Bar Harbor, ME (Sand Beach)

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Michigan Traveler

It’s Sunday (9/25) and Pat and I decided to hike the area bear Sand Beach, which is the only sandy beach in Acadia National Park.  It was a beautiful day and a great hike.  We’ll just let the pictures tell you about it.  Click below the picture to go backward or forward in the slideshow.

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Bar Harbor, ME

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Michigan Traveler

Our trip to Bar Harbor took a little longer than expected.  We were told the original L.L. Bean store was right on our route in Freeport, ME.  Bob decided that this was an opportunity that could not be passed up.  We spent about three hours wandering through a great outdoor shopping experience.

After a night in the Walmart near Palmyra, ME we arrived at Bar Harbor on Tuesday.  One of the first things we had to do was get Bob’s bike fixed.  He had taken a spill while we were at Cape Cod and bent the rear wheel.  The day was pretty wet and overcast, so Bob got some work done and we made plans for the next day.

Wednesday turned out to be a beautiful day, warm and sunny!  We drove to Cadillac Mountain, which is the highest point on the Eastern seaboard at 1,530 feet, and named after the same Cadillac that founded Detroit.  The sights were out of this world, it seemed like we could see forever.We didn’t waste the good weather.  We headed to a place called South Bubble Rock and hiked around it, stopping for lunch on the shore of Jordon Pond.  The first leg of the hike was pretty challenging as it was downhill on a slope that looked like a rockpile and we descended about 600 feet in a third of a mile (By the way, this is a good definition of “steep”).We still had plenty of time left and decided to drive to the Visitor’s Center and ride our bikes on the Carriage Roads around Eagle Lake, a ride of about 13 miles.

By the way, if you click on a picture you will see it in full size.

 

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Boston Area (Hanscom AFB), MA

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Michigan Traveler

After having a whirl-wind weekend with Elisabeth in the Boston area, things really slowed down as she left for home on Sunday night and then I left for a business trip to Pittsburgh on Tuesday morning.  That left Pat at the trailer for three rainy days!  She did get out to exercise at the gym at the Hanscom Air Force Force Base each day and to do a little shopping but it was mostly a relaxing time.

I flew back into to Boston’s Logan Airport on Thursday night and took the subway as far west as possible so that it was only a 15 minute drive for Pat to pick me up at 10:00 pm and the next day was sunny again—perfect timing to get in some more sightseeing!

Salem National Park

We toured Salem and had dinner at a recommended restaurant in Glouchester out on the coast north of Boston.  Salem was unique.  The national park area really focused on the economic history of the port—most of which I don’t ever remember from history classes but was fascinating!  The rest of the town focuses on the witch trials and all that that involved—lots of museums and gift shops.  The cemetery was interesting—lots of barely readable headstones from the 1600’s and 1700’s.  There was also a memorial to all of those executed as witches.  Dinner in Gloucester was at a very informal diner—we were expecting something more—but was delicious, best fried shrimp Pat has ever had!

Memorial to the “Innocents”

The next day we returned to the North Bridge in Concord—this time to kayak under it.  The Concord River is a scenic river—very wide right now with all the rain the area has had.  Bob enjoyed paddling right among the trees!  It was pleasant and relaxing as we took time to picture what it was like in 1774 when the Revolutionary War started there.  Afterwards we stopped for ice cream at the placed that was labeled by our campground hosts as having “big ice cream” (as opposed to the “bigger ice cream” a little farther down the road).

Kayaking on the Concord River

Sunday morning I  was back to work, flying out of Boston very early in the morning for Chicago.  This time Pat had five quiet days but the weather was much better so she did a lot of bike riding—west to Concord, east to Lexington and also onto base to do grocery shopping.

The weekend included a trip to Cape Cod with a stop in Plymouth to see Plymouth Rock where the Pilgrims landed and a replica of the Mayflower.  On Cape Cod we visited Hyannis and the JFK museum, the National Seashore and several lighthouses.  The day was cool but there were still people swimming in the cold Atlantic!  We didn’t try it.  We also managed to stop at the “bigger ice cream” shop for a banana split to share.

Mayflower II

JFK Memorial in Hyannis Port

Our next stop is Maine—Bar Harbor, here we come!

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Boston Area, MA

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Michigan Traveler

We arrived at the Hanscom Air Force Base, near Bedford, MA, late Wednesday afternoon (August 31) with plenty of time to set up before dark. The park has two distinct sections—one with no shade, but 50 amp hook-ups for electricity (which means everything can be powdered at once and no worries about using the hair dryer when the TV and A/C are running) and another with larger sites with trees but only 30 amp power. When checking in they ask if we want full hook-up, which to me means electricity, water and sewer hook-up. To them it meant 50 amp electricity, water and sewer so they assigned us to the open area. We came out of the office, looked at all the nice shady sites, realized that ours was in total sunshine, and returned to the office. Needless to say, we have a 30 amp site, we can turn off the A/C when Pat needs to use the hair dryer!

Thursday was a relaxing day with a pleasant bike ride into Lexington (rest stop was at the village green where the Red Coats met the Colonials in the first battle of the Revolutionary War) and a trip to the base exchange for some groceries. Late afternoon saw us at Boston Logan Airport to pick up Elisabeth coming in from Raleigh, NC.

There was nothing relaxing about the next three days but we reviewed a lot of history! Friday included more Revolutionary War history with a hike along Battle Road Trail near Concord—site of Paul Revere’s capture, Hartwell Tavern and North Bridge among other places. We visited Louisa May Alcott’s home (where she wrote Little Women) and Walden Pond (of Ralph Waldo Emerson fame). Saturday and Sunday were days spent in Boston walking the Freedom Trail, climbing to the top of the Bunker Hill monument (294 steps), touring the USS Constitution and cruising Boston Harbor. We also ate some delicious Boston food! And had sore feet every evening! But we all enjoyed it and the time with Elisabeth was great! Unfortunately we had to leave her at the airport Sunday evening—the time was all too short.

Militia Drill at Hartwell Tavern

Concord Bridge

USS Constitution

Faneuil Hall

Old North Church & Paul Revere Monument

Monday we woke up full of energy again—must be all that healthy Boston Food, so we rode our bikes back out to North Bridge in Concord and to the Fruit Market not far from the campground. Our total mileage was about 19 miles and we were back in time for lunch! I think the hit of the ride was when we had to stop to let a woman cross the bike path with her FIVE GOATS ON LEASHES!  Now that was a first!  The rest of the day was relaxing (at least for Pat, Bob had to pack) and then we had a campground picnic in the evening. It was a nice chance to meet more of our neighbors here. Some of them spend many of the winter months in Key West at the military campground so maybe we’ll see them there if we make it there in February/March.

Concord Bridge & the Minuteman Monument

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Cayuga Lake, Finger Lakes Region, NY

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Michigan Traveler

We had a nice (short) drive to the Finger Lakes, and arrived at our campsite before lunch on Tuesday, Aug 16th.  We were staying at the Sned-Acres Family Campground.  It was a very pleasant site with lots of open space and contained a cemetery that had headstones dating back to the Revolutionary War days.  After we set up we drove down to Taughannock Falls State Park Taughannock Falls and hike back in to see the Taughannock Falls.  It’s amazing to think that these falls started at the shore of Cayuga Lake and have worn away the rock so much that they are now ¾ of a mile away from the lake.  Granted it has taken hundreds of years for this erosion to take place, but Mother Nature will always win any argument.  We took the kayaks out for a short paddle on Cayuga Lake from the State Park to the mouth of the Taughannock River.  The water was crystal clear and the winds were light, making it a very nice paddle.

Taughannock Falls

I had work to do to prepare for a workshop I was doing the next week and had to work every morning from Wed through Fri to make the final preparations for it.  Wednesday afternoon we decided to drive around and check out some of the local shops and wineries.  I swear I have never seen so many wineries in one area in my life!  I thought the Leelanau Peninsula in Traverse City had a lot, but the Finger Lakes outdid them to an extreme.  One of the places we checked out was an Amish shop.  It was a neat place to browse the Amish crafts and they also sold local wines.  Needless to say we tasted several and bought a bottle.  While there we asked about a local site where we could get to the lake and she directed us to a state park a few miles away.  We drove over and went in to snorkel for a while.  The water was pretty cold (Surprise! We are in New York!), but crystal clear.  We saw lots of small fish and a BIG one that I thought was a freshwater drum.  Pat saw it first and popped up and asked if I had seen it.  “It was huge!” she said.  About five minutes later I saw what I thought was the same fish and she was right!  I guessed it was about two feet long.

On Thursday, we checked out a few more wineries and shops and that evening took a dinner cruise on Seneca Lake to celebrate our 38thwedding anniversary.

Anniversary Cruise

Our actual anniversary was not until August 25th, but I was going to be in DC presenting a workshop at Dulles Airport that week, so we thought it was appropriate to celebrate early.  It was a wonderful night.  The sky was clear, comfortable temperatures and a light breeze.  The food was good and the company excellent!

I finished up my work on Friday and we decided to hike a trail at the Robert Treman State Park.  We thought we would hike back to Lucifer Falls and then go for a swim.  Their swimming area was at the foot of a waterfall and we thought that would be a neat feature.  We started hiking along the Rim Trail and the trail was pretty steep at the beginning, but then leveled out.  We came up to a bridge that let us cross over to the Gorge Trail and that would take us to Lucifer Falls.  About this time we had experienced a few light drizzles and thought the rain would hold off until we were close to the end of the trail.  Well, we were wrong, very wrong!  It started to rain and rain hard, Pat said we should try to get to the falls anyway.  So we pressed on and the rain came down even harder, with thunder and lightning.  We made it to the falls, often hugging the face of the cliff along the river to get out of the rain, took some pictures and headed back to the truck (about 2 1/4 miles away).  The rain continued; the sky was black, the thunder and lightning continued.  We were soon soaked to the skin, our glasses so streaked with water that we could hardly see and the trail was sometimes two inches deep in water.  When we made it back to the truck I changed into my bathing suit so I would have something dry to drive in. What an adventure that was!  I think we will definitely be more prepared the next time we do a “short, little” hike.

Saturday was a work day on the trailer.  Pat did laundry while I washed the trailer.  The manuals suggest that you wash the roof periodically to make sure it stays in good shape.  You just don’t know what fun is until you have been 13 feet up on top of a slippery trailer roof, on your hands and knees scrubbing off several months’ worth of dirt and bugs.  Then the sides – I wish God had made me about two inches taller, I may have to buy a ladder!

Sunday we rode our bikes around the local area, there are some really killer hills in this area!  Then we generally goofed off and relaxed the rest of the day.

Monday we headed out early, headed for Oneida Shores County Park, near Syracuse, NY.  We decided to stay at Oneida Shores so we would be close to an airport.  I had a workshop to present at Dulles Airport in Washington, DC on Wednesday through Friday.  The next week I had to present another workshop in Lakeland, FL.  I left on Tuesday for Dulles.   While waiting at the boarding gate I thought I felt the building shake a bit.  I thought it may have been caused by the movement of the jetway bridge.  While I was seated in the plane, waiting for the boarding to be complete, Pat called to tell me that there had been an earthquake in Virginia and I should check to be sure the workshop would still be held.  They let us off the plane and we waiting in the terminal while the FAA made sure it was safe to use the airports on the east coast.  Check out my post on www.implementimprovement.com about the great customer service at Syracuse-Hancock Airport! I’ve been delayed for a lot of reasons, but being delayed due to an earthquake was a new one!

Everything went fine during the week, then we heard about Hurricane Irene was working her way up the east coast.  I had no problems on the way back on Friday, but was concerned that we were camped in New York and that was where Irene was headed.

On Saturday Pat and I visited the New York State Fair.  It was a great time checking out the displays and food booths.

According to the news it looked like the storm would track east of Syracuse and we would be OK.  My flight to Lakeland was going through Detroit and would miss most of the weather.  I talked with Pat off and on and while Syracuse was getting its share of the rain, it wasn’t too much.

My flight back on Tuesday was without incident and we pulled out the next morning to head for the Hanscom Air Force Base RV park.

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Youghiogheny River Lake

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Michigan Traveler

As we were planning for August, we decided we wanted to take our time and make the drive from East Harbor State Park to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Youghiogheny River Lake campground in two days.  We decided to spend a weekend at another Corps campground, Shenango River Lake which is about an hour east of Youngstown, OH.  It was a nice, relaxing weekend.  We went kayaking and swimming in the reservoir and took care of our shopping for the next week.

On the way to Youghiogheny we stopped at Fort Necessity, a small supply point established by Lt Colonel George Washington where he fought the first battle of the French and Indian War.  We learned a lot more about this battle and the creation of the National Road from Washington, DC to Pittsburgh.

We got into the campground in the late afternoon on Monday, August 8th.

Outflow Campground as seen from the dam

Brian Luprek, the Corps of Engineers manager of the facility dropped by and we coordinated the class I was teaching there on Wednesday and Thursday.

Tuesday was spent cycling through the local town of Confluence (that doesn’t take long!).  I had to get some office work done (I’m not sure how long this “working from the road is going to last).

Wednesday, my Leadership Development Program (LDP) class met and we took a tour of the dam and campground.  Many of the students work in the District headquarters in Pittsburgh or on navigational locks and dams on the Allegheny and Ohio rivers, and don’t have a clear picture of what takes place at a flood damage reduction project like Youghiogheny.  After the classroom training, we took a tour of the reservoir followed by a potluck cookout.

Boat tour of Youghiogheny River Lake

Thursday we took the LDP class to visit the Flight 93 Memorial,near Shankesville, PA.  There we were given a tour of the facility by the National Park Service superintendent, Keith Newlin.  He talked about the beginning of the project and how it was designed.  He also discussed the challenges they faced with dealing with all of the different agencies that are involved, as well as working with the families of the passengers and crew of Flight 93.  One of the nice things about this program is you get to see places that the public can’t see, or can’t see yet.

Flight 93 Temporary Memorial

2011 LDP Class

Friday, we kayaked the Middle Youghiogheny River, which had a couple of Class II rapids on it.  While a couple of these rapids were challenging, Pat and I handled them with no problems.

Running the rapids on the Middle Yough

We spent the rest of the day in the Ohiopyle State Park, which if you like hiking, biking and kayaking is a great place to be!  Saturday wasn’t very good weather but we did go swimming in the reservoir in the afternoon.  I was surprised how clear the water was, especially after Shenango which was pretty muddy.  Reservoirs, in general, are not known for their clarity because the water levels are constantly changing.

Sunday, we biked from the campground to Ohiopyle and back, about 23 miles round trip.  We biked along the Great Allegheny Passage which is a railroad right of way that extends from Cumberland, MD to Pittsburgh, PA.  It was one of the nicest rides we have had so far.

Taking a break on the Great Allegheny Passage

Monday, we headed to the Finger Lakes region in New York.  We didn’t want to make the trip in one day so tonight we are “camped” in a Walmart parking lot in Mansfield, PA.  Walmart actually has a corporate policy that allows RVs to spend the night in their parking lots, so if all you need is a place for a quick overnight, it’s a great way to have a quick stop and get your shopping done at the same time. Besides, home is where you park it!

Home is where you park it!

Home is where you park it!
2011 LDP Class
Flight 93 Temporary Memorial
Outflow Campground as seen from the dam
Boat tour of Youghiogheny River Lake
Running the rapids on the Middle Yough
Taking a break on the Great Allegheny Passage
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East Harbor State Park (Ohio)

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Michigan Traveler

After we left Oak Beach, we moved the trailer to Pat’s brother, Geri’s, house where she stayed while I was training in Lancaster, PA and Oakbrook, IL.  She was able to spend time with family and help out around the farm.On July 30th, we headed from Bad Axe down to St. Clair Shores for a picnic with the 82d Airborne Division Association and 425th Regimental Association.  It was great to see my old comrades from Company F (RANGER), 425th Infantry. We had lots of good food, enjoyed watching the skydiving, and telling lies to each other about how great we were!  We spent the night in the parking lot of a local church that one of my friends had arranged for us and pulled out early the next morning for the Cedar Point area.I had always wanted to visit the area around Put-In-Bay, but we hadn’t gotten around to it.  Because we had to travel through there to get to Pennsylvania, we decided to take advantage of the opportunity and spent a few days there.

We stayed at East Harbor State Park, a real nice park with access to East Harbor and Lake Erie.  We arrived early and couldn’t get onto our site yet, so we drove the trailer to the beach, had a picnic and walked along the beach until the site was available.  Nice sites with plenty of trees with lots of open spaces.We decided to go to Cedar Point on Monday which we had been told was one of the slower days in the park.  We may not have hit all of the rides, but I think we showed anyone who cared that you can enjoy an amusement park even if you are a senior citizen!Of course we had to check out some of the local wineries, the Marblehead Lighthouse and the maritime museum.  We added Lake Erie to the list of Great Lakes that we have kayaked on.  It was a pleasant day on the lake with only a light wave action.  Lake Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes and the water was very comfortable.We spend our last day traveling by ferry to Put-In-Bay which is on South Bass Island.  We visited the Perry Peace Memorial and biked all over the island.  The vehicle of choice for most people on the island (especially the visitors) is the golf cart!  We had dinner at a great restaurant, called the Goat Soup and Whiskey.  We wanted a place with good food and character and this fit the bill.On our way again – to an Army Corps of Engineers campground southeast of Pittsburgh called Youghiogheny River Lake.  I’ll teach there for two days then enjoy the area.  Enroute  stayed at another Corps of Engineer campground called Shenango River Lake.  I taught the Leadership Development program there for the last two years and it should be interesting to go back as a camper, not as a contractor.

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Oak Beach

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Michigan Traveler

Oak Beach is a county park on Lake Huron, just north of Bad Axe.  It’s a nice park with a beach and picnic pavilions right across the road.  I think this week is closer to what life on the road will be like than anything we have done so far.  We are camping by ourselves and not with family or friends, although they are close by.  Pat has been walking and I have been running on most mornings, and on Tuesday we biked down M-25 to Port Crescent State Park and rode through the campground.  We had coffee and a donut with the Camp Hosts and we checked out what it takes to be a Camp Host in Michigan and their duties.  It’s not something we are interested in right now, but may be in the future.

We invited some of Pat’s extended family to a potluck in one of the picnic pavilions and while it was still very hot and humid out (even in the shade) we had a great time.

I think I can handle this lifestyle – go for a run and relax with a light breakfast while reading, go to the beach to cool off, get cleaned up and do some work, and grill something for dinner.  Mix in some small trips, kayaking and snorkeling, etc – not a bad life!

On our last morning, we went kayaking with Pat’s cousin, Roger and his wife Mia in Lake Huron.  It was quite windy with good sized waves, so it was “exciting,” but it was fun playing in the surf in and out of our kayaks!We will move the trailer back to Geri’s on Sunday, and next week I am on the road again, doing project management training in Pennsylvania and Illinois, then we are off to Ohio.

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The “Gathering of the Clan”

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Michigan Traveler

After Lake City, we headed east across the state to the Rose City area where Pat’s brothers, Geri and Wayne, have a cottage for the annual “gathering of the clan” over the Fourth of July holiday. Every year the cottage looks more like a campground with multiple tents and trailers.In the past years we just parked our 17-foot traveler trailer in the front yard.  There was much conversation of where our 38-foot “Big Ole Trailer” was going to go.  Pat and I parked the trailer up the road from the cottage and walked down the recon the options before driving into a situation we couldn’t get out of.  After much discussion we decided to try the front yard again.  With Pat watching the rear of the trailer and me watching to front, I was able to ‘thread the eye of the needle” between the trees and posts along the road and get it in.  How we were going to get out was still in doubt!

Another great time over the Fourth of July.  Kayaking on the Rifle River, snorkeling in Rifle Lake, fireworks in Rose City and way too much food!  But we loved it all!

My brother-in-law Geri pulled the posts out that lined the road and it was a piece of cake to back out of the front yard.  Well, no doubts where we will be parking in the future.

We moved to Geri’s “Back 40” and set up the trailer there.  I have to head down to Warren, MI to present some training there on Monday and then Tuesday I am flying to Pittsburgh for the Corps of Engineers.  There has been way too much activity lately.  Isn’t this supposed to be relaxing?

I came back late on Thursday (like 1:00 am) and we are packing up to spend the week at Oak Beach County Park on Lake Huron.

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We “move” to South Dakota

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Michigan Traveler

Our first stop was Lake City, MI.  Some friends of ours (Stan and Betsy Pash) have a home they plan to retire in and they had invited us to stay and visit with them.  We pulled in next to their tool shed in a small group of trees, and it was like having our own private campground.  When we weren’t visiting with Stan and Betsy we biked and kayaked, and we started fine-tuning where everything was to go.  Needless to say, some of our initial ideas weren’t the best solution.

We had decided to establish our legal residence in South Dakota for the tax advantages as well as a few other reasons, but our plans did not call for us to travel in that direction, so we decided to fly out to get our driver licenses.  We flew into Rapid City and spent the night at Americas Mailbox.  This was their new location and while there campground was not finished, their guestrooms were wonderful!

The next morning we got our receipt and directions to the DMV, drove over and got our new licenses, then on to the Courthouse to register to vote!  I hope the rest of this new lifestyle goes as easy as this has gone.  After lunch we headed down the road to Hill City take the “1880 Train,” a sightseeing train trip.  While we expected to see more wilderness, we saw a lot of the Black Hills and had a nice time.  On the way back to Box Elder, we stopped at a couple of local wineries and tasted a rhubarb/raspberry wine that was delightful.  Bob now has plans to start a batch while we are in Bad Axe.

The next morning we were up at 5:00 for an early flight back to Michigan.

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