Moving on

October 6

We pulled into Wells which is just outside of Kennebunkport, ME. Again, it is a busy coastal village, busier than most fall weekends as this is a three day weekend for most. The campground, however, is quiet and Barb and I just settled back and relaxed. Interestingly, the WSU game was on television and I did watch part of it. The ambiance of the small village and the proximity to Boston, however, continued to lure me into planning the days ahead. Our evening was quiet. We missed a campfire with our friends. We received emails from both parties as they are off on their own direction. I reflected on the past five nights of sitting by the fire with two other couples who share a strong faith, a love of country, and the deep appreciation of the freedom and opportunity to share both. Yet, unlike other campers who we have met, they are from home. We will see them again soon. God speed to you Bruce, Lou Ann, Bruce, and Kris.

Our trip here was through the countryside with some of it away from the coast. Barb was jumping from side to side in the RV trying to get just the right fall-colored leaf picture as we traveled. There were many pictures that needed a stop to capture however with our RV it is much harder to “stop on a dime”. We did go on line and discovered that we are still about 2 weeks ahead of peak color, but we must press on. It is beautiful, nevertheless. We are still looking for a moose.

The pictures are from the Bar Harbor area, the bike trails, the foliage, and a lobster dinner at our campsite. You can click on each picture to enlage it.

Can't have it both ways...

October 5

“It has been too much of a good thing.” “You can’t have it both ways.” Both cliques are applicable to Maine this last week. It has been warm, sunny and glorious. The nights have been calm and warm. We have basked in these blessings as we went about our daily explorations and sat around the campfire at night. However, the byproduct of great weather is that the fall in Maine this year may not be as colorful as most.

It has been some time since I journaled so here is a quick recap.

We are still traveling with our friends but that ends today as we head our separate directions.

Bar Harbor has been a wonderful village. Each day, the shops fill with the passengers of cruise ships. Two ships are docked each day. The harbor is beautiful and teaming with lobster and tourist boats. The name comes from the fact that there is a bar running through the harbor. At low tide the bar is exposed and you can then walk out to Bar Island, which sits in the middle of the harbor. As Barb and I left town on Wednesday, the bar was exposed. Barb walked and I rode my bike out to the island on the exposed isthmus. I felt uncomfortable doing so as the water lapped up within 10 or so feet from us on each side. On arrival at the island we noticed a trail up through the woods. Barb wanted to follow it, I kept looking back over at the causeway. We entered the trail and within a few minutes we were in the trees. We climbed, rode up a hill and found a sign, “.2 mile, Harbor Island summit”. Barb wanted to keep going. I did not check the tide charts, I know that the Bay of Fundy, site of the world’s larges tidal shift, is nearby, I didn’t want to chance it. On the way down the hill we met two couples climbing the path. They both reported that the path through the water was very wide. As we emerged from the trees, we saw that the path was gone. Water now covered the bar. We went out to the water and were able to walk through about 6 inches of water to the shore and our car. Within minutes the entire path was gone. I am not sure what the couples we met were going to do. It was 12 hours or so until the next low tide. There was no other way off the island unless they could find a boat.

We spent the afternoon bike riding the Acadia Trails which had been built by Rockefeller in the 1930’s and 40’s, for horse carriages. Now the some 40 miles are wonderful bike trails around lakes and along rivers.

We toured the island by car on Friday. The fog lifted in early morning and glorious views filled the day. We ate lunch at a village park in Northeast Harbor, watching the lobster fisherman work on their boats before returning to retrieve their day’s catch.

Saturday found us traveling off the island to the villages of Camden and Rockland. Again, the quaint villages were once just fishing ports which have now been inundated with rich people’s homes, art galleries, restaurants and large yachts and sail boats. As I sat on a bench in the town square, I made a comment to Barb that is was hot. (78 degrees). A local who was sitting next to me snickered. She commented, “This is wonderful. Sometimes we have snow by now.” In crossing the Penobscot River, we ascended a 400 foot tower to view the surrounding area. We toured Fort Knox, not the one in Kentucky with the gold, which sat guarding the river.

We leave to begin our southward journey this a.m. It will be a slow progression. There is much to see between here and Atlanta.

Pictures: Barb crossing the bar, a cruise ship coming out of the fog in Bar Harbor, a coastal village.

Bar Harbor Maine

October 1 and 2,

We arrived in the Bar Harbor area around 2 p.m. Our RV site overlooks Frenchman Bay. By 6 p.m. Bruce and Kris, and Bruce and LouAnn had arrived, set up, and 6 fresh cooked lobster sat on the picnic table. The weather is terrific. We ate outside and sat around the camp fire sharing road stories until 9.

This morning we arose at 5 and drove up Cadillac Mountain to be the first Americans, with a hundred or so others, to view the sun on this October 2. It was a bit cloudy but viewable. After Lou Ann’s presentation of pancakes and blueberries we toured Bar Harbor. Two cruise ships had pulled into town so the stores were full of shoppers. Bruce, Bruce and I tired out before the ladies so the 3 of us retired to the campground for some serious naps.

Pictures are the lobster dinner, Barb and Kris just before sun up, and the sun peaking through the clouds.

4 Weeks tomorrow

October 1,

It is so nice to have a day without rigid timetables. You are probably surprised that I would state that regarding this trip but we really have been on the move, not on a fast pace, but we have been blazing new trails almost every day.

It will be four weeks tomorrow since we left home. It has gone very well. I thank God for our safety and good fortune. The RV has performed well. I also want to report that we have not had to apply the rv’ers Bible verse, Proverbs 21:9 (It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than to be in a house with a mad woman.). You did know that that is the reason that RV’s have ladders on the back. Barb and I have fared well. We are careful to schedule “sanctuary time” which is around an hour a day where we are off doing our own thing. I thank my bike for making that possible.

One major change has been my sleeping pattern. I am back to the pattern of the days of work. I would arise early, often before the alarm, to get some work done. I think, organize, plan and write better in the early a.m. I also get a lot more done since there are no interruptions. When I retired, I began to sleep in. I am sure Barb would share that she was a bit miffed that for the two years that she worked after I retired, I rarely rose to share breakfast with her. By the way, do not be shocked at the times listed on the bottom of the blog. My computer is still on PDT.

I find that I have to schedule exercise. The bike has been great but my body misses the physical labor that I did almost daily. I was in a regimen, even in the dead of winter, to do some sort of weight lifting or upper body exercise 3-4 times a week. I miss that but I am also happy that I have not had to do any heavy repair, such as change a tire on a deserted country road.

This expedition reaches a milestone today as we join our friends in Acadia. I know Barb is really looking forward to getting out with the ladies. I fear some heavy duty shopping may be in order after what she has endured the last four weeks. We miss you all, especially Janie. Nathan and Cailyn have been great about sending pictures which is a mixed blessing. We love the pictures but we see how quickly she is growing/changing and we long to be there to experience it first hand. We’ve missed some phone calls due to lack of cell phone signal but we can usually find the internet almost daily ( I think only 3 days without a wifi spot so far.). I really appreciate the comments regarding this blog. My favorite comes from Sharon LeMay who shared, “I am living vicariously on your gas money.” Spitz, I thank you for your continued comments as well.

The sun is up. Bah Haba is 88 miles away. Several lobsters await our arrival. Got to go.

Will enclose a few more pictures from Vermont/New Hampshire. The order is: shooting color in Vermont, village store, village post office, and house with barn attached. We've seen several houses with attached barns. Even a century or two ago, animals were considered part of the family. :-)

The last picture yesterday is of Barb journaling, during sanctuary time.

Vermont to Maine

September 30, 2007

We arrived in Skowhegan, Maine this afternoon after leaving Danville, Vermont this morning after having stayed two nights in Danville. We spent our time there visiting local villages and covered bridges. There are 106 covered bridges in Vermont. We visited 6 but we did take 107 pictures in our two days there (thank you digital technology).

By the way, we did not stop by Ben and Jerry’s ice cream factory in nearby Waterbury. Covered bridges and the local landscape was our focus. On Friday afternoon we drove the Jeep south to Peacham, a small village founded in 1776. On Saturday, we drove as far north as Newport, had lunch on the lake, and returned south via a different route.

The color really varies. We are not sure if we are too early or too late but the color is not as vivid as we hoped it would be. We have not seen anything that equals the color that we saw last fall as we drove from Lake Wenatchee south to Leavenworth. Although, the mass of color is there as entire hills (they call them mountains) are varying hues of red.

The bridges have varied in size and stages of upkeep/deterioration as well. Some are still functional others are only left as monuments.

We picked up some maple syrup at a farm stand on Friday and Barb fixed French toast on Saturday morning. I am sure it was the best French toast I’d ever eaten. It had to be. The syrup was from the farm down the road in Vermont.

Ticonderoga

September 27

When I was in school, we bought yellow #2 pencils by the dozen. They were usually in a green box with a Revolutionary soldier depicted on the front. The pencils’ brand name was “Ticonderoga”. The soldier was Ethan Allen.

We left Cooperstown and headed for the Hudson River Valley. We missed much of its beauty as West Point and the giant mansions of the “Robber Barons” lie to the south, closer to New York City. We headed north and soon came upon Lake George. Color is just emerging here. As we travel north, we find it more pronounced. However, it appears that the “peak color” is a week or so away. We pulled into a NY State Park campground and parked the RV on a site on the lake. Then we hopped into the Jeep and headed for Fort Ticonderoga.

We drove just a few miles and found it sitting on a hill overlooking Lake Champlain. It fell to ruins several years ago but the Pell family bought it and it is virtually restored to its former condition. I mention the Pell family because it is their foundation that also sponsors the Pell Grants, that make parents of college students so happy. The fort had been built by the French, taken over by the British, and later taken over by the upstart Americans via Allen and the Green Mountain Boys. We walked the paths walked by Washington, Franklin, Ethan Allen, and others.

Then we traveled north to Crown Point where the fort has fallen in ruins. Only a few walls and the foundations are visible. But here we enjoyed riding our bikes around the extensive grounds bordering Lake Champlain. Gray billowing clouds were looming in the sky so we cut our ride short.

During our day we had traveled through apple orchards and many farm stands. On the way back we stopped at one that I had noted on the first time through. It was an innovative stand with farm fresh apples, maple syrup, and it had a bakery. We bought a half of peck of apples and an apple pie.

Tonight we retire by the lake. It has been unseasonable warm (mid 80’s today, breaking records all week) and very humid. It is now 7:30, it is 70 degrees and there is lightening and rain. I sit in my warm, dry RV and eat my pie ala mode while watching the lightening streak across the lake.

Sept 28, a.m. It rained much of the night and the lightening and thunder lasted until around 3. The thunder was particular impressive as it rolled down these long valleys in waves of noise. Don’t know how much I slept but I feel refreshed. It was a memorable night on Lake George.

Today is supposed to be nice, cooler with sun. We will cross over into Vermont and travel about 200 miles and hope to find an RV camp in the middle of the color.

Cooperstown

September 25

We drove the 200+ miles to Cooperstown today. Our campsite is again bordering a large pond. The weather is warm, mid 80’s, but the humidity is much lower than it was in Niagara. We have no WiFi or cell phone here so we will communicate from Cooperstown.

On settling in, we immediately headed for downtown Cooperstown. It is another small village of 2000 people but it has an air of sophistication and class. The Baseball Hall of Fame sits prominently in the middle of town. It is bordered by 200 year old mansions and business buildings equally as old and well maintained.

We arrived in late afternoon so we did not attempt to enter the Hall. We walked around downtown visiting the quaint shops, all catering to the baseball mystic.

One particular scene peaked our interest. A man and a lady, I would assume in their mid 70’s, were walking through an open area near the Hall. The couple was wearing life jackets and were carrying paddles. Behind them followed a wheeled cart which carried a canoe. They crossed intersections and walked down the edge of the streets. They were off to their afternoon voyage.

We drove just two blocks to the lake’s edge. Otsego is not a Great Lake but it is large, I think about a third of the size of Lake Chelan. Deciduous trees with emerging fall colors carpet the hillsides that dropped into the pristine water. There is little development but the area has stately mansions, homes, and there is a beautiful golf course. Bed and breakfasts are abundant and there are a few small inns.

We ate dinner at the lake and watched the locals enjoying their beautiful evening. Canoes and kayaks were the vehicle of choice but several large cruisers were evident. The ages of the people varied from young children to very senior citizens, the latter being the majority.

The elderly couple with the canoe returned at sunset and appeared refreshed by their cruise. Barb and I lingered until darkness. We sat by the lake and, laptop in lap, attended to our emails.

September 26, 2007

We spent the morning and part of the afternoon in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Well done. A homerun. The perfect pitch. Kids were portrayed throughout the exhibit. It emphasized the game more than the business. That may not be the way things are but as fans, I think that is what we look for.

I tried not to let the setting influence my judgement. Canton is an industrial city. Cooperstown is an historic gem located on the shores of beautiful Otsego Lake. It is gorgeous here. Just up the street from the lake is a statue of James Fennimore Cooper. His father established the town. Thus, this is “leather stocking” country and it is evident in displays.

We will finish out our day sitting in the park and completing our correspondence via WiFi.

Tomorrow, we head north up the Hudson River Valley and hope to visit Fort Ticonderoga and learn about the “Green Mountain Boys.” We are right on track to rendezvous with our friends in Acadia on October 1.