Eastern U.S. Blog
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Summary of our Eastern travels
December Summary
December 24, 2022
Fish pedicures, aquariums, key lime pie and Key Largo
Leaving Key West, heading north, we stopped in Marathon for a peek at Sombrero Beach where we dipped our toes in the Atlantic. 
The 32 acres of Crane Point Nature Center was another complete surprise. Besides preserving one of the world’s last remaining thatch palm hammocks containing rare and endangered species, the museum, butterfly conservatory, wild bird center, and nature trails were especially enjoyable. We were intrigued by the “fish pedicure” description in the brochure so, of course, we had to try it! We put our feet in the tidal pool and let the tiny fish nibble and tickle our toes. The description stated “resulting in a fresh, clean pedicure,” but I think we’d have had to sit there for hours to get that result. 
While sitting, watching these tiny fish nibble on our feet, we were reminded of the movie Nemo and the dentist office scene with the girl crying “Pir-AH-nah!”
Next four nights at John Pennenkamp State Park campground gave us time to explore Key Largo and the park itself. The park trails, beaches and aquarium were great. 
Storm damage to one boardwalk was definitely apparent. It was fun exploring on our bikes. Following the main bike trail and off on residential streets, somehow we ended up at the Hideout Restaurant which boasts about their homemade key lime pie, only to discover they were sold out! Mrs. Mac’s Restaurant was recommended, though, as the next best in the area. It sounded promising so we ventured on our bikes in search of Mrs. Mac’s. We can’t say we were on any official quest to compare all key lime pie in the Keys because we only had two pieces, but we still prefer the first sample we had that Julie, our sister-in-law, made. A new personal favorite pie. In search of some live music, the Carribean Club, where the movie Key Largo was filmed, seemed a place to go. We just never made it there.
On Christmas Eve, we made a mad dash to Montverde so we could enjoy family for the afternoon and share an amazing meal together. So many family blessings in our lives. Christmas Eve church service was lovely.
December 20, 2022
Key West and Dry Tortugas (Turtles) Park
Seems to be a bit of a ban on RV parking on the streets of Key West. Understandable, of course, given the size of the key and the high tourist interest. Our RV park was on Geiger Key, about a 20 minute drive to Key West proper. The problem was finding a parking spot downtown for Lena so we could take the Yankee Freedom III catamaran ferry to Dry Tortugas National Park. Most of the information online was “no RV parking anywhere” or you get towed. Yikes! Since we didn’t have time to scope out the area and find out whether our 21-foot van was considered a troublesome RV to the city or not, and we were going to be gone for the entire day on the scheduled national park trip, we opted to take a Lyft at 6:30 a.m. to catch our ferry. Too early for us retired folk, but the trip was well worth it!
Seen one fort, seen them all? Not really.
The remnants of Fort Jefferson are intriguing but the history and stories around the isolated island are truly unique. Built mostly of brick – yep, the little ones – it reminded Becky of all the used brick she cleaned as a child when her dad was building their house in Oregon. After 30 years of construction, this fort was still never fully finished. Over 16 million bricks came from many places, as far as Maine and Pensacola (by ship), which creates a quilted look of the construction. A patchwork of bricks of many colors! We explored the island; listened to the tour guide tell stories; watched for hermit crabs, birds, turtles, etc.; pondered what it would have been like to live there; walked the beach; and watched the snorkelers.
If you’ve never been, read up on the history and put it on your bucket list. Stories such as the “hot shot furnace;” the classic bluff from the Union Army commander to the incoming Confederate ship that helped ensure the course of the Civil War; and the saga of the imprisonment of Dr. Samuel Mudd for his part as a co-conspirator in the Lincoln assassination plot … are just a few of the intriguing tales of the island fort, some 70 miles west of Key West. The current reality of Cuban migrants taking small boats across the 106-mile waters to Dry Tortugas is sobering. There were around 20 derelict vessels collected in one area of the island, all still holding personal belongings, fuel, tools, etc. Most did not appear seaworthy; some “homemade” with bits of styrofoam floatation. One appeared to be a modified dumpster that made the voyage. Though it’s not clear what happened to the occupants, the ferry did take an injured Cuban refugee back to Key West on our return trip.
Arriving back to Key West just at sunset, we walked through Mallory Square and around old town admiring Christmas decorations and finding a slice of key lime pie at Kermit’s before heading back to our camp site. Geiger Key Resort and Marina also has an old Florida Fish Camp Restaurant, “the way the Keys used to be.” Our camp spot was right up to the edge of the water, with views of mangroves and a plethora of birds and fish.
We spent the entire next day in “slow” mode, just enjoying the space that cost waaaay too much. The restaurant was along the same waterfront, with live music and terrific food. We didn’t need to go or do anything else!
Our last full day in Key West area, we found several free things to do that also had free parking! Starting at the Key West Wildlife Center (sadly closed due to lack of staffing), we walked out on the White Street Pier and Aids Memorial and visited the West Martello Tower and Botanical Garden, built up by the local Garden Club around a civil war era crumbling fort.
Beautifully done! We continued on to Higgs Beach, spending a few moments at the African Cemetery where 294 enslaved African men, women and children were buried, after being rescued in 1860 by Union controlled Key Westers. A picnic lunch among the gypsy chicken population rounded out that little walking and sightseeing adventure. We drove past the Southernmost point and snapped a quick photo – again, no parking – and continued on to Zachary Taylor State Park where we walked the beach and explored the fort there.
December 15, 2022
Underwater park, Robert is Here, Ugli fruit and Mr. C's ice cream
Biscayne National Park is mostly an underwater park and accessible only by boat, but we did tour the visitor center and stroll along the half mile boardwalk. Referred to as the Northern Keys, we learned quite a bit about the park. We could easily see lots of fish in the water; watched a Brown Pelican fishing; and sighted a couple large iguanas in the Buttonwood trees.
We stopped at “Robert is Here,” a fruit stand and farm which boasted Key Lime Shakes on the reader board. Gotta try that! It was a fabulous stop. Not only a delicious shake, but all sorts of items we’ve never heard of. For example, Ugli Fruit – “I know I’m not very pretty, and my skin looks wrinkled and old, but inside I’m still juicy and sweet. I’m a cross between an orange, tangerine and sweet grapefruit. I peel and section like a tangerine and taste like all three.” Especially loved “Toe Jam,” a jam made of tangerine, orange and elderberry, since we have a road on Bainbridge with the same name. In back of the place was a small petting zoo of goats, chickens, turkeys, tortoises and cow, to name a few. Witnessed a stare down contest between a chicken and a tortoise. Quite a collection of old tractors adorned the edges of the space.
After spending the night in a church parking lot as part of Harvest Hosts, we headed to Key Largo, then Islamadora, to another church parking space for the night. We sat in the shade of some trees, enjoying the breeze, watching the iguanas climbing the palm trees and reading. After dinner we ventured on a short walk down highway 1 to Mr. C’s Ice Cream Shop. Though it wasn’t far, it took much patience to cross the highway safely. But the ice cream was worth it and we met Mr. C who has been making ice cream for 52 years.
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December 13, 2022
Bok Tower Gardens, Big Cypress and Everglades
Headed out once again, this time toward Florida Keys. First two nights in Frostproof, FL, at a boondockers. We spent nearly a full day at Bok Tower Gardens atop Iron Mountain, all 295 feet of it.
Wonderful gardens, the children’s garden a definite favorite with a fairy garden, people-sized nest to play in, things to climb in and on, tunnels, and lots of other interactive spaces in nature. The 205-foot marble and coquina Singing Tower was amazing. Completed in 1929 as a tribute to nature, it has some beautiful sculptures of native Florida animals on the outside walls, as well as the 60 bells (60 tons worth) in the tower for the resident carillonneur to play. We listened to the afternoon carillon concert, mostly Christmas tunes. We were able to watch him play on a video screen as he was high up in the tower. The El Rivero house is also on the garden grounds, a Mediterranean-style winter home built in 1932. We had opted not to pay the extra fee for touring the mansion but someone gave us their tickets since they were short on time.
The tour guides throughout the house offered lots of stories to go with the rooms and furniture. Sooo much colorful tile everywhere! Walking around the house grounds, we were surprised to see a 20-foot Christmas tree made solely of red and white potted begonias!
Staying two nights near Immokalee, we were close enough to Big Cypress National Preserve and Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. The 2.25-mile boardwalk through the Corkscrew Swamp offered sights of flora and fauna including Bald Cypress, air plants, orchids, ferns, birds galore, wild hogs, a giant grasshopper, and an alligator. The Big Cypress visitor center was all the time we had for that day – always enjoy talking with rangers and watching their informative documentary film. We also stopped at Wooten’s Airboat Tours for a ride through the mangroves, sighting several alligators. The tour guide/driver was full of stories and, though we wondered, didn’t get lost among the maze of mangroves.
There was a small animal sanctuary, an alligator show, and a photo opportunity with a 3-year-old “baby” alligator (with rubber-banded mouth). Wooten is also the name of the lake in Washington where the family fishing cabin is located – a fun coincidence.
On our way toward Miami for the night, we stopped for some hikes and other Cypress and Everglades visitor’s centers, enjoying the wildlife, both flying kind and water kind. Our curiosity peaked when we saw cows and the white Egret birds “hanging out” together in the fields as we drove by. Per google, they were Cattle Egrets, feasting off the disturbed bugs, etc., that the cows kick up with hooves. Big city of Miami wasn’t particularly inviting to us after being in more wide open spaces though we did discover a great bakery! Next morning we headed into Everglades National Park, stopping at different boardwalks featuring different parts of the Everglades eco system – from the 8-mile wide “river of grass” that originates from Lake Okeechobee, to mangroves, to Bald Cypress and scrub pine forests.
We had to chuckle at the sign that identified “Rock Reef Pass” elevation 3 feet. We made a point of joining a ranger-led hike and talk about different nefarious activities that have historically happened in the park. Not only the plume-gathering “industry,” but operating moonshine stills deep within the Everglades. Apparently, quite profitable since no prohibition agent would venture into the maze of the glades. An interesting history. Stayed in the Flamingo Campground at the end of the road. Though the showers boasted no hot water, it was quite enjoyable after a day of hiking in Florida’s humid heat. Yes, even for December!
On our way out of the park and, after hearing from a few rangers, we did stop at the one visitor center we were intentionally avoiding. Friends who had been to the park had relayed information about Black Vultures that seemed fascinated enough by car windshield wipers (and other rubber items) to peck and destroy such materials. Sure, the park offered tarps to cover a vehicle for protection, but with our RV, it would have been a 3-tarp, difficult feat, so we were going to avoid the area. We were brave enough to at least stop for a look. The gift store operator assured us the vultures were not “active” in their odd behavior during this part of the season. “Last month they were terrible.” So, we took her word for it and went for a hike. Since the time our friends had visited, the staff have added a vulture “playground” of rubber to deter them from destroying cars. Gift store operator was unsure if it is working…
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December 8, 2022
Family, friends, Wingspan, biking, palm tree Christmas lights
Arriving back from Wisconsin, we stayed with Becky’s brother and sister-in-law, Brad and Julie. Had some great fellowship; saw Blake and Chelsey’s house; saw Jennifer’s house; had dinner with them all at Olive Garden; a couple of intriguing games of Wing Span; got some biking in (with ice cream as an enticement on one trip); watched some new movies; helped hang Christmas lights on palm trees; watched Julie bowl (we were chicken of aggravating back issues); and had haircuts in the back yard. We were thoroughly pampered and loved.
We had been told of a wildlife drive on the north end of Lake Apopka, near where Brad and Julie live. We explored the closest entrance to the preserved area and rode our bikes along the nature trail. It was a bit bumpy but we persevered and were rewarded with lots of bird viewing in the open, marshy areas. We may explore the other end after Christmas.
Becky has kept in touch with a few high school friends and,
surprisingly, Shelly lives an hour and a half away from Brad’s, in Ocala. We took a couple days and drove to Shelly and Paul’s house. Great to catch up! We even visited the World Equestrian Center, the largest in the U.S. Not for the horses, but to view the “Winter Wonderland” Christmas lights and entertainment. There was a horse competition in the lit arena though we didn’t understand what they were judging exactly. Helped get us in the festive spirit.
November Summary
South Carolina to Florida with a trip to Wisconsin
Moving a little slower in November. Crossed into only 3 states. Stayed some extra time in Myrtle Beach, near Disney, and at Allison and Eric’s house in Wisconsin. Our average temperature of 65.5 was definitely affected by our 7 days in Eau Claire, WI. If we ignore those cold Midwest days, our average was 73 degrees! December average should be much higher! According to Google, we traveled 1,083 miles, walked 43 miles, visited 72 places, 32 cities, 3 states. Yes, this could be considered “South” for blog purposes, but we will deem it all East until we start heading West in January… 
November 30, 2022
A Thanksgiving week with family in Wisconsin
Leaving Lena at Becky’s brother’s house, we flew to Eau Claire, WI, for Thanksgiving and play time with grandbaby!
Maybe we brought a little Florida heat with us because Eau Claire weather, though cold, wasn’t as cold as we thought it would be.
The main goal was spending as much time with Allison, Eric and Finley that we could. Everyone had Thanksgiving week off so we enjoyed lots of play time; walks; getting their Christmas tree; moving Finley into his own room, etc. Allison and Eric were back at work Monday, so we were solo with Finley. Such a happy boy! The day we left, as we waited for our plane to take off, it started to snow. Good timing!
November 21, 2022
Tea Garden, Girl Scouts, garlic pickle beer, and Epcot
After leaving Myrtle Beach, we spent the night at a boondocker in Awendaw, SC. It was a beautiful, quiet night on a couple’s small family farm out in the woods. On our way down the South Carolina coast, we stopped at the Charleston Tea Garden. We were not aware this was the only tea garden in North America where you can see hundreds of thousands of Camellia Sinensis tea bushes stretching out acre after acre for almost as far as the eye can see.
We toured the factory to learn a bit more about their American Classic black, oolong and green tea making.
Moving into Georgia, we had to make a stop at Juliette Gordon Low’s childhood home in Savannah. It was closed on a Sunday but we could see some of the gardens and took a moment to appreciate her work at starting Girl Scouts of America. It would have been fun to have more time to explore more of Savannah. We stayed one night in Georgia at a brewing company south of Savannah in Richmond Hill. I think there were five or six RVs parked there for the night. We had to try their unusual beer – Spicy Garlic Pickle Pale Ale. Not a fan…
We dropped into Florida, and spent an afternoon exploring some of St. Augustine – the oldest city in the United States.
Interesting history, and we enjoyed touring the Castillo de San Marcos. That evening, we stayed at a boondocker host who lived on a community runway. He kept his Cessna in his garage/hanger right where we were parked, and enthralled us with tales of towing his airplane behind his RV to travel the country – stopping to camp for a few days in one area and fly around the area!
A former co-worker of Becky’s back in Washington, now lives in Palm Coast, so we visited with Cindy and Jeff and parked in their driveway for the night. Great to catch up with friends!
Moved on to Orlando for a few days at another WorldMark resort, meeting up with Evan and Kaitlyn and Kaitlyn’s mom, Connie. Other than enjoying family and the pool/hot tub,
playing trivia and a round or two of mini golf at the resort, we did experience “Eating around the World” at Epcot which was tasty and filling; listened to the Canada pavilion’s music stage presentation; rode a few rides. The last time we were at Epcot was 1992 so there were many changes. Spent some time at Disney Springs. Drove the RV to my brother’s house for storing while we flew to Eau Claire, WI, for Thanksgiving.
November 12, 2022
Myrtle Beach tornado watch, Spanish Moss and Elton John
We had planned a stop at Myrtle Beach, SC, staying a week at a condo. A good time to do a deep clean of the RV and spread out a bit. It was great to have access to an oven in the condo to make a pie for celebrating Dave’s birthday.
We enjoyed the resort pool and lazy river. We had it all to ourselves most of the time. Exploring the area, Brookgreen Botanical and Sculpture Gardens was a pleasant find. Our ticket allowed us 7-day access to the gardens, a small “low-country” zoo, and the largest collection of American figurative sculpture work in the country.
We definitely got our steps in and a boat tour of the old rice fields gave us our first full glimpse of an alligator. Huntington State Park offered a birding session we attended, centered around shore birds of the area. It was obvious Hurricane Ian had done some damage to the park as some of the walkways were destroyed but that did not keep the birds away.
Tried to find a place to play mini golf, of which there are many in the area – closed for the season. We did see another mini golf that had people playing, but we were already on to some other destination.
We enjoyed some live music at an Elton John Tribute Christmas show. It was a lot of fun and Dave even got a special
birthday song – “I’m Still Standing.” LOL. That was the night remnants of hurricane Nicole were traveling through the area, mostly rain. It had an effect on our weather for about a day and there was a tornado watch for the area. The week went by quickly, but we were ready to move on down the coast toward Florida.
November 4, 2022
Momma cows, pleasant surprises and alligator warnings
On our way southeast from Greenville toward Congaree National Park, we stayed at Bowers Farm, a Harvest Host. They had cows, pigs, chickens, goats, geese, guinea hens and even a friendly black cat who loved visiting with us! The farm dog, a Kuvasz named Chief, was the first time a dog did not accept our dog treat offer. He was either in his security dog mode or trained not to talk to strangers…There was a momma cow with two calves (one adopted), who kept us company in the yard. We bought some eggs and ground beef from the farm … and had scrambled eggs for dinner!
Congaree National Park was a pleasant surprise. We weren’t really sure what to expect as it is mainly a backcountry and river-rafting/canoe park.
The visitor’s center had a wonderful 2.4 mile boardwalk trail that took us out into the forest – exploring the forest floor that becomes completely submerged under several feet of water for the winter/spring months from the Congaree River flooding. Really cool exploring a small piece of this forest/river that is continually in transition. Trees we have never heard of such as Loblolly Pine, Swamp Tupelo and Bald Cypress.
Though we have heard of Cypress, we did not know they produce knobby “knees,” protrusions of root-like growths around the base of the tree and beyond its canopy. To scientists, it’s assumed they are additional stabilization for the tree but it’s unclear if that is a correct assumption; no other explanation is apparent. We learned an oxbow lake is a lake created by a change in the river’s direction, cutting off from the river’s flow and creating a lake over time, separate from the river path. This park has the largest, intact expanse of old growth bottomland hardwood forest in the southeastern US and highest temperate deciduous forest canopies remaining in the world. There are at least 25 recorded champion trees within the park.
Stays at Poinsett State Park and Lynches River County Park rounded out our trek to the ocean and Myrtle Beach area. Poinsett park was the first time we saw warnings about alligators. Dave approached the water’s edge to take a photo of a 2.5″ turtle on a branch floating in the lake (or was it a log?). The red sand color and the browns and yellows of the tree leaves seemed to filter the sun and create a red hue in that air. The closer we got to the coast, the more humid it seemed to get. Ugh.
October Summary
New York to South Carolina
October was full of family and friend visits; fall leaf color everywhere; eating Mountain Pies; and mushrooms. Niagara Falls, Gobbler’s Knob, Hershey World, Mammoth Caves, Dollywood and Great Smokey Mountains were other highlights. According to Google, we traveled 2019 miles, walked 54 miles, visited 88 places, 54 cities, 9 states, 2 national parks. Average temperature for the month was 66.6 degrees.
October 31, 2022
New friends, Dollywood, Great Smokies and Halloween
Our good friend, Jennie, has family in Kentucky and they were willing to put up with us in Buckhorn, KY, for a couple days. It’s a small community in the Appalachian Mountains.
Tom and Gayle co-minister at the local church, the Log Cathedral built in 1928. The entire community is working to clean up in the aftermath of flooding in July, with Tom and Gayle front and center. We heard lots of stories of struggle and loss, but some joys as well. It seems like we have known them for years, maybe because Jennie has linked us together! So glad we stopped to enjoy this amazing couple.
Moving into Tennessee, we found a state park for the night. Dollywood was our afternoon entertainment before driving into Great Smokey Mountain National Park to our campground. We tried to find an overnight in Pigeon Forge and maybe watch a music performance, but were unsuccessful. We walked around “the island”; took a ride on the ferris wheel; enjoyed the fountain show synched to music; found a tasty Cinnabon; and listened to a live bluegrass band before leaving the town.
Great Smokies was full of autumn color at the lower elevations.
We found several trails to take us deeper in the forest to marvel at the old, tall trees. The Cades Cove area boasted several 100+-year-old dwellings to explore, all of which were from days prior to the park being formed. Smoke houses, barns, homes, grist mills, corn cribs, etc., have been maintained by the park service to help describe the history of the area.
Leaving the Tennessee side of the Smokies, we stopped at the highest point, where the Appalachian Trail wanders through the park, and where Tennessee gives way to North Carolina border. The AT looked well-used for the quarter mile or so we walked.
The visitor center on the south side also featured old log buildings and some historical perspective of the land. Though there are apparently 2 black bears for every square mile of park, we never saw one. Smokemont Campground warnings seemed to convey they wandered into camp often though I would think they’d shy away from the people noise and abundance of campfire smoke that hung in the air. Given it was close to Halloween, we saw lots of RV holiday décor and carved pumpkins around the loops, a few trick or treaters, and even “reverse” T-or-T’ers passing out treats to us! We came upon a bull elk and a cow while on a river walk – a little too close, really. Still in the mating season, we were wary of them more than usual and backed away while enjoying the encounter.
Our final two days of October were in Greenville, SC. A friend/co-worker from Becky’s old job lives there now.
Unfortunately, Sarah and her son were ill with colds, but we managed an outdoor get together and walk in the downtown area before heading to our next Boondocker locale near Paris Mountain State Park. This was one of the few boondocker places in which we didn’t really spend any time with the hosts. We had a quiet Halloween, though we did buy some candy … just in case! It rained most of Halloween day, and we spent it at a coffee and crepes place in a town called Traveler’s Rest … we took advantage of the good food, coffee and electricity to plan our next couple months on the road.
October 22, 2022
Cooler weather, hiking, caves and folklore, and Kentucky music
The weather became noticeably cooler as we moved into Mammoth Caves National Park. The sun was out during the days, but the nights dropped into near or below freezing the whole time we were in the park!
Luckily, with the sunshine, we were able to enjoy the beauty of the autumn changing leaf colors and the amazing, mostly deciduous forests in the park. There is an abundance of walking trails and the cold did keep the snakes out of sight, thankfully! We did one cave tour of the many available. The Great Onyx Cave tour was a lantern light tour as there is no electricity at that cave. So, every few hikers on the tour carried a Coleman double-mantle lantern. The hiss and shadows cast off the lanterns added a unique mystic to the walk through the cave. According to the ranger guide, this cave is one of the most pristine cave hikes in the world as the original, private owners were very careful to maintain the cave in a very clean, careful way. Very cool cave, including the historical stories and lore. Even the bus ride up to the cave entrance was fun, though Dave kept calling it the “prison farm bus,” painted in green.
We left Mammoth on a day when the temperatures were supposed to start moving back into the 70s during the day … of course! We drove east to Renfro Valley, the location of the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and nearby Entertainment Center. Dave spotted a Ricky Skaggs and the Kentucky Thunder concert scheduled at the center, so we got a place to stay on the grounds and tickets to the show! Dave even played some music on the guitar at our campsite within sight of the Kentucky Thunder/Ricky Skaggs bus behind the center.
They were kind enough not to ask Dave to stop playing. The bluegrass music was lively, coming from talented musicians.
October 16, 2022
History, horses, music and farms
A string of harvest host and boondocker stays kept us moving from Virginia, thru West Virginia and into Kentucky toward Mammoth Caves National Park.
The John Henry Historical Park in Talcott, WV, was a bit of history. The apparent site of John Henry’s contest with a steam drill at the Big Bend Tunnel site around 1870, was educational and interesting. There were musical samples of the songs that have come out of the legend – one from Johnny Cash. The tour guide was passionate about the history. We drove through the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. After a night in Huntington, WV, boondocking, we moved on to Versailles, KY, staying the night at the Wildside Winery.
Picked out a dessert wine, raspberry chocolate, and shared the parking area with 7 other travelers in various types of trailers and vans. Moving on, we stopped to see the Kentucky Railway Museum, enjoying a car and tractor show and going for a ride in the old, refurbished train, viewing the Kentucky countryside. The Hinton Family Farm was our final stopover before entering Mammoth Cave NP area. Dave was always busy playing music to drive by, including John Denver and “Almost Heaven,” Tom T. Hall music (driving on the Hall Memorial Hwy in KY), and Dan Fogelberg’s “Run for the Roses.”i
October 11, 2022
Pennsylvania family, chocolate and alpacas
touring the area for wonderful views and fall colors; and seeing elk and deer. Dave and I drove to Punxsutawney to check out Phil’s “digs” and walk around Gobbler’s Knob. We were perfectly content to enjoy the area during October rather than February 2 in the bitter cold, though many, many people do. Check that one off our bucket list! Further south and east, we traveled to Connie’s house in Hershey, PA. Had to visit Chocolate World but only did the “free” ride with chocolate bar sampler and wandered around.
Loved our time with Connie and Marnie the cat. It was great to catch up with all of them. Thank you!
Trying to stay ahead of the colder days, we drove south, stopping at Gettysburg National Military Park for a visit and then on to Middletown, VA, for the night at boondocker hosts Jerry and Janice. Once again, we loved swapping travel stories, getting ideas for places to visit on our route, and enjoying conversation. We were invited to a delicious meal and time around the fire.
We swapped seeing less fall color in the trees with a delightfully warmer day as we drove the backroads to Fairfield, VA, and an alpaca farm.
We arrived at the Harvest Host driveway and as we started up the road, discovered there was a paving company in the middle of adding pavement to the driveway. As there were no workers on the equipment, we made a quick decision to drive around it on the grass. It wasn’t successful. We left the van and walked the rest of the way to meet our hosts, only to discover they’d been trying to contact us about the roadwork. Everything worked out, as we waited until they were done with the road, backed down the grass and made it safely to our parking spot on the new driveway surface. The owner gave us a tour of the alpaca farm, complete with hand feeding a few animals. Becky even got sneezed on by one, bits of food and all! October 4, 2022
Fall colors, zoos, pencils and Star Trek
While enjoying morning coffee in downtown Waitsfield, we noted our first questionable covered bridge height maximum of 9’ 6”. That’s our exact height so would have been a squeaker if we drove that way. Making our way across New Hampshire by way of Salisbury, and Middlebury, we stayed at Branbury State Park and left the state on a sunny morning, across Lake Champlain on a small 8-car ferry.
We had wanted to visit Ticonderoga, NY, assuming that’s where the Dixon Ticonderoga no. 2 pencil, best pencil ever, was manufactured. Alas, it is only the location where the graphite for those pencils was processed. The Dixon Company needed a cool name for marketing, apparently, “a ringing, old-fashioned American name.”
Though there were no giant pencil statues in town center, we did find a surprising tourist stop – the Star Trek original series set tour. As the woman in the museum we visited relayed, it was a creation by a young resident who was a huge fan. He received whatever rights were needed to legally open the life-size, detailed set for tours. William Shatner (Captain Kirk) seems to enjoy it as he visits regularly for appearances.
A scenic drive through the Adirondack Mountains followed, along with a few hikes. Temperatures were cooler but the sun played its part in showing off the fall color in the trees. After purchasing our EZ-Pass and finding our harvest host brewery location in Utica, NY, we settled for the evening to enjoy a beautiful sunset.
A short distance and much to see the next day. Opted to stop at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse. We had the time and it’s been awhile since we’ve been to the zoo. Though small, it packed lots of animals and eco friendly features in its design.
Farmland, small towns and sun were the views on the way to our night’s stay at a boondocker location in Cato, NY. Made a few stops along the shore of Lake Ontario. Stayed the night at a small farm and enjoyed fresh raspberries in October from their garden! Amazing. We enjoyed their chickens, cats and goose before heading out for Niagara Falls. The Falls were awesome, of course. I think I was most surprised at how few people were there. And traffic was nearly nonexistent! We enjoyed exploring Goat Island and its trails. We did do the Cave of the Winds touristy thing. Yes, we got wet!
Rumor has it the Canada side has a better view of the falls so we walked across the bridge to get a peek. We agree. And they let us back in the U.S.
From a Luna Island viewpoint, it was quite fun to witness a seagull do some “bird surfing” on the American Fall section of river. About 300 yards before the edge of the falls, this seagull would fly there, land in the water and float along until a section of rapids occurred, fly out of the water, skipping that section, then set down again and continue his voyage to the edge of the falls. He would then fly up, turn around and fly back to the starting point, doing it all over again. We watched him do this 5 or 6 times before we moved on. I would not doubt he continued his play all afternoon.
That night we stayed at a boondocker host in Springville, NY. We shared travel stories with Bob and Janice. They live across from an auction house and flea market extraordinaire and it just so happened to be occurring the following morning. We walked across the street to check it out. Oh my! The flea market itself was a huge event – we didn’t even attempt to see the auction part which involved animals and items for auction. Good thing we have a small RV that doesn’t have much extra storage. Bob and Janice were also gracious enough to show us their vacation tiny house as it was on our way south. We are interested in these “tiny houses” but had only viewed them online. The 400 square foot house was quite spacious really!
September Summary
Fall comes to New England
Fall seemed to switch on immediately once the 22nd arrived. Trees showed their changes; mushrooms popped up everywhere in all shapes, colors and sizes; the first cold experienced; definite chill in the air; pumpkins and squash everywhere. We transitioned from Canada to the U.S. The border patrol only took our four eggs!
According to Google, we traveled 1,398 miles, walked 53 miles, biked 15 miles, visited 90 places, 47 cities, two countries. Our average temperature for September was 66.5 degrees. Not bad!
September 28, 2022
Maine, Pickle Ball, New Hampshire, Vermont
We met a couple 3 ½ years ago in Death Valley and really enjoyed them. They were driving a similar class B, lived in Maine and gave us their contact card. Well… we called them up and sort of invited ourselves to their house for the night since it was on our route. Janet and Scott have some beautiful acreage in Maine. As it turned out, Scott was traveling, and Janet admitted she didn’t really remember us until we mentioned some of our Death Valley conversation. She treated us to a view of her stained-glass studio and we even got in on her regular group of Pickle Ball players the next morning. We were deemed celebrities, not by our beginner-like play, but because we were from the island where Pickle Ball was invented. Dave even knew the inventors!
If we look at the map of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, and hope to draw a straight line of roads across, it doesn’t really work. Lots of turns onto new connecting highways and backroads but all quite beautiful. Our route took us through Maine’s capitol, Augusta, where we stretched our legs around the capitol building and nearby park.
Fall is truly in the air; color in the trees; acorns on the ground; mushrooms pushing through the duff; and fluffy-tailed squirrels darting from tree to tree. The continued drive into New Hampshire was equally beautiful.
We stayed at a Camping World our first night in New Hampshire. Although staying in a parking lot is not the most glamorous setting … they do provide free parking, wifi, and power hookups. We even watched the Seahawks (lose…) that night through the magic of the streaming internet in Lena.
The next day may have been the shortest distance we’ve traveled in a day – but possibly one of the most beautiful. We rolled from Conway, NH, down the famous Kancamagus Highway. The route meanders across White Mountain National Forest, with early peaks of some fall color and amazing river gorges and falls. On the western end of the highway, we headed northward through Franconia Notch State Park. Discovering that The Flume is a favorite tourist trail, we opted to not pay the $43 to hike the 2-miles. I’m sure it is amazing but so was the nature trail we chose to explore, instead. We had also never heard of the Old Man of the Mountain, a 45’ high, 26’ wide natural landmark that appeared to be the jagged profile of a human face. We only saw the photo depictions in the Visitor Center as the formation since tumbled from its craggy perch in 2003, all 7,200 tons of it.
It appears they call valleys “notches” in this part of the country. Again, some beautiful scenery – even a flock (rafter or gaggle) of turkeys blocking the road at one point … or maybe that was earlier in the day … or back in Maine. Anyway, they are everywhere!
Morse Maple Sugarworks just outside of Vermont’s capitol, Montpelier, was an up-close look at how maple syrup is collected and processed. The process has modernized since the Charles Wysocki puzzle depictions we love to piece together. Though it’s a spring activity, the blue pvc-like tubing is in place yearlong, stretched from tree to tree, waiting for the next tapping to begin. A syrup tasting; viewing of a short
movie in the “woodshed theater” featuring Burr Morse, a jovial character for sure; enjoying the goats; smiling at the myriad of “character wood” shapes of donkey, elephant, horse, faces, etc.; and a hike of the Maple Trail added to the fun of the afternoon.
Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is made in Waterbury, VT. Hard to skip that adventure! Who knew there was a graveyard of
discontinued flavors!? Quite the witty epitaphs on the headstones, too.
The Trapp Family Lodge was also in the vicinity, in Stowe, VT. Being childhood fans of The Sound of Music movie, we had to visit. The grounds are beautiful and we could see why it felt like Austria to the family. We browsed through some gift shop books for more information; hiked to the hilltop chapel; viewed the bee hives and gardens; and awed at the valley views.
September 24, 2022
Acadia NP, Ranger talk finally!
Schoodic Peninsula is part of Acadia National Park, a lesser visited area on the mainland. Five days in one of the newest campgrounds in the entire Park system, Schoodic Campground opened in 2015. An excellent campground. The rugged coastline; hiking among the myriad blueberry bush “fields” and forested land; visiting Rockefeller Hall at the Schoodic Institute (with beautiful brick-patterned architecture); and watching the season change from summer to fall (Sept. 22).
We can also celebrate our first real Ranger Talk on this trip! Bears in Acadia reiterated many of the bear facts we knew about the American Black Bear, but always learn something new such as bears see better at night, as if it’s daytime; and no bear vs. human attack has ever happened in Maine. That’s reassuring but humans still have a big responsibility in keeping it that way! We love our Ranger talks. After accepting the stormy and cloudy weather since we arrived, we walked back to our campsite in the dark, astounded at the clear, full-sky star display above us.
Fall is definitely taking root in Maine. The trees are showing their color, temperatures are cooling, and the mushrooms are popping up everywhere. We begin to note “closed for the season” signs. Time to head south!
Unfortunately, Schoodic Campground is quite a drive to get to the rest of the park on Mt. Desert Island (often pronounced dessert, oddly). We took full advantage of the shuttle service and the colorful, entertaining bus drivers, knowing we’d have challenges parking Lena and accessing some areas of the park. A ferry was an option but, with sketchy weather this week, cancellations occurred and we were leery of getting stranded in Bar Harbor. Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, Ship Harbor were highlights. The town of Bar Harbor was tourist heavy, of course, but that didn’t squelch our hunt for blueberry pie and popovers. There are so many roadside hole-in-the-wall lobster pounds, more than one boasting “cherry stones” which we had to google. We saw the locals harvesting clams, running lobster boats, stacking firewood, and putting up with the traffic. Our last night in the area was spent at Seawall Campground, offering a new area to explore before leaving.
September 18, 2022
Entering Maine; time zone adjustments
Reentering the U.S. via the small border crossing at Calais, Maine. We crossed into and out of Canada three other times. This time, our eggs were confiscated. Huh. No one asked about that the other places. But at least we weren’t thrown in the slammer! We have a regular call time with our daughter and son-in-law who live in Central Time Zone. Because New Brunswick is Atlantic time and Maine is Eastern, and we were close enough to the border for our phones to automatically think we were in the states, we had to really work our brains to figure out what time to leave/set alarms, so we would be in a place to receive their call! It’s equally challenging to remember not to text or phone family and friends on the west coast too early.
Stayed at Cobscook Bay State Park. A nice park with lots of private sites, though we had to have our park map available
when we walked so we would not get lost among all the twists, turns and loops in the roads.
Next stop: Acadia National Park and Schoodic Campground.
September 2022
Acadia, lobster and leaves
I think it’s about adventure. The test of an adventure is that when you’re in the middle of it, you say to yourself, “Oh, now I’ve got myself into an awful mess; I wish I were sitting quietly at home.” And the sign that something’s wrong with you is when you sit quietly at home wishing you were out having lots of adventure… ~Thornton Wilder
