June 29 – July 5, 2017
Timberland Acres RV, Trenton, ME

The countdown was on, there were only 6 days left of our whirlwind tour with Gary and Carolyn!! We had so many plans while here in the Trenton/Bar Harbor area and very little time to do it in.

2lbs, wow

On the day we arrived and were all set up, off to the store Carolyn and I went scouting out lobstas!! We found them and were they huge, 2 lbs, some were even bigger, at $11.99 a pound, 2 lbs were big enough. They weren’t just good they were excellent!! Gary, in preparation of our feast, had brought the big propane lobsta pot, which all 4 barely fit in. The weather was just perfect for eating outside, slight breeze, sunny with fluffy white clouds.

Upon checking the map we decided to head out along Rte 172 down to the tip of the peninsula, over the bridge to Deer Island and down to Stonington, while checking out all points in-between. While trying to time our trip so we could be at Blue Hills Reversing Falls when the tide came in.

Blue Hill Falls area

tides out at Blue Hill Falls

This was an amazing and strange thing to watch for sure. When the tide is out the ocean water flows in one direction, when the incoming tide starts flowing back in the ocean goes slack and a short time later the water begins to change direction and slowly starts to flow in the opposite direction.

the flow of water heading to the left

same area with the flow of water starting to head to the right

The flow of water increases each minute and the current begins to pick up speed, you then start seeing the waves form and the ocean water starts rising. We were walking along the rocks when the tide was changing, we noticed that the rocks we walked out on were now covered in water, we were then making a mad dash back so we would not have been stranded. No one wanted to land in that water it was so cold!!!

they were having a great time but the water was freezing

While we were waiting for water to change about 6 kayakers and paddle boarders entered the water to ride the tide and throw a football at each other. I think they landed in the water more than they caught the ball. It did look like fun as they rode the waves back in, heading back the other direction took muscle.

Wild Iris at Schoodic Point

Clouds and rain arrived on the day we thought we would hike Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park, this meant there would be no good viewing of the coast line or the ocean. We opted to head over to Schoodic Peninsular along Hwy 1 and down 186 to Schoodic Point which is also in the Arcadia National Park. The peninsula has 2,266 acres about 5% of the Acadia National Park with two towns included, Goldsboro and Winter Harbor.

Schoodic Point

Schoodic Point

The point is 440 ft above sea level, with a very rocky granite shoreline with many volcanic dikes. It was awesome to see the wild iris growing around the rocks, I wonder how they could survive on salt water.

Volcanic dike

Gary and Carolyn

Us and LaciLou too!

We didn’t get far on our drive one day when Guy and I spotted Mill Stream antique store, with very old free standing fireplaces in the window. There was no place to turn around so we kept heading for our destination, thinking we could stop on the way back. Once we made the loop we decided to stop at Bartlett Maine Wine and Distillery, our mouths were watering…we were so disappointed when we found out it was closed. Darn!!

We did get to stop at the Mill Stream Antique store, checked out the refurbished fireplaces, all of them made in the later 1800’s into the early 1900’s. The man that refurbishes them is 85 yrs old and has refurbished about 80 of them which are for sale. The store was built in the 1800’s, the walls and ceilings are very old rusty tin, the floors were old oak and sloped in all different directions. The wall paper was cracked and pealing off, the stair creaked when you walked up, but what a treasure to walk thru.

Guys favorite, made 1886, refurbished

Every year for the 4th of July, Timberland Acres RV, holds a free bbq for all who are staying there. This year Gary was the chosen singer to play while the bbq was held. The bbq started at 12:30pm and by 2:00pm everyone was fed, listened to music and gone back to their rigs. I think that was the fastest bbq party I have ever been to, seems like Gary had just gotten everything set up and it was over.

Gary, singing patriotic songs

any one seen red hot dogs? if you don’t want red or yellow dye these aren’t for you!!

Planning is everything when traveling…we are full time travelers….we should know better….don’t plan to be at a National Park over the holidays….everyone and then some are heading to the parks!!! What were we thinking??

Stonington harbor, with fog in the background

It’s a great day…lots of sun, windy, not to hot…let’s hike Cadillac Mountain today!!! We decided to leave a little earlier than our normal time…as we found out it wasn’t early enough!!! The traffic into the Acadia National Park isn’t to bad…our spirits are still high…we get to the turn for Cadillac…what are the rangers doing…there are road blocks up ….no entry…full…what…this can’t be…we head to the next spot…road blocks…we get to Jordan Pond House Restaurant…road blocks…full!!! Okay, this was not a great idea..

Stonington

We decide to leave and just drive along the island over to Mt. Desert Island and to Deer Island. The scenery is amazing along the rocky coast, the homes which are so large and stately, trees that overhang the streets, flowers along the road and in yards that are perfectly manicured, the different colored fishing boats bobbing from their moorings, the lobster traps floating over the waves. So picturesque and relaxing.

the bridge to Deer Island and Stonington

Stonington

With our travel day coming up fast, Carolyn decided to have a reset day, laundry and cleaning, while Guy and I decided to head up the coast farther along Hwy 1, the State Scenic Hwy.

Guy and I were getting a little disappointed driving along Hwy 1, as there was not really anything to see, until we finally made the turn on 186, down to Jonesport, which is a quaint fishing village right on the coast. The harbor was filled with lobster boats, and lobster traps. It looked like the whole town was at the Coast Guard facility standing in the parking lot. When Guy slowed down we could read the sign, there was to be a boat race for the 4th of July. They also had a food truck selling hamburgers and hotdogs, where the line was a mile long.

looking back at the town of Jonesport

Jonesport

lobsta pots

We could see a bridge that lead over to an island, the map showed it was Beals. Driving over the bridge we could view the water with the lobster boats and traps patiently waiting for the lobster men to return. It seemed that every house had lobster traps in their yards, some had a few while others had hundreds.  As we drove around this small village, we kept thinking where is the closest big town (we think 2 hrs away), we didn’t see any grocery stores, walmarts, dollar stores or hospitals. Both Jonesport and Beals must be pretty self sufficient or order on line for what they need.

Our last night with Carolyn and Gary was bitter sweet, they were headed for the west coast, with plans to see friends along the way, and were excited to get started. We were headed for the Canadian Maritimes with Adventure Caravans and 20 other rigs for the next 60 days and were excited as well.

Neither Carolyn nor I took pictures of our last night, we both cooked ribs, corn and had potato salad. We sat by the campfire with double chocolate and walnut brownies, reminiscing about our wonderful time together. It was sad to see them pull out before us, but no more than 30 mins later we were texting.

Thanks, for joining us on our Journey, come on back and see the Canadian Maritimes thru our eyes. I am not sure how service will be where we are headed but will try to get a blog out as soon as I can.

June 23- 28, 2017
Moose River Campground, Jackman, ME

The hunt goes on and on,  for the proverbial “Moose”, as we follow the “Moose” signs along the way, we have cameras ready on our drive from NH on into Jackman, Maine. But those elusive “Moose” were still not to be found. We followed along Highway 2 into ME then on up 201 to Jackman, which is 15 miles from the Canadian border. There is one road that leads to Jackman, the town is very remote and small, one grocery, one gas station, a couple of small restaurants. There are numerous ATV trail signs along the road, and a Polaris dealer selling and renting side by sides.

the dam below the Moose River campground

The owner of Moose River Campground told us that there was an old mill and lake  with a dam where the campground is now. Not sure what kind of mill, it burned to the ground in 1935. All that is left now is the cement pillers from the dam. It makes for a pretty waterfall with the Heald Stream River flowing through and along the campground.

Heald Stream River falls

Moose River Campground is the last one before the border, there are only 46 sites, 7 with full hook ups (30 amps) and 10 are seasonal sites. There were only 4 of us for the week, but on the weekends it fills up. I think the rain and the mosquitoes are following us as it has rained every day and we are getting eaten alive! If you kill one there are thousands more at the ready to attack.

a field by the campground

With cameras in hand off we went to find “Moose”. If you are looking for a really great place to fish, this area is for you. There is water everywhere, lots of lakes and rivers. Other than that there is not much to see or do. It was a nice relaxing week for us, lots of campfires, cleaning and doing laundry.

Moosehead Lake

We drove the only other road out of Jackman, (6/15) towards Moosehead Lake,  along the way we stopped for lunch in Rockford where the restaurant had a wonderful view of Moosehead Lake. I had already fixed Guy pancakes and sausage for breakfast so neither of us were hungry, but the seafood chowder sounded and tasted so good.

Lupine

Since we have been on the hunt for “Moose”, every where we go we have seen all kinds of knick knacks with “Moose”. At one of the restaurants we were at,  Guy spotted a  moose door knocker, he really liked it and now he is on the hunt for a “Moose”  door knocker!!! We spied an antique store in Monson, and decided to stop and look, but to no avail!! We will keep trying as now we are on a mission.

moose door knocker

When arriving in Abbot Village, Guy spied another store, “Moosehead Lake Furniture & Cabinetry, gift store”, this looked promising…yes there were lots of “Moose” pepper shakers, towel holders and plenty more “Moose” related items…but no knockers!

Pine table top

We were very impressed by the furniture, made right on the premises. While we were admiring a beautiful table, in came the builder, Dominic. If we ever decide to build another house, we have decided to have him build us a dinning table and chairs.

Continuing our quest for “Moose” we head towards Moscow, back to HWY 201 and home. It was late afternoon and what do we see but an ice cream stand…Yummy! The place is for sale, it’s a gas station, store, restaurant, and ice cream shop, $475,000!! We pass on the offer but do get ice cream blizzards, oreo and heath bar, and a root beer float for Guy.

The upper part of the river leading to Moxie Falls

As we are heading on the last leg of our road trip we spotted a sign “Moxie Falls”, yelling at Guy to turn right…he was fast on the turn…our first mistake was no mosquito spray… Once got out of the car to start the 1 mile walk to the falls we were in trouble. We were attacked by mosquitoes like we were the only meal they had ever had…there was no turning back, we were on a mission to see water, we practically ran to the waterfall…hoping to out run those mosquitoes.  We were so glad we didn’t let them chase us away as this was a wonderful sight to see.

Moxie Falls

pool at bottom of Moxie Falls

The trail meanders through a beautiful area of pine trees and wild flowers, there are stairways and boardwalks with platforms above the falls. Moxie Falls is Maine’s highest waterfall with a 92 foot vertical drop that falls into a pool, leading to smaller falls, then continues downstream to meet the Kennebec River. We could not stay long to enjoy the view as the buzzing and biting were driving us crazy. Taking pictures was a challenge!!

This is what a “Moose” looks like!

SUCCESS!! A “Moose” sighting!!!

Carolyn and I decide to drive along the last 15 miles of the 201 up to Canada to see a couple of waterfalls, the guys want to clean the coaches and trucks so opt to stay home. We found 2 waterfalls, and one “Moose” along the road. I was driving, and luckily no one was behind me as I slammed on the brakes, while Carolyn was yelling “Moose” stop, stop….back up…back up…I decided to turn around…Carolyn was snapping pictures…yelling… hurry…hurry.. speed up…speed up…I grab my camera…trying to take pictures while trying to drive the truck…she’s yelling turn off the wipers….speed up….you guessed it ….we scared him to death… two wild women..laughing and yelling… he took off at lightening speed.

“Moose”

This week has been extremely wet as it has rained every day, we are living in mud, pine needles and mosquitoes. Since we have been stuck inside so much we decided that we needed a dinner out…Carolyn found Hawk’s Nest Lodge & Restaurant, in West Forks, about 20 mins south of Jackman.

The restaurant was in a 3 story log building, the first floor was a wood work room, the restaurant/bar was on the second, the top floor had 4 large lodge rooms. What a great restaurant, atmosphere was just perfect, couches by a large rock fireplace, the table and chairs, and bar were all pine and made by the owner, the food was amazing. Guy and I both had caesar salads and mussels with garlic linguine. We also ordered Maine Blueberry Cheesecake. Yummy!

stopped long enough on the trail to snap this cool tree

We are heading this week to Trenton, Maine just outside Bar Harbor. This will be our last week with Carolyn and Gary.  Then off we head to Herman, Maine and then on to the Canadian Maritimes.

Guy and I hope you all had a Blessed and wonderful and safe July 4th, where ever you were!

Thank you for following along with us, come on back and join our tour of Trenton and then our trip into the Canadian Maritimes.

June 9, 2017, Henderson Bay and Alexandria Bay, NY

Our view of Lake Ontario

The week we spent in the Byron, Ny area was so packed with things to do and see, we really weren’t ready to move on, there was so much more to check out. Since Carolyn and Gary had already headed to Henderson Bay, NY, in the 1000 Island region and were waiting for us, off we went. Little did we know what an awesome area we would be visiting.

our view on Lake Ontario

We actually were a little worried that our gps had taken us a wrong way again as we were making out way to 1000 Island Association KOA in Henderson Bay, NY. Heading  down a very narrow and twisty neighborhood road with trucks and cars lining the street, there was no way a car coming the other way could fit beside us. The view between the homes was awesome, we were on a hill looking down at Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes. Once we got down to the level of the lake, we could see that the road across the water to an island was man made.

hopefully it was strong enough to hold us

man made road to the island

It took us out to the campground that takes up the whole island, after going over a very narrow bridge, it sure made us nervous, as we wondered, would it hold us at 51,000 lbs and our truck or would something land in the lake?

The island,..taken thru the rain

This campground is huge, with over 200 rv sites, cabins, and tent sites. They have a community center, two pools, kids play area and boat marina. Before we arrived we had checked out the website and learned that because of all the rain the area had there was flooding at the campground and some sites could be underwater…luckily most of the flooding had receded before we arrived, there was still some of the island that was flooded.

view of Lake Ontario

There had been rain while we were in Byron, Carolyn and Gary found that they had a leak in one of the slides…yikes…so the guys spent sometime on the roof removing the slide topper and finding the leak…luckily Gary had the proper caulking and tape to fix it. We have had rain since then and glad to report…no leak… the guys did a great job fixing.

the boys fixing the slide

side by side

A visit to the magnificent Boldt Castle on Heart Island in Alexandria was something that Caroline told us was a must…so off we went.

Heart Island

Guy and I had no idea what to expect and decided not to look up any information on it as we wanted to be surprised….and WOW were we ever! If you are ever in this area it is a must see!

Boldt Castle

You must take a ferry for a 5 min ride out to the castle, ( The cost of the ferry to the island was $9 each and the self guided tour was $9.50 each), We could see the castle from the mainland but the closer we got to the island the more beautiful it looked. The story of Heart island and Boldt castle starts out as a beautiful love story but has a truly tragic ending.

the view of the Castle from the back side

George C. Boldt came to America in 1864 from Prussia, the son of poor parents. He became the most successful hotel magnate in America. George C. Boldt was the millionaire proprietor of the world-famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel in NY City as well as the Bellevue-Stratford in Philadelphia, PA. George decided to build a full-sized Castle in Alexandria Bay, NY on his own island. This castle was to be a display of his love for his wife, Louise.

The grounds around the castle were filled with flowers

Beginning in 1900, Boldt’s family, his wife and 2 children,  shared four glorious summers on Wellesley Island, (another of his islands) while 300 workers, stonemasons, carpenters and artists built the six story, 120 room castle on Heart Island. There are tunnels, a powerhouse, Italian gardens, a drawbridge and dovecote.

side view of the castle

In 1904, tragedy struck, Boldt telegrammed the island and had the 300 workers “stop all construction”. His beloved, Louise, had mysteriously died. A broken hearted Boldt could not imagine his dream castle without his beloved Louise. Three hundred workers laid down their tools, and the castle was never finished. Boldt never again returned to the island, leaving the structure as a monument of his love.

Stone Gazebo

For 73 years, the castle remained vacant, left to the wind, rain, ice, snow and vandals. In 1977, the Thousand Island Bridge Authority took ownership by paying $1.00, under the agreement that all proceeds from tourists would be applied towards restoration of the castle and grounds.

Stained glass ceiling in entry way

Since then, $15 million has been invested into the rehabilitation of the Heart Island Castle. The initial goal of the restoration of Heart Island was not to finish what had not been completed, but to restore the island to the state it was in when construction was halted. But it improvements have gone beyond that, with the marble floors, grand staircase with woodwork, stained glass dome, finished kitchen and bedrooms. Restoration continues today.

George C. Bold’s bedroom

Louise’s Bedroom

Clover’s bedroom (daughter)

There are six structures on Heart Island: Boldt Castle, the Power house, the Alster Tower, the Hennry, the Arch and a stone gazebo. There are many walkways that surround the property and castle leading to gardens and lake.

The Powerhouse

The Powerhouse and clock tower, which are on the eastern end of the island was fashioned after a medieval tower with a stone arch bridge which provided access to the powerhouse. The powerhouse was built to hold a generator which supplied the island with power and now is a museum to show how power was obtained in the early 1900’s. Due to the high water there was some flooding on the island, which was the case with the power house so we did not get to tour inside.

part of the gardens that flooded

The Arch that was to be the entrance to the Castle

Most of the rooms on the first floor and many of the rooms on the second floor are finished and furnished as of 2013. The basement has been left unfinished with just the brick and mortar walls. The pool has been painted and does have water, it is being used as a wishing pool as visitors have been throwing money into it.

Alster Tower (The Children’s Play House)

how the inside of Alster tower looks today

The Alster Tower was purposely constructed with slanting and uneven walls, ceilings, and roof. The towers construction began in 1897 and was completed 2 yrs later in 1899. The tower reaches 90′ into the air and has 2 bowling alleys, library, kitchen, billiard room and stage for Children’s plays. The upper portion of the tower was divided into bedrooms, studies and bathrooms. The tower is being refurbished with the first room being the billiard room.

Dovecoat Tower

Dovecot Tower was the first structure built on the island. It is located on the east end, it housed the water tank and was capped with the dovecot. If you look closely you can see the actual perches and pigeon holes that were constructed for the fancy fowl the Boldt’s kept on the island. The Dovecoat had deteriorated so badly that it was unsure if it could be restored, but by 1992 it had been completely restored.

Yacht House

The Boldt Yacht House is located on Wellesley Island (another ferry ride across the lake), has antique wooden boats, some from the Boldt fleet. The families 3 yachts and houseboat were in slips, 128’ long. The building rises 64’ and housed a shop that built racing boats and were quarters for the crew and staff. The bay doors, roof and windows are now being restored.

unrestored basement

On the second floor there is a documentary film about the life of the Boldt family and the castle, it was very informative and interesting, it takes approximately 10-15 mins.

unfinished basement

Once arriving back in Alexandria Bay, we all voted on an early dinner, Riley’s was right on the water where we could watch the boats come in. After dinner a walk thru the town looking in store windows and checking out the art gallery was perfect before heading back to camp.

Sunset on Lake Ontario

The next day was going to be a long drive for us as our next stop was Burlington, Vermont, making it an early night for us all.

Thank you all for following on “OurRovinJourney”, come and follow us as we spend time in Vermont. Have a Blessed Day and see ya soon!

June, 2017, Barn Quilt Tour, LeRoy, NY

LeRoy Bicentennial Quilt Block

While staying at Southwoods Rv Park in Byron, I started checking out all the information on what there was to do in the area. I spotted a brochure about a self-guided tour of over 100 Barn Quilts in the town of LeRoy.  The brochure had pictures of about 60 quilt blocks with addresses of where they are located, and the name of each block. Wahoo, this was right up my alley, as most of you know I love quilting and even while on the road I have continued to make them as time permits.

Emperor Tulip

Hens and Chickens

Barn Quilt Blocks are quilt patterns painted on wood and hung either on barns, sheds or residential homes, sometimes even businesses. There are also quilt block patterns inside local restaurants, schools, and the local nursing home. Guy and I had also had made 2 barn quilt blocks while still in our house in Al for a barn of our friend, Loring.

Jell-O Jigglers

The Barn Quilts of LeRoy began as a Bicentennial project for the town of LeRoy.  The first quilt, “Jell-O Jigglers” was painted in July 2011 at the annual Oatka Festival, it is featured on the front of the Jell-0 museum.  The goal was to have 24 quilt blocks painted and erected for the Bicentennial event of June 8, 2012. In less than 10 months over 70 barns quilt blocks were completed. The quilt blocks have come to represent the pride shared for the people of LeRoy, a town rich in heritage and a vision for the future.

Nonesuch

Dash Churn

The barn quilt block project has continued after the Bicentennial as more blocks appear around town and the surrounding areas every day. Each person that makes a quilt block and displays it has a story as to why they choose that particular block, it can be of their own design or a pattern from years ago.

Lady of the Lake

Dutch Dream

No Place Like Home, Grandma’s Puzzle, Gather Round the Campfire

When we were in Marion, N. Carolina about 2 years ago, I wrote a blog (McDowell Quilt Trail, May 22-31, 2015) about the Barn Quilts in that area. So I was super excited to spend the afternoon hunting these down. Guy had gone to his sisters in California so this gave LaciLou and I the perfect time to head out.

Carpenter’s Square

This block was not painted but carved out of wood

This was just a small sampling of the wonderful quilt blocks I found, using gps and making many wrong turns, stopping on the sides of the road and walking thru many fields. Some of the blocks I could not find as easy as they were placed in the opposite direction and then had to make many u-turns. I loved the hunt, not so sure LaciLou was as excited as me.

Windmill

Railroad Crossing

Diana’s Star

Thanks for following along, I hope you enjoyed this tour with me, until next time have a Blessed Day.

Stained Glass

June 7, 2017, Byron, New York

Letchworth State Park and Niagara Falls

Upper and Lower Falls with the bridge in background (being worked on) at                          Letchworth State Park

a peak of the upper falls

the bridge in the distance to view the upper falls, 200 steps down

About an hour south of us is Letchworth State Park, commonly know as the “Grand Canyon” of the east. The Genesse River roars through the gorge with three waterfalls, Upper, Middle and Lower, which are between cliffs as high as 600 feet, with lush forests surrounding the river. The Upper falls trail was closed due to construction of the bridge.

Middle Falls, the largest at 107′ tall and 285′ wide

The state park was once the native land of the Seneca Indians. In the 1800’s W.P. Letchworth purchased 1,000 acres that he deeded over to the State of NY, making the state park 14,350 acres so that the park could be preserved for future generations. Letchworth worked to preserve the Native American history of the Genesse Valley. In 1913 the museum opened and includes Native American artifacts, photographs, with a movie that showcases the park history.

Us at the middle falls

if not for the heavy rain clouds the view would be fantastic

There are 65 miles of hiking trails, there are also trails for horseback riding, biking, and snowmobiling. In 2015, out of 19 state parks, Letchworth State Park was voted as the best State Park in the U.S. by USA Today.

Glen Iris Inn and Restaurant

The Glen Iris Inn and Restaurant has been welcoming guest since 1914 and is the former country estate of William Pryor Letchworth and is located adjacent to the middle falls. Since it was lunch time, the vote was let’s eat. What a wonderful restaurant, with excellent food, Guy and I had onion soup and shared a burger (not your ordinary burger, onion rings, bacon, pepper jack cheese and an awesome sauce) Gary had broccoli cheese soup, sharing a monte cristo sandwich with Carolyn.

One of the highlights for me was our tour of Niagara Falls!! The first thing Guy and I did was walk across the Rainbow Bridge from the American side over to the Canadian side of the falls leaving Carolyn and Gary on the American side.

About half way across we noticed a group of people, police, camera men, men and women in shorts and tees, men in regal attire with plumed hats all heading in our direction…with a banner…as they got closer we could read the banner..”Torch Run for Special Olympics”.

Wow, how exciting…I worked with Special Olympics many years ago with my friend, Shelly, who has a Special Son, Dustin. Shelley’s husband, Phil is a retired police officer, who also runs with the Torch Run for Special Olympics. Guy and I also, 40 years ago, had a Special Son, Ryan. So this torch run holds a special place in our hearts.

There are many things to do while at the falls, one thing I noticed on the Canadian side is that its more or an amusement park, with zip lining, ferris wheel, with many large hotels with awesome views of the falls. The US side was more sedate, the one large building was the observation tower (no way was I going on that thing) it has a ledge you walk out on and can view the falls. There are tour boats on each side of the river that take you into the Horseshoe Falls, wearing rain gear, thinking your not going to get wet…but guess what if you are under the falls your getting wet.

Observation Tower

There is really nothing you can add to this experience…of Niagara Falls….so I will let the pictures do the talking…enjoy

Rainbow Bridge with access from the US side to Canada ( need passports)

The day before we toured the falls we had gotten some really bad news that Guy’s sister Robin’s husband, Rubuen had a heart attach while riding his bike. He was with 4 of his buddies and had a heart attack and died on the scene. We immediately starting making plans for Guy to head to California, plane tickets, hotel, car.

Also, changing our reservations for our next stop, the camp ground we were in was full for the weekend, we had to move to the group camp area, better reception, for both the tv and internet and less expensive, a win for us. I took Guy to the airport on Thursday morning, the flight was 10hrs, his flight home on Sunday is 12 hrs, 2 stops both ways.

One day while Guy and I were walking around the campground we came upon a beautiful campsite, paved patio, storage house with patio, a rock carved statue of wolves, at the end of the street surrounded by trees. Something triggered in my head that I had seen this before but not sure where. The name sign said “Bott”…I looked it up on the computer and low and behold it was David and Brenda from “Outside our Bubble .com”. I have been reading their blog since they started their full time traveling. Guy and I have watched their videos and bought or done some of the suggestions they have made. I sent them a message, they walked down to visit with us and Gary and Carolyn. Soon we were all at their place checking out all the things they have done to their lot.

Before you know it a party had been organized for the next night, with Gary singing and playing guitar, David playing the box drum. The owner of the park, Mike come down with his guitar and joined in. The weather was perfect, the fire was nice and warm, the 20 some people were truly enjoying themselves.

Gary and Carolyn, left the next day, Friday to our next spot in Henderson, Ny.  Guy and I  caught up with them on Monday and we shall all continue on our merry way thru the east.

the Horseshoe Falls in the back ground

Thanks for reading about our travels, come on back and check out where we head next, in the mean time y’all have a Blessed week.

June 2, 2017 Campbell, New York

Glass flowers (Corning Glass Museum)

There is so much to see and do on our schedule for the next few months, I’m having a hard time keeping things in order, like what did we do yesterday or where are we now. But, I’m okay with that as this is what our journey is all about.  If I didn’t have pictures to remind me, it all becomes jumbled in my head…with that being said…here is some of the cool things we have done and seen…in part one of two parts…

contemporary gondolas of Italy (corning glass museum)

We left Freehold, NJ leaving Carolyn and Gary at the repair shop with their coach, and  headed to Campbell, NY, about a 264 mile drive. I wish I had thought to take pictures everytime we changed states, we went from NJ to Ny to Pa back to Ny and Pa finally to Ny for the last time, all this to stay off the toll roads. All the while my friend Kelley was giving directions from her home in Dorothy, NJ.

contemporary glass bunny at Corning Glass Museum

Taking a day trip up along Seneca Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in NY, we stopped at the Chequaga, (She-qua-ga) Falls. Which is a Native American name meaning “Tumbling Waters” and were in the middle of Montour Falls, Ny. The falls were up behind the town nestled between two very large older homes. I could just imagine sitting in their backyard, sipping wine and listening to the sound of the rushing falling water.

The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY, was a point of interest for Carolyn and I but the guys, not so much. I will take the liberty of saying that once we were touring the museum they changed their minds. I think the interactive area that showed how glass performed in different ways, how it broke or not, how light travels thru glass, how sound travels,  watching a blown glass demonstration and they were hooked.

making a wine goblet

This is a glass ellipsoid..there is one on each end, it is an egg shaped theater. Two people, one at each end, can hold a conversation simply by whispering. The ends of the theater act as reflectors, and reflect sound waves from one end to the other. Guy and Carolyn sat at one end while Gary and I sat on the other, it really was amazing how this worked. At first we were thinking we needed to talk loud but then go the hang of it and started whispering.

The museum was founded by Corning Glass Works in 1951. It currently has a collection of more than 45,000 glass objects, some over 3,500 years old. The museum is a self guided tour, if you bring your iPad or phone you can listen to the documentary.

for sale in the gift shop

for sale in gift shop

contemporary light fixture

In the museum is collections of Contemporary Art and Design, Flame working demo, an area of modern glass, paperweights, American, European, Venetian, Islamic, Roman  and Ancient Glass. On the main level is the Corning Glass store where you can purchase all types of glass pieces. We kept walking around wondering where were the dishes…they were hidden in a back room.

thought this would look good in the coach

how about this light

Arriving in Seneca Falls, we stopped at the “Women’s Rights National Historic Park and Visitor Center”. The First Women’s Right’s Convention was held in Seneca Falls in 1848 at the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel.

Wesleyan Methodist Church (rebuilt)

This was the beginning of women demanding equal rights with men. Over 300 women and men gathered, debated and voted on The Declaration of Sentiments, a document modeled after the Declaration of Independence. The signers pointed out numerous discriminations: such as most women not having the right to vote, own property, attend college, or work professionally. Sixty eight women and 32 men pledged to hold conventions, employ organizers, and petition state and federal governments for women’s rights. By 1920 the 19th amendment was passed giving women the right to vote. There are still Conventions held in Seneca to commemorate the anniversary of Women’s Rights, one is being held in July of this year.

inside the Weselyan Methodist Church (rebuilt)

One of our itinerary stops was, the Jell-O Gallery!! Did you know that JELL-O is America’s “Favorite Desert?”

The town of LeRoy Historical Society operates The JELL-O Gallery, which was only a short drive from our campground. The town of LeRoy was the birthplace of Jell-O. It brought back so many memories of all the recipes my mom had using jell-o, like bananas in orange jell-o, or carrots and raisins, how about strawberries and bananas in Strawberry jell-o. Did you know that Jell-O first started in 1845, but never took off with people until 1902.

The colors of jell-o painted as a quilt block

on the porch of the Jell-O Gallery and the LeRoy Cow

The Jell-O gallery is filled with the history of the wiggly, sweet and shimmering, colored Jell-O dessert, the famous four flavors were raspberry, strawberry, lemon and orange. There are 18 flavors of jell-o available today. Some of the failures were Chocolate and coffee. In 1904 there was even a Jell-O girl, a 4 yr old named Elizabeth.

Jell-O Molds

Every day 758,012 packages of Jell-O gelatin are purchased in the US

4 most favorite flavors

Every second 9 boxes of Jello-O are purchased in the US

and you too could have a Jell-o tee shirt

They say you could serve Jell-O, 69,089 ways over the course of 189 years and still not exhaust all the possibilities of ways to eat jell-O.

Downstairs from the Jell-O gallery the Society has an exhibit, “On The Road, a Navigational Museum”. The exhibit offers over 100 years of transportation, ox drawn carts, as well as a 1908 Cadillac. You can see both museums for the coast of $5.00.

One day we headed to the town of Lockport which is along the Erie Canal and is also part of the wine trail. Two things that were on the agenda was to go see the locks, and do some wine tasting…Guy deciding to be our DD (designated driver). Our first stop was the “Honeymoon Trail Winery”, such a cute place, loved all the flowers.

Honeymoon Trail Winery

Yes, there was some wine tasting while we were there, Gary and Carolyn bought a bottle of wine each. Guess what, it was also lunch time…the wine server suggested a tavern in Youngstown about 11 miles away. We were skeptical at first, but to our surprise, we all had the best wings, fries and water!!

Next on the list were the locks in town, along with the “Flight of Five Winery”. We walked into the winery looked around, admired beautiful room, and decided not to do a taste test, their wine was sweet. Guy and I like more of the dry wines.

The US flag with only 48 stars

The one thing that caught my eye was the flag hanging on the wall, it has 48 stars, it was made before Arizona became the 48th state on Feb 14, 1912 and when Alaska joined on January 3, 1959.

The Erie Canal was constructed in three stages. the original Erie Canal was built in 1817-1825 and then enlarged in 1835-1862. The original builders constructed a flight of five doubled locks to lower easterly and raise westerly bound boats some 60 feet. The locks were replaced and improved between 1910 and 1914. The northern set of the Lockport Five was left intact and used today as a spillway. The locks are now used mostly for recreational watercraft.

The Erie Canal provided a route west for immigrants and settlers. Villages, towns and cities were born along its route helping commerce to spread from The Hudson Valley to the Midwest. Of course, after a tour there must be food..what did we find but the “Lake Effect Artisan Ice Cream Shoppe” It was excellent I must say, they did not have your normal flavors and wish I had written down the names as now I can’t remember them.

Well, if your not tired from reading this long blog, wait until the next one where we head to the “Grand Canyon” of the east, then on to Niagara Falls.

So have a blessed week and come on back and read up on our travels with our side kicks.

My favorite flower

May 26-June 2,  2017

Freehold, New Jersey

The Rover nestled in at Turkey Swamp Campground

Holy Mollie, driving on the turnpikes in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York are sure expensive, wish we had kept a total of what we spent! The most expensive was $68.00, the others were between $5.00 to 10.00!! We had purchased the fast pass for $40.00 and of course, when we tried to register it on line we couldn’t. It said we needed to purchase the commercial pass since we weigh over 15,000 lbs. (Our coach alone weighs 51,000 lbs). Needless to say we now have to stop at all the toll booths and pay cash. Yuck!!

Memorial Day Weekend we were at the Turkey Swamp Campground, right in the middle of Freehold, New Jersey. What a great campground, very large level sites, with lots of trees, all pull thru, water/electirc with a dump station. The down side was low hanging trees that scrapped the sides of the coach, as we drove to our site. The water spigot was about 75 feet away which required several hoses. With all the trees there was no tv but great internet. This park was huge, with lots of grassy areas for large functions, a lake for fishing, paddle boats for rent, but no swimming.

Turkey Swamp Lake

the swampy area, I kept waiting for the alligators to pop up

The shady road in with low hanging trees

While we were waiting for Gary and Carolyn to arrive from Gary’s dads house in Ohio, Bill and Kelly (friends from our Rv Dreams Rally in 2014) drove the 2 hours from Dorothy, New Jersey, to come visit us. We had not seen them since we were in Gulf Shores, AL, the year before. It was so good to see them and catch up and of course, we were all hungry, so off to their favorite pizza restaurant, Federicis in the town of Freehold!! Yummy!!

Guy, Sue and Bill, Kelly

We all ordered large pizzas, thinking about all the leftovers…LOL!! The pizza is very thin crust that gets nice and crispy with no soggy crust!! Guy and I had garlic, roasted red peppers, sausage and pepperoni.  Kelly and Bill decided on roasted red peppers, sausage, mushrooms. Needless to say there were no leftovers!! Our time was cut short as Bill and Kelly are camp hosts in the town of Dorothy at Country Oaks RV and needed to be there by 5:00pm.  We had already planned on spending their day off together on Tuesday so they could show us more of their home state of New Jersey.

Yaniv, Sue, Guy, Eyal, Judith

When Guy worked for Seagate Technology, one of his customers were Eyal and Judith, who we had become very good friends with and love spending time together.  Well, we were very glad that New Jersey was only 2 hours from their home and business out on Long Island. Plans were made to head to their new house and spend the day with the family, Eyal’s brother, Yaniv and his family plus Eyals two daughters, both who just graduated from college, one as a doctor.

The Freedom Tower, in downtown NY,  thru the telescope, about 20 miles away

The views from Eyal and Judiths home on the bay…looking towards New York

The Crosstown Bridge in the distance

looking back at Eyal and Judith’s home

Arriving back at Turkey Swamp, Gary and Carolyn had finally arrived and were sitting out by the fire under their awning as it was pouring. Since it was cold and wet staying by the fire did not last long. We did not see them much that week as they had lots of commitments in New York, taking furniture and supplies to their granddaughter’s new apartment, their daughter and granddaughter arriving from Fl, out to dinner with their aunt and uncle. As well as having their coach worked on thru all that.

watching candy making

this was an awesome candy store on the boardwalk

Tuesday, off we went to see Kelly and Bill. We were looking forward to checking out the Jersey Shore that we have heard so much about. Of course, did we get a nice sunny day…no…it was raining like crazy! There was a break in the rain so Bill and Kelly walked us around their summer camp home. The 4 of us then headed down to Cape May, of course it was raining, so we just drove around looking at some awesome homes and area! A decision was made that lunch with a view of the ocean was a must.  Kelly checked where to go and found, McGlades on the pier. It was to cold to eat outside, the warmth of the inside called us, there were big  windows with a great view of the ocean.  Fish and chips were chosen by 3 of us, except Guy who decided on clam chowder and a crab cake sandwich,  once again all  of us finishing everything down to the last french fry!

Kelly was our guide and headed us up to Ocean City going thru Sea Isle City, Strathmere and into Corson Inlet State Park.

Jersey shore boardwalk

Boardwalk

We decided that rain or not we were walking the board walk…but first.. ice cream was a must…at Kohr Bros, Guy, Kelly and I had an orange/vanilla twist while Bill decided on the peanut butter/chocolate. Standing under the cover of the Music Pier looking down the board walk, watching the ocean, freezing, trying to stay dry eating ice cream….how cool is that?

With a 2 hour drive back and not really wanting to drive in the dark with roads we didn’t know, Guy decided it was time to head back to Country Oaks. It was hard saying “Good Bye”, but as we always say, in this life style, we don’t know when our paths will cross again. I think I will not say Good Bye anymore but “See ya on down the Road”

After a nice week at Turkey Swamp it was time to head up to Corning, New York, on our journey with Gary and Carolyn. There was a slight snag as their coach was still being worked on and a few new issues were found. We agreed to head out and they would meet up with us later that night. It turned out to be a very late night for them as they didn’t pull in until almost 10:00pm.

The Jersey Shore

Y’all have a Blessed week and stay tuned into “OurRovinJourney” as we travel with our side kicks into the east coast area.