So we left Maine to start our travels south and our first stop was North Hampton New Hampshire, about three miles from the Atlantic. Henri was a cat 1 storm heading for Long Island with a predicted hooked path that SHOULD go around us. If we made a run, we would have to get halfway across New York to escape. We decided to stay put and we got some light rain and a little wind, meh. We did explore the coast and found some great seafood and beautiful beaches. Even with a water temp in the 60s, Claudia did wade into the surf, but the approaching storm was churning some good waves.

I grew up in the midwest where the signs along the highways say watch for deer. Here, they all say watch for moose! About 45 minutes east of Bangor is Mount Desert Island, and most of the island is Acadia National Park. The best views are from Cadillac Summit Road. This area is so popular that reservations are required. From up here, the bays and distant islands are visible. Being one of the most popular National Parks in the US keeps this place crowded and slow to navigate. On the east coast of the Island is the city of Bar Harbor, home to many shops, restaurants, galleries, and tours – both land and sea. And sadly, we lost the tread on a trailer tire 60 miles south of Bangor. We have a little damage to the bottom of the rear panel, but I have it looking presentable now and 4 new tires.

Freeport was originally settled about 1700. Here at the head of the Harraseeket River, this small town was where a man named Leon Leonwood Bean decided that he could design a better hunting boot. With a $400 loan, the Bean Boot was created here in the early 1900s and started the L.L. Bean empire on Main Street in Freeport. We spent an afternoon hiking at Wolf’s Neck Woods State Park where there are some beautiful views of the Atlantic and the Harraseeket River. At a the nearby town of Bath, we found the site of the first sailing ship built in Maine. Today, volunteers are constructing a replica of the Virginia with the projected launch date of June 2022. And before we left, we enjoyed our first Maine Lobster – quite a treat.

Here is where I think of when you say Upstate New York, the Adirondack Mountains. We stayed in Warrensburg, midway between Lake George City and Lake Placid. Lake George City is your typical tourist trap town full of shops and restaurants here on the southern tip of Lake George. You can partake of many water sports here like canoeing and parasailing, although we opted for a relaxing steam powered paddle boat cruise aboard the Minne-Ha-Ha. Next to the boat dock is the Million Dollar Beach if worship the sun. To the north is Lake Placid and the site of the 1980 Olympics. There is a small museum at the Olympic Center and you can see the bobsled & luge track as well as the ski jumping areas. We actually got to see several ski jumpers practicing aerials by skiing down a dry hill and landing in the water after their jump.

Also,Most people hear New York and think of the large city in the corner of the state, but that is only a half of a percent of the state. The rest of the state is a few large cities and towns surrounded by beautiful countrysides of fields and forests. West NY is rolling hills and the Finger Lakes. The first stop here was in Houghton. From here we visited Letchworth State Park. The park runs along the Genesee River and has great views of rapids and three waterfalls. Great trails for hiking, too. Next stop was in Watkins Glen. Here we explored another great state park where eons of river have cut a beautiful canyon with stunning trail views. Also, Watkins Glen sits on the southern tip of Seneca Lake and you can visit over 30 wineries spread around the lake as this is one of the best areas to grow wine grapes in the country. Yes we did hit a few. Thirty minutes to the south is the Corning Glass Museum, a must stop place the see the history of glass. Our campsite was a little over a mile away from a Nascar Speedway and we could hear the cars practicing for the first big race in two years coming six days after we left.

So, as we left Michigan City Indiana, we travelled with a storm front carrying 3 – 5 inches of rain. Our first stop was in Toledo Ohio. Our site had standing water all around the trailer. The site was all gravel so no mud, but keeping your feet dry was tough. Just a shopping and rest stop so no loss. Next stop was Erie Pennsylvania. Less gravel and more mud, but we spent two days hiking at Presque Isle State Park, which is a peninsula in Lake Erie. There are many beaches, miles of paved trails, and nice scenery.

Well, we arrived in the Chicago area in late June and left in mid July. During that time, we collectively made four trips to doctors, three trips to dentists, two trips to optometrists, and three trips to the lab. We spent a lot of time with our daughter and helped her buy her first new car. We visited with some friends but not all those that we were looking forward to seeing. We did get to worship in our home church again where life is returning to normal after Covid. We picked fresh berries, went swimming at the Indiana Dunes, and spent the July 4th weekend with Melissa and saw fireworks too. Got some needed maintenance done to the RV and put a lot of stuff into storage. So the journey continues to our farthest northeast point at Acadia National Park in Maine.

I have to say that since late April, when we started exploring northern Arizona and then into the Rockys, life passed at a mile a minute! We saw seven of the best national parks in the mountains plus over a dozen great state parks. Our last campground in Colorado was 8000′ high and my old lungs were feeling it. So for the last 17 days, we have slowly worked our way across Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, and into Illinois where we are sitting on the Illinois River watching the barges pass by while sitting by the campfire. Tomorrow, we return to Indiana for several weeks to cram in doctors, dentists, opticians, and several other professional appointments. We then have many friends to catch up with and relatives to visit. Then, in three weeks, we will raise the sails and work our way up to Maine, then down the coast to the Outer Banks, and then who knows.

My last post had to do with Bear Lake Road. It is a 10 mile long ride to several lakes and is a very popular way to see the park. But over two more days, we traveled 37 miles over the north part of park, over the highest road in the park and over the continental divide. At the far end, we were only 8 miles from the west entrance to the park. In the alpine region above 11,400 feet, very little vegetation gives way to spectacular views of some of the highest points in the lower 48. The rest of the road was 9 to 11k feet, the subalpine region, where the ‘deer and the antelope play’ along with moose, elk, and bighorn sheep. The bighorns have a meadow and lake they graze in and then traffic is stopped as they cross in front of the cars to climb up the cliffs. I really wanted to see wild moose, and here, every trip into the park, they were out lunching in full view. Lastly, I don’t have a telephoto lens yet, so if they look close, they are close!

After making it to Estes Park Colorado, we entered RMNP for the first time today and traveled down the Bear Lake Road. Within the first mile, we passed a group of deer dining along the road. When we made it to Bear Lake, we saw turkey and chipmunks walking along the shoreline. On the way out, we stopped near Moraine Park to see some moose having lunch. Saw quite a lot for day one!