Summer 2016 - West Virginia, New River Gorge

Friday, September 30^th – Monday, October 3^rd

Photo link:

https://goo.gl/photos/oasSFNe42Vz2uWLF9

The drive from the Allegheny Mountains in Pennsylvania, down through the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia was a new experience. These mountains seemed different as there were small, steep mountains surrounding deep valleys and gorges. Fortunately, most of the drive was on interstate, which we prefer not to take, but was our only option for hauling the travel trailer. It was a long, up and down, curving drive, with some very amazing mountain views. We finally arrived at the New River Campground, near Gauley Bridge, WV. This place was right on the riverfront where we could look out our back window at the river and the opposing rocky walls of the gorge. Just a mile upstream is the convergence of the Gauley River and the New River, which forms the Kanawha River. A few miles upstream on the Gauley River are white water rapids, ranging from Class V to Class II. There are many outfitters to shuttle kayakers on the river.

One of the main attractions for us was to visit the New River Gorge National River and the Gorge Bridge, which is run by the National Park Service. The New River Gorge Bridge is a steel arch bridge 3,030 feet long and 876 feet above the New River near Fayetteville, West Virginia. With an arch 1,700 feet long, the New River Gorge Bridge is now the third longest single span bridge in the world. This bridge is closed to vehicular traffic the third Saturday of every October for “Bridge Day”. This annual festival day allows BASE jumping, climbing and repelling. We missed Bridge Day by two weeks; it would have been a blast, but just didn’t work into our schedule. Also, we would have had to book a campsite months in advance. It was just wonderful to see the bridge, the gorge and the river. Beautiful country!

We also found a highly rated mountain bike trail system south of Fayetteville, Arrowhead Bike and Hike Trails, part of the New River Gorge National River region. We spent one day there riding the trails; not very technical, but very fun to ride. We wished we had another day to ride again, but it was not in our schedule. At this point we are slowly heading south to make it back to Florida by the end of October.

Summer 2016 - Pennsylvania, Raystown Lake

Friday, September 23^rd – Thursday, September 29^th

Photo link:

https://goo.gl/photos/Nskxo7rZU3hrEHu6A

After some great times in New York State, we headed to Pennsylvania. When we were in New Hampshire, we had met a gentleman at a mountain bike park that had Pennsylvania license tags. We asked him to recommend a great place in his state to visit. Knowing we were mountain bikers, he highly recommended Raystown Lake. This Army Corp Project is the largest lake in PA and near the town of Huntingdon. One of the best features of the lake is that there is no commercial or private development along the waterfront, so the whole lakeshore is left in the natural state; except the Army Corp campgrounds and marina. When we arrived at the Seven Points Campground on Friday, the campsites were first-come first-serve. We were not able to get a waterfront site that day, but on Sunday when most of the campers left, we moved to the best waterfront site in the campground. It was well worth the move. The campground was mostly empty by that point and we allowed the dogs to roam the campsite and waterfront. They really enjoyed some freedom from the leash.

The primary reason we wanted to stay here was because of the mountain bike trails. The Allegrippis Trails were built by the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA), along with the Army Corps, local conservation groups and volunteer laborers to create a multi-use trail system for mountain biking, hiking, running, snowshoeing and cross country skiing. These trails were some of the best engineered and maintained trails that we have ridden. We spent almost every day riding some of the various trails and truly enjoyed the experience. We would love to go back one day to camp and bike ride at this special place.

While camping there we also got our kayaks in the water and took the dogs for a paddle. The weather was wonderful up until the last two days. A storm with heavy rains and high winds whipped through the area and kept us hunkered down inside. Ugh, we really hate those days, but we used them to get some maintenance and cleaning issues taken care of.

Our time at Raystown allowed us to ride great trails and to also relax in such a beautiful lakeside environment. This Army Corp campground was one of the best we ever stayed in. Also, with our Federal Senior National Parks pass, we receive a 50% discount on the campsites, at $17 per night. There are some advantages of getting older!

Summer 2016 - New York, Ithaca & Niagara

Photo link:

https://goo.gl/photos/AfktAkCu5Beaxg6Z8

Monday, September 12^th – Sunday, September 18^th

Taughannock Falls State Park, Ithaca

The drive out of Adirondacks over to western New York was quite beautiful, traveling mostly back road highways.

We camped at Taughannock Falls State Park near Ithaca New York. Ithaca is on the south side of Cayuga Lake, one of the major Finger Lakes in the region. After setting up we decided to hike up along the Gorge Trail and have our first look at Taughannock Falls. We were in a state of shock when we got to the falls overlook and noticed that there was only a trickle of water coming over the falls. Wow! What a disappointment as this was the reason we specifically booked this campground due to the falls. There are also numerous falls around the Ithaca area, but they too were all in this situation due to months of serious drought in the area.

We took some scenic drives around the Cayuga Lake and the City of Ithaca, it was quite lovely. We were surprised at the great number of vineyards and wineries surrounding the lake. It was a great area for tourists to do the winery tours. There was also a lot of agricultural lands in the area.

One night we went to a free concert in downtown Ithaca at an area called Ithaca Commons. The downtown is very quaint with many historic buildings. The commons area is a former street that has been blocked off as a pedestrian mall. Also, Ithaca is home to Cornell University, a renowned university for math and science. There are several well-known scientists that graduated from Cornell, among them being Carl Sagan, one of our favorites. Kurt was so intrigued by the university that he drove into town one day with his bicycle and toured the whole campus. It was interesting to see the mix of historic and new high-tech buildings. It was quite obvious just driving around town that it was a University town due to all the young adults walking around with their backpacks or on their bicycles and the abundance of coffee shops.

We also found some great mountain biking trails about 15 miles out of town.  We drove out to Shindagin Hollow Forest on two days and enjoyed the rides. We were ready to head to Niagara Falls.

Monday, September 19^th – 22^nd

Niagara Falls

After Ithaca, we were excited to get over to the Niagara Falls. Neither of us had been there, so we were anxious to see what it was all about.

Niagara Falls is close to Buffalo New York, where Buffalo wings were originally created. So the first evening we drove down to Buffalo and found Anchor Bar, which is the home of the original buffalo chicken wings. We just had to go try them and they were good as expected; however we still feel that Brass Ring Pub in North Palm Beach is the best ever.

The next morning we headed to Niagara Falls. This beautiful State Park provides various viewing areas for the falls. The Niagara River actually splits before it goes over the falls, so one of the falls is on the Canadian side and the majority of the falls on the American side. The view from the Observation Tower was really amazing and allowed us a better view of the American Falls and some of Horseshoe Falls. We walked from the main visitor area on the bridges over the Niagara River to Goat Island, from there we were able to see the American Falls from the south side and then Horseshoe Falls (Canadian) from the north side of the river on Terrapin Point.

The next day we went back to Niagara Falls and boarded the "Maid of the Mist" tour boat.  This boat leaves from a dock on the north side of the American Falls, which it passes by and then down into the Horseshoe Falls. While in the Horseshoe Falls area the mist was so thick you could barely see parts of the waterfall. As part of the boat tour, they provided translucent blue rain ponchos which we were glad to have. The hardest part was keeping our camera dry while trying to take photos. Later that night we went back down to Niagara Falls to view the illumination of the falls and later the fireworks. These amazing light shows were compliments of the Canadians.

The next day at Niagara Falls was spent with our dogs hiking the Niagara Gorge Whirlpool Trail. This was a moderately difficult hike with many stairs to descend, then a lot of rock hopping along the riverside. Then, of course, we had to ascend the stairs returning to the trailhead. It was a beautiful day and we all enjoyed the hike and seeing the river at the lower level.

Our last day at Niagara Falls was spent on a scenic drive heading north up along Lake Ontario. Neither of us had ever seen the lake so we wanted to check it out.  We also drove through Fort Niagara which was a historic military base during the Revolutionary War. From the Fort property we were able to see the inlet where the Niagara River flows out to Lake Ontario.

All in all, our time in the Niagara Falls area was well spent and we truly enjoyed it. Neither of us really knew what to expect, but it actually turned out to be much more beautiful and interesting than we had thought it would be. We had decided to stay an extra day so we could see everything.

Summer 2016 - New York, Adirondacks, Lake Clear

Monday, September 5^th – Sunday, September 11^th

Charlie’s Inn Junction & Campground, Lake Clear, New York

Photo link:

https://goo.gl/photos/arLiYRzZqH17nyS39

The weather was gorgeous and we had a beautiful drive out of Rutland Vermont over to the Adirondacks. Along the way we stopped in the lower Champlain Valley at an overlook, with a great view of the valley and mountains in the distance. Once we arrived in the Adirondacks region we passed through Lake Placid, the site of the 1980 Winter Olympics and then Saranac Lake, a beautiful little town bordering a few lakes. Driving along the roads in the Adirondacks we passed through many small villages surrounded by high peak mountains and hiking trailheads everywhere. We arrived at Charlie's Inn Junction & Campground to find very historic site, which is now privately owned. This was once a main railroad depot for the Central Line Railroad in New York. All of the original buildings are still on the property including the depot and the Inn, which is still operating as a lodge and great restaurant.

We quickly realized that our main activity here in the Adirondacks would be hiking. There are so many mountain peaks in the area and some amazing hiking trails. One of the hikes that we did was to climb to the top of Ampersand Mountain.  This hike was a challenging rocky ascent of 1775’ to the summit at 1942’. The dogs were with us and we were all enjoying the challenging steep hike. Within ½ mile of the peak, one of the descending hikers informed us that there was a large rock face about 6 to 8 feet high that needed to be climbed over to get to the peak. Once I heard this, Kody and I both decided to turn around and head back to the truck, since that was not our favorite thing to do and we were pretty exhausted at that point after already hiking almost 3 miles.  We waited at the truck for about another hour and a half before Kurt and Luca arrived. Kurt did get some beautiful pictures of the views from the summit. I really wish I could have made it and I was disappointed that I didn't have the courage to climb the rock face.

We decided one day to drive over to Lake Placid and to explore the areas and the sites from the 1980 Winter Olympics. We saw the site of the ski jumps, which are still intact and used in the winter. It’s so hard to imagine that people ski down from that high tower on ice. We also went to the arena which is also a Convention Center.  There were banners regarding the historic hockey game where the USA beat the Russians by one point and won the gold medal. Who can forget the “Miracle on Ice”? It was so hard to imagine that this small mountain town of Lake Placid would be flooded with hundreds of thousands of attendees and athletes for the Olympic Winter Games, it must have been truly packed.

Another day we did a great hike up St. Regis Mountain. The hike was 3.3 miles one way with an ascent of 1260’ to the summit of 1942’. This time all four of us made it up another steep, rocky hike and reached the summit. At the summit was an old fire tower, which Kurt climbed to the top. Again, the views from this rocky top mountain were amazing; the whole landscape dotted with mountains, the high peaks to the East and lakes all around.  Even though it was a challenging hike, I still enjoyed it and was very pleased I was able to make it to the summit.

Lake Clear is a lovely lake with crystal clear water and some sandy beaches. We found that just a short walk from our campground there was a beautiful beach that faced the west and was a perfect spot for sunset. A couple of nights we took the dogs to run and play on the beach. We sat there, had happy hour and watched the sunset, even though both times there were clouds on the horizon. It was still a lovely place to sit and relax and watch the sun go down.

One day Kurt kayaked and fished on the Saranac chain of Lakes. This is a very popular kayak and canoe area. The lakes are dotted with numerous islands that are set aside for primitive camping. Outfitters in the area will set up customers with boats and camping gear, to spend several nights on the lakes. Kurt just enjoyed a day paddle there. He also paddled on the Raquette River for a couple of miles. He enjoyed the lakes much more than the river.

One of the most unusual activities we've had on this whole trip is taking a ride on a bicycle rail car, called Rail Explorers. This was a fun activity that began in Saranac Lake and ended on Lake Clear, with specially built bicycle rail cars that you pedal yourself on the rails. We decided it was worth the price, since this was so unusual that we thought we may never get a chance to do something like this again. With a front and rear escort, each group of people had their own individual rail cars and  they evenly space out the cars about 300 feet so you could peddle the rail car at your own speed and enjoy the sights. Along the way we passed by bogs and a few lakes, including Lake Clear. As we passed through the Lake Clear area we were able to see our campground and the historic buildings. At the end of the 7 ½ mile ride they shuttled everyone back to the beginning in a comfortable bus. These are older rails, no longer used by trains and are slated to be pulled up and the whole course will be turned into a rail trail for multi-use. We really had fun on a beautiful day enjoying this very different activity.

On our last evening there we spent time at the lake to watch the sunset and let the dogs run free.

We really enjoyed the Adirondacks, a 6-million acre wilderness region. It was really different from many other places we have been. With the lakes, surrounded by mountains all around made this very special place.

Summer 2016 - Maine, Saco River & Vermont, Rutland

Friday, August 26th - Sunday, September 4^th

On The Saco River, Brownfield, Maine

Photo link:
https://goo.gl/photos/1iLK2gBA52idiZ78A

For our next stop, we headed toward southwest Maine in the Lakes Region. We found a beautiful RV park, On the Saco Family Campground. It was literally on the Saco River which we were looking forward to kayaking. We arrived there on Friday August 26th, setup camp and met our wonderful RV neighbors. Again we found several of RV neighbors there were actually from Maine not too far away, and were keeping their campers there on a seasonal basis. The owners of the campground were also river outfitters; they rented kayaks, canoes, tubes and offered shuttle service.

During our time there, I ran shuttle for Kurt and dropped him off on the river 5 miles upstream. He enjoyed his day of kayaking and caught a 5 pound black smallmouth bass, which he later fried up for dinner.  We also went kayaking another day with the dogs to paddle a 3-mile trip down the Saco River. It was a nice day and all 4 of us really enjoyed it.

We found a local hiking trail called Burnt Meadow Trail. It was supposedly a moderate hike but again we found it was more strenuous than advertised. The five-mile trail was actually quite beautiful up to the 1575' summit of the mountain. As we neared the top, I was faced with a six-foot-high rock face that I would need to climb up and over. By that point I was pretty exhausted and decided it was not a smart thing for me to take that risk. So Kody and I decided to head back down the trail and would wait for the other two at the truck. Kurt took some beautiful pictures at the summit of the surrounding views and eventually finished the five-mile loop. When he got back to the truck he even admitted that the trail was more strenuous than he had anticipated.

I had also found some highly rated mountain bike trails just across the state line in New Hampshire in the town of North Conway. We drove over there and rode several miles of the trails. They were fun trails, but not so easy to follow as they weren't well marked. However, we still enjoyed the ride and exercise.

We loved the Saco Campground so much that we extended our five days to seven to make it a full week. It was so well worth it, a wonderful campground with great people and great owners. We highly recommend this campground to anyone wanting to travel through that part of Maine.

Gifford Woods State Park, Rutland, Vermont

Our next stop on our way heading west was a return to our favorite place in Vermont, Rutland. We again camped at Gifford Woods State Park and even had the exact same camp site as we did in July. We really love the campground and the whole area around Rutland that we just had to go back one more time. One of my favorite things about Rutland was the wonderful mountain bike trails in the city park of Pine Hill. We rode there for two days and truly enjoyed these wonderfully engineered and maintained trails. During this visit, I was able to accomplish more due to the riding that we have been doing on our whole trip. Over the summer, my riding skills have improved greatly and I was also extremely happy to have accomplished getting to the very top of this mountain in Pine Hill Park. Of course, the ride down was even more fun. We both had two wonderful days there and someday we hope to go back again.

Our last day in the area we drove over to the Killington ski resort. During the summers they have downhill mountain biking on the ski slopes. This is an extreme mountain biking experience and you have to have the proper protective gear and even special mountain bikes to ride on the downhill slopes. The riders take their bikes up to the top of the mountain on the Gondola lift and then ride downhill.  I did drop off Kurt at the base of the gondolas, where he was able to ride some other slopes downhill that were not as extreme as the upper ski slopes. We met some really nice folks from Massachusetts that had been riding there for 3 days. They were well-equipped and explained to us all the hazards and safety gear required to ride there.

Again we truly enjoyed our three days in the Rutland area. There's just something about that part of Vermont that just feels like home to me. Hopefully someday we'll go back to that area and spend much more time. Our next adventure will be in the Adirondack Mountains of New York.

Summer 2016 - Maine, Acadia National Park

Friday, August 19^th – Thursday, August 25^th

Hadley’s Point Campground, Bar Harbor, Maine

Photo link:

https://goo.gl/photos/5GdsBCXjkVMpfKFS9

After leaving the wilderness of Baxter State Park, we headed south to Acadia National Park. We stayed in a commercial RV park near Bar Harbor. We arrived there late in the afternoon, got set up and were ready to just relax for the evening.

The next day we stopped by the Visitor Center, then decided to drive the Park Loop Road to get our bearings and get some idea of what we wanted to do for the remaining days. We were immediately stunned at the wilderness, mountain settings and views of this amazing island park. Acadia is a 47,000 acre park, primarily on Mount Desert Island on the coast of Maine. The landscape is marked by woodlands, rocky beaches, lakes and glacier scoured granite peaks such as Cadillac Mountain, the highest point in the United States East Coast. One of the best features of the park is the free shuttle bus that drives visitors to various points around the park where they can get on and off at trailheads or places of interest, such as the village of Bar Harbor. The buses stopped right inside our campground, which was very convenient. This allowed us to utilize the shuttle system and not have to worry about finding parking spaces which most of the time very hard to get.

The next morning, we took the dogs on the shuttle bus and headed for Jordan Pond. We hiked part of the trail around the lake and relaxed looking at the awesome views from the lake. It was wonderful that they allowed dogs on the buses and the hiking trails. We continued the bus ride around the park to determine where the hiking trailhead locations and which ones we would hike. We made our plans for the next four days in Acadia.

We knew that most of our activities in this park would be hiking and also discovered that there were historic Carriage Trails throughout the park where we could ride our bicycles. We drove to Jordan Pond parking area, where many of the carriage trails emanated. We had intended on taking our bikes on the shuttle bus, but the bike racks they had would not fit our new 29" fat tire wheels. We then took our bikes and drove our truck to Jordan Pond, and were very lucky to find a parking space. We rode the beautiful trails for several miles and around Jordan Pond.

Later that day we took the bus to Bar Harbor to check out the village and the amazing views of the bay. Bar Island is located a few hundred feet from the shore and during low tide, the sandbar is exposed and people can walk across to the island, but must come back during low tide. Frenchman Bay is dotted with many small islands and the waters were filled with moored lobster boats and sailboats. We walked along a coastal path through Bar Harbor and followed the rocky coast. The village was filled with restaurants, shopping and touristy shops. We did stop by a local bar and have a drink while we waited to get on the bus back to camp.

The next day we drove over to another part of Acadia, called the “quiet side”. We parked at the trailhead for Beech Mountain Trail. The dogs were with us as they also love to hike. The hike to the peak of Beech Mountain was not too steep or difficult, relatively speaking for Acadia. At the peak was a fire tower and spectacular 360 views of the ocean, islands, inland lakes and mountain peaks. After that hike we rested for a while at the trailhead and Kurt decided to hike to another trail, Beech Cliffs; while the dogs and I hiked the Valley Trail. Both of these trails again presented us with amazing views and beautiful forests. After returning to camp, we decided this was the night to have our Maine lobster. We went to a nearby lobster market and brought back a complete dinner, two lobsters, two pounds of mussels, corn, and even melted butter. It was so delicious and comfortable to eat in our RV.

Another day we went hiking again. Kurt wanted to hike a serious trail called Precipice. This trail has metal rungs in order to climb rock faces. I chose another trail, based out of the Sieur de Monts location. This was the homestead of the original founder of Acadia, George Dorr. There was a spring on this beautiful property, a nature center, gardens with native plants and several trails. I hiked up the mountain on the Emery Trail, which was built by the CCC and consisted of over 500 stone steps to the top. The trail I took back down was the Homans Trail, which was more steep and very rocky, but enjoyable with great views of the harbor. Kurt continued his hiking to meet me at Sieur de Monts. From there we took the bus back to the campground.

Our final hike was to the peak of Cadillac Mountain, the tallest in the park. The bus stopped at the trailhead for the North Ridge Trail. This rocky 2.1 mile trail took us to Cadillac Peak. There we again saw amazing views and ate our lunch. We had decided to take a shorter trail down the mountain to Bubble Pond, where we could get back on the bus. This 1.4 mile trail was extremely steep with mostly rock faces to descend. OMG, I was so challenged and Kurt was so frustrated that I moved so slow. Even though it was a shorter trail, it took us much more time to descend. Even as careful as I was, I did slip on a wet section of slick rock. Fortunately, I only gashed my right elbow and arm, and sprained my wrist. I always carry a first aid kit and it came in handy. We were so relieved when we finally made it to the bottom. I felt the pain that night and the next day was very sore. At least I didn’t break anything!

Our last night in Acadia was spent with a drive to Cadillac Mountain peak to watch the sunset. On our way, we stopped at the lobster market and got lobster roll dinners to go. We also took the dogs. When we found a place to park at the top, the wind was blowing around 40 mph and the horizon skies were cloudy, so there was not much to view of the sunset. The dogs got to get out and run leash free for a while and had fun. Even with the sunset and wind issues, we enjoyed this special place and time as our last adventure in Acadia.

The next day we would head southwest in Maine to stay in the lakes region. We could have stayed longer in Acadia, but there is still so much to experience in Maine.

Summer 2016 - Maine, Mt. Katahdin, Baxter State Park

Sunday, August 14^th – Thursday, August 18^th

Wilderness Edge Campground, Millinocket Maine

Photo link:

https://goo.gl/photos/zkEk4gPjQWZpqw7Z7

Our first stop in Maine was Millinocket, in the northern part of the state, which is near Baxter State Park. Within this park is Mt. Katahdin, which is the tallest mountain in the US east of the Mississippi. The summit of Mt. Katahdin is the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Many A.T. through hikers celebrate the arrival at the summit as the end of their 2300 mile trek. Climbing this mountain to the summit has always been one of Kurt's dreams.

We camped at an RV park called Wilderness Edge and it really was. It was the closest campground to the state park without being in the park. We really loved the campground, as it gave us the feeling of being in a wilderness area.

Kurt had already obtained the permit to do the hike and had all of his gear organized, packed and ready to go. Our first day we simply drove up to Baxter State Park, visited the ranger station to get all the information we needed and finalize his plans. It was exciting to get our first glimpse of Mount Katahdin from a distance, even though it was a beautiful day, the top of the mountain was shrouded in clouds. Kurt was hoping for a clear day for his hike the next day. The whole area was very much wilderness, dotted with glacial lakes throughout the region and many more mountain peaks beyond Katahdin.

After a day of resting and final preparations for the 10-hour hike, Kurt struck out early the next morning. The plan was to drop him off at the Hunt Trailhead (Appalachian Trail), where he would leave from and at the end of the day, at a specified time, I would pick him up at the lower end of the Abol Trailhead, which he would descend. The one concern that we had was that there was no cell service available until he got to the summit, where he would be able to send me a text.

Kurt began his trek to the summit and as you will see in the pictures there are many amazing sights along the way with signs regarding the mountain and the trails. One beautiful view was of Katahdin Stream Falls, which the trail followed for a short distance. As he ascended the mountainside, he was able to see more distant views of mountains and lakes. The higher he went the more large rocks and boulders began consuming the trail. At this point the hike became a rock scrambling experience. Some of the boulders were taller than he is and were a real challenge, but he had no problems crawling up and over the rocks.

He eventually ascended the mountain where he was above the tree line. At that point the trail was just rocks and a few tundra plants covering the ground. About a little over a mile from the summit he walked up to an area called the tablelands. At this point the elevation flattened out making the hiker feel that this was going to be as easy from this point. He explained to me that it really fooled a lot of hikers as they thought that it was going to be easy when he said it really became tougher.  Along the way he would take rest breaks, have some snacks and water to make sure he was properly nourished throughout the hike.

On his final approach to the summit he was able to see the rocky top of the mountain, with probably three or four dozen other hikers who had already made it there. At the very summit there is a rugged wooden sign with all the details about Katahdin and Baxter Peak. The elevation at the peak is 5267 feet, nearby the peak is a huge rock cairn that is exactly 13 feet high so that that Katahdin peak is exactly a mile high at 5280 feet. When he arrived at the summit he was able to send a text letting me know his approximate time of arrival at the base of the mountain.
While at the summit he walked out onto a very rugged, dangerous trail called the Knife Edge. Some hikers will descend the mountain via this trail, but Kurt just wanted to experience the feel of being out there and realized that with the vertigo that he has sometimes that it was probably not a good idea.

He then headed back to the planned trail for the descent, the Abol Trail. The descent down this trail was just as rugged as the ascending trail. He arrived at the base trailhead about 30 minutes sooner than expected.  He was able to hike the total 10 miles in 7 hours and 45 minutes. All I can say is that he was so thrilled to have done it and accomplished one of his greatest dreams.

For the remaining two days there, we hiked the A.T. with the dogs. One day we headed south on a most beautiful hike through the wilderness that looked like a rain forest. There was moss covering the ground and rocks, with ferns all around. This part of the A.T. began a section of 100 miles of total wilderness. This is the longest wilderness section of the A.T. and hikers are warned to be prepared with food and water for 10 days, which would be the average hiking time for this mileage. There is a history of some hikers not surviving this section; due to lack of food, weather exposure and getting lost off trail. This can be a dangerous hike if one is not knowledgeable and prepared. However, the vast majority of hikers make it to Katahdin as planned.

The last day there, we hiked north on the A.T. traveling into Baxter S.P. This section was less rocky and no steep areas, as it followed along the banks of the Penobscot River. It was a lovely hike and after about 3 miles, we came across a waterfall on the Katahdin Stream at the confluence of the Penobscot River. This was the place where we had our lunch and rested, enjoying the waterfall. The dogs played in the water and drank all they wanted. After getting back to the trailhead, we were ready to get back to camp and begin preparing to leave the next day.

Our five days in this wilderness area of Maine were so enjoyable, we could have stayed a couple of more days. However, we were excited to get to Acadia N.P. This was the main destination for our New England tour.

Summer 2016 - New Hampshire, Lakes Region

Monday, August 8^th – Saturday, August 13^th

Davidson’s Countryside Campground - Bristol, New Hampshire

Photo link:

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPBa4t8XAKNxiI4F9a8GhhNEk3Gg5GyNWktkDH3fzhMtLwWC2XbC8bqb6BYYV3b9Q?key=S0FqUTRMOVNjbUZKMV9JV04tMG1yM1BEVHhSeC1B

When we left the White Mountains region of New Hampshire, we headed southeast to the Lakes Region. There are less mountains in this area, and many more lakes. The valleys are dotted with long, thin glacial carved lakes, 273 to be exact. The largest lake is Lake Winnipesaukee, with 71 square miles of surface. This area in New Hampshire is a favorite vacation spot for many New Englanders, especially Massachusetts and New York. There are so many lakeside resorts and marinas for so many water related activities. There are also many rivers and streams with countless waterfalls. Our campground was near a small town of Bristol. It was another quaint mountain town with historical buildings, homes and a nice town square.

While there we hiked a great trail to the top of Mt. Cardigan, which is located west of Lake Winnipesaukee. This was a rugged, rocky, steep trail to the summit at 3155 feet. The trail up to the summit and back is 3.1 miles with cairns along the way to help navigate. At the bare granite summit, there are amazing 360 views. The views of Lake Winnipesaukee are amazing, and there are distant views of mountains in Vermont, White Mountains in New Hampshire and mountains in Maine. Dogs are allowed to hike here also, so our boys really enjoyed the hike and meeting other dogs on the trail. The hike down was not as steep, but followed along a stream with some small waterfalls along the way.

The next day we headed out to Franklin Dam, an Army Corps project on the Pimegewassett River, where there were mountain biking trails that had been developed by New England Mountain Biking Association (NEMBA). Another excellent trail system, well designed and fun to ride. We loved it so much, we came back the next morning and rode again.

Another day we drove to Profile Falls Recreation Area with waterfalls and a swimming hole. There was a short hike over a rocky trail to get back to the falls area, but it was worth it. The dogs came with us and had fun playing in the water and retrieving sticks. We all enjoyed this relaxing time together.

The last couple of days were mostly rainy, so we spent some time doing various chores; laundry, housekeeping and maintenance. Also, we prepared and packed to head out the next day.

On to Maine! Looking forward to the wonders and natural beauty of this state.

Summer 2016 - New Hampshire, White Mountains Region

Monday, August 1^st – Sunday, August 7^th

Beech Hill Campground – Twin Mountain, New Hampshire

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As we drove out of Vermont into New Hampshire we started noticing the difference in the mountains right away.  New Hampshire definitely has more mountains with very steep, high peaks. We arrived at our campground, Beech Hill, near the town of Twin Mountain New Hampshire. This campground is a commercial RV park, but has very wooded sites and felt more like a state park. The dogs also enjoyed it because we had a very spacious site where we actually let them off leash most of the time.

We started looking at the activities in the area and setting up our plans for what we were going to do. We decided for the next day we would head towards Crawford Notch State Park. In New Hampshire the mountain passes are called notches due to the fact that the V shaped glacier-cut passes reminded the early settlers of notches cut in wood. After stopping at a ranger station we decided to do a very popular hike back to Arethusa Falls, a 215 feet high waterfall. This was a busy trail, but very beautiful. The typical conditions were steep and rocky, but we all enjoyed the hike up and rock hopping back into the falls. We had a rest, some lunch and let the dogs play in the water. After looking at the trail map we decided instead of coming back down the same trail we would head out through another 2 ½ mile trail called Frankenstein’s Cliff. Little did we know that the trail conditions would be much more strenuous. This trail continued straight up and straight down. I think they don't understand switchbacks here in New Hampshire. After three more hours of hiking this arduous loop trail we finally made it back to the parking lot. Kody and I were totally exhausted and my knees and feet were pretty much toast. Kurt and Luca also decided to do a little side trip to a different overlook, I'm so glad Kody and I didn't go. At the end of the day we were all exhausted, but we really did enjoy the hike and the beautiful views.

The next morning we decided to go into the town of Littleton, as we had found some mountain biking trails there. After riding the first mile or so on the trails, we realized this was a very non-maintained trail system with very poor trail markings. We did ride a couple of miles and then gave it up for the day as it really wasn't that much fun.

After our misguided mountain biking adventure, we decided to do a Scenic Drive route that totally encompasses most of the White Mountain National Forest. The southerly route is called the Kancamagus Highway, which runs along the Swift River all the way from Franconia Notch east to Conway. Along this highway they were beautiful views of all the mountains and small towns, along with a stop at a swimming area in the Swift River. Then the loop heads north and west through Crawford Notch State Park, and returns us to our campground. This part of the drive mostly follows the Saco River with views of the rocky, river bottom. Also along this scenic drive there were a couple of off-season ski resorts that have summer activities available. This area of New Hampshire in the White Mountains National Forest seems to be more touristy in nature, as many of the small towns offered various family-friendly activities and many souvenir shops. All in all it was a beautiful drive for the day and we enjoyed all the scenery and the gorgeous White Mountains.

The next day we decided to drive up the legendary Mount Washington Auto Road, which would give us a chance to experience the highest peak in the northeast. The auto road climbs to the 6,288 foot summit for a 3 hour round trip. Throughout this drive to the summit you pass through four different ecological zones and also enjoy panoramic views spanning distant mountains and valleys. There was also a snack bar, museum and historical buildings at the top along with a weather Observatory. Emanating from the summit were various hiking trails for those willing to hike down to the mountain base, various lodges or campgrounds along the trails. The views from the summit were 360 degrees of all the White Mountains peaks, including a group of mountains called the Presidential Range, which are named after various founding fathers of our country. Spectacular and stunning views!

Our last day in the area we decided to go back again to Franconia Notch State Park and ride our bikes on a really nice paved recreational trail. Kurt also did a hike off of the same trailhead and really enjoyed the beautiful mountains.

We truly enjoyed our time in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the spectacular beauty that nature has to offer there. Our next stop will be in southern New Hampshire, in the Lakes Region. Looking forward to our experiences there.

Summer 2016 - Vermont, St. Johnsbury

Monday, July 25^th – Sunday, July 31^st

Moose River Campground – St. Johnsbury, Vermont

Photo link:

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Our next adventure was near the town of St. Johnsbury Vermont. This small town is in the north east area of Vermont which is called the Northeast Kingdom. Again we drove the back highways traveling through beautiful green valleys, surrounded by the Green Mountains, farms and small villages along the way. We arrived at the lovely Moose River Campground just on the north side of town. We had a huge pull through campsite with beautiful gardens around the site.

The owners Mary and Gary were extremely friendly and provided us with all kinds of information on activities in the area. Knowing that we had dogs she told us about a nearby property called Dog Mountain, a place set up for the enjoyment of dogs and their people. The owners, who have since passed away, had set up the property for dogs to bring their people and run free and play with other dogs off leash. The property was a few acres on a gorgeous hillside looking over a valley.  There were many activities for the dogs to do; a swimming pond, big fields to run in and even some trails where they could hike with their people. There was an art gallery filled with dog art, mostly created by Steve Huneck, the owner of the property. They also had a chapel on the property that they had built in memory of their dog Sally, a black lab. This beautiful little chapel is decorated in dog decor and the walls are covered with notes, cards and photos of memorials to people's beloved dogs. It was overwhelming and very touching to see and read some of the memorials.

Kody (Kruzer) and Luca went every day, except one, that we were camping in the area. We would take them at the end of the day when there are a lot of other playmates there. Everyone played nice together, got wet in the pond and had a fun doggy play time.  The boys really enjoyed their time to get out and run off leash and to meet new friends.

The biggest attraction for Kurt and I was the Kingdom Trails. About 20 miles north, in the little town of East Burke, is an enormous system of mountain biking trails. There are over 100 miles of mountain biking trails for every level from novice to expert. We went there 3 days that week, and it was wonderful to ride such well engineered and maintained mountain biking trails. The small town of East Burke was very cool and of course centered around mountain biking.

For our last day in the area we decided to drive up further north to Willoughby Lake. I had seen pictures of this online and thought it was the one of the most gorgeous lakes I've ever seen. This is a glacier carved lake with high, rocky mountains on both sides and beaches on the north and south ends. The weather was great, the dogs were with us and we all had a wonderful time enjoying the beautiful scenery. This was a wonderful way to spend our last day in the area and in Vermont.

Did I mention to you all that the weather up here has been just gorgeous? The temps have been around low 80s daytime and the lows at night usually dip down into the mid to lower 50s. Needless to say this is perfect weather for enjoying our summer activities. No wonder why we love it up here in the mountains so much.

Next we will be heading over to New Hampshire and to explore the White Mountains. Can't wait to see if it's as nice as Vermont.

Summer 2016 - Vermont, Lake Champlain

Wednesday, July 20^th – Sunday, July 24^th

Lone Pine Campsites – Colchester, VT near Burlington

Photo link:

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What a beautiful drive from Rutland up to the Burlington area, by Lake Champlain. As usual we drove the backroads. Highway 7 was a gorgeous mountain drive all the way up to the campground, Lone Pine Campsites. The campground was nice as we had expected, we got settled in and right away we met our RV camping neighbors. Really nice family from Vermont and they only live 12 miles away. There were many Vermonters camping there. This campground was up on a ridge overlooking Malletts Bay in a town called Colchester, a bay off of Lake Champlain.

We drove down to Malletts Bay to have a look around and see what was in the area. It was a beautiful bay filled with sailboats and all kinds of recreational boating activities. We even saw a hot air balloon flying over the lake. We had taken the dogs so they could get out and run around a little bit. We started planning activities for the next few days.

Vermont, along with the town of Burlington, is very bicycle friendly. There are bike paths everywhere and we found an amazing Rail Trail that goes up the center of the lake on the causeway that was constructed originally for a railroad, which had been abandoned many years ago. The causeway had been constructed of huge chunks of marble which is very abundant in Vermont. We rode the trail the next day. We rode the bikes up to a point where there was a channel for boats to pass though. At that point we had to board a bicycle ferry that took us to the other side of the channel. We then proceeded up onto the island of Grand Isle in a town called South Hero. We rode around South Hero, which was a small community of farms, cafes and shops. We had a really nice lunch at Allenholm Farm Stand; they had all kinds of animals there, a petting zoo for children and everyone to see, we did enjoy looking at the goats.

After lunch we proceeded to ride the trail all the way back to our truck. The round-trip ride was about 21 miles at the end of the day we were exhausted but amazed by the beautiful Lake, the islands and all the mountains on the east and west. It was wonderful to look eastward and see the Green Mountains and then to look westward and see the Adirondacks in New York. This is a beautiful amazing place.

The next day we really needed a down day so we decided to just check out the city of Burlington, drive around and go to some sporting good shops. We decided to get a hitch mount bike rack to use whenever we are unhitched and need to go to a mountain bike park. It makes it so much easier than to take the wheels off of the bikes and put them in the back of the pickup and then have to reassemble everything when we get to our destination. We eventually found a store called Rack Warehouse, where we found the exact type of bike rack we needed.  Going forward on this trip we will be able to make it a lot easier to haul our bikes around.

Later that afternoon we decided to take a scenic drive up to the Champlain Islands. Again we encountered beautiful farms and quaint little villages throughout the Grand Isle area. There are so many beautiful views to the east of the Green Mountains and to the west of the Adirondacks, along with all the gorgeous little bays and beaches along the way. It was a great way to end our day.

Our last day was spent with our kayaks on the water. We found a river north of us called the Lamoille River. Kurt found an outfitter who hauled our equipment to the top put in and we just paddled downstream back to the outfitters place. We were able to take the dogs on this kayak trip, and they were glad to be outside. It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed the paddle. The current was running pretty fast because it rained the day before, so we completed the paddle in about 2 hours instead of 3.

We were looking forward to our next adventure in Vermont at St. Johnsbury and the Kingdom Trails for mountain biking.

Summer 2016 - Vermont, Rutland

Thursday, July 14^th – Tuesday, July 19^th

Gifford Woods State Park

Photo link:
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Aaaahhh, what can I say about Vermont? Green Mountains, cool air, quaint small towns, farms along the highways, friendly people, maple syrup. As we drove into southwest Vermont and entered Gifford Woods State Park, we knew we were back in the woods. It felt so great to be out of the busy, touristy areas and back to nature. This park has no utility hook-ups, so we would be boondocking, which we were prepared for. The rangers at this park were friendly and helpful. We were excited to know that the Appalachian Trail goes right through the campground. The first day, we took the dogs out on the A.T. heading south. This part of the trail was very steep, rocky and challenging. The dogs loved it and the chance to get out and run. We were amazed at the beauty of the forest here; so green, marble rocks everywhere and the ground carpeted with delicate ferns.

The town of Rutland has some really nice mountain bike trails. The next day we packed up our bikes and headed to the trailhead. Pine Hill Park includes various facilities and activities provided by the town. The trails were very well engineered and maintained. We really enjoyed riding the trails in this wooded, hilly park. They were fun and challenging, with uphill climbs right at the start. After riding, we drove around the wonderful small town of Rutland with its historic homes, some of them quite large. It just seemed like the right size town, not too big or too small.

While there, we also hiked the A.T. heading north. This trail was less steep and some parts passed along Kent Pond and Kent Brook. We all enjoyed this trail and met many AT through hikers along the way heading south.

The Green Mountain Trails was another mountain bike trail system just north of the State Park. Near the town of Pittsfield, this private property allowed bikers to park on their land and ride the trails. The trails there were maintained by volunteers and were very nice, with less steep ascents and some technical aspects. Riverside Farm is a beautiful venue that is used for weddings and private events.

One of our favorite hikes was Deer Leap Overlook Loop. This trail was very steep to the top of a mountain adjacent to Pico Ski Resort. This ski area is smaller than Killington, which is also very close to our campground. This hike was another steep, rocky hike that mingled with the A.T. for a short distance. The dogs loved running free on this trail and hiked with us to the overlook. The strenuous hike was worth the view. Amazing to look out on the distant Green Mountains and the ski slopes on Pico, how beautiful!

The ski resorts utilize the facilities in the summer by allowing mountain bikers to ride up the lifts with their bikes, then ride down the mountain on the slopes. Kurt was able to do a couple of runs at Killington on the lower levels. I dropped him off up on the hillside where he could access the trails, then he rode them downhill. Wow, when he got to the bottom he was squealing like a kid about how it was like riding a roller coaster. He really had fun on these rides.

Our last day we spent on a mountain lake, Chittenden Lake. This crystal clear water lake was surrounded by the Green Mountains and had a nice beach area and boat ramp. We were ready to kick back and relax, so we took the dogs and some happy hour supplies and hung out for the afternoon. How relaxing to sit back and look at the gorgeous Green Mountains surrounding us. It was going to be tough leaving the next day.

Even though we still have two more stops in Vermont, we have already fallen in love with this state. This is one state so far that we would hope to revisit again someday.

Summer 2016 - Cape Cod & Massachusetts

Thursday, July 7^th - Monday, July 11^th

Bay View Campground – Cape Cod

Photo link:

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Our drive from Rhode Island to Cape Cod was very easy and uneventful; however, it was driving mostly on interstates. The best thing is that it was only about 60 miles and the traffic wasn't bad at all.

After we arrived at Bayview Campground on Cape Cod, we set up our RV and got very comfortable. This park was very nice with every amenity you could imagine and very clean spacious sites. The weather was overcast and gloomy, with little sprinkles here and there, so we decided just to take a scenic drive around parts of the Cape to get our bearings. We drove around the northern part of the Cape towards a town called Sandwich, which is an historical Colonial area. While there we drove to and walked on East Sandwich Beach to check it out. The beaches are very different there, lots of gravel and rocks, but the sand is really nice; it seems to be natural sand not renourished beaches. We also drove around the town of Pocasset, which was near where we were camping. This town is on the south side of the western part of the Cape. All of these areas were beautiful drives through winding rural towns with many small farms. There were several quaint small towns, obviously original Colonial settlements. This is what we pictured as typical New England. However, we again had no idea that Cape Cod would be so rural, with many big pickup trucks like ours driving around the area, we never had a hard time finding diesel fuel.

The next day we decided to drive to the Eastern end of the Cape to a town called Chatham, which is a major fishing harbor. Chatham is the typical New England town as we expected with all the original Cape Cod style homes and quite a few mansion homes along the coast, it was gorgeous.  We walked down to the fish market and the docks to watch the fishing boats come in. There were many seals who waited for handouts from the fisherman. Then we walked around the downtown area of Chatham to check out the shops and restaurants. We found a really nice restaurant that didn't have a huge waiting line and was a pub and grill, with very good food. We had a nice lunch there. We then headed home to get the dogs out for a walk so they could stretch their legs as they have been cooped up in the RV for a couple of days.

The Cape Cod Canal is a very wide sea-level canal extending across the narrow neck that joins Cape Cod to the mainland.  Along the Canal are really nice bike trails on both sides. We took the dogs up there to run along the trail and get rid of some pent-up energy, they really enjoyed it.

We were really wanting to jump on the ferry to Martha's Vineyard, but the next two days the weather was going to be overcast and rainy. So we decided to stay through Monday as the weather forecast was much better and we would take the Martha's Vineyard Ferry then.

The next day we were able to again hook up with some friends, David and Linda, who we had met RVing back in 2013 when we did our first tour around Northern Florida. At that time they had just decided to full-time RV and work on the road. They are currently working at an RV Park in Cape Cod, so we went over to their place and had breakfast with them.  We had a nice time together talking about all of our travels and experiences RVing.

So on Monday we decided to load up and take the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard. We took our bikes so that when we got over to the Vineyard we could ride around the island. The weather was a little overcast but the ferry ride over was really nice and we arrived at the town of Oak Bluffs. While there we rode our bikes around town, checked out a lighthouse and all the old homes and neighborhoods. After strolling around town a while and checking out the little shops we decided we were hungry and found a really nice restaurant right on the bay front where we could sit and look out at the boats while we had our lunch. I had a lobster grilled cheese sandwich!  It was quite good, along with the nice chilled glass of sangria. After lunch, Kurt rode his bike around to the Western end of the island while I relaxed at the docks. The ferry ride back was very enjoyable, and from there we decided to ride our bikes from the ferry dock back to the parking area along a very nice bike trail called Shining Sea. At the end of the day we really enjoyed Martha's Vineyard and the experience of being there.

Tuesday, July 12^th – Wednesday, July 13^th

Boston Minuteman Campground

When we left Cape Cod, we headed to Harvard, Massachusetts. It’s outside of Boston about 45 miles, in a really nice rural area. We met up with some friends, Ken and Noelle, who used to live in Jupiter. Ken worked with Kurt and I at the same company about 15 years ago. We really enjoyed their friendship back then, and since reconnecting, we wanted to visit them at their home in Harvard. It was great to see them again, talk about old times and get caught up on what we are up to these days. We spent two days hanging out with them at their home and exploring the area. It’s so amazing when you haven’t seen friends in a long time and when you do, it’s like nothing has changed, expect maybe some grey hair. They also have a very awesome dog, Nika. We will keep in touch and hope to see them in the future and continue our friendship.

We also went mountain biking one morning at a local town park. The trails were much more difficult than what we are used to; with very steep, rocky and rooty single track. Maybe these trails will help us improve our skills as we continue to ride in New England.

For our next adventure, we will move on to Vermont, where we will spend 3 weeks in 3 different areas. So excited to visit this beautiful state.

Summer 2016 - Connecticut & Rhode Island

Tuesday, June 28^th – Thursday, June 30^th
Madison, CT – Riverdale Farms Campground

Photo link:

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We really didn't want to leave Turkey Swamp in New Jersey. We had great times with good friends. We headed out on the highway towards Connecticut, but in order to get there we had to drive way out west and north around New York City to avoid all the horrible traffic, bridges, tunnels and so forth. It was a long 5 hour drive. We drove mostly on turnpikes and interstates, some parts the roads were good and some parts were not so good. We finally arrived at our campground, Riverdale Farm Campsite, a very nice campground away from the highways and back in a nice wooded area. This campground is just north of Madison Connecticut. After setting up camp we really kicked back and enjoyed happy hour after the arduous drive.

We had researched the area around Madison and Clinton for activities and fun things to do. We did find a nearby mountain biking trail, which we planned to ride and also found out about a tour boat cruise around some islands off the coast of Guilford.

The next day we decided to head down to Hammonassett State Park, which is on the beach. Running along the coastline was a very nice Greenway Trail. We took our bikes there and rode the two and a half miles that currently exist, which mostly went through the state park. We also rode our bikes around the state park which was huge and had probably about 500 campsites. We had wanted to camp there, but they don't allow dogs in the summer as it is a complete boondocking campground. The beaches in the park were really busy and they were very nice; however they cannot compare with our gorgeous water in South Florida.

After visiting the state park we decided to take a scenic drive. We drove around Madison, Clinton and Guilford. These towns are very old with many historic colonial homes and buildings, very beautiful and quaint. It was obvious to us that there's a lot of money in this area, after seeing the huge historic mansions and also all the investment banks around the area. We also drove down to the inlet area of Guilford which is on Long Island Sound. This was our first taste of the old New England style harbors.

The next day we decided that we would take the offshore boat cruise and also go to the mountain biking trails. First we went to the trails and only Kurt rode them, as the internet described the trails as only advanced, but when we got there we found there were all levels of trails and I didn't bring my bike, bummer.

Next, we drove to Branford and the marina where the boat launches for the Thimble Islands tour. The Thimble Islands is an archipelago consisting of small islands in Long Island Sound, located in and around the harbor of Stony Creek in the southeast corner of Branford, Connecticut. The 45 minute cruise traveled around many of the small pink granite bedrock islands. Most of the islands are privately owned with houses built on them. There were a couple of islands that are state owned and have public access. It’s amazing that most of the houses were built in the 1800’s. A few are mansions and some are smaller homes. One island was occupied by the pirate Captain Kidd for many years. Legend says his treasure is hidden on this island.

We only had 3 days in Connecticut, so our activities were limited. We did see a lot and enjoyed our time there. Our next stop will be in Newport, Rhode Island.

 

Friday, July 1^st – Wednesday, July 6^th

Newport, Rhode Island – Meadowlark RV Park

After leaving Connecticut we had about a 55 mile drive to our location here in Rhode Island. We are staying in Middletown Rhode Island on the east side of Newport in a really nice RV campground. The location is very centralized to all the things that we wanted to see in this area. We have friends that are from Rhode Island that advised us of all the wonderful, fun things to do around here.

The first evening we just drove around to get familiar with the area. We purposely booked the 4th of July weekend because of the patriotic celebrations in Bristol Rhode Island. Driving around we looked at all the beautiful beaches, but they still don't have anything on our beaches in southeast Florida. We're just so amazed that everywhere up here in New England they charge to park at the beaches, here they charge $25 on the weekends and $15 during the week. It's a good thing we didn't want to go sit on the beaches with all the holiday crowds. The Newport area is very friendly to road bikers and against my best judgment, one day we did ride a couple of miles down towards the beaches since the traffic was so crazy. Now I know why I mountain bike instead of road bike, I'd much rather deal with trees than with crazy people texting in their cars. In various places around town there are these old, completely painted white bicycles with someone's name on it indicating that they were killed on their bicycle in that spot on the road. However there are still many people riding on the roads even where there's only a one foot wide bike lane. After that two mile ride I promised I would not ride on the roads here again.

On July 3^rd evening we drove the 14-mile ride up to Bristol to watch the fireworks. They were very nice but we still have not found Fourth of July fireworks that are quite as good as the West Palm Beach ones, which are also synchronized with very patriotic music. The next morning I drove up to Bristol for the historic July 4th parade. Kurt is not so fond of parades, so he declined to go with me. One of the best Fourth of July parades I've ever seen, it lasted over 2 hours and was amazing; full of patriotic displays and performances. Bristol was voted the most patriotic Fourth of July celebration in the country. Kurt spent the day riding his bike around the Newport area and hanging out down by the waterfront. Later that evening I decided to stay home and watched the Fourth of July celebrations on television, Macy's New York City fireworks, which were absolutely spectacular with four barges of coordinated fireworks on the East River. Kurt decided he wanted to watch the fireworks in Newport, so he rode his bicycle back down into town and watched the fireworks from the waterfront. He said they were very nice, but still no synchronized music. We were both pretty exhausted at the end of that day after celebrating the Fourth of July.

The next day we decided to go walk the Cliff Walk along the rocky Coast. This public path follows the rocky coast lined with many mansions. We were able to view most of the mansions from the Cliff Walk at various points on the path. These mansions were built in the 1800, during the “Gilded Age’. Parts of the Cliff Walk turned into a rugged rock hopping adventure and other areas were nicely paved and easy. We followed most of the three miles out and then back to our starting point. What a beautiful walk with the view of the ocean, the cliffs, the mansions and the views across the bay.

On our last day, we decided to take a boat tour around the Newport harbor. It was only $10 for the whole day, and you could hop on/off at any of the 5 stops. We were amazed at all the sail boats moored in the harbor, or docked at enormous piers. This area is obviously a great sailing area, home to the original America’s Cup sail boat races. We did get off the boat at Fort Adams to look around the fort built for the War of 1812. The weather was very warm and sunny, so we didn’t stay there too long. We continued around the harbor and ended up at the Newport Shipyards. The tour captain had advised us of a great restaurant in the shipyard where they made great lobster rolls. So we ended our afternoon there chomping on lobsta! After returning to our campsite, we took the dogs for a truck ride around Ocean Avenue and found a small crescent beach where we could let them run around off leash. It was a fine way to spend our last evening in Rhode Island.

Our next adventure will be in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Summer 2016 - Delaware & New Jersey

Summer 2016 – Delaware & New Jersey

Saturday, June 18^th – Wednesday, June 22^nd

Camping at Lums Pond State Park

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The drive from Maryland to Delaware again took us through many agricultural farmlands. We never knew this part of the country had so many farms. We also drove across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge from Maryland to Delaware. Because of the shipping lanes, this bridge was very high for large ships to pass under, and the toll was $20 (WOW).

We arrived at Lums Pond State Park campground after a nice drive through Delaware. This State Park campground had just been remodeled with full hook-ups for RVs. Also the sites were very large and shady. There is a small lake with trails all around, plus many activities to enjoy. We were surprised to find that some of the trails in the park were for mountain biking. Nothing very advanced, but fun flowy trails. These trails were fun to ride and easy to access right from our campsite.

One day we drove to White Clay Creek State Park, which has highly rated mountain bike trails. We spent a couple of hours riding these forested trails, but then we had to leave as a thunderstorm was approaching. We did enjoy riding the trails and the challenges presented.

Another day we drove over to a small town, White Crystal Beach, on the Chesapeake Bay. The scenery was again very beautiful, with more farms. The little towns in this area were founded back in the colonial days, and very quaint with lots of history.

We also enjoyed simply relaxing at this nice park. After days of running around D.C., this was a nice place to chill. The dogs also enjoyed being outside more and soaking up the sun.

Camping at Turkey Swamp Park, New Jersey

Thursday, June 23rd – Monday, June 27th

The purpose of this stop in New Jersey was primarily to visit some longtime friends. Jay and Chrissie Patel have been friends since the guys worked together at the Space Center back in the early 90’s. They had relocated back to their home state of N.J. They now have two sons, Luke and Jake.

We camped at the closest campground to their home in Middletown, Turkey Swamp Park. Even though it was a 25 mile drive to their place, we went there every day to visit and hang out with them. It had been over 10 years since we had seen them. They have a lovely home with a gorgeous backyard and pool. It was so nice to see them again and get to know their sons. We mostly spent time at their home and with other friends. One evening we went to watch an equestrian event in which Chrissie was competing. She really enjoys riding horses and is continuing to learn more about riding competition. She rides with her sister-in-law who owns the horses.

On Sunday, we all drove over to Sea Bright Beach on the Jersey shore. Wow, the beaches up here are so different from S. Florida. First of all, there is admission to the beaches and then there is paid parking, and they are packed! The locals buy season passes that cover both fees. We met them and some other friends there to hang out and enjoy the ocean and sun. The boys were having so much fun in the water and we enjoyed conversation with everyone. After the beach we all went back to the Patel’s home for a cook out and swim in the pool.

While driving around in the area, we noticed the beautiful greenery and again many farms, mostly horse farms. This area reminds us of Ocala, Florida, with rolling hills, green pastures and very large horse farms. There were also many very large mansions, even in smaller communities. One town, Freehold Township near where we camped, amazed us with the large communities of huge homes, with rolling green yards. We were also told the Bruce Springsteen lives in this town. There’s definitely some big money here. Jay explained that many of these residents commute to NYC or other nearby large cities.  At least the drive was very scenic and we saw many parts of the Jersey countryside.

We truly have enjoyed our time here in N.J. and appreciate the surrounding communities. Our next destination is in Connecticut near the shore and close to Mystic CT. Our next challenge is to drive out and around NYC to try to avoid city traffic, tolls and forbidden bridges for RVs! Wish us luck.

Summer 2016 - Washington D.C.

Summer 2016 – Washington D.C.

Monday, June 13^th – Friday, June 17^th

Touring Washington D.C.

Photos link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/107097369989809012646/6297532418069859937?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLqb5fvIloaGggE&feat=directlink

Washington D.C. was on our bucket list, as Kurt had never visited there. We camped in College Park, MD at Cherry Hill RV Park. This is a very well run, large campground with amenities like I’ve never seen. We never really used the amenities (other than the laundry) as our main goal was to tour D.C.

For four days, we rode the Metro bus to the nearest Metro Rail station. Then we used buses and/or walking in D.C. to visit the places that we wanted to go. The first day we visited mostly the memorials and monuments: Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, World War II Memorial, the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, and Union Station. The following days we visited Arlington National Cemetery, where we witnessed the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We also saw two funeral processions, with horse draw caisson, military band and 21 gun salute; very moving. We also visited the Washington Memorial, toured the U.S. Capitol (where we learned more history of the building) and visited the National Archives, where we viewed the original U.S Constitution, Bill of Rights and other historical documents. We stood outside the fence of the White House, and also saw the President’s helicopter landing on the south lawn. I spent some time at the Museum of Natural History while Kurt spent more time at the Air & Space Museum. At the end of each day we were exhausted, but thankful of all the special places we visited. We truly enjoyed our visit to the Nation’s Capitol.

Our next stop is in Delaware and a newly remodeled campground at a state park.

Summer 2016 - New England Trip

Wednesday, June 1^st – Tuesday, June 7^th

Leaving Home To Full Time RV

Santos Campground, Ocala & Bay Quarter Shores, Virginia

Photos link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/107097369989809012646/6295406637468474033?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLD3jLr8xeKrwgE&feat=directlink

So we finally did it, our house sold and we were officially out of the house on May 27th. On June 1st we headed north towards New England. Our first stop was in the Ocala area at Santos Campground. We picked up our brand new mountain bikes in Ocala and then had three days of riding there to try them out. What an amazing difference the bikes with new technology makes. We both love our new bikes and we're going to really enjoy them when we get up to the mountains in New England.

Next we stopped by my sister's house in North Carolina for a short two-day visit to see the whole family, including the brand new grandbaby Archer.

From there we headed across the back roads of Virginia ending up at a Bay Quarter Shores on the Northern neck of Virginia, which is situated on the Potomac River. We camped at the campground in this community with some longtime friends, Chris and Bruce Harper.  We both used to work with her in Palm Beach Gardens. They had relocated to Charlottesville Virginia and invited us to meet them at this wonderful community. We spent 5 days there enjoying the river and the great people that were staying here.  We plan on meeting up to camp with them again in the future as Chris is getting ready to retire.

Our next stop is in College Park Maryland. We will base out of an RV park there and spend 5 days touring Washington DC.