The Long Road Home

Sunday: (08/25) Up early and prepared to roll away by 0800. We headed South on I87 to Albany then West on 17, I81 then I86. We stopped about every 2 hours for a walk. About 1400 Lou was driving and hit a swarm of bees. What a mess. Almost couldn’t see out the windshield. We pulled into a rest stop and cleaned the bees and their honey off the windshield, somewhat. Some honey remained. We continued on and stopped for the night at another rest area near Owego, NY, about 1630. We completed 310 miles today. Leftovers for lunch. Toast and soup for dinner. (GPS: 42.0914202,-76.2718318)

 

Monday: (08/26) We got onto the road at 0430 this morning. W had to pull to the side of the road almost immediately because the heavy fog was frosting the windshield. I ran the windshield wipers which immediately made a minor visibility problem a major problem. Not all the honey was off the windshield or wipers. I wiped the windshield again as well as the wiper blades. I was afraid to run the wipers all day so we were lucky we didn’t have rain until later in the day. When we had a good shower later, I pulled off the freeway and ran the wipers which worked well and the windshield was clean. We stopped a couple of times for breaks and even a two hour break for lunch while I took a nap. 427 miles completed today. We stopped at a Walmart in Fremont, OH, for the night. Our microwave died before lunch today so we bought a cheap one at this Walmart. My 10# lifting limit delays and or changes lots of our activities. We had salads for lunch and some shrimp fettuccine for dinner. (GPS: 41.373863, -83.117782)

Tuesday: (08/27) Granola and banana for breakfast. I tried some almond milk with mine. We waited to leave until after 0800 so we could mail some things at the Post Office. We continued through Ohio on non toll roads. Highway 6, 24, 30, 49, I94, and I80. We stopped in Warsaw for lunch (German potato salad and chicken) and a nap in Plymouth. 356 miles today. We stopped for the night at Starved Rock State Park, North Utica, Il. Lou made some salmon rice for dinner.
(GPS: 41.306650, -88.976047)

 

Wednesday: (08/28) Two more states behind us. We were up at 0650 and rolling a little after 0800. Granola and banana for breakfast. We were back on I80 all day. We stopped for lunch and for me to attend my webinar. Leftover salmon and rice for lunch. Dinner at the Cracker Barrel Restaurant in Omaha, Ne. We continued on a few miles more to the Melia Hill Rest Stop West of Omaha in Gretna, NE where we stopped for the night. (GPS: 41.084003, -96.275537)

 

Thursday: (08/29) Fish with yellow squash and Brussels sprouts for breakfast. Lou and Dawn made chicken and vegetable stew which we dad over rice for dinner. We drove across Nebraska today. We stopped at Cabela's store #1 in Sydney, Nebraska for a stretch. We got to see the 2019 MVPA Transcontinental Motor Convoy, the 100th anniversary of the first motor Convoy across the US. Washington DC to San Francisco. In Cheyenne, we stopped to see my nephew and his wife and son. We then drove up the mountain on Hwy 80 and spent the night at the Lincoln Memorial rest stop. (GPS: 41.237640,-105.434919)

 

 

Friday: (08/30) We were up early before six and on the road shortly thereafter. About 0800 we stopped and had leftovers for breakfast and took showers at a reststop. In Evanston, Wy we had Chopped chicken salads for lunch. I took a nap at another rest stop. When i woke up, Lou sent me over to a couple with a dead battery on their 4Runner. i got out my little lithium battery jump starter and it started them up nicely. This was the second time I've used it  and neither was for our car, but it has tested out well and should be ready when/if needed. We made 521 miles today and stopped for the night at a KOA in Wendover, Nevada. Baked beans and bread for dinner. (GPS; 40.736380,-114.067450)

Saturday: (08/31) We enjoyed the showers in the KOA RV Park, had granola for breakfast then pulled out and headed back onto Hwy I80. We stopped in Elko to get some gas. I made a wrong turn heading to the station but saw a Burger King. Since I’ve had to modify my diet eliminating beef, I’ve been craving a hamburger. I got one of BQ’s Impossible Burgers, an all plant substitute for beef. I had it dry with a touch of sriracha sauce and it was excellent. We browsed the C.A.L Ranch Store next door. I found some of my western shirts there. Lou did most of the driving today. We stopped for lunch at The Pig BBQ in Winnemucca. We made it to Reno by 1600 and while Lou and Dawn browsed a thrift store, I got the RV filled with gas. Since it was over 90 degrees and a holiday weekend with all the RV parks filled, we headed for the cooler mountain elevations. We stopped for the night at the Donner Pass Rest Stop. Salads for dinner. (GPS: 39.342355, -120.3400319)

 

Sunday: (09/01) Up at 0600. Apple and peanut butter for breakfast. We showered and then continued on Highway 80 to Sacramento. We stopped at a Lowe’s store there to get cooler pads, which are difficult to find in our usually cool area. We arrived home just before noon and went to the Corner Bakery for chopped salads for lunch. I set up the RV and drained the tanks. Lou prepared our cooler for use. I relaxed in the afternoon looking over my mail.

Our trip since 1/19/19 was 10,031 miles in length, shorter than it would have been if we had stayed out through October.

Trip Interrupted

Friday: (08/23) We had sausage and eggs for breakfast. Lou made me go to the hospital to get my breathing problem checked. The Adirondack Medical Center in Lake Placid was just five miles away. They determined I had angina and sent me by ambulance to Champlain Valley (CVPH) Emergency Care Center in Plattsburgh for further checks. After the nice 70 minute ride I was rolled into the Cath Clinic and within 30 minutes they were doing the test and installed a stint in one artery that was 99% blocked. Must be why pushing Lou around in the wheelchair was so difficult. No symptoms except a pressure on my chest with exertion. I had a nice early dinner in my room. Meanwhile, Lou was busy locating a way to get our RV out of the park we were in. Our space was reserved by others tonight. She got a reference from KOA for a towing company that could drive it to the hospital parking lot.
(GPS: 44.70198, -73.47364)

Saturday: (08/24) Nice wake up visit at 0530 to draw blood and another EKG. Excellent breakfast at 0830, not at all like any previous hospital food. I was discharged at 1100 from the hospital. I have now, finally joined the everyday pill crowd. After receiving a lecture that will eliminate all pleasure from eating I was discharged. We went out to lunch at the Chopping Block Restaurant nearby that was recommended by my nurse. My next pleasure was a shower.  We spent the rest of the day camped in the hospital parking lot. We had dinner at the hospital cafe and spent the evening watching videos.

Lake Placid And The Adirondacks

Wednesday: (08/21) Lou made a nice sausage egg and potatoes breakfast. We prepared to roll after showers. We were off about 0920 on I93 heading North. Then onto I91, Hwy 58. After Lowel, Vt Hwy 58 dwindles into a gravel road. We saw a sign that said Your GPS is wrong, go back. We didn’t. We continued for a couple of miles until I pulled over to let a pickup pass. He stopped beside us and ask” You’re not taking that through the notch are you.” He explained that the road was very narrow and windy ahead. We disconnected the toad and turned around and reconnected and returned to Highway 100 turned North then onto 101 then 105. Highway 105 parallels the border with Canada. We then took Highway 78 crossing Lake Champlain and into New York state within spitting distance to the border at Rouses Point, NY. Vermont was a quick visit as we drove through today. About 1300 we stopped at a market to shop. Dawn was expecting a call then and I had a webinar. We were back on the road at 1400. We took I87, We stopped at 1600 to wait for another phone call then on to Hwy 384 then hwy 3 to our campsite at Meadowbrook State Campground. With the office closed, we found a vacant site for the night and reserved it for another night online. We went into Lake Placid for a Chinese dinner. (GPS: 44.298129, -74.075138)

Thursday: (08/22) Leftovers for breakfast. I visited the office and paid for our stay here last night. We went to the Old John Brown Farm near lake placid. He is the namesake of the song about him during the Civil War, a white abolitionist that led a raid to get arms for slaves so they could free other slaves. After that we visited the Visitor Bureau in Lake Placid for info about the area. Lunch at the Asian Buffet in Saranac Lake. I made reservations for us at Macomb Reservation, another New York State Park for Friday and Saturday. There were no spaces here at Meadowbrook. We went to downtown Lake Placid and walked the street. Very good. Leftovers for dinner.

 

 

 

 

Cog Railroad

Monday: (08/19) We awoke to our house batteries being dead so no lights, AC, and the fridge was off as well. Last night we tripped the pedestal breaker but evidently the inverter breaker also tripped. Again, the inverter kept everything else on until the battery died during the night. I need to setup better alarms. Granola and banana for breakfast. We drove around exploring a little later in the morning and early afternoon. We went to the Mt Washington Cog Railroad base station. We had tickets for the 1530 train. We enjoyed our ride up and down on the old cog railroad. This is one of the steepest (37%) and shortest (2mi) railroads in existence. The clouds were covering the top of the mountain and there was a strong wind so the views weren’t good nor pleasant. We had ham sandwiches for lunch at home. Salads for dinner.

 

 

 

Tuesday: (08/20) Breakfast at Munroe’s Restaurant. We took a drive today south of our home looking at thrift and book stores. Dinner at Fiesta Jalisco in Conway. Lou and Dawn enjoyed a campfire as I explored our route possibilities online.

Mt Washington Cog RR And The White Mountains

Sunday: (08/18) We prepared to roll after our leftover French toast and sausage for breakfast. We continued toward the White Mountains and the Mt Washington Cog RR. On highways 3, 202, 133, 219, 26, 2, 115, and 3 again. Nice windy country roads. We did fine until we turned off of highway 2 onto a road Google recommended. The road went about ½ mile and then the pavement ended onto a nice gravel road. We opted to reverse course and return to the highway and continue to a better road. We had a nice chat with the residents of the house at the end of the street and obviously provided some entertainment as we disconnected the Jeep and turned the RV and the Jeep around and reconnected. Before we departed, we had lunch there. We called ahead to the Twin Mountain Motor Court & RV Park in Carroll, NH and confirmed they had space for us. We settled in about 1400 and will be here for three nights. A relaxing afternoon then out to dinner at Munroe's Restaurant across the street. Really surprize by the absolute best chicken fried steak dinner yet. Handmade steak, roasted veggies, and garlic potatoes that tasted of garlic. (GPS: 44.268338, -71.559322)

Today, we passed through Woodstock, Maine and are just a few miles from Woodstock, New Hampshire tonight. Unfortunately, neither is in New York so we have to miss the fiftieth anniversary of the Woodstock concert. So we'll have to settle for the wind through the trees here in the White Mountains and listen to this tribute song, "Once Upon A Time," by the Mona Lisa Twins with John Sebastian. He was a member of one of the original concert groups, The Loving Spoonfuls.
https://youtu.be/y7K9AfYCXis?t=332

Lake St George State Park Maine

Saturday: (08/17) French toast and sausage for breakfast. We prepared to roll after dumping our tanks. Left the RV park about 1030. We stopped in Ellsworth at Walmart to fill our drinking water and get a few things. We also stopped by the auto club for some maps and guides. Then we drove the back roads to the town of Castine, Maine. Dawn wanted to see the town and the house of author Katharine Butler Hathaway. We had lunch at the Variety Cafe and walked around the town and examined the Historical Society museum. Then we were back on the road. Somehow most of the day was gone. We headed West on Highway 3 stopping at the Lake St George State Park for the night. We had vegetable soup and chicken for dinner before a nice campfire. (Gps: 44.397197, -69.347320)

 

Bar Harbor And Acadia NP

Sunday: (08/11) Leftover muffin from Famous Dave’s for breakfast. We got an early start heading up highway 1 for a while then onto I295 then a few other minor roads including onto Highway 1 and 3. We stopped at a flea market in Searsport and had lunch at Just Barb’s along highway 1. We finished lunch about 1245 and then headed on to Hadley’s Point Campground, our new home. We relaxed in camp the rest of the day. Lou made gnocchi and meatballs for dinner. An evening campfire finished the day. (GPS: 44.440255, -68.313280)

 

Monday: (08/12) I made pancakes and sausage for breakfast. We headed off for the day in Bar Harbor walking the village and shoreline. We enjoyed lunch at Peekytoe Provisions, nice fish tacos. Laer we drove down to Northeast Harbor and bought tickets for a cruise tomorrow morning. On the way home we bought a few things at walmart. A nice spinach salad for dinner followed by a campfire. We had to duck under our awning a couple of times for showers then returned to our fire.

 

Tuesday: (08/13) Leftover pancakes and sausage for breakfast. We drove down to Northeast Harbor and took a boat tour around the Cranberry Islands. Ranger Lacey provided the narrative on our voyage. It was about a tour boat trip with a 45 minute visit on Little Cranberry Island. There was a little museum on the island. After our cruise we had a picnic lunch as we looked over the marina. We then drove to Main Street and looked at some of the shops there. We returned home at about 1700 and Lou and Dawn prepared dinner of pork chops, finger potatoes, broccoli, and baked apples. Yum! We have new noisy neighbors today. Hopefully only a short stay.

 

 

 

Wednesday: (08/14) Lou made French toast and sausage for breakfast. We drove over to the visitor center and to the top of Cadillac Mountain. Nice views on the mountain because it's the tallest mountain on the coast. We had a picnic lunch on top. After that we drove through the park stopping at an arboretum in Northeast Harbor. We then drove by the shore of Somes Sound on our way back home. Leftovers for dinner

 

 

 

Thursday: (08/15) Granola and banana for breakfast. Lou and Dawn went out to do the laundry in the morning. I was busy labeling and organizing my photos. When they got back, we all went to lunch at the Log Cabin Restaurant. When we got home I worked on posting photos for the last three months on the blog. We drove down to the beach near camp. It would be good for launching a kayak. For dinner we enjoyed some pork with sauerkraut and potatoes that I put in the slow cooker this morning. Dawn made some prune dark chocolate pudding cake for desert. We had a campfire in the evening.

Friday: (08/16) I fried up the leftover pork with sauerkraut and potatoes and added a diced ham steak to make hash for breakfast. It started raining after breakfast. Lou and Dawn decided to stay home today. About noon I headed off for a drive and a hike on the western side of the island today. I drove Highway 102 and 102A and returned. I hiked the Ship Harbor Trail at the bottom of the peninsula. It was only 1.3 miles but the views were great and it was nice to get out for a walk. I picked up a nice cookie for a snack in Tremont. Unfortunately for Lou and Dawn I returned earlier than they hoped about 1530. I had some leftovers for a snack on my return. Lou made som shrimp and noodles for dinner. We all enjoyed a fire at one of our neighbors sites and swapped RV tours.