Sept. 20 & 21 - Sat & Sun

Slept late and woke to 15C outside. Fall is definitely here. Stopped at Maryland Visitor’s Centre to get maps and info about the Skyline Drive through the Shenandoah National Park which follows the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains for 105 miles. Also learned about this pair of surveyors called Mason and Dixon who had surveyed this area and created the state division of the Mason/Dixon line which separated the south from the north and Maryland and Pennsylvania. Also the large stars on houses here that signify Acadian ancestry in Canada are merely decorations here. Something about Faith & Hope. The information person wasn’t clear about it.

Anyways, we then headed for Front Royal which is the start of the Skyline Drive. We stopped briefly in Harper’s Ferry to get our annual National Parks and Federal Recreation pass. Harper’s Ferry is a very historical place with the arrival of the first successful American railroad, John Brown’s attack on slavery, and one of the earliest integrated schools in the US. It is also the point where West Virginia, Maryland & Virginia meet. And the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers meet up here too.

The Skyline Drive is a leisurely drive (speed limit 45 mph) through beautiful wooded hills and the climb is quite dramatic with many lookouts to pull over for pictures, etc. We climbed to a height of 3368 ft and then down to a roadside stop for lunch which was 2410 ft. By then our brakes were smoking and very hot. Good timing for a stop. The temperature also dropped about 7 C degrees to 13. We decided that perhaps we would be better off on the freeway so took the next exit off the ridge. On the way down to the Shenandoah valley we had a young black bear run across the road in front of us. We couldn’t get over the trees shrouded in Virginia creeper. Rounding out all their sharp edges. It was surreal.

Through gentle hills countrywide with picturesque farms off in the distance, we made our way to a PA campsite just outside of Lexington, VA. We passed a huge area of nothing but horses and horse trailers just prior to turning into our campground. Seems they were having their largest equestrian event in their history. We felt we had stepped into the Ozarks. Just about everyone has that hillbilly type accent and so far not too knowledgeable about the rest of the country or of Canada. It’s definitely evident that we are heading south. Saw two more wild turkeys on the roadside and some small white tailed deer.

Sunday sees us going to a small town (big error - seems like it's a big place that has a humungous Nascar race track) on the Virginia/Tennessee border and we will be staying on the Tennessee side for one night (30 C when we arrived. Summer finally???) and then I’ve made reservations to stay 3 nights in Nashville. Looking forward to it.

Sept. 18 & 19 - Thurs & Fri

I picked our next destination of Gettysburg with stops on the way of Lancaster and Intercourse to see the Amish way of life. On the way we saw lots of fields of soya beans and fields of corn. We fell in love with the town called Intercourse and decided to get a place for two nights. The first place was full so we drove to another that they recommended called Country Haven Campground. Terry went in to register and came back saying it was quite expensive $87 for 2 nights but it was so beautiful and the scenery was fantastic so we decided it was worth it. That is until I had put a couple of loads of laundry in and then started to read their rules boldly typed in large fonts on red paper. There were so many don'ts and do nots that I was starting to get an uneasy feeling. Then when the lady brought over some quarters for washing and reprimanded us for the dogs barking when she came to the door, I really started to get uncomfortable. Then as I was starting the laundry, I noticed the male owner standing at the back of our unit listening for our dogs, I told Terry I didn’t think this place was going to work as we wanted to leave the dogs to do some sightseeing tomorrow. I could feel my temper rising quickly. Terry then went over to speak with them about our concerns and decided that it would be best that we don’t stay any longer than was necessary to pack up. Best decision we have ever made.

I was sorry to miss sightseeing the area but had such a bad taste in my mouth that we decided to continue on to Gettysburg. Of course, I had two loads of laundry to finish washing and load into the trailer wet. I decided that I would dry them at our next place. The campground owners were smart enough to give us a full refund.

So we left about 5 and arrived at Gettysburg Artillery Ridge Campground around 6:30. By the time we set up and I finished drying our laundry it was 9 and we still had to eat! I was so tired! Fortunately, we were greeted by three very nice ladies who couldn’t believe our horrific time at the other place. Another guy gave us some great suggestions on easy back in parking of the rig and then helped Terry park it in a tight spot. Spoke to Sara and the kids last night for almost an hour catching up news and Naythan telling me answers to multiplication problems and the capital cities of Canadian provinces. He was really showing off and I loved it. Katya was her usual sweet self.

Friday we woke late to large walnuts being dropped on our rig by more squirrels and lots of horses everywhere. Had a late breakfast and then walked around with the dogs to watch all the riders.

We then drove into Gettysburg and walked around the town centerand into some shops. Tons of history here. This poor town was definitely affected by the Civil war. We then drove to the National Military Park which was just down the road from our campground. Lots and lots of people. We watched a 20 minute film about the battle of Gettysburg and the significance of it and of Abe Lincolns Gettysburg Address. Very interesting and kind of put things into perspective. We couldn’t get over the amount of war memorabilia the museum had and the interest of all the people there. It was quite overwhelming. Very interesting though. After that we drove to fill up the truck and saw quite a bit of the battle fields. It covered a large area. Next we are headed to Lexington, VA via Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Sept. 16 & 17 - Tues & Wed

Tuesday started out with me giving the dogs a shower and then slowly packing up to head west. We drove through New York, New Jersey and into Pennsylvania. A very stressful drive on huge highways with much traffic, especially large 18 wheelers. It took 5 hours but we then arrived in the beautiful Pennsylvania countryside and stayed in a small town called Quakertown. We planned on staying for two days so that we can get organized once again. The first campground we went to was Tohickon Family Campground which didn’t have anyone around so then we went to our second choice called Quakerwoods and it was lovely. The weather was great.

It was catch up time again. Terry worked diligently all day on getting the rest of our Canada trip pictures and letter ready to send out. Success finally. It’s a big job. Hopefully doing this blog will make it a lot easier.

The many bushy tailed squirrels running around drove Sugar and Dickens crazy during the day and they woke us up both mornings dropping acorns on our roof. I spent the day rearranging cupboards and giving Sugar and Dickens trims and ater we went out to do a bit of shopping.

Michael called tonight and sounds like he's really busy with work and Clara. He says she's growing up so quickly and repeats everything he says now. Also she's off her soother. Yeah!

Sept. 14, 15 & 16 - Sun, Mon & Tues

After driving around the front of the Casino and realizing that our phone had been turned off, we finally got Glenda’s message as to where they were parked in the Casino lot. After frantic waving and whistling from them both we managed to find them and get settled. It was very hot and humid so we changed and grabbed the bus to main buildings.

We arranged to meet at a spot inside in 3 hours for supper and then we all went our separate ways meeting up now and again. I had a real run of luck and got up to about $270 from $20 quite quickly but then proceeded to halve that amount almost as quickly. By the time we met for dinner I was down to about $160. We then met up for a fabulous dinner buffet and pigged out. After we again split up and proceeded to spend most of my winnings. Terry then had a bit of luck and seemed to be up by the end of the evening and I was down a bit from the start. We got home about 12 but didn’t get to sleep for a couple of hours due to traffic noise, etc. The next morning they started mowing the lawn about 7:30 so needless to say we didn’t get much sleep. We went back to the Casino to look at more of it and then have breakfast at the buffet again. Yummy!

We then said our goodbyes and split up. Terry and I went to a nearby town called New London to AAA for more maps, tour books, etc. and then decided to stay nearby as we were so tired. We got a PA spot in Old Mystic which was quite nice but no WiFi. I had a nap and Terry got a few groceries and then we just vegged out in front of the TV.

Tuesday started out with me giving the dogs a shower and then slowly packing up to head west. We drove through New York, New Jersey and into Pennsylvania. A very stressful drive on huge highways which much traffic, especially large 18 wheelers. It took 5 hours but we then arrived in the beautiful Pennsylvania countryside and stayed in a small town called Quakertown. We plan on staying for two days so that we can get organized once again.

Mike and Brooke left a message tonight and so I called them back. They got their package and loved everything. Felt it was like Christmas. Spoke to Kim also and we talked about Christmas in Mexico but don't think they are going to be able to come. Maybe Spring Break.

Sept. 12, 13, & 14 - Fri, Sat & Sun

Left Pumpkin Patch RV park and headed for Vermont. It was a beautiful drive down a small country type highway with large oak and maple trees lining both sides of the road. The leaves are starting to change colour and the sun was shining. It was a beautiful day. We passed many New England style houses that were huge and had enormous manicured lawns. Some must have been a full acre or two of just lawn. The countryside consisted of fields covered in purple asters and golden rod, and rolling hills covered in forests of oak, pine, maple and wild apple trees. It was just what I had always imagined New England to look like.

We stopped in a small town called Gorman, New Hampshire for lunch and just as we finished we saw Glenda looking for us through the window. It turned out that they had spotted our rig and decided to stop also. They had pulled down a small side street that had no place to turn around but still tried and consequently inverted the spring assembly on their 5th wheel. Their brand new tires were up tight to each other and they couldn’t move. It looked absolutely hopeless.

Terry M. quickly assessed the problem and felt he could fix it and after several hours, two very helpful men from the neighbourhood and the local garage lending us what ever was needed he did indeed fix the problem. By then we were all very tired, especially Terry M. so we decided to stay the night at the local WalMart and recoup. We had supper together and then played a card game called Golf for the evening. Perfect ending to a stressful day.

Next morning we woke to find coffee and donuts at our doorstep for thanks for our help the previous day. Nice way to start the day. We took off early to what looked like a beautiful day and got about 30 kms down the road when Terry and Glenda pulled into a roadside stop and we followed. Same problem as the previous day only this time it showed that the buckle holding the spring in place was broken and would require welding. The problem was that it couldn’t be moved as the two tires were jammed against each other and smoked like crazy when moved. Somehow the axle needed to be pulled back to separate the tires.

After several phone calls to various garages, etc. the guys decided to leave us girls with their rig and go to the next town to search for someone who could fix it. They eventually found a welder about 6 miles away who said that he could fix it if we could get it to him. That was the dilemma.

Glenda then suggested putting a couple of boards between the tires and then pulling the trailer slightly forward to force the axle back. It worked and the two guys then tied the axle to the back trailer hitch. We then slowly drove to the welders place and spent the afternoon in a lovely grassy field waiting for the repairs to be done.

By the time all the repairs were done, it was mid afternoon so we decided to carry on to our original previous days destination of Marshfield, Vermont. Once again the sun was shining and we drove through more beautiful countryside and mountain scenery. It reminded us of Switzerland. The four of us had a joint BBQ of ribs and corn on the cob. The weather was so nice, we ate outside which we haven’t done often.

We woke early Sunday morning to rain once again. Will it ever go away for more than two days in a row??? We decided to head to the largest casino in North America in a town called Ledyard. Connecticut for our last night together before going our separate ways. The March's to South Alabama and us to Mexico. We’ll sure miss travelling with them.

Sept. 9, 10, & 11 - Tues, Wed & Thurs

Woke up to pouring rain this morning after a full night of the wet stuff. Decided to do some catch up stuff this morn and then the 4 of us went shopping. T & I got a Sirius radio setup for both the truck and trailer and an update for our GPS ‘Mary’ as she often gets us going a weird way to destinations. We’re tired of not getting any radio stations we like. (you know like CBC) I also bought a warming mattress cover and a convection toaster oven. I’m so pleased with both these purchases. Warm and toasty!!!!! The evening ended with a fabulous sunset and crazy looking clouds in the sky.

The next day was beautiful and sunny. We made a picnic lunch and then we took off for Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. On the way we stopped at this antique car sales place called Moto-car. They had every type of old car for sale you could imagine. Fantastic. They also had a wonderful rottweiler that insisted on jumping on top of our shadows as we moved around. It was hilarious and we got a great video of her.

We walked around Bar Harbor for about an hour shopping and enjoying the view of the harbour and then drove the loop around Acadia park (about 27 miles). Halfway around we stopped at a beach with huge rocks and ate our lunch and enjoyed the sunshine. Lots of people were walking on the trails. It’s a beautiful park. We then drove up to the highest point of the park, which was Cadillac Mountain. The view of Bar Harbor and surrounding bays and islands was spectacular. It was extremely windy up there and quite cold considering the cloudless sky. Well worth just about having an incident with a bus coming around a tight corner crossing into our lane with us in it! The evening ended with dessert and trip planning at T & G’s.

Thursday saw us catching up again with both Terrys installing the Sirius radio in the truck and I doing cleaning and laundry. I also wanted to get this blog up-to-date again. I’m hoping this will keep us in touch with everyone more often.

We finally got confirmation that we are booked for 5 months Nov. to March at the La Penita RV Park in Mexico and are meeting in Tucson on Oct. 25 at Beaudry RV Park to join the caravan there. Can’t wait.

Sept. 8 - Monday

After spending three days in Shediac, NB we are finally heading south to Maine. Our friends Glenda and Terry left before us as we had packages to mail, banking, etc. We got on the road with a glorious sunny day ahead of us. Had some small hassles at the border re: "HOW MUCH MONEY YA GOT? etc. I always find going through the border (Canadian or US) stressful. Saw a mother turkey and several young chicks following her across the road in front of us. More animals to add to our list of sightings.

We were to meet up in Calais, Maine but when T and G got there they called and asked if we wanted to meet up in Bangor instead as it was early and we gained an hour crossing into Eastern time zone. Got there about 4:30 and registered at the Pumpkin Patch RV park. Beautiful sites, $14.25 a night with water, elect. and cable. We planned on staying 3 nights and getting some things done, shopping, tires checked, etc. Had drinks with T & G and then called it a night and had supper.