a short trip to Camden, only about 1.5 hours and we were able to get into our campsite very early. We could not however get the RV leveled…too bad, we are here and we are staying! We are just staying in the RV fun house! You can really tell we are off level in the bathroom. We checked out Camden which is the prettiest town we have seen in Maine. We decided to do a Kayak tour of the harbor and so for 2 hours we went around Curtis and Mouse Islands and checked out all the cool sailboats and houses. What a great time. We also ate dinner on the docks…more food than we thought we could eat…but we managed. We are now back at the campsite and amazingly we have internet connection again…so time to catch up. Greg is actually almost asleep in front of the fire. It is peaceful here. Tomorrow – Acadia National Park.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Outdoor chapel at St. Anne's
Contemplating those huge boats on the monestary trail...
St. Anne's built in 1889 out of local stone...Wednesday July 16, 2008
Today we decided to go back south and visit Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Portland. Our campgrounds here at Recompence are very family friendly. It is on a farm (Wolf Neck) where everyday little kids come for day camp. Families come here to camp and are fun to listen to. There is usually frizbee or baseball going on in the field. It is a good place to be. We got up and showered on our way out and made it to Kennebunk and went for a nice walk at a monastery. We ate on the docks at Kennebunkport and saw some of the biggest personally owned boats I have ever seen. We then took a scenic drive on Ocean St. stopping at St.Anne’s Episcopal church on the way. They have an outdoor altar and pews overlooking the ocean and the stone church was built in 1889…spectacular. We also saw the 1st president Bush’s house out on Walker Point. We headed for Portland and when we got there we decided that we needed a siesta so we stopped at a big park, laid out our shower towels and took a nap. I felt like a vagrant who was going to get poked with a billy club at any minute but that 20 minutes was fabulous. We looked around the Portland area then on the way home stopped at Day’s Lobster Pound and bought 3 steamed lobsters. At our campsite we cooked some rice, garlic bread and chowed down on those bad boys…they were so good. Another night of a beautiful fire and a great nights sleep. My cold has broken! I feel so much better.
Lobster at Harrakaskeet outside of Freeport
More of the South Freeport Port
Our sweet new site 155a - no water or electric, but look at that view!Tuesday July 15, 2008
Since we will be dry camping for a few days we decided to totally fill and flush our holding tanks and empty and refill our freshwater. Greg spent a while next to the toilet on constant flush to be sure it was full…fun morning. What we didn’t know was that this would be the day that “sh#t happens” and I mean literally. We went down to the dump station on our way to our new site, hooked up the hose and opened up the very full blackwater tank. Well, every once in a while these dump stations fill up and that day was today. Stuff started coming out of the hole and we could just not get to the valve quick enough. We both stood there looking at each other like, “Now what do we do…we have 2 full tanks and we are going to dry camp for 2 days.” Luckily(?) we were not the first people that this had happened to so the manager at the park went and got the “honey pot” (oh my gosh) and pumped us out. We were very happy that they knew what to do. After that, we went into South Freeport (on the water) for lobster rolls at Harrakaskeet Lobster. Great food. We then went to Yarmouth and visited a big map store and bought an atlas then to the visitors center. After a trip to the grocery store, we were wiped out. So we went back to the campsite and recharged our batteries and later went out for dinner at the Muddy Rudder…(4 words…) deep dish lobster pie. I am still a little sick, so we are not going as hard at vacation as we normally would. Instead we built a fire, drank some wine and went to bed. This new campsite overlooking the water is just a little bit of paradise…
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Freeport Maine - Recompense Shore Campground
site#2 about 1/4 mile from ocean
Roughing it has a new meaning.Monday July 14, 2008
Last night turned out to be pretty sweet…we ate clam chowder, talked to Mom & Dad & Kate and Greg played his guitar. We got everything ready to go (toad hooked up and awning down) and hit the road pretty early Monday morning heading for Maine. Along the way in Leominster, Massachusetts west of Boston we stopped and did our laundry…clean sheets are always so sweet. After looking through Woodall’s and the AAA guide we decided to try Recompence Shore campground which is run by the University of Maine. It has over 100 sites but only 7 have water and electric. We chose Recompence because of the description (quiet, primitive and private) and the location (outside of Freeport). We got the last w&e site which is right across from the office and showers, but the site is large, wooded and overlooks a huge meadow and you can see the ocean. The ocean here is not anything like the ocean in Florida except for maybe the part around Cedar Key on the west coast. It is marshy and rocky and the tide changes are extreme. Very beautiful. We liked Recompence and decided to make it our base for a few days. We have to move tomorrow to a non-water/electric site, but it is on the ocean and more private. We took a bike ride around the area and then had a relaxing evening of catching up on e-mail and looking for a place to stay Thursday – Saturday (Camden State Park…we are sort of State/National Park snobs). After dinner and a fire we took a ride into Freeport to check out the 24 hour LLBean store. It is really an LLBean campus with about 5 buildings, all of them chock full of LLBean stuff. Greg was going to buy a new bike seat because the handle bars of my bike have been “chewing the ass” of his bike for the whole trip on the bike rack. He found one that he liked, but because his bike is an antique, he wasn’t sure it would fit. Since we are so close we decide to check it out and come back another day. We have no air in the RV because of the low amps, but the temperature goes down into the 50s an 60s at night, 70's during the day, so we didn’t miss it a bit. Just another reason why we decided to try “dry camping” for the next few days. Definitely a summer paradise.
Last night turned out to be pretty sweet…we ate clam chowder, talked to Mom & Dad & Kate and Greg played his guitar. We got everything ready to go (toad hooked up and awning down) and hit the road pretty early Monday morning heading for Maine. Along the way in Leominster, Massachusetts west of Boston we stopped and did our laundry…clean sheets are always so sweet. After looking through Woodall’s and the AAA guide we decided to try Recompence Shore campground which is run by the University of Maine. It has over 100 sites but only 7 have water and electric. We chose Recompence because of the description (quiet, primitive and private) and the location (outside of Freeport). We got the last w&e site which is right across from the office and showers, but the site is large, wooded and overlooks a huge meadow and you can see the ocean. The ocean here is not anything like the ocean in Florida except for maybe the part around Cedar Key on the west coast. It is marshy and rocky and the tide changes are extreme. Very beautiful. We liked Recompence and decided to make it our base for a few days. We have to move tomorrow to a non-water/electric site, but it is on the ocean and more private. We took a bike ride around the area and then had a relaxing evening of catching up on e-mail and looking for a place to stay Thursday – Saturday (Camden State Park…we are sort of State/National Park snobs). After dinner and a fire we took a ride into Freeport to check out the 24 hour LLBean store. It is really an LLBean campus with about 5 buildings, all of them chock full of LLBean stuff. Greg was going to buy a new bike seat because the handle bars of my bike have been “chewing the ass” of his bike for the whole trip on the bike rack. He found one that he liked, but because his bike is an antique, he wasn’t sure it would fit. Since we are so close we decide to check it out and come back another day. We have no air in the RV because of the low amps, but the temperature goes down into the 50s an 60s at night, 70's during the day, so we didn’t miss it a bit. Just another reason why we decided to try “dry camping” for the next few days. Definitely a summer paradise.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Traffic around New York
UConn Starbucks bloggerSunday July 13, 2008
We decided to try and get an early start and did pretty good. Carmen told us that the Pine View Motel right down the pike from our campgrounds had great breakfast (especially the home fries) so we ate breakfast there on our way out. He wasn’t wrong…some of the best homefries I have ever eaten (and we didn’t even get the super J.R. homefries with cheese, peppers and onions). Greg drove us up the NJ Turnpike with his great directions from Uncles Lou and Buddy while I updated the blog. New York roads just about shook our teeth loose but we finally made it through the Bronx and almost $50 in tolls (I said I wasn’t going to gripe about gas prices but I made no promises about tolls!). Connecticut roads are better and we finally stopped at Moosehead Campgrounds “Resort”, and I do use the term resort loosely. We chose them because they advertised internet access, but alas, we are now in the Starbucks at UConn. If they had internet we would have never seen UConn. It is smaller than you would think and in a really little town called Storrs. Things are very quite because it is summer, but some of the old buildings remind me of the original ones at UF, only they are spread out. It is an Ag school (yea Aggies!) with a Floriculture center and lots of flowers. I believe we will finish this blog (it is 5pm) check e-mail and maybe eat something light because we ate Aunt Mazie’s chicken marsala for “lunch” at about 3:30. Our RV site is not the nicest so we will probably go to bed early.
We decided to try and get an early start and did pretty good. Carmen told us that the Pine View Motel right down the pike from our campgrounds had great breakfast (especially the home fries) so we ate breakfast there on our way out. He wasn’t wrong…some of the best homefries I have ever eaten (and we didn’t even get the super J.R. homefries with cheese, peppers and onions). Greg drove us up the NJ Turnpike with his great directions from Uncles Lou and Buddy while I updated the blog. New York roads just about shook our teeth loose but we finally made it through the Bronx and almost $50 in tolls (I said I wasn’t going to gripe about gas prices but I made no promises about tolls!). Connecticut roads are better and we finally stopped at Moosehead Campgrounds “Resort”, and I do use the term resort loosely. We chose them because they advertised internet access, but alas, we are now in the Starbucks at UConn. If they had internet we would have never seen UConn. It is smaller than you would think and in a really little town called Storrs. Things are very quite because it is summer, but some of the old buildings remind me of the original ones at UF, only they are spread out. It is an Ag school (yea Aggies!) with a Floriculture center and lots of flowers. I believe we will finish this blog (it is 5pm) check e-mail and maybe eat something light because we ate Aunt Mazie’s chicken marsala for “lunch” at about 3:30. Our RV site is not the nicest so we will probably go to bed early.
The cousins + spouses
The original Megargel Gang
The girls!
Sorry Patti...but my butts in there too!
Happy 88th Birthday Uncle Louie!!
Curtiss, Edith, Phil and Meredith catch up.
Vanessa and Valerie
The 4 jokesters!
Sandy and Anthony feed the horses.
Sandy, Natalie and Anthony.Saturday July 12, 2008
I slept until almost 9 this morning…the little cold makes me want to stay in bed. Whenever Greg is doing something to the outside of the RV he always calls me over so he can show me how to do things in case I need to. This morning he decided to cook his own breakfast but he didn’t know where anything was in the kitchen or how to turn on the stove…I need to be sure to show him how to do all the things I do inside from now on! It is a beautiful morning…sort of breezy and not too hot. Headed to Aunt Doris’ around 11 and talked more (we can’t seem to stop!) and then to Carmen and Sandy’s house for a family reunion. Almost everyone was there. Aunt Edith and Uncle Lou came down from Marlton (Bonnie, Gary, Pat and Dan are heading to Maine…popular spot this summer and we may try to find them), Val and Vanessa brought Aunt Phil from Pennsylvania, Uncle Buddy and Aunt Betty Jo, Patti and John, Janice and Jerry, David, Natalie, Nicole and AJ with Anthony, Christie and Johnny, Aunt Mazie, Aunt Doris and of course Sandy and Carmen. There is so much food…sausages, ziti, turkey, broccoli salad, potato salad and all kinds of deserts. Mr. Low carb (Greg) ate 5 of Aunt Mazie’s cream puffs and a big bowl of Aunt Betty Jo’s cobbler. We visited with everyone, took pictures, looked at pictures, ate, laughed, ate some more, put our feet in the pool, moved to the front porch for coffee then talked some more. I believe no one wanted the night to end…I know I didn’t. I said things I don’t get to say in Florida like, “All the COUSINS get together for a picture!” We left very late with invitations to come to Florida anytime to either stay with us, Meredith and Curtiss or at the lake house. I hope they take us up on it. Mom would have enjoyed this day so much. Greg and I are both blessed to have such wonderful families.
I slept until almost 9 this morning…the little cold makes me want to stay in bed. Whenever Greg is doing something to the outside of the RV he always calls me over so he can show me how to do things in case I need to. This morning he decided to cook his own breakfast but he didn’t know where anything was in the kitchen or how to turn on the stove…I need to be sure to show him how to do all the things I do inside from now on! It is a beautiful morning…sort of breezy and not too hot. Headed to Aunt Doris’ around 11 and talked more (we can’t seem to stop!) and then to Carmen and Sandy’s house for a family reunion. Almost everyone was there. Aunt Edith and Uncle Lou came down from Marlton (Bonnie, Gary, Pat and Dan are heading to Maine…popular spot this summer and we may try to find them), Val and Vanessa brought Aunt Phil from Pennsylvania, Uncle Buddy and Aunt Betty Jo, Patti and John, Janice and Jerry, David, Natalie, Nicole and AJ with Anthony, Christie and Johnny, Aunt Mazie, Aunt Doris and of course Sandy and Carmen. There is so much food…sausages, ziti, turkey, broccoli salad, potato salad and all kinds of deserts. Mr. Low carb (Greg) ate 5 of Aunt Mazie’s cream puffs and a big bowl of Aunt Betty Jo’s cobbler. We visited with everyone, took pictures, looked at pictures, ate, laughed, ate some more, put our feet in the pool, moved to the front porch for coffee then talked some more. I believe no one wanted the night to end…I know I didn’t. I said things I don’t get to say in Florida like, “All the COUSINS get together for a picture!” We left very late with invitations to come to Florida anytime to either stay with us, Meredith and Curtiss or at the lake house. I hope they take us up on it. Mom would have enjoyed this day so much. Greg and I are both blessed to have such wonderful families.
Our campsite at Patapsco State Park in Baltimore...very quiet and nice.
On our good friends Vicki & Jay's deck after a night of Maryland crabs.
Gaye multi-tasking...laundry and blog update at Endless Caverns.Friday July 11, 2008
We had a late night last night so we slept in then Greg went to an auto parts store to re-buy the brake buddy parts. We somehow lost them. It is hard to lose stuff in an RV, but we seem to be able to. We are on the road at about 11:30. Talked to Meredith and Curtiss. They are in Philadelphia but didn’t arrive until 4am…so they are moving even slower than we are! Talked to Aunt Doris and got on our way to NJ. Arrived at the Indian Branch Park Campgrounds after buying gas at the big Wawa station (no pumping your own gas in NJ!). The IBPC is having a rough year…the township won’t repair their culvert and without the repaired culvert, the state won’t let them flood the lake…therefore, no lake and nobody to come and stay at the park. It reminded me of an old fashioned lake campgrounds…very rustic and it could have been in north Florida with all the scrub oaks and pines. I believe we allowed the owners to eat another week by us staying there. Got to Aunt Doris’ about 4:30 and had a great chat with she and Aunt Mazie. Meredith and Curtiss arrived and after drinWeks and more talk, we headed to The Library for some great steaks and more talk. Aunt Mazie headed home, but Aunt Doris, Meredith, Curtiss and Greg played pinochle until 10:30 while I slept (I feel like I am coming down with a cold…bummer).
Got back to the RV late and Greg gave me lots of vitamins and ibuprofen so I can get better. So far NJ looks great to us!
We had a late night last night so we slept in then Greg went to an auto parts store to re-buy the brake buddy parts. We somehow lost them. It is hard to lose stuff in an RV, but we seem to be able to. We are on the road at about 11:30. Talked to Meredith and Curtiss. They are in Philadelphia but didn’t arrive until 4am…so they are moving even slower than we are! Talked to Aunt Doris and got on our way to NJ. Arrived at the Indian Branch Park Campgrounds after buying gas at the big Wawa station (no pumping your own gas in NJ!). The IBPC is having a rough year…the township won’t repair their culvert and without the repaired culvert, the state won’t let them flood the lake…therefore, no lake and nobody to come and stay at the park. It reminded me of an old fashioned lake campgrounds…very rustic and it could have been in north Florida with all the scrub oaks and pines. I believe we allowed the owners to eat another week by us staying there. Got to Aunt Doris’ about 4:30 and had a great chat with she and Aunt Mazie. Meredith and Curtiss arrived and after drinWeks and more talk, we headed to The Library for some great steaks and more talk. Aunt Mazie headed home, but Aunt Doris, Meredith, Curtiss and Greg played pinochle until 10:30 while I slept (I feel like I am coming down with a cold…bummer).
Got back to the RV late and Greg gave me lots of vitamins and ibuprofen so I can get better. So far NJ looks great to us!
Thursday July 10, 2008
This morning we decide to not be in any hurry. We have a short drive and Vicki & Jay probably won’t be home until after five. Of course, we really haven’t been in a hurry since we started! I do a load of clothes, clean house a bit and Greg washes everything outside. We fill our propane tank and head off about noon or so. Have a bit of problem with the brake buddy. The AC adaptor that you plug in came unscrewed and the fuse and spring inside are no where to be seen. We stop at an auto parts store for parts and hit the road. We haven’t fixed it but really don’t need it until tomorrow when we hit NJ. Found some good sandwiches in a little town in Maryland and took the scenic route that Jay recommended…the countryside is beautiful. People in this area really love big yards and big houses. The little downtown areas are quaint and clean. We arrive at Patapsco State Park at around 4 and set up. This state park is on the outskirts of Baltimore and runs for quite a ways. In the campground you would never guess you were that close to civilization. It is wooded and the campsites are spread out. Very peaceful and the campgrounds are almost empty. We take off for Vicki & Jay’s. They live not to far from here in Catonsville in a big beautiful home. We caught up a little (most exciting news – Janelle is pregnant and due Aug 11 with a girl!) and then headed for seafood at a little place in downtown Catonsville. We ordered some beer, crab soup and a dozen steamed crabs. They really do crabs different in Maryland and they are great. They douse them with rock salt and old bay and steam them then they dump the whole lot on your table, give you a wooden mallet and a plastic knife (I still haven’t figured out what the knife is for!) and set you loose. Much later we are covered with old bay and very, very happy! I explained to some woman in the bathroom that in Florida we boiled our crabs and used crackers instead of mallets…the mallets worked wonderfully though and I think we need to purchase some. We went back to V&J’s for drinks on their deck (saw a deer right behind their house) and more conversation. What a great night. We miss them.
This morning we decide to not be in any hurry. We have a short drive and Vicki & Jay probably won’t be home until after five. Of course, we really haven’t been in a hurry since we started! I do a load of clothes, clean house a bit and Greg washes everything outside. We fill our propane tank and head off about noon or so. Have a bit of problem with the brake buddy. The AC adaptor that you plug in came unscrewed and the fuse and spring inside are no where to be seen. We stop at an auto parts store for parts and hit the road. We haven’t fixed it but really don’t need it until tomorrow when we hit NJ. Found some good sandwiches in a little town in Maryland and took the scenic route that Jay recommended…the countryside is beautiful. People in this area really love big yards and big houses. The little downtown areas are quaint and clean. We arrive at Patapsco State Park at around 4 and set up. This state park is on the outskirts of Baltimore and runs for quite a ways. In the campground you would never guess you were that close to civilization. It is wooded and the campsites are spread out. Very peaceful and the campgrounds are almost empty. We take off for Vicki & Jay’s. They live not to far from here in Catonsville in a big beautiful home. We caught up a little (most exciting news – Janelle is pregnant and due Aug 11 with a girl!) and then headed for seafood at a little place in downtown Catonsville. We ordered some beer, crab soup and a dozen steamed crabs. They really do crabs different in Maryland and they are great. They douse them with rock salt and old bay and steam them then they dump the whole lot on your table, give you a wooden mallet and a plastic knife (I still haven’t figured out what the knife is for!) and set you loose. Much later we are covered with old bay and very, very happy! I explained to some woman in the bathroom that in Florida we boiled our crabs and used crackers instead of mallets…the mallets worked wonderfully though and I think we need to purchase some. We went back to V&J’s for drinks on their deck (saw a deer right behind their house) and more conversation. What a great night. We miss them.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Wednesday July 9th
Today is a day that we want to make some time and get pretty far into Virginia although we never seem to be able to take off very fast. We dive through the last of North Carolina on I 77 and into Virginia and pick up I 81. 81 pretty much parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway but is not so mountainous…the old bus doesn’t like hills very much. We decide that we need a new mp3 player since Greg dropped his in his soda and fried it! We have a lot of gadgets up front and if one of them had to be sacrificed to the soda gods I guess the mp3 was the best! After checking maps and our time, we found a campsite with availability in Endless Caverns, appropriately named “Endless Caverns RV resort”. That is now our destination. We stop at the good old Wal-Mart for some food supplies, mp3 player and a can opener (I cannot figure out where mine went) and then head to ECRVR. ECRVR is pretty nice. It is the 1st place that we have stayed that was labeled a “resort”. They are working on it, but the sites were beautiful and the host gives you an escort to your site and shows you where everything is. Greg said, “I swear I thought the guy was going to hook up my sewer hose too!” Now that is service. He also gave us a tip on how to see Shenandoah National Park with the time we have. After a quick set up we are off to the park. We are going to do mile markers 32 – 66. The drive is beautiful with many overlooks and little trails you could take to various places. Speed limit -35. This part of the Parkway is called Skyline drive and is the first that was built back in the 1930s. One of the amazing things about SNP is the wildlife. We immediately saw a deer when we started and then continued to see wildlife until our count was 12 deer, 3 bears, 1 bunny and chipmunk in it’s ‘smunk cave! We decide to take a hike…1.5 miles round trip to a waterfall. Sounded good. 1st half of the trip – straight down, last half of the trip – straight up! It was beautiful and we would have never seen the ‘smunk if we haddn’t gone. After we finished skyline drive we headed back to ECRVR by way of a little town of Elkton,Va where you can get some good vittles at the S&C Café for a great price…we seem to be hitting a lot of these places. It was 7:50 pm when we stopped and we were starving! After one of the most beautiful skies at sunset we arrive “home”. We have internet access so we check e-mail (directions from Vicki & Jay to their house!) and make reservations at a Maryland state park close to them, download some pictures and that ends the night. Note: LOTS of fireflies in this area…we have missed them…they make the night magical.
Today is a day that we want to make some time and get pretty far into Virginia although we never seem to be able to take off very fast. We dive through the last of North Carolina on I 77 and into Virginia and pick up I 81. 81 pretty much parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway but is not so mountainous…the old bus doesn’t like hills very much. We decide that we need a new mp3 player since Greg dropped his in his soda and fried it! We have a lot of gadgets up front and if one of them had to be sacrificed to the soda gods I guess the mp3 was the best! After checking maps and our time, we found a campsite with availability in Endless Caverns, appropriately named “Endless Caverns RV resort”. That is now our destination. We stop at the good old Wal-Mart for some food supplies, mp3 player and a can opener (I cannot figure out where mine went) and then head to ECRVR. ECRVR is pretty nice. It is the 1st place that we have stayed that was labeled a “resort”. They are working on it, but the sites were beautiful and the host gives you an escort to your site and shows you where everything is. Greg said, “I swear I thought the guy was going to hook up my sewer hose too!” Now that is service. He also gave us a tip on how to see Shenandoah National Park with the time we have. After a quick set up we are off to the park. We are going to do mile markers 32 – 66. The drive is beautiful with many overlooks and little trails you could take to various places. Speed limit -35. This part of the Parkway is called Skyline drive and is the first that was built back in the 1930s. One of the amazing things about SNP is the wildlife. We immediately saw a deer when we started and then continued to see wildlife until our count was 12 deer, 3 bears, 1 bunny and chipmunk in it’s ‘smunk cave! We decide to take a hike…1.5 miles round trip to a waterfall. Sounded good. 1st half of the trip – straight down, last half of the trip – straight up! It was beautiful and we would have never seen the ‘smunk if we haddn’t gone. After we finished skyline drive we headed back to ECRVR by way of a little town of Elkton,Va where you can get some good vittles at the S&C Café for a great price…we seem to be hitting a lot of these places. It was 7:50 pm when we stopped and we were starving! After one of the most beautiful skies at sunset we arrive “home”. We have internet access so we check e-mail (directions from Vicki & Jay to their house!) and make reservations at a Maryland state park close to them, download some pictures and that ends the night. Note: LOTS of fireflies in this area…we have missed them…they make the night magical.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
July 4, 2008
After months of planning, shake down trips to Spirit of the Suwannee, Reed Bingham SP, Crooked River SP, Withlacoochee State Forest, Myakka River SP, Manatee Springs SP and Fort DeSoto we sort of think that we are ready for a month long trip a long way from home. We have gadgeted and “Gatored” up the RV so there is nothing left to do except take off for Maine.
At 10:30 am (just a little late) after figuring out the logistics of getting us PLUS 5 kids (including Andy) and 2 boats from St. Pete to Camp Blanding and back while working around crazy work schedules we are on our way. The kids are NOT going with us to Maine, but we always have the Burnsed Family reunion on the 4th of July weekend so our first stop is Kingsley Lake. Keith and Sandy meet us at the lake, we swim, jet ski, eat K&S’s food (thank you!) and end up watching the fireworks going on around the lake. What a great day.
July 5, 2008
Family reunion day! Kids are up early and on the lake skiing. Andy brought his mom’s boat so there is plenty of power to pull 2 skiers. Good fun on the tubes, wakeboarding, knee boarding and also watching, Food is fabulous…low country boil, brats, dumplings, ribs…more deserts than you could imagine. Matt has to leave early but everyone else stays until dark. We are beat but happy.
July 6, 2008
Greg and I decide that we will get on the road as soon as we wake up (without alarms), Well we are up at 6 and on the road by about 7:15 heading for Savannah. Uneventful trip, even through the “Woodbine Triangle”. We arrive at Skidaway Island , feState Park just south of Savannah. The people in Georgia really know how to do state parks and this one is no exception. Large wooded campsites…very beautiful, We ate some of the ham and pasta that Sandy sent with us and took off for Savannah proper. By the way…if you set up the RV and turn on the electricity right at noon you don’t have to reset the clocks! In Savannah we visit the information center and get a map and directions to some of the sights along with a warning that it is not a good town to bike in (lots of cobblestones and crazy students!). So, we got on the bikes and took off! Savannah is so beautiful with all the “squares” and we biked through much of the town. We stopped at the city market and drank a beer and listened to a band…there was a really old guy out in front of the band with an electric guitar not plugged into anything that he was “playing”. Our waitress said he “plays” with all the bands and they keep his guitar at the restaurant. Rain was on its way so we finished our bike tour and headed for the car. We needed some internet information so we Navi’d a Starbucks and looked up some information on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We had to sign up for t-Mobile hot spots but it was well worth it. After the coffee and internet we went back to the Riverfront for dinner on a terrace, rain gently falling, free margaritas…what a nice end to the day. **Personal note: be sure that when you leave for a month that you wake up your kids to say goodbye. We decided not to wake them and we missed seeing them by about 10 minutes…As Maggie said, “I didn’t get to give Daddy a hug!” Dad sends virtual hugs.
Monday July 7, 2008
First – “Happy Birthday Meredith!” We decide to get a little later start today to possibly avoid any Savannah traffic and fill up with gas. After many changes in plans we have decided to head to Iva, South Carolina to see Uncle Edward. There are a few State Parks in South Carolina near Iva and they have space available. On our way, while I am driving, Greg (the unofficial spokesperson for Georgia State Parks) finds Richard B. Russell State Park right over the state line from Iva in Georgia. We decide to take a chance and go by. It is supposed to be on a lake and has a golf course. I always feel blessed to get to a State Park without reservations and still get a site and today was no exception. After arriving at about 4pm and checking out the campsites we choose one that overlooks Lake Richard B. Russell. This is an amazing place. We set up, get out the chairs and have a drink while watching the lake and enjoying the breeze. We then set out for Iva in “The Toad”. We have a nice visit with Uncle Edward and Edna. They have a nice place out in the country with a little garden and it is almost on the lake…I think it is part of the same group of lakes that we are staying on. Iva is a very good place to get gas…$3.79 a gallon (I know I promised not to talk about this…but this was a nice surprise) and also a good place to eat…2 dinners = $11. After arriving back at our campsite around dark we sit by a lovely campfire and Greg roasts his leftover French fries from Saturday night (he says they weren’t as good as the ones we had at M&C’s lake house!)
Personal Note – we seem to be having a little bit of disagreement between our 2 GPS systems in the RV. One GPS (global positioning system) has been with us for about 3 days. The other GPS (Gaye’s positioning system) has been working for about 37 years! Now granted, Gaye’s system gets us lost every once in a while, but it does refer to Greg about the route to take. The problem is that Greg trusts the new GPS system more than me sometimes. We also have the new GPS system doing a lot of “recalculating”. We just aren’t used to someone telling us where to go. It is good at finding Wal-Marts though!
Tuesday July 8, 2008
The weather is beautiful here in North Georgia on the lake. We have decided to play 9 holes of golf before we head out, so after breakfast outside we get as much of our getting ready to go done before we leave for the golf course. The course is called Arrowhead and it was voted 2nd best new public course in 2005 by golf digest. We really didn’t play well (just a few nice hits…thought Greg was going to actually par #9!) but we had fun and the course was spectacular. We took a golf cart tour of the back 9 after we finished just to see the rest. Many of the holes ran right along the beautiful lake. The fairways and greens were “Disney worthy”. After golf, it was noon so we ate lunch, hooked up The Toad, took showers and hit the road. We are heading for a little town called Union Grove, North Carolina. As we cross the North Carolina border the rain begins to fall and really doesn’t stop until we stop for the night at 7pm. Along the way we hit the North Carolina welcome station (and get a call from Matt), the Wal-Mart along with the only liquor store in Statesville. At least they don’t close at 6pm like they do in South Carolina. We end our day at our first private campground…VanHoys Farm in Union Grove. We are spoiled by State Parks, but it is late and we aren’t going anywhere else so it is working out just peachy. We have a pull through site so we don’t even unhook the toad! VanHoys is the Spirit of the Suwannee of North Carolina. It hosts many must festivals and has a huge pavilion that will seat 12,000. No music festival right now though. It is so nice here that we do not have the AC on. Finished off some leftovers for dinner. One really nice thing about this place…internet access!
After months of planning, shake down trips to Spirit of the Suwannee, Reed Bingham SP, Crooked River SP, Withlacoochee State Forest, Myakka River SP, Manatee Springs SP and Fort DeSoto we sort of think that we are ready for a month long trip a long way from home. We have gadgeted and “Gatored” up the RV so there is nothing left to do except take off for Maine.
At 10:30 am (just a little late) after figuring out the logistics of getting us PLUS 5 kids (including Andy) and 2 boats from St. Pete to Camp Blanding and back while working around crazy work schedules we are on our way. The kids are NOT going with us to Maine, but we always have the Burnsed Family reunion on the 4th of July weekend so our first stop is Kingsley Lake. Keith and Sandy meet us at the lake, we swim, jet ski, eat K&S’s food (thank you!) and end up watching the fireworks going on around the lake. What a great day.
July 5, 2008
Family reunion day! Kids are up early and on the lake skiing. Andy brought his mom’s boat so there is plenty of power to pull 2 skiers. Good fun on the tubes, wakeboarding, knee boarding and also watching, Food is fabulous…low country boil, brats, dumplings, ribs…more deserts than you could imagine. Matt has to leave early but everyone else stays until dark. We are beat but happy.
July 6, 2008
Greg and I decide that we will get on the road as soon as we wake up (without alarms), Well we are up at 6 and on the road by about 7:15 heading for Savannah. Uneventful trip, even through the “Woodbine Triangle”. We arrive at Skidaway Island , feState Park just south of Savannah. The people in Georgia really know how to do state parks and this one is no exception. Large wooded campsites…very beautiful, We ate some of the ham and pasta that Sandy sent with us and took off for Savannah proper. By the way…if you set up the RV and turn on the electricity right at noon you don’t have to reset the clocks! In Savannah we visit the information center and get a map and directions to some of the sights along with a warning that it is not a good town to bike in (lots of cobblestones and crazy students!). So, we got on the bikes and took off! Savannah is so beautiful with all the “squares” and we biked through much of the town. We stopped at the city market and drank a beer and listened to a band…there was a really old guy out in front of the band with an electric guitar not plugged into anything that he was “playing”. Our waitress said he “plays” with all the bands and they keep his guitar at the restaurant. Rain was on its way so we finished our bike tour and headed for the car. We needed some internet information so we Navi’d a Starbucks and looked up some information on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We had to sign up for t-Mobile hot spots but it was well worth it. After the coffee and internet we went back to the Riverfront for dinner on a terrace, rain gently falling, free margaritas…what a nice end to the day. **Personal note: be sure that when you leave for a month that you wake up your kids to say goodbye. We decided not to wake them and we missed seeing them by about 10 minutes…As Maggie said, “I didn’t get to give Daddy a hug!” Dad sends virtual hugs.
Monday July 7, 2008
First – “Happy Birthday Meredith!” We decide to get a little later start today to possibly avoid any Savannah traffic and fill up with gas. After many changes in plans we have decided to head to Iva, South Carolina to see Uncle Edward. There are a few State Parks in South Carolina near Iva and they have space available. On our way, while I am driving, Greg (the unofficial spokesperson for Georgia State Parks) finds Richard B. Russell State Park right over the state line from Iva in Georgia. We decide to take a chance and go by. It is supposed to be on a lake and has a golf course. I always feel blessed to get to a State Park without reservations and still get a site and today was no exception. After arriving at about 4pm and checking out the campsites we choose one that overlooks Lake Richard B. Russell. This is an amazing place. We set up, get out the chairs and have a drink while watching the lake and enjoying the breeze. We then set out for Iva in “The Toad”. We have a nice visit with Uncle Edward and Edna. They have a nice place out in the country with a little garden and it is almost on the lake…I think it is part of the same group of lakes that we are staying on. Iva is a very good place to get gas…$3.79 a gallon (I know I promised not to talk about this…but this was a nice surprise) and also a good place to eat…2 dinners = $11. After arriving back at our campsite around dark we sit by a lovely campfire and Greg roasts his leftover French fries from Saturday night (he says they weren’t as good as the ones we had at M&C’s lake house!)
Personal Note – we seem to be having a little bit of disagreement between our 2 GPS systems in the RV. One GPS (global positioning system) has been with us for about 3 days. The other GPS (Gaye’s positioning system) has been working for about 37 years! Now granted, Gaye’s system gets us lost every once in a while, but it does refer to Greg about the route to take. The problem is that Greg trusts the new GPS system more than me sometimes. We also have the new GPS system doing a lot of “recalculating”. We just aren’t used to someone telling us where to go. It is good at finding Wal-Marts though!
Tuesday July 8, 2008
The weather is beautiful here in North Georgia on the lake. We have decided to play 9 holes of golf before we head out, so after breakfast outside we get as much of our getting ready to go done before we leave for the golf course. The course is called Arrowhead and it was voted 2nd best new public course in 2005 by golf digest. We really didn’t play well (just a few nice hits…thought Greg was going to actually par #9!) but we had fun and the course was spectacular. We took a golf cart tour of the back 9 after we finished just to see the rest. Many of the holes ran right along the beautiful lake. The fairways and greens were “Disney worthy”. After golf, it was noon so we ate lunch, hooked up The Toad, took showers and hit the road. We are heading for a little town called Union Grove, North Carolina. As we cross the North Carolina border the rain begins to fall and really doesn’t stop until we stop for the night at 7pm. Along the way we hit the North Carolina welcome station (and get a call from Matt), the Wal-Mart along with the only liquor store in Statesville. At least they don’t close at 6pm like they do in South Carolina. We end our day at our first private campground…VanHoys Farm in Union Grove. We are spoiled by State Parks, but it is late and we aren’t going anywhere else so it is working out just peachy. We have a pull through site so we don’t even unhook the toad! VanHoys is the Spirit of the Suwannee of North Carolina. It hosts many must festivals and has a huge pavilion that will seat 12,000. No music festival right now though. It is so nice here that we do not have the AC on. Finished off some leftovers for dinner. One really nice thing about this place…internet access!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
