This evening we were outside, grilling dinner, when we saw a familiar coach coming down the road, just like the one the nice folks Carl and Martha had in CT. When I pointed it out to Clem, he said, that's them! Nah....they had horses on ..........wait......there are horses on the side!!! And Florida plates! No way!!
I started down to the office, just as Martha came out and got in the coach, so I waited for them to come down to the site. She waved as she saw and recognized us! What are the odds!! We invited them to join US for a glass of wine once they were settled, and we spent another pleasant evening chatting with them, sharing stories and some good laughs. This time, we swapped information, as I wished I had done before, and I do hope we will get to see them again!
That we should both be at the same campground, out of all the campgrounds....and if we had not been delayed by the car.......... amazing!
A Hitch in the Giddiup!!
Thursday, Aug 24
A quick overnight stop in Staunton, VA, we planned an early departure to get to NC today. All tucked in and secured and ready to go, the car had other ideas! Nope....not going to start!
We read the manual, googled the videos, and having no luck, called for help! It seemed most likely a dead battery, but the Sync system was behaving oddly, and I suspected it may have something to do with it. Sure enough, after getting a jump, and driving it to a nearby Ford dealer, it turns out that yes, the battery needs to be replaced, but the Sync was draining it!
So 6 hours later, we are good as new. We opted to spend another night here, and head out early tomorrow, since it is so late. Surprises like this are never good, but at least we were in the campground. And truthfully, I was happy to have the opportunity to rest a bit, since I have been driving for two days, and didn't get the best nights rest. As they say, all is well that ends well!
We are in the front, where overnighters park, but we took a walk around the large campground, and it was very nice, with a large pond, and lots of ducks. Of course, I had to feed them, and the office had bags of duck food for sale! Very smart!
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| I could stay here and chill for a few days! Falling leaves!! |
Another travel day
And more slow downs! There are so many trucks and so much construction! Slow going and sometimes I feel like I am threading the needle between the jersey barriers, which are so closely aligned! It is obvious that some have been hit, and I certainly don't want to do that!
We stopped at a very nice rest area, with big green spaces, and even some cute little bridges, for a pleasant picnic lunch. I mentioned stopping at some caverns in the area, but the man is on a mission, so onward we must go!
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| Hey, Mom...now that we stopped, how about a treat! |
It's a BEAUTIFUL morning!!!
It is so gorgeous this morning, cool air, lovely breeze, cicadas buzzing......having trouble getting moving!!
Arrived yesterday late afternoon to Harrisburg, PA for the night, and it was hot and humid, the likes we have not seen in quite a while!!
After driving all day, being slowed in traffic and construction, I wanted to be outside, so we took a walk, and had dinner outside, and even watched the evening news on outdoor TV! THE NEWS!!
Yay!! The last stop we could not even get that, and wifi, cable, and cell service have been so sketchy for a while now, it is a luxury to watch the evening news! ha! But we soon decided to go back into the air conditioning, but the rain was moving in anyway, so we repacked chairs and moved in.
Another travel day today, as Clem is ready to be home, and we have two more stops planned, so just making time.
We chatted this morning about how our trips have really been an education. And this trip has provided us entertainment, education, kick back time.....a great combination.
I read an interesting article about how wanderlust may actually be a gene! There may be something to that for me! Especially since I am thinking about the next adventure!
Arrived yesterday late afternoon to Harrisburg, PA for the night, and it was hot and humid, the likes we have not seen in quite a while!!
After driving all day, being slowed in traffic and construction, I wanted to be outside, so we took a walk, and had dinner outside, and even watched the evening news on outdoor TV! THE NEWS!!
Yay!! The last stop we could not even get that, and wifi, cable, and cell service have been so sketchy for a while now, it is a luxury to watch the evening news! ha! But we soon decided to go back into the air conditioning, but the rain was moving in anyway, so we repacked chairs and moved in.
Another travel day today, as Clem is ready to be home, and we have two more stops planned, so just making time.
We chatted this morning about how our trips have really been an education. And this trip has provided us entertainment, education, kick back time.....a great combination.
I read an interesting article about how wanderlust may actually be a gene! There may be something to that for me! Especially since I am thinking about the next adventure!
Elcipse 2017!!
I have searched for days looking for Eclipse glasses, and there are none to be found! This is a huge event, and nationwide for the first time in 99 years, and glasses are sold out and folks are traveling to witness the total eclipse!
I made a viewing box, just in case, but David found some on line, and believe it or not got delivery in time to share! We arranged to meet at a rest area on 495, and have lunch while we were at it! I had texted Chris, and we got there early, and he met us for coffee and a nice visit late morning. I was not comfortable leaving the coach unattended there, so we looked around for someplace to stop, and ended up behind the Littleton High School, where we left it, and went for lunch and visit with the Ogrodnicks. They have been great friends for a very long time, but they really went above and beyond! Get us glasses, meet us to deliver them, and chauffeur us to lunch! Very special!
Not a long trip, but tons of traffic, and horrible roads, and we stopped in Connecticut, at one of the few places available. Let me just say we will not go there again! When I saw the entrance I had to go through, I wasn't sure we would fit, and we couldn't level on the site! And our "neighbor" was flying a confederate flag, and standing by his truck with 8 bottles of beer on the back! We booked two nights in order to be off the road, and see the eclipse, and I was tempted to make it one, but we decided to stay put. We learned later that he was a character, but harmless, but I stayed in that night!
An unusual campground in other aspects, it had a host of contract workers, he being one of them, living there, many with their families, for several months while working on a job. Mostly welders it seemed, and some would then relocate to other jobs, family in tow, kids being home schooled.
We learned all this, because on Monday, as the moon started its path across the sun, I told Clem we should share our glasses and viewing box with anyone who might need it, and they all did!! They came out with double sun glasses on, and a white paper on the ground, trying to view it that way! I approached them, and they were tickled, and we shared the glasses all around, and generally had a good time chatting and marveling at the show! Even at 67%, it was pretty cool. I plan to be in the path of totality for 2024!
A coach pulled in just about at peak, and I offered them a look, and later they invited us over for a glass of wine! We had such a pleasant visit with the couple, and her 99 year old mother! It was so nice, and we enjoyed it immensely, and we will probably never see them again! I feel rather bad about that.....maybe our paths will cross again. They have a home in central Florida, where they have horses.
We again have no wifi, and few tv channels, none of which provide the news!! We have never had a trip like this!
Tuesday we were happy to leave that campground, but waved to our new friends as we pulled out!
I made a viewing box, just in case, but David found some on line, and believe it or not got delivery in time to share! We arranged to meet at a rest area on 495, and have lunch while we were at it! I had texted Chris, and we got there early, and he met us for coffee and a nice visit late morning. I was not comfortable leaving the coach unattended there, so we looked around for someplace to stop, and ended up behind the Littleton High School, where we left it, and went for lunch and visit with the Ogrodnicks. They have been great friends for a very long time, but they really went above and beyond! Get us glasses, meet us to deliver them, and chauffeur us to lunch! Very special!
Not a long trip, but tons of traffic, and horrible roads, and we stopped in Connecticut, at one of the few places available. Let me just say we will not go there again! When I saw the entrance I had to go through, I wasn't sure we would fit, and we couldn't level on the site! And our "neighbor" was flying a confederate flag, and standing by his truck with 8 bottles of beer on the back! We booked two nights in order to be off the road, and see the eclipse, and I was tempted to make it one, but we decided to stay put. We learned later that he was a character, but harmless, but I stayed in that night!
An unusual campground in other aspects, it had a host of contract workers, he being one of them, living there, many with their families, for several months while working on a job. Mostly welders it seemed, and some would then relocate to other jobs, family in tow, kids being home schooled.
We learned all this, because on Monday, as the moon started its path across the sun, I told Clem we should share our glasses and viewing box with anyone who might need it, and they all did!! They came out with double sun glasses on, and a white paper on the ground, trying to view it that way! I approached them, and they were tickled, and we shared the glasses all around, and generally had a good time chatting and marveling at the show! Even at 67%, it was pretty cool. I plan to be in the path of totality for 2024!
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| you can tell how tickled that mom was to have the kids see this |
A coach pulled in just about at peak, and I offered them a look, and later they invited us over for a glass of wine! We had such a pleasant visit with the couple, and her 99 year old mother! It was so nice, and we enjoyed it immensely, and we will probably never see them again! I feel rather bad about that.....maybe our paths will cross again. They have a home in central Florida, where they have horses.
We again have no wifi, and few tv channels, none of which provide the news!! We have never had a trip like this!
Tuesday we were happy to leave that campground, but waved to our new friends as we pulled out!
The Marginal Way and a Trolley Museum
August 19
Saturday started gloomy, and I wanted to try Congdon’s Douhnuts for breakfast, and it seemed a perfect day to do it. Started as homemade doughnuts in 1945, it has grown and expanded to a restaurant and bakery of the most delicious home made doughnuts and pastries, and some good breakfast! Clem had their Honey Bun French Toast, which was their own gigantic sweet roll, split and made into french toast. It was really good....I had a BITE! Clem nearly ate the whole thing! Plus a doughnut! I had a low carb omelet......with my doughnut! Not usually much of a doughnut fan, these were seriously delicious! And substantial, not those light, airy things, and I was stuffed well past lunch time!
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| Giant home made cinnamon roll made into french toast! |
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| Home made....never had such a good bavarian donut! |
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| huge lines, but plenty of staff to keep them moving! |
We set out for Ogunquit, and the Marginal Way, which is a cliffside walk along the ocean, where I figured we could get some exercise and walk off breakfast. We walked all the way to Perkins Cove, browsed some of the shops, sat and enjoyed the water for a while, then headed back, enjoying the view, and a couple of the strategically placed benches where one can relax and enjoy.
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| This would be my choice for a house there! |
Having started early, and being our last day, we decided to seek out the Trolley Museum in Kennebunk, so sat through the clogged traffic that is Route 1, and found an amazing number of trolley’s and old buses and some train cars, in various states, scattered all about the property, in addition to the station gift shop and huge barns which held those that had been beautifully refurbished. Three were sitting outside, ready to take riders to the other side of the property, with the motorman explaining the history and operations along the 100 year old stretch of track. It was interesting to learn that the trolley companies built amusement parks at their stops, making use of the electricity there, and 11 of those parks remain......minus the trolleys! The sun came out while we were there, and we enjoyed roaming around the cars, and climbing aboard to inspect the interiors where allowed. Quite a collection!
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| The seat backs flipped around so you could face the other end of the car, and there were controls on that end as well, to go in the other direction! |
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| Clem had a few more questions for the motorman! |
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| a very ornate trolley from Manchester, NH |
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| This was used to transfer prisoners! Ran on wheels or track! |
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| Pretty classy transportation, car 1030! |
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One of the many, many buses, I liked this one because it was older and more unique. The most bizarre aspect of the place, this old elevated rail station was acquired from Boston, and moved by barge and flatbed, at a tremendous cost, and then it would not fit under overpasses on its way, and they cut the top off!! Now they don't have a place for it, after all of that, and want to sell it, so it sits among the weeds! I think many of the busses they have collected, and continue to collect, may suffer the same fate. |
Lighthouse, Lenny, and Lunch!
Thursday, Aug 17
Whoa!! 41 degrees this morning! Turn on the heat!!!
But it turned out to be a warm lovely day, and we went to Portland to see the Portland Head Light, built in 1791 having been commissioned by George Washington. A really beautiful light, and gorgeous keepers house! How they must have loved living there.
Ram Head light sits out on the ledge beyond the Portland Head Light. Maine has so many light houses!
Stone home of John Goddard, a wealthy lumberman, built in 1858 was also on the site, but had been acquired by the army in 1900, and used as headquarters and a club, and suffered damage in a fire. Such a shame to have such a beautiful structure in such a bad state.
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| Longfellow is thought to have sat here and derived inspiration for his poem ,Lighthouse, as he used to walk to the Light from Portland where he lived, and visit the keepers. |
Stone home of John Goddard, a wealthy lumberman, built in 1858 was also on the site, but had been acquired by the army in 1900, and used as headquarters and a club, and suffered damage in a fire. Such a shame to have such a beautiful structure in such a bad state.
Also the location of Williamson Fort, where old stone fortresses were replaced by cement bunkers during WWI and WWII. We enjoyed walking around and exploring the entire area. Also a recreation park, a lot of people were enjoying the beach on the lovely summer day.
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| one of the old bunkers |
I just HAD to see Lenny, the Chocolate Moose, which is at Len Libby Chocolates, not far from Portland. Made in 1997 , of 1700 pounds of chocolate, and standing in a pool of white chocolate, tinted blue, he is quite a sight! Check one off my Roadside America list, and get some yummy chocolates to boot!
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| We did NOT buy one of these! |
Friday was certainly a big switch in the weather! It absolutely poured, and was accompanied by some fog.....a truly ugly day! We had arranged to meet Howard and Karen at a restaurant on the water, at his request, but it would barely have mattered where we ate! They were on their way to a 50th Wedding Anniversary party in Old Orchard Beach, and stopped on the way by, and it was good to see them, and we enjoyed a nice relaxing lunch at Hobbs Harborside.
So much for a water view for lunch! Don't know why I didn't get a photo of all of us when they arrived!
Clem thought it was just the day for a Bloody Mary, and everyone agreed and joined him!
We felt nice and cozy in our coach, while these poor folks spent time outside, even in the downpour! Yuk!
So much for a water view for lunch! Don't know why I didn't get a photo of all of us when they arrived! 
Clem thought it was just the day for a Bloody Mary, and everyone agreed and joined him!
We felt nice and cozy in our coach, while these poor folks spent time outside, even in the downpour! Yuk!
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