September 17: We are starting our next RV adventure to the Northeast. Our weather in Florida was around 90 degrees and we are anticipating some much, much colder weather where we are headed. We drove to South Carolina and spent the night boondocking at a Wal-Mart parking lot.
September 18: Left early morning and met up with Martha & Ralph in a rest area in North Carolina. They are our friends from Tennessee whom we met at Sundown Resort in Townsend, TN where we have an RV lot. They are our traveling buddies, we spent two weeks last year in Hershey, PA and New York City. From here we are heading to a Thousand Trails Preserve in Chesapeake Bay. We will spend a couple of nights at this preserve. This is a great campground, very flat and we are right on the Plankatank River.
September 19: Today we spent at Colonial Williamsburg, VA. It was quite crowded with lots of home-schooled children on a field trip. (photos)
September 18: Left early morning and met up with Martha & Ralph in a rest area in North Carolina. They are our friends from Tennessee whom we met at Sundown Resort in Townsend, TN where we have an RV lot. They are our traveling buddies, we spent two weeks last year in Hershey, PA and New York City. From here we are heading to a Thousand Trails Preserve in Chesapeake Bay. We will spend a couple of nights at this preserve. This is a great campground, very flat and we are right on the Plankatank River.
September 19: Today we spent at Colonial Williamsburg, VA. It was quite crowded with lots of home-schooled children on a field trip. (photos)
Note: The best way to view my pictures is as a fast slideshow (click on the "photos" link). Also, click on the i in the middle of the picture for my comments about the pictures.
September 20: We went to Yorktown. We walked around the National Historical site with a ranger and listened to him tell about the Revolutionary War. Yorktown is where the last major battle ot the war was staged. We had dinner at Riverwalk at "Nick's Cafe" overlooking the bay.
September 21: After getting an early start, our destination today is Cinnaminson, NJ (274 miles) to visit with Martha's cousin Wink McCarter and his wife Jane. We pulled into Wal-Mart and got set up (we are getting quite accustomed to this Wal-Mart camping) before going over to visit with Wink & Jane. Jane prepared a great dinner for us tonight and we spent a nice evening with them.
September 22: What a trip we had today! Left New Jersey this morning and we were stuck for over 2 hours on I-95 to get over the George Washington Bridge from NJ into NY. There were 14 lanes of traffic merging into 4 lanes to cross the bridge. Jim did a great job, glad it was him driving and not me. While we were stuck in the traffic jam, we had breakfast, a bowl of cereal, something we don't usually do on an interstate highway!!! We pulled into "Seaport Campground" in Mystic, CT (216 miles) around 4:00 p.m. That was a great campground, very large sites.
September 23: It was a beautiful day...not a cloud in the sky and temperatures in the upper 70's. We explored Mystic Seaport, Old Mystic, Stonington and Noank. We had lunch at Mystic Pizza. This is where Julia Roberts starred in her first film "Mystic Pizza" which made the pizza famous. The pizza was delicious. We had an extra bonus in Mystic Seaport, they had an old car show and parade. The guys especially enjoyed this. We took a water taxi ride on the Mystic River and walked to see the lighthouse at the point. The homes that you see across from the Seaport are worth millions of dollars, incredible. Tonight we had dinner at the "Seahorse Seafood Restaurant" in Noank (pronounced like oink). I ate the best crab cakes that I ever put in my mouth. Lo & Behold....after dinner, with the aid of Ralph's lobster bib and my purse, we both have a souvenir glass that says "Stolen From Seahorse Restaurant, Noank, CT." That was great fun. (photos)
September 24: On the road again! We left this morning heading east. Our first stop was in Newport, Rhode Island. Jim wanted to see the Newport Yacht Club. We drove around the coastline to see the million dollar homes on the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The sites were breathtaking. For lunch, we ate at the "Red Parrot" restaurant. We checked into the "Bay View Campground" in Bourne, MA this afternoon (97 miles). (photos)
September 25: Today we set off to explore Cape Cod. The names of the towns are strange here, Woods Hole, Teaticket, and Mashpee. This is a beautiful place, we haven't been disappointed. We explored three lighthouses, the Chatham Light, Nauset Light, and the Highland Cape Cod Light. We also stopped to see the JFK Memorial site on Hyannis, where the Kennedy's vacationed. We also drove past there home there on the island. One of our favorite places on the Cape was Provincetown, despite the gays and cross dressers! We had lots of laughs along the way, as I'm sure you already guessed. The "Lobster Pot" was our destination for dinner tonight. We got to try lobster bisque and seafood chowder, all were delicious. My clam strips were out of this world, tender and tasty. After 10 hours of sightseeing today, it was good to get back to the motorhomes and "crash" and rest up for tomorrow. (photos)
September 26: We extended our stay here on the Cape for one more day. Off we went to Woods Hole to board a ferry to take us over to Martha's Vineyard. It was about a 45 minute trip across. When we got there, we boarded a bus to tour the island. Our first stop was in Edgartown and we browsed around the shops there. Next stop was Oak Bluffs where we say lots of "gingerbread" houses. Also, we saw where the movie "Jaws" was filmed. Three things you don't see on the island are high rise buildings, traffic lights, and franchises. When McDonald's tried to get on the island, the townspeople were successful keeping them out. The slogan was "Keep Mac off of Martha". (photos)
September 21: After getting an early start, our destination today is Cinnaminson, NJ (274 miles) to visit with Martha's cousin Wink McCarter and his wife Jane. We pulled into Wal-Mart and got set up (we are getting quite accustomed to this Wal-Mart camping) before going over to visit with Wink & Jane. Jane prepared a great dinner for us tonight and we spent a nice evening with them.
September 22: What a trip we had today! Left New Jersey this morning and we were stuck for over 2 hours on I-95 to get over the George Washington Bridge from NJ into NY. There were 14 lanes of traffic merging into 4 lanes to cross the bridge. Jim did a great job, glad it was him driving and not me. While we were stuck in the traffic jam, we had breakfast, a bowl of cereal, something we don't usually do on an interstate highway!!! We pulled into "Seaport Campground" in Mystic, CT (216 miles) around 4:00 p.m. That was a great campground, very large sites.
September 23: It was a beautiful day...not a cloud in the sky and temperatures in the upper 70's. We explored Mystic Seaport, Old Mystic, Stonington and Noank. We had lunch at Mystic Pizza. This is where Julia Roberts starred in her first film "Mystic Pizza" which made the pizza famous. The pizza was delicious. We had an extra bonus in Mystic Seaport, they had an old car show and parade. The guys especially enjoyed this. We took a water taxi ride on the Mystic River and walked to see the lighthouse at the point. The homes that you see across from the Seaport are worth millions of dollars, incredible. Tonight we had dinner at the "Seahorse Seafood Restaurant" in Noank (pronounced like oink). I ate the best crab cakes that I ever put in my mouth. Lo & Behold....after dinner, with the aid of Ralph's lobster bib and my purse, we both have a souvenir glass that says "Stolen From Seahorse Restaurant, Noank, CT." That was great fun. (photos)
September 24: On the road again! We left this morning heading east. Our first stop was in Newport, Rhode Island. Jim wanted to see the Newport Yacht Club. We drove around the coastline to see the million dollar homes on the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The sites were breathtaking. For lunch, we ate at the "Red Parrot" restaurant. We checked into the "Bay View Campground" in Bourne, MA this afternoon (97 miles). (photos)
September 25: Today we set off to explore Cape Cod. The names of the towns are strange here, Woods Hole, Teaticket, and Mashpee. This is a beautiful place, we haven't been disappointed. We explored three lighthouses, the Chatham Light, Nauset Light, and the Highland Cape Cod Light. We also stopped to see the JFK Memorial site on Hyannis, where the Kennedy's vacationed. We also drove past there home there on the island. One of our favorite places on the Cape was Provincetown, despite the gays and cross dressers! We had lots of laughs along the way, as I'm sure you already guessed. The "Lobster Pot" was our destination for dinner tonight. We got to try lobster bisque and seafood chowder, all were delicious. My clam strips were out of this world, tender and tasty. After 10 hours of sightseeing today, it was good to get back to the motorhomes and "crash" and rest up for tomorrow. (photos)
September 26: We extended our stay here on the Cape for one more day. Off we went to Woods Hole to board a ferry to take us over to Martha's Vineyard. It was about a 45 minute trip across. When we got there, we boarded a bus to tour the island. Our first stop was in Edgartown and we browsed around the shops there. Next stop was Oak Bluffs where we say lots of "gingerbread" houses. Also, we saw where the movie "Jaws" was filmed. Three things you don't see on the island are high rise buildings, traffic lights, and franchises. When McDonald's tried to get on the island, the townspeople were successful keeping them out. The slogan was "Keep Mac off of Martha". (photos)
September 27: Here we go again. Our final destination today will be Freeport, Maine (216 miles), home of LLBean. But first, we stopped off at Plymouth, Mass to see Plymouth Rock. This is where the first settler's stepped ashore. Also there was the Mayflower II, which is a replica of the Mayflower. Martha and I had the "bright idea" or as the guys will tell you "not so bright idea" to visit a winery. We heard they made cranberry wine that we just had to sample. Well, big mistake. As you know when driving a motorhome towing a car, there is NO BACKING UP. To make a long story short, while Martha & I were inside sampling the wine, Jim & Ralph took a walk around to see if they could get out of the parking lot without unhooking. And, we made it out just fine. Yes, the guys did get to sample some of the wine themselves too. Once "on the road again" those of us that had requested the winery stop were afraid to suggest any other side trips. Well almost, we did stop at a chocolate factory called "Len & Libby's" once we got into Maine. There is a life-size moose called Lenny who weighs in at 1700 pounds of pure chocolate. There also is a dark chocolate bear called Libby and her two cubs called Coco and Chips. We will be boondocking in the LL Bean parking lot for a couple of days. They are very welcoming to RV'ers, with a huge lot to park in. Martha & I are going to shop at LL Bean tomorrow. There just might be something that we "can't live without". (photos)
September 28: Our goal today is to see Freeport and shop. First though, we had breakfast at Isabella's which Jim found out about by talking with some "locals". Their marque said "Isabella's as seen on TV" but we never did find out what that was all about. The flagship store of LL Bean is here, it is huge, I think they control all of Freeport. Even McDonalds is in a historic building with the "golden arches" on a sign. But, Martha & I decided we like the Dooney & Bourke store better than LL Bean as well as Crabtree & Evelyn's. (photos)
September 29: Our plans today are to drive to Houlton, Maine (225 miles). We will stay at another Wal-Mart tonight and cross over the border into New Brunswick tomorrow morning. We arrived here around 12:30. It was a good travel day, cool, only in the 60's and very light traffic. On our way here, we pulled into a scenic loop to see Mt. Katahdin, which is the highest point in Maine at 5268 ft. A beautiful sight. I wanted to drive up to Ft. Kent, Maine (another 190 miles) to see the last mile marker for US 1 since we were just down the Key West to see MM 0. We were down the Keys on Aug. 28 and in Ft. Kent, Maine, Sept. 29th, 2,209 miles later. Pictures will follow. It was a long trip, but I'm glad we went. We were hoping to see some moose on our travels but only saw two which were shot, hunting season just opened. (photos)
Maine's only native fruits are: cranberries, blueberries and concord grapes.
September 30: Border crossing today. When we woke up this morning it was down in the 30's with frost on the car and we noticed that there was a guy sleeping in a tent on the grass of Wal-Mart. We couldn't believe our eyes. We were glad we were in our motorhomes. It was only about a 10 minute drive to the border crossing. Crossed into Canada without any problems. It was an easy drive through New Brunswick, no traffic and good roads.
We arrived in Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada around 1:00 and checked into Loch Lomond RV Park to spend the next few days. As soon as we got hooked up and had lunch, we took off running again. We drove over the Confederation Bridge into Prince Edward Island. Our goal was to see "Anne of Green Gables" house (the house Lucy Maud Montgomery based her story on). We arrived 5 minutes after it closed but the gates were unlocked so we walked around the grounds and got some nice pictures. We didn't get to see the inside of the house but the trip wasn't a loss, even if Martha and I were not able to buy the book.
We had dinner on Prince Edward Island's "Famous Lobster Suppers" at Fisherman's Wharf. The lobsters were delicious as were the mussels. The salad bar was 60 feet long! Needless to say, we left there positively stuffed. The restaurant had a nice gift shop and luckily, we were able to buy the book "Anne of Green Gables" there.
The cost to cross back over to Nova Scotia from Prince Edward Island Confederation Bridge was $40.75. We were glad we decided not to take the motorhomes over because then it would have cost each of us $120.00. (another 176 miles to PEI). (photos)
October 1: Nova Scotia is divided into sightseeing "trails". We did part of the "Glooscap Trail" this afternoon (160 miles). This trail was named for the legendary "mighty Glooscap" who created five islands and controlled the great tides with his magic. First stop was to the Anne Murray Centre & Museum. She was born in Springhill, NS and went to college in Nova Scotia and taught school for one year before her singing career was launched. Then it was on to several lighthouses, cliffs and a fossil cliff. Our favorite place was the Cape d'Or Lighthouse lookoff. What a spectatular view of the light and Atlantic Ocean. This was the area where the Bay of Fundy (largest tides in the world) either begins or ends. We walked down to see the lighthouse and look over the cliffs, it was so windy and cold, around 45 degrees but felt like 32. (photos)
October 2: On the road again! We headed to another section of Nova Scotia (233 miles) to do the "Lighthouse Trail" next. "Wayside Camping Park" in Peggy's Cove (near Halifax) will be "home" for a few days. The lighthouse at Peggy's Cove was beautiful to see. It has the only working post office in it. There is also a very picturesque fishing village next to it with boats moored and lobster traps. This really is a lovely country. When we went into the cove, we saw a sign for a book signing for a book called "Peggy of the Cove" by an author named Ivan Fraser. We had our picture taken with him, a very interesting man to talk with. (photos)
We even saw a McDonald's built to look like a lighthouse. Diesel prices in NS were $3.95 a gallon.
October 3: Our road trip today was the "Lighthouse Trail". Ralph decided to stay back at the campground to regroup. I'm sorry to say we didn't see many lighthouses. There is one at the start and finish of the trail. However, our trip took us through some lovely old fishing villages. We had lunch in Lunenburg, we all ate a chicken or beef pie, quite good. I think the best way to describe the lifestyle here is "modest and relaxed".
The highlight today was going to the gallery of Ivan Fraser. He wasn't equipped with a charge card machine at the Cove so we had to go to his gallery. He took us for a tour of his old homestead and told of some of the stories from the book. It took us 3 trips to finally find him and when I told him that, he said, "I love it when women chase me". He is quite a character. While signing books at Peggy's Cove he dresses like a fisherman with the big brimmed hat and boots.
October 4: We drove to Cape Split and to Blomidon Provential Park to see the low tide in the Bay of Fundy. It was quite a sight to see. It was a cold, foggy day, quite eerie actually. We stopped for lunch and tried some of the local fare. Jim had a "donair" (which is similar to our gyros only with beef) and I had "Poutine" (which is crispy french fries with melted mozzarella cheese and gravy. (photos)
October 5: Today we drove from Glen Margaret to Baddeck on Cape Breton Island which is the most northern part of Nova Scotia. (232 miles) Our final stop was at a KOA campground. It is a lovely park. We are hoping to go on a whale watching trip tomorrow if the weather isn't too bad. We all played Mexican Train dominoes tonight and I was the big champ.
October 6: Our sightseeing trip today took us around the "Cabot Trail" named for Italian explorer John Cabot (190 miles in the car). Lots of Irish and Scottish influence in this area. The views of the coves along the coast of the north Atlantic Ocian were breathtaking. I think this was the most spectatuclar trail of all. Our whale watching trip was put on hold because of bad weather, rough seas and high wind. That was a little disappointing. (photos)
After leaving the Canadian National Park, we were stopped in a RCMP road block and thank goodness Jim had his wallet with him. He had to show his license, registration and proof of insurance. This is a holiday week-end for Canada...Thanksgiving is Monday.
October 7: We are heading back across the border today (232 miles). We traveled from Baddeck, NS to Calais, ME). Our initial plan was to stop in St. John's, New Brunswick but decided to go on through to Maine. Jim got one last time to view the tides in the Bay of Fundy. We were trying to get rid of all our Canadian money on the toll roads. There $1.00 coin is called a "loonie" and the $2.00 coin is called a "toonie". At the border crossing, Jim & I got through with little fanfare, but an agriculture agent borded Ralph & Marth's motorhome and confiscated Ralph's hotdogs. You must ask him about it sometime! We spent tonight at Wal-Mart in Calais, Maine. It is cold, only in the 50's.
October 8: Leaving Calais, Maine, we are heading for Bar Harbor, ME. The distance today will only be about 120 miles. We found a lovely campground called "Hadley's Point Campground". Most of the campgrounds are closing in the next few days. We went by car and drove the scenic route through Acadia National Park....the second most visited park in the National Park system behind the beautiful Great Smoky Mountain NP which is number one. Tonight we ate at Jasper's Restaurant and I had a lobster roll. It was delicious. So, I've had all the local tastings...a lobster roll, blueberries and maple syrup.
October 9: We did the tourist things in Bar Harbor today. I found it to be very commercial, a little disappointing but still a beautiful area. Jim checked on a whale watching boat trip here as well, but it was sold out. So, guess we will do that on a future trip somewhere else.
Our "grand finale" dinner tonight was lobster. Eric, the owner of the campground, got us 4 lobsters right off the boat. They were about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 lbs. each and only caught 2 hours prior to us cooking them. He suggested we cook them in ocean water, which we did....great dinner. A perfect ending to a great vacation in New England. (photos)
October 10: It's time to start for our next stop, which will be Pittsburgh, PA to visit with family. We took US Hwy 2 across Maine into New Hampshire and then into Vermont. We had to make sure we drove through Vermont so we could add a state "gem" to our travel map. Jim & I decided to unhook the car and visit a maple syrup mill and a few covered bridges. Ralph and Martha decided to keep heading south. He is anxious to see his new "chrome" on his motorcycle. They had a hard time finding a place to stay tonight. Most of the Wal-Marts in New York did not allow motorhome parking overnight. After learning of that, we finally found a little diner that allowed us to stay. (photos)
October 11: We met up again with Ralph & Martha early this morning. Jim woke up early so we got an early start while I stayed in bed...something I have never done before while traveling. All was going well until we got stopped on I-81 for a detour from a bad accident. It took us over 2 hours to go around the closed off part of the interstate which was only about 10 miles. That's when you are glad you are in a motorhome, always have a "potty" with you. We left Ralph & Martha in Carlisle, PA where we found a campground to spend the night. It was called Western Village Park.
October 12: We took our time getting up this morning and hitting the road. It was about 2:00 when we pulled into Betty's (Jim's sister) in Pittsburgh. The "Bisacca Campground" was very welcoming.
October 13 -22: Enjoyed 10 days in Pittsburgh visiting with family. We got to see Ronnie's new house, spent time with the grandkids and had a lovely Anniversary (17 years) dinner at Penn Brewery....a delicious German restaurant on the northside of Pgh.
October 23 - November 5: Left Pittsburgh early this morning heading for Townsend, Tennessee to spend a couple of weeks. Arrived at 7:00 p.m., starting to get dark already. We went to the Gatlinburg Craftsman's Fair, Best Little Italian Restaurant (one of Jim's favorites), and visiting with many friends from Sundown (our little mountain RV resort). We had fun playing cards, Hand & Foot and dominoes. Our total bear sightings for the 2007 season was 48.
Well, it's Monday, Nov. 5th and we finally arrived home to Florida around 5:00 p.m. It was a great vacation, almost two months long and nearly 5,000 miles later. We enjoyed having our great friends, Ralph & Martha along with us for the many memories we made.
Now it's time to start thinking about our next RV adventure.....North to Alaska in 2008!
