MAINE, VERMONT and UPSTATE NEW YORK JULY 8 thru JULY 28

The lure of visiting two more state capitals and of seeing the world’s largest rotating and revolving globe, EARTHA, made us settle on our path for the rest of the month before our commitment as camp hosts in August.
Eartha was designed and built by employees of De Lorme, a computer map-making company in the little town of Yarmouth, Maine. The 140 gigabytes of map data needed for Eartha to be developed was obtained from satellite imagery, shaded relief, colored bathymetry (ocean-depth data) and information about road networks and urban areas. Most people are probably impressed by the sight of oceans and continents rotating past them but Eartha also gives one a feeling of the awesome nature of our beautiful, blue planet, Earth.

Along with the better known Maine cities of Portland, Augusta, Bangor and Bar Harbor we experienced the smaller towns of Searsport, Belfast, Bucksport and Ellsworth. Travelers to Maine are told to expect to see a rocky, rugged, pine-rimmed coastline punctuated with inlets, islands, harbors and coves; to spot colorful fishing boats and windjammers quietly moored or briskly afloat; to view majestic sea captains’ mansions in towns that evoke the spirit of their maritime roots; to sit under a shady umbrella on a pier while lunching on delicious local seafood. We managed to see and do all these and more.
The Penobscot Narrows Bridge at Bucksport with an observatory at the top of the 42’ tower.
Along the Shore Trail in Bar Harbor

View from fishing pier in Freeport

Along the road near Ellsworth

Victorian building in downtown Belfast


We vied at spotting the “MAINE-LY ____ ”or “MAINLY MAINE _____ ”signs that are
popular on shops. There must be a Maine tradition that towns display the American flag all summer. No town or township matched the number we saw in Dorrington. The flags, attached to every other telephone pole, went on and on for miles, even where there were no longer any homes or businesses.

The Maine State House in Augusta was designed by Charles Bullfinch and closely resembles the Massachusetts State House but is built from local granite. The Maine State Museum was located in the same complex as the State House and was well worth the $2 admission. The social history on the top floor was especially interesting.

Mike remembering having a car just like this.

Our stay in the hamlet of Newburgh enabled us to take many day trips around the Bangor/Arcadia area. By invitation our RV was parked on the Piper Mountain Christmas Tree Farm. Our hosts were owners Jim and Norma Corliss. We were treated to fresh raspberries from their garden each morning. Jim is a retired air traffic controller and a private pilot who lands in the grass fields when he flies about Maine. He and Mike talked about their adventures. Jim was the president of the National Christmas Tree Growers Association for several years so he got to deliver a couple of the National Christmas Trees to the White House. On one visit, George W. Bush invited Jim and Norma into the Oval Office for a visit and photo op (a picture he proudly displays). Jim remembers commenting that never in his wildest dreams did he ever think he would be in the Oval Office. Bush quickly responded “me too”.

We encountered many logging trucks as we followed the Androscoggin River into New Hampshire. We still find ourselves wondering at all the rivers, lakes and water we see. Guess that is because we lived in dry and arid Los Angeles so long. We set out to drive to the top of Mount Washington, the highest point in NH at 6,288 feet, but decided the visibility was not going to be good enough for such a trek. Mike was amazed to learn about the record wind velocities recorded at the top of what is not a very tall peak.

The scenery changed as we headed into Vermont and approached the Montpelier region. The forest opened up to lush, rolling, green pastures dotted with barns. We did not see many cows as they were probably inside the barns keeping cool. We were told on the tour at the Cabot Creamery, cows are delicate creatures. Vermont dairies provide milk for the famous ice-cream and cheeses made here.

Vermont’s State House is located in the smallest capital city in America, Montpelier. The intimate size and the exacting restoration of its interior made it one of the jewels among the state capitols we’ve visited. Montpelier’s downtown has a very casual, hippy-like atmosphere. Donna’s birthday was celebrated at Rainbow Sweets Bakery and Café in Marshfield. The owner gives a witty and unique spiel that acts as the menu. Most items come from the huge black oven that dominates the café’s space. One of the signature pastries is a duo of warm caramel encrusted balls filled with custard, sitting on a whipped cream covered pastry shell. The owners have been known to call this “balled” desert after tough guys, Sean Connery, Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt.

Nestled between the Green Mountains of Vermont and the Adirondacks of New York is Lake Champlain. It is the 6th largest freshwater lake in the U.S. We crossed the lake by way of the string of Lake Champlain Islands from Burlington, VT. The Chazy Reef, the oldest known fossil (coral) reef in the world, is near these islands. The road took us by fields of corn and hay and very low-key villages with no fast-food or brand-name stores to be seen. Boating and biking seem to be the main attractions for vacationers here. After crossing the bridge to Rouses Point, NY, we came within eyesight of the Canadian border.

From our campsite along the AuSable River we set out to explore some of the vast Adirondack Park. Lake Placid was our destination but a wrong turn at Au Sable Forks took us over some high country to Saranac Lake instead. Finding our way back to Lake Placid we explored some of the shops on its Main Street with hordes of other tourists looking to do the same thing --- not very placid. A stop at the Wilmington Flume Area enabled us to have a brief experience of walking high above the rush of water that still is carving its way through the stone underground. Out of the High Peaks the AuSable River is joined by numerous streams as it spreads out and empties into Lake Champlain. The river was once the principle highway and power source which helped the towns along it to grow. But, as late as 1999, tremendous floods caused by ice jams in the river’s bends, have wiped out bridges and businesses in this area.

From Mount Defiance we had a great view of Fort Ticonderoga and its strategic location above the narrow choke-point between Lake Champlain and Lake George. No wonder this fort saw many battles for control by French, British and American forces.
In the town of Ticonderoga one can view the system of dams, falls, and canals along the La Chute River that were built to support the mills operating there. One of the mills was the American Graphite or Lead Mill which made plumbago from a nearby graphite mine. This plumbago was used in the manufacture of lead pencils by the Dixon Company of Jersey City, NJ. To sell more of its pencils, the historical exploits of the Green Mountain Boys at Fort Ticonderoga were used in Dixon’s advertising promotions thus linking the two names, Dixon-Ticonderoga. The small Ticonderoga Heritage Museum offered excellent displays and information about this and the pulp and paper industry so important in the town’s industrial history.

During a stay in the outskirts of Schenectady, we drove through Amsterdam into the southern area of the Adirondack Park around Speculator. A later trip to Albany and the New York State Museum explained the cool and misty nature of that Adirondack wilderness. The World Trade Center exhibit showed how the distinctive steel pieces were interwoven to build the internal skeleton for the Twin Towers. The jagged silhouettes of those pieces are what make photos of the aftermath of 911 so poignant.

Passing through the Susquehanna Heritage Area, we got to see several historic wood carousels. The word carousel originally referred to the tournament in which knights participated. The knights would train for spearing contests by lancing rings as they rode wooden horses that revolved around a center pole. These training devices also became known as carousels. Here in the greater Binghamton area there are six of the 19 remaining Allan Herschell wood-carved carousels known to be operational. George F. Johnson, a local shoe manufacturer, along with his family donated them to the community because he felt carousels provided a recreation that contributes to a happy life. Along with the joy of riding a “jumper” and hearing the Wurlitzer Band Organ music, carousels are works of art, each offering unique details to discover.





Up at the Kopernik Observatory in nearby Vestal, there was a hubbub of activity. This observatory is dedicated to introduce young people in grades 1-12 to astronomy. We were shown around by the manager of programs at the center. She, a mathematics major who wants to teach at the high-school level, was enthusiastic about being able to work with the 1st and 2nd graders who were there that day and was proud of the spirit of the people who work to have such a resource in their community. The Polish Cultural Society of Binghamton provides the funding for this observatory that started as one man’s interest and obsession. This was quite a different experience from our visits to the noted Kitt Peak, McDonald Mountain and Palomar Observatories.

In the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania we had nearly reached our August destination in Virginia. A resident in the town of Tamaqua ,where we were staying for the night, said we should go to Jim Thorpe if we were looking for an interesting place to visit. The town’s location on the banks of the Lehigh River between several steep mountains has kept it the “best preserved 19th century town in Pennsylvania”. Coal and the Lehigh Railroad brought prosperity and tourism to this place called the “Switzerland of America”.
I9 of the country’s 26 millionaires at that time had a residence here.
The town’s original name of Mauch Chunk was changed in 1954 to Jim Thorpe when his widow brought his remains from Oklahoma to be enshrined there. The citizens thought the name change might help revive the lively and thriving spirit of the town.

THE GREAT RIVER ROAD and BEYOND - JUNE 3 thru JULY 8

It was now time to set out for the east coast. Crossing into Louisiana we went across the 25 mile Breaux Bridge. It is a four lane road raised above the Atchafalaya River and its watery surrounds. It gives one a sense of what lies in bayou country, a wild and unforgiving place. This is the area where exiles from Arcadia were allowed to settle. They were able to survive because they were hunters and fishermen. Hopefully, we will be able to explore this area more fully someday

Mike had thought the Great River Road would give us a sense of how the Mississippi River affects the places along it, much like we experienced when following the Natchez Trace. It turned out there were very few places to really do this as the road bypassed the towns, museums were closed on the days we wanted to visit and there were not many places to view the river itself. In Louisiana the look of the land was that of plantation country with stately tall oaks draped with moss, old lichen covered gravestones, and lots of vegetation. There were grand homes once former plantations, small wood cottages and ornate Victorian houses and businesses to be seen around St. Francisville and Port Gibson.




Our trip into Baton Rouge and the state capitol was done in the pouring rain. But southern hospitality was not dampened any. The security guard in the capitol building told us to look at a new bicentennial display showing the first Lone Star Flag that flew over what was then part of West Florida for 74 days. The observation deck up on the 27th floor of the 34 story building was closed due to the rain. The building resembles the Empire State Building, which was built the year before. We talked with Peggy, the clerk at the gift shop on the 27th floor, about herself and her travel dreams. We left with gifts of our visit with her. The officer outside the legislature escorted us in to sit near the pages to hear the business being done.

Baton Rouge on the Mississippi - Capitol in background


After the capitol visit it was time for lunch. We ate oyster Po Boys and crawfish etoufee to sample some Louisiana cuisine.



Traveling on through Mississippi the land turned to corn and cane fields. We found the Great River road to be mostly boring so we left it just north of Memphis, Tennessee. We drove through Kentucky on a previously traveled route to West Virginia.

As we traveled through West Virginia we marveled at the sight of houses and roads in the hollows far beneath us as our roadway took us across bridges spanning hill after hill. Why did they choose to live at the bottom and shadow of the hill instead of on its top? We thought we would stop and walk around downtown Charlestown as we missed doing that when we last came through. However we missed the exit and again missed seeing if Charleston was as interesting as advertised. But, that gave us time to later see Clarksburg’s historic district and to have dinner in a home turned into a spaghetti restaurant. The Italian miners who came to work in the coal mines took salami, pepperoni, or bologna with hunks of hearth-baked bread down into the depths of the coal seams in their lunch pails. The Pepperoni Roll, a Clarksburg favorite was thus invented and has endured till today!

In Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Hampshire we visited with family and friends. A high-school graduation celebration, two christenings and several cookouts were main events. We had 8 year old Kate Levesque with us traveling from Yardley, PA to Nashua, NH. Her first trip in an RV was made longer and more exciting as we had to take several detours on the way. The detours were reminders that sometimes bridges on back roads can be too low or cannot support our 16 ton RV.

Kevin’s graduation party



Kristen, Tim and Charlotte Wood



Paul, Fran and Granddaughter Kate Levesque



Mariah, Kira, Erin, Johnny and Johnathan Baranowski








We drove into Trenton, New Jersey to visit the State House. Close by, in Hamilton, NJ, was Grounds For Sculpture. Here, more than 250 sculptures by renowned and emerging artists are installed in a marvelously varied landscape of exotic trees, flowers and waterscapes. Seward Johnson founded this parkland of art and nature. His life-like sculptures are scattered in sometimes hidden pockets of the park. In fact, when we were having our lunch at an outside table tucked in a corner beneath some bamboo, a woman stared at us for awhile and then apologized because she said she thought we might be one of his sculptures. Here are examples of some of the sculptures and their settings.





One hot day while in NH, we decided to drive to Providence, Rhode Island to visit the State House. The white marble façade and the many stairs leading up to the building were dazzling in the hot sun. We then learned that the public entrance was on the opposite side. Once inside we found it was not air-conditioned. We, needless to say, did not spend much time on our self-guided tour.

The steps and white granite façade of the Rhode Island State House


Though the downtown looked interesting we decided to stay inside our air-conditioned car and drive down to Newport where along Naragansett Bay and the ocean it might be cooler. Rhode Island is aptly nicknamed The Ocean State.

KERRVILLE, TEXAS - May 6 thru June 3, 2010

Having been here before, we like the Texas “Hill Country” and the town of Kerrville. We decided to stay at Los Robles RV Park which was recommended by friends. It was very nice with very reasonable rates so we signed up for a month.

Mike decided that this was a good time and place to replace our TV. Our old TV had been going downhill for quite some time and Mike wanted to replace it with a larger TV. The cabinet was not big enough for a larger TV so it would have to be removed and replaced with a larger cabinet. The question was, could we live with a larger cabinet intruding into our very confined living space? Let’s find out, says Mike. So about a month ago, he used cardboard and masking tape to enlarge the old cabinet (see photo below) which we have been living with ever since. We found that the larger size was not objectionable so it was a go to build the new cabinet.

This was a big project. A lot of research was done to select and buy the new TV. We purchased a 40” LED flat screen to replace the old 30” LCD flat screen. Since it would take weeks to build and finish the new cabinet, we needed a plan to be able to watch TV during the transition. Mike designed and built a skeleton plywood frame that would hold the new TV. He then removed the old cabinet and installed the new frame in one day. We were watching the new TV that evening.

The new cabinet was designed to be built in modules and attached to the skeleton frame as they were completed. This allowed Mike to break the whole project down to several smaller projects. Having the use of the TV allowed him to take his time and not “rush” the job. The back of our car served as a “garage” to store wood and assembled sections during the project. The wider cabinet also allowed Mike to design and build a more appropriate surround for the fireplace.

Our time in Kerrville was not all work. We did find time to take a couple of day trips and do some socializing at the park. When we left Kerrville, the project was not quite finished. It took about another 4 weeks, working part time, to finally complete everything.

OLD CABINET WITH CARDBOARD ON LEFT AND NEW FINISHED CABINET ON RIGHT

LOS ANGELES TO KERRVILLE, TX - April 12 to May 5, 2010

We left L.A. on April 12th (Mike’s birthday) and headed east. In western New Mexico, traveling along US 60, we happened upon the “Very Large Array” located in the middle of nowhere. This prompted a stop at the visitor’s center to see what’s what. It is a radio astronomy telescope operated by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. The array is comprised of 27 antennas, each of which weighs 230 tons and has a 82 ft. dish. They are all movable and can be positioned in different configurations. Astronomers use this instrument to study the radio waves emitted by celestial objects. Here area couple of pictures:





Note Donna standing near the antenna.

We continued on to “The Ranch”, an Escapee RV Park near Carlsbad, NM to spend a few days. The few days stretched to 2 weeks because our frig quit and we had to wait for parts. We used the time for some day trips and to revisit Carlsbad Caverns. Even though we had been there before we were still awed by the caverns. We took a lot of pictures but with the low light they came out dark so we won’t include any here. After we got the frig fixed, we continued on to Kerrville, Texas.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - April 5, 2010

When our time was up at the RV Park in Mesa, AZ we decided to go to Los Angeles and visit. We found that there was a space available in an RV Park in Van Nuys for one week. We booked it and took off for L.A. It turned out to be a busy week and we had a wonderful time visiting friends and relatives. Since we lived in the San Fernando Valley for 32 years and owned 3 homes there, we knew a lot of people and places to reminisce with. We did find one day when we didn’t have any plans so we decided to take a nostalgic ride and check out the three houses we used to live in. We found that they hadn’t changed much except for the size of the trees around them. Here are some pictures:

Woodland Hills - 1966 to 1970



Chatsworth - 1970 to 1983



Chatsworth - 1983 to 1998



While visiting with relatives, we were encouraged to attend graduation activities with other relatives on the east coast. These activities were occurring around mid June which was about 2 months away. Since we had planned to spend the month of August in Virginia near Washington, DC, we decided to go early and attend the graduation. Since we had 2 months, we planned to go to Kerrville, TX and spend a month there, then on to eastern PA.

Mesa, Arizona - Feb. & Mar. 2010

January 30, 2010 - April 3, 2010

We have been enjoying a couple of months here in the Phoenix area. We are parked in a small, older mobile home park called Ambassador Downs right on Main Street in Mesa. Our windshield had slipped from its gasket and the authorized repair place turned out to be just down the street. While there Mike saw the way the company, RV Restorations, puts in laminate flooring. Now we have dark wood floors instead of the old carpeting. Mike decided he could do it himself in a way we could live in the rig while the work progressed. Being in a big city offered lots of places to supply materials to get the job done.



Although there is the hustle and bustle of a big metropolis, there are also areas with orange groves, stretches of rocky desert terrain with stately saguaros and other desert vegetation, plus many walking trails along irrigation canals. We experienced the pleasures of both big city and small town places.

BIG CITY PLEASURES

We took the Metro Rail from Mesa into downtown Phoenix to see the state capitol. The building that served as the Arizona Territory Capitol and briefly as State Capitol is now known as the Arizona Capitol Museum. Since the guided tour was mostly museum exhibits, we elected to walk around ourselves. The extensive displays dedicated to the Battleship Arizona were worth the visit. The workings of the state is done in three non-descript buildings surrounding the smaller museum building. We briefly sat in the gallery for the raucous opening of an afternoon session of the legislature. There was a lot of joking around between the members. On the free shuttle bus that took us to and from the metro rail station we sat among people sleeping alongside bags of personal belongings . Evidently the area near the capitol is full of transients looking and waiting for social services. Code Pink and other activists were out protesting the local sheriff for his tough illegal immigration policies.

Eleven major league baseball teams hold their spring training in the Phoenix area. Although we did not go to see a game, a visit to the Arizona Museum for Youth told the history of how these teams, now known as the Cactus League, were lured to Arizona.. Most of the Red Sox, then starring Ted Williams, preferred Florida as it was more familiar to New Englanders and offered more opportunities for fishing. Another player said he couldn’t feel the sweat of the game in the dry climate of Arizona. The exhibit also had a fun video of dogs playing baseball. Phoenix is a sport-fans’ Mecca. Among the many venues for sports, we took a fascinating architectural and technological tour of the University of Phoenix Stadium - home to the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals and the Fiesta Bowl. The barrel cactus- shaped concrete building has both a retractable roof and a roll-out grass playing field. No one gets inside the Cardinal’s locker room except team members. Neither of the Super Bowl teams did either.



An evening performance of the Moscow State Radio Symphony Orchestra at the beautiful Mesa Arts Center was a treat. Our seats gave us an overhead view of the agile hands of the pianist as he played Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op.43. Many winter visitors volunteer here at the Mesa Arts Center and the several museums in town as well as at Hohokum Field where the Cubs play.
Another treat was the dancing at the annual manager’s dinner and show for residents of our RV park. The manager, Valentino, used to be a crooner in the style of Dean Martin and knows many musicians and performers hereabouts.



Mesa, we were told, is the dance capital of the west. A tango and the mambo were performed by couples from the park. A group from the Chinese Cultural Center did several ethnic dances. The movements during the Peacock Dance mimicked the strutting and neck jerking of the peacock but were made more beautiful by the gracefulness of the dancer.



Every so often a parade of people carrying torches and chanting would walk through the park. They turned out to be avid fans of the TV program, Survivor, and were carrying out a ceremony given when a resident portraying one of the show’s participants was voted off.

We found new places to eat. One was a Vietnamese restaurant called Un-pho-gettable located in the Mekong Plaza. It was one of several located around the gigantic central market which featured all kinds of exotic Asian foods and specialty items. Both the market and the cuisine were fun experiences! Our waitress helped us pick what dishes we were willing to try and then assisted us in putting on the appropriate condiments and herbs. Their specialty is Pho or soup, a consomme with selected additions of noodles, vegetables, meat or shrimp.

SMALL TOWN PLACES

A stunning scenic drive through the Superstition Mountains in the Tonto National Forest brought us first to the old historic mining town of Goldfield. This popular tourist place offers mine tours, train and horse carriage rides, with a brothel, blacksmith shop or saloon to see as you walk around town. We asked and got the answer to the frequently asked question, “ How did the mountains get the name Superstition?” We only drove as far as Tortilla Flat, an old stagecoach stop, as the gravel road ahead to Roosevelt Lake was in poor shape. Here old-west roots are played up with wooden sidewalks, a dollar -covered café ceiling and country music for the enjoyment of the many travelers who make their way to this outpost.
Another trip took us to historic Florence. A purse made from license plates caught my eye at the Visitor Center. More such crafts and bakery goods made by inmates were to be found at the Prison Outlet Store. We walked through the True Value Hardware store to see its touted eclectic array of goods for sale. The most unusual item were the pink boxer shorts. Here, sold as a tourist item, pink underwear are actually used by the prison. Supposedly, since the color change, the loss of such items walking out of the prison has sharply dropped and saved the tax payers much money.
On a later trip following the Apache Trail, we drove along arrays of purple, orange and bright pink colored wild flowers. We walked along the Boyce Thompson Arboretum trail that took us through several different desert landscapes, along a lake and creek bed to see some desert plants that we hadn’t seen anywhere else. The strangest was a 25 foot tall Boojum. It was labeled as being of the ocotilla family but the only resemblance to an ocotillo were the thorns. On the way to Superior and Globe huge copper mining operations were evident.

Quartzsite - Jan. 2010

January 13, 2010 - January 29, 2010

We next went to Quartzsite to join up with several RV groups we belong to. Each winter Quartzsite is the gathering place for thousands of RVers who come for the swap meets and the Big Tent RV and Travel Show among others. The rock and gem shows bring rock hounds, artists, and vendors from world-wide. The blue lapis lazuli and other gem stones from Afghanistan caught our eye as well as rabbits, turtles and fish made from stacked polished quartzite.



We first joined up with the Boomers, a self-claimed “casual social group whose members exhibit a youthful mindset”. About 90 plus rigs came and went during the two weeks that this Boom-a-Rang took place. Gretchen, the Rang hostess, did a yeoman’s job welcoming every new arriver and announcing all the activities at each Happy Hour. Several mornings she and her husband made pancakes for everyone. Donations collected for their efforts added to a grand sum donated to CARE, an ESCAPEE club charity. For a casual group, there was a plethora of events and activities scheduled which took place despite some bad weather. One fierce wind and rain storm had people joking about replacing the morning walk with rowing on the new creeks flowing through the campsite. In town saguaros and vendor tents were blown down.

We then moved to join the Boondockers and the Freethinkers who were camped in a more accessible area of free BLM camping surrounding Quartzsite. The Freethinkers held a wine and gourmet soup dinner followed by conversation by the campfire. Randy, a guest, recited a poem about Hi Jolly, one of Quartzsite’s famous residents. Hi Jolly or Haiji Ali came to the U.S. from Syria along with the first shipment of camels that the War Department was hoping would be useful in carrying supplies over the desert. After the camel experiment fizzled, Hi Jolly came to Quartzsite and became a prospector, miner and cattleman. Randy’s poem was a modern version of Hi Jolly’s spirit roaming the desert. Hi Jolly remarks about finding strange humans who live in mechanical homes on the desert floor.

A favorite attraction in the area is the Nellie B. Saloon or the Desert Bar. It is located about 7 dirt-road miles from Highway 95 north of Parker on the remains of an old mining site. Its owner has built a saloon, a small cathedral, stages for bands, and 6 stall restrooms with flush toilets all powered by solar energy. Only opened weekends, it was jammed despite its remote setting surrounded by BLM land. It was on such rides to out-of-the- way places, that one can appreciate the fantastical shaped silhouettes of the surrounding Arizona mountains.