A few words from Millie

When we left Myrtle Beach in our motorhome, a light rain was falling. That did not dampen my excitement for I had looked forward to this trip since our wedding day of April 13^th. This was a combination Honeymoon/Vacation trip with a mixture of destinations planned. Our main objective was to visit family in the Maryland/Delaware area, attend the Syracuse New York RV Rally and then an onward tour of the New England States.

After 47 days and over 3500 miles our objectives have been met and our trip has come to an end. There were many memories made, too many to mention here, however the most special thing to me is the time we spent meandering along country roads. We tried to drive off the interstates as much as possible to view small towns and stop if we saw anything we wanted to visit. Once, in Connecticut we even drove on a dirt road to view a a scenic river.

 I will have special memories of our visit with family in Delaware and helping Larry’s dad celebrate his 90^th birthday, watching granddaughter Delaney play in a softball tournament, and also concerts with Reba McIntyre and Wayne Newton in Syracuse NY. Our ferry ride at Lake George, New York was great with views of the mansions along the shore, our nearby camp site was beautiful and I hated to leave.

What a treat to visit with our friends Clay and Rebecca Fingar on their farm in Stuyvesant Falls NY, they were such gracious hosts and I will have lasting memories of their family and beautiful farm.

Our tour of the Franklin D. Roosevelt library/home in Hyde Park New York was very informative. After seeing and hearing of President Roosevelt’s accomplishments, I am reminded of what a great leader he was in time of war and our countries Great Depression.

My first impression of New York City? So much traffic, so many people and tall tall buildings!

Our tour guide was an excellent source of information and history, I wondered if after 10 hours of almost nonstop talking how he could conduct tours almost everyday. I was very impressed with our tour agenda and the many sights that were included in our day.

Newport RI was most interesting. Again we were fortunate to have chosen a tour guide who was very eager to share his knowledge of the area with stories about the rich and famous who had summer homes there. I will always remember the huge mansions

of Doris Duke, Cornelius Vanderbilt’s and Jackie Kennedy’s mother and stepfather which was used only a few weeks each year. The town was very interesting, however crowded with summer tourists.

Cape Cod Massachusetts could have been any beach community; my mental image was of white clap board cottages and Patti Page singing “Old Cape Cod”  Another less than inviting characteristic of the area is the beaches, other than an occasional park, the ocean beaches are private and reserved for the rich waterfront owners.

The Kennedy compound at Hyenas Port was true to pictures I have seen. Joseph P. Kennedy’s home will soon be open to the public for it and its contents were willed to the state of Massachusetts after the death of Ted Kennedy.

 Provincetown Massachusetts was a HOOT; you have to go there to experience the

“Artistic Environment “ 

I loved Gloucester and Rockport Massachusetts. These waterfront towns were picture perfect with beautiful stone shorelines, sailboats, waterfront shopping and restaurants. We stayed a couple of days longer than planned to see more of the area.

Boston Massachusetts was celebrating the Fourth of July. As in years past the Boston Pops Orchestra was performing with the fireworks display which draws an estimated 200,000 people. Since this was the weekend we were in the area, we decided to skip our plan to go on a professional tour downtown and instead go to the JFK Library. It was a good decision for the library was state of the art with tons of information regarding President Kennedy’s presidency. 

I never thought about riding a Segway before. I have often seen tourists riding them in my neighborhood at Market Common, Myrtle Beach. When Larry told me he had made reservations for us at Salem Massachusetts Segway for a tour, I was a little apprehensive but willing to try something new. It turned out to be a great experience which I highly recommend.   

We had a wonderful Guide/ Segway instructor named Arielle. She was a cute young girl who had a great personality and mannerism for giving Witch History of Salem but with a modern twist. It was another great day….

On our way to Bar Harbor, we stopped at Gardiner Maine for a brief visit with Bob and Nancy Lamarre. Although our meeting was short it was good to spend some time with this nice couple.

Acadia National Park Maine was beautiful. I enjoyed our drive up to the summit of Cadillac Mountain to view the surrounding Atlantic shoreline and the vast stone crest of the mountain. We also stopped at the only beach in the area and were amazed at children swimming in the ice cold water. My only thought was “Kids you should see our beach”

My opinion of beaches thus far, nothing can compare to Myrtle Beach.  

Bar Harbor Maine was beautiful. The shops were very interesting; the Whale Watching Cruise boats were steadily in and out of the harbor. We decided not to take the tour since we saw two whales feeding close to shore when we were at Acadia Park.

Thousand Trails Camping Resort near Hershey Pennsylvania is one of my favorite campgrounds. It is part of our membership plan so we have stayed there often. I think the area is beautiful and the camping facility is as good as it gets. We always visit local Amish roadside stands and get fresh farm produce. Great place…

 It’s always good to get back to my home state of Virginia. For me the soft rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains are a welcome sight. Our visit with family was was far too short, however after a wonderful 18 mile bike ride on the Virginia Creeper Trail and accomplishing the feat of picking three gallons of blueberries from a family member’s farm, it was time to move on.

Pigeon Forge Tennessee should be on everyone’s list to visit. Something for everyone, from small kids to older adults. The live shows we saw were spectacular, showcasing very professional and talented performers. Great Smokey Mountain Nation Forest was beautiful with scenic overlooks and meandering rivers.  

With mixed emotions our long awaited trip has come to an end. We were successful in visiting most of the places we had planned to see. As with all trips you never have the time to see and do everything that’s available for tourists. We had to make some tough decisions to see what appealed to us and we accomplished that. Our next trip will be to the Southwest sometime early fall. But for now, we’ll have to settle on living across the street from the beautiful Atlantic Ocean, taking long walks with our girls (Maggie and Dixie) along the surf while we make our future travel plans.