Lee and Elaine's RV Adventures: October 2013

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Pennsylvania

October 8 - 15, 2013

We have been very fortunate to have beautiful weather in such fantastic surroundings ever since leaving California on July 29, 2013. We knew the great weather wouldn't last and so we had our first rainstorm while in Lake George, New York, that is, if you don't count the one night of rain in Montana and a few rain showers here and there. But, fall has arrived since we arrived at the Hershey Thousand Trails in Pennsylvania on October 8. Our sandals have been put away and shoes and socks are the order of the day, along with light jackets during the day.

Although our days were filled with sightseeing, we did have the pleasure of visiting with two of our nieces and their families on two different occasions.

Hershey Thousand Trails Preserve was our home for almost two weeks while we explored the area around us. Shortly after arriving we had two days of torrential rain. Fortunately we were on high ground so we didn't have to worry about flooding. Actually, at this park all the sites were on high enough ground not to have to worry about the water.

Hershey TT during a short break in the rain

The lake at Hershey TT during the break

Nothing bothers the geese!

Hershey's Chocolate World, the story behind the chocolate. This new visitor's center replaces the factory tour which had gotten too popular and they could no longer accommodate the number of tourists.

Hershey's Chocolate originated in 1894 when Milton Hershey decided he to coat his caramels in chocolate. He wanted to mass produce a milk chocolate that was affordable to everyone. Up until this time only the wealthy enjoyed chocolate.

Even some of the street lights look like Hershey kisses!

Pennsylvania has some interesting towns.

Sinking Spring had a large number of underground streams that carved out limestone and formed sinkholes so the name Sinking Spring stuck.

Earliest settlers in Bird-In-Hand, Lancaster County, were Quakers and Swiss Mennonite in 1715. The name apparently comes from an old inn and stagecoach stop. An old legend also concerns the saying "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush".

Intercourse, Pennsylvania, was formerly known as "Cross Keys" from an old tavern. It was founded in 1754. There is still some debate as to how the village became known as Intercourse but since 1814 the name has stuck. One theory is there was an old race track east of town and the entrance to the course was called "Entercourse" and that evolved into "Intercourse". Another theory is two main roads crossed in the middle of town and that was the reason it was known as "Cross Keys". How that evolved into "Intercourse" makes no sense to me. And the last thought is that of the use of language in those early days where "intercourse" was used to describe "fellowship" and "social interaction and support" which was common in rural villages.

Traveling the local highways takes one to many picturesque towns and a lot of pictures will forever remain in my memory otherwise it would take hours to drive a few miles! Churches are everywhere and make a nice subject.

Cornwall, Pennsylvania

United Methodist Church, Lititz, Pennsylvania

Wernerville, Pennsylvania - the best ice cream we've tasted

Near Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania

Bird-In-Hand, Pennsylvania

Intercourse, Pennsylvania

Buggy for sale, Intercourse, Pennsylvania

Hershey Thousand Trails

Colebrook Rd, on the way to Lititz, Pennsylvania from Hershey TT

The Farmers National Bank in Lititz, Pennsylvania

The crosswalk reminds one to look both ways! Lititz, Pennsylvania

Lititz Springs National Bank, Lititz, Pennsylvania

Schenck's Mill Covered Bridge, Manheim, Pennsylvania - Originally built by Charles Melhorn in 1847 for $650. Rebuilt by Levi Fink in 1855 for $837 after extensive flood damage. It is the 3rd oldest bridge in Lancaster County still open to traffic.

Manheim, Pennsylvania

More about Pennsylvania later!

Thursday, October 10, 2013

New Hampshire

When it was time to leave Maine, my first thought was to blow through New Hampshire and stop somewhere near Montpelier, Vermont because we had reservations at a Thousand Trails Park in Lebanon, Pennsylvania on October 8 and it was already October 3. Not a lot of time and we still had about 800 miles to go. 800 miles might not sound like a lot, but since we drive at a leisurely pace it takes a while. The other thing was, I had read about the Mt. Washington Cog Railway, in New Hampshire, to the summit of Mt. Washington at 6288'. 6288' isn't tall by west coast standards but in the northeast it is the tallest mountain and at that elevation, you are above the tree line. The train ride sounded interesting but then I found out there is also a drive we could do. So, it was off to Gorham, New Hampshire so we could drive the Mt. Washington Auto Road. As we were driving through Maine, the fall foliage was starting to get colorful and I thought it was beautiful. But, as we were getting closer to New Hampshire the colors continued to get more vivid. And driving around the countryside in New Hampshire left me in awe! It was so beautiful. And yet, the host at our campground said the colors wouldn't peak for another week or two! We have been so fortunate to see this fall spectacle in most of its glory.

I really must do more homework on our destinations. Who would have thought "the world's largest garage sale" was happening the same weekend we arrived in Lake George and 100,000 were converging on the town? Needless to say, traffic was horrific but at least when we managed to get off the freeway, we were turning right, away from town and out of the gridlock. The weather had been absolutely beautiful until Sunday, October 6 when it rained all day while we were in Lake George, New York. The rain did cause a lot of people to stay inside but it was still amazing how many diehard shoppers there were!

On Monday, October 7, we left Lake George and headed southwest toward Pennsylvania in preparation of our arrival in Lebanon. The weather forecast had been for rain all night with high winds and heavy rain through early morning, so we were anticipating a lousy day of driving. Well, it didn't rain at all during the night or when we were getting ready to leave. However, when bringing the slide in on the motorhome, water had collected on the top of the slide and down it came, all over the carpet and then the first time I applied the brakes more water came down, splashing on me. I figured that was all the water but boy was I wrong! The park we were in was huge and had dirt roads so we were going to hook up the Jeep when we got to pavement. So, I was driving the motorhome and Lee was driving the Jeep. When he stopped to dispose of the garbage, I also stopped and down came a torrent of water, this time it didn't miss me and I was drenched, not to mention the inside of the motorhome! After a change of clothes, we were on our way. In this part of the world there aren't a lot of campgrounds and we had found one about three hours down the road so that was going to be our destination. We should have stuck to our original plan but decided to push on a little further, knowing the we could boondock at the Flying J Truck Stop in New Milford, Pennsylvania. The day was turning out pretty pleasant, no rain, a little sunshine and then after passing the one campground we could have stayed at, the sky turned a little darker and then a lot darker. By this time, we had switched drivers so now Lee was driving, thankfully! The rain started gently, then continued to get heavier and heavier until it was a torrential downpour! Traffic slowed to about 45 mph which was fine except for the one person who wanted to go slower so Lee passed him. After passing the car, Lee checked his mirror to pull back into the right lane and imagine his surprise when all he could see was the bedroom slide on the motorhome!!! It had fully opened and there was nowhere to stop. We finally got to an off-ramp and pulled off. We were both relieved when the slide worked and we were able to retract it. At this point we were only about 30 miles from our destination so we proceeded without any further problems.

Okay, enough of that! It's time for some pictures.

Oh, no! Not another GPS glitch, how could we have gone so far astray? Fortunately this Mexico is in Maine.

New Hampshire

The cog railway with a steam engine train pushing up the mountain. The average grade is 25% with a maximum grade of about 37 1/2% and it's only three miles long! The cog railway was a dream of Sylvester Marsh in 1852 after becoming lost near the summit of Mt. Washington. He thought people needed a way to get to the top of the highest mountain peak in the Northeast so he designed the mountain-climbing train using a cog gear wheel in the train which gripped a special track. After overcoming many obstacles, the first cog-driven train made its way to the top on July 3, 1869.

New Hampshire

Summit Stage Office, built in 1878, the chains hold the building in place during high winds, the highest recorded was 231 mph on April 12, 1934. Mt. Washington, New Hampshire

New Hampshire

At the base of Mt. Washington, New Hampshire, about 1500' elev.

Covered bridge constructed by Town of Albany in 1858, 120' in length. Kancamagus Hwy, New Hampshire

Rocky Gorge, Kancamagus Hwy, about 7 miles west of Conway, New Hampshire

Rocky Gorge, Kancamagus Hwy, New Hampshire

Lower Falls, Kancamagus Hwy, New Hampshire

The root system on this tree (and others in the area) are simply amazing because the roots are anchored in the cracks and as they grow over the rock, they look as if they had been glued in place.

Lower Falls, Kancamagus Hwy, about 9 miles west of Conway, New Hampshire

Glen Ellis Falls, Hwy. 16, south of Gorham, New Hampshire

Ellis River, Hwy. 16, south of Gorham, New Hampshire

Now if the rain stops, we'll do some exploring in Pennsylvania. And it would be nice if Congress could pass a budget so the National Parks can re-open.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Maine

Before leaving California on July 30, 2013, we had been a little worried about the weather on the east coast and being this far north into October. But the weather has been spectacular. Cool nights, warm days and lots of sunshine. It just can't get better than this! The coast of Maine is absolutely beautiful if you like quaint little villages, spectacular fall colors, and not a lot of tourists (comparatively speaking) because it's after Labor Day. I don't think I would have the same opinion if I was here during the height of the summer season. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of resorts, B & B's, cottages and motels and they all seem to be surviving. Trying to drive through those quaint little villages with hordes of tourists could take forever!

Our first stop was on the southern coast of Maine, in the town of Wells which was founded in 1643, which is not unique because I think every town we drove through was founded in the 1600's or 1700's. From here we visited Kennebunkport, Orgunquit, and Freeport, the home of LL Bean and points in between. But we missed Lenny, the 1700 pound, life-size chocolate moose, in Scarborough. We passed him on our way to see something else and thought we'd be coming back the same way. Alas, our route changed and we didn't make it back.

Marginal Way Walk, Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, Maine

A make-believe lighthouse

Marginal Way Walk, Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, Maine

A beautiful sailing day, Orgunquit, Maine

Marginal Way Walk, Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, Maine

Cape Neddick Light aka Nubble Light, York, Maine, est. in 1879 - Southernmost of Maine's lighthouses

One of many old churches we've seen in the northeast

Portland Head Light, the oldest lighthouse in Maine went into operation on January 10, 1791. Fort Williams Park, Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Ram Island Ledge Light, est. 1905, Casco Bay, Maine, as seen from Portland Head Light

The flag flying over Fort Williams

Fort Williams was a military installation begun in1873 and guarded the entrance to Casco Bay. It was an active military base until 1964.

Cape Elizabeth Light aka Two Lights, est. 1828. Originally, there were two lights but the west light was discontinued in 1855.

Just a house in Kennebunkport

And more houses in Kennebunkport

Kennebunkport, Maine

Kennebunkport

St. Ann's Episcopal Church, building began in 1887 and the church was consecrated in August, 1892. It has been used as a summer chapel since that time. Kennebunkport, Maine

Lutheran Church, Kennebunkport

First Families Museum at White Columns, a Greek Revival home built in 1853. It has exhibitions covering two centuries of Kennebunkport history, mostly things donated by the Bush family. It is staffed mostly by volunteers and a paid historian who gave us an excellent tour. She told us a story about one of the volunteers that was quite humorous. It seems that one day a well-dressed lady came in wearing a summer hat and dark glasses, with a young child in tow, followed by a couple of men in business suits. Seeing the donation box, the lady dropped a $20 bill into it and then wanted to enter the museum. The volunteer told her it would be $7 to enter the museum. The lady said she just put $20 into the donation box but the volunteer was adamant that anyone wanting to enter "her museum" had to pay the $7 entry fee. So, out comes another $7, (children get in free) and the lady entered the museum. Now, the men in suits had not said a word up to this time but after the visitors had left the room, they asked the volunteer if she had any idea who the lady was. When she said "no", they told her it was Laura Bush. The poor volunteer about died!!!

Village Baptist Church, Kennebunkport

Bush compound on Walker's Point, Kennebunkport

The Bush compound was purchased by President George H. W. Bush's great-grandfather, David Davis Walker, and Walker's, son George H. Walker, in the late 19th century. Although it has remained in the family, it was not handed down from one generation to the next. You can't see the wind turbine, but #41 had it installed so he could be 'greener' than Al Gore!

Bush compound, Walker's Point, Kennebunkport

My first lobstah dinner at Mike's Clam Shack, Wells, Maine. I had never had a whole lobster before, let alone two! The only kind I had ever eaten was 'lazy man's' lobster, a tail that had been removed from the shell. So, how does one eat a whole lobster? Fortunately, the hostess was there to give me a lesson on how to eat it! Ooooh, it was soooo good!!! Can't wait for the next one.

Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, on the way to Moody Beach, Wells, Maine

The morning we left Wells, we encountered a little fog but it didn't last.

Our destination on Sunday, September 29, 2013, was Narrows Too RV Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. Acadia National Park is located in Bar Harbor and ever since I got my first LL Bean catalog, I had wanted to go there. LL Bean did a lot of their photo shoots at the park and the pictures were always beautiful. Usually when we arrive at an RV park, we get set up and then just 'hang out' for the rest of the day if we're staying more than a day. Sightseeing begins the next day. But, this particular day, our plans changed. As we were checking in, we were told that if we wanted to see Acadia, we should see it that day and/or Monday because the government was probably closing down on Tuesday, October 1, because Congress had not passed a budget and most likely wouldn't do it on Monday. I would have been very disappointed to have come this far and not been able to see it. By the way, Acadia National Park is on a somewhat small island, Mt. Desert Island, so we were able to drive all around it. I just can't describe how beautiful it was.