5 below this morning and we are starting to plan our next trip. This next summer will be different than last. Not as much time. Only a week or 9 days in a row. We may take shorter trips in Maine and NH. Maybe half a week in the Rangley area and half in the MDI area.
All suggestions welcomed. It is fun to plan, especially when it is so cold outside.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Saturday, July 7, 2007
We made it home!
Hi all!
Sorry for the delay in posting - we have experienced technical difficulties (lack of wifi), resulting in the inability to update the blog.
Last time I posted, we were just hanging out at the campsite in Erie - and had decided not to seek out some fireworks for the fourth. This ended up being a great decision, because, from our campsite, we were actually able to view the firework being launched on Lake Erie, and enjoyed the whole show without leaving our site. Campers next to us did drive out to see the fireworks, and took more than 2 hours to get home. We just watched the fireworks, and then played a great game of Monopoly (the Dallas Cowboys version) in the camper. Chris quickly accumulated a set of properties, put up hotels, and bankrupt the rest of us (well almost - we had set a time limit, so at the end of the hour, he was the richest!).
Thursday morning, we set out for the next stop - Niagara Falls. We arrived there quickly - it was only a 150 mile drive - and started exploring. We went to Goat Island and looked at the both the American Falls and Horseshoe Falls, dined at a small restaurant, and then took a ride on the Maid of the Mist. For those of you who haven't been to Niagara Falls, the Maid of the Mist is a short boat ride that rides in front of the American Falls and then into the middle of the Horseshoe Falls - needless to say, one gets drenched on this boat ride, thus the need for those ridiculous blue trash bag coats that we are wearing in the pictures that Bill posted. It was really cool - and absolutely amazing how much water flows through those falls.
We then headed through customs, on route for our next campsite - in Niagara Falls, ON. The voyage over the border was - interesting. Three customs officers asked us to leave our vehicle, so that they could search the RV - looking for weapons I think. It took them quite a while, and we could see them opening every cupboard, box, etc., in search of something that may threaten the security of Canada - we are scary looking individuals, and certainly fit the profile for terrorists, right?
Well, we made it through - they did "break" one of the benches to the dinette while they were searching - Chris put it back together while we drove. We arrived at the nicest campground of our trip - the Niagara Falls KOA - it was awesome. It had and indoor heated pool, two outdoor pools, playgrounds, etc. etc. etc. We checked in, hooked up the RV, and booked it out to the road, where we could pick up the public transportation for a ride back to the falls. Bill had made reservations for dinner at the Skylan Tower, revolving dining room for a fantastic dinner. The food was wonderful, once I got over the prices on the menu, and the view was priceless. It was worth every penny of the price. I had the best cream of mushroom soup, followed by the greatest filet mignon and shrimp entree - it was unbelievable. We all had a great dinner and night. The dinner was followed by a trip up to the observation deck - and continued views of the magnificent falls. After dinner and the observation deck, we went to the huge arcade, and then off to a 3D/4D Movie about the history of the falls. That was cool too! From the movie, we walked around the falls, looking for a place where the red line of the bus would pick us up. It ended up being a really long, but beautiful walk along the falls - which are illuminated at night. The only unfortunate thing in the visit was that Bill lost his glasses - they likely fell into the falls when he was taking pictures; I hope a fish will benefit from the improved vision!
Friday morning, we headed off - hoping to make it back into the United States ( Canada had not been great to us, and gas prices were awful, at $1.06 / liter, or about $3.99 / gallon). So we drove and we drove and we drove. We managed to hit Toronto at lunch hour - just in time for lots and lots of traffic, and then, while I was driving, we hit Montreal for Friday night rush hour. It took us over an hour to get through Montreal, with the tripped capped off with a drive over the Champlain Bridge - once again, if you know of my fear of bridges, this is a huge accomplishment for me. My fingers needed to be pried off the steering wheel when I was off the bridge - but I did it!!!!!! Yeah!!!!!!
We got to the US border, in Derby VT, around 8:30 pm - and the custom officers were very welcoming, and only wondered if we were transporting any mad cows with us - other than that, they were happy to see us come home. When we arrived in the US, we made the decision to drive all the way home, rather than finding a campground to just spend the night. Since we were driving home, we stopped at a pizza joint in Newport for dinner and caffeine (for Bill and I), and set off to go home. The ride through the notch was the usual ride - just slowed slightly by an enormous thunder and lightening storm and a deer sighting. We were psyched to finally reach North Conway, and very pleased to see the completion of the road work in the village. We all arrived home, happy to be there, at 12:30.
It was a great trip, and one that none of us will forget for a long time to come. We have all the great memories, lots of souvenirs, and many many pictures. I look forward to our next trip in the RV!!
Thanks for coming along with us on this trip!
Sue
Sorry for the delay in posting - we have experienced technical difficulties (lack of wifi), resulting in the inability to update the blog.
Last time I posted, we were just hanging out at the campsite in Erie - and had decided not to seek out some fireworks for the fourth. This ended up being a great decision, because, from our campsite, we were actually able to view the firework being launched on Lake Erie, and enjoyed the whole show without leaving our site. Campers next to us did drive out to see the fireworks, and took more than 2 hours to get home. We just watched the fireworks, and then played a great game of Monopoly (the Dallas Cowboys version) in the camper. Chris quickly accumulated a set of properties, put up hotels, and bankrupt the rest of us (well almost - we had set a time limit, so at the end of the hour, he was the richest!).
Thursday morning, we set out for the next stop - Niagara Falls. We arrived there quickly - it was only a 150 mile drive - and started exploring. We went to Goat Island and looked at the both the American Falls and Horseshoe Falls, dined at a small restaurant, and then took a ride on the Maid of the Mist. For those of you who haven't been to Niagara Falls, the Maid of the Mist is a short boat ride that rides in front of the American Falls and then into the middle of the Horseshoe Falls - needless to say, one gets drenched on this boat ride, thus the need for those ridiculous blue trash bag coats that we are wearing in the pictures that Bill posted. It was really cool - and absolutely amazing how much water flows through those falls.
We then headed through customs, on route for our next campsite - in Niagara Falls, ON. The voyage over the border was - interesting. Three customs officers asked us to leave our vehicle, so that they could search the RV - looking for weapons I think. It took them quite a while, and we could see them opening every cupboard, box, etc., in search of something that may threaten the security of Canada - we are scary looking individuals, and certainly fit the profile for terrorists, right?
Well, we made it through - they did "break" one of the benches to the dinette while they were searching - Chris put it back together while we drove. We arrived at the nicest campground of our trip - the Niagara Falls KOA - it was awesome. It had and indoor heated pool, two outdoor pools, playgrounds, etc. etc. etc. We checked in, hooked up the RV, and booked it out to the road, where we could pick up the public transportation for a ride back to the falls. Bill had made reservations for dinner at the Skylan Tower, revolving dining room for a fantastic dinner. The food was wonderful, once I got over the prices on the menu, and the view was priceless. It was worth every penny of the price. I had the best cream of mushroom soup, followed by the greatest filet mignon and shrimp entree - it was unbelievable. We all had a great dinner and night. The dinner was followed by a trip up to the observation deck - and continued views of the magnificent falls. After dinner and the observation deck, we went to the huge arcade, and then off to a 3D/4D Movie about the history of the falls. That was cool too! From the movie, we walked around the falls, looking for a place where the red line of the bus would pick us up. It ended up being a really long, but beautiful walk along the falls - which are illuminated at night. The only unfortunate thing in the visit was that Bill lost his glasses - they likely fell into the falls when he was taking pictures; I hope a fish will benefit from the improved vision!
Friday morning, we headed off - hoping to make it back into the United States ( Canada had not been great to us, and gas prices were awful, at $1.06 / liter, or about $3.99 / gallon). So we drove and we drove and we drove. We managed to hit Toronto at lunch hour - just in time for lots and lots of traffic, and then, while I was driving, we hit Montreal for Friday night rush hour. It took us over an hour to get through Montreal, with the tripped capped off with a drive over the Champlain Bridge - once again, if you know of my fear of bridges, this is a huge accomplishment for me. My fingers needed to be pried off the steering wheel when I was off the bridge - but I did it!!!!!! Yeah!!!!!!
We got to the US border, in Derby VT, around 8:30 pm - and the custom officers were very welcoming, and only wondered if we were transporting any mad cows with us - other than that, they were happy to see us come home. When we arrived in the US, we made the decision to drive all the way home, rather than finding a campground to just spend the night. Since we were driving home, we stopped at a pizza joint in Newport for dinner and caffeine (for Bill and I), and set off to go home. The ride through the notch was the usual ride - just slowed slightly by an enormous thunder and lightening storm and a deer sighting. We were psyched to finally reach North Conway, and very pleased to see the completion of the road work in the village. We all arrived home, happy to be there, at 12:30.
It was a great trip, and one that none of us will forget for a long time to come. We have all the great memories, lots of souvenirs, and many many pictures. I look forward to our next trip in the RV!!
Thanks for coming along with us on this trip!
Sue
Home! 2600 plus miles
Hi All,
It is nice to be home. What a great trip. One of a lifetime. Niagara Falls was great. The hall of fame was very nice for some of us. 2600 plus miles and we are still together. In fact maybe closer. The rig did us well. A few fix up items. We need the step fixed, two hubcaps and a wheel cover. The inverter needs a new fan I think. We need an oil change and a review of all systems and we are ready to go again. Starting this trip we purchased the rig with the idea that if we did not like camping we could sell it get our money back and it would be cheaper than renting one. The question was asked at the last restaurant in Newport, Vt late Friday night. Do we sell or keep it? The question was answered unanimous, " keep it!" So the great adventure continues. We are thinking of places to go. The next trip will be the Rogers family reunion then on to my fraternity reunion on the same weekend. July 27,28 and 29th on the coast of Maine. I will be calling Gary Shackford on Monday and Maine St Auto to get the Rig ship shape for the next trip.
A few pictures from the last couple of days. I am sure we will be recapping the event and putting up more pictures. The trip is one I will remember forever, hopefully my kids will also and some day they will drag their kids on an adventure like this one.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Happy Fourth of July!
Hello!
Happy 4th of July to all!
We started the day today with a lengthy tour of the Professional Football Hall of Fame, located in Canton, OH. Talk about football overload! It was spectacular, especially for Bill and Chris, since they are "football men". We had been warned that it could take a real fan a week to get through the facility, so I had packed a lunch, brought along a pillow, and planned for the worst. Fortunately, hunger got in the way of us moving into the facility, and we were able to depart from there by early afternoon. It was impressive, and had a really neat "Hall of Famers Room", with bronzed head of all the inductees, along with interactive video screens that gave all the details on all these players. Bill was in heaven! Conveniently, in order the leave the Hall of Fame, one must travel through the gift shop - of course - so we picked up a few souvenirs, and were on our way.
We drove to Erie, PA (or just west of it) for the night. This is the first overcast day, so we have made the decision not to go searching for fireworks - we don't really want to get rained on either. We cooked out at the campsite, put up the awning for the first time (along with Jenny's funky lights), and have just hung out at the campsite.
We will be traveling to Niagara Falls in the morning, and are hoping to take either a tour or a boat ride, and Bill wants to have dinner at the restaurant that rotates above the falls - sounds good to me! We are looking to spend the night in the Niagara Falls area too - just haven't picked out the campground yet.
Hope you all had a safe, happy and fun 4th of July!
I'll write again tomorrow!
Sue
Happy 4th of July to all!
We started the day today with a lengthy tour of the Professional Football Hall of Fame, located in Canton, OH. Talk about football overload! It was spectacular, especially for Bill and Chris, since they are "football men". We had been warned that it could take a real fan a week to get through the facility, so I had packed a lunch, brought along a pillow, and planned for the worst. Fortunately, hunger got in the way of us moving into the facility, and we were able to depart from there by early afternoon. It was impressive, and had a really neat "Hall of Famers Room", with bronzed head of all the inductees, along with interactive video screens that gave all the details on all these players. Bill was in heaven! Conveniently, in order the leave the Hall of Fame, one must travel through the gift shop - of course - so we picked up a few souvenirs, and were on our way.
We drove to Erie, PA (or just west of it) for the night. This is the first overcast day, so we have made the decision not to go searching for fireworks - we don't really want to get rained on either. We cooked out at the campsite, put up the awning for the first time (along with Jenny's funky lights), and have just hung out at the campsite.
We will be traveling to Niagara Falls in the morning, and are hoping to take either a tour or a boat ride, and Bill wants to have dinner at the restaurant that rotates above the falls - sounds good to me! We are looking to spend the night in the Niagara Falls area too - just haven't picked out the campground yet.
Hope you all had a safe, happy and fun 4th of July!
I'll write again tomorrow!
Sue
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
The Eve of the 4th
Well, here we sit, just outside of Canton, Ohio, at a nice KOA Kampground way off the beaten path. We arrived here about 8:00 - just in time for Jenny to spend about an hour in the swimming pool before it closed.
We left Utica, IL pretty early this monring - about 8:00 - and headed East. Jenny chose the position as co-pilot and Chris was still sleeping, so I was able to hang out on the couch and read a couple of magazines - it was very relaxing. Bill had a mission today - to find a Camping World store. First came Home Depot and Loew's, then Dick's Sporting Goods and Cabela's - now he has discovered Camping World. We can only hope that they don't put a Camping World within the area that he services for work - if they do, I can only imagine what he may come home with on various trips!
The Camping World store was cool - we picked up a few new games, a couple of quick fixed for the camper, and a new map that includes all the Good Sams locations. They had some really neat stuff - Campers think of everything!
The drive today was pretty uneventful - just more fields, corn, etc. etc. etc.
In the morning, we will be visiting the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton - about 15 minutes from here. We then have reservations at a campground on the Erie Lake for tomorrow night - about 150 miles from here. We will look to find some fireworks for the 4th somewhere on the lake tomorrow night. From Erie, we will be heading to Niagara Falls, and then home through Canada. We plan to reach Chatham on Saturday late evening, so that we have a day to regroup, etc. etc. before heading back to work.
Hope you all have a great 4th!
Sue
We left Utica, IL pretty early this monring - about 8:00 - and headed East. Jenny chose the position as co-pilot and Chris was still sleeping, so I was able to hang out on the couch and read a couple of magazines - it was very relaxing. Bill had a mission today - to find a Camping World store. First came Home Depot and Loew's, then Dick's Sporting Goods and Cabela's - now he has discovered Camping World. We can only hope that they don't put a Camping World within the area that he services for work - if they do, I can only imagine what he may come home with on various trips!
The Camping World store was cool - we picked up a few new games, a couple of quick fixed for the camper, and a new map that includes all the Good Sams locations. They had some really neat stuff - Campers think of everything!
The drive today was pretty uneventful - just more fields, corn, etc. etc. etc.
In the morning, we will be visiting the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton - about 15 minutes from here. We then have reservations at a campground on the Erie Lake for tomorrow night - about 150 miles from here. We will look to find some fireworks for the 4th somewhere on the lake tomorrow night. From Erie, we will be heading to Niagara Falls, and then home through Canada. We plan to reach Chatham on Saturday late evening, so that we have a day to regroup, etc. etc. before heading back to work.
Hope you all have a great 4th!
Sue
Monday, July 2, 2007
Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois - all in one day.
We hit the road early again today, and headed east. All these states out here in the west are so long - it takes hours and hours to get through each. There is not a whole lot of excitement along the way - I think we have seen most of the beautiful scenery, now it is a bunch of same old same old. We saw tons and tons of corn, cows and hay. After having grown up in Aroostook County, where there are potato fields for miles and miles, I never considered how big some of these agricultural fields could be. When driving along, you can't see the end of the fields at all - they seem to go on forever. I can see why, now, these farmers are looking into alternative uses for crops such as corn.
We are settled down in a campground in Utica, IL - the Hickory Hollow Campground - a really nice place in this small town, about 90 miles west of Chicago, just off I-80. Driving in, we were a little nervous, because the signage at the road left lots to be desired. Once arriving in the campground, however, we were pleasantly surprised. We are sitting at the picnic table, listening to the Red Sox game on XM radio, and Bill and Jenny are building a fire - she will now get her chance to have some smores - we replaced our ant flavored marshmallows today!
We drove about 600 miles today, and once again, Bill and I switched drivers every couple of hours. Each time we switched, however, I think that Bill planned it so that I drove through the construction sites, and over the bridges - once again, I had the pleasure of driving over the Mississippi River - apparently Bill is hoping that I will get over my fear of bridges this trip. Jenny and Chris actually played a few games on their own, and both spent a good deal of time reading. I tried to complete a crossword puzzle, but my brain has apparently gone on vacation too - I couldn't solve even a few clues. I was successful at the Suduko, though - few, I haven't lost it all this trip!
I'll attach a few pictures from the road today, and will sign off for the night!
Talk to you all tomorrow!
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