Maine

We left Peter & Pat's in the morning after saying goodby to them & Ann Marie. Drove to Boothbay, Maine. A long drive but we were anxious to get to Maine. Stayed at the Shore Hills Campground just outside of Boothbay Harbor. Boothbay Harbor is where Carol's parents used to stay in a B & B. We have a nice campsite with a view of the Cross River.

On Monday morning we drove to Boothbay Harbor and walked around. A very nice, very typical Maine tourist orientated town. Whale watching & fishing charters, lots of overpriced shops, restaurants, etc. We've been to similar towns before and, frankly, if you've seen one you've seen them all. While we enjoyed the morning, shopping isn't of much interest to us. Later in the day we drove to the Camden Hills State Park campground just north of Camden. We took a long walk along the cliff by the ocean, sat on a bench to enjoy the view and enjoyed a beautiful, cool & sunny afternoon. If we're ever around Camden again, we would stay here. Rained most of the night. Called Alex. Their flight from Hartford to DC was cancelled because of a storm in DC. They spent the night in Hartford then rented a van and drove home. Made for a very, very long day.

On Tuesday we drove to the Lamoine SP near Bar Harbor. Did some grocery shopping at Hannaford's. We have a campsite with a perfect, unobstructed view of East Bay, the body of water between Lamoine SP and the Acadia National Park. The tall mountain in the photo is Cadillac Mt. on Mount Desert Island. We visited Acadia NP four years ago. Stayed in Southwest Harbor. Carol was able to scooter fairly close to the water. At least close enough for a good view. Gopher & I walked along the shore for a while. The weather was perfect today. Clear & sunny with a nice cool breeze.

On Wednesday we drove to Lubec. Billed as the eastern most town in the U.S. Visited the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse located on the eastern most point of land in the U.S. We've been to the southern most in Key West several times. Next it's north & west. After that we drove to Eastport, ME which calls itself the eastern most *city* in the U.S. Whatever. We stayed at the Seaview Campground in what's probably the best campsite in the place. Carol thinks this is the best view we've ever had from our campsite. A direct view of the Passamaquoddy Bay, the fishing pier, beach and lobster boats. As we were sitting out enjoying the view, other campers were walking by commenting on our site. The people next to us are from Melbourne, FL and another couple are Gators living in North Carolina. Bought 2# of steamer clams today and had them as an appetizer with dinner; roasted corn , sweet potatoes and swordfish. We're staying here tomorrow night as well then heading into New Brunswick on Friday.

Enjoyed Maine.

Wagner Family Reunion

The Wagner Family Reunion, Mystic, CT, July 26-29,2007

We drove down from Burlington, VT on Thursday the 26th. Staying with Peter & Pat. Camping in their driveway. Jennifer & Karen & Alex, Finn & Teagan flew in from Virginia. They are staying in a house they rented in Mystic. Chris, Suzanne, Izzy & Oliver drove down from Cape Cod where they are visiting Chris' parents.

On Thursday Carol & I and about a dozen others, went to dinner at Fred's Shanty where Peter docks his boat. We visited Johnny & family at the house they were renting in New London.

Friday was the family picnic at Waterford Town Beach. All the families except for Michael were there. After the picnic we went back to Peter & Pat's. Ann Marie & Gilbert are staying there as well. This was the first time Jennifer, Suzanne & Alex had been together for some time.

Saturday was the big lobster party at Tommy & Mim's house in Waterford. There were about 46 adults plus 25 children in attendance. It was the first Wagner Reunion where all nine of the children were present. Tom bought 75 1 1/4# lobsters plus there were hot dogs, sausages, chicken and a wonderful selection of salads. The children spent most of the day in the pool. Finn, who until now, didn't like the pool very much, had a wonderful time jumping to Alex, swimming with Izzy, etc. Carol had a wonderful time visiting with her family. We hadn't seen Alice Ann, Allan, David & Sue Ann for years. It was fun catching up with them.

We both really enjoyed the reunion. Carol was able to catch up on the last few years of family news. We saw a number of the children for the first time. Peter & Pat were such wonderful hosts. Fresh coffee & a hot breakfast each morning. Wow.

We'll be back to the Mystic area soon. Perhaps next summer.

Burlington, VT

On Sunday we took the 9:15 am ferry from Port Kent, NY to Burlington, VT. A wonderful warm & sunny day for a ferry ride. We had left our campsite early to make the first ferry so we had breakfast on the ferry. Before going to the campground, we had some business to take care of. Found a shopping area not far from town and bought Carol a new pillow, went grocery shopping and bought a computer printer. We didn't bring the printer from home because on past trips we didn't use it. I needed to print out some Canada information for that leg of our trip. After checking out Staples & Circuit City, Carol saw a Best Buy. The had an HP combination printer/copier/fax machine on sale for $29.99!!!. Snagged the last one. For $30 if I get one or two years use from it I'll have gotten my monies worth.

Checked into the North Beach campground. Burlington, and this City owned campground, is probably our overall favorite place to visit. This is our 4th trip to Burlington; we'll keep coming back. After getting settled in, we walked to the dog park then to the area of the beach where dogs are allowed. There is a paved multi-use trail that runs for about 15 miles. On a previous trip we biked the entire trail way out an abandoned RR causeway into the lake. Have a perfect day.

On Monday & Tuesday , we walked downtown along the multi-use path. Carol's scooter mostly did just fine on the hills leading to the downtown area. I had to push her up the steepest hill. We bought a croissant from a street vendor, used the Borders gift card the girls had gotten us, went to the City Market and had lunch at our favorite place. Took an afternoon nap then went walking again. We don't seem to tire of the beautiful view of the lake from the trail.

Gopher's memory is amazing. It's been probably two years since we've been to this campground. As soon as we leave the campground on the bike trail, she pulls to the left which is the direction of the dog park. The park is about a mile walk but she tugged at her leash all the way. She clearly knew where she was going even though it had been a long time.

On Wednesday we went grocery shopping and both got a haircut so we would look decent for the family reunion. About 3 pm much to our surprise, our friends Bill & Dorothy Wockenfuss pulled into the campground. We had told them about this campground the last time we were together and they thought they would try it. Wish they were here a few days ago. After dinner we all walked downtown and did some window shopping. About 8:30 we bought a Ben & Jerry ice cream and walked back. What a wonderful surprise it was to have them show up. They are such nice people. Like me years ago, Bill was in the submarine service.

Tomorrow morning we head to Mystic for the Wagner Family Reunion. Staying with Peter & Pat.

Verona Beach and The Adirondack Mountains

On Monday we spent the day at the Verona Beach SP campground near Verona Beach, NY. Had a site with a limited view of the lake. There was a paved multi-use trail we enjoyed twice during the day. Took Gopher swimming. A very nice park.

On Tuesday we headed towards Rome, NY and the Adirondack Mountains working our way towards Lake Champlain and Burlington. Made a Wal-Mart run in Rome, NY

Camped at the Little Sand Point Public Campground administered by the NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC). We got a site directly of Piseco Lake. What a wonderful view. Mostly Carol enjoyed the view & read her book. Gopher & I went walking and wading in the lake. The site is full of chipmunks. They know just how long the dogs tie out rope is and stay one foot away. Really aggravates Gopher.

It started to rain on Tuesday night late and continued through most of the day Wednesday. We stopped in Speculator, the closest thing to a town in these parts, and did a load of laundry. After that we went to the Lewey Lake DEC campground. Got the last waterfront site. What a view. Probably the best campsite to date. It even has a small sand beach. The rain finally stopped in the late afternoon & the sun came out. We enjoyed ourselves reading & watching the ducks, birds, squirrels & chipmunks. Gopher was sitting outside with Carol watching the squirrels & chipmunks. A squirrel made the mistake of coming too close. Regrettably Gopher got the squirrel. We'll be more vigilant in keeping her away from the wild critters.

We work up to a rainy day so decided to move on. We drove to the Village of Port Henry on the shores of Lake Champlain. Lots of history around here. The first blast furnace in America and the first commercial electrical generating station. The Village has a wonderful collection of homes from the mid-1800's. Stayed at the Village owned campground of Champ Beach and RV Park. Our campsite was just across from the Village beach affording us a nice view of the lake; at least between the rain showers. It was raining when we arrived and raining when we went to bed. The campground is interesting. We were the only transients; the rest of the RV's were seasonal. Mostly people who brought their boats for a summer of fishing. Had two unusual rules. First there was a $10 deposit required in case you left a mess at your site. We got out deposit back with no one checking our site. Why bother? The second was really annoying. If you wanted to dispose of your trash in the dumpster you had to get a key from the office and pay a fee of $2/bag of trash. Forget it. We took our trash with us and disposed of it at the rest area on the interstate. We won't go back there again.

On Friday morning we drove to the Ausable River Campsites campground near Keeseville,NY. The Ausable River runs right through the campground; our site has a perfect view of the river. Most of the campers are here to canoe or kayak the river. The sun's shining for about the first time in the last three days. Took Gopher for a swim. Sat in the sun & read our books. This is a nice campground. We would stop here again. We're staying here tonight & tomorrow. Today, Saturday, we went to a nearby farm market. The campground has a tractor that pulls a large, flat wagon used for hay rides for the kids. On Saturday it goes to the market. I was able to get Carol and her wheelchair on the hay wagon. We bought some local blueberries & tomatoes as well as some home made cookies.

We're very much enjoying our trip. Been gone for 26 days. Called Mom to say hello; she sounds just fine.

Tomorrow, Sunday, we take the Port Kent to Burlington ferry. Looking forward to Burlington. It's probably our overall favorite place to visit. We talked about ideas for next Spring/Summer. Maybe rent a house on the Shenandoah River for a few weeks then come to Burlington again. We'll see.

Saw a sign on the back of a camper today.

"Don't know just where we're going.

Not sure how to get there,

But we're on our way."

:-)

Cayuga Lake SP near Seneca Falls, NY

Left the Niagara Falls area this morning about 9:30. We very much enjoyed our stay in the area. On the way out we stopped by the fruit stand we found the other day. Bought some more cherries and this time, the local peaches were ripe. The drive from Niagara Falls to our next stop, Cayuga Lake State Park near Seneca Falls was pretty. Rolling hills, farms with crops of corn, peaches & cherries, horse ranches, etc. This is a beautiful part of the Country.
Cayuga Lake is one of series of large lakes making up what is called the Finger Lakes Region. The lakes are long & narrow; much like a finger. Our campsite is a short walk to the lake. Grilled chicken, sausage, fresh corn & yellow squash. We cook out on the grill most nights. Carol is reading. Anxious to find out the end of The Navigator story by Clive Custler. It's a good story; I read it earlier on the trip. I'm still working on the Civil War trilogy. Decided to just stay one night here so we can extend out stay in Burlington by a day or so. If we're ever in the area again, we would come back here. Two years ago we toured Upstate NY along the Seaway Trail running along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence Seaway. We like this part of NY; we'll be back again.

Niagara Falls, NY

Arrived at the Four Mile Creek State Park about noon after stopping to restock groceries. The regional grocery store is TOPS. Had a nice selection of fresh foods, salads, etc. Bought some cherries and corn from a roadside stand. The cherries were excellent; corn for dinner another day. On the way here we filled up with some ,relatively speaking, cheap Seneca Indian gas for $2.81/gal. The Indians are getting their revenge on the Pale Face by selling a Seneca brand of cigarettes for only $9.99/carton. I can only imagine how nasty a $9.99/carton cigarette must be.

The campground is nice. Located right on Lake Ontario. Has a good dog beach for Gopher.

Late in the day we took a ride to the Old Fort Niagara SP then to Whirlpool SP for a nice view of the Niagara River.

On Friday we went to the Niagara Falls State Park; the oldest SP in America. That's where the Falls are located. We went on the Cave of the Winds tour. You go down an elevator to river level then descend into a cave and along the falls on a set of stairs. We couldn't do the stairs but we enjoyed the view nonetheless. After we went back to the camper for lunch then took Gopher on a real nice walk all along the river. Visited the Three Sisters Islands. Niagara Falls was a very touristy area as we had expected but it was a quality sort of touristy. Not tacky like Ocean City, Md or Myrtle Beach, SC.

Took a ride around Lewiston, NY in the afternoon then back to the campground. Took some more walks then went for a swim in Lake Ontario. Had a very nice day. Talked to our neighbors in the evening. Nice people from the Albany, NY area.

On Saturday we took a drive north along Lake Ontario to Olcott then east to Lockport; an historic Erie Canal town. Two years ago when we did our rails-to-trails tour of New England we rode and camped along the canal around Syracuse. Bought some more sweet corn at a roadside stand. Went to church at the Our Lady of Fatima Shrine. There is a large garden area with 125 life size statues of different saints. In spite of the rain, we enjoyed both the Mass and the garden. See the photo. One of the very few of both of us. A nice guy took the picture for us after church.

Rained on & off all day. The first all day rain of the trip. Woke up this morning to 55*. Felt good for a change.

Tomorrow we move on drifting slowly towards Burlington, VT then Mystic, CT for the Wagner family reunion.

Evangola State Park, Irving, NY

We spent July 10h & 11th at the Evangola State Park in Irving,NY; about 45 minutes west of Buffalo. Right on Lake Erie. Has a wonderful view of the lake. There is a beautiful sandy beach within an easy walk. We spent most of our day reading, swimming with Gopher and just enjoying the view.

Tomorrow we head over to the Niagara Falls area for the weekend. Since this is the prime camping season, we found it's necessary to make reservations at the state parks for Friday & Saturday nights. Most other times our travels have been planned to be off season. We prefer the off season because we're not tied down by reservations.

Enjoying ourselves. Both reading very interesting books. Carol's reading the new Clive Custler book Alex bought us and I'm on the last of the Civil War trilogy by Shaara.

Near Saegertown, PA

We very much enjoyed this campground and the surrounding area. Woodcock Lake is a Corps of Engineers(COE) project. Like most other COE projects we've visited, it's very well maintained. Took a ride around the lake stopping at the two day use areas. One had a nice creek supplied by water from the dam. Lots of fisherman trying for trout. Carol remember seeing a produce stand as we came into town. We stopped and bought some local corn, yellow squash and a sweet potato to do on the grill tonight. We've become addicted to our new Weber gas grill. Most nights we cook on it. It's fun, makes the food taste good and keeps the heat and cooking smells outside. The grilled sweet potatoes with the brown sugar & cinnamon coating are one of our favorites. After dinner we walked down to the lake to let Gopher have one last swim.
If our travels ever bring us back this way, we'll stop here again.

Through July 8th

We spent July 5th & 6th at the Rural Retreat, Virginia, municipal campground. Rural Retreat is in a very, very rural, very Southern part of far western VA. The campground primarily serves the local folks. Ours was one of the very few out-of-state tags. The County Fair was in progress not far from the campground. One of the featured events was a Hillbilly Olympics. Can't guess what that might be. Spittin' chewing tobacco? Smashing beer cans against your forehead? Who knows. Fishing and beer drinking were the primary recreational activities of the campers. Very friendly people. Whenever we were walking around the campground they would stop and chat. We found a path that Carol was able to use to get to the edge of the lake. Took Gopher off her leash so she could cool off. It's still hot. In the 90's most days.
We enjoyed our stay here. If we were ever in the neighborhood again, we would come back.

On Saturday morning we went to the Corp of Engineers facility at Sutton Lake near Sutton, WV. We had a site right on the river leading to the lake. The campers reminded us very much of the campers at Rural Retreat. Local families enjoying the 4th of July weekend. Beer drinking, loud country music & fishing. A bunch of people just having a fun time. We saw the very same group of people in a rural part of Kansas a few years ago and again at campgrounds in rural Montana. This is the core of America I think. Decent people doing their job, raising a family and enjoying themselves.

All through NC, VA & WV we were surprised at how many people smoked. A lot more than we typically see at home. We had breakfast in NC and people were smoking in the restaurant. Haven't seen that in years. Saw lots of really overweight kids as well. I guess the health craze hasn't hit these very rural areas yet. An ad we saw for a local fireman's fundraiser breakfast featured biscuits & gravy. Of well. Not surprised I suppose.

On Sunday morning we left for the Colonel Crawford Public Park near Saegertown, PA. This is where this update is coming from. We're very impressed with this municipal RV park. It's late. I'll write about the Colonel in a few days.
Having a nice time. Found a Panera Bread on the way here. Good sticky buns. Can't criticize the overweight kids to much. :-)

Four Paws Kingdom, Rutherfordton, NC

Arrived at 4 Paws on Saturday, June 30 for a five day stop. We've been here before and always have such a nice time. The other campers are always so friendly. The common interest in dogs always makes striking up a conversation so easy. Of the people we've met, Karen & Tina, from Hartford, CT and their dogs Journey, a chocolate lab, and Jake the Mutt, Karen's ill behaved "son", stand out. We've really enjoyed their company. It's funny; in a dog park environment, we seem to remember the dogs names rather than the peoples. Met the wonderful "parents" of Startsky the golden retriever, Milo and his sister ??, the miniature dauxhund (sp?), Marnie the gorgeous Australian shepherd and Finnegan the Iris Setter.

The campground, as the name suggests, is very much orientated around people who travel with dogs. http://www.4pawskingdom.com/

On Saturday night we went to a "Old World Fare" dinner prepared by the German born owner's, Bridgett and Meik. Had Hungarian goulash, black forest schnitzel, smoked bratwurst, on & on. On Saturday we joined in the Dog Olympiad. An assortment of dog games. That night we entered the Chili Cook-off contest. Didn't win but had such a nice time with all the other people we met here. On Monday, Carol painted a bandanna for Gopher. See the photo. Tuesday was a Day at the Beach for the dogs.

Today is the 4th of July. Went blackberry picking on the nature trail. With some pushing & pulling, I was able to get Carol's scooter onto the trail. Really wish they made 4 wheel drive scooters. After that it was swim time for the dogs. In the evening we joined in on the pot luck supper. Had a wonderful day.

Leaving in the morning with Burlington, VT being our goal by July 23rd before we go to Mystic for the reunion. We'll be travelling north from here through VA, WV,PA & NY. Going to stop by Niagara Falls. Never been there before.