Pemaquid Point Day 7 Sept 23

We set off early thinking that we would have a quiet Sunday drive through Boston but it was not to be. If that is what it is like on a Sunday, we could only imagine a week day. Certainly the "big dig" where millions were spent has not made a "big" difference, We arrived at about 3:30 p.m. and put on our walking shoes for a walk to one of the many lighthouses along the north east coast. What is it with the Captains of the time. Instead of making the poor lighthouse keepers climb up countless stairs in a storm with their candle in hand to light the lamp, why not simply stay away from the rocks. Imagine living in an almost inaccessible place on your own where the job description is "Light the lamp once a day".Saw this sign along the way "Slow Village Ahead." Or was it "Slow. Village Ahead"Go figure!

Boston Rest day

Boston , Day 6 (Sept 22)

Today was a rest day. nothing much to see in the KOA but an opportunity to bring out the lawn chairs.Enjoying an early evening ale, we saw the weirdest vehicle pulling into a nearby campsite. ( see the picture ) It was half luxury Bus and half 18 wheeler Van. One side of the van had rows of windows. These windows were portals for sleeping "pods" ( Colleen thought coffins would be a more accurate description) So during the day the travelers behaved normally by sitting in the forward section and at night retired to the "pod" This is taking the touring industry to a whole new level.Building on this, I thought a Van 18 wheeler could be converted with "pods" only. At the START , of the trip , say in New York ,everyone is given a "Special-Tab" and retires to the "pod", there to fall into a deep Captain Kirk type sleep, waking up refreshed and ready to explore Mars, I mean LA. Its just a thought.Tomorrow on to Pemaquid Point. Beam me up Scotty..

Boston

Boston, Day 5.

A misty start to the day as we set out on a long drive to Boston. We were sorry to leave the beauty of the Adirondack mountains. If the rest of our trip matches this we are going to enjoy wonderful scenery. Luke's future in-laws drove up from Hartford to meet with Faye and I for the first time. Deb and Rob are delightful and we really enjoyed the brief time we shared.With all this beauty you may have thought that I had forgotten my mission. Yesterday as we drove through Amsterdam ( Dirk assured me that it was not an accurate replica) I saw a sign for the "Republican Club" . While this does not guarantee two Conservatives, this is a heartening discovery.

By popular demand I am re-posting a close-up of Colleen in her carguard

traffic directing uniform...

Lewey Lake State Park

Lewey Lake NY Day 4. Another glorious day. Finally, we are past the "getting there" phase and starting to enjoy the scenery . But first we have to deal with a dead battery in Dirk's RV. We discovered that, after running the engine for a while, there was just enough power to start the generator which in turn allowed us to bring in the room expanders. We drove back into Rome ( now fully built ) and purchased a new battery. Resourceful to the end.The leaves are just beginning to change here and even at this early time are really beautiful. We look forward to the next weeks when all the colors will be on display.We are in the Adirondack's of NY and the drive took us past quaint villages and picturesc lakes.. Our overnight stop was "Lewey Lake. This is another "dry" state park. So far, while scenic, the facilities of the NY state parks do not match those of Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin, states we are familiar with.,, Along the way we saw a road sign that read " Rough Road. Next 14 Miles." Ok, We could tell it was rough, so that did not help. Telling us it was 14 miles only made it seem longer, and what alternative did you have, Why not a replacement that reads "Your tax dollars were not enough. Have a nice day"."

Delta Lake State Park

Delta Lake State Park, NY Day 3. We woke up to a glorious morning and prepared to drive the relatively short distance of 120 miles to Delta Lake State Park.(NY) I turned on Marilyn, the name Faye has given to the GPS ( its the voice you know) and took I 90 to the Park About 5 miles from our destination we saw the dreaded sign - "Bridge - 9 Foot Height". Well, this posed a minor problem as our RV's are 12 foot. So much for Marilyn's intelligence. Simple maths, even with todays level of public education told us we were 2 feet short. Trusting Marilyn, now a dubious faith, we took a right turn into no-where and continued. A mile or two down the road, another sign, "Bridge - 10 Foot Height". Well it was getting higher . Another right turn and went for the ride as a now disgraced Marilyn murmured instructions - that finally took us to the Park. Blondes always make in in the end.The Park is very scenic but is "dry". In RV parlance this means that their is no water connection , no electric connection and no sewer connection and, horrors, no cable TV. But the RV has on-board water, special batteries and tanks to take care of these issues.After a great dinner prepared by the cooks Faye and Colleen and ably assisted by Barbeque Specialists Dirk and Henry we discovered that the coach battery of Dirk and Colleen;s RV was almost totally discharged, a slight problem when all the systems like lights, water pump, heating system etc are depend on it. Let's hope the village of ROME, the nearby town has a new battery . Stay tuned as we discover Rome in the morning. I hope it was built in more than a day,

Day 2

Day 2, Now that I am safely away from Dayton, I can reveal that I am on a secret mission . My mission is to find at least two Conservatives in the whole of New England. This could really be important election information. We woke up to grey clouds which soon turned into a deluge. Traveling along I 90, you could hardly see vehicles 200 yards in front. I 90 is a toll road and well before we reached the first pay booth, Colleen, being the most efficient person she is, had calculated the exact toll. As we rolled up to pay our first toll, the "toll specialist" ( I think he deserves this title to compensate for his small office. Some people have a big office and a fancy title, others just the title). informed us that the toll was more because of our height. Not the weight. Now how exactly does height effect road wear. Only the "toll specialist" knows.We arrived at the Rochester NY KOA at about 5.00pm and, dodging the rain went for our usual walk. No miniature goats to be found but we did see a designated frog and turtle crossing. Faye waited to see them.

 

P.S.  As handling an RV in small spaces can be a tricky thing to do, Colleen has always been our director of traffic.  So for the sake of safety, and a bit of fun, Colleen purchased the necessary jacket, (just like the car guards in SA)  Henry's first reaction in seeing her was, " Gee, that WOMAN really looks like Colleen, gee that is Colleen." A good laugh was had by all.

The New-New England Adventure

Well, departure day finally arrived. After all the planning and waiting we were on our way to New England. I guess England was so bad that they had to name it "New". Now that I think of it, who gets to name these places any way. The plan is to travel through the lower part of the Adirondacks, mountains then on to Boston for two days.. From Boston we will visit Pemaquid Point on our way to Bar Harbor. Then on to Cobcooks Bay. After taking our sea sick meds we will take a ferry from St Johns, New ( there is that word again - how about just Brunswick) to Nova Scotia. More seasick meds as we return to St Johns and take scenic Rt 2 through ( here we go again ) "New" Hampshire to White Mountain. Through Vermont to Ontario and then on to New Ohio and home. All this will take 4 weeks and 3,400 miles and globs of gas at 10MPG. If those nasty Oil Companies take more profits we may not make it home.

After picking up the rental RV from Richmond IN for Dirk and Colleen, our always stalwart travel partners, we were on our way,. Our first leg was a long one, 400 miles to Erie PA. Not much to see here but on a walk around the campground we saw the strangest animals in a pen. It was a baby, miniature goat. Now you ask yourself, who would want a miniature goat. Not big enough to eat and too small to cut your grass . Naturally, Faye wanted to take it home