From Maine to New Brunswick

The entire region of Maine and New Brunswick is known for its wildlife, and, in particular, its plentiful moose. There are moose crossing signs on every highway. So, we kept our eyes open as recommended and, sure enough, we met this one in the region of Saint John, New Brunswick. He wasn't as frightening as we'd been led to believe.



We stayed at a beautiful rustic military camp in northern Maine for two nights, where we worked hard to get "caught up" on all kinds of things. Here's Geri with some of the local flowers, lupines, that color the countryside everywhere up here. Then made the relatively short drive up the Fundy Coast to Saint John. This is an industrial town that still has some beauty and we've camped two nights in a downtown city park which is perfectly lovely. We're secluded from the noise and bustle, midst lots of trees and a beautiful little pond.



When we got here yesterday the first thing we did was to make good friends of several of the locals:











We met them here at Steamers, a local establishment near the wharf.Here is one of their more prominently displayed mottoes:


Here we're in the Market Square, a downtown mall area formed from many old warehouses in a major reclamation project that has been very successful.



A short distance away is Saint John's major claim-to-fame, the Reversing Falls on the Saint John River.
A fascinating place of natural interest and beauty! Check the link above for more info. Tomorrow, it's on to Prince Edward Island...but for tonight...we're all watching the videos of "Anne of Green Gables" again, of course!

On from the Erie Canal to New Hampshire

We stayed at the Treasure Isle RV Park in New York, near the southern border of the Adirondacks SP, a lovely little park with a pirate motif. It's owned and operated by "Suzie", who greeted us with a "Hello, Y'all!" Asked where she learned to "talk Texan," she replied that she and her husband are Winter Texans, spending part of each year in Corpus Christi after they close the park for the winter.
A short way away is the spot where the Erie Canal was begun. This is a fascinating part of American history and a neat spot to visit.
When we stopped at the Welcome Center on entering New Hampshire, we inquired about a place to camp and whether or not one could park overnight at the Rest Stop or Wal-Marts. He assured us that Wal-Mart welcomed travelers and it seems he was right! This is the scene that greeted us on arrival in Concord, NH. It seems there was a big NASCAR race here the next week and people were starting to gather already. There were over a hundred vehicles there for the night! We all spent lots of money in Wal-Mart, so I'm sure it was a win-win situation!

The nearby Bear Brook State Park has the country's only Museum of Family Camping,
which had this amazing product among its many interesting exhibits: Next, it's on to Maine!

Niagara Falls, Ontario

We finally arrived at our first major destination, Niagara Falls, Ontario. The American Falls are on the left of the picture above, the Canadian on the right. This is a closeup of the Canadian, or Horseshoe Falls. One can view the Falls from either side, but the Canadian shore provides the best view of both. This was Roger's first trip here; Meg, Jon and Geri having seen the Falls earlier in life. We set up camp at Windmill Point, a lovely campground in nearby Fort Erie, Ontario. The first evening we went to the Falls and enjoyed a show of illumination and fireworks. The next day we took the tour, riding the river on the "Maid of the Mist", which gets you as close to the Falls as you care to ever be! We walked along the gorge below the Falls and also visited the Butterfly Conservatory, similar to other butterfly houses in the States but always a joy! So much beauty!

Finally, we took the tour of Old Fort Erie, which figured prominently in the War of 1812. Reenactors provide interesting demonstrations of life in the fort.

The director, Peter Martin, shown here , gave us hours of personal time, teaching us about the war and regaling us with his knowledge of the military in general. Thanks, Peter.

To the Adirondacks

Our days are often spent on the highways where we ride along for hours at a time. Roger does the driving, while Meg navigates and entertains, keeping the water and snacks coming. The Bruces and Simms stop daily for a picnic at a rest area or, as here, in Jon and Geri's new RV, getting its first major workout on this trip.


On Thursday 21 June we spent a day circling through the lower part of Adirondacks State Park, the largest SP in the US, comprising almost a fourth of New York State. This is Blue Mountain Lake, where we hiked part of the day. It is beautiful, scenic and covered with trees and lakes. We found this little fellow, an eastern red-spotted newt, on the ground in the forest. We spent part of the time geocaching in the park, logging four finds.There are, of course, DNFs ("did not finds") and this was one of them. :( We've introduced Jon and Geri to the sport and they're having successes, too. It's a great add-on to our travels.

Amish Country

If someone had asked me where the largest concentration of Amish is in the US, I would have probably answered Pennsylvania or Indiana, and I'd have been wrong! It's Ohio, with Penn second and Indiana third. Discovering this fact, we adjusted our schedule to include a two night stop in Holmes County, Ohio at the Scenic Hills RV Park. The Amish are a very interesting subculture of America, with a strong sense of family values and morality. We thoroughly enjoyed our visits with them while there. The cooking is world-famous, and we took full advantage of it, eating at two of the better Amish eateries. Driving through Amish Country is a challenge for a 40-foot motorhome to avoid horse-and-buggies conveying families to and fro. The Amish adhere to "the old ways" of doing everything and even they have trouble distingushing whether it is a matter of social tradition, religious persuasion or both. In any case, there is much of value in their appreciation of family closeness and simplicity. Those of us "on the outside" can learn much. Their settlement in this area dates back to the earliest parts of the 19th century.
The Amish-Mennonite Heritage Center in Berlin, Ohio is well-equipped to teach visitors the history and relationship and differences between the two similar groups. The director, Paul Miller, a family relation of a good friend of ours in San Antonio, is shown here at the Center giving us some directions for our drive around Amish Country which provided us with a wonderful view of the area. Thanks, Paul!

Of course, exploring a new area always allows time for geocaching and we found a couple in Berlin.

It makes a very pleasant way to learn new and interesting facts about our wonderful land!

On Through Arkansas

We drove the next day to Hope, Arkansas, where we camped at the local fairgrounds. After a good night's rest we moved on to Marion, AR, just across the Mighty Mississippi from Memphis. After setting up, we drove on to Memphis and visited the National Ornamental Metal Museum, a showcase for artists who work with everything from iron to gold. It's an interesting unique museum that is worth an hour of your time. From there it was downtown to Beale Street and the Blues City Cafe. Good southern cookin'! We had ribs and shrimp; mmmmmmm!