PA-MD-WV-VA

Saturday July 13, 2013. We’ve spent two more days’ traveling south. Since the last posting we’ve left New York and traveled into Pennsylvania spending Friday night at the Hershey Thousand Trails Campground. The Hershey TT Campground is one of the crown jewels of this membership campground company and it is always clean and inviting.

Today we traveled a little over 300 miles down I-81 passing thru Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia. As it passes thru Virginia I-81 parallels Skyline Drive and then the Blue Ridge Parkway, it is one of our favorite roads. The Virginia section of I-81 has panoramic vista’s that are as spectacular as any we’ve seen in the country.

We are overnighting in a small campground behind a tourist attraction called Dixie Caverns. It’s not much to look at, actually a little shabby, but it is reasonably priced and has cable TV with over 70 channels! 

Tomorrow we move on to Mount Rogers National Recreation area, we plan on staying there for a few days. Millie has family in the area that we will visit, we also hope to rent bikes and ride the Virginia Creeper Trail.

Maine to New Hampshire to Vermont to New York

July 10/11 2013. Not much to report we are in driving mode, covering about 500 miles in the last two days. Our first day we traveled 200+/- miles from Bar Harbor Maine west to Lancaster New Hampshire. 

We stayed in a large almost empty campground, the campground roads were paved but the ground was very saturated. The owner directed us to a site that was fairly solid ground. It rained all night and I was concerned about leaving in the morning but we didn’t have any trouble.

Day two we drove the rest of the way west across New Hampshire and then turned south on I-91 in Vermont. The interstate meanders thru mountains and valleys as it follows the Connecticut River. It is one of the most scenic turnpikes we’ve seen. At the bottom of Vermont we turned west again drove the width of Vermont and entered New York State. 

After a 300+/- mile run today we are overnighting in a small campground that boarders the Susquehanna River. It is the head waters of the same Susquehanna that flows thru Pennsylvania and Maryland before emptying in the Chesapeake Bay. Now that I think about it we were at the Chesapeake Bay terminus of this river earlier in this trip. It was in the June 11 blog posting, we walked out to the Turkey Point lighthouse where five rivers converge to form the head of the bay. The Susquehanna is one of those five; the other four rivers are The Elk, The Bohemia, The Sassafras, and The Northeast.

                                            Southern terminus of Susquehanna River at Turkey Point Maryland

The travel plan for the next few days is Pennsylvania tomorrow, stopping at the Hershey Thousand Trails Campground, Virginia the next day, overnighting near Staunton around the beginning of Skyline Drive and then Grindstone Campground in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area down in the Southwestern corner of Virginia.

Arcadia National Park, Maine

Sunday July 7 2013. We found the Boston area to be very interesting and you could easily spend an entire vacation there, but it was time for us to move on. I-95 is the most direct route for the first half of our 200+/- mile journey to Arcadia National Park in Maine. Soon we were passing thru long sections of undeveloped forest; it didn’t take long for us to realize there are more trees than people in Maine. I suspect the reason is the harsh winters for it is a beautiful place and you’d think more people would be living here.

About half way to Arcadia we stopped in the town of Gardiner and met with an army comrade of mine, Bob Lamarre and his wife Nancy.  Bob and I have corresponded via the internet but this was our first face to face meeting, I look forward to meeting guys from “our” war, we have a bond that transcends time and it’s always good to see them. 

It is an interesting story of how the internet expands our lives, Bob and I both served with the 195^th Assault Helicopter Company in Vietnam but not at the same time. He left country several days before I got there. It wasn’t until 35+/- years later that we made contact on the 195^th’s website. The commonality between us was Bob’s brother Larry who also served in the 195^th and whom I knew very well. Unfortunately Larry Lamarre succumbed to leukemia some years ago.

After our all too brief visit we continued on to Arcadia National Park. Arcadia is everything you’ve heard about it. It is one of the most scenic wildernesses we’ve ever seen. The thousands of acres of woodlands are located on an island set in the rocky shore of the Atlantic Ocean. Centerpiece of the park is Cadillac Mountain, you can drive to the summit which is 1500 feet above sea level,. Once there you can hike amongst the rocky outcroppings and take in spectacular views of the park and surrounding islands as well as the Atlantic Ocean.

On Mount Desert Island but just outside the park boundary is the small town of Bar Harbor or as the Mainers say it “Ba Haba”.  It is the quintessential tourist town and I must add a very well done version. It has a history dating to the 1700s, preserved waterfront business district; the stores now vending merchandise for the visitors, a vibrant restaurant scene, whale watching charter boats and a water view public park. Millie and I enjoyed lunch overlooking the harbor at the Fish House Grill. Afterwards we bought some homemade blueberry ice cream from BEN & BILL'S CHOCOLATE EMPORIUM. We sat on a bench along the main street and watched the passing parade while we enjoyed the delicious treat. 

Visits to JFK Library and Salem

Friday July 5 2013. Temperatures are projected to be near 100 with a heat index of 105 today so we opted for an air conditioned attraction. We drove down to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in south Boston. It is located on a picturesque harbor side campus overlooking Massachusetts Bay.

The span of the exhibit timeline was JFK from student to President. No mention of his assassination, Oswald, or Dallas was made; only in a small black passage were there little TV screens running news footage of his funeral.

I’m going to give this attraction a must see rating. Even if you were around in 1960’s and think you know the JFK story, I’m sure you will be affected by the presentation, it’s one of those thought provoking experiences.

 Saturday July 6, 2013. We got up and moving early today as we had an early reservation in Salem Massachusetts. Instead our usual guided bus or trolley ride we went on a guided Segway tour of the infamous Salem Witch trials. Our guide, Arielle first gave us an orientation on the two-wheeled, self-balancing, battery-powered electric vehicles that we would be riding. After practicing in the tour company’s indoor class room we drove our Segways out the door and out into the historic downtown. Arielle told us all about the witch trials, which took place in a nine month period in 1692/1693 and resulted in the deaths of 20 people. Nineteen were hanged and one was pressed to death, none of the Salem witches were burned at the stake.

After returning to the motorhome we discussed where our next destination would be. We have to be home in a couple weeks so must stop our northern trek soon and as we used to say in the boating world, turn the pointy end toward home. Tomorrow morning we go to Arcadia National Park in Maine, it will be our northern most stop.

Gloucester and Rockport Massachusetts

Wednesday July 3 2013. We said goodbye to Cape Cod and moved to Rusnik’s Campground about 45 miles north of Boston. There just aren’t many RV parks in the Boston area and this was the closest we could get a site in. It’s an easy commute down the interstate back to the city if we chose to go there. We didn’t do much of anything in the afternoon, just relaxed in the motorhome and took the dogs for a couple long walks around the campground.

Thursday July 4 2013. We drove south along the shore to Gloucester and then Rockport. Gloucester is the larger of the two towns; it has a large commercial harbor that services the fishing industry. Gordon's Seafood has a large operation in the harbor. The town is not particularly a tourist destination which surprised me; it does however have a nice promenade that runs along the harbor for about ½ mile. There is a narrow canal that intersects the walkway; it was interesting to see the boats negotiating the strong current flowing thru the narrow waterway. It brought back memories of my boating days, except it seemed like every time I committed to a similar traverse some yahoo in front of me would break down or do something incredibly stupid and I would have to do some fancy maneuvering.

The Gloucester is most notable for its memorial to fishermen that have been lost at sea; it is located on the promenade overlooking the harbor. The 8-foot-tall bronze statue of a fisherman dressed in oilskins standing braced at the wheel on the sloping deck of his ship. The surrounding plagues list the names of all the local fishermen lost over the last three century’s. A panel on the front of the base holds an inscription taken from the Bible’s Psalm 107:23, "They That Go Down To The Sea In Ships".

Rockport is much more tourist oriented than Gloucester. The harbor area is shops of all sorts, but Rockport’s claim to fame is its harbor carved into the rugged shoreline and of course it’s red fishing shack. 

 On Bradley Wharf, it has for years been one of the most famous sites on Cape Ann as the subject of hundreds of paintings and photographs by aspiring artists from all over the world. After touring the harbor area we were able to get lunch seated on a shaded patio overlooking the water; it doesn’t get much better than that!

                                                           Lobster Salad Sandwich

Provincetown, Massachsetts

Tuesday July 2, 2013 we decided to drive out to the end of the peninsula stopping at the Cape Cod National Seashore before reaching lands end and the town of Provincetown. We stopped at the visitor’s center to pick up a map and get suggestions on things to see in the park. Traffic on the park roads wasn’t that heavy but every spot we planned to stop at, the parking lot was full. Cars were lined at the entrance and they didn’t let a car in until one left. Our visit became a driving tour, but that was ok, we’ve seen miles of sand dunes and climbed many lighthouse steps, and to be honest they’re all starting to look the same.

The night before I did some research on Provincetown so I thought I was prepared for the following situation. As we entered Provincetown one of the first things we came upon was a gay couple walking down the street. Having done my research I told Millie we would be seeing more as 1/5 of the town’s population is gay. The further we drove down the narrow street through the waterfront business district the more of them we saw. It was like an episode from The Twilight Zone, we were transported to a town where everyone was gay except us. 

Before I continue this story I have to tell you about another very strange behavior here on Cape Cod. Bicyclists and pedestrians meander down the traffic lanes with no apparent regard for vehicles. There will be a sidewalk or bike path adjacent to the road and the folks will be wandering aimlessly down the traffic lanes. We’ve even encountered adults with tiny babies in strollers or bike carriers tying up traffic as they go zombie like on their way. When you come up behind a biker, they’re not going straight arrow down the right ¼ of the highway like we’re used to seeing. The cyclists up here wallow around the lane in front of you as if they’re drunk or high on something. I know this sounds like an exaggeration or a made up story, but it has happened to us again and again.

Back to the Provincetown story, as we drove down the very narrow street we had to drive very slowly because of all the people on foot and pedal. Just as their straight brethren Cape Cod-ians do, the gay blades (Sorry but I’ve got to call a spade a spade, these fella’s were flamboyantly gay) of Provincetown also congregate in the street. So I’m going at a snails pace, by now just trying to get the heck out of there. The fellas who are in pairs and groups are stopping in front of us to greet. Lots of kissing and hugging going on, I’m doing one of those, hold head in hand and twist head to avoid looking maneuvers.

I’m trying really hard to not be judgmental or demeaning in any way, but I’m sure you will agree this was a very bizarre experience for an elderly straight couple

The National park has a beach access just outside of town and on our exit we decided to stop and check out the ocean. Once again we encountered some of the fellas, now they were wearing Speedos and pedaling bikes to the beach. I told Millie I would probably be getting a speeding ticket trying to get outta there!

   

Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Sunday June 30 2013 was another soggy day in Rhode Island. We decided to go to the movies to see White House Down. It is an action film about one man rescuing the president when the white house is attacked by bad guys. It reminded me of a Bruce Willis’s Die Hard type film. 

We left early on our way to the theater and stopped at the waterfront town of Narragansett Pier. We walked the promenade along the water, stopping for a while to watch a surfing championship.

On our way from Narragansett to the movies we had a front brake caliber stick on the jeep. There doesn’t seem to be any end to the brake problems on the jeep. It cooled off while we were in the movies and hasn’t stuck since, but it will, it’s just a matter of time.

It all started after the jeep sat in the garage for about a year. In 2011 when I was downsizing my fleet of vehicles I started driving it again. Front calipers started sticking, the house was sold and I was living in the motorhome so I took it to a garage. They changed everything brake related in front of the firewall. It cost me a bunch but I figured it was a garage kept vehicle in like new condition so it was worth the money. In December 2012 it needed rear brake pads, I told the jeep dealer to just change out the rear calipers. He agreed that installing loaded calipers (calipers already fitted with new brake pads) was the way to go. As you know six months later one of those new calipers locked up earlier on this trip and I had to have the rear brakes replaced again in Delaware.

                                        Big white house in the background is Kennedy compound

Monday July 1, 2013 we departed Rhode Island looping around Narragansett Bay. Along the way we passed through the state capital of Providence and then cities of Fall River and New Bedford. Our destination campground is in Cape Cod Massachusetts, it is just across the street from Nantucket Sound. After setting up the motorhome on our site we took the jeep and drove over to Hyannisport. It is not hard to find the much photographed family compound of the Kennedys. No one came out to greet us; I guess they weren’t home!