Maine Lobster Festival - Belfast, ME (7/30-8/10/2023)

Rain continued to plague us overnight before our drive to Belfast, Maine.  After Mike cleaned Ruth's roof of buckets of rain that had pooled overnight and the remaining acorns, we headed out towards Belfast, ME.  This stop was targeted specifically to attend the annual Lobster Festival held in Rockland, ME each year.  

This drive was made a little more difficult as Mike had been experiencing some back pain that was making for sleepless nights. Dealing with medical issues on the road can be challenging, but luckily we can find urgent care and emergency services within our insurance plan.  

The Moorings campground was located right on the water and we settled in for a couple of days of rest and recuperation. We were able to ride our bikes into Belfast via a purpose built footbridge.  This was our first real glimpse at one of those picturesque Maine harbor towns you might see on a post card.  We would see many more.  Belfast had a lovely walking/bike path along its waterfront towards town and a 2.5 mile gravel path along the water away from town.  

View from front window of Ruth

Mike had a few rough days at the start of this trip until the Prednisone kicked in.  That allowed us to attend the Lobster Festival on Thursday 8/3.  The festival itself was smaller than I expected.  There were a couple of music stages, an art display and a gitchy pirate ship tour and of course lobster.

We sampled a lobster dinner and lobster mac and cheese.  It was fresh and tasty.  We enjoyed some acoustic guitar at one of the music venues then walked the town of Rockland before heading home.  While this was an anchor event for this trip, we both agreed that this was the only day we would likely attend. 

Mike was still struggling to get back to normal and feel good enough to drive to our next stop in Eastport, ME.  We were able to rearrange our reservations to stay a few more days in Belfast and just shorten our stay in Eastport.  Both campgrounds were very accommodating and we had a revised schedule.  

We enjoyed our extra days in Belfast be going to Young's Lobster Pound on the pier and attending an outdoor evening concert presented by Camden Summer Sounds at the SnowBowl Ski Resort.  It was a lovely evening of Cuban music by Primo Cubano.

 

Strafford South KOA and Kennebunkport, ME (7/19-7/29/2023)

On our drive from Brandon, VT on Hwy 4 through Killington in the Green Mountains and past Woodstock, VT we saw firsthand the damage caused by the flooding.  We were very luck to be able to exit the area on these main arteries that had already been temporarily repaired to restore commercial traffic through Vermont.

We had booked a little KOA on our way to our longer stop at Hemlock Grove near Kennebunkport, ME. The park was rustic and site was extremely unlevel but we got settled in.  We found some good pickleball one day and explored Portsmouth, NH on a lovely day.  Had some more rain, but nothing torrential. 

On July 24th, we headed to Maine.  As we had a short drive, I drove the Jeep separately.  Mike fueled Ruth on the way in and we nestled into our spot at Hemlock Grove Campground.  This spot was centrally located between Kennebunk and Portland. We were finally in lobster country. 

The weather had been improving over the last few days, but we did have a couple of rainy days on this stop.  Our site was nestled under a high tree canopy which brings rain drops even after the rain actually stops and in this case also brings the sounds of dropping acorns on top of the RV roof which has a distinctive "BOOM" than timpani sound as it rolls down the roof.  Sounded a bit like we were living inside a pinball machine, needless to say we had a few sleepless nights.

We were not deterred however, from our first "official" lobster roll experience.  We explored Kennebunkport on a beautiful sunny day along with hoards of tourists.  The shops and restaurants were plentiful... welcoming a long stroll around the waterfront ending with a meandering drive along the coastline.  We passed the Walker's Point Estate (Bush family compound) and finally turned inland at Goose Rock's Beach. 

You can literally get lobster everywhere and anywhere.  After our lobster roll experience, we opted to have a couple of lobsters steamed for us that we could eat at home.  After watching a couple youtube videos on the proper way to crack open a lobster, Mike went at it like a pro and we had lobster at home.  We learned all about soft shell vs. hard shell and also watched a video of a lobster molting its shell.  We went way down the lobster rabbit hole, but we learned a lot of useless knowledge.

Our official entry into Maine included many lighthouses, more than one slice (or whole) of the local wild blueberry pie and coastal drives.  

We explored Portland, Maine via a walking tour of the city with our guide Dugan.  It was a nice, but warm day and we saw much of the city on foot.  We continued on to visit LL Bean's flagship store in Freeport, Maine.  It was an interesting visit. We did not buy anything. 

We played some pickleball one evening in Kennebunk and rounded out our visit with a Beach House History Tour.  We walked along the coast and discussed the age and architecture styles of the various beach side homes, some over 100 years old.  Nice way to round out our visit. 

 

 

Here comes the flood - Brandon, VT (7/8-7/19/2023)

After a very long, curvy, narrow difficult drive from our Alexandria Bay, NY we arrived the small rustic campground of Smoke Rise.  Thankfully our driving day was dry.  We were extremely excited about this stop as we had a planned meet up with some good friends who had rented an Airbnb to join us in exploring this part of Vermont.  We had a full schedule of events from a cooking class, to interesting restaurant reservations, hikes and of course as many hands of Canasta that we could fit in around all of that.  

The forecast for the week was for rain, but not in the volume or duration that we experienced.  Over the next few days the entire state of Vermont experienced biblical rains that caused devastating floods.  The capital of Montpelier was completely washed away by this onslaught.  We were lucky enough to not be located near any river or stream tributaries or Ruth would have needed pontoons. 

When we woke up the first morning and saw the disaster area that was Vermont, we were faced with the reality that some main and many secondary roads leading to our planned activities were either flooded or covered in earth from landslides.  Our cooking class that was located in nearby Killington was cancelled, they informed us that they were flooded from both sides and there was no way in or out.

The rain kept on coming and the water flowed downhill as it will, swelling picturesque Vermont streams into torrents that continued to creep onto roadways, into towns and fields that became temporary ponds.  The news continued to be bad for Vermont and parts of New Hampshire, our planned next stop. 

Luckily for us, our friend's Airbnb was spacious and only minutes away from our campground.  We got together that first day and regrouped.  Although our travel radius had become quite limited, we sought out some more "secondary" activities that were accessible. 

No visit to Vermont would be complete without a visit to a maple syrup museum.  It was small and a little hokey but we sampled maple ice cream enjoyed their display of history and artifacts.  We explored the waterfront town of Burlington and visited the Shelbourne Museum when there was a break in the rain.

On a misty afternoon, we toured the Morgan Horse farm and the Wilson Castle.  The Wilson Castle was very creepy upon approach.  There was not a car in the grown over grass parking lot.  We thought for sure that it was closed.  We approached the front entry and were greeted by a very enthusiastic docent for the place.  Technically, the building is considered a castle, but it had a long way to go to restore it to its former glory.  The castle had an extremely interesting history and is considered to be very haunted.  The visit turned out to be worth it at then end of the tour.  

On our last evening with our friends, we had dinner reservations at a little French bistro in Brandon, VT, within walking distance of their place.  No risk of flooding impacting this night out.  The skies were darkening as we headed out.  We had just sat down at the near empty restaurant on a Thursday night.  Before our cocktails arrived, all of our phones were alarming that there was a tornado warning in our area.  Oh, and did I mention the power was flickering on and off in the restaurant?  We were all looking for an interior stairwell to dive into. It was a quick storm and after significant wind, rain and darkness, it passed and we were able to enjoy a lovely meal. 

This stop also brought with it some concern over Ruth's performance and and down the hills.  Mike was on top of it as always and we were able to get it checked out while were here in Vermont.  Ruth is just heavy and slow,  I can relate. 

We had fun with our friends despite the weather, played a lot more Canasta and watched a lot more of Wimbledon than expected.  But the continuing rain made our planned next stop in the Twin Mountain, NH not very practical.  We cancelled that reservation and stayed in Brandon, VT for a couple extra days then booked spot in southern NH that had been out of the rain bands on our way to our first stop in Maine, Kennebunkport.

In a New York State of Mind: Jazz, Family and 1000 Islands (6/21-7/8/2023)

One of the anchor points of this trip was to attend the Rochester Jazz Festival, and as a bonus meet up with Mike's brother and sister-in-law at their seasonal campsite in Byron, NY.  We had camped there once before but not with Ruth.  It is a very busy park and we had the good fortune of booking early so got a spot for a week.  

After a slight routing mishap that brought us in on a gravel road (not ideal) we arrived and set up camp.  We were within walking distance of their campsite, but Steve was kind enough to borrow a golf cart from a friend for us to borrow during our stay.   

The four of us had tickets to see Bonnie Raitt at the festival one night and we planned to attend some of the other free music throughout the week.  Mother Nature threatened and actually rained on us more frequently than we had hoped so we only got over to Rochester one additional day for music.  However, Bonnie Raitt sounded amazing and it was such a treat in such a beautiful intimate theatre. 

We played a bit of pickleball, rode our bikes along the Erie Canal and enjoyed a nice visit with Mike's brother and sister-in-law and even his nephew and family for a few days.  Mike finally had a chance to get out his pizza oven for lunch one day.  

Music, campfires and pizza

Our next stop was 1000 Islands Campground, nestled between Alexandria Bay and Clayton, New York.  We stayed here over July 4th weekend.  Clayton had their planned fireworks celebration on the 3rd awhile Alex Bay had theirs on the 4th.  As the weather looked better on the 3rd, we opted to get a spot on the waterfront, pack a picnic and enjoy the celebration in Clayton.  Clayton hosted a band that played all the hits of the 70's and 80's, right up my alley.  It was a lovely, small town evening. 

We had a few nice weather days in which we took a boat tour to Singer Castle.  Gal's Place ice cream was located right in front (walkable) of the campground, there was a line every night.  The holiday weekend was crazy, but we did manage to polish off a hot fudge sundae one evening after dinner.   

The Clayton Antique Wooden Boat Museum was worth a stop.  Multiple buildings full of works of art on the water and many of them are aging very well. 

We also packed our bikes on the Jeep one morning and traversed the bridge into Canada for an enjoyable trail ride and lunch.  Thank goodness for e-bikes on those hills.  The border crossing was non-eventful. 

This is an area that could easily lend itself to a much longer exploration, but it is time for us to head to Vermont.

Continuing our Northerly Trek (6/14-6/21/2023)

We had a quiet 2 day stop at Claytor Lake State Park in Virginia as we followed our path north.  It was an enjoyable, quiet stope right up until Mike was airing up the front tires before our departure. When I went to replace the tire pressure cap (my contribution to the process), air was rushing out and just kept coming.

Of course, I yelled for Mike to come over and see what was wrong.  We just had new front tires put on before we left on this trip.  Mike was able to slightly tighten the stem and stop the air rushing out, but unsure what was wrong with the valve or stem, he thought we should have it checked.  We scrambled to contact a local semi-truck repair place in the small town of Dublin, VA.  They said they would look at it first thing if we would come on over. They looked it over and verified that nothing was wrong with the stem.  Mike had corrected the problem when he tightened it.  Oh well, we hooked up the Jeep and continued on down the road. 

Our next stop was at Caledonia State Park in Fayetteville, PA.  I chose this stop as it was close enough to tour Gettysburg nearby.  The state park was very woodsy and had a very steep incline to get up to our loop.  Our site had a significant slope and a cement barrier at the back.  This was going to be interesting. 

We have driven up on wood to get level before, but this slope was beyond challenging.  After several attempts and frayed nerves, we manually leveled as best we could.  We considered looking for another campground, but between it being a weekend in the summer and how much further we would have to drive, we tried to make this work.  

The next morning, Mike said to me through the open door of the RV.  "I don't want to alarm you, but you need to put up the jacks and we need to go get some more wood."  Our best from last night would need to be improved.  We drove about 45 minutes to an 84 Lumber so Mike could get the type of wood needed to use as leveling supports under the tires and jacks.  He hand cut (with a $10 Walmart handsaw) these thick boards to size and we set about re-leveling the coach.  We were still at a pretty wicked front to back angle but we would be secure for the remainder of our stay.

Once we felt comfortable that we would not roll down the hill while we slept, we visited Gettysburg  three times while there.  

We visited Spangler Farm, a restored field hospital that was used in the civil war battles that raged in the area.  The volunteer docents were spread throughout the dressed in civil war era clothing and spoke to the various medical needs and procedures used here.  Sobering. 

We spent a full day with an audio car tour of the Gettysburg Battlefields and Cemetery.  The information was thorough and educational.  We also spent about a half of a day at the Gettysburg Museum.  There were so many artifacts and informational signs to read we were both exhausted at the end of the tour or maybe it was just the weight of the history of that place. 

The Caledonia State Park also had trees that were raining sap down on Ruth, the Jeep and everything else along with some very unpleasant large black ants.  I won't go into the details, but they were plentiful and rather nasty.  

We had thoroughly toured Gettysburg, had some kick-a** brisket for lunch at 65 South BBQ  it didn't look like much on the outside but the brisket was top 5.  Mike solo hiked a little more of the Appalachian Trail and we decided to move on a day early and head to Corning, NY. 

The Great Smoky Mountains (6/17-6/14/2023)

I had heard very good things about The Ridge Outdoor Resort in Sevierville, TN.  It is nestled between the two tourist trap towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.  In previous trips we had been to both of the other towns and pretty much vowed never to return.  While we did have to pass through a time or two on our way to other places, we did avoid the touristy areas pretty well. 

This was a lovely, very large camping resort with plenty of space between sites and well over 100 total sites.  The property had a pool, hot tub a lazy river and fishing pond. We got an end spot on a small circle at the top of the property and it was perfect for sunset views.   

There were about 6 sites on the hill with full fireplaces,
grill and a hot tub.  We did not have one of these sites,
but they were full the whole time we were there. 

We were traveling on a Wednesday and we had hoped that the weather would cooperate for us to ride our bikes on the Cades Cove Loop in the Great Smoky Mountain State Park.  Each Wednesday they close the loop to cars and you can ride your bike without the fear of being run over.  Mother Nature rained on us though and instead we wound up at a singer/songwriter night at The Listening Room.  

We rode our bikes on the Greenway trail that was accessible from the resort.  It was mostly sidewalk, not really bike path along a roadway.  It wasn't all that much fun.

A 30 minute drive from the RV park and you were welcomed to the Great Smokey Mountain National Park.  We headed into GSMNP to drive Cade's Cove loop and to find the 11 mile gravel road (only open in the summer).  The traffic was extreme and did not make the drive on the loop that enjoyable.  The 11 mile road peeled off about a third of the way around and so down the mountain we went.  This was out first encounter with a black bear, saw more than 4 while here.   After 11 miles of switchbacks, a milkshake was in order on the way home at The Chocolate Bar in Townsend, TN.

Crossed the road right in front of us like we were not even there.

We played some pickleball at lovely courts in the local park and had lunch at one day at the English Mountain Trout Farm.  You could catch your trout and they would fry it up for you or, as we opted, you can skip the catching part.  It was fun to watch the families there catching fish while we ate outside at a picnic table.  Fun, quirky little stop.

Fried green tomatoes were also on point. Cool stop.

We went back to GSMNP two more days, once to do the drive and hike to Clingman's Dome and to revisit the full Cades Cove Loop.  After a strenuous hike UP, we were treated to some beautiful views. We then hiked a small part of the Appalachian Trail as it was near the Clingman's Dome return hike.  The early morning hike to Clingman's Dome was pretty cold when we started out but we wanted to start earlier in the morning to avoid the traffic jams.  We saw a few more animals (more bears) and had a little better experience on Cades Cove Loop than our first attempt.  We used the GuideAlong app for GSMNP and it was helpful with interesting facts and recommendations of what to see throughout the park.  

Clingman's Dome Observation Deck

We were busy every day and the week went by quickly.  Definitely more to do here, but got to keep on movin'. 

Jazz and Lobster 2023 (6/2-6/7 2023)

 That actually would be a good name for a band, but that is a topic for another time.

  

We are back out on the road in Ruth for our escape from the Florida summer heat with stops in Rochester, NY for the Jazz Festival and Rockland, ME for the Lobster Festival plus the journey in between.  We departed on June 2nd and we have been so busy working our way up North that I have just now had time to post.  

Florida is a long state and it takes about a whole day of driving to hit the state line and make our way to our first overnight in Cordele, GA.  Over the years traveling I-75, we have passed Carroll's Sausage and Country store in Ashburn, GA.  We had never stopped until now.  Well, we quickly saw what we had been missing.  

Pictured is a pork chop stuffed with
sausage and wrapped with bacon.
Yes, it was delicious. 

It had a nice size dirt lot to park Ruth in for the visit.  They actually even have RV spots, but we already had plans to be further up the road for the night.  The store was a purveyor of pork, beef,  cheeses and many other fresh looking items.  We stocked the freezer with sausages, bacon, frozen cathead biscuits and prime rib meat sticks.  If you are driving by this place it is a mistake.  Stop and fill your cooler.  You won't be disappointed. 

We stopped for the first time at a Love's Truck Stop RV Hook Up.  Right off the interstate adjacent to the Truck Stop.  We were pleasantly surprised by the facilities and we did not find the truck stop noise to be bothersome inside Ruth.  A bit pricey for an overnight, but overall a B+ experience.  We would use them again for a convenient one night stopover.  

What was a bonus was the Smoakies Bar-B-Que within walking distance of the truck stop.  We got a take out of brisket that was just out of this world along with some first rate fried green tomatoes. 

The next day of driving on a Saturday would require us to drive through the badlands of Atlanta on our way to Ellijay, GA.  Ellijay is the "Apple Capital of Georgia" (never knew of such a designation before) and is at about 1,280 feet of elevation. This may not sound like a lot after our past two years of travel out west, but it was enough elevation to get some cooler temperatures than we left behind in Florida.

After the drive through Atlanta and a 50 min traffic delay through Marietta, GA.  4 lanes were dead stopped, I drove about 5 feet at 1mile per hour on I-75 so Mike could take a "comfort" break in the middle of the jam.  I can now say I drove on I-75.  Talona Ridge was a delightful and much needed first landing spot. 

The RV resort was beautiful, amenity rich and nestled among the apple orchards and vineyards of north Georgia.  We met up with some friends in the nearby town of Dahlonega, GA and had a lovely walk through town, a delightful lunch at Monteluce Winery and enjoyed watching a thunderstorm arrive accompanied by live music at Kaya Vineyards.  It was a lovely day and great catching up with friends. 

This stop also presented the opportunity to visit Amicalola Falls. 175 + 475 steps later we viewed the falls from the bottom to the top and even touched on a piece of the Appalachian Trail.  Kind of challenging for my first hike since last summer, but we made it and it was worth it. 

We haven't returned to most of stops, but this one may make the list to return to in the future. Next stop, The Great Smoky Mountain National Park.