Castle3

11-16-14 We woke up today at about 7. Great nights sleep in a Walmart parking lot. Quite pleased with the furnace, 28 degrees outside and 70 inside. I did drain all systems before leaving sticks and bricks. In the daylight we saw a McDonald's, so Ruth headed in for 2 coffees and 2 egg McMuffins. Coffee was average and muffins sucked. Even Oscar would not eat them. Since nothing was set up last night, we put away a few things and hit the road. When you see a construction sign that reads "Vehicles over 8' 6", get ready for some squeezes that will cause constipation. At 50 mph you really need to stay focused. We arrived at our niece's about 4 to find the turn around at the end of a quarter mile one lane drive would be difficult for a lawn tractor! Tomorrow we get to unhook the toad and back in, then retook. Guess when I ask that question I should explain that if a tractor trailer can't make it, neither can we. I have attached a photo of one of the pleasures of retirement. Great to travel and see friends and family. After a great meal I requested the use of Alicen's shower. Remember we are dry camping until we get to a warmer climate. After a few hours of catching up, we retired to Gracie, a turn on the electric blanket. No generator tonight, shore power available. Tomorrow is just more visiting and getting to know the twins better.

We are headed for warmer weather in FL. Our dog Oscar is going on a trip with us for the 1st time. He's a bit restless but otherwise he did fine on the first leg. We stopped in Danbury CT for our first overnight at a Walmart. Sub shop was walking distance so supper was easy. Stopped in Walmart to make sure it was OK to stay. 30 outside but comfortable 70 inside. Furnace works great. Ruth says my driving has improved Last week I moved the TV to the curb side behind front seat. Now we can watch from the sofa (soon to be dual recliners) without getting sore necks. Took some work to re-route wires and get surround sound speakers configured properly, but we're very pleased. Note to self. Tank gets water and algae when it sits for 4 months. ATC light blinking again, fuel filters get changed in the morning. Otherwise all systems are go. No pics today. It was all drive time.

6-25-14 Our trip down from Bar Harbor to Wells included getting struck in a Denny's parking lot. We missed the first entrance and should have passed by the second. Not enough room to turn around without backing up. That meant unhooking disabled Lucy and pushing her uphill to a parking space so we could turn around. Oh well, we had a good breakfast, hooked up Lucy and continued on. One piece of advise, if you think taking Rt 1 will be a scenic coastal drive, forgot it unless you plan on several 10 or 15 mile side trips. Today is our last day. It's been one go our best vacations ever. We arrived in Wells ME 2days ago and spent it all just relaxing. Our site at the Sea View campground is surrounded by shade trees and Ruth's cousin Ellie and her daughter Judy and her husband Dan are next door. Since being here we discovered the best part of camping, sharing it with family or friends. Our meals have been a joint effort including clean up. Last night we sat by the campfire until 11:30, just gabbing away the time. Yep, we've had our challenges but understand we are rookies at this. However, we'll soon be street smart and hopefully not repeat most of the bad ones. I have figured out I can handle the retired life and look forward to it. Wonder if I can handle work when we get back. Certainly we'll take a few shorter trips before winter sets in. And those will include our dog Oscar who we decided to leave with my daughter Jenn's family this time. I'm sure he had a great vacation too.

6-22-14 Today was just too nice to sit around. Ruth an I put a few more miles on the rental car by traveling to Owls Head, with a few stops on the way. Our first surprise was crossing the Penobscot Narrows Bridge near Fort Knox. It's amazing how something man made can still give you a scenic moment. We continued on through Belfast and then saw signs for a State park in Camdon. After paying the old folks fee of $3 dollars we scouted out the campground, used the cleanest public restrooms I've seen on this trip, and drove to the summit of Mt. Hattie elevation 780 feet. Height helps, but location is everything. Melvin had a perfect view of Camdon bay, Rockport, a bit of Rockland and many islands. After that we went in search of the transportation museum in Owls Head. The Hertz GPS took us to a house on Main Street. Just before we turned around Ruth spotted a sign for a lighthouse. One of our many weaknesses as they are impossible for us to pass by. We arrived at another state park in about 2 miles, parked the car and walked about 1/4 mile to the site. As we approached 53 steps stood in front of us. Walking sticks in hand up we went. This one was open so we climbed the spiral staircase and the 5 rung steel ladder to the lamp itself. A super view and it was manned by a volunteer that was a wealth of knowledge about both the lighthouse and the surrounding communities. While standing there we also saw a 3 master named American Eagle, run aground out in the bay. Lucky for them the tide was coming in. They floated back off about an hour later. Our trip back to camp was uneventful. Tomorrow we brake camp and head for Wells ME, our last stop on this journey.

6-21-14 Today was another low key day. I could get use to this FAST. I started out by putting away a few things that I bought yesterday. A filter wrench, some oil and 4 more small propane tanks. Those buggers are only good for 3 meals. Then I did my pre trip checks, engine and generator fluids. And, to my surprise the grey tank was full again. Guess we are water hogs! Ruth and I discussed it and decided we're not changing, except for no more sites that don't have full hookups unless we're only in for the night. This time I was too cheep to pay for the honey wagon since black tank was at lest than 1/4. So we closed up, unhooked and did it ourselves. Less than 30 minutes total. As a reward we treated ourselves to ice cream at the local stand. Vanilla cherry for himself and black raspberry for herself. We then came back and gave Melvin a quick change so he would look good at his next photo shoot. Off to play 18 holes of miniature golf. After the first 2 holes we decided it was best it no score was recorded and we just enjoyed the surroundings and had fun. Chicken on the BBQ with green beans and baked potato for supper. Seems like I'm eating healthier. Might even loose a couple pounds. Tomorrow we are taking a day trip to Rockland an Owl's Head.

Melvin has a lazy day. Today was a no events planned day. We started off by sleeping in and then had BBQ bacon and blueberry pancakes. Then we ventured into Ellsworth, did some grocery shopping, Ruth got a hair cut and I hung out at the auto parts stores. Before we knew it the day was nearly gone. But, we couldn't resist another drive. This time we searched out the light house in Bass Harbor. It's a steep descent to it from the parking lot and tough to get a good photo so we spent our time looking at the harbor and several islands out to sea. Then we continued onto Sea Wall campground in the national park. It was very rustic with no full hookups. We did spot a couple public water stations and 2 dump sites. No electric either, so plan on just a few days on dry camping. I think I'd like to give it a go next time just to enjoy the peace and quiet. Tonight we'll spend some time planing tomorrow's adventure.

Woke up well rested today to 70 degree weather and blue skies. After morning coffee, Ruth choose to hit the laundry mat. Yes we have a combo washer dryer on board, but this way she says it's done in 1 hour. That gave me some time to tinker, so I attached the tie downs to the awning and figured how to put the sunscreen over the windshield. The hardest part was figuring out the folding ladder. All done just as Ruth returned. We packed the car and took off for Acadia National park. ( less than 10 miles away). The first order of business was straight for Cadillac mountain. We hit the summit just about noon. That ment you could take in the full 360 view without being blinded. Don't know for sure, but I'd guess we could see at leat 100 miles. Don't miss this one on your bucket list! I made sure Melvin had a picture to mark the occasion. Next we followed the park road until we came upon Jordon pond. More like a large lake. To our surprise we spotted a restaurant from the parking lot. It was lunch time so in we went. Famous for their homemade Popovers and tea. The menu was a bit granola, but we both found something. My BLTT turkey and tomato was fine once I separated it from the 5 grain bread. One bite of the salad was plenty. The dressing reminded me of oxen sweat! Ruth had a buffalo meatloaf and the same salad. She was enjoying both until I made the comment about the dressing. Too bad, you know I always say what I'm thinking. Since lunch was over we set out to find the Thunder hole on the beach. We took a few wrong turns, but made it about an hour before high tide. Not much action from the hole, however hearing the waves brake on the watch was good enough. For supper I decided it was time for a filet. I had checked out the menu at the log house restaurant earlier so that's where we went. Great filet and Ruth love her stuffed haddock. We finished off with Baileys on the rocks then returned to camp. Pretty much a perfect day.

6-18-14 Melvin At 6 AM I woke up to pouring rain. With visions of being stuck on this hilltop due to wash outs, I asked Ruth to get us ready to go. First time I got stuck prepping the outside in a downpour. Frankly that sucked. So, down the mountain we went. First gear only, frequent braking, and dodging trees that were drooping from hard rain weighting them down. What a relief to see that last turn. Water was running the ditches full and spilling onto the gravel one lane road. Next another ferry ride. No other way to leave the island. After an hour and a half of hard rain and at times dense fog, the US boarder came into sight. We had to privilege of an on board inspection. After they finished a walk through and looking in a few cabinets, they explained they thought another person was on board. Turns out the mirror near the dinning table fooled them. On well, no harm. The were at least polite and possessed a personality. On to Bar Harbor, only another 100 miles. Little did we know it included 49 miles of Rt. 149. Perhaps the worst road in New England! What a shakedown cruise for Grace. Upon our arrival at our campsite in Bar Harbor, we discovered just how bad it was. When we unleashed Lucy and tried to start her, bad noises came from the engine room. Somehow, Lucy had jumped into gear and after 40 plus miles the engine gave up. I pulled the dip stick and to oil smelled burned. Got a really bad feeling about this one. Even so we can't let it ruin 5 days in Arcadia national park. A phone call to Hertz and 16 numbers got us a rental. When I got back with the car, Ruth still had a long face. Found out no hot water&@$;/!? That turned out to be just a switch turned off. Whew, time for acouple Mike's ice I brought back with me. Out to supper at Mainely Meat. Great pulled pork. Followed by a stroll on the boardwalk and a beautiful sunset. Time to tuck in for today.

6-15-14 Now that we've be traveling for two weeks, it was time to name our Monaco Windsor coach. Melvin decide on Grace after Princess Grace of Monaco. What else? After all the plate reads Castle3 ! Sunday (Father's Day ) was a total rain out. Ruth began our day by making blueberry pancakes for breakfast. The rest of our day was spent relaxing and watching movies. 6-16-14 We woke up to rain again. But it was a travel day, so we broke camp and headed out. Just after the causeway leaving Cape Bretton, we stopped for a rest and a bit of shopping. Upon our departure Grace began throwing a fit! Every time she started up a hill it sounded like the transmission was being dropped out on the road. The dash also started lighting up. ATC automatic traction control. After cursing her out several times I decided we had little choice but to continue to our. Campsite in Truro. As we checked in the desk clerk told us not to worry as her husband Winston new a few things about motorhomes. By the time I had power hooked up he arrived at our site. After we talked a bit he crawled under Grace and checked the tranny fluid. Just on the low mark so we added a couple quarts. No good. Winston went to the office and called the next big town on our way Moncton, to find a repair shop. He returned with a phone number I could call in the morning. I paid him for the fluid, but he refused anything for himself. We shook hands and he wished me "good travels" Now I'm thinking tow truck if I don't make it, $5000 for a tranny and 3 days in Moncton. Could you sleep? I took a short nap due to exhaustion, then stayed up till midnight surfing the web for an answer. Voila! After hours of reading blogs I found the answer. Clogged fuel filters. My good fortune, Marshal the previous owner left a pair on board. 6-17-14 At 8 AM I was on a mission. **** they were too tight to remove without a filter wrench. Back to the office to get Winston's help. He finished his breakfast, I had interrupted an was at the coach in 30 minutes with wrench in hand. 20 minutes later we broke camp, said goodbye to my new friend Wilson, crossed our fingers and anticipated slow painful ride to Moncton. By the time we got to speed on the back road Winston had suggested, things were looking better. Grace was driving like a new coach. After 30 miles we hit the highway to Moncton . Ruth spotted a Tim Horton's just as we entered town. Not only was there a truck dealer 2 blocks away, the place beside Horton's was doing truck washes. We decided to give Gracey a bath and then go get the spare filters. Life is good now. On to St. John NB. I set the GPS for tonight's campsite and off we went. Not much scenery top look at, but the road was smooth and the traffic was light. Then the GPS instructed me that in 2 miles I should go straight onto the ferry. WHAT !! Sure enough I rounded the corner and there it was waiting for us. Who in the **** picked this campsite? I wasn't sure they would let Grace on, let alone towing Lucy. As I approached I kept waiting for the crew member to wave me off, all the while I was planing my escape route without needed to back up. When he waved me aboard my sphincter tightened up like wet rawhide in the desert heat. The middle lane was no more than 2 inches wider than Grace and one side was already parked. Don't know how I did it without hitting someone. I had just 10 minutes to calm down and it was time to abandon ship. Whew, made it off without incident. Next the GPS sent me down 18 miles of the two lane road from ****. Switchback curves, narrow lanes and several places had washed out shoulders. I don't think Ruth opened her eyes the whole time. Except for about halfway there when she insisted I pull into a church parking lot and spend the night. Too late, I was already past the driveway. As the GPS told us we had arrived, we were sitting in front of another ferry ramp. Guess how we 're leaving tomorrow? Once we checked in our site guide ask if we wanted by the river or hilltop. Stupid me said hilltop. What a ride. I thought my driveway was steep. It was a 2 mile trip up a bumpy dirt road to the top of a mountain overlooking the river. Again major sphincter issues, OK, that should do it for RV boot camp. I think we have had one of everything now. Early to bed tonight and off to Bar Harbor for a 4 a 6 day rest. Perhaps by the time we leave my constipation will have resolved itself.

6-15-14 Now that we've be traveling for two weeks, it was time to name our Monaco Windsor coach. Melvin decide on Grace after Princess Grace of Monaco. What else? After all the plate reads Castle3 ! Sunday (Father's Day ) was a total rain out. Ruth began our day by making blueberry pancakes for breakfast. The rest of our day was spent relaxing and watching movies. 6-16-14 We woke up to rain again. But it was a travel day, so we broke camp and headed out. Just after the causeway leaving Cape Bretton, we stopped for a rest and a bit of shopping. Upon our departure Grace began throwing a fit! Every time she started up a hill it sounded like the transmission was being dropped out on the road. The dash also started lighting up. ATC automatic traction control. After cursing her out several times I decided we had little choice but to continue to our. Campsite in Truro. As we checked in the desk clerk told us not to worry as her husband Winston new a few things about motorhomes. By the time I had power hooked up he arrived at our site. After we talked a bit he crawled under Grace and checked the tranny fluid. Just on the low mark so we added a couple quarts. No good. Winston went to the office and called the next big town on our way Moncton, to find a repair shop. He returned with a phone number I could call in the morning. I paid him for the fluid, but he refused anything for himself. We shook hands and he wished me "good travels" Now I'm thinking tow truck if I don't make it, $5000 for a tranny and 3 days in Moncton. Could you sleep? I took a short nap due to exhaustion, then stayed up till midnight surfing the web for an answer. Voila! After hours of reading blogs I found the answer. Clogged fuel filters. My good fortune, Marshal the previous owner left a pair on board. 6-17-14 At 8 AM I was on a mission. **** they were too tight to remove without a filter wrench. Back to the office to get Winston's help. He finished his breakfast, I had interrupted an was at the coach in 30 minutes with wrench in hand. 20 minutes later we broke camp, said goodbye to my new friend Wilson, crossed our fingers and anticipated slow painful ride to Moncton. By the time we got to speed on the back road Winston had suggested, things were looking better. Grace was driving like a new coach. After 30 miles we hit the highway to Moncton . Ruth spotted a Tim Horton's just as we entered town. Not only was there a truck dealer 2 blocks away, the place beside Horton's was doing truck washes. We decided to give Gracey a bath and then go get the spare filters. Life is good now. On to St. John NB. I set the GPS for tonight's campsite and off we went. Not much scenery top look at, but the road was smooth and the traffic was light. Then the GPS instructed me that in 2 miles I should go straight onto the ferry. WHAT !! Sure enough I rounded the corner and there it was waiting for us. Who in the **** picked this campsite? I wasn't sure they would let Grace on, let alone towing Lucy. As I approached I kept waiting for the crew member to wave me off, all the while I was planing my escape route without needed to back up. When he waved me aboard my sphincter tightened up like wet rawhide in the desert heat. The middle lane was no more than 2 inches wider than Grace and one side was already parked. Don't know how I did it without hitting someone. I had just 10 minutes to calm down and it was time to abandon ship. Whew, made it off without incident. Next the GPS sent me down 18 miles of the two lane road from ****. Switchback curves, narrow lanes and several places had washed out shoulders. I don't think Ruth opened her eyes the whole time. Except for about halfway there when she insisted I pull into a church parking lot and spend the night. Too late, I was already past the driveway. As the GPS told us we had arrived, we were sitting in front of another ferry ramp. Guess how we 're leaving tomorrow? Once we checked in our site guide ask if we wanted by the river or hilltop. Stupid me said hilltop. What a ride. I thought my driveway was steep. It was a 2 mile trip up a bumpy dirt road to the top of a mountain overlooking the river. Again major sphincter issues, OK, that should do it for RV boot camp. I think we have had one of everything now. Early to bed tonight and off to Bar Harbor for a 4 a 6 day rest. Perhaps by the time we leave my constipation will have resolved itself.

6-14-14 We were up early today and off in Lucy by 8:30. The weather on the web had forecasted a cold rainy day, but as we woke there were patches of blue sky. So we took a chance and drove to Englishtown so we could take a boat ride to Bird island. Sometimes we just make really good choices. Within 10 minutes of leaving the pier, we spotted an eagle. Then the first mate threw a fish into the water. Almost at once the eagle swooped down and grabbed the fish. GREAT photos of that and about 5 more before our excursion ended. As we approached the island we were shown photos of all the birds to help us identify them as we went buy. Puffins are much smaller than I thought (about the size of a pigeon, but with very short wings). The puffins were also rather sparse, we only spotted about a dozen. However, many other birds kept the cruise interesting. After seeing a few seals we turned back to the dock. What a fun morning. Don't miss this if you come to Cape Breton! As we drove back to Baddeck the rain began and it appeared our day was over. After we stopped for a cup of coffee, the rain stopped and we quickly decided to take in The Highlands. On our way we came to a stop sign and were looking straight into a small ferry. For $5.25 we loaded up and crossed all of 300 feet. Guess it was Cheaper than building a bridge. Once we entered the Highlands and paid our $11 admission fee, the next 2 hours was like being part of history. All buildings were either period accurate reproductions or originals moved to this location. The staff spoke and dressed for their time period ranging from 1810 to perhaps 1900. This is another must see if you make it to Cape Breton! Photo opportunities are plentiful and unspoiled by anything modern. At 5 PM the rain ended our day of site seeing. Since using the barby was not an option we went to the red barn restaurant for supper. Each of us had a very good meal that finished with a slab of lemon pie. Forecast for tomorrow is pouring rain. Guess we'll be staying in.

6-13-14 The only exciting thing that happened yesterday was paying over $5 a gallon for fuel as we drove from Halifax to Baddeck. Today we ventured out to the Alexander Gram Bell museum. I. Learned enough trivia to win Jepordy. However,I was disappointed by the meager display of inventions and prototypes. I had also anticipated taking a tour of his home here, but that is privately owned by a Bell descendant and not open to the public. Oh well, the view of lake Bras d-Or, was quite pleasing to the eye. A small light house in the distance made it even better. As we left the museum, Ruth stumbled upon a yarn store. Since she was driving we were up the hill and in the parking lot before I even knew why she had turned. After she was able to touch every skein twice, I managed to get her out the door with only a small bag. Our next stop was the information building where we found that the puffins were in residence on a small island near here. Tomorrow we'll be taking a boat ride out to see them. Hope to get some good pics. We also found out there is a village nearby that goes back in time. It's called the highlands and the staff is in period character. Guess we'll try that Sunday as the weather should nice. Next we stopped at the local Grocery store to pick up a few things and then to the liquor store for some Baileys. Upon our return to the camp ground, we spotted a bald eagle soaring just a hundred or so feet above us. No picture, I was too busy watching. Hot dogs and beans finished off our day. We could be sorry while on the boat tomorrow. Ruth will continue her quest for the answer to: What Does a Scotsman wear under his kilt?

6-11-14 Another beautiful day in Nova Scotia, so we took a drive to Berwick about 90 miles from our campsite to see Dorothy and Jimmy Sheriffs. About four generation back, her grandfather Hussey is the same as Ruth's. James Hussey settled in Aylesford less than 10 miles away. It was very interesting to learn about the area and hear about the farm James owned. After a few hours at Dorothy's home we took them to lunch at a nearby restaurant. When our visit ended, we took off for Morden on the Bay of Fundy shore. Melvin really enjoyed riding with the top down on Lucy (our 78 VW) and posed for a few snapshots. The drive back to camp was uneventful. However, as we pulled in to our spot I noticed a coach had parked beside us and water was pouring onto the ground! I shut off their water, but couldn't tell the origin of the leak. Guess we'll find out when they return from their trip. If it's inside, they're going to be pissed! Yep, it was inside. When the owners returned I told them and he quickly checked the service entrance. No leaks there. Next they went inside and came back out with long faces. Apparently a faucet was left on and when the grey tank filled, so did their 40 foot Winnebago! Not much else was said and we stayed clear. Look out for a Winnie with low miles on eBay. Tonight we had shiksa bob and corn on the cob. Found out the small propane bottles only last 3.5 meals if you cook baked potatoes. They take1 hour. Tomorrow we brake camp and head for Cape Breton