Heading South - 2017

August 10 - Wednesday

It started raining as we left the campground and a lumber truck blocked the dump station, so we neglected to dump the van, and it needed dumping.

We drove through Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. We ate a a Cracker Barrel for lunch. They had Patriots gear for sale. We arrived at Mike's at 6:30. We ate a nice meal of sea bass cooked on the grill. We sat on the front porch and swatted mosquitoes. We talked with Mike, Cathy and Rob until late. We had a good laugh when Rob made a reference to Al, which led us to watching talking animal videos on youtube (Daytime/Nighttime; Steve/Al)

August 11 - Thursday

Everyone else went to work. We saw Cathy before she left. We drove to DAR State Forest to dump, then stopped at Big-Y and the local coop and CVS. We spent time at the Button Box, playing pricey concertinas. The fellow at the store was very friendly and helpful. He took apart the concertina to see what repairs it needed. He also priced it for us. He gave us an estimate for fixing a few things and tuning the concertina. He let Tim sit and play concertinas while he was assisting another customer. The room for the concertinas was about 12x12 and contained over fifty concertinas.

Back at Mike's, we rested until Karen arrived. Bobbi taught a Yoga class to Cathy and her neighborhood friends, while Mike, Karen and Tim walked the dogs at DAR. We had a nice time reminiscing about old times.

We all drove to Northampton and Mike treated us to dinner at the Eastside Grill. It was a fun evening.

The big meteor shower was that night, but it was cloudy and raining. Just before bed, the clouds broke. Tim watched for meteors with Karen and Cathy on the back deck. We saw a few, then the clouds and rain rolled back in.

August 12 - Friday

Saw Cathy and Karen in the morning, before they took off. We went back to the Button Box to leave the concertina to be repaired and tuned. They will ship it Miami when it is done.

Arrived in Pittsfield State Forest around 3. We took the Berry Pond Loop by mistake. It is a narrow, one-way, steep and winding road. The campsite we wanted was all the way back down the mountain, on a side road to the way we drove in. We camped on the side of a hill in a field. No dump station.

Arrived at Tanglewood at 6, then meditated. We enjoyed the concert, especially Bolero.

Back to the campground by 11.



August 13 - Saturday

Drive, drive, drive. Drove from Pittsfield to Shenandoah. We missed a campsite by an hour. We stayed at a Jellystone Resort for $97. Kids love it.

August 14 - Sunday

Drive, drive, drive. We arrived in Brevard. Went into town and drove around. We ate at the Sora Japanese restaurant. Every time we visit Brevard, we have at least one dinner at this restaurant.


We rented Bridge of Spies at a Red Box. We didn't finish watching it.

August 15 - Monday

Went to town to walk around. Tim bought a bumper sticker, Bobbi bought a dish, and a surprise guitar magnet for Tim.

Next, we went to the guitar store. They had a resonator guitar for sale for $500. Bobbi liked the sound too, so she bought it for Tim. Tim had been looking for a resonator, ever since he played one at the Gibson factor in Memphis. This is the same store where Tim bought the mandola, several years back.




Finished the movie and went back to town, so Bobbi could buy the spoon bracelet that she had seen earlier in the day.

August 16 - Tuesday

Drive, drive, drive. Over 500 miles on the slate today. On the road by 8:15.

In Columbia, SC, we needed propane. On the way to the store, the truck starting vibrating. We thought it was the road. Got off the highway for propane and drove on US 1. Same problem. Let air out of tires. Same problem. Went to Lovey's Service. They were busy. Went to Automotive Experts. They diagnosed a bad tire with separated steel belt. They replace the tire and we were on the road within a few hours.

Ate at Cracker Barrel again (poached eggs and pancakes). Arrived at Flagler at 9 pm. Met Steve, Mary and Briana. Talked for an hour, then went to bed.

August 17 - Wednesday

Breakfast in the morning with the whole gang. Mary and Briana headed North to Ga Tech. Dropped Steve at Enterprise, then headed home.

Tim was surprised at 6 lanes of 95 at Palm Beach. He remembers when it was only two lanes, 25 years ago. Heavy traffic. Arrived home at 3 pm. We traveled 6000 miles.

Heading South Through Maine - 2017

August 1 - Monday

We stopped into a local potter's gallery. She also taught some yoga classes. Bobbi chatted with her about yoga and bought a cup. Tim sat on the deck and petted a cat.

Worked, did laundry by the river and ate whole lobster on the deck at Helen's Restaurant.

Did more work at Dunkin' Donuts. We stopped at a Rite Aid for more bandages for Bobbi's hand.

Spent another night at Cobscook. The ranger saw our "Campsite Occupied" sign last week and kept it at the office, from whence we retrieved it.


August 2 - Tuesday

We drove to Nancy and Tom's. Bobbi did yoga while Tim rode the trails behind the inn.


The sun was out and the view was spectacular. The trails through the woods were tantalizing.


We explored to the end of the road by the inn and found a lovely lighthouse. We met a couple from Florida, who were also visiting the lighthouse.

We ate dinner at the inn with Tom and Nancy. Tom was up and down, since he still had an inn to run.

After dinner we toured the barn that Tom built. Tom has a workshop where he works on guns and teaches gun skills. Tom is a gunsmith.

We spent the night in a lovely room at the inn. The inn is fantastic. It is romantic, with period furniture and old radios. The view of the bay is gorgeous and the hiking/biking trails are in the back yard.

August 3 - Wednesday

Yoga with Nancy in the morning. She teaches several classes a week in the studio that abuts the inn.

We ate breakfast at the inn, but Tom and Nancy were busy running the inn. They do a good job, and there is a lot to do.

We headed south to Acadia.

We checked into Bar Harbor camping, after passing on another campground that was a parking lot. Our campsite is at the end of a row, with woods across the abutting road.

August 4 - Thursday

We rode the bus into town and walked around. The crowds and the bustle overwhelmed us. We bought lobster rolls, chips and a whoopie pie at the Down East Deli, and ate them on the green, overlooking the harbor.

The bus dropped us at the park headquarters. Tim rode a bike from there around the Witch Hole Pond loop carriage road. A steep trail at the start, that leveled out, with a rise in the middle.

Rockefeller built these beautiful bridges so he and his quests could ride carriages through his land. 

The trail passes Witch Hole Pond. A serene lake under a pleasant blue sky. Local wildlife enjoy the view, too.


August 5 - Friday

Took the bus to Sand Beach and walked the Ocean Path by the Thunder Hole. The tide was high, so it was not the best time for viewing (and listening to) Thunder Hole.


Along the way, we spotted some rock climbers scaling a cliff.

The path was level, with a few rocks (of course) along the way.

We ate hard-boiled eggs on the rocks at the end of the path.




We flagged the bus at an unscheduled stop and rode to Jordan Pond House. We wanted to get the famous pop-overs, but it was a 50 minute wait. We opted for egg salad to go. We walked along the lake path. We didn't realize the restaurant closes early and then very few buses run. We thought we had missed the last bus, but we had only missed the last loop bus. The NE Harbor bus arrived within 5 minutes.

On the way to the campground, we drove the loop to Cadillac Mountain.

Many people were watching the sunset. We found a parking space, as people had already left the area. The temperature was dropping. The fog was rolling in.


Minestrone soup for dinner and some episodes of M.A.S.H. The shows were heavy and not so funny.

August 6 - Saturday

Tim rode the carriage roads to Aunt Bettie's Pond. Bobbi did yoga in camp.

Drove to Trenton for lobster rolls and crab rolls. A dog was sitting behind the wheel of the truck parked next to us.

 We were enjoying Acadia so much, we decided to extend our stay and skip our planned visits to Rhode Island and Connecticut. We will have to check them off the RV map on another trip.

Back at camp, we did laundry, took showers, and watched the Martian. Matt Damon did more and better acting in the Martian than Leonardo Decaprio in Revenant. We saved the final hour of the movie for the next morning.

August 7 - Sunday

We took a boat cruise from NE Harbor. Mike was a former park ranger for 30 years and was an excellent tour guide.

On the way out of the harbor, we spotted a quaint lighthouse.


We saw many osprey, in nests, in trees in buoys.

Osprey return to the same nest year after year, so the nests tend to get bigger and bigger.



Further out, we saw seals, cormorants, and gulls.

 I was amazed at how many cormorants we saw. I don't remember seeing them when I lived up north.

For lunch, we stopped at Little Cranberry Island. Bobbi bought a friendship bracelet at an art gallery in a home.

On the tour, we met a neighbor for the first time. If we stand on our roof, we could throw a stone to his roof. He has a summer home in Maine. In December, he helps host the local boat parade. He has Christmas lights in a big tree. He used to feed the parrots, but it became to costly.

After the cruise, we stopped at the craft fair in the park next to the marina.

We ate dinner in Bar Harbor at the West Side Cafe. Lazy lobster over linguini.

We watched the rest of the movie in the van and then returned it to the Hannaford market.

We booked a night at a campground in Freeport. We will be heading home soon.



August 8 - Monday

We took a hike up to Huguenot Head and Champlain. The buses were crowded at noon. Lots of people heading to Jordon Pond.


The hike up was paved with hand-carved granite, a unique trail. The last half mile to Champlain was very steep.

The top was windy, with a panoramic view. Many trails lead to the peak.



The bus home went to Village Green. We bought some sweets at a bake sale by the church across from the bus stop.


Back at the campground, we grabbed some wood from the neighbors who checked out in the morning. We had our farewell camp fire that night.

August 9 - Tuesday

Out by 10:30. Stopped at picnic area across from welcome center for breakfast. Three guys were musselling as the tide came in.

We stopped at the other batik store on the way.

We drove to Wiscasset to eat a lobster roll at Red's Eats. but the line was too long, and the rolls were $25. We went across the street and had one for $20 without a line (and without a smile). We gave $1 to a guy playing guitar on the dock.

Drove to Freeport. Tim checked out L.L Bean and the new mall and the movie times. Bobbi shopped at Mexicali Blues and bought $700 worth of clothes. The sales clerk was bubbly and envied that Bobbi taught yoga.

We headed to the campground and then returned to Freeport to see a movie. We saw the new Star Trek Beyond. Bobbi checked out J. Crew, but did not see anything interesting.