Cruising New England

Sorry it has been so long since the last post, but many of the campgrounds along the way are encased in trees allowing no satellite signal to get in or out. After leaving Pennsylvania, we clipped the northwest corner of New York State while on I-84. The run through this state was short lived, but what we saw was beautiful. The highways were well maintained and subtle changes in the trees and terrain let you know that you are getting further north. The next state was Conneticutt, the scenery was nice, but a lot of work could be done to the roads, particularly those bridge seams. I thought I was going to loose my front end just going over many of the bridges, especially through Hartford. The one thing I noticed driving up north is that there is no shortage of toll roads.

While individual sections are inexpensive, they add up after a while. Bring plenty of change. After CT came MA ad NH, both went by pretty quick and before we new it we were in Maine.

Our goal for the first New England stop was Boothbay, ME. We pulled it out of a hat as we had no prior knowledge of where to go. Proved to be a great choice. A little seaside town that regardless of the effect of tourism has retained much of its local charm. This is where we would start our gorging on lobster. The prices of this fabulous "bug" are about 1/3 to 1/2 the cost back in the south. And they really no how to prepare them.

Our first foray is to a recommended downtown restaurant that has a bit of local fame, Kaler's. Here we would start off with a couple local favs, fried lobster (Christa had this) and Mary's Lobster Pie (my choice). Both proved to be deliscious, we would visit Kaler's again before leaving.

At the camp site we were staying at, Little Ponderosa Campground north of Boothbay, we were next to a large inlet so, I had to break out the kayak. A beautiful setting, but pretty tame, I had an enjoyable paddle for a couple of hours before heading back to the RV and our next round of lobster feasting. A word here about the campground we stayed at. Little Ponderosa was a rustic and popular little park, we could only get 30 amp power and a 2 night stay, but this was OK. We made the best of our stay and would stay here again though the park down the road looked a bit more condusive to our use of a satellite.

For lunch we returned to Kaler's for a couple of the famous Lobster Rolls the region is famed for making. True to form the rolls were packed with whole lobster chunks very tasty. Mom had an ordwer of fried clams that looked worth stealing a couple (they were).

After a day of touring the city and doing quite a bit of shopping we finished the day off -of course- with lobster. This time the real thing, whole steamed lobster. We looked around at several temping locations before settling on Brown's Wharf. A view of the harbor, great atmosphere, and friendly staff we were totally satisfied.

The order placed, all we can do is wait for our meal to arrive.

Finally, what we have been waiting for- the real deal. Maine lobster at it's best, a side of cole slaw and a little bread make a total meal.

After a bit of dessert in the form of a fresh blueberry crisp and a scoop of ice cream we found ourselves in a totally satisfied state. After the meal we stopped by the outside pens where the lobsters are kept. Here one of the cooks takes the time to show us one of the "Hard Shell" giants they regularly serve up.

The next day we had to continue on the road. I have to admit, I would have liked to spend more time here. A very enjoyable place to visit. But our fate is to the road.

At the time of this writing we are camped in Houlton, ME, just off I-95 about 4 miles short of the Canadian border. This is a small town and is mostly a transition type of town found on the border. Clean and well maintained the town served up a surprise for us this weekend. As it turns out this weekend they celebrated their 200th birthday. What a treat, we were witness to a great small town parade and fireworks that evening.

Also present were civil war reinactments with union troop encampments.

The whole town turned out to make this a special weekend for all and we were lucky enough to participate. The campground we're at, My Brother's Place, is a fantastic park. With full hook-ups and well kept grassy sites, this is truly one of the nicest parks we have come across. Definately a keeper. All in all, a great border town to stop in a nd stock up in just before moving on into Canada.

Tomorrow we are back on the road again heading into Brunswick. Stick around, the main destination is just ahead another 2 or 3 days.

Mana from Pennsyvania

We have landed at Twin Groave KOA near one of the many Pine Grove, PA, communities. Apparently, there are approximately 8 Pine Groves in different counties in PA. We're at the one off Suedeburg Rd. A very nice family park and a destination point in its own right. A small amusement park, live music on te weekends and plenty other ammenities make this a park of choice. Make reservations though, its a busy place. We used this as a home base to visit Hershey about 30 miles south, but there were some intereting places in and around here as well.

Mostly beautiful mountain surroundings. The nearby town of Pine Grove is like something out of a picture book, very nice.


One thing we were in the area for was a concert held at the Hershey Park Arena: Def Leppard, Styx, and Forgiener. As a Styx fan that was the band I was here to see and I thought they got ripped having to play in front of Forgiener (only my opinion). Christa was here to see the main act; Def Leppard and I have to admit, as usual they put on quite a show. Here are some pics (taken with a compact digital from a long way away, so don't hammer me here).

The following day (once we got up from being out late) Mom, Christa and I came to the Hershey Park proper. What a place; amusement park, sports arena, concert venue, chocolate factory mock-ups, trolley tours of the nearby town and more. To much for one short day. This is definately a destination stop that could use up a week easy just to do and see everything. We took a ride on the Chocolate Tour (Free) which gives you a look into a mock factory that explains the candy making process in a fun way.

Afterwards was the customary shopping trip through the gift shop completed our day at the park (no amusement rides today). We feel we have to support our capitolistic lifestyle and then have beans for dinner.

After the park tour we took a drive through the town of Hershey and went through the Hershey Gardens. The town is beautiful and a great reflection upon th efolks that live in the area. Note the Hershey Kiss street lights.

The garden is another beautiful spot (and quiet, too). Here are some pictures of that place.

Tomorrow will see us on the road again heading towards Nova Scotia. We are moving our trip schedule a little and heading straight for Cape Breton and Ted and Jan. This means that the next week will be a fairly quick pace (for motorhomes). So there might be a few days till the next update, but stay tuned I'll work to you fresh.

A Layover in Richmond

Having left Savannah behind, our next port call is Richmond, VA. This is a particularly good stop for me as one of my oldest shipmates and his extended family live here. We pulled in to the Americamp RV park just north of Richmond off of I-95. A nice camp, we were able to get a site where our dish could pick up a signal and allow me to update the blog

Our first night allowed us to meet up with my shipmate's dad (Bob Sr.). We had not seen each other in over thirty years, man how time flies. We shared dinner at the Smokey Pig BBQ restaraunt. A really great evening catching up with him and his wife Betsy. Bob Sr., Bob and the rest of their family played a key role in my life in the '70s and will always have a place in the heart.

The next day, we just sort of drove around the historical district of Richmond, visiting the local grower's market, and lunching at Copola's Deli, reportedly one of the best eateries in Richmond. I would have to say that they lived up to the press, we had a tremendous lunch.

Later that evening we met my old shipmate (Bob), his wife Ruth and their son Elliot for supper and some catching up on old times. I always enjoy hooking up with my old friends and that is doubly so for Bob and family. During the meal (Mexican at the El Paso restaraunt, very good), Ruth suggested that we check out the Lewis Ginty Botanical Gardens which we took to heart.

The following day we took Ruth's advice and made our way to the Gardens and this turned out to be a terrific way to spend the day. The Gardens are beautiful and I recommend a visit to this extraordinary place.

That evening we arrived at Bob and Ruth's for supper, Bob was cooking. A perfect evening just enjoyning the company of really good friends. Ruth's mom joined us and it felt kinda like a little family reunion. I feel lucky in the friends I have because even though our visits are often separated by great lengths of time, we are able to pick up like we had visited just the other day.

The evening waned and the time came for us to have to leave. As always, the visit was too short, but I know I'll see them again. Tomorrow we are back on the road heading Pine Grove, PA. See y'all down the road.

PS

My Daughter-in-law (Sam) sent us a picture of my grandson (you didn't think I was going to take you on this trip without showing you updates on the greatest grandson ever). Thanks to Sam's thoughtfulness (and modern technology) we are able to keep up with his development. Here is a great photo.

What a cute guy. Look at the new chompers, he's got that Spongebob look going on.

Savannah Revisited

We're on the road again, currently at a KOA near Fayetteville, NC. Our next destination will be near Richmond, VA, but only for a couple days due to a reservation and concert tickets in Hershey, PA. The last week, we were camping at Skidaway State Park near Savannah, GA. We were camped in the trees meaning no internet or Sat TV, so this entry will be a catch up.

The photos above show the campsite. As seems to be the norm for this trip, the rains chased us into the park and stayed for 2 days. However, the skies cleared and we did have a couple good days, thought the sun came out with a vengence.




Savannah is one of our favorite cities having fine dining, museums, historical significance, and ghosts. What more can you ask. In particular, I love the way this city is layed out and houses and structures with great architectural touches. Easy to get around in and fun to look at. And the food, if you can't find something great to your liking, then you have dead taste buds and should see a doc. The pictures above depict River st, a dining moment at the Shrimp Factory restaurant, the Market (artsy stuff and more great places to eat), and a shot of Broughton St taken from a trolley.




Any of you who have followed my past entries know hat I have a fondness for kayaking. I availed myself of the waters surrounding the State park and enjoyed a good day in the sloughs. Of course my kayak adventure has to include an identifying foot shot to authenticate the journey. A nice paddle revealing many birds and lots of fiddler crabs on the banks. And added surprise was that I encountered dolphins out on the main river course. No pictures as they were plying the banks for dinner and made for a hard catch by the camera. Hot and steamy, the paddle was great anyway.




Oh, and I did mention interesting houses and historical places. For Christa this meant a visit to the Mercer/Williams house where the infamous murder that spawned the book and movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. No pictures were allowed in the house, so the top left pic of the front of the house (with Christa) is a solo shot. We also took a trip to Tybee Island to look at points of interest. There are beaches of course, but the top right photo of a house really caught my attention. Beautiful. We also visited Fort Polaski, a significant confederate fortress that was eventually captured and converted to a prison. I really liked this site as there was a lot of martial science on display. A site well worth visiting with more than I am posting here.

Tomorrow we depart to continue our trek to the north. See you on the road.