Heading home

Saturday, October 1

It's been a busy week, but an enjoyable one.  We had a great time visiting with Rod, Ellen, and Dale.  And, we were happy to see old friends and make new ones.  We're looking forward to spending time with Rod and Ellen (and hopefully, Tony and Donna) when we travel to Arizona in November.
We left Maine this morning and will reverse our path back to PA, staying at Boston Minuteman CG tonight.

Sunday, October 2

Hudson River looking north

We got an earlier start this morning arriving at the KOA Newburgh in the afternoon, so we had time to tour the area.  It was a beautiful sunny day and we decided to find the 'Walk across the Hudson River' bridge.  Despite a "detour" we found our way there thanks to our TomTom.   We've used it all week and it's saved us more than once!  Happily, I was able to walk across and back with my 'new and improved' knee.  Later, we walked through the campground and really liked the layout and it's proximity to the Hudson River Valley and NYC.  We plan to come back next summer and spend more time here.






Monday, October 3

This is our last day of travel.  Since it's a Monday, we waited till after 9 to leave so that we'd miss the morning rush-hour traffic.  We drove through periods of rain but returned home safely by 3:30. 

We had a good trip.  We experienced a few 'tense' moments hitching or unhitching the trailer, but each time we got better at it.  We forgot to pack a few things, but we'll have them before we leave for the winter.  The refrigerator worked on gas but not electric; somthing that Stoltzfus RV will fix for us.  The truck labored on the I81 hills so we may have to think about what we  want to do before we leave for the winter; we don't want to get stranded anywhere on our trip west.

Calvin, the Cat accompanied us on this trip.  We were a little worried about how he'd 'travel' since he has often gotten carsick just going back and forth from Ephrata to Bowmansville.  We got him some motion sickness pills from the vet and they worked great; he didn't get sick once.  I'd give him a dose an hour before we were ready to hit the road and he'd sleep for most of the ride...not unlike what he does on most days.  When he got home, he took up his normal position...

More Adventures in Maine

Wednesday, September 28
We woke to a cool overcast day.  After a tour of the island, we took the ferry back to the mainland.  While Rod and Ellen waited for their "best man" Fred Metzger and his wife Kathy to arrive from NC, Keith and I went to our camper to rest and get ready for dinner at the Bogdahn's.  We met Tony and Donna (friends and fellow RVer's of Rod and Ellen's) when they stopped in Ephrata on their way home from winter in AZ.  They're now friends of the Green Dragon and Country Maid donuts! 
Before going to their beautifully restored New England farmhouse, Tony and Donna took us to Hackett's Hill, an awesome nearby viewpoint, and to the Songo Lock which joins Long Lake and Sabago Lake.  It's still in operation for the local boaters.

The view from Hackett's Hill

Thursday, September 29

This morning, we hitched up again and moved our camper to Freeport Village Campground to be close to the Harrasseeket Inn where the anniversary party would be held. We spent the afternoon shopping at LL Bean, and touring the area; it's overcast and rainy.


Friday, September 30

Joe & Sue, Gary & Sharon, Genny & Alan, Donna & Tony
with Rod & Ellen, Keith & cousin Dale

We were joined at the campground on Friday morning by four other RV couples -- friends and traveling companions of Rod and Ellen.  Along with the good conversation, we got several great RV tips from the others.  They all agree that it gets easier with practice. 

So much energy!

After lunch, Rod and Ellen went to the Inn to get ready for the anniversary party hosted by their children.  The party was so nice -- cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, a delicous buffet dinner, and dancing -- lots of dancing.  The dance floor was hopping all night with sounds from the 60's as we celebrated with Rod and Ellen and their family.

"Shake-down" cruise to Maine



Locked and Loaded

Our first outing in our Forest River Wildcat.  It's a 27 foot travel trailer that we're pulling with a Ford F150.  We were supposed to get hook-up instructions back in August, but we had to postpone because of my knee replacement therapy.  Unfortunately, we rescheduled for Sep 8 - during the week of rain and floods from Tropical Storm Lee.  And, then there was the Hershey RV Show so noone was available for the training.  Finallly, on Wed, Sep 21, we got the walk-through and a quick lesson on how to hitch the trailer to the truck.  Just in time, because we were scheduled to leave on Sat for our trip to Maine to visit with Keith's cousins Rod and Ellen celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

Hitching to the truck went well

Saturday, September 24

KOA Newburgh, NY

Our first day of towing a trailer went very well.  It was a nice sunny day for driving I81.  We drove about 250 miles and spent Sat night at KOA Newburgh in Plattekill, NY.  They gave us a wide open site near the pond -- it should have been easy to back into, but we were happy when their staff offered assistance.  We difinately need more practice.  "Right...no, the other right...STOP!"




Sunday was another sunny day.  We drove about 200 miles and spent the night at Boston Minuteman Campground in Littleton, MA.  We were able to get a 'pull-through' site -- the best kind.

Monday, September 26

The BEAR BOYS

Monday, we only have 140 miles to travel today.  We've been getting a leisurely start each day, setting out between 9 and 10, and we've been so fortunate with good weather.  We pulled into Kokatosi Campground, Raymond, ME around 2:30 pm.  It's only a mile away from Rod and Ellen's home. 
Keith went along to Portland Airport to pick up Rod's brother, Dale, from Ft. Lauderdale.  They came back with clams and lobsters, and we celebrated Rod's birthday with dinner on their deck as the sun set over the mountains to the west - beautiful. 
This was the first time that 'the boys' were all together since high school and they had a great time catching up and reminiscing about their younger years together.

Tuesday, September 27

"Hold On"

On Tuesday, they took us out to their beautiful lake house on Frye Island in Lake Sabago.  The water was smooth and the sun warm -- a perfect day.  We rode their jet ski and sat relaxing on the dock.

Wed morning's view from the deck