We did it again---traveled too far and too fast. And as usual, this trip left us wanting more. But it was fun!!! 

New York Once we had the last Newsletters written, we went to Hamlin Beach State Park near Rochester so we could go to a Kinkos (printers) and get it printed. We only stayed three days, and included short visits with two sets of aunts, uncles, and cousins. 

This was our second visit to western New York and we really wanted to see some areas we had seen before and add new sights, but were limited to choose just one new spot--- Watkins Glen. Ron had been there a long time ago on a school trip and wanted to share it with me. We stayed at Sampson State Park on Seneca Lake. 

From our base at the campground, we went in several directions. First we visited the Glen and hiked the three-mile-832 stair step trail. It was beautiful. We decided to stay for Timespell --- a laser light show in the gorge. If you go there, miss this one. It was a big disappointment. One day we took our bikes to nearby Geneva and biked a 37-mile route from the book 20 Bicycle tours in the Finger Lakes by Mark Roth & Sally Walters. The tour took us through rural farmlands and the quiet towns of Phelps and Gorham. It was an easy ride, but the day was too hot for it to be comfortable. Another day, we drove to Corning, home of Corning Glass Works, and spent the whole day between The Corning Museum of Glass, The Hall of Science and Industry, and The Steuben Glass Factory. We did not do the winery tours (16) since we had just done some in Michigan, and we had to pass up the Mark Twain Musical Drama in Elmira and the Genesee Country Museum. Both were highly recommended. The town of Waterloo looked inviting too. Next time! 

Sunday, August 25, we headed east from Seneca Lake on route 20. It was a lovely drive through neat towns with big beautiful houses. Skaneateles was especially attractive and we wished we could have stayed a while. As the country got hillier, the motorhome struggled so badly that we had to unhook. I drove the car and led the way to the Coast to Coast Campground at Gansevoort which was a little north of Saratoga Springs. One of the first things we happened upon, once settled, was a farmer's market. It was very small, near the village green ---no more than a dozen vendors; we bought beets, carrots, corn, cucumber, potatoes, radishes, home made apple cinnamon bread, and overdosed on veggies the next two days. We visited the Saratoga National Battlefield and decided to bike the 10-mile circle route rather than drive. It was a wonderful ride but again very hot, and since we hadn't planned to bike, we were not properly dressed for it. After visiting the park, we discovered the charm of Saratoga. It was the racing season, so it was a busy place. No, we did not go to the track, nor did we visit the famous mineral baths, the National Museum of Dance, the Saratoga Harness Hall of Fame, or the National Bottle Museum. We did do a little browsing up and down main street. I never saw so many "horsey" things in my life. You can buy anything with horses pictured on it in this town. 

We did visit the Grant Cottage State Historic Site a little north of town and were very impressed. It is exactly as it was the minute General Grant died at 8:08 a.m. on July 23, 1885. Grant's son stopped the clock and it sets on the mantel as it was that minute. The strange thing about visiting the cottage is that one has to drive through a prison to get to it. Guards order you not to stop until you get to the cottage and give you a big list of do's and don'ts. When a TB sanitarium was built near the cottage, no one ever envisioned that that institution would one day evolve into a prison. It is remarkable that this place has been protected. Credit goes to the dedication of The Friends of Grant Society. 

New Hampshire, home of the White Mountains, is a pretty state with a lot of funny names; the Pemigewasset River, Kancamagus  Highway, and the Winnipesaukee Railroad were ones we became aware of immediately. We had some bad experiences in New Hampshire so my report may be slanted unfairly against the whole state. Camping in one Coast to Coast Campground was a horrible experience. But that is another story. 

Good friends of ours had told us not to miss the “quaint” town of N. Conway, so since we were near, we took the drive but got caught in a massive traffic jam. The road into, through, and out of N. Conway has large outlet malls---one after another. License plates were from all over, and I am sure there were bargains to be found, but we were not in the mood to fight crowds. We drove the Kancamagus Highway through the White Mountain National Forest and found that enjoyable. 

Maine is beautiful in a simple way. The coastal towns, big homes, and seashore are refreshing and the people are very friendly. We arrived in Acadia National Park on Sunday, August 30. The weather was perfect, campground rather empty, and many ranger activities going on since it was still officially summer. We attended three evening ranger programs in the campground. That is part of what makes camping in a national park so much fun. One day, we got up early, drove to the far side of the park, and joined a ranger for a two-hour walk/talk to examine the tide pools. He did a super job of getting the group involved, and everyone learned about the abundance of life in the little puddles of water left behind when the tide goes out. Another day we rode our bikes on many of the carriage roads. In one, less traveled, area we came upon blueberry bushes loaded with ripe berries and picked enough to fill a quart zip-lock bag that we happened to have along. The carriage roads were designed and built by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., in 1915. He saw it as a way to enjoy nature free from the disturbance of the automobile. Doesn't that seem strange since he made his fortune in oil? If we had stayed there three weeks instead of three days, we would still be wanting more, so we are thinking of going back some year as volunteers. 
Next we visited Camden, a delightful seaport village. We stayed at Robert's Roost Campground as suggested by good friends and had a nice visit. It is a very picturesque village and we had decided before hand that this seaport village would be where we would try our first lobster. Our campground hostess suggested we try the Waterfront Restaurant. It was okay ($15.95 ea.), but now that we have had lobster somewhere else, we know that it was not the best. 

We had called the CCC park in Lebanon, Maine ahead of time just in case they would let us in over the Labor Day weekend and they said “sure.” Most CCC parks only let their own members in on holidays. We had the best time there. The campers and staff were super friendly. Right away we were invited to the breakfasts each morning, the six dollar lobster/steak dinner and the Saturday night dance with a live band. For the dinner, Ron had lobster (I had steak) and he raved about it. We did one of our seminars there and it was the best one yet---13 couples attended and they were very interested in ull-timing. It was a nice relaxing weekend. We never left the park. 

Massachusetts looks like England---if you are looking at the names of towns on the map. Cambridge, Framingham, Needham, Weymouth, Chelmsford, Leicester, Ipswich, and many more are very familiar to us from our travels in England. After having so much difficulty trying to follow route 1A, Ron was fit to be tied, and said that we were not going to tour Boston. This was one of those times when the interstate would have been better. When we approached the tunnel into Boston, we were told that we couldn't go through. They don't allow RVs because of the propane. In the jumble of traffic, we were hastily told which direction to go, and we promptly got lost for a while. 

Once settled in the overgrown and nearly deserted Wompatuck State Park southeast of Boston and near the bay, Ron calmed down, and we took off in the car to find the Adams National Historic Site in Quincy. We could not follow the route (no route or street signs) so we gave up. The next day when we got our mail in Cohasset, I inquired about the best way to get to Boston. To our delight, we found there is a commuter ferry which leaves every 20 minutes or so, each morning, from nearby Hingham Harbor. After checking it out, we decided to go the next morning. 

The four dollar, 35 minute trip aboard a large passenger ferry was comfortable, and we were deposited right near the heart of the city. We easily found the beginning of The Freedom Trail, did the first part on our own, then took the free ranger walk/talk for the remainder of the trail. It was a great history lesson. 

After we returned to Hingham, we looked for a place to eat and choose Ye Old Mill Grill. Their special was stuffed Lobster (stuffed with shrimp & scallops in a cracker base). Dinner included fresh rolls, chowder, french fries, wine, and dessert for $13.95. Since Ron had raved about his last lobster, I decided to try again. We both ordered the special, and it was so yummy that I will never, ever forget it. It was something to die for. I hope you can find this place some day. And do go on a Wednesday, when they have this special. 

When we left the state park, we took the interstate all the way to Sturbridge and a CCC park only a few miles from Old Sturbridge Village. It was billed as living history, and they did a pretty good job. I was expecting that every one would be in 1833, but some were and some were not. I understand that weekends are not the best time to visit if you want real first person living history. We went on a weekend. The admission price allows one to go two days in a row which we did. It was well worth visiting. 

New York (again). We reentered the state on I-84 and planned to stay at a campground in Fishkill. It was so run down that we got out the ole Trailer Life Campground Directory and found a nice KOA in Plattekill. It was expensive, but a perfect location for our planned visit with Ron's daughter Susie, her husband Ross, and one year old daughter Taylor. Since they live so near West Point we included a guided tour there which we highly recommend. From the visitor center just outside the Thayer Gate, one can choose either the short (1 hr) or long (1 hr 45 min) bus tour. We choose the longer one because it included the cemetery and more history. The price was reasonable ($5.50 each) and our tour guide was great. 

Our campground was near Hyde Park and two other special places---Roosevelt and Vanderbilt National Historic Sites. We went one day, and visited both homes with Susie and little Taylor, learning just enough to make us want to delve into the histories. Ron and I went back another day and got completely lost in all the documents and history in the FDR Library and Museum. We were also able to include a tour of Eleanor Roosevelt's cottage nearby. 

The Frederick & Louise Vanderbilt home was garishly typical of those of the Gilded Age. They had no children, so after Frederick's death in 1938, Margaret Van Alen (Louise's niece) inherited the estate and all its furnishings. She already had several mansions of her own and couldn't afford to take care of it. When she heard of the neighbor's (FDR) plan to donate his home to the park service, she did the same---for a nice tax write- off. It has been a ward of the National Park Service since 1940. 

FDR's home was the exact opposite---very simple and homey. I did not know that FDR was an only child, that his home belonged to his domineering mother and that Eleanor raised her five children there with her mother-in-law, who really ran the show. Lots of neat history prompted me to buy two very large books. All this touring just whets my appetite for more information. 

New Jersey is where Ron's sister Linda and her family live. That was the reason for our visit there. We found a nice State Park (Cheesequake) near their home in East Brunswick and enjoyed three days of catching up on family. It was here that we got 
word that Ron's Mom needed more help than she thought she would after her bunion surgery. We were planning to be in Florida by mid November, but offered to go early if she needed us. She did. But first we had to see Ron's son David, before he took off for his three-year stint in Spain. 

To get to Norfolk, we decided to take the ferry from Cape May. It was a short drive from Cheesequake. After we got settled in the Coast to Coast Campground, we spent the afternoon touring that Victorian town, then went to bed early so we could get up early and meet the ferry. It was a wonderful way to get through the congested areas along the coast. We stayed in the motorhome during the whole 70-minute trip. Ron sat in his chair reading the paper and drinking coffee while I worked on the computer. What a way to travel!! 

Virginia. Our four-day visit in Norfolk was all visit. It was a talking, game playing, meals- together kind of visit, with Dave and Evelyn. We had planned to do some camping with them (they are real campers---tent style), but tropical storm Danielle hung close to shore, kept us soggy, and forced us to change our plans. We really felt bad, because they had their gear all set to go. 

So here we are in Florida. We drove two straight days to get here. We have settled into a very nice private campground in Winter Haven. Joe and Jenny Hofmeister (no relation) are the owners of the Holiday Trav-l-Park here and gave us a nice spot for the month. For the off season monthly rate of $245, we can spend lots of time helping Ron's Mom (Ron is doing it all now while I crank this out) and we will have plenty of time to get some other stuff done. The awning is not working correctly on one side, we have a leak somewhere in the cabover section (around a window I think), the bikes need cleaning and oiling (the chains are orange from so much rain), both vehicles need oil changes, I need a permanent, and so on.