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Trips

Travel Log

"The Pumpkin" Milan, NewHampshire

Well, we acquired a '75 Volks air-sucker and our maiden voyage was down to Freeport, Maine. We had our first camper, the trip was good and nothing broke. We used L.L. Bean's parking lot. It was cool. The next morning we awoke surrounded by a herd of Class A's the size of  wingless 747's. ( We felt like a one-eyed mule at a quarterhorse show). The following night in fog, we pulled into what I thought was a field but what turned out to be a front yard! Next morning we were tail lights early! That was our only trip that year.

*** My Icons: 

Camden & Rockland, Me.

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Our first "nowhere" was at the end of June. Naturally we hung out on the back roads and crossed the border into Maine, and  went through the Rangeley Lakes area. It rained so hard that you could have drank standing up... spent the night in a campground at Milan, N.H. Bummed around northern New Hampshire and returned home.

Vacation was spent on the road going through northen New York and down into the southern tier. Seneca Lake is not a bad deal and we camped at Watkins Glen. Left there and picked up the Shenandoah Parkway I believe it is called. at Front Royal, Maryland. Camped in the park amongst the deer. Somehow we wound up swimming at Boone Dam near Kingsport, Tennessee. Camped there too. Took us six days to get there. Finally over a coffee we had to make a decision....either we hang around the Virginia-Tennessee area or we pack it up and head directly to our planned destination, N'Awlins.

Aw m-a-a-nn......We did like area around the St. Martin's Sq. We gained five pounds apiece and never were more than a quarter mile from Jax Brewery. However, after having visited the rest of Loosiana ( YES..Loosiana) I could float through life and never return to N.O., and  and still die very happy. We were at a camping place on Chef Menteur Highway which had barbed wire around it, the water in the pool was as dark as that of Bayou Teche.

The best part of Acadia was just drifting around towns like Vacherie, Thobodeaux, Morgan City, Abbeville etc. There is a very nice campground at Morgan City on Lake Palourde. The Atchafalaya tour was neat and full of history and anecdotes and lies. This was Belizaire the Cajun's stomping grounds. New Iberia, Jefferson Island, Lafayette and the KOA at Scott. 

Community Coffee....it is the BEST in the world! 

We made it home in time to go to work on Monday......

*** My Icons: 

Eunice, Opeloosas & Abbeville, La; Natchez, Ms; Chattanooga & Museum of Appalachia, Norris Tn; Blue Ridge Highway; Gettysburg, Pa.

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Didn't go far this year, hung around northern Vermont, Québec, New Brunswick. The major event was in August when we left here, near Québec City, with our bicycles, and the West and headed out for Stratford, Ct. One would drive while the others pedaled. There was my wife Huguette, our son and his present main squeeze. It got to be routine...The women drove UP the hills and I drove DOWN the other side. This was a neat trip.

*** My Icons: 

Sainte-Luce-sur-Mer; Waterbury, Vt (Ben 'n Jerry's); Burlington, Vt; Lordship, Ct.

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Started out with our annual father-son fishing trip, set up between two lakes and all alone. Followed that with a trip to northern New Brunswick, into the heart of the Acadians. Sainte-Flavie is known as the gateway to the Gaspé Peninsula. It is also at the fork of the road which  goes through the Matapedia Valley....a road which is under virtual repairs. Got to Campbellton for the salmon festival. The Matapedia is a well-known salmon river and empties into the Baie des Chaleurs at Campbellton, New Brunswick and Cross Point, Québec. After the festival we drove along the coast where we camped at Nigadoo, east of Bathurst, N.B. Next day, Caraquet. The north coast of N.B. is savage in areas, the area reeks of hard times, and days gone by  but it is beautiful. The Village des Acadiens at Bertrand is special. Hit a bakery store there and loaded up with local fare, and we even found a blues show!  During these trips I bring along my bike and manage to get a bit more into the culture of the different regions that we visited. Sometimes I would take off on my bike and Huguette would leave an hour later and we would join up.

If you ever get out that way, I highly recommend Bouctouche. There is always something going on there and we spent a lot of time just wandering and being tourists. At the campground, Richard's Chalets, there was a field next to us, and it was full of wild strawberries. I picked and picked and we pigged out daily at breakfast.

We wound up in Nova Scotia, Antigonish at Whidden's Campground. Really nice place. Lobster is king here. Swimming is good, but the water is"refreshing". We returned by Cape George, Pictou.......now at Pictou we found a sand spit and walked a half mile to the  lighthouse, and spent the afternoon there. A very good day.

Came back through southern New Brunswick, Fredericton, and along a back country road and slept on the riverside in a thicket. 

Returned later that summer to do a bike trail which extends from Rivière-du-Loup, Québec to Edmundston, New Brunswick, alongside Lake Temiscouata              (85 miles).

Changed the motor!

*** My Icons:

Sainte-Luce-sur-Mer, Sainte-Flavie, Québec; Acadian Village, Bertrand; Caraquet, Bouctouche, N.B; Pictou, N.S.

Some good campgrounds:

RICHARD'S CHALETS, St. Edouard, N.B.
WHIDDEN'S CAMPGROUND, Antigonish, N.S.
EVERETT'S, Mactaquac, N.B.

Camped out 26 Nights .

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Not much doing this year, as the West spent more time in the shop than on the road. Went home to Lordship via Freeport, Me. Then went to the Amish area of Pennsylvania for a week. The outback is really nice in and around Strassburg, Intercourse and the crossroads of farm life as I knew it as a kid. Too many tourists in town! Returned to Lordship. However we did find a neat spot at Cabano and Degelis in Québec on the Temiscouata Bike Trail. Cheap camping, blueberries all over, good biking and no mosquitos.

*** My Icons:  

Lordship, Ct; Strassburg, Pa; Temiscouata Bike Trail.

Some good campgrounds:

BEACON CAMPGROUND, Intercourse, Pa.
FISHERMAN'S MEMORIAL, Pt. Judith, R.I.
CAMPING MUNICIPAL, Degélis, P.Q.

Camped out 27 nights.

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Bad year......Lordship, Ct. (very often). Got out to Birch Run, Mi. to spend time with our daughter. Somehow went again to Freeport, Me. This year was a bummer to end all bummers!

*** My Icons:  

Frankenmuth, Mi; Lordship, Ct.

Camped out 24 nights.

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Interesting year, a return to the sources. No more reason to go to Lordship now. We spent time in the woods fishing, did a lot of biking from campgrounds within two hours from here ,discovered new places, but did manage a trip Fairgrove, Mi. 

This trip to Michigan was interesting as we went through the Thousand Islands. It was a nice area to visit and get out on the river. We spent some time on the shores of Lake Huron and its turquoise waters at Ipperwash, Ontario. Amazing sunsets here, and great beaches. A place to re-visit for sure. 

Another weekender was to Burlington, Vt. The municipal parking lot is about twenty feet from the paved bike trail which goes along the shores of Lake Champlain. Municipal parking lots are good because they are in town, and we pay on a twenty-four hour basis...(hint-hint).

*** My Icons:  

Ganonoque, Ipperwash & Sarnia, Ont; Burlington, Vt.

Some good campgrounds: 

CAROUSEL, Bromont, Qué.
TRAVELERS WORLD, Bernardston, Ma.
PARC FRONTENAC, Saint-Daniel, Qué.
WILDWOOD, Saint-Mary's, Ont.
CAROLINIAN, Ipperwash, Ont.

Camped 30 nights.

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Ah, this was the year of excitement and  renaissance! We started out with the West, and wound up with a brand new GMC Safari Condo when Murphy's Law blew an engine climbing a hill in Douglastown, near Gaspé. What a feeling to be climbing and all of a sudden everything stops! We had it trucked back and we took the train. We got a new motor and ASAP sold it, in September. That trip around the Gaspé Peninsula was A-Ok. 

Spent three days at Balm Beach on the Georgian Bay in Ontario. Because of the engine failure, we were pretty much grounded for the season, BUT the new dawn arrived with our new rig.

We left here in October for points west, San Francisco to be exact, but with no set itinerary. Spent two nights in Peterborough, Ont.....we used the sports center at the Holiday Inn, then slept across the street in the Chamber of Commerce lot. Visited Toronto. Made it to Fairgrove, Mi. to spend some time with our daughter. Several days later we went to the U.P. and wound up in Marinette, Wi., sleeping in a park. Ah, the cheese here in Wisconsin! Spent the day in Madison. Headed west after visiting the Civil War Museum and finding my great-grandfather's presence in many skirmishes between 1861/62 and 1865. He enlisted at Beaver Dam, Wi. 

After crossing through Dubuque we slept at a McDonald's at Iowa City. A few days later found us in Nebraska and then Kansas. Amazing!  Visited a huge museum in Minden, Neb. This was funny, we found a sports center in a hotel, spent the evening in a Jacuzzi and pool, then crossed the street and slept in a Super 8 lot!

The approach to Denver is remarkable, especially from an eastern flatlander. The scenery is just as remarkable. Denver is very avant-garde but we still found a place to sleep, at Campers World. 

Phoenix Mines were nice too. Spent the day driving in and around the Rockies. finally dropped anchor at Steamboat. Went up to 11,000' and I highly warn  you that running across a parking lot may cause a feeling of near death from gasping.

Slept in the lot at St. Mark's Hospital in Salt Lake City. Slept better than last night at Steamboat when the local constables woke us up. People do not measure distance in miles out here ,they measure it in time. "How far are we from...?" "Bout an hour forty minutes". 

Winnemucca, Nev..slot machines in the laundromat. Neat town, really enjoyed our short stay. I don't want to go back East! Apparently we were experiencing a very mild early winter as we were in T-shirts and it was supposed to be snow time.

Reno..smog...nothing really interesting to us non-gamblers, but the food is excellent and cheap in the casinos. Bailed out for Virginia City..now HERE is a place where I wanted to become a cowboy! To me this was one of the best places we visited. Camped out on an old railroad bed, with the benediction of the town sherriff. What history here, what views. I spent an hour browsing around the cemetery. It tells a story all by itself.

Carson City to Sacramento to Napa Valley where the vineyard owners felt it a priority to let us know how rich they were. Bye-bye Napa...keep your wine. Off to San Francisco. Someone told me about Sausalito.....oh yeah, babe.....cheap sleep-overs. BAM! The municipal parking allows a max. of 72 hours parking at ten bucks per day.  We took it, found almost free showers and a Starbucks and were standing in tall cotton. Visited all the tourist traps in San Francisco, and even invented a few more. Two days there and it rained so we took off north on Rt. 1...exceptional views, wow. Came back to Sausalito that night and remained there for two more days.  

Monterey is a gem of a place to visit. We found a "pipe-campground" and went in to "look over" the camping area, and while there took a shower. Once showered, there was no longer any reason to use the camping area, so we slept at McDonald's.

We found Gilroy, California by the smell! Cruising down the "I" we smelled garlic. WOW! Got off the highway and spent the night in Gilroy, and stocked up on garlic, history and the yearning to be here for the harvets and festivities.

Mariposa...Neat little place. They told us to get into Yosemite that we would need chains. I argued that we drive six months a year in total accumulation of ten feet of snow but it did not work. Seems that many people who go there have never driven in snow before..Oh-oh...an excellent reason not to adventure in there. Slept at the fairgrounds.

To Las Vegas. Red Rock Canyon north of Mojave really captured our spirits. What immensity, what beauty and we became a part of the land for two days and a night. We walked the desert at 11:00 pm, under a full moon. I would bankrupt the English language to find an adjective worthy of describing this nocturnal adventure. Along the road to Las Vegas we camped out one night at a McDonald's, and we surmised that the wealth of the people in this village was determined by how many shopping carts they possessed, how many abandonned cars were on their premises and how many dogs they owned. Next door to McDonald's was probably the richest family in the neighborhood! Before getting to L.V., we stumbled on Randsburg, Cal., an old mining town. Living off the tourists as they do, I never expected to meet such nice people. A far cry from Rt. 1 in Maine. Took our first campground at Furnace Ranch in Death Valley. Gotta talk about Tecopa. There are three campgrounds which charged $8.00/night..a senior center and the hot springs, nothing else, not even a vending machine. But those springs were enough to make us forget about Pepsi's. Only problem was they were separated, men and women. 

LasVegas.....See: Anecdotes. It was an experience to be sure. Were we satisfied? Not really.  Would we return? Very doubtful. It was to be sure, a trip into the realm of pretention and fantasy. Mebbe because I am a bit country, or a bit Swamp Yankee, it seemed just too unreal, too much, as though it was conceived for a special type of person, of which I could never belong. You will be surprised to read that we stayed two nights on The Strip and it cost us $5.00 for the two. A kid came up to me with a note, on which was stated that he couldn't speak and that he needed money to get back home to Cleveland..h-mmm, where have I heard that before? Well, I told him I would not give him money, but I would buy him breakfast. We spent an hour together in McDonald's. He wrote, I talked. We established a friendship for the the moment. Was he really afflicted? Dunno. I don't care, as this breakfast made my day. He was probably the most down-to-earth person I met while visiting there. 

Grand Canyon.......Everything that can be said has been.

Wound up some time later in Witchita Falls at a truck stop, after a meal at the McBride's Cattle & Land Co. (Talk about good steak!). Next morning while slurping coffee next to a trucker, he asked me where I was going. I had no idea of where we were going. He suggested the Stockyards of Fort Worth.....a 2 1/2 hour drive south. Off we went. Yes we stayed there two days and filled the bill as gawky tourists. They sure do have giant beer schooners down in Texas! Enjoyed ourselves at Billy-Bob's too.

Back to Oklahoma, and on into Arkansas, the Ouatchita Mountains. Nice drive.

Memphis and Beale St....and a Rufus Thomas CD. Memphis must have been a "wunnerful good place" some years ago. 

Kept on driving and went across the Mississippi at Cape Girardeau (I think it was the Mississippi). 

We discovered the Bluegrass Highway (Blue Moon of Kentucky Highway), and the road which parallels it. Spent the night  at Bardstown. Have to come back here!

Wound up at my brother's in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.  and two days later headed north to the snows of winter.

*** My Icons:

Trois-Pistoles & Gaspé, Qué; Ganonoque, Ont; Phoenix Mines, & Steamboat, Col; Virginia City, Nev; Red Rock Canyon; Tecopa;  Death Valley; Ft. Worth; Bardstown and vicinity:

Some good campgrounds: 

CAMPING VINCENNES, Beaumont, Qué.
LANDON BAY, Ganonoque, Ont.

Camped 70 nights.

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Went to school this spring. New England Cheesemaking in Ashfield, Mass. Spent the previous two days biking the Granby, Québec trails. Tornadoes in Northampton. Deerfield, where one of my wife's ancestors lived and was captured in the Battle of Deerfield in 1704. Came back home through  western Vermont. Bummed around Burlington and the Church St. Mall. where there is always something going on there.

Another trip to the Temiscouata Bike Trail. Spent some time pedaling with a long time friend who was camped there for the summer.

Big Deschênes family reunion in Madawaska, Me. Huguette is Huguette Deschênes, so we spent three days there. Went east from there into territory even the tourist people know nothing about; Ésprit-Saint, Trinité-des-Monts, Saint-Gabriel and Sainte-Angèle. This is logging country.

Camped at Métis-sur-Mer, to visit the botanical Jardins de Métis.

Came home a few days later.

Off again to Michigan via North Bay ,Sudbury and Sault-Sainte-Marie, Ontario. Should wind up in Wisconsin around La Crosse. Went through the U.P. and Escanaba has the best pasties! Finally got to La Crosse where we spent several days and also got out on the Mississippi River across from Minnesota.

Going back through Wisconsin to Michigan. Found a bunch of cheese shops, pigged out.

The Driftwood Campground at Manistee, Michigan on the shores of Lake Michigan is simple, and the sunsets on the shoreside sites are something to make you want to stay another night!

Mackinaw City,Petoskey (great place for shopping), and Charlevoix  (great place for hanging out) to Traverse City and east to Fairgrove, Mi. to our daughter's.

Side trip to Pointe-aux-Barques on The Thumb. YESS!

Back home stopping only at Brockville, Ont. for the night.

We got "the itch" sometime later after several local camp-outs. In November we pulled out for OBX. What we do is, we leave after dinner and camp out at the border where the I-87 begins in New York, then the next morning we cross over around 6:30 and there is no waiting. I have been congratulated on this brilliant idea several times by others who have spent up to an hour or more waitng for the customs people to scoot them through. We woke up with a layer of snow on the camper.

Made big mistake....went on the Rt. 17 ( Garden State Parkway I think) to the Jersey Turnpike. Spent more money on tolls than we did on lunch! We actually made it to the entrance of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge before putting on our pyjamas and our teeth in a glass. I like that bridge-tunnel, and the ten bucks to cross it is a good trade-off. Everytime we cross we stop and spend some time there around the restaurant at Fisherman's Island and sorely kicking myself in the butt for having left my fishing rod at home.

Next day, after our Fisherman's Island stop we headed out for points south. There is one heck of a good BBQ at Coinjock, N.C. Got to the OBX ,and immediately zoomed in on the Wal-Mart. Having found that, we headed north to Corona Lighthouse. Bought a book in a shop there about Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard in which I found that a maternal ancestor of mine was on speaking terms with Mr. Teach. He was Jeremiah Vail a captain of a schooner out of Orient, Long Island, N.Y. who worked along the coast. Dinner at Aweful Arthur's in Kittyhawk, I believe. Awesomely good fare!

We wound up down in Hatteras, and what  beautiful drive, what  a beautiful area also. Sure missed my pole. Returned to Norfolk via Roanoke Island with the firm intentions of returning.  Spent the next day there and then headed north, sleeping in Winchester, Va.

Hershey, Pa. is not only for kids. Allentown to Wilkes-Barre for Thanksgiving with my brother. Very special to both of us. Black Friday is a circus. Went home for the winter.

*** My Icons:  

Deerfield Ma.; La Crosse, Wi; Petoskey, Charlevoix and Mackinaw City, Mi.; Baker's Restaurant, Seaford, Del; Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Cape Henry/Charles, Va; Hatteras, OBX

Some good campgrounds:

CAMPING MUNICIPAL, Degelis, Qué
DRIFTWOOD CAMPGROUND, Manistee, Mi.
ST LAWRENCE PARK, Brockville, Ont.

Camped 44 nights.

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Lots of traveling, lots of discoveries and renewing friendships with people and places. Started out with a cheesemaking class in Alexandria, Ontario. Slept over in Wal-Mart at the new mall at Cornwall. The police did not even wake us up, which is unusual for Ontario, according to my log book.

Got on the road again to Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Went across the border at Hill Island, Ont. then onto the I-81. Spent a few days there and left for Stratford, Ct. That I-84 around Danbury, Ct. is highly not recommended by me! Hung around Stratford a few days, then returned home to mow the lawn.

Two weeks later we heading west to Fairgrove, Mi. That 401 and the other one, 403(?) from London to Sarnia is pretty dull, but it gets the job done. Hit the brand new Wal-Mart at Sarnia. Somehow we sort of got kinda out of shape and wound up in Midland, Mi. nowhere near Fairfrove. The afternoon found us in Traverse City, and then in Cadillac. Slept in a Welcome Center in Clare, Mi. This place is NEAT! Got into Fairgove finally. Andrée, our daughter graduated from Saginaw Valley College.

Left there some days later for points west. A big stop was Holland, Mi. Now this place is worth a hundred mile detour during the tulip festival. 

Rush hour in Chicago begins in Indiana. Awesome, especially for a country boy who is retired and the biggest traffic jam he sees is on Sunday mornings when the Mass lets out. Found a very nice campground, Windy City Campground. We would drive two kilometers and take the commuter train to Chicago, a 55 minute ride. Cost a dollar for parking at the train station, which meant our last night in the area would be spent here. The near hour train ride might seem long, but after hoofing around Chicago all day it is a welcome rest before getting "home". Hit the House of Blues, yessir! 

Heading back....Chicago to Sarnia to here....

Three weeks later...heading south again. You do not want to caravan with us, definitely. It took us ten days to get to Boynton Beach, Fl.

Changed routes again, the 87 to Albany and the 88 to Binghampton, N.Y. The 88 is hilly, low traffic and scenic. Slept in a "Kiss 'n Ride" off the 81 somewhere north of Harrisburg, Pa.  Made it to D.C.  and found Cherry Hill Campground., or rather Cherry Hill City as it is more of a city than a campground, at College Park, Md. Visited D.C. .....came out of there feeling very patriotic. Sometime later in the week, we managed to negotiate the highway 50 to the highway 13 on the DelMarVa Peninsula. This no Sunday drive, believe me. Went to Crisfield, Md, slept on the wharf and took a boat to Tangier Island the next day. Very high on my "favorites" list. Spent the night at the lot at the entrance to the Chesapeake Bridge-Tunnel.again. There are more  stop lights on highway 13 than the law allows and they always seemed to be red when I got there.

Wound up in Wilmington, N.C. in the U.S.S. North Carolina parking lot. Nice town  Wilmington. Charleston, fun place. Sticky Fingers, BBQ, beer and blues......can't beat that. Folly Beach for a dip.  Slept in Brunswick, Ga.

Uh-oh..Hurricane Barry. On the watch, but just one downpour and grey grey clouds. Pulled off the road, went to sleep. I do not like driving on Interstates in torrential downpours, especially in Florida. Camped out at Lake Worth, Fl., very nice place, clean and quiet. Visited cousins in the area, and attended a 50th anniversary. A1A is a fascinating drive and am glad I live in nordic country. 

The festivities over ,we headed for a beach, found Key Biscayne, and then crossed over to Naples for th night. I like Naples.

Del-Mar Wiggins Rec. Area, really a beach that we were looking for, not too many people, good swimming and raccoons to steal anything they could haul off...HA! Spent the day there. Back to the Naples Wal-Mart for the night. Spent the next afternoon on Lover's key and hit the Ft. Meyers Wal-Mart for the night.

Siesta Key and Longboat Key amongst the pelicans and some mighy fine Gulf swimming. Spent the evening dining in our Condo at Conchita Beach and camped at Cortez.

Ah St. Pete's.....I won't mention where we camped out as there is a huge sign "No Overnight Camping"..we camped underneath the sign. So did everybody else!

Heading home after visiting Tarpon Springs, and took the east coast along the A1A to St. Augustine. nice place, enjoyed walking around there. 

A few days later found us around Richmond, Va. and then onto Alexandria, Annapolis and the Jersey Turnpike. Slept someplace in a Factory Outlet in Connecticut. 

Met our daughter in N.Attleboro and spent a few days. Visited Mystic Seaport for about the 38th time. Sunset dinner at Dubois Beach, Stonington, Ct. Saw the sunrise the next day from Coventry, R.I.

Left our daughter in Providence and headed back home, BUT....we are retired, no rush, grabbed the Rt. 1 and went through Portsmouth, N.H. and Wells, Me. Both nice places to look like tourists. Slept at L.L. Bean's lot in Freeport, Me. Saw licence plates from California, Montana, New York, Connecticut, Ohio and Missouri on rigs camped around us. Bar Harbor is not bad, a nice walking trail along the edge of the water, amidst the rocks and occasional sea spray. Eased on out late and found the Ellsworth, Me. Wal-Mart.  We are averaging $5.25/night for camping so far on this trip. Got onto Rt. 1, to Shoodic Peninsula, Beale's Is., to S. Lubec and Campobello, Is. N.B. didn't ask questions, but slept in the parking lot. Got up REAL early and drove to the East Quoddy Head Lighthouse fopr a sunrise breakfast. Should have slept here instead! What a beautiful site. 

Homeward bound, this time for real..Crossed the border at Madawaska, Me. and a trick I have learned is that I never arrive home after 6:00. Thing is, you get home, you want to put all your stuff away, you are tired and things detiorate and could spoil the trip. I stop, hang out and find a place to stay within ninety minutes of home, that way we arrive fresh and have the whole day to unpack and do errands etc.

*** My Icons: 

Marnicks Restaurant & Uberti's Fish Market, Stratford, Ct; Damon's Ribs, Midland,  Sebewaing & Holland, Mi; Tangier Island, Va; Sticky Fingers, Charleston, S.C.; Del-Mar Wiggins Rec. Area, north of Naples, Fl.; Shoodic, Me; Campobello, N.B.

Some good campgrounds:

WINDY CITY CAMPGROUND, Tinley Park, Ill.
LAKE WORTH CAMPGROUND, Lake Worth, Fl.
L.L. BEAN PARKING LOT, Freeport, Me. (No hookups).
EAST QUODDY HEAD LIGHTHOUSE, Campobello, N.B. (Legally not allowed).

Camped 60 nights. 

Back to the Log

Wow, talk about baptizing a new season of traveling.....As we were leaving, we discovered a leaky pipe in the kitchen. Got it fixed. Fifteen minutes on the road and we got a pebble on the windshield. At the border, they confiscated four oranges. Funny, we bought Florida oranges in Canada, and upon returning to the States they were confiscated. Hope he choked on them!

Should we return home and try again? No way..we be on the road and gone.

H-mmm, early April and out destination now is Key West, the Panhandle and Loosiana (yes, Loosiana). Watch our roads! You do not even want to follow us in your camper, as we do not really care where we go to get to an eventual destination.

Made it to the rest area on I-81 around Nuangola, Pa. This is a great rest area, and a favorite for first night outs as we head south. Got down to West "By God. Virginia and then on from Cumberland, Md. to Morgantown, WV, fairly hilly and pretty. Slept at Lexington, Ky.

That Rt .62 parallel to the Blue Grass highway is a beauty of a ride. Wound up at a bourbon still, at Makers Mark. Enjoyed the visit. Nashville - Memphis and spent the night in back of a convenience store in Coldwater, Ms.

Now I am not a musician, but I appreciate my kind of good music, in most cases the Blues. We rolled into Clarksdale, Ms and I mean it was like asking Col. Sanders to baby-sit your chicks. I was delivered! Spent the day there and sadly the Ground Zero Blues Café had nothing going on that night. The museum was great and I added a few more CD's to my collection. Hey...blues, red beans 'n rice, Clarksdale, what else could you want?

A note here. I sort of plan an imaginary trip, which occasionally becomes a reality and I go on Google and bring up various places along these routes and see what's happening. This is how I found Makers Mark, Clarksdale and.......

The World Catfish Festival at Belzoni, Ms......we went!  As all good festivals, free overnight parking is a priority. This one is a class festival. There is the Catfish Festival at which music is virtual, crafts, food, history, shows and a nice down home thing. On the other side of the small town is the Afro-American Buffalo Festival at the same time. It too is worth the detour. Assisted at a show by Denise Lasalle, a blues singer. Got back to the Condo late! 

Jackson, Ms to Mobile to Pensacola and Panama City. Lost Huguette in a Michael's Craft Store.  Visited St. Andrew's State Park. Shall return when the winds die down and the red flag flies no more.

Finally flopped out on a beach, Treasure Island Beach, drove to Sanibel to visit "God of the Condos". He is responsable for the entire conception on the GMC Safari modifications that we are running. Wal-Mart at Naples.

Naples to Homestead to Key Largo. Tried out the air-boats. They are powered by 454 Chevvy motors and they can  boogie!

Key West........right now let me tell you that the southern Keys campground owners have the best eyesight in the world. From their campgrounds, they see you coming all the way from Largo! Indeed they see you coming. We hadn't paid any campgrounds since we left home, so the $58.00/night was not all that bad, considering. However it still was fifty-eight bucks. We could have slept at the K-Mart I imagine, but I noticed that homeless population all had nice bicycles.........need I say more? Great beaches, lousy swimming. Great pina coladas, great music and food....amen. Mallory Square was the place to be evenings.  The high point was our trip to Dry Tortugas....This is one fine place! Enjoyed the beach at Bahia Honda immensely. Returned to Key Largo and a trip aboard a glass bottom boat. Amazing. Bummed around S. Florida and after a night in Florida City Wal-Mart we headed north.

Just a word about Wal-Mart. Some of you are not Wal-Mart campers, some are. We use them often and we spend evenings browsing around and do all our food shopping there, have a coffee before retiring. We are self-contained, campgrounds are nice, but when traveling I do not need them often. Campgrounds are good if we will be in an area for any extended time. We enjoy  kicking back, now and then, just becoming friends with our chairs and watching the world go by. The showers and laundry are always welcomed, as well as a chance to re-charge our batteries.  Using Wal-Mart's facilites allows us to remain out on the road for a longer time....hey, isn't that what retirment is all about?

That said...........Hey we were in a Wal-Mart (LOL) lot and this old boy in a Class C was watching us. Finally he came over, removed the foot long cigar and offered "us little people"  (we have a Class B) two tickets for Tortugas that he had picked up someplace. I kindly refused as we were heading north and he mentioned his desire to play golf, having left Arizona to play golf in South Carolina. He also did not forget to mention how much he had paid for his rig, how much he spent on golf per year and then the Good Lord stepped in and found something else for him to do.....and we exalted Him.

Back on the road...Cut back across to the west coast and wound up at St. Pete's in my favorite campsite. Did some beaches and went over to Ocala for the night. Said the heck with it all and took off for Loosiana, via "Havana" north of Tallahassee. Wound up in the 23rd. St. Wal-Mart in Panama City. Made it to Ft. Walton Beach the next day and finally decided that although we enjoyed the beaches, we'd better get crackin' and drove through to Houma, La.

Bayou Lafourche....not to be missed!  I could immerse myself in the culture and traditions of south Louisiana, which I have learned and studied through my travels there, but I will not saturate your eyes. Well, I'll try to remain low-profile on the good times in South Loosiana anyway.

We stopped at the Tourist Office somewhere around Raceland  and the ladies there set us up, and even called around to get supplementary information. That weekend there was the annual spring Food Fest at Larose. This festival precedes the Crawfish Festival in Breaux Bridge, is on the same weekend at the Acadian Festival at Lafayette and is just before the Cajun Food Fest in New Iberia. So, you get the idea. If there is a weekend without a festival, they will invent one! You also have to understand that down there people do not eat beause they are hungry, they eat because it is GOOD.

We got into Larose and the person in charge told us to camp out back of the fairgrounds, there was electricity available and when we wanted to shower he would open up the school showers for us. Music and food and "laisser les bons temps rouler".
Lots of folks spoke to us in French, we made a lot of friends, and lost one....my doctor when he heard about my penchant for cracklins', boudin, roast pig, and mud bugs. We stayed there the entire weekend. Headed down the Bayou to Grand Isle. Lots of history around here, bought a book. Visited all around, Thibodeaux, Houma, and ....another festival at Laurel Valley. We just drove in, set up and went to sleep. No problem. New Iberia, Vermillionville at Lafayette. Mulates for Huguette's birthday. Camped at Scott at the KOA.....Yes, we paid a campground! Spent the weekend  at the Crawfish Festival at Breaux Bridge. At that Festival, Wal-Mart is closed and they rent out their parking lot for campers. These people know how to party! Two bandstands, thirty-eight groups in two days...and everyone danced. Caught another Festival at New Iberia. Backat the campgroundeveryone broke out their steamers and beer and hada crawfish party. We were invited to dine with some folks from Lafayette...crawfish bisque. Ahhhh man! Left there and visited some camper friends at Opelousas, slept in their driveway.

On the road again Lake Charles and Texas. Drove to Galveston Island just in time for "red flag" weather and Portuguese Man 'o Wars were in season. It was windy at the State Park there on the Island. Glaveston and The Strand is a neat place to visit.

You want mosquitos? People all over brag on their mosquitos, but as we crossed from the Sabine Pass to Holly Beach and through Cameron and Creole I had my windshield wipers going because of the mosquitos. It was like being back home and driving in a blizzard. 

Abbeville....Black's Oyster Bar.....don't let it pass by.

Headed for Baton "One-Way Streets" Rouge. got sidetracked by Mulate's where Huguette learned the "Two-Step". Turned around and headed to Alabama. Gulf Shores swimming was much more of a draw than Baton Rouge. Dolphin Island where we slept near the ferry landing.  Swam and headed east to Pensacola and the N.Ft. Walton Wal-Mart. Spentthe day at Destin and revised again and wound up in Panama City where we swam and slept.

Headed north....to Nashville, got tickets for the Grand Ol' Opry. Huguette fell in love with Brad Paisley and a few others. Free camping there if you know how to do it. 

Nashville to Kentucky to Zanesville, Oh. and on and on up to Burlington, Vt. and home.

Late June found us at an annual reunion of the Safari Condos near Sherbrooke, Qué. I gave  a conference on cheap travel. 

Early July and  we took off for places unknown, followed the winds and wound up at the Wal-Mart at Fredericton, N.B. Left the next morning and crossed the Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island. Now this place is a kind of hidden attraction. found cheese factories, restaurants featuring local  fare. You like seafood, this is THE place. You will have a gastronomical orgasm over their chowders and this one place north of Summerside that specializes in Seaweed Pie.....with real seaweed.....Good? AHHHH, awesome. At the lighthouse at North Rustico, at the end of the road is a neat little restaurant at which we a fish chowder that would make Emeril jealous. Went to a festival, fiddling and accordians, slept on a beach, along with four other campers. Returned home.

Did a weekend at a Milk Festival and  then into Vermont to Willoughby Lake. White Caps Campground at the southern tip of the lake....and the beach at the second bay is worthy of mention.

*** My Icons:

  Makers Mark, near Bardstown, Ky.; World Catfish Festival, Belzoni & Clarksdale, Ms.; Dry Tortugas, Ft. Walton & Destin, Fl; Bayou Lafourche, Food Fest, Larose, Crawfish Fest, Breaux Bridge, Black's at Abbeville, Opelousas, and the Scott KOA in La. North Cape, P.E.I.; Lake Willoughby, Vt.

Some good campgrounds: 

GALVESTON ISLAND STATE PARK, Galveston, Tx.
KOA, Scott, La.
WHITE CAPS CAMPGROUND, Charleston, Vt.

Camping: 70 nights

Back to the Log

Another season, as we left at 10:30 on March 17th. for some place warm. Nothing new on this usual route that we take. slept over at the Nuangola Rest Area south of Wilkes-Barre.

Fed up with the Interstates ,we got off at Harrisonburg, Va. and took secondary routes all the way through West Virginia and Tennessee where we stopped over at Franklin to visit Andrée's in-laws. Next day on to Memphis, and then on to Lexington, Ky. where we finally jumped onto the I_40 to cross the Mississippi to Arkansas. In Arkansas around Ozark we found a very small area of wine country. The wine was GOOD!. Boston Mountains.

On to Oklahoma. Slept in Sallisaw. Dutch Oven Cookoff in Norman. Grand Ol' Opry in Okie City. Huguette fell in love with Brad Paisley. Slept in Yukon.

Amarillo Welcome Center and spent the night. Steakhouse across the road. Not bad at all. Headed out for Palos Duras Canyon the next day. Charles Goodnight's old ranch.  Really neat place, not too many campers at the end of March. Hiking. Wound up eventually in Roswell, N.M.  Lots of rigs here  at Walmart's from Sask., Alberta & B.C.

Ruidoso, really nice place and with an altitude of 6900'. White Sands.....Beautiful beach but the tide is out. A place to use up a roll of film. Slept at Las Cruces, N.M. I had heard about Truth or Consequences and the hot springs there. To tell the truth, they can keep their springs. We did find a decent one though and it was a nice experience. We shall repeat it again. Hatch, N.M..truly a place to visit if you are a chile fan. We did, and did not regret it. Wound up at Silver City, N.M. and had the pleasure of visiting the Gila Cliff Dwellers. While there we walked the Catwalk at Glenwood. Salt River Canyon, wow!

Attended our first chili cookoff, at Scottsdale, Az. Botannical Gardens at Phoenix is well worth the time. A few days later we were in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. This place is something and we could have spent a week there, easily. Went to Saguaro and the Desert Museum which was very interesting. Slept in Tucson where we went to the crafts expo. Excellent show.  Headed down to Nogales, and spent a good while in the historic Tubac, Az. Went across to Mexico and bought vanilla. Tombstone  and the OK Corral. Makes you want to be a cowboy. Actually there were no cowboys there as it was a mining town. Death by Chocolate...followed by  tour of Boot Hill.

North of Lordsburg, N.M. we found hot springs in the middle of nowhere.....Really a terrific way to spend a late afternoon. Slept at Las Cruces, N.M. Supper on the mountainside overlooking El Paso, Tx. Juarez, Mex. where we heard a musician singing Jambalaya in Spanish. McDonald Observatory, Tx.! YESSS! Big Bend.....What a place!  Big Bend was a nice few days off to catch up. Slept in the Rio Grande Village. Finally had to get going and we headed out to Corpus where we caught a rodeo. Riverwalk in San Antonio. Headed north to Gruene and took off for Loosiana.

Louisiana is where you eat and party. We did both. Really enjoyed our stay, as always. 

Back on the road to Dauphin Is. Al. to Pensacola after a day at Gulf Shores. Spent time aroundFt. Walton, Destin and  celebrated Huguette's birthday at the Coach 'n Four Steakhouse in N. Ft. Walton before getting to Panama City. Spent time on Shell Island, and camped at St. Andrews State Park. Beach lunch..bottle of water and a grapefruit each. After bumming around the beaches we headed north to Tallahassee.

Headed north even further through Georgia and South Carolina, and tornado watches and warnings. Terminated this part of thetrip at Virginia Beach where we spent a week with our daughter.

On our way homewe took the Plantation Route to around Richmond. Wilkes-Barre, Pa. and somehow to Newport, Vt.

Had our annual rally at St-Joseph-de-Beauce.  Always fun with that bunch.

We left here with no idea where we were going. Finally went across the St. Lawrence and headed east to Charlevoix Co. and went inland at St. Siméon. Wound up in the Old Port of Chicoutimi for the night. Next day, Ste. Rose-du-Nord, a truly pleasant visit. Returned home the next day.

A week later, off to the Gaspé Peninsula. The trick here is not to be in a hurry. Bring your camera and if you are brave, your bathing suit. At Ste. Flavie, the gateway, we slept in the parking lot, much to the disenchantment of the employees. The Matapedia Valley is a nice drive. Carlton and New Richmond are nice stops and we spent the night in Bonaventure. The cod fishing museum at Paspebiac is an excellent choice for spending the afternoon. Cap d'Espoir and L'Anse-à-Beau-Fils are two places we camped. Bonaventure Island was well worth the time, even though we had to leave from Percé. Gaspé and Parc Forillon. Now THIS is a park! Kayak, fishing, hiking camping. YES! Ran into soem friends at l'Anse-à-Valleau at the marina. Small world. Met them again  at the Cap Desrosiers Lighthouse. Rain...drove to St. Jean-Port-Joli and spent the night in a rest area. Home again.

In November we went to Norwich, Vt. for a cooking course at the King Arthur Flour Co.. I hiked the local section of the Appalachian Trail. We both had a good time.

*** My Icons:  

Pepper Pot Restaurant, Hatch, N.M.; Rt.152 between Truth or Consequences and Silver City, N.M.; Organ Pipe Cactus Nat'l Monument, Az.; Tombstone, Az.; Old Mesilla, Las Cruces, N.M.; Chisos Basin, Big Bend; Joe Cotton's  BBQ, north of Corpus, near Kingsville Tx.; Rita Mae's Restaurant, Morgan City, La.; Café des Amis, Breaux Bridge, La.; Shell Is. Panama City, Fl.; Ste. Rose-du-Nord, P.Q.;

 Some good campgrounds:

  Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Canyon, Tx.
Organ Pipe Cactus Nat'l Monument, Az.; 
Rio Grande Village, Big Bend, Tx.
KOA, Scott, La.

Camped 79 nights

                                          Back To The Log

Started the season in early April heading south to Virginia. did a stopover in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania for three days. It is sort of half way between here and Portsmouth, our destination. VisitedSmithfield, Va. the ham capital. Went fishing, caught a mess of croakers. Have to work on finding an alternate route for the 87 => 84 => 81 => 17 can get very boring. Definitely NOT the 95!  Stayed a week and came home just in time to put away the winter garage.

Off again in early June for North Easton, Massachusetts. Went down through Beauce Co. which is always a nice ride. Jackman, Me. has not changed since 1922 when they opened the Four Seasons Restaurant. Met a German couple in Bean's parking lot. They  brought their rig over and were en route for Newfoundland. Got to Stonehill in time for my brother's 25th anniversary of priesthood.  Visited Jamestown, R.I. Slept at Gloucester, Ma. Went home from there after stopping at Freeport one more time.

Left for Virginia in the second week of July....now THAT was a mistake which we will not repeat. Went down through Vermont instead of the 87 in N.Y. On our way we stopped in N.J. and took the train to Philadelphia. Spent a day at  St. Michaels, Md. We shall return there for sure.  Swam at Assateague, saw the wild horses. Fished at Virginia Beach. Fished at Lynnhaven Inlet. Traffic would make Ripley's Believe It Or Not in the Norfolk area. Returning, we found a peach U-Pik in Williamstown, Va. and we visited my cousin in Harrisburg and the next day Hershey, Pa. Great trip. Brought back peaches, nectarines, bluefish and books.

Laid around all sumer but finally got it together for a Labor Day Weekend at St-Roch-des-Aulnaies with brother-in-law and wife. Not bad.....found some good cheeses, won a horseshoe tournament much to the disliking of the seasonal campers. Great campfires after sundown, the kind that you converse softly with a bottle of wine and let the coals get dark. Woke up the next morning to very high winds. Good time was had by all.

Then to cap off a relatively inactive season we headed downeast to Nova Scotia. Slept in Amherst, N.S. Didn't know that Hurricane Nicole was coming up the coast. Halifax at the waterfront is neat. Lots to visit and see, it is  hangout. Fell asleep at Peggy's Cove to the  sound of crashing waves. Really a treat. Sou'wester Restaurant is a good place to quench anything you might have. Left for Lunenburg. Now here is a place that caught my eye and soul. The Fisheries Museum is special. Spent the night in the parking lot. Mahone Bay which is someplace along the Lighthouse Route is worth the stop. The rains started while in Liverpool. It didn't rain, it poured in sheets pushed by the winds. We were camped out by the lighthouse and the Condo-on-Wheels was fairly shaking in the wind. We finally decided to try a tamer place fopr the night and wound up at the Hank Snow Museum, where it was falling just as heard. but at least there were no trees around. Weather report was bad, so we headed back to Peggy's cove to savour the flavour of the wind-pushed salt spray and we loved it!

Headed home (snif-snif). Up on Rt. 2 at Ecomony, N.S., we found The Dutch Farm....and cheese. It rained all the way home!

Last call.......Went down to Wilkes-Barre for Thanksgiving. Rained all the way almost. I-84 huge backups. Left W-B and slept over in Stratford, Ct. NYC the next day. Came back and headed north. Wal-Mart at East Windsor, Ct. Arrived home, the next day we had a snow storm. Season is over.

*** MY ICONS:

St. Michaels, Md; Captain's Galley Restaurant, Crisfield, Md; Lynnhaven Inlet, Va.; Peggy's Cove, N.S; Fisheries Museum, Lunenburg, N.S; The Dutch Farm, Economy, N.S.

Camped 46 Nights