8/27/2017 8/1-26/2017
We slept in on Tuesday, we both needed it. We did some bill paying, etc., and about 4 pm we took a ride. We have made a habit of finding the dams that create the reservoirs that these cool ACE Parks are on, mainly because the search is part of the fun and the topography near the dams is super fun to see. We headed into Huntingdon as I had seen signs on our way to NYC. We found a road and followed it until we arrived at an overlook of the dam, pretty cool spot. We took some pictures and proceeded to try another approach to the dam itself. We ended up on a gravel road that went through peoples front yards and finally arrived at the dam and the park next to it, it had been quite an adventure. We headed back to Huntingdon via a different route, stopped and got some dinner and made our way back to the camper...tomorrow is moving day again.
We are on our way to Washington, DC and a stay at Cherry Hill RV Park. We arrived about 3 pm and got set up and drove to our cousins John & Bev for dinner and the always fun conversations. We got back to the camper and got some sleep. It was raining in the am so we just hung out and relaxed.
We made our way to Annapolis the next morning to visit the Maryland State House, oldest building in the US still in use as a State Capitol and Legislature chambers. It is also the building where George Washington resigned his Commission as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, so there is a nice rendition of that moment. We walked across the street and had a nice lunch at Harry Brownes. We drove to the port, got a few pictures and headed back to the camper. About 330, we drove to the closest Metro Station and took the train downtown DC. We arrived at Gallery Place and we were within a block of Verizon Center at F Street and a night of Roger Waters and the Us & Them concert. What an amazing show...Roger never fails to impress. After the show, we took the train back to our car and returned to the camper. What a fun night, no problems on the Metro and a very cool concert.
The next morning, we were back to John & Bev's house and a day of sightseeing in the DC area. First stop was Hillwood Estates and the tour of Marjorie Post's gardens & her home. From there, it was a trip to the top of Watergate, a swing through Georgetown and a stop at the JFK Performing Arts Center where we sat in on a 1 hour musical. Then we drove around the White House and observed all of the extra security fencing that has been installed...looks like a fortress instead of the pretty White House we have all seen...sad! Bev & Barb went to take pictures at Trump International Hotel while John & I drove around avoiding trying to find a place to park. Then it was a tour of Navy Yard & Washington Nationals stadium areas and a stop for dinner at Mininas Italian Restaurant near Nationals Park. Then it was back to J & B house and back to our camper. It was a very fun day.
The next morning, we were off again, Boydton, VA our destination. The GPS took us on a route through downtown DC, past the Capitol, Arlington Cemetery & The Pentagon. It was cool to see these buildings on a Sunday morning with a minimum of traffic. Then it was south on I-95 and a pass through Richmond. We arrived at Rudd's Creek too early and we had to wait for the current occupant to vacate our reserved campsite. About 3, they told us we were allowed to go to our site and about 15 mins later our niece and her family arrived. We spent the rest of the afternoon chatting with them, letting their 4 boys go swimming and having grilled burgers for all. It was a nice time. They left about 8 pm for their drive back to Raleigh. We have seen a vast majority of family this summer, which has been a lot of fun. My sister's 9 grand kids are great kids, she would be proud.
The next day, we spent the day doing a few things at the camper and finding cell service so we could make some plans. We had a nice lunch at Applebees and went back to the camper...moving day is tomorrow. We are headed to South Carolina for 2 weeks, waiting on the eclipse, 6 hour drive.
Our trip was as long as we expected. Our site in SC is as nice as we expected too, right on Lake Hartwell and trees separating us from neighbors. We set up the portable dish, as we are here 14 days. It had been a while since I set it up, so it took me awhile. Later that day, we discovered we had been infested with ants, in the car & the motor home. So we sprinkled Comet around the tires & jacks and sprayed inside too...we hadn't had that issue since San Diego last summer...they even got into the microwave. So it was an ongoing war. We also changed some reservations so we didn't need to move the motor home so far, internet is a very handy thing to have on board.
The next morning we were off to Columbia in the car to visit the State House. The SC Capitol has been in operation since 1907, although it was begun in 1851 and because of the Civil War, work was suspended from 1865-1867 and the building was damaged by Gen Sherman and his army. So the building is one of the few that survived Sherman's march to the sea, kind of cool being in a working Capitol that survived Sherman and is still a very nice building. After our tour, we asked a guard where we could get a sandwich and he gave us a great place to go...Beezer's in downtown Columbia.
We headed back and found a place to wash the car on the way too...car gets pretty nasty in tow. We got back just before sunset and sat outside until it started to rain. The next morning, the awning collapsed from water collection and damaged one of the arms. That is the first time that has happened to us since we started camping in the 1970s, so it was a strange incident. I looked up dealers in the area and we even drove to one to see if they could help...he tried to sell me a new camper...yikes. So we drove back and made a few phone calls and then ordered the parts we needed. We went to Publix and got some groceries and relaxed at the camper. The next day, we are just relaxing and FedEx pulls right next to our camper with the parts we ordered from Amazon. Amazing! 22 hours, one place said 3-4 weeks. So the next morning I fixed the awning and shortly after I got done, it rained...HARD, with no damage to the awning...cool! I used the awning to BBQ some pork chops...all is well.
The next morning we drove the 50 or so miles to Pete & Shelly McNeil's house and spent the day visiting with them...they are doing well. We left so we could get back before dark. Our trip took us through numerous little towns and on pretty country roads. We had a nice time seeing them. We spent the next day hanging out at the camper and trying to clean up the camper and get rid of the ants.
The next morning, we headed west on I-85 in the car and stopped in Sugar Hill, Ga where we met out friend Carol, who lives not far away. She worked with Barbara for many years at the Credit Union. It was fun catching up. Then we went further west on I-85 to Newnan, Ga, where we spent a couple nights with our friend Patti. We spent time with her in May in south Georgia too. We went out to eat and gabbed. The next day, we drove into Atlanta and first visited the Georgia Capitol, taking a self guided tour through the place. Two stories are a museum and then the Governors office & the House & Senate Chambers are there too, so there is a lot to see. Then we drove the 4 miles or so to the Jimmy Carter Library & Museum. We took a self guided tour of the museum and we were almost out of time when we left...lots of stuff there too. We have been to every Presidential Library except Gerald Ford now, they are very enjoyable to tour. We need to go to Lansing Michigan and go to Ford's...that will require a special trip It has been a fun adventure. We went back to Patti's & had pizza and gabbed some more. We spent the night again and drove back to Anderson in the morning.
We are going to hang out at the camper for the next few days. The first evening, 28 Canadian Geese came to visit and I took some pictures. I made a batch of baked Ziti for dinner and we watched the Nascar race on TV. The next day we just stayed in the A/C and worked on this blog and just relaxed.
The next day was The Great American Eclipse, the reason we reserved our site here in Anderson way back in January. We wanted a place near the 100% totality without lots of people, and boy did we hit it perfect. The skies were clear, the sun was right over head and we had a perfect place to take pictures. Our camping neighbor gave me a filter that fit over the lens of our Canon 250 mm lens and, with our tripod, I was able to take some amazing pictures. It cost us $182 for 14 nights on the lake with 50 amp electric and water...I saw folks paying $800/night. I'd say we did really well. Perfect!
The next morning, we are moving east to Dillon, SC. Our first choice was at Little Pee Dee State Park east of Dillon. We drove out there and mutually decided we really didn't want to stay there. So we made our way back to Dillon and decided to check at South of the Border north of town next to I-95. We settled in and spent the night relaxing.
The next morning we were on our way north in the car. We stopped in Richmond and joined a tour of the Capitol there. It is a very pretty building. Then we were on our way north to Aquia, Va where we have reserved a hotel for the night. After a bit of a hassle to get checked in, we put our stuff in the room and drove the 28 miles west to Bristow, Va at Jiffy Lube Live. Edgar Winter, Alice Cooper & Deep Purple...fun night, decent seats & sound, new artists. Except for Edgar Winter, we had not seen the rest before...very enjoyable evening. We got back to the hotel about midnight and got some sleep, it had been a full day. The next morning, we headed south again. We took a detour to Raleigh and visited the Capitol there. The Capitol is mostly a museum and the Governors office. The Legislature is in a new building a block away. We walked through both buildings and even got to sit in on a House session where they were discussing a veto override...same stuff as every other state. We left and got in our car and headed back to our camper. We are headed home tomorrow...been a busy summer.
We drove what I figured was 1/2 way home and stopped for the night in Townsend. GA. We stayed in and watched a guy try to park a travel trailer across the street...pretty comical. The next morning we were off pretty early and drove home. Our daughter and son in law had cut the grass, dusted the house and opened the gate. It is always fun to come home and be made to feel that welcome.
Our totals for the summer: Left May 1...returned 8/26/17 118 days on the road
Motor Home miles: Start 76,814 Finish 84061 Total 7,247
Car miles: Start: 194, 188 Finish 203,211 Total 8,818
Total miles driven 16,065 divided by 118=136 miles per day
Steve & Barb Larson
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Sunday, August 20, 2017
7/1 -7/31/2017
I am posting this without pictures. Most of the pictures have been posted previously on Facebook. I will work on the pictures when we return home.
July is here...on to Quebec City. Everything is in French, even the store marquees, and the one that tickled me the most was NAPA...pieces de auto'. Guess that makes sense. We arrived at Camping La Relache about 1:30...rain the whole way and lots of traffic, it being Canada Day & all. We went exploring on the south side of St Lawrence where we are camped, found the ferry location and saw a festival going on. Lots of folks out & about, Canada Day is a big deal to these people. We ended up at a park below the main bridge that crosses the St Lawrence...talked to the fisherman trying their luck at trying to catch giant Muskie (60 lbs.), no luck today. But there was plenty of folks trying.
The next morning we drove south to the Chutes-de-la-Chaudiere (chutes=waterfalls) on the Chaudiere River. Again, lots of folks out & about. We spent an hour there and then made our way to the Ile d'Orleans, a 34 km (21 mi) x 8 km (5 mi) island in the St Lawrence River. It is the oldest French settlement in Canada, so the French is really entrenched there. We spent the rest of the day driving the 75 km (47 mi) perimeter road and stopping numerous times as we rode along. Straw berries are a huge crop on the island and they make lots of different jams, etc., to sell to the southern folks who come by (yep, we bought jam and other items, maple syrup too). We ended our trip to the island at the Micro Brassiere La Milan Pub & Brewery ( even Wikipedia is in French) and had some of their pub fare and met a couple from Maryland (at least they spoke English). We stopped at Chute Montmorency on the way back, closed but we were able to get some pictures...more big water.
The next morning was a ride to Old Quebec and the chore of finding a parking spot. Second time through the city we scored a spot not far from the center of town. We went and got tickets for the Hop-on Hop-off bus, hopped on and it started raining...oh boy. We hung in there and got to see most of the city from the bus. It is amazing how they have preserved buildings from 1600 and added new buildings to look like they are 500 years old. We stopped & had some lunch after we got off the bus & then went back across the river to our camper. We are both about tired of rain.
The next morning we are moving east, Metis-sur-mer, Quebec our destination. We went all day with no rain :). We stopped at Camping-Annie, a cool little spot along the St Lawrence River 4 hours east of Quebec City. The St Lawrence has grown to be about 57 km wide (35 miles) and stays roughly that width until Cap-Chat where it doubles in width in about 60 km (36 mi) The head waters go all the way to Hibbing, MN (1900 mi) and is the the outflow of all 5 Great Lakes and all of the tributaries which totals 590,000 cu ft/second...lots of water. It is an amazing body of water to look at and study. The river from the east end of Ile d'Orleans until it passes into the Atlantic is considered the largest estuary in the world and becomes tidal east of Quebec City. We spent the next week in this area...lots to see & do. We are now east of Maine and on the Gaspe' Peninsula. Small towns are numerous & gas stations are scarce, so we keep a close eye on the gauge and drive on the upper half of our fuel tank. Lighthouses are everywhere and in some pretty cool spots. The 132 highway is just a few feet above the ocean/St Lawrence. Windmills are everywhere, using the steady breezes to make electricity for all the small towns & numerous farms. Neither of us can imagine what the place must be like in the winter. Look this place up on Google or your atlas...Gaspe Peninsula...great adventure. After 2 nights at Camp Annie and several drives along the coast...time to move.
From Camp Annie, we drove south across Gaspe Peninsula to Campbellton, New Brunswick. The camper will stay here and we will drive the rest of the Gaspe Peninsula with the car. We had a beautiful sunset from our spot at Campbellton. The next morning, we are headed east on the south side of Gaspe. We made numerous stops along the way which bordered Chaleur Bay the whole way to Perce, then it is the Gulf of St Lawrence the rest of the way. If we had some super binoculars, we could maybe have seen Cape Breton & PEI. We arrived at Gaspe about 5:30, got our room and went to dinner across the street...sitting under a canopy next to the street listening to the rain....go figure.
The next morning we drove east again, to drive through Parc National Forillon de Canada, a cool National Park on the very tip of Gaspe Peninsula. Then we finished the perimeter drive and back to Gaspe for another night. It was a beautiful drive up and over some mountains and along rivers that began up in the mountains and got more volume as we went down. We went back to Petit-Cap and found a place called Resto-Pub La Revolte and sat by the bar looking at the Atlantic and made a fun conversation with a couple from Ottawa while we ate a pizza...nice way to end a very fun day. We drove back to the hotel in the rain...back to the camper tomorrow.
We had a nice breakfast at the hotel and started back to Campbellton. We didn't get back until 4, lots of small towns and one detour. We did a little exploring and drove up to Sugarloaf Provincial Park south of town. We startled a bear cub that was upright, otherwise not much to look at. They were serving food at the ski lodge so we ordered dinner...sitting on an outdoor deck, listening to rock & roll while eating dinner at the top of a mountain in New Brunswick, hard to beat. It has been great.
The next morning, we are headed to Pokemouche, a little town on the Pokemouche River on another little peninsula in the Gulf of St Lawrence. We got our site and took the rest of the day off. The next day, we drove north to the very tip of Miscou Island and went to the top of the lighthouse. We spent the rest of the day exploring the area, found several more lighthouses and tried & failed to find a few more...directions not the best. We stopped for dinner in Shippagan and got chased inside by rain...not the best service ever nor the best food. We decided this town wasn't really ready for tourists. The next morning we went lighthouse hunting again, found 2 near Grande-Anse. On the way back to the camper, we found an ice cream stand...more ice cream than I could eat, but it was good. We are ready to move on...pretty much covered this peninsula.
The next morning, we are off to Fredericton, NB. We went trough there in 2013 but never really slowed down, going to do some exploring. We went & found a steak for the grill for dinner & had dinner looking at the St John River. It is a main attraction in Fredericton, and as we found out, a producer of a huge amount of the electricity the area needs at the Mactaquac Power Plant, just west of downtown, we even got a tour of the plant. The next day, we drove downtown and stopped at the Visitor's Center and learned not too much. We tried to go on a boat ride and that turned into such a hassle, we gave up. We then went looking for some dinner and found a nice outdoor restaurant (and ate dinner with no rain) and then went into a place with a live band, pretending to be Alice in Chains & Nirvana...not bad, but hard to tell the difference. We listened to most of 2 sets and went back to the camper. The campground was pretty quiet at midnight...lol. We decided to take a day break and watch the craziness at the campground...Barb cleaned the camper, I putzed around and did some minor repairs. The next morning we drove south to the City of St John and its attractions, The Reversing Falls, the tower in the center of town, where it was so foggy, you couldn't see 10', let alone 10 mi., and the St John Harbor, which we bypassed because of the fog. Then we headed to West Quaco on the shore of the Bay of Fundy, got some very cool pictures there. Then we were off to Moncton to try to catch the Tidal Bore. We made it with about 3-4 mins to spare...yea, we know how to do that? Just lucky. We found the Pump House restaurant where we had been in 2013 and had some dinner. And guess what? Yep, had to drive home in the rain, in the dark. Time to move on.
We packed up pretty early and started our trek back to the US, taking a different route than we took in 2013. This route took us on a lot of 2 lane roads and through a very small Port of Entry in Vanceboro, Maine...tiny place. The border patrol was very nice, but for the very first time, the BP came inside the motor home and searched cabinets (even the medicine cabinet) and the pantry. He found nothing of a problem and sent us on our way. The road between Vanceboro & I-95 is in serious need of some work, but we took our time, even stopping a couple of times to enjoy the scenery. We had also changed back from Atlantic to Eastern time zone, where we will be all the way home. We arrived in Palmyra, ME about 3 pm and got set up...time to relax a bit. We called everyone and let them know we were in the US and our phone calls would be included in our plan ($.20/min in Canada).
The next morning it was raining, again. So we got some bill paying stuff done and waited. About 11 am, we started south, Owls Head our destination. We visited the Owls Head Transportation Museum (at the suggestion of our friend Helge Hagen from Norway) We took 3 hours walking through, looking at a lot of old cars, airplanes, motorcycles & firetrucks, etc. Lots to see. We then drove to the Owls Head Lighthouse, walked to the base of the lighthouse and it was so foggy we couldn't even see the water, so we figured it was not worth the trouble to climb to the top. We walked back to the car and headed to Bucksport. We were headed to Harbor View Grille only to discover they are closed on Tuesdays...so we went to Carrier's Mainely Lobster and I had a lobster for dinner...darn, I hate when that happens. We headed back to the camper and stopped and got some groceries to replenish what we didn't buy in Canada. It turned into a long day. We had spent almost a month in Maine in 2013 and had visited most of the state then, so we are on our way to Vermont tomorrow.
The trek to Randolph Center, Vermont & Lake Champagne Resort took 6 hours because of the route placing us on a lot of 2 lane roads and a LOT of little towns...need to slow down to 25 in a lot of them, then by the times you get back up to 50, time to slow down for the next town...pretty driving, just time consuming. We had reserved the same site we had in 2013, beautiful Site 8A. Upon arrival we had both agreed we would just stay put and enjoy the beauty of our site. We had bought a steak and a roast and we did the steak on the grill the first night and put the roast in the Crock Pot the second night and just chilled. Barb did a little laundry and I worked on pictures...we had great internet. We never even talked to anybody but each other for 36 hours...very relaxing.
The next morning, time to move on, Carlisle, NY our next destination. Our friend Dana Rudgers had married a very nice lady named Cindi Shelly last Sept and they had a party planned on their farm for 7/22, which we had planned for since Jan. About 75-85 people showed up and we spent the next 3 days, visiting, having bonfires, eating homegrown meals, listening to great music and enjoying life on the farm. Nick Kody & the Creek Road Band along with Hannah Jo Lally, Jamie Lee & others spent about 4 hours playing new & old favorites for us. Dana had us parked in a pasture and some of us even had electricity...we had a great time. On Monday, most everybody had gone home, but we wanted to do some exploring. So we drove to Hyde Park, NY to tour the FDR Library, home & grounds of the place FDR was born & grew up and where he & Eleanor are buried. They are the longest serving President & First Lady in US History, so there is a lot to see & do there. We drove back through Albany and also walked through some of the NY Capitol, which was getting ready to close when we arrived, but we got to see some of it. We stopped at Outback for some dinner on our way back to Carlisle. It was a fun day. Tuesday was more exploring, first to Secret Cavern just a few miles from Dana & Cindi's farm and a tour all the way to the end, where there is a 150' waterfall, underground. It is pretty unusual. Then about 330, we loaded up and Chris Chlumsky drove the 5 of us to Saratoga Springs, NY, where we enjoyed a concert of Chicago & The Doobie Bros. The venue was nice (once we got parked and inside, which turned into a hassle) and the music was great. I hadn't seen Chicago for almost 50 years and none of the rest had ever seen them, so it was a fun time.
Wed turned into a nightmare day pretty quickly. We got up early to get a jump on our 7 hour drive to our next stop, 7 Points Campground in Hesston, PA. It had been raining overnight, so the grass was wet and the ground soft. As I tried to maneuver up a hill to exit the pasture, I would lose momentum just as I had to slow to turn through a gate and the tires would spin...with the drive wheels directly below the engine & transmission, well, it wasn't good. I tried several different things and nothing worked. Finally, I got almost to the top and we hooked a tractor to the the front of the MH and Dana was able to tow me just enough for me to make an exit...2 hours to go about 1/8 of a mile. So I backed up close to the house and used a hose to rinse the huge amount of mud packed into our wheel-wells. We got hooked up, said more goodbyes and were on our way. We still had a 7 hour drive ahead, so we forged ahead. Barb drove for about 1.5 hours, thank you. I took a 20 min nap, needed. We stopped for fuel and kept going. As we drove past a golf course in Huntingdon, PA, Barb was commenting about the golf course and I see a golf ball, in flight, just before it hit our motor home. I kept going and never stopped until it was time to register at the campground 8 miles later. We walked around the front of our MH and Barb noticed a broken clearance light, which is part of the headlight assembly and will be a project to replace on a 17 year old MH...finding the replacement may not be easy either. Then we go to our assigned site and some knucklehead is parked in our site. The part about him not being there made it even more fun. So we parked the MH in a vacant spot and drove back to the office in the car. We ended up spending the night in the vacant site. Then our friends from Roaring Spring stopped by and we went to Huntingdon to get some dinner. The first place had closed their kitchen, the second place served us awful pizza. Then it was back to the camper, where our squatter had returned but still had not moved. We went to sleep and when we got up, the guy and his wife? had moved to the correct site sometime overnight...weird. So we moved to our site, got all settled in and as I was walking around the MH, I see this birdbrain watching me like a hawk...he didn't say I'm sorry, kiss my butt, nothing...it has been a crazy, crazy 24 hours...we are glad it is over.
Soon after we got our rig settled in, we are off to Grove City to see our brother-in-law and our nephew & his family. It is a 3+ hour drive in the car. We get there about 2 and spend the afternoon doing some catch-up. Larry's life is a lot different since my sister died and it is good to see him moving on. He had surgery on a hernia, which at 75 can be serious. But we had a nice chat. Then Scott & his bride and their 5 kids came by...constant motion. We had pizza again & salad and spent the evening with them. We slept at Larry's and the next morning we drove out to Scott's to visit & help their son Matthew celebrate his 5th birthday. They had built a huge 'tree house' for the kids, sleeps 10...lol. Their daughter had cancer at 3 and spent 3 years fighting it. She is now 13 and doing so well, it is great to see. They still have to monitor her very closely, but she seems pretty well. She was having 3 friends for a sleep over in the tree house, stuff normal kids do. After lunch, we started back to our camper. We stopped for a drive through Punxsatawney and a visit to Gobbler's Knob to see if we could get a glimpse of Punxsatawney Phil...maybe if he sees his shadow, we will get 6 more weeks of good luck, or something. We got back late afternoon and relaxed and got ready for the next adventure...a 3 day trip to New York City for 2 days of Rock & Roll...Classic East.
It is 5 hours from Hesston, PA to Flushing, NY, our destination. It is Saturday, so we are expecting lots of traffic...we were so right. We pass through the Holland Tunnel, which puts us right in Chinatown in Manhattan...holy cow the traffic was thick, But we get to the Williamsburg Bridge and escape to Long Island, drive a few miles and get trapped in Flushing Chinatown...twice in one afternoon. We finally get to the hotel and there is a line out the door to register. It takes over an hour to get to our room. So we left at 830 to drive 5 hours and we get to our room at 4 pm...great. The concert starts at 5. So we get changed and call Uber for a ride of .7 mile...simple. We missed the first 2 songs, get to our seat about 5:15. But our seats are great, we are in the shade and the music is great & we are at Citi Field for 2 days. The Doobie Bros finish up and we go pee & get a burger and spend $47 at the concession stand...yikes! Steely Dan is next, haven't heard them in a while. They have Larry Carlton playing with them...nice sound. Then The Eagles come on...not sure how they will sound minus Glenn Frey. Glenn Frey's son Deacon was great! Vince Gill killed it. What a cool show. We really enjoyed the day. Then the fun started again, an hour plus to get back to our hotel...time to get some sleep. Been a long day...glad it is over.
We both slept in and we just hung out in the room until about 2 pm. We walked a few blocks and found a Chinese place that looked interesting. We had a Chinese lunch and went back to the hotel and called Uber for a ride to Citi Field. We got to our seats about 15 mins before Earth Wind & Fire started their set. We had never seen them before in concert, but their set just didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the groups assembled. They rank #6 with no fault of theirs, someone has to be last. We enjoyed the set, just not as much as the rest. Next up was Journey, #5 in my list. Their new lead guy is OK, but the sound is different. Not bad, just different. Next up was Fleetwood Mac, starring Stevie Nicks, who is still mostly on top of her game. Their setlist included most of the old favorites as well as some new stuff...very enjoyable. So our cool 2 day music fest is over: Eagles # 1, Fleetwood Mac #2, Steely Dan #3, Doobie Bros #4, Journey $5 & Earth. Wind & Fire...my list.
We walked back to the hotel instead of even trying to find a ride. It was an interesting walk, rather have been in a car. But we made it back OK, went to our room and got some sleep. In the morning, it was a little breakfast and we are on the road. We took a different route, across George Washington Bridge and south on I-95 to I-78 and headed west. We stopped in Harrisburg, PA and toured the capitol and the very nice park across the street dedicated to our veterans...it was a nice stop. Then we finished our trip back to Hesston & Seven Points Campground...it was deserted, it is a work week day. We enjoyed the peaceful evening and went to bed, it has been an amazing week.
August is up next, so we have a lot more on our agenda, so stay tuned.
Steve & Barb Larson
I am posting this without pictures. Most of the pictures have been posted previously on Facebook. I will work on the pictures when we return home.
July is here...on to Quebec City. Everything is in French, even the store marquees, and the one that tickled me the most was NAPA...pieces de auto'. Guess that makes sense. We arrived at Camping La Relache about 1:30...rain the whole way and lots of traffic, it being Canada Day & all. We went exploring on the south side of St Lawrence where we are camped, found the ferry location and saw a festival going on. Lots of folks out & about, Canada Day is a big deal to these people. We ended up at a park below the main bridge that crosses the St Lawrence...talked to the fisherman trying their luck at trying to catch giant Muskie (60 lbs.), no luck today. But there was plenty of folks trying.
The next morning we drove south to the Chutes-de-la-Chaudiere (chutes=waterfalls) on the Chaudiere River. Again, lots of folks out & about. We spent an hour there and then made our way to the Ile d'Orleans, a 34 km (21 mi) x 8 km (5 mi) island in the St Lawrence River. It is the oldest French settlement in Canada, so the French is really entrenched there. We spent the rest of the day driving the 75 km (47 mi) perimeter road and stopping numerous times as we rode along. Straw berries are a huge crop on the island and they make lots of different jams, etc., to sell to the southern folks who come by (yep, we bought jam and other items, maple syrup too). We ended our trip to the island at the Micro Brassiere La Milan Pub & Brewery ( even Wikipedia is in French) and had some of their pub fare and met a couple from Maryland (at least they spoke English). We stopped at Chute Montmorency on the way back, closed but we were able to get some pictures...more big water.
The next morning was a ride to Old Quebec and the chore of finding a parking spot. Second time through the city we scored a spot not far from the center of town. We went and got tickets for the Hop-on Hop-off bus, hopped on and it started raining...oh boy. We hung in there and got to see most of the city from the bus. It is amazing how they have preserved buildings from 1600 and added new buildings to look like they are 500 years old. We stopped & had some lunch after we got off the bus & then went back across the river to our camper. We are both about tired of rain.
The next morning we are moving east, Metis-sur-mer, Quebec our destination. We went all day with no rain :). We stopped at Camping-Annie, a cool little spot along the St Lawrence River 4 hours east of Quebec City. The St Lawrence has grown to be about 57 km wide (35 miles) and stays roughly that width until Cap-Chat where it doubles in width in about 60 km (36 mi) The head waters go all the way to Hibbing, MN (1900 mi) and is the the outflow of all 5 Great Lakes and all of the tributaries which totals 590,000 cu ft/second...lots of water. It is an amazing body of water to look at and study. The river from the east end of Ile d'Orleans until it passes into the Atlantic is considered the largest estuary in the world and becomes tidal east of Quebec City. We spent the next week in this area...lots to see & do. We are now east of Maine and on the Gaspe' Peninsula. Small towns are numerous & gas stations are scarce, so we keep a close eye on the gauge and drive on the upper half of our fuel tank. Lighthouses are everywhere and in some pretty cool spots. The 132 highway is just a few feet above the ocean/St Lawrence. Windmills are everywhere, using the steady breezes to make electricity for all the small towns & numerous farms. Neither of us can imagine what the place must be like in the winter. Look this place up on Google or your atlas...Gaspe Peninsula...great adventure. After 2 nights at Camp Annie and several drives along the coast...time to move.
From Camp Annie, we drove south across Gaspe Peninsula to Campbellton, New Brunswick. The camper will stay here and we will drive the rest of the Gaspe Peninsula with the car. We had a beautiful sunset from our spot at Campbellton. The next morning, we are headed east on the south side of Gaspe. We made numerous stops along the way which bordered Chaleur Bay the whole way to Perce, then it is the Gulf of St Lawrence the rest of the way. If we had some super binoculars, we could maybe have seen Cape Breton & PEI. We arrived at Gaspe about 5:30, got our room and went to dinner across the street...sitting under a canopy next to the street listening to the rain....go figure.
The next morning we drove east again, to drive through Parc National Forillon de Canada, a cool National Park on the very tip of Gaspe Peninsula. Then we finished the perimeter drive and back to Gaspe for another night. It was a beautiful drive up and over some mountains and along rivers that began up in the mountains and got more volume as we went down. We went back to Petit-Cap and found a place called Resto-Pub La Revolte and sat by the bar looking at the Atlantic and made a fun conversation with a couple from Ottawa while we ate a pizza...nice way to end a very fun day. We drove back to the hotel in the rain...back to the camper tomorrow.
We had a nice breakfast at the hotel and started back to Campbellton. We didn't get back until 4, lots of small towns and one detour. We did a little exploring and drove up to Sugarloaf Provincial Park south of town. We startled a bear cub that was upright, otherwise not much to look at. They were serving food at the ski lodge so we ordered dinner...sitting on an outdoor deck, listening to rock & roll while eating dinner at the top of a mountain in New Brunswick, hard to beat. It has been great.
The next morning, we are headed to Pokemouche, a little town on the Pokemouche River on another little peninsula in the Gulf of St Lawrence. We got our site and took the rest of the day off. The next day, we drove north to the very tip of Miscou Island and went to the top of the lighthouse. We spent the rest of the day exploring the area, found several more lighthouses and tried & failed to find a few more...directions not the best. We stopped for dinner in Shippagan and got chased inside by rain...not the best service ever nor the best food. We decided this town wasn't really ready for tourists. The next morning we went lighthouse hunting again, found 2 near Grande-Anse. On the way back to the camper, we found an ice cream stand...more ice cream than I could eat, but it was good. We are ready to move on...pretty much covered this peninsula.
The next morning, we are off to Fredericton, NB. We went trough there in 2013 but never really slowed down, going to do some exploring. We went & found a steak for the grill for dinner & had dinner looking at the St John River. It is a main attraction in Fredericton, and as we found out, a producer of a huge amount of the electricity the area needs at the Mactaquac Power Plant, just west of downtown, we even got a tour of the plant. The next day, we drove downtown and stopped at the Visitor's Center and learned not too much. We tried to go on a boat ride and that turned into such a hassle, we gave up. We then went looking for some dinner and found a nice outdoor restaurant (and ate dinner with no rain) and then went into a place with a live band, pretending to be Alice in Chains & Nirvana...not bad, but hard to tell the difference. We listened to most of 2 sets and went back to the camper. The campground was pretty quiet at midnight...lol. We decided to take a day break and watch the craziness at the campground...Barb cleaned the camper, I putzed around and did some minor repairs. The next morning we drove south to the City of St John and its attractions, The Reversing Falls, the tower in the center of town, where it was so foggy, you couldn't see 10', let alone 10 mi., and the St John Harbor, which we bypassed because of the fog. Then we headed to West Quaco on the shore of the Bay of Fundy, got some very cool pictures there. Then we were off to Moncton to try to catch the Tidal Bore. We made it with about 3-4 mins to spare...yea, we know how to do that? Just lucky. We found the Pump House restaurant where we had been in 2013 and had some dinner. And guess what? Yep, had to drive home in the rain, in the dark. Time to move on.
We packed up pretty early and started our trek back to the US, taking a different route than we took in 2013. This route took us on a lot of 2 lane roads and through a very small Port of Entry in Vanceboro, Maine...tiny place. The border patrol was very nice, but for the very first time, the BP came inside the motor home and searched cabinets (even the medicine cabinet) and the pantry. He found nothing of a problem and sent us on our way. The road between Vanceboro & I-95 is in serious need of some work, but we took our time, even stopping a couple of times to enjoy the scenery. We had also changed back from Atlantic to Eastern time zone, where we will be all the way home. We arrived in Palmyra, ME about 3 pm and got set up...time to relax a bit. We called everyone and let them know we were in the US and our phone calls would be included in our plan ($.20/min in Canada).
The next morning it was raining, again. So we got some bill paying stuff done and waited. About 11 am, we started south, Owls Head our destination. We visited the Owls Head Transportation Museum (at the suggestion of our friend Helge Hagen from Norway) We took 3 hours walking through, looking at a lot of old cars, airplanes, motorcycles & firetrucks, etc. Lots to see. We then drove to the Owls Head Lighthouse, walked to the base of the lighthouse and it was so foggy we couldn't even see the water, so we figured it was not worth the trouble to climb to the top. We walked back to the car and headed to Bucksport. We were headed to Harbor View Grille only to discover they are closed on Tuesdays...so we went to Carrier's Mainely Lobster and I had a lobster for dinner...darn, I hate when that happens. We headed back to the camper and stopped and got some groceries to replenish what we didn't buy in Canada. It turned into a long day. We had spent almost a month in Maine in 2013 and had visited most of the state then, so we are on our way to Vermont tomorrow.
The trek to Randolph Center, Vermont & Lake Champagne Resort took 6 hours because of the route placing us on a lot of 2 lane roads and a LOT of little towns...need to slow down to 25 in a lot of them, then by the times you get back up to 50, time to slow down for the next town...pretty driving, just time consuming. We had reserved the same site we had in 2013, beautiful Site 8A. Upon arrival we had both agreed we would just stay put and enjoy the beauty of our site. We had bought a steak and a roast and we did the steak on the grill the first night and put the roast in the Crock Pot the second night and just chilled. Barb did a little laundry and I worked on pictures...we had great internet. We never even talked to anybody but each other for 36 hours...very relaxing.
The next morning, time to move on, Carlisle, NY our next destination. Our friend Dana Rudgers had married a very nice lady named Cindi Shelly last Sept and they had a party planned on their farm for 7/22, which we had planned for since Jan. About 75-85 people showed up and we spent the next 3 days, visiting, having bonfires, eating homegrown meals, listening to great music and enjoying life on the farm. Nick Kody & the Creek Road Band along with Hannah Jo Lally, Jamie Lee & others spent about 4 hours playing new & old favorites for us. Dana had us parked in a pasture and some of us even had electricity...we had a great time. On Monday, most everybody had gone home, but we wanted to do some exploring. So we drove to Hyde Park, NY to tour the FDR Library, home & grounds of the place FDR was born & grew up and where he & Eleanor are buried. They are the longest serving President & First Lady in US History, so there is a lot to see & do there. We drove back through Albany and also walked through some of the NY Capitol, which was getting ready to close when we arrived, but we got to see some of it. We stopped at Outback for some dinner on our way back to Carlisle. It was a fun day. Tuesday was more exploring, first to Secret Cavern just a few miles from Dana & Cindi's farm and a tour all the way to the end, where there is a 150' waterfall, underground. It is pretty unusual. Then about 330, we loaded up and Chris Chlumsky drove the 5 of us to Saratoga Springs, NY, where we enjoyed a concert of Chicago & The Doobie Bros. The venue was nice (once we got parked and inside, which turned into a hassle) and the music was great. I hadn't seen Chicago for almost 50 years and none of the rest had ever seen them, so it was a fun time.
Wed turned into a nightmare day pretty quickly. We got up early to get a jump on our 7 hour drive to our next stop, 7 Points Campground in Hesston, PA. It had been raining overnight, so the grass was wet and the ground soft. As I tried to maneuver up a hill to exit the pasture, I would lose momentum just as I had to slow to turn through a gate and the tires would spin...with the drive wheels directly below the engine & transmission, well, it wasn't good. I tried several different things and nothing worked. Finally, I got almost to the top and we hooked a tractor to the the front of the MH and Dana was able to tow me just enough for me to make an exit...2 hours to go about 1/8 of a mile. So I backed up close to the house and used a hose to rinse the huge amount of mud packed into our wheel-wells. We got hooked up, said more goodbyes and were on our way. We still had a 7 hour drive ahead, so we forged ahead. Barb drove for about 1.5 hours, thank you. I took a 20 min nap, needed. We stopped for fuel and kept going. As we drove past a golf course in Huntingdon, PA, Barb was commenting about the golf course and I see a golf ball, in flight, just before it hit our motor home. I kept going and never stopped until it was time to register at the campground 8 miles later. We walked around the front of our MH and Barb noticed a broken clearance light, which is part of the headlight assembly and will be a project to replace on a 17 year old MH...finding the replacement may not be easy either. Then we go to our assigned site and some knucklehead is parked in our site. The part about him not being there made it even more fun. So we parked the MH in a vacant spot and drove back to the office in the car. We ended up spending the night in the vacant site. Then our friends from Roaring Spring stopped by and we went to Huntingdon to get some dinner. The first place had closed their kitchen, the second place served us awful pizza. Then it was back to the camper, where our squatter had returned but still had not moved. We went to sleep and when we got up, the guy and his wife? had moved to the correct site sometime overnight...weird. So we moved to our site, got all settled in and as I was walking around the MH, I see this birdbrain watching me like a hawk...he didn't say I'm sorry, kiss my butt, nothing...it has been a crazy, crazy 24 hours...we are glad it is over.
Soon after we got our rig settled in, we are off to Grove City to see our brother-in-law and our nephew & his family. It is a 3+ hour drive in the car. We get there about 2 and spend the afternoon doing some catch-up. Larry's life is a lot different since my sister died and it is good to see him moving on. He had surgery on a hernia, which at 75 can be serious. But we had a nice chat. Then Scott & his bride and their 5 kids came by...constant motion. We had pizza again & salad and spent the evening with them. We slept at Larry's and the next morning we drove out to Scott's to visit & help their son Matthew celebrate his 5th birthday. They had built a huge 'tree house' for the kids, sleeps 10...lol. Their daughter had cancer at 3 and spent 3 years fighting it. She is now 13 and doing so well, it is great to see. They still have to monitor her very closely, but she seems pretty well. She was having 3 friends for a sleep over in the tree house, stuff normal kids do. After lunch, we started back to our camper. We stopped for a drive through Punxsatawney and a visit to Gobbler's Knob to see if we could get a glimpse of Punxsatawney Phil...maybe if he sees his shadow, we will get 6 more weeks of good luck, or something. We got back late afternoon and relaxed and got ready for the next adventure...a 3 day trip to New York City for 2 days of Rock & Roll...Classic East.
It is 5 hours from Hesston, PA to Flushing, NY, our destination. It is Saturday, so we are expecting lots of traffic...we were so right. We pass through the Holland Tunnel, which puts us right in Chinatown in Manhattan...holy cow the traffic was thick, But we get to the Williamsburg Bridge and escape to Long Island, drive a few miles and get trapped in Flushing Chinatown...twice in one afternoon. We finally get to the hotel and there is a line out the door to register. It takes over an hour to get to our room. So we left at 830 to drive 5 hours and we get to our room at 4 pm...great. The concert starts at 5. So we get changed and call Uber for a ride of .7 mile...simple. We missed the first 2 songs, get to our seat about 5:15. But our seats are great, we are in the shade and the music is great & we are at Citi Field for 2 days. The Doobie Bros finish up and we go pee & get a burger and spend $47 at the concession stand...yikes! Steely Dan is next, haven't heard them in a while. They have Larry Carlton playing with them...nice sound. Then The Eagles come on...not sure how they will sound minus Glenn Frey. Glenn Frey's son Deacon was great! Vince Gill killed it. What a cool show. We really enjoyed the day. Then the fun started again, an hour plus to get back to our hotel...time to get some sleep. Been a long day...glad it is over.
We both slept in and we just hung out in the room until about 2 pm. We walked a few blocks and found a Chinese place that looked interesting. We had a Chinese lunch and went back to the hotel and called Uber for a ride to Citi Field. We got to our seats about 15 mins before Earth Wind & Fire started their set. We had never seen them before in concert, but their set just didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the groups assembled. They rank #6 with no fault of theirs, someone has to be last. We enjoyed the set, just not as much as the rest. Next up was Journey, #5 in my list. Their new lead guy is OK, but the sound is different. Not bad, just different. Next up was Fleetwood Mac, starring Stevie Nicks, who is still mostly on top of her game. Their setlist included most of the old favorites as well as some new stuff...very enjoyable. So our cool 2 day music fest is over: Eagles # 1, Fleetwood Mac #2, Steely Dan #3, Doobie Bros #4, Journey $5 & Earth. Wind & Fire...my list.
We walked back to the hotel instead of even trying to find a ride. It was an interesting walk, rather have been in a car. But we made it back OK, went to our room and got some sleep. In the morning, it was a little breakfast and we are on the road. We took a different route, across George Washington Bridge and south on I-95 to I-78 and headed west. We stopped in Harrisburg, PA and toured the capitol and the very nice park across the street dedicated to our veterans...it was a nice stop. Then we finished our trip back to Hesston & Seven Points Campground...it was deserted, it is a work week day. We enjoyed the peaceful evening and went to bed, it has been an amazing week.
August is up next, so we have a lot more on our agenda, so stay tuned.
Steve & Barb Larson
5/26-6/30/2017
I am posting these without pictures. Most of the pictures have been posted on Facebook previously. I will work on adding the pictures when we return home.
We are in Mantorville, MN for 10 days. Lots of family time and hopefully see some old time friends too. We are 2 miles from Barb's sister's house, so that will be handy. We drove here from Iowa City in 4 hours, got set up and waited for folks to get home from work. Sue & Brad drove over and we had dinner at the Hubble House...walking distance away.
So for the next week, we spent time with family. It is Memorial Day weekend, so everyone is off. We drove to Red Wing, put some flowers on Barb's parent's grave and then spent a few hours at the Harbor Bar with some friends...known some of these folks since the late 1960's...50 years. We also got everyone together in Red Wing on Monday...15 at lunch is quite a group.
We spent some time with my brother Jonathan & Lynn. He had been working on their house and it was good to see the progress. Fixing up a 60 year old house has its special problems but progress is happening. The next morning we were off to pick up our grandson Tyler & his gal Emily at the airport and then we went to Target Field & watched a Twins/Astros game with Paul, Stacey & Grace...great seats, Paul. Houston won 17-6...not a boring game. Then it was back to the airport to pick up our daughter Lisa & Kaylee, and back to Kasson-Mantorville HS for an awards presentation for the Class of 2017...Alyssa got 5 different scholarships...nice.
The next morning, we were off to Minneapolis/St Paul again. First stop was the Capitol in St Paul, then a stop at our friends Whitey & Deb then another trip to the airport, this time to pick up our son Mark. We stopped to get something to eat and then it was back to the camper...another long day. The next 4 days surrounded the preparations for a party, going to the graduation and having a party for Alyssa...with lots of family & friends around..lots happening. We are glad we made the trip.
The next morning, we were off to the Duluth area. We drove through Wisconsin on the way, 2 lanes the whole way. We got to Superior, WI about 2 pm and got set up in the Northland RV Park before driving into town to check it out. Ate dinner at a marina in Duluth at Barker's Island then back to the RV. The next morning, we start out for Grand Marais on the north shore of Lake Superior. We made lots of stops along the way, being the good tourists we are. We got to Grand Marais about 7 pm, put our stuff in the room and opened the windows for some cool air...no a/c. Then we went to find some dinner, found a cool roof-top bar (Gun Flint Bar) overlooking the bay...pretty spot. We sat there and watched the moon rise over the lake...fun evening.
The next morning, we drove further north to Grand Portage, Mn., where we caught a boat ride to Isle Royale, the largest island in Lake Superior, which is also a National Park. We spent the next 4-5 hours touring, by foot, the largest island in the largest lake in North America. Then we took the boat back to Grand Portage. It was a fun day, something neither of us had done before, even though both of us grew up in Minnesota. Then we made the drive back to Duluth where we met up with Matt Sadowski, Barb's sister Linda's grandson, who couldn't be at Alyssa's graduation. We had a nice dinner on the roof of a restaurant (Granny's) overlooking Duluth's iconic Lift Bridge...cool spot. The next day we went driving to the area near the Apostle Islands near Ashland, WI. We spent most of the day in & out of State Parks, and other locations near the water. We had never toured that area either. So we got to see a pretty big portion of the area from Ashland, Wi to Grand Portage, Minn., probably 2/5 of Lake Superior's shoreline... some of it new, some of it old, but beautiful anyway.
The next morning, we are on the move again, this time on our way to International Falls, Minnesota, home to beautiful Rainy Lake, Voyagers National Park, and Rainy River which starts at Rainy Lake and flows to Lake of the Woods, where other rivers take the water to The Hudson Bay on its way to the Arctic Ocean. We asked where the Falls were, and two local fisherman looked at me like I was asking for a non-existent fishing license before starting to laugh...there are no Falls...I did find this: In the late 1800 the village was known as Koochiching Falls, which is an Ojibwa word meaning "mist over the water". There was once a 35 foot waterfall, which was where Rainy River met Rainy Lake and the waterfalls carried a mist-like rain in the air. So that is still a mystery, but we tried.
We spent 2 days exploring the area, which included a stop at the Sha-Sha Resort on the tip of an island in Rainy Lake and another spot far east out of Intl. Falls at a place on Kabetogama Lake...yep, we checked it all out. We even took pictures with the giant Smokey the Bear...moving on.
The next morning, we got hooked up and made our way into Canada. Mounties were real nice, just wanted to make sure we had no firearms, or pets. East on Canada 11 to Thunder Bay, another first time visit. We have a place reserved at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park (a peninsula from Ontario extending into Lake Superior) which actually put us pretty close to the north end of Isle Royale. But we got set up and enjoyed that we were there, it has been a bumpy day and a long day too. It was trying to rain, mosquitoes were out, so we just enjoyed our home on wheels.
The next morning was pretty so we are sightseeing...1st stop is Thunder Bay Lookout...9K up a bumpy road, but what a spot. A cantilevered lookout high above Lake Superior with a great view of Thunder Bay across the Bay. Then we went north to Ouimet (we-met) Canyon and a 2k walk to see a very cool canyon. Then it was a quest to get a picture of Sleeping Giant (which we managed) from a marina at water's edge. Then it was off to Kakabeka Falls which was gorgeous, and a quest to get back to Thunder Bay Lookout to get a sunset picture. On the way, we came across a park/memorial dedicated to Terry Fox who tried to cross Canada on foot with one leg to raise money for cancer research...his quest ended in Thunder Bay in 1981 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Fox We stopped at the Terry Fox memorial and just barely made it to the sunset...it has been an amazing day.
The next morning we are again moving east and following Can 11 to Can 17 and following Lake Superior's shoreline. The roads up there take a beating in the winter, can't imagine what it must be like east of Lake Superior. We arrived at White River Provincial Park...it is actually pretty full. We walked down by the lake and decided the skeeters wanted to be there more than we did, so we went inside and stayed there. The next morning, we drove to Pukaskwa National Park, which was basically a hiking area. Then we went to Pebble Beach in Marathon...strange looking west at Lake Superior, never seen it that way. We picked up a tomato & went back and had BLT's...moving day.
We are headed south now, Pancake Bay our destination. We will be just north of Sault Ste Marie, on a beautiful bay on southeastern Lake Superior. It has been a cool experience to see so much of north America's largest freshwater lake...like my sister Ann has said, there is a reason they call it Superior, amen!! But our arrival is delayed by the numerous times we stopped along the way for picture opportunities galore. But we made it, to be greeted my those hungry skeeters again, so we were not that disappointed that the clouds were going to keep me from getting a good sunset over Lake Superior once again...guess I'll have to settle for the Gulf of Mexico when we return to Florida. We took a ride to Sault Ste Marie with a few stops along the way, a few rain clouds and the sight of a freighter passing through the locks from the Canadian side...it is interesting seeing things from the other side. We are headed east again tomorrow, so we went back and relaxed a bit...moving on.
The drive across Central Ontario is pretty straightforward, it is just a huge place. We left at 730 am, stopped for fuel in Sault Ste Marie and spent the next 6 hours navigating our way to North Bay. We are camping near Lake Nippissing, which, excluding the Great Lakes, is the 3rd largest lake entirely in Ontario (Nipigon & Suel are larger). There are 4 other big lakes but they share area with either other Provinces or the USA. So it is near the top. The point I am trying to make is all of the fresh water everywhere we go in Canada, they have a big chore keeping it all clean. They seem to be doing a fair job, great to see. We arrive mid afternoon and get set up, while fighting off hummingbird sized skeeters and a few raindrops. Our friends who call North Bay home, Bruce & Danika, stopped by and we made plans to see the Armed Forces Day events, which include demonstrations by the Sky-Hawks & Snowbirds, two elite teams of Canada's Military. So we moved downtown and sat overlooking the field while we are entertained by their precision maneuvers...great stuff. Then we went for pizza & spent the evening with Bruce & Danica. Next day was a tour of the military base in town where Bruce spent a good many years and then wings at Moose Cookhouse...a very nice way to end a weekend. It was a very enjoyable visit, but time to move on.
Monday morning, 3+ hours south, we drive thru Toronto and around the west end of Lake Ontario and back into the US near Niagara Falls and end up at Four-Mile Creek State Park on the south shore of Lake Ontario, about 37 miles across the lake from Toronto. We were able to see Toronto several times, especially at sunset. We spent 3 nights at 4 mile creek SP with visits to Niagara Falls in the day and from the Canada side at night. We also drove south to see Stephen Kowalski and his family and had lunch, then back to the Falls at night...what a sight. I also tried to understand the tail lights blowing fuses issue and made an attempt to make repairs. We then made a trek across NY to Lansing NY and a night with our friends Bud & Helen. Good to see them again. Bud helped me get the light issue fixed for good too. The next day, we followed Bud & Helen & their daughter to Augusta, NJ, where we will spend 3 nights with a lot of friends & 2 days of great Rock & Roll at the Rock, Ribs & Ridges Music Festival. We had a great time, lots of friends including Seppo & Mari from Finland & Kingsley from England were there, along with a slew of friends from cruises. and 3 other couples from our Alaska Adventure in 2014. And great entertainment by Farmer Phil Band, The Steppin Stones, Kentucky Headhunters, Charlie Daniels, Marshall Tucker Band, Stolen Rhodes, Molly Hatchett, The Outlaws & Blackberry Smoke. What a great weekend...like to do that more often.
Monday, we are on the road again, headed back north. First stop in Plattsburgh, NY on the shores of Lake Champlain in northern NY. Our friends Mike & Cindy Lou live there so we got to have dinner with them. We did some exploring too, and we had a fun time, good friends in a new environment for us. We drove south of town to the Ausable Chasm, we asked to go look at it. A young lady showed us the way and away we went. When we decided to go back to the car, they had locked a gate and gone home...lol. We found another way out, but it is just an added adventure to our summer. Then on the way back to town, we stopped at a place called Dana's Rusty Anchor...waiters refused to wait on us for some reason...back to town. It was a very puzzling hour...lol. But Mike & Cindy seemed to enjoy our company, that's all that really mattered. The next morning, we are off to Montreal and the first of 19 days back in Canada. We fueled up at the last exit in the US and it wasn't long and we were back in Canada.
The camp ground I had made a reservation at did not have us on the books but found a place for us...then we had to go find a bank and get Canadian money, as they took neither credit cards or US money...seems like we have had a rough stretch of non-cooperation we need to get over, but we will. We stayed in and waited out some rain and made arrangements to go to town the next day. After a half-hour car ride, we took a mostly empty boat ride across the St Lawrence River and walked into Montreal the next morning. Lunch with a horrible waiter and later tickets for a Hop-on Hop-off bus along a lot of the same streets I walked when we were here sometime around 2003 for a rewards trip for Barb. We walked back down to the river and took a boat ride on the St Lawrence River. Then we walked back to the boat which gave us a ride back to the car. The next morning, we went to take the same boat back across the river only to discover that it was not running. So we went & found a parking place and took the subway into town, found the bus and got on for a loop around the city, in the rain.
One of the highlights of the bus ride was a stop at St Joseph's Oratory, a minor Basilica on Westmount Summit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Joseph%27s_Oratory It was quite a challenge to climb to the sanctuary, but the escalators were a welcome assistant. We marveled at the friendly city and the beauty of the place versus when we were there about 15 years earlier. They are preparing for the Canada Day celebration of 150 years...it is an interesting time to be in Montreal. We took the train back to our car and found our way back to the area near our camper. We stopped and had a great dinner in Candiac and then back to the camper. We both are tired of the rain. It is the end of the month, July will find us moving east and new places to visit. Stay tuned for more.
Steve & Barb Larson
I am posting these without pictures. Most of the pictures have been posted on Facebook previously. I will work on adding the pictures when we return home.
We are in Mantorville, MN for 10 days. Lots of family time and hopefully see some old time friends too. We are 2 miles from Barb's sister's house, so that will be handy. We drove here from Iowa City in 4 hours, got set up and waited for folks to get home from work. Sue & Brad drove over and we had dinner at the Hubble House...walking distance away.
So for the next week, we spent time with family. It is Memorial Day weekend, so everyone is off. We drove to Red Wing, put some flowers on Barb's parent's grave and then spent a few hours at the Harbor Bar with some friends...known some of these folks since the late 1960's...50 years. We also got everyone together in Red Wing on Monday...15 at lunch is quite a group.
We spent some time with my brother Jonathan & Lynn. He had been working on their house and it was good to see the progress. Fixing up a 60 year old house has its special problems but progress is happening. The next morning we were off to pick up our grandson Tyler & his gal Emily at the airport and then we went to Target Field & watched a Twins/Astros game with Paul, Stacey & Grace...great seats, Paul. Houston won 17-6...not a boring game. Then it was back to the airport to pick up our daughter Lisa & Kaylee, and back to Kasson-Mantorville HS for an awards presentation for the Class of 2017...Alyssa got 5 different scholarships...nice.
The next morning, we were off to Minneapolis/St Paul again. First stop was the Capitol in St Paul, then a stop at our friends Whitey & Deb then another trip to the airport, this time to pick up our son Mark. We stopped to get something to eat and then it was back to the camper...another long day. The next 4 days surrounded the preparations for a party, going to the graduation and having a party for Alyssa...with lots of family & friends around..lots happening. We are glad we made the trip.
The next morning, we were off to the Duluth area. We drove through Wisconsin on the way, 2 lanes the whole way. We got to Superior, WI about 2 pm and got set up in the Northland RV Park before driving into town to check it out. Ate dinner at a marina in Duluth at Barker's Island then back to the RV. The next morning, we start out for Grand Marais on the north shore of Lake Superior. We made lots of stops along the way, being the good tourists we are. We got to Grand Marais about 7 pm, put our stuff in the room and opened the windows for some cool air...no a/c. Then we went to find some dinner, found a cool roof-top bar (Gun Flint Bar) overlooking the bay...pretty spot. We sat there and watched the moon rise over the lake...fun evening.
The next morning, we drove further north to Grand Portage, Mn., where we caught a boat ride to Isle Royale, the largest island in Lake Superior, which is also a National Park. We spent the next 4-5 hours touring, by foot, the largest island in the largest lake in North America. Then we took the boat back to Grand Portage. It was a fun day, something neither of us had done before, even though both of us grew up in Minnesota. Then we made the drive back to Duluth where we met up with Matt Sadowski, Barb's sister Linda's grandson, who couldn't be at Alyssa's graduation. We had a nice dinner on the roof of a restaurant (Granny's) overlooking Duluth's iconic Lift Bridge...cool spot. The next day we went driving to the area near the Apostle Islands near Ashland, WI. We spent most of the day in & out of State Parks, and other locations near the water. We had never toured that area either. So we got to see a pretty big portion of the area from Ashland, Wi to Grand Portage, Minn., probably 2/5 of Lake Superior's shoreline... some of it new, some of it old, but beautiful anyway.
The next morning, we are on the move again, this time on our way to International Falls, Minnesota, home to beautiful Rainy Lake, Voyagers National Park, and Rainy River which starts at Rainy Lake and flows to Lake of the Woods, where other rivers take the water to The Hudson Bay on its way to the Arctic Ocean. We asked where the Falls were, and two local fisherman looked at me like I was asking for a non-existent fishing license before starting to laugh...there are no Falls...I did find this: In the late 1800 the village was known as Koochiching Falls, which is an Ojibwa word meaning "mist over the water". There was once a 35 foot waterfall, which was where Rainy River met Rainy Lake and the waterfalls carried a mist-like rain in the air. So that is still a mystery, but we tried.
We spent 2 days exploring the area, which included a stop at the Sha-Sha Resort on the tip of an island in Rainy Lake and another spot far east out of Intl. Falls at a place on Kabetogama Lake...yep, we checked it all out. We even took pictures with the giant Smokey the Bear...moving on.
The next morning, we got hooked up and made our way into Canada. Mounties were real nice, just wanted to make sure we had no firearms, or pets. East on Canada 11 to Thunder Bay, another first time visit. We have a place reserved at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park (a peninsula from Ontario extending into Lake Superior) which actually put us pretty close to the north end of Isle Royale. But we got set up and enjoyed that we were there, it has been a bumpy day and a long day too. It was trying to rain, mosquitoes were out, so we just enjoyed our home on wheels.
The next morning was pretty so we are sightseeing...1st stop is Thunder Bay Lookout...9K up a bumpy road, but what a spot. A cantilevered lookout high above Lake Superior with a great view of Thunder Bay across the Bay. Then we went north to Ouimet (we-met) Canyon and a 2k walk to see a very cool canyon. Then it was a quest to get a picture of Sleeping Giant (which we managed) from a marina at water's edge. Then it was off to Kakabeka Falls which was gorgeous, and a quest to get back to Thunder Bay Lookout to get a sunset picture. On the way, we came across a park/memorial dedicated to Terry Fox who tried to cross Canada on foot with one leg to raise money for cancer research...his quest ended in Thunder Bay in 1981 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Fox We stopped at the Terry Fox memorial and just barely made it to the sunset...it has been an amazing day.
The next morning we are again moving east and following Can 11 to Can 17 and following Lake Superior's shoreline. The roads up there take a beating in the winter, can't imagine what it must be like east of Lake Superior. We arrived at White River Provincial Park...it is actually pretty full. We walked down by the lake and decided the skeeters wanted to be there more than we did, so we went inside and stayed there. The next morning, we drove to Pukaskwa National Park, which was basically a hiking area. Then we went to Pebble Beach in Marathon...strange looking west at Lake Superior, never seen it that way. We picked up a tomato & went back and had BLT's...moving day.
We are headed south now, Pancake Bay our destination. We will be just north of Sault Ste Marie, on a beautiful bay on southeastern Lake Superior. It has been a cool experience to see so much of north America's largest freshwater lake...like my sister Ann has said, there is a reason they call it Superior, amen!! But our arrival is delayed by the numerous times we stopped along the way for picture opportunities galore. But we made it, to be greeted my those hungry skeeters again, so we were not that disappointed that the clouds were going to keep me from getting a good sunset over Lake Superior once again...guess I'll have to settle for the Gulf of Mexico when we return to Florida. We took a ride to Sault Ste Marie with a few stops along the way, a few rain clouds and the sight of a freighter passing through the locks from the Canadian side...it is interesting seeing things from the other side. We are headed east again tomorrow, so we went back and relaxed a bit...moving on.
The drive across Central Ontario is pretty straightforward, it is just a huge place. We left at 730 am, stopped for fuel in Sault Ste Marie and spent the next 6 hours navigating our way to North Bay. We are camping near Lake Nippissing, which, excluding the Great Lakes, is the 3rd largest lake entirely in Ontario (Nipigon & Suel are larger). There are 4 other big lakes but they share area with either other Provinces or the USA. So it is near the top. The point I am trying to make is all of the fresh water everywhere we go in Canada, they have a big chore keeping it all clean. They seem to be doing a fair job, great to see. We arrive mid afternoon and get set up, while fighting off hummingbird sized skeeters and a few raindrops. Our friends who call North Bay home, Bruce & Danika, stopped by and we made plans to see the Armed Forces Day events, which include demonstrations by the Sky-Hawks & Snowbirds, two elite teams of Canada's Military. So we moved downtown and sat overlooking the field while we are entertained by their precision maneuvers...great stuff. Then we went for pizza & spent the evening with Bruce & Danica. Next day was a tour of the military base in town where Bruce spent a good many years and then wings at Moose Cookhouse...a very nice way to end a weekend. It was a very enjoyable visit, but time to move on.
Monday morning, 3+ hours south, we drive thru Toronto and around the west end of Lake Ontario and back into the US near Niagara Falls and end up at Four-Mile Creek State Park on the south shore of Lake Ontario, about 37 miles across the lake from Toronto. We were able to see Toronto several times, especially at sunset. We spent 3 nights at 4 mile creek SP with visits to Niagara Falls in the day and from the Canada side at night. We also drove south to see Stephen Kowalski and his family and had lunch, then back to the Falls at night...what a sight. I also tried to understand the tail lights blowing fuses issue and made an attempt to make repairs. We then made a trek across NY to Lansing NY and a night with our friends Bud & Helen. Good to see them again. Bud helped me get the light issue fixed for good too. The next day, we followed Bud & Helen & their daughter to Augusta, NJ, where we will spend 3 nights with a lot of friends & 2 days of great Rock & Roll at the Rock, Ribs & Ridges Music Festival. We had a great time, lots of friends including Seppo & Mari from Finland & Kingsley from England were there, along with a slew of friends from cruises. and 3 other couples from our Alaska Adventure in 2014. And great entertainment by Farmer Phil Band, The Steppin Stones, Kentucky Headhunters, Charlie Daniels, Marshall Tucker Band, Stolen Rhodes, Molly Hatchett, The Outlaws & Blackberry Smoke. What a great weekend...like to do that more often.
Monday, we are on the road again, headed back north. First stop in Plattsburgh, NY on the shores of Lake Champlain in northern NY. Our friends Mike & Cindy Lou live there so we got to have dinner with them. We did some exploring too, and we had a fun time, good friends in a new environment for us. We drove south of town to the Ausable Chasm, we asked to go look at it. A young lady showed us the way and away we went. When we decided to go back to the car, they had locked a gate and gone home...lol. We found another way out, but it is just an added adventure to our summer. Then on the way back to town, we stopped at a place called Dana's Rusty Anchor...waiters refused to wait on us for some reason...back to town. It was a very puzzling hour...lol. But Mike & Cindy seemed to enjoy our company, that's all that really mattered. The next morning, we are off to Montreal and the first of 19 days back in Canada. We fueled up at the last exit in the US and it wasn't long and we were back in Canada.
The camp ground I had made a reservation at did not have us on the books but found a place for us...then we had to go find a bank and get Canadian money, as they took neither credit cards or US money...seems like we have had a rough stretch of non-cooperation we need to get over, but we will. We stayed in and waited out some rain and made arrangements to go to town the next day. After a half-hour car ride, we took a mostly empty boat ride across the St Lawrence River and walked into Montreal the next morning. Lunch with a horrible waiter and later tickets for a Hop-on Hop-off bus along a lot of the same streets I walked when we were here sometime around 2003 for a rewards trip for Barb. We walked back down to the river and took a boat ride on the St Lawrence River. Then we walked back to the boat which gave us a ride back to the car. The next morning, we went to take the same boat back across the river only to discover that it was not running. So we went & found a parking place and took the subway into town, found the bus and got on for a loop around the city, in the rain.
One of the highlights of the bus ride was a stop at St Joseph's Oratory, a minor Basilica on Westmount Summit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Joseph%27s_Oratory It was quite a challenge to climb to the sanctuary, but the escalators were a welcome assistant. We marveled at the friendly city and the beauty of the place versus when we were there about 15 years earlier. They are preparing for the Canada Day celebration of 150 years...it is an interesting time to be in Montreal. We took the train back to our car and found our way back to the area near our camper. We stopped and had a great dinner in Candiac and then back to the camper. We both are tired of the rain. It is the end of the month, July will find us moving east and new places to visit. Stay tuned for more.
Steve & Barb Larson
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)