PREFACE: IT IS NOW DAY 14 OF OUR TRIP AND WE ARE SITTING AT A FABULOUSLY FUN HARVEST HOST (HH) SITE IN BUFFALO, UPSTATE NY. I HAVE BEEN MAKING NOTES AND TAKING PHOTOS BUT HAVE NOT ALWAYS HAD WIFI TO ADD TO THE BLOG. SO HERE WE ARE AND NOW WE CAN AND SO I WILL SEND THIS COLLECTION OF NOTES & PHOTOS TO YOU TO ENJOY.
Day 1 and counting. Friday 6/16/2023. We managed to get ready last night. Nida came over to feed us Pesto Lasagna and garlic bread. Very good from Costco. She slept over because it got dark and I don’t like her driving at night. So we just kept working and hooked up the trailer and were ready to hit the road in the morning.
So above are the first of many photos to share. We left OPH on Friday June 16th 8:41am. Mileage starts at 51549 and I'll report the total when we return. So far gasoline prices have been a LOT less than in California and for that we are grateful since with headwinds and towing the trailer the mpg has been dismal. Even as low as 7mpg. Oh well, it's only money.
Made it to Leeds, UT, by 6:20pm. Just east of St. George, UT, but terrible construction-related traffic stoppages along the way, and especially near Mesquite NV. We we supposed to be at this Harvest Host (Zion Winery) by 6p for wine tasting at Zion Vineyards. We kept them posted and Dan waited for us. There were still some patrons there so that worked out. We bought 2 bottles of wine, Eldon thinks they are quite good. Met some other HH travelers, both of whom are essentially full time travelers, one woman in her 70s and another couple in their late 20s. Lots of discussion about the vagabond lifestyle. And we all three had dogs.
These are the owner and wine maker and staff at the winery. This is one of the wines Eldon bought and already drank. Good stuff.
We were only one of 3 Harvest Host guests at this vineyard.
Day 2 Saturday 6/17/23. Left At 10am to a beautiful sunny but crisp morning.
We wanted to go to the John Wesley Powell museum on the bank of the Green River Tin Green River UT,) before it closed. Eldon managed to get in and Moreno and I walked around outside. Nice exhibits outside the Museum. Powell convinced Congress to form the U.S. Geological Survey and became the 2nd Director for many years. He was also the first white man to lead a boat party down the Green River to the Colorado River and through the Grand Canyon. All this, despite having lost an arm at the Battle of Shiloh in the Civil War!!! Of his party of nine, 3 died, but only because they abandoned the group and climbed out of the canyon where they found their demise at the hands of the Indians. Should have stayed with the group!!!
Then to our campsite at Green River State Park, UT. Arrived there at 4:30pm to find my first experience with Cottonwood trees that were generating a literal blizzard of their fluffy cotton seeds. I thought it was snowing!!!
Day 3 Sunday 6/18/23 I got up at 6am because I was too cold to try to sleep in. 57 degrees! We did not set up the heater last night because it didn’t seem to be needed. We will not make that mistake again🤪. Eldon and Moreno are still sleeping.
Left Green River campground at 9:10am. Got to Arches NP at 10:20am but had to crawl to the entrance for over 30 minutes!!! So once we finally made it there, we were unable to get in since we did not have a prior Reservation. Who would have “thunk” it. So the closest we got to an Arch was the traffic return lane to exit the park.
Colorado River is flowing bank to bank. It was good to see all that water flowing towards California.
Spectacular scenery throughout Utah and Colorado. We stopped for lunch at the visitor center at Colorado National Monument outside Grand Junction CO. We arrived to our Harvest Host (HH) at 4pm. Gubbini Vineyards in Palisade, CO and there are many vineyards in that particular area. It reminded us of Temecula, CA. This place is run by one woman, Linda Lee, who might be in her upper 70s but still does it all, from planting, harvesting and processing the grapes and other things. Amazing. She is very nice and accommodating. Found out that she is also an RN who works 2 winter months a year at a ski resort in their ER. P There were 2 other HH couples that stayed there tonight, we spent a couple hours drinking wine together. She also makes multiple fruit/wine blended bottlings, like Cherry/Pinot Noir or Peach/Chardonnay, and after trying several Clara expressed satisfaction with all, and ended up with a couple bottles for the long road ahead. Eldon scored a bottle of her vineyard Syrah which he preferred over everything else, maybe the 16.9% alcohol, which he said was “still remarkably balanced.” Hmmm.
Moreno was ready and happy to be out of the car. Lots of grass rubbing and tail wagging!!! We walked up to the edge of her property and it has a canal that houses Colorado River water.
Eldon set up his Starlink satellite antennae and it worked great. It’s quite a revolutionary concept and gadget. Only takes about 5 minutes to set up and take down, upwards of 15 minutes to log into its cosmic space, and then you are well able to watch the Angels games on MLB, and do other useful things as well, like post this blog eventually.
Eldon made us a delicious steak dinner this night. He cooks, I clean. Just like at OPH.
I get to do my part in getting ready to leave our camp. It'a actually getting easier to set up and tear down.
Day 4 Monday 6/19/23. We packed and got ready to hit the road again. This Palisade, CO town had funny street names. Like C ¼, C ½, 10 3/16, and so on. I’d hate to be a mailman in that town.
We headed onto Denver, CO but stopped at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in CO first. Eldon’s geology summer field camp was in Gunnison way back in 1976 (or 77?). We are trying to get as many National Monument and Park Stamps and Stickers as possible on my Passport Book.
We arrived to Susan and Bob Weir’s house at 6:30pm in Denver CO. They waited for our arrival to go out to one of their favorite restaurants near their house. A good meal was had and then after dinner drinks at their backyard was very relaxing. The drive into Denver had been challenging because of road construction along the way. The lanes were shut down to one way traffic and the waits were extensive. Many people (guys) were seen peeing along the side of the road. But, it was all geology, and the winter and spring rains generated a ton of landslides and debris flows that took out large sections of the roads.
Moreno was very well behaved and they loved him, green grass to roll on and cavorting squirrels to watch. What is there not to love. Their house is like a museum, filled with so many unique and beautiful decorations. They have been all over the world it seems so they collected from everywhere. Bob’s post-retirement company Hydroscreens has projects going all over the world, and they even solved the filtration problem for Princess Diana’s fountain London, earning them a visit to the Queen.
Day 5 Tuesday 6/20/23. Last night we slept in their guest room and this morning I washed a load of clothes while we had a delicious breakfast. Moreno was gifted the right to be in the house as well, first dog ever we suspect. A leisurely breakfast was enjoyed on their back patio, but time flew by and then it was time to hit the road again.
At least this time we were not driving too far. Only to Boulder, CO and arrived at 3pm. Amy, Betty and Willie were home when we got there and Scott Mitchell got there soon afterwards. He looks the same, just more grey hair. Working hard tho and might decide to retire soon, or at least go part-time to allow for more travel. Eldon and Scott were college and Idaho roommates so lot of history there. Fortunately, they did not spend all night talking about it, as Scott had gotten up at 5 for a work meeting (he is in the satellite design group of Ball Aerospace [yes, the same people who got their start with canning jars - ??] and they have several big projects in the closing stages. But he and Eldon and Moreno got a good walk in and all is well with them, despite a dead car battery, some lingering smoke taint damage from the Boulder fires of Jan 2022 that left them uninhabitable for months, and Amy and Betty still with some early 2020 long Covid issues. But you would never know from their hospitality and the extensive taco bar they set out for dinner.
We were able sleep in their guest bedroom and shower before leaving the next day. Thanks for accommodating us.
This is a better photo of the Mitchell family.
This is a little reminder of the Sinclair Dino the Dinosaur that we stopped for gas many times along the way. I hate to think of our gas expenses. Oh well.
Day 6 Wednesday 6/21/23. We got on the road at 8:15am with a clear, 73 degrees weather. Next stop was to an RV Park in Dodge City, KS called Gunsmoke RV Park. I like the old show Gunsmoke so was thinking that it would be like it and the website sure made it sound like it but it wasn’t to be. We managed to miss a re-enactment of a gunfight on Main Street downtown, but I think we would have been disappointed, and Moreno traumatized . What was not disappointing was dinner. After driving by, and smelling, millions of cows through this part of Kansas, we decided to eat one. Upon arriving to the park we went to dinner at a restaurant on a Golf course (Prime on the Nine). The steak was delicious. We were allowed to eat indoors (because the wind was bringing the stockyard smell directly to the patio) and the staff just loved Moreno, again. If you offer him bacon and beef, he will love anyone.
This morning we went to the Turpentine Creek Cat Rescue and Sanctuary. We had to go on the tour separately because, well, dogs and cats do not mix well. It’s such a wonderful experience and I highly recommend it. They take in all these tigers, lions, and other big game animals that have been mistreated and have no other home.
After the cats, we drove (crawled) through Eureka Springs, now we understand the “tram parking” signs out on the main road. Fortunately the Alto was still back in the KOA. Cute old narrow canyon town, formerly famous for its hot springs, now mostly restaurants, bars, t-shirt places, and candy/ice cream vendors. Had a light lunch because we planned to have dinner at the Angler’s Restaurant near to our campground.
No big cats encountered when we walked Moreno around the KOA campgrounds.
At dinner, Eldon had the classic southern dish of fried catfish and hushpuppies (fried corn meal balls) served on greasy newsprint in a wicker basket. His comment, “excellent.” Turns out Moreno also likes catfish, likely his first try.
Day 9 Saturday 6/24/23. We didn’t have far to go after last night’s dinner since we stayed at the same KOA site. We decided to have breakfast there the next day because Eldon had been eying the chicken fried steak that nearly everyone else had had for dinner previously. I got my oatmeal with raisins for breakfast and Eldon had his country fried steak and gravy with eggs. The oatmeal was almost as good as the Filling Station back home.
Curiously, there was a Filling Station here in Eureka Springs, but it was closed, likely for a long time. “The Filling Station: Many have eaten here, few have died.” This held us over until a funny lunch stop on the way to St. Louis, MO
We did find this neat eatery with so much color in Eureka Springs. They sold a hamburger patty for Moreno, large enough for three days.
Moreno is not being left out of his meals. Here he is working on his “toothbrush”. Some spare kibbles on the side. This trip is going ok for him but he does seem to pant more than other times. Of course the 4th of July and some thunderstorms didn’t help.
On the way we spotted a highway sign for “Cuba” and it was a town that had a sandwiches and deli restaurant. So funny when I asked the attendant for a “Cuban sandwich” and she had no clue what I was talking about. Well, it turned out not to be Cuban at all, just the town’s name. We got a turkey sandwich to go and that was just ok. Cuba is a place to return to though because it is right on Route 66 and known for the building murals (20+) in the town. This was similar to a place in Oklahoma that we drove through last year on our Georgia trip.
Turns out that the Route 66 essentially assumed the Osage Trail, a Native American tribe’s commerce road that went from present St Louis south into Oklahoma. As expected though, their story did not turn out well, and an extensive set of murders in the 1920s to steal oil rights from them actually led to the creation of the FBI to take the investigation away from the corrupt local officials. Sadly, most were never solved.
We kept on the road and arrived to our next campsite named Jellystone Park with Yogi Bear as their mascot. A kids paradise. Sigh. We quickly set up and headed to visit Greg and Joan Hempen. Greg is a two-time president of the Association of Engineering Geologists which Eldon was also president, and he and Eldon go back 30+ years. They took us to a local, pet friendly restaurant with wonderful food. Especially a Brussels sprouts salad to die for, though the brisket tacos sure disappeared as well. Afterwards they toured us around the area and I was amazed at how much free, public cultural activities and parks St. Louis offers. Thanks for showing us the town guys and sorry we could not stay with you, but the unexpected 100 degree temps make street boon docking impossible, and Riley was clearly the house dog. Given more time though, I think they would have been chasing all over the back yard together.
However there were some fireworks sounds after dinner and Moreno became nervous, so we interrupted our conversations and hit the road back to camp. He didn’t even want to socialize as usual. We just got him back to the trailer asap. For just the second time we used the AC in the trailer and it was working perfectly when we returned, thanks to Yogi’s electrical power. Moreno and Eldon did their evening walk and both are now passed out in bed. Tomorrow we look forward to spending time visiting with Virginia and Jim Buckles in St. Louis, MO too.
Day 10 Sunday 6/25/23.
We woke up from sleeping in a nice AC trailer last night. It’s been in 95 degrees during the day and only slightly less at night. So we’ll use the AC today again. One advantage of having a campsite with electricity.
Today we spent the day with our friends (Buckles) including seeing their 2 daughters (Emma and Amy). Emma and her boyfriend came from a grass Volleyball tournament. It reminded me of our many years playing all over the place. We hope to run into them at Nationals too since they play in the Club divisions while Eldon plays in the old men’s division!
We drove around to see the Arch and Ulysses S. Grant’s home. Saw some young Clydesdale horses grazing at the Budweiser farm.
This is where Virginia works (retired but still goes in a bit).
We had a nice lunch at The Boathouse which it would have been perfect had it not been so noisy from the live music outside.
Then we continued to eat at home with a delicious fried chicken meal. No calories were being watched. Both of their girls also showed up to spend time with the geezers. They were about a foot tall when Eldon last saw them.
Jim is retired totally and Virginia just keeps at it 1x/week to keep her brain stimulated. Of course with Amy’s wedding around the corner I think she’ll need to be off even that 1 day of work. It was a great day at the Buckles. Even got Eldon to participate in a game after dinner.
Day 11 Monday 6/26/23.
Up at 7am and left the Jellystone Camp at 9a. On the way out of the area we needed to get our morning coffee and hot chocolate plus "donuts". Lo and behold there was a place that turned out to be really neat. It is called "HOW YOU DOIN? And to my pleasant surprise it was a coffee house that is fashioned after the "Friends" show!!!! The photos will speak for themselves.
Anyway, there was no need for AC last night since it cooled off. We had a 8+ hour drive today to get to the Onyx Cave in Cave City, KY, which strongly has apparently been taken over by dinosaurs. We had a reservation to camp overnight with the HH program.
Before we arrived to the Onyx Cave HH we stopped at St. Genevieve, MO so I could get another National Park Stamp in my book.
Eldon was able to go in the 6pm Cave tour and had a good time. Saw some interesting things but pointed out that there were 200+ wet steps that I would not have been able to manage. He went down about 140 feet deep. Yikes!!!!
Moreno and I stayed in the trailer and got things set up for when Eldon got back; hoping that he could help me with the Blog and dinner.
We stayed at an HH campsite which was part of the Onyx Cave system. The whole area is all woodsy and green. The location for us to park reminded us of our “scary” experience in Pennsylvania when we had to stay overnight in the rain back in 2018. That place was like the scene in the movie, Deliverance. This was not quite the same but close. A dirt (some gravel places) road bulldozed through the wilderness, along with some abandoned RVs and trailers. It was ok because it was “free”. No Starlink tonight though, with only a thin slice of sky visible above our dirt road. And then the rain started again.
Day 12 Tuesday 6/27/23. Up at 7am to a clear sky. On his morning walk, Moreno was very studious about something Eldon did not see until the deer burst out and leapt the road right in front of them. Big squirrel. We didn’t need to leave camp until 8:15am since the Mammoth Cave Museum didn’t open until 8:30am and it was just around the corner. We went so I could get my National Park Passbook stamped. Eldon had already been there before during his ROTC days, but it would not have mattered, all tours were sold out for days.
It must have been the wind, but something blew us to Makers Mark Distillery, hmmm, Eldon was driving and sadly I was napping. Oh well, we are in Kentucky. When in Rome ... etc. Drink whisky ... ???? They had colorful horses, and whisky. Some were added to the traveling collection.
Evening now, we are sitting in our chairs by our camper next to our HH Host’s (Wise Bird Cider Company) parking lot in Lexington, KY. It’s in an area that reminds us of The Camp in Costa Mesa, CA, but surrounded by a railroad, a quarry, a U-Haul lot, and a highway. A lot of businesses (food and liquor mostly) in an old industrial area that is being repurposed. This one specializes in Ciders, but the overall owner of the place is the Old Pepper Distillery founded in 1776 or 1777. Eldon was in brown heaven. No cider for him. A food truck made some tasty foods so we did that for dinner. Yay, no dishwashing. However, as the evening progressed, so too did the noise factor, average age of the partygoers might have been 25. Incredible banging started from some adjacent quarry or something, then it became motorcycle night, followed by (we should have seen this coming) gunshots. While we could have (maybe) lived through it, Moreno was having none of it and encouraged us to bail. Our first failed HH.
Off we went, with no particular destination in mind other than to get the hell out of Lexington. No campsites available so we ended up in Paris KY at their Walmart. A new low for us but as we did buy gasoline from their adjacent station, we felt no need to actually enter their doors and so we simply used a distant corner of their parking lot for the night. After midnight, that noise level declined to a sleepable level and so the 12th day came to a close. “We’ll always have Paris”.
We did get a chance to call Jan Roybal who moved to this area from Orange Park Acres, in Orange. She loves it here especially since she is a horse person. We had already passed where she lives otherwise she said we could have camped there. Thanks anyway. Next trip!!
Day 13 Wednesday 6/28/23. There isn’t much to do in a Walmart Parking lot so as soon as we got up we tried to get out of there. Eldon took Moreno off to his walk through an adjacent construction site, shut down due to rain probably, but it was a marvel (and sad) to see the quality of construction permitted here in Kentucky. Concrete block foundations in 12-inch footing trenches cut into highly expensive clay (at least now presaturated by a week of rain) but no rebar, no wire mesh for the future slab, and not even a compactor visible for the fill that they had moved around. Buyer beware. We cut and ran by 7:30 am and it was a damp and cool 56 degrees. We had a ways to go so it was good to get going early.
On the way to Tony and Joyce Delgado's place near Toledo, we first stopped at the Hopewell Culture National Monument. They were a mound building civilization in the Ohio River Valley area several thousand years ago, population potentially in the millions. Gone. Any lessons there ... ? Oh well, it was a good place for lunch.
We got to Tony and Joyce Delgado’s home in Sylvania (Toledo), OH at 4:30pm. Even though they are in the midst of their move to Florida they made time and room for us. Great people, until they wanted to keep Moreno.
Turns out that 5 years ago we visited them on the way home from Quebec with the new trailer and they had recently moved into this house. Now, we are on the way back to Quebec and they are moving out. They are going to Port St. Lucie FL which is where Erick (my nephew) once lived. It’s supposed to be a really nice part of Florida. But still, Florida!!??
I did a load of wash after we returned from a fabulous Mexican dinner of very tasty street tacos, excellent table side guacamole and a couple mojitos/margarita, and sunrises. Yummy!!!
Here are a few photos to commemorate the visit.
Day 14 Thursday 6/29/23. Got going at 9:15am and Tony wanted us to leave Moreno with them. NO WAY!!! It was sad to say goodbye. Even though I don’t see them often (distance) it always feels like time does not pass. They are the best. Tony still works and promises that they will visit us when they are in our area.
We still had another long driving day ahead so off we went. It was strange to see (or not be able to see) things well due to the smoke coming into OH an dNY from the Canada (Quebec, or actual destination) fires. There were signs warning people to limit their outdoor activity. It was ok for us since we were in an air conditioned car.
We managed to arrive to our next stop which was another HH business in West Seneca, NY (Buffalo, NY) called Rusty Nickel Brewing Co. It was a fun place to set up camp since they were about ready to have a fun bicycle gathering. All the people were fun and very curious about our Alto. We gave some tours and they all liked it. There were also a few other HH travelers in the parking lot. And beer, and Eldon did some "work."
There was a guy, Cassy, who sure could talk. He had a lot to talk about so that was fun to listen. Then a Canadian who gave us some ideas to visit a place in Quebec. Once again Moreno was getting his share of ear rubs and such.
This was a good place to set up and visit Niagara Falls, Canada. Eldon had never been there. I had done that with mom, my brother Troadio and my nephew Erick. So to bed early to get up tomorrow for a big day, and they let us leave the trailer there.
Day 15 Friday 6/30/23. So time to get going to visit Niagara Falls. We left camp at 8:30am and 57 degrees and grey and wet. Big rain drops started falling. Bummer. We had unhooked and left the Alto in the parking lot and returned at 1:30pm. By now it was sunny and dry. Unfortunately at the Falls it was raining but not bad. Eldon was able to see them and they are still spectacular.
The crazy part of all this is getting in and out of Canada. The traffic was horrible and the process with the Custom people was interesting. On the way back to USA the fellow was chatty. He even joked with me about my collection of rubber duckies that I have on the dash. He said “do you have any more ducks in the back”. Like if they were live ducks. Funny.
Eldon did most of the driving this day. We have both been driving but he claims that he “sees” more when he drives since when I drive he is catching up with work and emails. When he drives, I sleep.
Shockingly, while I was sleeping, the car navigated itself to a winery (Great Western Winery), one of the first in the NY Finger Lakes district. Amazing how these things happen. Fortunately, they liked their wines better than Eldon or I did so we escaped relatively intact. However, great stained glass windows and historical museum and story of the NY wine making industry. Moreno loved the grass.
We got to our campsite (Belden Hill) at 6:15pm in Harpursville, NY. This is the same town that has Animal Adventure which has mom’s Giraffes. This camp has showers so took advantage and also to empty our dirty water tanks. The campground was excellent, except that our site had trees to the north, and our camper faced north, and that is where the Starlink needed to face, except that was were all the big trees were. It took some relocating to finally get Starlink to stabilize, and then Eldon got to log in and gained some billable hours in the rain. Amazing how these campsite hosts and owners think we want trees over our campsite. NO we want Kansas wheat so our Starlink can see the stars. Our eyesight and aversion to mosquitos precludes us from seeing anything.
Day 16 Saturday 7/1/23. So today we awoke at Belden Hill campground. We didn’t end up with as much power as we thought, even though plugged in to 110 (15 amp), maybe because the day was overcast so our solar panels were not very efficient, and Eldon had to work so the blog was again postponed, sigh. Not a problem we managed. Note the "power" comment, this started to become a theme going forward. Just a hint, as we know how it ends. Here I am packing up the "garage" getting ready to go.
The highlight of the day (and maybe the trip) was going to feed the Giraffes that mom had told us about . So today we went to the Park and mom was able to see us feeding them. Pretty neat. The good thing was we also got to sleep in, well, I did as Eldon had to log in to review "stuff."
The REALLY COOL part was that Mom was able to see us there on the deck feeding HER giraffes. Happy birthday MOM!!! We love you.
Then off we go and visit Cooperstown, NY with its Baseball Hall of Fame. We parked the trailer and car in the nearby neighborhood and walked over to the Museum. Neat homes in this town. Eldon went to tour the museum and Moreno and I walked and shopped in the gift shop. I had been there before with mom and Erick and Troadio. Fond memories.
I was very happy to share this memory with Eldon since we both love baseball. Specifically the Angels team. Hope they do better this year.
Along the way we came upon a small vineyard called Pail Shop Vineyards in a town called Fly Creek, NY. Eldon wasn't too excited with their wine but I enjoyed a very nice and cold white Sangria.
We got to our HH camp at 5pm, Fly Creek Cider Mill & Orchard also in Fly Creek, NY. It was suppose to be raining now but it seems to have blown over. We have been dodging weather all along. Poor Moreno is starting to shake from some noises we hear which might be thunderstorms. We’ll give him some “Licks” which helps calm him down. We hope.
We managed to settle down before the current rain came down sometime while we slept.
Day 17, Sunday 7/2/2023. We got up at 8:30am. 65 degrees, grey and mild rain. We managed to buy some goodies at the place including an Apple Pie to take to Zane’s house. Very yummy with ice cream. We headed out at 10:30am and along the way I wanted to check out my Nursing School Foundation that is near there. We managed to find the place but it was all closed up like it did not exist. I wondered where the money I was sending/donating was going. More about this later. But I want to post some photos of the first stop there. Including this first one off the road to the Center. Beautiful tree lined road.
We continued onto Zane’s house in the rain. Zane is Kay’s son who lives in Catskill, NY. He has a very big property there with quite a unique house with other pieces of properties that he manages. Land baron. Kay and Mike were already there for a visit and we coordinated so we could be together at least for a few days. It was a lot of fun and were happy to get a chance to see Dana and Kaden before they left to New Jersey the next morning to do family stuff. That night Kay prepared a great chicken dinner and we had the apple pie and ice cream for dessert.
Zane was a most gracious host and took us around town to show us places and things we had never seen before. Including was a ride to Woodstock, NY. Neat town. He also drove us to one of his properties that has a river that flows alongside and we walked down to the water and dipped my feet in the cool, fresh water. I regretted not having my bathing suit on at the time. I would have jumped right into the little pool of water. Next time.
Day 18, Monday 7/3/23 Woke up to 72 degrees and no rain but that was short lived because it did rain off and on all day. We did see a rainbow at some point so that was a good omen. We were staying at Zane's still and continued with touring around. I also managed to do a load of wash while I was there. Thanks for letting me do that.
We saw so many things that it's hard to describe them all. Or to see them all. I will add some photos to try to share the experience with you. I'll try to do small captions along the way.
Day 19, Tuesday 7/4/23 I was worried for Moreno and the fireworks today being 4th of July. I think that the bad weather sorta dampened the amount of noise so he managed ok. The weather did not deter us from continuing to tour the wonderful surroundings and historical mansions. Again, I'll let the photos tell the stories below. I cannot begin to feel how it must have felt to live in such mansions.
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Day 20, Wednesday 7/5/2023 So it's time to hit the road again. We were ready to leave Zane's house but the Subaru did not want to start. We finally jump started it and left at 10:15am. One frustration on this adventure has been managing "power". Batteries dying out and different component not functioning the way they should be. Oh well, all part of the adventure. At least we had clean clothing thanks for the use of their washer and dryer in their unique basement. I really think they need to relocate that to a more convenient spot in the house. Just saying :):)
So off we went on our adventure. Managed to get into Vermont at 3pm and I had the idea to look up where my classmates parents lived in a town called Bellows Falls, VT. Of course I had no address only a recollection when we went during our Nursing School vacations a few times. I knew they had a mom and pop type market and my friend would go into the meat cooler and grab a handful of ground beef and eat it raw. I had never seen that done so it definitely left an impression on me. So fast forward 53 years now and I FOUND THE PLACE!!!! I even found my friend who still lives in that area. We had a little mini reunion and vowed to never let this long a time pass without staying in touch. My friends, Hania and Dania Karpinski (twins) look the same. I could not believe it. Of course now they have very short hair (had LONG hair to their butt).
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We arrived at 6:pm to our next HH site at Timber Post Bed & Breakfast at 162 Broad St. Hollis, NH 03049. You might notice that I am including not just the name of the place but also the address. I wanted to give a special shout out to the owner and her Fiancé (Viviann and David) who made us feel right at home. She even allowed us to hook up to power and use the outside shower set up she had in the outside, back yard. I want to do one like that but Eldon does not agree! With HH you do not normally get electricity and water. What a treat. Including inviting us to join them for dinner outside their patio.
Not only did she provide that but also gave us some of her own frozen fish and turkey that she herself has gotten in the wild. She is so full of life and good will. I hope she and David can someday come to OPH and we can Host them too. I'll add some photos too.
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Being the 5th of the month Moreno was due for his Flea treat. Lucky him!!!
Day 21, Thursday 7/6/2023 We awoken at 7:30am to clear and sunny skies with 74 degrees temperature. Viviann took me to a local Lavender Farm from which I bought a few things. It was actually closed but she "she knows Everyone" so were allowed to wander around. She is so funny. She owns her new motorcycle which she is learning to handle and she looks so cute all dressed up in biker gear. She is tiny!!!
Since we had planned 2 days there (and 2 wonderful breakfasts) we went touring around and went into Concord, MA and specifically to Lexington which was the birthplace of the American Revolution, 1775. It got warmer, 97 degrees but cool in the shade. We visited the Minute Man National Historical Park and got another Stamp for my National Monument book. Very inspiring and life would be a lot different if it had not worked out the way it did. Now, in America, I don't think we have the courage to do what they all did then.
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Day 22, Friday 7/7/2023 Once we were up and ready to leave it was now necessary to jump start the Subaru AGAIN!!! Yes Mike, I should have bought a Toyota. But Eldon doesn't like them. I do. Oh well. So we finally got on the road at 10:30am. It was sunny and 80's. We already miss Vivian and her Fiancé David.
So off we went on our adventure. Managed to get into Vermont at 3pm and I had the idea to look up where my classmates parents lived in a town called Bellows Falls, VT. Of course I had no address only a recollection when we went during our Nursing School vacations a few times. I knew they had a mom and pop type market and my friend would go into the meat cooler and grab a handful of ground beef and eat it raw. I had never seen that done so it definitely left an impression on me. So fast forward 53 years now and I FOUND THE PLACE!!!! I even found my friend who still lives in that area. We had a little mini reunion and vowed to never let this long a time pass without staying in touch. My friends, Hania and Dania Karpinski (twins) look the same. I could not believe it. Of course now they have very short hair (had LONG hair to their butt).
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We were due to be at our next HH site (Mom & Pop's World's Best Vermont Maple Syrup) in Rochester, VT but instead of arriving around 4:45pm we arrived at 9:15pm after being evicted from our roadside spot along with other cars, RVs and semi trucks. There was about to be a flash flood that would have dragged us along from the rising river. Not a good thing. Lots of rain, lightning and Moreno was scared. Poor guy. Poor us!!! We were the last vehicles to leave that spot before they closed the road formally.
We did manage to call Joyce & Ray Gendron (802) 767-3731 to give them the update. We had instead found and stayed at a very rustic campsite that provided a place to sleep and shelter from the elements. We did not hook up or anything. Just parked, slept and left the next morning and paid $20. Mountain Pines Campground had a flavor of Deliverance and if you have seen the TV ads about (I think it's a car Ad) about the group of young people running away from danger in the rain and mud and guck, and one of the guys wants them to run into this run down barn full of chains and scary stuff, that is this. There is a girl in the group that says something like "why don't we just don't get back into the truck and leave". It's Classic.
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Day 23, Saturday 7/8/2023 At 10am we left the rustic campground in NH. We were in the White Mountains with Sunny, humid, blue skies with some white clouds. 80 degrees. One would not have imagined it was as bad (rainy, stormy) as it was just last night. But the main thing is that we were safe and happy together.
So off we continued and found our way to the town of Tamworth, in the White Mountains of NH. We had wanted to stop there for Eldon who had discovered that they had a Distillery since 1916 and had they make a whisky from an invasive green crab. The town was established in 1766. Very quaint little town. While in the town Eldon shopped at the distillery while Moreno and I went to a local bazaar and bought some local goods and a raffle ticket for a quilt. I did not win:(
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We already had a booking for HH called The Village Store in Silver Lake, NH. We arrived at 3pm and set up camp. The owner was very supportive and we managed to buy some supplies and rest that evening. Walked Moreno around the area and he enjoyed the great outdoors.
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Day 24, Sunday 7/9/2023 After assessing our variety of troubles due to lack of power and showers we decided to cancel our next scheduled HH at Hampton Highlands Methodist Church, ME. Notice the irony of this being a Sunday and the site was a Church. Hmmmm. Instead we changed to a Good Sam Camp called Paul Bunyan Campground in Bangor, ME. We left The Village Store in NH at 9:30am and I was overcast and grey, 74 degrees.
So at 7:30am we woke up and off we went and made it to see the Atlantic in Belfast, ME at 1pm. The sun was trying to shine through which it did when we finally stopped to get a Lobster dinner in Bar Harbor, ME at 4pm. 82 degrees and dry. That was an experience in itself. Yikes. Poor creatures. They had these huge tubs of hot water where they would put the LIVE lobster with their tied claws. No way to climb out. What cruelty. But then, we ate one a piece. How barbaric!!!!
We might have had nightmares over that lobster experience but what the heck.
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Day 25, Monday 7/10/2023 Up at 7:30am and we showered at Paul Bunyan Campground in Bangor, ME. We also managed to do a load of clothes and power up the batteries. Finally left at 10:15am. This way we arrive clean into Canada. It's grey but no rain and 68 degrees but cloudy. We stopped in a little cute town at 1:15pm in Dover Foxcroft, ME at 1:15pm. It has a hydro-electric dam. We ate at Mill Cafe right along the water. See photos below.
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Finally we enter Quebec, Canada at 4:50pm with an overcast sky and drizzles. The Custom's officer wanted to know if my rubber duckies were the "only fowl" I was bringing into Canada. You have to know that the dash of my car is carrying an increasing amount of creatures which Eldon hates! They are well glued down. Oh so cute.
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Since our Alto Service appointment is for tomorrow, Tuesday 7/11/23 at 7am we had planned to arrive and camp in the Factory parking lot so as not to miss the 7am time. We arrived at the Factory in Staint-Nicolas, Canada at 6pm with a light rain and grey 71 degrees temperature.
This ended up being another story. I had entered the appointment data into my iCalendar on the phone in California (PST) and told Eldon the of the 7am appointment. But when we were double checking my phone for the info it had automatically changed the date and time to 7/11 at 10AM!!!!! So when we went to bed that Monday night we felt good having an extra 3 hours of sleep. BUT IT WAS NOT TO BE!!!!
At 7:30am the Service Manager guy came to knock on our door not too happy that we were still sleeping. That the appointment was at 7AM!!!! It was now 10am in Quebec!!!! Oh well, there started a "wonderful" relationship with the Service department. NOT!!!
So, very quickly we got ready and they kept the trailer that day.
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Day 26 of (63) Tuesday 7/11/2023 We were awoken at 7:15am as described above and it had rained all night long. By now we had logged in approximately 6 thousand miles. And the adventure had a LOT to continue still.
We left the Alto in the Factory and we were free to drive around town while they worked on it and we picked it up at 4pm. We mainly just drove into Quebec for a lunch and returned to the Factory. Since they had exchanged the Alto battery to a new, "stronger" (31) battery they had recommended that we camp there in the factory parking lot again and let it charge up. So we hung around there that evening and night.
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Day 27 of (63) Wednesday 7/12/2023 Not raining now at 7am when we got up but Moreno had not gotten his night walk last night since it had rained hard for about 2 hours. Now it was 64 degrees but no rain. It quickly became very sunny and warm.
Our plan, which we did, was to go visit the ice d'Orleans which is an island in the St. Lawrence River. We visited a farm that makes maple syrup and even though it was not open for tours the owner lady was kind enough to give us a very thorough and educational tour. Quite a feat to get all of it done. The getting and processing of the maple from the trees. We purchased some and if you are good, you might even get a sample:)
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We continued this day to set up at our HH spot Ignoble Domaine L'Ange Gardien, in Quebec. It was 72 degrees, partly cloudy but the sun was shining through. At 2:30pm, it was very beautiful and relaxing. Cool breeze. Moreno was VERY relaxed and pleased after the recent rains. Being all cooped up in the Alto.
There were about 5 or 6 of us campers scheduled to stay and met some very good people. One couple happened to be part of the Alto Safari Condo Gathering and we are ever so grateful to have met them. George and Susan Shiring who are from the USA but I forgot exactly where. Maybe Wisconsin. We all slept well.
Day 28 of (63) Thursday 7/13/2023 Eldon was up at 8am and me at 9:15am. Windy and cloudy but no rain. 67 degrees. The first day of the Gathering was upon us. It was to be Thursday the 13th through Sunday the 16th. We left the vineyard at 12:30pm and headed to Center Cetzal where the events would happen. We were all parked in areas assigned by types of campers and it was really a festive mood. We became the center of attraction as more and more people found out our trials and tribulations of our trip.
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