2021 December Winter in South East

 2021 Winter RV Trip 

After last winter with nearly 3-month work stint in Los Angeles, CA we could not fathom being in the north for the winter, so starting out from Charleston, SC we picked up the RV and headed south to the warmer weather.

Deciding that we would be more stationary than ever before, we bring the pickup truck along as transportation. Having the trailer with motorcycle, kayaks too, it’s quite a sight to see the Rialta towing a trailer and the truck following along. Of course, we could have just used the motorcycle to get around, for Florida is relatively warm this time of year, but I wanted to do some kayaking while Tanya is working, and it made it easier to have the truck along leaving Tanya in the RV while I go kayaking.

Stopping overnight in Gainesville, FL at an Elks Lodge, there was a nice 3-mile trail along a “seeping reek” - of course I just learned that term from the signage posted along the trail. It means water from the canopy forest seeps to the lowest point and creates a creek. On this particular trail, the creek was dry at first and grew rather quickly into a slow flowing clear stream. Other signage pointed out some of the flora and fauna in this environment.

Texting with friends we discover that Joy and Leesa are nearby around Orlando, so we head over there to reconnect. Their campground was booked full, so Leesa suggested other county parks in the area, and we found a site within 10 miles of them. Here it was helpful to have the truck along so we could shuttle back and forth and visit.

Joy had changed RVs since we had seen her last and of course a tour was in order. Very nice! Beautiful, comfortable, and for Joy most of all it is reliable. Her previous RV had many complications, some due to its age (20 years old) and some just seemed to be a lemon. This new coach surely gives her peace of mind while traveling.

Leesa has the same RV we have, and I had the opportunity to help her with a few “honey do’s”. Always want to stay busy – thank you Leesa.

Joy shared an app that showed when rocket launches were going to occur, and we downloaded the app and went off to see a launch at Cape Canaveral. There is a campground for NASA and military that looks over the water to the launch pads and we were lucky to get a waterfront site for an outstanding view.

The launch went off as planned on Thursday. Tanya could not stop saying WOW, WOW, WOW! I too was extremely impressed, for the previous launches I have seen were not as close or as impressive. It seemed 2-3 minutes after the launch the sound reached us as a loud roar! Having the app running at the same time as watching it live made for an interesting combination.

We spent nearly 2 weeks there enjoying the warm weather and water view. Every day there were large flocks of blackbirds moving from their sleeping area to feeding area and back again in the evening. All day long the pelicans would cruise just off the surface of the water then rise up and plop down to catch their prey. Have you ever watched how birds hunt in different fashions? Osprey dive from high up into the water. Seagulls hover over the water then swoop down to scoop up their meal. Several times porpoise was feeding right in front of the campground.

Here is a picture of porpoise feeding in the sunrise

Flocks of birds at sunrise

I went out one morning to get a breakfast (occasionally I get tired of my own cooking) and saw a large digital colorful road sign for the Moose Lodge offering breakfast. I decided I would see if they would let me in for breakfast and maybe learn something about the Moose. I am already an Elks member, for I discovered some time ago that many of them have campsites, especially in the west.

Long story short, I am now a Moose Member as well and looking online they are really strong in the east where I need cheaper camping. I also had one excellent breakfast! Later on, when Leesa visited, I shared with her about Moose and she went on over and signed up also.

For most of one-week Leesa came over and joined us as our guest. Her work schedule was mostly flexible, and she had time during the day to go kayaking with me. She also helped me on my “honey do’s”, I had a rack on the trailer built to carry the kayaks. We cut 10” off the legs of the rack and lowered it to the base. So, now the kayaks are easier to load and unload, the trailer looks more proportional to its size and there is still enough room to drive the motorcycle onto the trailer under the kayaks. We bolted the rack legs to the original rack legs so that when we travel west, we can remove the rack and kayaks are stored on top. I usually leave the kayaks at my son’s on sawhorses, now they will remain on their own rack in the kayak saddles. After we finished the rack, Leesa and I took a motorcycle ride. It was fun!

Tanya’s office with a water view was heaven to her. Every day, she would go out of the RV to sit at the picnic table overlooking the water, and when the sun was behind her in the afternoon she would sit on the other side of the table and view the people in the campground relaxing and puttering around. What a wonderful workspace! Almost every day, a great blue heron visited us – he “parked” himself on the rocks near the water and sat there for quite some time. Tom saw him early in the morning when it was still dark, and the heron would also be there in late afternoons. One evening, Tanya was sitting inside the RV, catching up with work after dinner. It was very nice and quiet, and suddenly, she heard a very loud “Craaaack!” near the window. She almost jumped off the chair! The heron must have walked over toward the RV, I guess he wanted to say hi to her, or maybe remind her that the working hours were over 😊.

That is Kennedy Space Center across the water where we watched the missile launch.

Crossing back across Florida to the western side so I can attend a motorcycle safety course, we camped at a Moose Lodge in Homosassa. Hey, using that membership already!

Later that week Joy and Leesa stopped by on their way west to spend the rest of the winter in Texas. We got together for a meal and had such fun! We had communicated with Joy many times in the past and talked about caravanning and now having spent time with Leesa as well, they both offered for us to come along their trip west.

Both Joy and Leesa work remotely from their RV just as Tanya does, so scheduling travel and tourist things would not be too difficult. They both are a lot of fun to be around, enjoying much of the same things we do such as tourism, kayaking, hiking.

What a temptation, it would be fun to caravan with others and we really wanted to go along. Choices of expecting work, wanting more Florida kayaking, and snorkeling time, we thought to join them later in the spring.

Turns out the next day I got a job offer for Chicago and another for NC, opting for NC for I love working with this company and it had a hard stop of 2 months which makes it perfect for us to attend Rialta Spring Rally in Florida then go join Joy and Leesa in Utah’s National Parks!

One night, Tanya and I had a couple of drinks and danced outside in front of the RV. Tanya’s little Bluetooth speaker worked great out here. We had spoken about doing this many times and only once with grandson Zach, when he travelled along with us, had we done this. Wow, we must do this more often, such a great time.

Time for Tanya to head out and spend time with Maria for her birthday, our little girl is growing up, she is an adult already, it’s hard to believe how fast the time flies!

I received a call for work starting February 1, so I have one week left of kayaking in Florida. Santa Fe Springs near High Springs, Florida is my destination.

The campground on the Santa Fe River was full (once again I did not realize this was a weekend) so I ended up at another Moose Lodge in Lake City. It’s kind of relaxing, I took the laptop into the lodge and had a beer while catching up on correspondence and the journal. Occasional chats with the locals, it was nice to talk to others.

On Sunday, I parked at the kayak rental place near High Springs Florida so that I could get a shuttle back once I reached my destination. The Santa Fe River is a beautiful river. Over 100 springs along its course and I hit only 12 springs in the 8 miles I paddled. I did see a place where the river went underground, a part of the river that is. This was a little disconcerting; I was not expecting it at all and as I went along, I saw a cutback along the bank and paddled over to check it out. I soon realized that it was not a spring flowing from the cutback - the water was flowing into the cutback! Once I realized that I got a little fearful - would it suck me in? I did not go in for a close look, staying back 30 feet out of the current. Watching the water flow into the pool and swirl and mix in one corner to then disappear. WOW!

FYI, on the map there is a place upstream where the entire river goes underground for 3 miles. I did not see this, but I think I will try to paddle upstream to where it comes out of the ground near O’Leno State Park.

On Monday I launched from the campsite and paddled to Ginny Springs. This is a private campground and springs requiring higher fees to enter. As I arrived at Ginny Springs, divers were coming up out of the underwater caves. They had dual tanks on and as I listened to them, I learned that they were using mixed gas tanks? Why? As far as I know, only deep divers required mixed gas. Something I will have to research when I get stronger internet.

Altogether I saw 2 otters, 2 owls, many white egret, one blue heron, numerous black and brown vultures roosting. Nice on only an 8-mile run! Very clear water at times near a spring, and it is interesting to watch the mixing of clear spring water and the tannin-stained clear water of the Santa Fe River.

This campground had many people that I was able to connect with, chatting with 5 different couples over RV related or travel related topics is something I realized I missed. One fellow had a van he converted, quite interesting all the things he came up with. Solar charging system, a bed that folds up into an ottoman for seating. He had a lot of stories about his home where he was quite innovative as well.

3 couples that are brand new to RVing, hearing them talk about their particular RV and what they like about it - this leads to suggestions concerning additions they may like, helpful apps, places to go and see. One couple’s brand-new RV had an awning that encompassed a horizontal bar midway down the extension. This allowed the awning to be nearly flat for the first 5-6’ then pitch down. I really liked this arrangement.

Several more experienced RV'rs who, like myself, found a way to bring all their toys along - either a motorcycle or electric bike, and kayaks are the most common. One 35’ storage trailer was converted to an RV with extensive solar, bath, skylights. I was particularly impressed with his electrical set up.

Chatting with Laurie, another new RV'r, she told me another spring nearby, quite unique from the others. It is in an underground cave! It is called Devils Den. Laurie showed me a YouTube video of it and we both decided to go see it. On the way there she wanted to pick up a solar panel from Harbor Freight if I would agree to install it for her. OK, always enjoying something to do. We took my RV and Laurie saw my backup camera - and now wanted to have one of those too 😊. After a couple of stops to get the panels and the camera, we finally get to Devils Den. This is a private enterprise, and the price varies if you need to rent snorkel equipment. We both had our own and they also accepted a military discount, so the price went from $27 to $5! Whooee what a deal. I wanted to get a picture of Devil’s Den and was waiting for a moment when there was nobody there, but there was a woman who kept making selfies again and again, so I got tired of waiting and ended up taking a picture with the “selfie woman” in it! 😊

Alas, it’s time to head back to work. I stop in South Carolina for grandson Zach’s graduation early from high school and he selects Sake House – Japanese Sushi and Hibachi for his special day’s celebration. Mom and Dad of course were there along with Zach’s lady friend. I’m so glad I have the opportunity to share in their lives at important events.

Today I head to North Carolina and Tanya will join me while I work 2 months at the local hospital. Following this work stint, we will attend the Rialta Rally in Alabama and begin the spring/summer travel season.

 

2021 August in New England

  Fall touring Boston MA, VA, NC, SC,

August in Boston, MA is quite warm and humid. I received a short work assignment near Boston, MA and fortunately this involves having a hotel room where it is much cooler. There are no RV parks nearby so a hotel it is. This work assignment is a pleasure for me, for 4 years ago I had worked here temporarily until a permanent hire arrived, it’s great catching up with people I have worked with before. It’s also nice to know I did not burn any bridges either!

 

Taking advantage of the location, we spent the first weekend touring downtown Boston. For those who are not aware there is an app called IZI Travel. This has worldwide self-guided walking and driving tours in many major cities. The Boston tour allowed us to see many of the revolutionary war sites that we have read about before. Many of these are listed in National Historic Register. Some of the streets still have old cobblestone paving. As you walk or drive with this self-guided tour as you arrive at each site, the tour begins “talking” and telling you about this location. I highly recommend this app when you are touring!

 

Here is a list of the places on this tour: The State House, Boston Commons, Granary Burying Ground, King’s Chapel, Oldest Public School, Benjamin Franklin, Old Corner Bookstore, Old South Meeting House, Old State House, Boston Massacre, Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere House, Old North Church, Copps Hill, Bunker Hill. The USS Constitution is the top on my list for this tour, it also is a National Park! For the most part we did the driving tour in the downtown area, crowds and poor parking made us a little uncomfortable, so we opted for just a drive by.

 

 

 

The Boston area has sooo much to see. A lot of historic items from the revolutionary war. Historic homes in regular neighborhoods. Salem witch trials sites nearby. Seafood everywhere!

 

We went to The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and had forgotten that presidential libraries required advanced tickets due to Covid-19. Unfortunately, we did not do this in advance and the entire time we were in Boston there were no tickets available for us. We also wanted to tour the MIT Museum, but it was closed due to Covid-19.

 

John Quincy Adams birthplace and farm is a National Park. Only the gardens and birth house were open for viewing due to Covid-19. Tanya had a great time in the gardens and flowers. A flock of turkeys ambled past in the gardens! The boxwoods had been planted before Adams owned the house and are pre-1788 and still thriving. One climbing rose was actually planted by Abigail Adams.

 

 

The Park Ranger described Adams as a farmer as well as a lawyer. He would walk 8 miles daily in his rounds as a lawyer and still had time to work his farm!

 

Another National Park nearby is the Minute Man National Historical Park. Along is a portion of the actual trail used by the British Army who were attacked by the local militia, which sparked the Revolutionary War. The trail can be walked or biked and although it is forested now, at that time it was open farm fields with little cover. Inside the visitor center demonstrations of key people tell the story of how Paul Revere’s ride mobilized the Minutemen to attack the British Army followed by the siege of Boston.

 

Another road trip to Newport Rhode Island to see the fabulous mansions. We did tour the Breakers and the Marble House and The Elms mansions. Both Tanya and I felt overwhelmed with the opulence. Tanya wished she could have met all the craftsmen whose talent and hard work had actually created all the wall carvings and buildings. After she said that I started looking at this quite differently. How amazing to think of the craftsman as you view fine detailed scroll work bordering a fireplace, trim around a door, the picture frames! Sometimes you really wish there were a time machine and you could watch skilled craftsmen create such wonderful work!

 

What a wise and wonderful woman I have in my life!

 

 

The Historical Society has an app that you listen to when walking around the buildings. The app had more information that the printed paper and made it more interesting for me. There are also additional recordings of experiences living in the building that are interesting.

 

 

Another stop is Groton, CT and the USS Nautilus, the first nuclear powered submarine in the world! You do not have to enter the Naval Base; it is directly adjacent to the Naval Base. No base passes required. A museum showing the development of submarines, static displays of some of the electronic equipment used on submarines and key persons in the development of submarines as well as submarine warfare. Interesting displays takes about 45 minutes to an hour for the museum.

 

Actual submarine Nautilus, you can tour the forward section seeing high pressure watertight hatches, berthing (sleeping) areas - Tanya and I have toured other ships, mostly WWI and WWII ships and there is a major difference in the berthing areas. Tanya’s biggest concern was the space between the upper and lower bunk, even though now they had mattresses, there was very little space between the bunks, you can barely roll over!

 

You cannot go up the conning tower, but you do get into the control room to see how they “drive” the submarine. Kitchen, dining area are so different between Officers, Chiefs and crew.

 

Small signs describe ballast and vent tanks and controls to make the submarine rise or sink. Periscopes too! Steep ladders inside lead you to different sections, torpedo room, damage control center, control room, firing control room, berthing. Unfortunately, the engine room is not available to view. Something I am always interested in seeing for I am a retired Naval Engineer.

 

As our working stint finishes in Boston, we drive back to Florida with a stop in Hyde Park, NY to tour Franklin D. Roosevelt home. Again, the Covid 19 means not everything is open to tour, just some areas of the house. The view from the house over the Hudson River had to have been fantastic in Franklin’s day. Now however the trees along the river block much of the view. The displays are still there of the taxidermy Franklin did as a boy, one of his many hobbies. This was a working farm and Franklin began reforestation of the area which gave him the idea during the New Deal as President to create work for people. During his 12 years as President, Franklin is credited with starting Social Security, Federal Deposit and Insurance Corporation, Securities and Exchange Commission, established the minimum wage and unemployment insurance. Franklin gave his home to the newly formed National Park Service.

 

Next door to Franklin Roosevelts home is another home – Frederick and Louise Vanderbilt, related to the Vanderbilts of Biltmore, NC and Newport, RI. They had this home listed as one of the oldest “manicured” properties in the US, dating to the late 18th century. Many modern conveniences at the time were hot and cold running water, flush toilets, electricity, generated by a hydroelectric plant. Most families were using chamber pots. Frederick Vanderbilt was the first Vanderbilt to go to college, studying business and horticulture at Yale Sheffield Scientific School. Here just as at Newport, RI the detail of craftsmanship and opulence can be overwhelming.

 

We drove through the National Park “Delaware Water Gap” stopping at Dingman Falls to enjoy the waterfall. This is a nice drive along a bluff that was a huge shelf and a pass through the Poco Mountains. Very nice drive.

 

In Virginia we stopped at James Monroe (5th US President) home called Highland. A reconstructed house on the site of the original house. Not very large, this was a working farm with slaves for labor. They keep a garden there just as the one used at the time of James living there.

 

If you want to visit this area, be aware there is a lot of history here and nearby. James Madison home – Montpelier, Thomas Jefferson’s – Monticello and Poplar Forest. All good tours and all nearby to Charlottesville, VA, which in itself has interesting things to see.

 

We next stop near Charleston, SC to see our son where we spend some time just having time together!!!

 

The Charleston area has so many things to see that you could spend months here. I had lived near Charleston for several years and had seen much of the area, so much of it was repeat for me but all of it was new for Tanya.

 

Driving the downtown area using IZI App, also the Historical Foundation has an online app with stories about many homes. Interesting things to learn about historic homes and cities often include historical references to the revolutionary period, Civil War period - Charleston has them all and more!

 

During this trip, we toured the downtown using the Historical Society online app. Several places had audio function and shared much more information than the written part. All the locations had very short descriptions of each location. Very interesting way to tour.

 

Nearby McClellanville, SC is the Hampton Plantation State Park. This weekend happened to have an author telling ghostly tales of the Hampton Plantation. Very nice tour of the building which did not have any furniture common to most tours, it did have open walls, ceilings and floors to demonstrate the construction methods of the day. This is similar to another nearby plantation called Drayton Hall which is along the Ashley River. Both plantations showed that being alongside tidal rivers was very productive for “Carolina Gold” which is rice. Changes is agriculture have made other areas much more productive in rice growing and it is no longer grown in the south east coastal areas. That is for one exception and south of Charleston is a reconstructed rice field that harvest strictly for the name “Carolina Gold” more tourist attraction than production.

 

The author provided nice spoken tales, the one I was most intrigued with concerns the legend of “The Swamp Fox” Revolutionary war general (southern) General Francis Marion. He had been dining with the family (the Rutledges) in Hampton Plantation when the British army appeared. He quickly disappeared into the swamp as per his namesake.

 

Alas, it is time to end this journey for the season. I work a few months each year and the call to duty is upon us. See you in the spring!  

2021 July Great Lakes traveling east

  After traveling with family from Oregon to Wisconsin and seeing National parks, Presidential Library’s we parted after the 4 July weekend in International Falls, MN. Bob family headed west to home, and we are staying along the Great Lakes for the cool weather. So many heat waves throughout the country this year and we have had enough going through the Midwest that it is a blessing to stay in cooler weather.

Boondocking at a Moose Lodge along Lake Superior shoreline and wake to 55’ weather is so refreshing. I was confused for I thought east, and sunrise would be towards the lake. No, the coast is angled, and the sunrise was across town and poor to see this morning.

Motoring along the coastline in Silver Bay, MN a sign says scenic view and we pull off and it rises above the town with views of the shoreline and the city. Very nice view, strong winds and amazingly fast internet! Decided to spend a few hours here catching up on online items.  A short walking path with views of the lakeshore had a sign sharing what you are seeing – Apostle islands from the north shore!

A manufacturing plant for Tectonite, an iron ore processing plant, Taconite is a low-grade iron ore. When the high-grade natural iron ore was plentiful, taconite was considered a waste rock and not used. But as the supply of high-grade natural ore decreased, industry began to view taconite as a resource. Dr. E.W. Davis of the University of Minnesota, along with other scientists and engineers, conducted years of laboratory tests and experiments to find a way to take the iron ore out of the taconite rock. After many years of hard work, a process was developed to create taconite pellets. Taconite saved Minnesota's iron ore mining industry.

The ships pull into a large pier where trains pull onto the pier and off load directly into the ship. Large long pier built of steel. Most of this mining and shipping is done near Duluth, MN.

Two Harbors and Grand Marias have become a tourist town for the drive along North Shore of Lake Superior is awesome with high cliffs, crashing waves, deep water. Grand Portage has a reenactment of Voyagers Rendezvous in August. We contemplate returning someday to see this and dawdle around for the fall leaves, do some kayaking in Boundary Waters, Voyagers National Park and Apostle Islands. This area has a lot of Aspen trees, and I am sure fall colors are awesome!

As we drive slowly around the Great Lakes, I think about the travel map we create and look for other roads that we have not been on before.

2021 Trip by Blount Family Group

Tanya's 3,000-mile Solo trip (RED)

Family trip together xxx miles (BLUE) 3,805 miles

Tanya and Tom (PINK, BLUE, RED) 11,450 Miles

As you can see it is an easy way to identify what areas we have not been and find new areas to explore! Obviously, winters in Florida are popular and we sometime want to spend time in southern Texas and Arizona for winters. Someday we will buy a winter home, just have not decided where so using this map certainly helps to know that we have checked out the area.

I have downloaded into the GPS interesting things to see and as we travel can search and find places to go, this is spur of the moment slow traveling style and I love it! Other ways I find places to go is to use Bing Maps, enter a origin and destination then select attractions along the route. You can create a trip then download that into the GPS and you have your route planned out for you. Using both a planned route and spur of the moment stops, and you can spend many months traveling and always have interesting things to see along the way.

Right now, we are in Iron Mountain, MI and stopped at a Home Depot for replacing the window screens. At casino campground nearby we have a picnic table to work on and waula, a short task made enjoyable in a nice setting. Hmm 22-year-old screens did not allow the same view, who would have guessed.

 Previously we had followed the norther Lake Superior coastline in UP Michigan, so this time we followed the southern Lake Michigan coastline. Crossing over to the southern coastline was hilly, not mountainous just hilly. National Forests along the way and we tried to find places to camp in the National Forest but there were no open spots! This is rather unusual; we commonly have no problems finding places in National Forests. We do have other boondocking spots but in rural areas are not as common. Fortunately, a casino had availability here. Later near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park in Michigan we had a similar problem finding campsites. In the news it talks about post covid many more people are out visiting National Parks, this is the first time we have encountered large enough numbers of people to make it reasonable that we should be making reservations in advance.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park was very beautiful. The scenic drive had beautiful forests over rolling hills and the dunes themselves were so impressively steep it boggles the mind. Some people did walk down the steep hillside to the beach, but we did not wait around for them to climb back up, it was going to take quite a while!

Again, campsites were all taken in the National Park, we just stumbled upon a scenic overlook that was not posted for no camping, so we stayed there. I lasted until sunset tonight for I thought this scenic view would be spectacular, unfortunately clouds did not align properly to make it so. I’m sure there are times when this would be one of the best sunsets a person could see.

Michigan travel is different because away from major cities you find less National chain stores. The feeling of supporting local businesses is very obvious.  We were lucky to find places to stay through some of our memberships and enjoyed visiting small towns.

 Continuing into Ohio Cuyahoga National Park is very different from other National Parks. A highly polluted river has been reclaimed.  Once labeled as the most polluted river in the US that had actually caught on fire is now clean and restored.  A train through the park is available if you like. We chose to hike to a very beautiful waterfall. Brandywine Falls.

As we reach Watertown, NY the humidity coming from Lake Ontario is heavy! After being in the west we are not used to this heavy humidity! After a driving tour of Thousand Islands, I feel the need to have my kayaks with me to spend a little time paddling through these awesome islands! This trip I have not had any of my toys along like kayaks and motorcycles so driving tours and little hikes along with looking for interesting places to see.

Covered Bridge in VT

NY, VT, NH are much, much cooler than anywhere in the US right now. Keeping along the Canada border in as much cool weather as there is I begin to slow down the travel rate. We spent 2 weeks near Acadia National Park for it is very cool here, rain on a few days call for downtime and we begin to relax after the hectic traveling with my brother’s family. Tanya continues to work each day but on weekends we are immersed in going through small towns along the way.

Tanya’s office today! 

After spending 2 days here we go to nearby Garfield Presidential Home, library and museum. Nice tour, original furnishings, part of the National Park Service.  Garfield only had 200 days in office before being assassination.  Read more about it on the NPS site. Interestingly corruption in politics is nothing new. Also see Rutherford Hayes on website for more from that era.

We are currently in the coolest part of the country by staying along the Great Lakes. After last month (June) experiencing high heat in the Midwest we are definitely enjoying being in cooler weather. Some days we only travel 100 miles, poking around small towns. Looking at the types of homes and office buildings sometimes I cannot tell how they developed.  There are no major industries to support employment so how does one town appear to be more developed than another? At this time, I cannot really tell, there has to be something back in the past to explain why. It's been raining for several days now so we have not walked any of these towns, just do a drive through. 

 

Tanya has gotten a great haircut! This is the longest covered bridge in the US, 216 feet long, Ashtabula County, NY.

Oswego, NY a restored Army Fort from the revolutionary War, Fort Ontario.  Although closed on Mondays and Tuesdays I walked around it to read the displays. A signal tower to ships on Lake Erie was there and the display stated that women were used primarily to hoist signal flags to signal ships about the weather. National Weather Service would telegraph the town and it was forwarded to the woman keeper. Only a few of these towers are left and are automated with lights.

Also, there is a memorial for Jewish refugees.  Sailing from Italy to New York harbor then train to Fort Ontario under an agreement to return to Europe following the war. 928 refugees lived out the war enclosed in this encampment.  At the wars end the President of the US allowed those who chose to stay in the US.

You know you're in Maine when they have carved totems of a Moose!

Early morning sunrise in Acadia National Park is pure pleasure! It really does seem that sunrises on the east coast have much more color than on the west coast? Maybe I am biased, but it really does seem that way. Touring Acadia NP is fabulous, rocky shorelines, many, many lobster and crab floats across the water and really extreme tide changes, 9’ is common. I really wished I had the kayaks here with me so that will have to be a trip for another time. Quite a few hiking trails in Acadia NP, many are too steep for my level of fitness but there are a lot of easier trails too. Tanya has been able to join me on a few of these excursions too!

A long weekend is here so Tanya can participate more, and we decide to see what central Maine has to offer and we are so glad we did. Going inland and following Route 11 all the way to the Canadian border is a very beautiful road. Rough at times and very high center berm (I suppose to help with run off snow and water). Mount Katahdin is a real surprise, jutting steeply up amongst rolling hills it really stands out.

The people here are down to earth and very friendly, one place we stayed, and the locals spent a lot of time telling us of places to see. Quite welcoming for us. I had always thought that Maine was flat, swampy or bobby but interestingly it is very hilly throughout. Every 10-20 miles along these 2 lane roads is a small town where speed limit drops to 30. Sometimes you are not sure if it is really a town or not for there are no stores at all.

 

The farms mostly grow Potatoes fields, with either white or purple flowers. Much too soon to harvest, although a few roadside stands (unmanned – honor system) offer bagged potatoes. These rural roads had may roadside rest stops with covered picnic tables, we stopped at one for a very leisurely and pleasant lunch.  A sign stated the US1 we were on was called the Million Dollar Scenic Highway with awesome views of Mount Katahdin far in the distance.

 

PIC MOUNT KAHDIN

 

Once again, I am so impressed with kayak opportunities, rivers and lakes everywhere, rolling hills with mostly deciduous trees, I am sure this is the perfect foliage tour! This time of year (end of July) and there a very few flies or mosquitoes. We will be back someday to see this for sure.

At the Canadian border in Fort Kent is the beginning of US Route 1. We vow to someday follow this scenic route all the way to Key West, FL. This time though we followed it and the Canadian border back down to Acadia.

Acadia Village – was not open while we were there, walking around the buildings and reading the signs in front of them, we learn how early settlers would farm in the summer and go to logging camps in the winter. The woman would manage the homes and expenses while the men worked the fields and lumber. There was a sign stating that a man was considered to be overbearing if he managed the finances instead of the woman! 10 kids were the normal family and children were expected to begin helping with farm work at age of 10 and would be self-sufficient in their own home by age 30.

The farms were laid out different here, long and narrow rather than square. This allowed each farm to have good soil in the bottomland and thinner soil in the higher portions away from the river.

We noticed that many homes had roofs shaped similar to barns, I reason this to be that with long winters and heat rises this allowed more livable area in the second story of homes.

Another interesting idea was we noticed 10 homes along the route that had once had homes then removed the old house and set up a RV pad. You can tell for there is the old power lines, septic, water still serving the pad where once it served the house. I assume this is a summer home for full time RV’rs. Most often there would be a large storage shed or sometimes a garage there as well. This is exactly what we have been thinking about only for winter home use. We are continuing to travel to determine where that will be. My brother told me of a man in Oregon who did the same thing in Arizona.

Marquette, ME is the most northern place in US, it has a paper mill on both sides of border that works together to produce paper. The US side grinds the wood and makes it into pulp then a long pipe attached to the bridge it passes the mulch to the plant on the Canadian side to process into paper.

 

We were surprised to see Blueberries fields as small ground covers not bushes like in Oregon.

 

 

 

2021 July Family RV Trip 2 WI, MN

   In the second half of our Family RV trip through the Midwest National Parks, we stopped to see family in Wisconsin.

First day at the family lake house and Cousin Earl was here to greet us and help set up our parking. Bob could not get his RV down next to the Lake House for it was just too big! So, he set up at the top of the hill under a good shade tree and Tom and Tanya set up next to the lake house down the hill.

Catching up with Earl, for he retired in January of this year and bought a winter home in Arizona. He had stories of his winter home and all the activities they had in that community. He said that he does not travel in his RV to get there but drive his car straight down there. Perhaps, someday he will have the opportunity to travel in the RV along the way and see some of the sights like follow Route 66!

Dinner the first night and we order from a local pizza place – it took 3 hours for our order! Understandably, they were short staffed and terribly busy, when they delivered you could see how extremely tired, frazzled you might say. Fortunately, our family does not emphasize and argue about delays or shortcomings, and we all were very tired, but joked around at the same time.

First morning and Bob catches some fish from the dock, his dog Diesel keeps thinking he is throwing a stick and wants to jump into the lake and play fetch!

The following has been written by Bunnie

 

The last 2 days have been down days, meaning we haven’t been driving in the RV (which I have named THOR, Tripod Home On the Road, but Jan and Bob don’t like it), but just staying still and taking trips in the Jeep.

This is a house that was purchased when Mom was in high school, and the house has stayed in the family since. Mom’s dad, Grampa Walt, gave it to his son with the stipulation that all family could use it whenever they wanted, and now Gerry gave it to his kids with the same stipulations. I’ve heard stories about the Lakehouse for years, as Bob and Tom (and their sibs) would come stay here with their Grampa in summers and loved running wild, swimming, fishing and doing kid stuff. It was great to finally see it in real life and meet Mom’s brother and his kids.

Tom - We spent most of the week at the lake house and have had a good time reconnecting with our Wisconsin family. Although we do not really want to go yet, there are heavy rains coming and Bob is parked on the grassy hill, so to keep from getting stuck we go to a State Fairgrounds in Milwaukee.

Had dinner that night with Cousin Ralph and his wife Jan, they had been very busy on home renovations and could not meet us at the lake house – so we came to them! Anyway, we had a great time catching up, Ralph had brought his Dad (Mom’s brother) along, so we were able to have even more time with him as well.

The following has been written by Bunnie

Today we drove from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to just across the border into Michigan. I’m not sure of the name of this town. Even though we didn’t stop at any attractions, there’s still so much interesting to see. We’re driving mostly on 2 or 4 lane highways, through the countryside. I was really struck in Milwaukee and on the road with the many different styles of architecture. The old brick buildings, some very ornate, some plain, and the wood, or stone or stucco houses often side by side. I also have noticed the billboards and signage as you near the larger cities – it really gives one a flavor of what expect by the types of things they advertise. I also love looking at the names of the roads and rivers or creeks we cross. Sometimes one can really get a sense of what the early settlers were experiencing as they named them. Or like I, make up stories about how they came up with these names. Was there really a big squirrel there? How big? Did someone’s horse actually go lame at Lame Horse Road? One funny thing we noted: all the creeks and rivers we crossed seemed really clear and clean, until we crossed the Republican River in Nebraska that was really murky and muddy and had lots of garbage in it.

Speaking of early settlers, in Nebraska we visited two historic monuments on the Oregon Trail which were markers for the settlers. Chimney Rock, so named because it stuck up higher than all the others in a cylinder, and Scott’s Bluff, which is a rectangular rock formation. It was named after a scout for one of the exploratory teams who disappeared and never returned. The next team found what they believed to be his skeleton at the bottom of the bluff, so named it after him. The Oregon Trail is also known as (or overlapped with) the Chisholm Trail, The Pony Express Trail, and the Mormon Trail. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to go hiking at any of these spots, but the visitors’ centers were all quite interesting. Chimney Rock and Scott’s Bluff were but a few days ride for the settlers (I think it was a 20 minute or half hour drive for us), but the next outcropping marker, Immigrant’s Rock, was several weeks away.

Also in Nebraska, we went 30 miles on a horribly maintained road to the Agate Fossil Field National Monument. We got there 15 minutes before the visitor center closed, and it was extremely hot, so we didn’t get to go walking on any of the trails there either. We did see the great display at the visitor’s center, where they were able to recreate some of the prehistoric dinosaurs and animal skeletons and show them fighting and the big boneyards. As the water holes started disappearing, some of the animals would die or dehydration or were simply too weak to fight off the predators. Other scavengers would come and eat what was left of the flesh, so only huge boneyards would remain. It’s amazing to me how the archeologists and paleontologists have been able to actually recreate or know what they actually looked like. Someone had put a mask on one of the smaller animals, a prehistoric dog or wolf like animal. It was amusing. When resources become scarce, living things can either adapt, leave, or die. It is believed that alligators at one time lived there and migrated south.

Another monument we didn’t get to really explore was Devil’s Tower (in Wyoming). Another huge rock formation, towering up into the sky. Normally, one could watch many climbers trying to scale it, but it was closed to climbers for the month of June at the request of the local Indians, I’m not sure why they closed it this month, but it is a very spiritual place for them, and they asked the Park Department to close it to climbers.

Tom - As Bunnie stated, we moved on from visiting our Wisconsin family to northern Wisconsin and a little of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Along the way stopped to see a friend of mine in Waupaca, WI. Mark and I worked at 2 hospitals together and really enjoyed each other’s company. I remember the great Friday night fish fry when I was here last and hoped we would be able to do this again. I had a good time catching up on what has happened with him and those 2 hospitals. He now has a 3^rd hospital he is managing and doing really well. WAY TO GO MARK! We talked a lot about the great staff he has and how well they are doing too. Unfortunately, there was only time for lunch together with my brother’s family and my wife Tanya along and after lunch we move on. Driving along to the next destination I chat with my wife reminiscing about that work assignment. I feel so lucky to work in so many different places and meet so many people all over the country, and now during my off-work times I have the opportunity to stop and see these same people as friends.

Speaking of friends, we camped at a casino in Munising, MI and the other camper here saw the Rialta and asked if I knew Georgia Strickland? YES! We had attended a Rialta Rally that she hosted in the Midwest! Wow, again it is so amazing to bump into people that we know or know of someone. What a small world we live in.

We took the boat tour of the Pictured Rocks, and it is well worth the trip! Beautiful cliffs with great colors, caves with kayakers paddling through them or into them. It was very cold on the upper deck, but the lower deck had glass covering and was warm enough.

Following the coast of Lake Michigan north to Keweenaw Peninsula we stopped for a picnic lunch on the roadside. Cool! It started to rain, and Bob pulled out the awning and we continued our lunch. I saw a caterpillar on a milkweed and texted a photo to Cousin Carol, who loves butterflies, and she returned a picture of her latest caterpillar that had turned into a Monarch butterfly! She taught me that they only eat milkweed, so I look for them along the way. I am wondering if I can raise butterflies in an RV?

Tanya’s office today is on top of a hill with a wood patio extending over the hill. The umbrella is to cut the glare on her laptop. The wine glass is mine, not hers :)

Touring Calumet, MI mining museum, it has a great display including the mold shop where wooden pieces were made then sand mixture formed around it then wood removed and cast iron poured into the mold. They made machine parts for the mining industry. The primary industry was copper mining, known for nearly pure copper this location was very profitable at first. Union wages, western mine required far less labor cost, and eventually the mines were closed here. Nearly 2 miles down with water incursion increased the cost as well.

Picture of an air driven skip loader

Early RV?

Train with wood snowplow

The town of Houghton, MI has interesting history. Built as a shipping port for copper mining, the buildings were in disrepair after mining ceased. A local fellow attended Michigan Tech to become an engineer, and after years of working in Detroit he wanted to raise his 7 children in his hometown. All his children attended Michigan Tech as well. He became the town engineer and was instrumental in revitalize the town drawing tourism while maintaining the small-town appeal. It’s a very nice town to visit. Professional hockey was created here too!

Touring Keweenaw Peninsula we saw a lot of trees that made me think that this could be a nice fall foliage trip. Along the mountain ridge especially was thick mature forest, along the shoreline you could see they were 2^nd growth woods. Even so, with occasional glimpse of Lake Superior it would be a really nice drive.

There are both sandy and rocky beaches along the waterfront. We stopped at one lighthouse and although the lighthouse itself was closed the maritime museum was open. Displays of actual salvage items from ships, pictures of shipwrecks and maps showing the locations of many shipwrecks. I did not think there were so many!

One of the many benefits of traveling with family is mornings with my brother, chatting about things to do, places to see, planning each travel day one day at a time. This time with him is special to me. Today's discussion included how much hay to set up for his Llamas for the coming winter. We also talk about the merits of boondocking and what's for breakfast. Such is the retired life, big decisions :)

We toured Apostle Islands National Park, took the boat tour and although the wind was up some creating 4’ waves it was still a pleasant ride. Most of the islands you go through are heavily wooded and there is not too much to see. The captain talked about some interesting thing to keep the journey interesting. Arriving at Devils Island where the picturesque caves are - it is well worth the journey. I committed myself to returning someday with my kayak and paddle in and through the caves.

 

Returning to the dock we have lunch at the Pickled Herring restaurant, it was originally a bar then expanded to a restaurant. True to its name it did have an appetizer of pickled herring! Tanya of course loved it, for me it was ok (I’m not a fan of pickled things or vinegar). Jan tried the Brussel sprouts (good) and Bunnie tried the fish liver (good). A very good lunch!

Ashland, WI is a clean nice small town. We stayed 2 nights in their city park campground while visiting Apostle Islands National Park.  The town has some exceptional murals throughout the central part, a handbook we picked up at the city park had descriptions of each mural and an easy-to-follow map. Quite a nice collection showing history and relevant murals of this town. I highly recommend for anyone to visit.

This morning’s discussion with brother Bob was the weather, there is a heat wave is coming. It is the 4^th of July weekend, no campsite available anywhere. Do we push through or hunker down next to Lake Superior where it is cooler? I love these chats!

Deciding to stick to the original route as planned, we continue on to Voyagers National Park. Not finding any campground openings we were truly fortunate to see a gas station with an RV lot and electric hookups across it. Although right alongside the highway, the traffic is very light and not a problem. This is 4^th of July weekend, and it seems like everyone is out camping. I had been looking for a few days now for campsites and apparently that is not soon enough.

Voyagers National Park has several visitor’s centers and hiking trails offering great views of the many lakes. Hiking a 3-mile trail we were able to see a little wildlife too. Deer, squirrel, birds. Bunnie is working hard to get ready for Bob’s Llama pack trip next month. Me, I wish I had brought the kayaks along! We were very fortunate to find a campground with electricity. Being plugged in with AC during a heat wave is so nice! Tanya looked up info on the town of International Falls, MN and learned it had a legal dispute with a town in Colorado on who was the coldest city in US. After several years International Falls got the federal trademark as the “icebox of the nation”! Its highest temperature reaches 90 degrees only a couple of days a year and we are here for one of those days!

We go to Rainey Park visitor’s center of the Voyagers National Park and there is a small botanical garden featuring local flora. There were a lot of milkweeds and we saw a Monarch butterfly as well as their former stage of caterpillar.

Tanya saw a very pretty and sparkling stone at the visitor’s center, she was very excited to see a nature-made sparkly thing! It a pyrite, Bob says it’s called Fool’s Gold - how appropriate! :) Tanya bought one and we placed it on the dash as we drive so it has little sparkles.

So ends our 2021 Family National Park RV trip. We part in Voyager National Park, International Falls, MN. This is the center of the US, 1,700 miles west for Bob's family and 1,500 miles east for us. Bob's family will also stop at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota on the way home. We will stay around the Great Lakes, where it is cooler during the hot summer months. We are planning to meet again in Albuquerque, NM for the Balloon Fest this October.