On The Road Again

End of the 2010 Camping year

2011-12-12T14:04:00.000-05:00

We picked up the camper at TC Warehouse on Friday after a Bill fixed a mystery heat problem with the Chalet double slide. Turned out the original install had one of the heat ducts so close to a pipe that when the hot air expanded the duct, it pinched the heat off!! Bill rebuilt it and now the bed area is toasty warm. He also figured out a way to extend the dump valve so it was easier to get to. Joe was having to crawl under the camper to reach the pipe to attach the sewer hose - never fun. Bill built this -

I forgot to close the grey and black water valves off before we left so yes that is water in the elbow. Normally the pipe will be dry until you dump waters. All is now drained and winterized. The new extension to the sewer pipe will come off easily with three screws and a hose clamp. Nice addition.

Time to put it away and are we ever lucky not to be buried in snow. We thought we'd have an indoor place to store this year but that fell through. Joe wanted more support for long term storage so picked up these six ton jacks from Harbor Freight. 2X4 fits perfectly in the grooves at the top of the jack.

The jack legs are down also but the weight of the camper is now shared by the yellow jacks for more stability in snow load.

Getting older is not fun especially going up on a ladder to put the cover on. We need to "borrow" the kids down the road next year. The ADCO cover didn't fit of course but we had expected that. It was originally bought for the Lance 1121 and fit perfectly. It was too baggy on the Host and way too small for the Chalet. Also has lots of duct tape on it but covers about 2/3 of the camper. Finished it off with a tarp all bungy corded down. Hey - we live in the woods so it's not a fashion statement.

Sad to see it go away but we'll be planning for next years travels.

Rally time on the Maine coast

2011-11-14T18:31:00.000-05:00

North East Truck Camper Rally at Recompence Shores Campground, Freeport, Maine November 10-13, 2011

It was a wonderful rally but it will go down in the annals as the "mud bowl". We camp on a loop road known as West Bay and normally put campers on both sides of the road in the fields. Here is the lonely road waiting for campers.

Joe and I got there early morning, set up and enjoyed a cloudy, but warm morning.

After two weeks of perfect Maine fall weather with high sun and warm weather, it of course rained Thursday. As our wood dealer arrived with a half cord of dry wood it started to sprinkle. As Mikeeeee arrived with his trailer it started to rain. It didn't just rain, it poured harder and harder as campers started to arrive. Fortunately four other truck camper couples arrived in time to help get Mike's big 20x30' tent up just ahead of the deluge. The tent sounded like a drum but we were warm, dry and sat around and swapped tales. Sure glad we're a frequent patron of the LL Bean outlet store and have a collection of mud, rain and snow boots. Here's Joe and Mike gathered around the coffee trying to get dry again. It was a remarkably warm weekend.

By evening twelve rigs had arrived, appetizers and drinks were shared. We all had on our tallest mud boots as the rain was coming under the tent like a river. Only one camper had a roof leak and a plastic table cloth over the bed let them make it through the night.

Friday dawned with thick clouds but only sprinkles. This is a New England size campfire with some hearty coffee drinkers up early to start the day. These TCers are from Maine, Quebec, NH and MA. Furthest away this time was near Gettysburg, PA.

During the day, many people went back into Freeport to shop LL Bean and the other outlet stores, visit the micro breweries and lobster restaurants. I took a SUV full of knitters up to Bath, ME to one of my favorite places, Halycon Yarns on Friday (and then to Purl Diva in Brunswick on Saturday) . Joe and Mike kept the fire stoked.

By evening we had 24 truck campers parked along the fields. No one sank but we were spread out a lot further than usual as people looked for the highest ground. This is total boondock so we park anywhere regardless of the usual camping slots. Again we gathered for drinks and appetizers. This year we did a scotch tasting. Thanks campers for sharing your special blends and to Hodag for the legal white lighting. Special thanks to Mariann for very unusual, delicious appetizers.

Saturday dawned warm and sunny.

Recompence is part of Wolfe Neck Farm, a 650 acre salt water farm. There are great hiking trails back into the woods, along the estuary and out into the clam flats. Wolfe Neck State Park is a half mile away and has a lot of old growth pines, eagle and osprey nests and more walking trails. Many of our campers spent the day out exploring these areas. Here are some getting that last drop of coffee before heading out.

It's a lot of fun to camp with fellow truck campers. Here's the group though not all are in the photos. I kept so busy I didn't get as many photos as usual.

Did I say mud?

Saturday night sunset was beautiful.

We gathered for a pot luck supper which lasted for hours with great food, talk and sharing places to go. Mikeee went over what the North East Truck Camper Jamboree will be doing for gatherings next year. Most of us will start out by going to the Mid-Atlantic Truck Camper gathering in VA in mid-April.

Sunday morning is our traditional "men cook, women eat" breakfast. Mike's trailer holds a lot of griddles and warming trays so the guys get busy. How do you power it all? Honda 2000s which come from lots of campers.

Sadly we watched the truck campers all depart. Mikeee, Cathie, Joe and I stayed until the firewood was gone, enjoying the fall warmth and the beautiful view over Casco Bay. Recompence is one of those magic places, mud and all. We'll do it again next November and hope more of you can join us.

Truck Camper Gathering - fall in Maine

2011-10-25T21:49:00.000-04:00

Time to enjoy a fall gathering on the ocean in Maine -

Update to North-East Truck Camper Late Fall Campout - Recompence Campground, Freeport, Maine.

See below for the original information. We met with the campground manager last week and he is delighted to have our group back again. The dump station and big trash container will be available for our use. Many of you will be arriving after dark so come to the campsite on West Bay rather than try to register at the office. We will have registration forms at the campsite tent and will take them with your check or cash to the manager.

For those of you who have not been to this campground before, take a look at this coordinate on Google Earth N43° 49.45' W70° 4.47'. That point of land is West Bay where we will camp.

Directions to get to Recompence Campground (Wolf's Neck Farm) from Freeport:

Most of you will be coming north into Maine on I-95. If you are interested in stopping at Cabela's it is just off Exit 42 but cannot be seen from the road. We take Exit 52 which will be marked Falmouth. This spur loops around to I-95. Take Exit 22 off of I-295 which is marked Freeport and turn left at end of the exit ramp. At the first traffic light, Harraseeket Inn is dead ahead of you. Take a right. Go less than half a mile and take a left onto Bow Street. You will have passed the post office, Azure Cafe and be at the main LL Bean building as you turn onto Bow Street. Bow Street/Flying Point Road continues for 2.33 miles. Turn right onto Wolf's Neck Road. At 1.65 miles turn left onto Burnett Road which is a dirt road. At .5 (one half) mile turn right onto the road leading to West Bay. This small dirt road is at the top of a rise right after you have crossed a one lane wooden bridge and yes the bridge will hold your camper weight. Have faith! Less than a third of a mile on this secondary dirt road you will see the camp site. This little dirt road dead ends so just keep coming. If you arrive late at night, park anywhere near the other truck campers and we'll get you set in the morning.

Activities:

Relax and socialize

Go into Freeport to holiday shop

Mike has offered to show you how to winterize your camper if you have not done so before. Bring two gallons of RV antifreeze.

If you have not taken your camper off/on your truck by yourself yet we will help you learn to do so.

The scotch drinkers among us are going to hold a scotch tasting. If you drink scotch, bring a bottle to share and a shot glass.

Meals, etc.

We usually do drinks and appetizers around 5PM Thursday and Friday evenings.

Pot luck dinner is Saturday around 6PM. Bring a dish to share and your own plates/utensils.

Sunday is group breakfast. Bring something for the guys to cook up - eggs, muffins, bacon, etc.

We do not have a check out time on Sunday so stay and relax as long as you wish. Looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new.

=======================

Who: North-East Truck Campers and friends

What: Fall Dry Camping to close out our camping year

When: Thursday, November 10, 2011 - Sunday, November 13, 2011

Where: Recompence Shore Campground, Wolfe's Neck Farm, Burnett Road, Freeport, Maine

N43° 49.45' W70° 4.47'

Why: To enjoy a late fall gathering by the ocean

Our informal Truck Camper gathering at Recompence Shore Campground, Freeport, Maine is set for Thursday, November 10 - Sunday, November 13, 2011. The views off of the bay front are just spectacular - Maine at its best. See the campground web site at http://www.freeportcamping.com/. This is a total dry camp for those of you wanting to test your solar power and generators. You will be able to run generators occasionally to keep the batteries topped off. There is a dump station by the office and a pit toilet near where we camp.

The campground manager has agreed to a rate of $15 per night. The campground is closed except for walk ins and those who wish to winter camp. We'll be on the West Bay water front across from the Hay Field (see map on the web site).

If you are unsure about coming or do not want to pre-register, I will have signup forms at the shelter tent on West Bay. You can fill out there and pay by check or cash. Joe/I will take them to the office. If your dog comes (they are welcome), you need a copy of your rabies certificate. Dogs must be leashed at all times.

Recompense Shore is only 5.17 miles from LL Bean plus about 100 shops, pubs, BBQ, etc. in Freeport. There is a United Maine Craftsmen juried crafts fair in Augusta, ME about an hour away on Saturday and Sunday. Details at http://www.unitedmainecraftsmen.com. We'll do a pot luck on Saturday night and do our usual sharing of drinks and appetizers on Thursday and Friday. Traditionally we also do a group breakfast on Sunday morning. Mikeee has graciously agreed to bring his tent and space heater so we will have a shelter if needed. Joe and I will provide a pickup load of firewood. DO NOT bring wood with you as imported wood is no longer allowed in Maine.

This gathering is low key with no planned seminars, raffles, etc. We spend lots of time sitting around the campfire, swapping tales of places we've been and want to go. Bring your winter coat and boots as it can get a bit nippy. We'll keep our fingers crossed for a late Indian Summer. Beautiful place, good TC friends and any of their camper friends - a great way to close out the North East camping season for most of us.

Anne and Joe Brown email: TwoMaineiacs2@yahoo.com

Hot time at the Balloon Festival!

2011-07-25T20:29:00.000-04:00

This photo says it all for the past weekend. It was HOT HOT HOT.

Twenty one truck campers and one travel trailer showed up for the South County RI Balloon Festival held at the University of RI at Kingston RI. Did I say it was HOT?

We started setting up about Friday noon after driving down from Maine. We forget what real traffic is like, meaning Route 95 skirting Boston, Providence, etc. Just get in a lane, don't pay attention to the "gestures" as they whip by and know they don't have the fun ahead of them we do nor their houses with them.

By evening we were lined up in two facing rows, with tents for sun cover, tables for a pot luck, grills, coolers, etc. etc. As dusk arrived, the balloons started to go up. Beautiful colors on the silks and so surreal when the propane fires and the balloon lights up.

The weather was not misty. The camera had been in the camper where the generator was keeping the AC cranking away. The camera lenses was colder than outside and it took a long time for the fog to go away when it came out.

We had two campers new to the group show up. This camper built sturdy wooden stairs with a railing for his wife who is handicapped. The steps were the object of much awe.

The steps are jointed and come apart into individual boards for easy storage. Both couples were a lot of fun and we "old" campers hope they return.

Saturday was not as hot, only about 96F (ouch) and the evening cooled enough so we were able to open windows (and Heiki hatches) and sleep well. Pot luck was a blast with lots of tales told of camping adventures. After Sunday breakfast to rival a Denny's Grand Slam we all took off to go back to reality. We're so lucky in the North East to have TCers willing to keep attending our gatherings and new folks join us each time.

Cool as a Moose? Yeap - he's finally happy to be back in Maine where it is currently 64F. YES!

Fourth of July in Salem MA

2011-07-05T17:31:00.000-04:00

Flying the flags!

A few of us met up at Fort Pickering, Winter Harbor next to Salem, MA. Hot? Yes! but there was a good breeze most of the weekend. The campground messed up Mike's set aside sites so we ended up doubling/tripling up on the power panels. A good time was had by all, lots of talk of places been and places to go, way too much good food and a few adult beverages thrown in. The fireworks went off in spite of a late afternoon thunderstorm.

Mike's new trailer is working out great, much easier for him to share those tables, tents and grills. He cooked a 20+ pound beef roast one night with breakfast each morning. Joe acted as sous chef as usual. Here they are trying to figure out what gets cooked next.

Next meet up is at a hot air balloon festival in Rhode Island. Fingers crossed and insurance paid in case a balloon basket lands on the camper!

Wandering the coast of Maine into NB

2011-06-21T16:34:00.000-04:00

Quick getaways are sometimes the best, those unplanned excursions that turn out to be picture perfect. Instead of staying home and waiting for the excavator (who know says maybe July 13th) we headed up the coast of Maine for some R&R.

Some trips work out, some trips don't like our recent planned one to Alaska. Camden ME has turned into tourism central and at times it is almost impossible to park a VW bug much less a TC. First piece of luck for the day - a back street parking place that we could just pull in and then pull out with no parking skills involved. Off we walked over to Cappy's Chowder House which is a local seafood/bar/gathering place. Got a table immediately instead of waiting in line out the door. Seafood chowder was excellent as usual as were their old fashioned biscuits made from scratch.

All along Route 1, local fishermen set up trucks to sell their seafood. prices aren't that different from the fish markets but it sure is fresh. We bought clams to steam for me and haddock to griddle for Joe that night.

Second luck of the day was another good parking place right in downtown Belfast. Now Belfast is not a big city being a fishing community but it is built on steep hills and parking can be a job. We hadn't walked around Belfast in years and really enjoyed the mix of music/cafe type shops and the old fishing gear stores - plus a nice yarn store which is why we stopped.

Maine has many finger peninsulas, separated by estuaries almost like fjords. This is one up by Bucksport.

Even at a distance, Cadillac Mountain is impressive. This is from Schoodic Point, still part of Acadia National Park but not crowded.

Ever wonder where your wild blueberries come from? From barrens in Maine scrapped almost to granite by the glaciers, leaving just enough soil for wild low bush blueberries. This is a major crop for a part of the state strapped for jobs and income.

On to the third and most unreal piece of luck. The gods were smiling yesterday. We knew this time of year we could get into Coobscook State Park up near Lubec, Maine but figured we would be in a wooded site. Site #8 was available which is right on Coobscook Bay which leads into the Bay of Fundy, on a peninsula tip with no one else near by - all for $14.00. Boondock of course but that is what we wanted. There are rare times in life you hear absolutely no motor noise of any type. Even the lobster boats were tied up and when eventually one went by, it was almost an event.
Tide was high when we pulled in. With a 25 foot rise/fall you can actually see the progress. Photos show a small island just off our campsite at high, then at low tide.

Lupine were everywhere with a mix of the usual purple into whites and pinks. A very cold winter and wet spring made the wildflowers riot. Canadian customs was very welcoming, friendly and quick. A few questions and a "have a great time". We'll see how the American customs is going back over.

We continued on to St. Andrews, New Brunswick to go to Kingsbrae Gardens, a 20 acre perennial garden. They recently held a garden sculpture contest. This is a huge weather vane made out of welded metal rods and wooden geese. When the wind hits, the wings go around and make honking goose and flying wing sounds. !!

Tonight we are camped at a commercial campground on the tip of St. Andrews. Again we will feast on local seafood and then sit to watch the tide go out. A very lucky trip, gorgeous 75F weather with blue skies, light breeze and lowering diesel prices. Can life get much better?

May 12 -15 Ashland NE to Home

2011-05-16T19:29:00.000-04:00

May 12 and 13 – Ashland, NE to Fayette, OH

These were pure travel days with stops at state parks and a visit to Classy Chassis in Valparaiso, IN. We are both ready to turn around and head west again to those open roads where you can go a very long time and not see another vehicle. I’d forgotten what our eastern roads can be like.

Crossing the Mississippi River at Moline we were able to see that at least in the upper stretches it was still within its banks.

Lots of road miles over the last two days but sometimes it is necessary. Holed up at Kewanee, IL at the Johnson-SaukTrail State Recreation area. It’s a small campground with almost no one there. It was a good, quiet place to decompress, clean out the junk that always seems to accumulate and not be moving. We have bugs splattered on the Chalet from Maine to Oregon to OH but they’ll be there when we get home.

Ever seen a round barn? This one wasn’t open. They are quite common in VT and we’ve toured a few.

Today we travelled up I-80 -- save me from heavy traffic on commuter roads with pot holes, cracks, work crews, and the idiots going either 40 or 80 mph. We headed to Valparaiso, IN so Joe could visit Classy Chassis and talk about one of their low utility body boxes built to carry a truck camper. Look down their web site www.classychassistrucks.com/ and you will find photos of trucks with campers. Nice dream and it would take a lottery win to make it happen.

We’re in another state park tonight – Harrison Lake Park near Fayette, OH. The state parks are so underused it’s sad. Course it is early for school to be out but the only other person here is a very wet couple in a small tent. I was watching the sky pretty hard when the thunderstorm rolled in.

May 14 and 15 –

Again pure travel days, the longest ones of all with 480 miles on the 14th. Too tired to get creative on a place to overnight and pulled into the Walmart in Oneida, NY. We’d driven through the Turning Leaf Indian Casino looking for other RVs to herd with. They must have changed their overnight policy as none were there and one guard pointed us to the Casino campground down the road. We were so tired, Walmart was a quiet oasis.

Stopped in at TC Warehouse in W. Chesterfield, NH to have Bill look at one of the Chalet’s slides. Couple of the screws holding one flange had loosened and though Joe kept tightening them, they would get loose again. Bill pulled the screws, caulked and put in longer, stainless ones. Got his advice on cleaning all the road grunge off the camper and we headed home.

Home looks great thanks to our house sitter, cat will ignore us for another week or so, Joe’s mom is overjoyed we are back. I’ll put some thought into the best and worse parts of the trip and drop another note later.

May 10 and 11 - Geology and a Tornado

2011-05-11T20:02:00.000-04:00

May 10 – Custer SD to Ogalla, NE

Custer State Park again lived up to its reputation as a superb place to visit. The day started off with a herd of mountain goats right outside the camper. We had breakfast watching them jump back and forth over the campground fence. Even the smallest one made it over easily.

We’d planned on making this a geology day and headed off for Toadstool Geologic Park Trail off Route 2 as you enter Nebraska. After three miles of bone jarring, dusty, very unpleasant travel over a corrugated road, we decided the other 10 miles would not be worth it and managed a turn around. Hard turning on a road that is one car width!

On to Fort Robinson, a historic recreation of a fort that went from Indian wars to the Phillipines. Too early in the tourist season so the buildings were closed. We did drive the Smiley Canyon Trail and got out to walk in among the horses. I don’t know if they are truly wild as they were quite curious and kept approaching. Fortunately the fellow with horns was fenced in.

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument was next. A rancher found a 2 foot thick slab of bones back up in the hills and had sense enough to call in a few scientists. Skeletal remains and the Indian artifacts and old crafts were quite interesting.

Followed a lonely road down to Ogalla to camp.

We got up in the middle of the night to pull in the dinette slider since the wind was actually rocking the camper. Don’t know the mph but it was pretty scary with thunder, lightning, etc. Camper did well, no leaks, no damage.

May 11 – Ogalla to Ashland, NE – via a tornado

A bit of philosophy (?) to start with. Everyone of us has had times when we wondered what would have happened if we had been a minute earlier or a minute later arriving at a certain space or situation in our lives. Today was one of those days to wonder.

Stopped in Grand Island, NE for a oil and filter change. They took us in earlier than we had been told and got us out quickly. Off we go down I-80 headed east. There was obviously weather clouds ahead of us so we kept looking at the I-Phone app for weather.

Just after looking at this map

look what dropped down RIGHT BESIDE US. Nowhere to go, not trained in what to do, no shelter, no nearby underpass and I’m driving.

Stop? Slow down? Speed up? Hmmmm…. Can I drive fast enough to get past it before it arrives over I-80? Is this one of life’s moments when one minute earlier or one minute later would make all the difference?

Do you know how fast you can get a heavy camper and a F350 diesel going in a short time? I We didn’t dare glance down at the speed but had to have been 80-85mph.

It gets closer.

Joe’s yelling faster and I’m yelling “Take Pictures”. The photos are blurred because the camera wasn’t on sports setting and we were really moving.

This is a tornado. Yes it’s small and probably weak as these things go but sure didn’t look or feel like it at the time. Truck actually moved sideways at one point.

It passed behind us but the winds and rain bands took a long time to slow down. First overpass we got to that had room under it, we stopped and gave thanks and checked the camper and truck. Other than a very small amount of water under the propane tank door, camper did great.

Give me a blizzard any time - snow, cold, wind, howling gale, no power, feet of snow. You folks who live out here in tornado country can keep it.

Tonight we are at Mahoney State Park near Omaha. It’s quiet, no wind, and amazingly the state park has wifi. Wonder what’s next for tomorrow?

May 7, 8,9 - Missoula to Billings MT to Custer State Park SD

2011-05-10T20:55:00.000-04:00

Got wifi again! We are usually on such back roads it is far between.

May 7 and 8 - Missoula to Billings MT

Were travel days in the rain to do distance and not penalize ourselves missing the outdoors trekking. Took Route 90 out of Missoula but got over onto Route 12 as soon as we could at Garrison. The railroad tracks follow 90 and you frequently see long coal trains. There are some fairly steep grades along here also.

Love the names of the tiny towns along Rte. 12 such as Checkboard and TwoDot. Rte. 12 follows a pass through the mountains in the Helena National Forest and the Lewis & Clark National Forest and a good thing since we could see it snowing higher up. Even at roughly 5000 feet the snow was close to slush.

So many roads beckon like Sixteen Mile Road which was just a loop off and onto Route 12. It was corrugated gravel and we skipped it. We did stop quite often at the Montana Fish & Game Sportsman Access sites. These are little turnoffs that lead to water access either stream or lake for fishing. Turning around was a challenge a few times but we made it and enjoyed walking along the water with no one, no buildings, nothing in sight but scenery and cattle.

Western people seem so much friendlier than our eastern folk. At Harlowton, an elderly lady (relative term!) was trying to pump her own gas. It was obvious she had never done so and was totally confused. Three people came out of the store to help her before we could even get out of the truck. Most everyone waves hi on the back country roads. We always wave or flick our lights at truck campers. Amazing how many Arctic Fox we have seen on this trip and they always seem to be hauling either a boat or ATVs.

We’d planned on going from Missoula down into Yellowstone entering at W. Yellowstone. However the weather was for a total of 6-8” of snow with temps in the 30s. Since we had enough snow this past winter, we are headed in the general direction of Custer State Park in South Dakota. That is hands down the best state park I’ve ever been in.

We ended the day trekking down a sixteen mile corrugated road after all. This is the shake down cruise for the Chalet TC and we have been shaking it a lot. The road is called Shepherd Acton Road and runs between Acton and Route 87 just outside of Billings. I’ve finally seen the Montana cowboy countryside I’ve read of. It takes hearty people to live in there in the winter.

May 9 – Billings MT to Custer, SD

Heavy rain all day but no snow. This was another travel day but very easy since the roads in the west are long, straight and mostly empty except close to the “big cities”. We dread driving in the east around a city again.

We skirted through the top left corner of Wyoming which is a real injustice since there is so much to see and do in this vast and varied state. I-90 was empty and at Moorcroft we cut over to Rte 16 to head into South Dakota and Custer State Park. Again we saw long trains pulling mostly coal cars. All along I-90 there are well heads and small pumps on service roads that look like a tic tac toe game. We never found anyone to ask if these were for propane, oil or water but they must make up a significant industry in this region.

Our first west trip we spent several days in Custer State Park. If you have never been here it is a must see.

The park is huge and wildlife is varied and abundant. There is something just so fascinating about buffalo and I never tire of watching them – from the safety of the truck. This year it is pre tourist season and it was easy to park by the road, turn off the engine and just watch.

This enormous buffalo kept getting closer and closer along the side of the road. He was keeping an eye on Joe but seemed to know we weren’t about to get closer.

There are also donkey, elk, deer, turkeys, eagles and blue birds.

Tonight we are in Game Lodge Campground, part of the campground system within Custer. Pretty fancy sites with paved parking, aluminum picnic tables and hot water for the showers. There are only six other people camped here and the quiet is absolute – except for the turkeys gobbling. Unfortunately it is raining again so we can’t see the night sky. Of those six others, two are fellow truck campers. We are everywhere!

May 6 and 7 Torklift to Missoula MT

2011-05-08T10:41:00.000-04:00

May 6 Torklift to Burbank, WA

Torklift Central is a VERY busy place. As a truck camper, I’d only looked at their web site looking for items for campers. We had no idea of the depth of what they do from welding to fifth wheel attachments, trailer hitches, utility trailers to brake systems and towing rigs. The place reminded me of a pit stop for an Indy race car. We were taken in right on schedule and unloaded the camper in the work yard. Cassie and a helper showed us how the Wobble Stoppers work and how easy they were to install. I was worried that the dually fenders would not clear but they did so easily.

Here’s the Wobble Stopper in the position for using when the camper is off the truck.

Here it is in the travel position.

Since the camper was way up in the air (not in the normal off position) it would sway easily when pushed. Wobbles stopped the sway dead.

Off we went headed out into Washington State. We knew WA grew apples, pears, cherries and asparagus. We had no idea of the extent of the wine making business. The grape vines go for miles and miles interspaced with fruit trees. So often we just go to the grocery store to pick up produce, dairy and protein and forget the amount of land, work, time and luck /skill it takes to grow it all. America is truly one big grocery store.

The Wenatchee Mountains were beautiful. All western mountains are so different from our soft, old, round eastern mountains.

From the direction of travel you can probably tell that we are not going to make it to Alaska this trip. Elder care concerns for Joe’s mom are increasing and it’s not wise at this time to extend the trip by the 6-8 weeks for Alaska. We won’t race home as we are travelling fast enough as it is, but will head east. Alaska has endured for a long time and should be there the next time we try for it. We’re disappointed but have to be realistic as her care comes first. Bet a lot of us retired TCers have the same life occurrences.

We ended the day camped at Camp Hood on the Snake River, a Corps of Engineers park. TCs are so common out west, there were six in sight from where we camped.

May 7 Burbank, WA to Missoula, MT

Western WA must grow as much wheat as the bread bowl states. We had cut over to the Palouse Scenic Byway off of Route 12 to see more of the geology of the region. Ice dams formed state sized lakes in prehistoric times. The dams broke free and water drowned the land from MT down through ID and OR to the ocean. Over time this caused the land to lay in big hill sized ripples that exist today. Wheat farmers have to be pretty skilled to use machinery to plow and plant this land but they do it in contours.

Got old farm machinery wheels? Build a fence!

A lot of what we follow is the Lewis & Clark route and there are a lot of trail markers, guide posts and historic sights along the way.

Route 12 runs from Lewiston, ID to Missoula, Mt and we followed that route. What a twisting, turning climb and then long slide downhill. From Kooskia, ID to LoLo, MT is over 100 miles of following alongside a wild, scenic series of rivers. Photos cannot do this justice and you also cannot capture the mountains you are passing through. Fortunately it wasn’t snowing today but there was a lot on the ground at the high point of 5,000 + feet.

Even at the cold water temps, river rafters and kayakers were out in force.

Smart people bring their TC while rafting so they have warmth, dry and perhaps a brew or two to warm up.

Tonight will be a catch up night – sleep, laundry, supplies. Tomorrow we will head in the general direction of Yellowstone. Weather report shows snow up in Cooke City but 50s in the valley.

Albany OR to Astoria OR to Kent OR

2011-05-06T12:28:00.001-04:00

Internet access is spotty so forgive not answering a lot of the great replies. This AM I’m in a Safeway grocery store which amazingly has free wifi.

May 4 – Chalet in Albany OR to Astoria, OR

Had a great visit at Chalet RV today. We wanted them to see the changes we had made to the camper, to answer a few questions and get an interior slide fixed. We were greeted by Gary and staff who swarmed the camper to double check caulking, etc. etc. after our 5,000 plus mile shakedown cruise. They even checked the roof. The structural designer spent time with us talking about what we liked and didn’t like about the design. Gary had his team take out the extension to the dinette which could have had better “feet” under it. They came back quickly with these two wide rollers attached to the underside of the drawer. Does it ever work great now and no more sticking on the floor. We had a great time debating the merits of bathroom storage, outside compartments, etc. We showed him the propane tank latch that Mike at Extreme designed for us and they were quite impressed. Nice to see a company that is so responsive to its customer’s thoughts.

Travelled Route 20 to Newport, OR and then drove up the coast on 101. This route travels through many tiny unspoiled towns, a few touristy towns and lots of gorgeous scenery.

We live on the Atlantic ocean but it is a totally different beast from east to west. We cannot drive the edge of the ocean in Maine except in a very few spots. Here the ocean rolls beside you for miles and miles and you feel one tiny mistake in driving and you will join it.

Tonight we are at Fort Stevens State Park to catch up on “household” chores. It’s a large park set in amongst towering fir trees. Tomorrow we’ll tour the fort and then go into Astoria to the Columbia River Maritime Museum. Joe wants to see the exhibits on the Coast Guard. Afterwards on to Torklift in Kent, WA.

May 5 Astoria to Torklift

If you ever get a chance, stop at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, OR. It’s one of the top maritime museums we’ve ever been in and we’ve been in lots. For Joe the real treat was a film on the waves created when the Columbia meets the ocean during certain weather conditions. The Coast Guard performs over 600 rescues a year on this ocean bar. There is a real rescue boat inside the museum set at an impossible angle on top of a wave. We wanted a photo of this but no photography is allowed inside the museum.

He also spent time behind the museum talking with several Coast Guardsmen serving on an active 210 foot medium endurance cutter like he used to serve on. Memories!

The side exhibit was on sailors and tattoos and the photos from Hawaii during WWII were fascinating. Sailors would line up for blocks to get a tattoo, passing by bars every few store fronts. Quite the industry!

Our TC has been performing well on the mountains, hills and deep dips of this coast land. Oregon has a mandatory “pull over” law if you have vehicles stuck behind you but they have created frequent turn out points. We normally don’t need them but have learned to get out of the way of these guys.

They are everywhere, all headed for the log yards along the Columbia River. Timber is a major crop in OR and is treated as such with clear cutting, stump removal and then replanting. We did not see a lot of land slides or run off from the cuts.

Our goal after the museum was to go to Torklift in Kent, OR. We had talked with the main office and they suggested we come to Kent. After our SuperSprings were installed, it didn’t seem to take long for one of the Stable Loads to crack in half. We replaced them with the original Ford rubber auxiliary spring bumpers. Truck has been riding fine, no rock/roll but we wanted Torklift to take a look and see if they could figure out what went wrong. Casey examined the truck, Stable Loads, etc. and then had Jack Kay come out and look it over. What incredible customer service to have a company executive involved. Final determination – the weight of the camper and the thinner footprint of the Supersprings gave a narrower overload contact and too much stress. As we told Mr. Kay, we have no blame with either Torklift or SuperSprings – or Chalet. With the camper weight, we’ll work out another solution.

Tomorrow we are going to have the new Torklift Wobble Stoppers installed. They are not heavy (think weight!) and will make Joe more comfortable with the front legs when the camper is off the truck all winter. I think Torklift knows we like their products. Pretty easy to see looking at the truck with the tie downs, Fast guns and Stable Loads.

May 1 - 3 Ely, NV to Mount Hood, OR

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May 1 and 2 Ely, NV to Hagerman, ID
May 2 Hagerman, ID to La Grande, OR

These were almost purely travel days. Route 93 out of Ely, NV is one of the most gorgeous 250 miles of country we have ever travelled. It is also one of the least travelled. Two lane, narrow, no shoulders, drop offs into the desert, fields or whatever, it is not a road to nod off on.

If you have not driven the roads in the west it is impossible to explain just how vast this land is.

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The views on each side into vast mountain ranges are just like a travel movie. It wasn’t windy for the first time in a long time and the temps were mid 50s. There was one mountain named “Hole in the Wall Mountain” that was like a beacon in the sun. We talked so often about the brave people who walked from the east coast and settled this land. Sooner or later they got tired and stopped and settled into these ranches, farms and small communities. We were reminded often that the Mormons had a great deal to do with this land as most tiny towns have huge churches.

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We were headed to Hagerman, ID to visit the Hagerman Horse fossils, a National Monument. It is one of the few fossil beds ever found of prehistoric American horses. Don’t know about the rest of you but there are days that end on the “cranky” side just from the amount of driving. We were shooting for a state park in Idaho that ended up being a day use only area. Finally found a resting place by the Snake River which seemed pretty high. Later another camper pulled in who was a local. She told us the fossils had been moved to a museum and nothing left to view but signs! AARRGGG. We decided to skip it. These falls were across the Snake from where we were camped and we could hear them all night long.

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May 2 – Hagerman, ID to La Grande, OR

Route 93 continues north and we stayed on it until Route 20 headed over to the Craters of the Moon National Monument.

We always stop at the visitor center first to pick up the National Park brochure. I’ve got quite a collection and often refer to them. The rangers were particularly chatty and we found that there aren’t many visitors this time of year. Worked well for us as later we were able to walk the paths into the lava fields and climb up to the spatter cones alone. The photos don’t show the huge area of lava or the different types. Here is ripple lava, pillow like lava and a Chalet in lava.

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We did NOT hike the 1.8 mile trail as first it was covered in snow and secondly 28% of the trail was from 8 to 62% grade. Yikes!

You can stand on the remains of one volcano and look out on the horizon to another large volcano mountain cone that hasn’t self destructed yet. I thought of those who live in Seattle.

I had many of Idaho’s Scenic Roads marked on my map to explore. There is the Sawtooth, Ponderosa Pines, and Wildlife Canyon loops reached from Craters of the Moon up through Arco. Looking up at those huge mountains covered in snow, we decided to leave that for a summer trip in the future.

We drove Route 20 to I-84 to La Grange, OR. It felt odd to be on a highway again with the heavy truck traffic. I wish we had taken the time to plan ahead and try to meet up with DJ and others who live in the Boise area but we really have no idea of where we will be when. Only appointment the whole trip is one to go see the Chalet factory. We Took route 20 to I-84 through Boise to La Grange, OR. It felt odd to be on a highway again with the heavy truck traffic. We hit a rain storm coming through the mountains around North Powder. There are some seriously long upgrades in this area and mileage dropped like a rock. We gained over 2000+ feet. How the road crews even find this road in winter takes a lot of planning. Warnings on mandatory use of chains are posted often with pull outs to put chains on.

Tomorrow we’ll head towards Albany, OR for our appointment with Chalet. After that, we’ll make the decision on Alaska or not and which way to roam.

May 3 – Over the Oregon Trail to Chalet RV

We left Camp Denny’s after being given permission to stay in the lot overnight. Joe foraged in the morning and came back to the camper with hot scrambled eggs and coffee. We had the whole camp to ourselves (smile).

Can you imagine the mental and physical stamina it must have taken to trek the Oregon Trail? Here’s a more modern road shown covering the same path – uphill, against a head wind at 3700 feet and still climbing. It’s hard enough fighting the wind in a TC knowing the power of a diesel engine behind you. Hats off to those early pioneers. Once you finish the climb there is a six mile 6% drop to a huge valley.

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As you approach the Columbia Gorge you start to see windmills. Oregon must be very dedicated to wind power as these windmill farms continue for probably 30-40 miles all along the river on both sides. They were really churning as the wind through this area is high. Again today we lost mileage as it was coming straight at up. River was running to the sea, wind was coming inland and the waves were impressive. Had to think of the Lewis and Clark expedition who fought their way to the sea down this river. Today it is probably tamer with two dams we passed but it’s still pretty wild. Stopped for diesel and a fellow told us they’d sold lots of ice to fishermen packing down salmon.

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We left I-84 finally and headed off on the Mount Hood Scenic Byway which skirts the base of the mountain. You see glimpses of it from afar, especially when the top is in clouds which I bet is often. The mountain stands alone and is enormous, probably making its own weather system. There were early glimpses of it through the fruit trees which were all in bud.

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Then suddenly there it was.

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By the time we had circled the mountain, the weather on the southwest side had changed and it was both snowing and sending up ground fog. Shades of New England

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We’re now “camped” at Chalet RV overnight. Tomorrow we’ll go over a few minor issues and give them some ideas we’ve had on the design, then head for the Oregon coast and a visit with relatives.

April 30 Bryce Canyon to Ely, NV

2011-05-01T00:59:00.000-04:00

What a pleasure to spend time with truck camper friends. Here we are camped next to each other at Bryce Canyon National Park. Roughly 2500 miles from our home in Maine we bump into friends from NH. Cell phones, IPhones, etc. etc. make it pretty easy but it’s still pretty unusual we would have been so close on this vast planet.

Usually when we see FarcticOx (Ted and Cheryl) it is in a group so we don’t always have time to chat. We met for coffee this morning and dragged out map books, map software, log books, Scenic Road brochures and plotted our way to new adventures. We didn’t really want to drive through big cities for a while and you have to admit that Salt Lake City is big. Found a great way to skirt the area and get to our next paleontology/geology destination.

They were staying a few days in Bryce to hike the more remote trails. We visited Sunset, Sunrise and Inspiration Points for a final look before wandering off. If you have never been to Bryce, it is one of the must see National Parks. If you are like us and “senior”, the entry fee with your senior pass is free and the camping is $6.50. Hard to beat!

We journeyed up to Utah route 50 over to route 6 and from there to Ely, NV. They don’t call 50/6 lonely roads for nothing. It is pretty rare to meet another vehicle coming towards you. Even travelling at our usual 55-62 depending on the roads, it’s rare to be passed.

We had planned on camping at the Great Basin National Park but had already hit snow a couple of times. The Great Basin is just that, a valley/depression between two mountain ranges, great in size and used for cattle ranches. Even on a Saturday afternoon we saw ranch hands out on ATVs riding the fence lines and stopping for repairs. Guess the days of carrying all that repair gear on horses is gone. The mountains just shine.

By the time we got to the visitor center to get campground info, there was a pretty good sized snowstorm up in the mountains where the camps were. We get enough snow in Maine so decided to go down to Ely, NV and try a casino for overnight. We did and laundry is done, slots played and lost and wifi is fast and available. Tomorrow off to Hagerman Fossile Beds and then a camp at Craters of the Moon in Idaho. Hopefully the weather will clear, warm up and we can spend a couple of days on the craters for walking and resting.

April 28 and 29 From Meteor Crater to Lake Powell

2011-04-30T23:34:00.000-04:00

April 28 - Up early to tour Meteor Crater which was much, much larger than we thought it would be. The exhibits explaining the science behind a meteor earth strike were well presented and easy to follow along. Joe and I sometimes watch “Meteor Men” on TV, a show about two guys who search the earth for meteor fragments. We walked as far on the rim as you could go without taking an hour tour.

Travelled west on I-40 through a lot of smoke from preventive burns on to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. This is a hidden gem of an area rich in geography and early Indian culture. We walked the trails at the volcano down through the lava beds and up into the cinder cone area. Very little vegetation has returned as the ash is very deep and hard.

There are three pueblo ruins and also exhibits at the visitor center 20 miles from the lava fields. What resourceful early Americans the Indians were to move around the land guided by the weather. We try to change the land, they used the land to their advantage.

We ended this interesting day at Wahweap campground on Lake Powell near Page, AZ. I was surprised at the depth of color in both the water and the surrounding rocks. Campground was very busy with most of the campers hauling boats. I sat and enjoyed a beautiful sunset and watched the jackrabbits hop by. No, none of them ended up in the stew pot but one is large enough for a meal.

April 29 - Travelling the way back roads

We want to be Wazoo ( a fellow truck camper who lives in Arizona and who makes incredible back country trips) when we grow up. What better place to try our wings than in the west. Wandering north from Page, Arizona we saw this small road to the right that led back up into the incredible rock formations. So we turned in to Smokey Mountain Road. Mapping software showed it as the back road into Escalante and Capital Reef.

The geography reads like a book with all the sediment layers and tortured rocks left behind after millennium of upheaval. This nice small graveled road just kept going.

I figure hey what the heck – we’ve got emergency gear with us, a whole truck camper full of supplies and we’ll just do what Wazoo does and just keep going. Joe is starting to look a little concerned

when he sees this ahead of us.

Out I get to see how wet, dry, good, bad it actually is. Turns out it is dry and the ruts are from someone who ran the road right after a rain. Since he didn’t drive off in reverse and leave me, we continued on.

Eleven miles later and about a bazillion stops to walk the road and look at rocks, flowers, washes, canyons, we were still Wazooing along.

Those of you who have been here, done this are laughing by now. We get to this sign. Hmmmmmm…..

Common sense won. We turned back knowing that a hard body tall truck camper would not play like Wazoo’s pop up. Was it worth the drive in? Absolutely. Joe was so happy that I wasn’t acting stupid that he smiled all the way back to Route 89. Bye, bye road and thanks for our introduction (newbie style) to Wazooing.

April 26 and 27 – Airplanes, Petroglyphs and Meteor Crater

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We thought Kansas was windy? It’s a mild, gentle breeze compared to New Mexico yesterday. We pulled into Liberal, Kansas at dusk the 25th to spend a free night in the Mid America Air Museum lot. It was too late to tour the museum so spent a non-windy night and got this great shot of one of the museum jets at sunset.

This museum is well worth the visit and we learned a lot about aviation in Kansas and all the people like Cessna and Lear who started there.

The distance from KS to OK to TX is tiny in that corner of the states. We only spent 55 miles in OK and 90 miles in TX travelling down Route 54 which runs arrow straight forever.

OK was getting windy, TX was getting a big hard to handle and by the time we hit Tucumcari, NM it was downright frightening. Winds were sustained between 30 and 40 miles per hour with gusts 60-70. Even the 18 wheelers weren’t tracking too smooth. We found shelter at an excellent NM state park at Santa Rosa.

There is a dam and lake at the park. It’s pretty obvious how little rain NM is getting as you can see the water level on dam pillar.

Here’s the Chalet buttoned up against the wind. We closed one slider totally and one partially until the wind finally dropped. Met up with a couple from Florida travelling in a BT Cruiser who want a truck camper. Gave them information on the fall TC rally in Florida and hope they show up.

The Chalet is handling all we’ve been throwing at it so far. The wind has dropped out mileage from 11.2 to 9.9. Ouch!

April 27 –

Calm!!! The morning didn’t have howling wind, the sky had cleared from all the wind blown sand and we were ready to hit a calmer road.

We easterners aren’t exactly used to driving 75 mph which is the posted speed. The roads are so straight and visibility so good we didn’t worry about driving 60-62 and getting passed. In our larger eastern cities we would get “gestures”. Out here most people waved with all their fingers and smiled.

As you travel along, you are out paced by long train loads. The trains carry many hundred trailers usually seen behind a tractor. Keeps a lot of traffic off the roads and lots less energy. What a shame trains aren’t used like they used to be.

Our goal for the day was the Petroglyph National Monument, Rinconada Canyon in Albuquerque. We spent several hours walking back into the canyon looking at some of the 3500 glyphs. Unfortunately the photos didn’t come out but the rock art was fascinating.

Rest of the day was booking it along I-40 to Winslow, AZ to a commercial campground. Long day on the road but we had decided not to go up into Chaco Canyon this time. It is time to catch up on laundry, cleaning the camper inside and all the paper work life entails. Tomorrow is Meteor Crater, Sedona and the Red Rock Trail loop.

April 25 – Fighting our way across Kansas

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No wonder Dorothy and Toto went flying. Kansas is WINDY and no matter what direction you travel it seems to be head on. Mileage is dropping like a rock but the roads are incredibly smooth and not much traffic. Spent last night at the Cheney Reservoir as the only camper there. Pretty lake with good level parking place and lots of paths to walk.

Lubbers Ford in Cheney, KS took us in as a walk in to do an oil and filter change. Good dealership if you are travelling through. Joe noticed one of the Stable Loads looked odd so pulled on it to straighten it out and half came off in his hand.

With a bit of research and phone calls, we found that we shouldn’t be mixing Stable Loads with SuperSprings. (Stable Loads go with air bags, Supersprings go with the original pads). Lubbers Ford had none of the original rubber auxiliary spring pads in stock. Good old internet found some down Route 54 in the direction of our travel in Meade, KS. Joe has swapped the rubber pads out, keeping the Stable Loads so they can look them over and replace if under warranty.

Kansas is a beautiful state and must provide a huge percentage of the wheat grown in the USA. The farms are far apart and are so neat and clean. Each is surrounded by a wind break of trees and look tucked in for a big blow. The trees all lean one way so you know where the prevailing winds come from.

Many of the fields have small pumps in them. We are assuming these are individual oil pumps going to the tanks beside them that must get hauled off periodically.

As you enter small towns, you usually see the local co-op grain elevator. Easy to spot the towns coming along as they stick up tall on a very flat horizon.

These towns are usually one street long by four or five wide and are spaced about every thirty miles. The high schools are enormous and serve a big area. I wonder how many hours a day the kids spend riding the buses. Unfortunately, even these towns are beginning to lose their local flavor as they have Subway, McDonald, and other chains. At times you could be anywhere. As Buckaroo Bonzai says “No matter where you go, there you are”.

April 22 to 24 Pigeon Forge to Wichita

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April 22-24 Titanic exhibit at Pigeon Forge was a true tourist trap and one we didn’t get snared in. Not a slam at those of you who live in Pigeon Forge but the place was built for tourists. Somewhere underneath all the “glitter” is a small, old town. At least we got caught up on internet, laundry, some truck washing and sleep. We left there on Route 321 which was a lovely windy, cork screw drive through mountains and valleys over to Route 40 around Nashville. Remind me never to go live in a big city and Nashville is big compared to what we have in Maine. The new rear view camera was a blessing to know who was hanging on the rear bumper.

Hope many of you camp in Corps of Engineers parks. Friday night we spent in splendid isolation as the only camper in Canal Camp in a primitive loop right on Lake Barkley near Paducah, KY. Primitive is not the right term as we had water, power, a paved pad, concrete stairs going down to a lower level right on the lake where there was a concrete picnic table and pole for hanging a lantern. This cost the amazing fee of $8.00 with the Seniors America Parks pass. See – there are benefits in getting older.

We watched an eagle, couple of raccoons, deer and a whole flotilla of large turtles. Fish have been jumping but we had no poles/lines/license with us. Now if that @#$@ Dometic refrigerator fan would stop whining life would be perfect.

Saturday was a travel day to get closer to Wichita for Easter visits. After the torrential rains Friday night, there was a lot of flooded land along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.

At this tiny tip of Illinois that sticks out into the rivers at Cairo, we were unable to cross the bridge but had to detour due to flooding. Poor Cairo is a ghost town almost with most businesses closed, abandoned housing and closed factories. Sad to see.

We travelled mostly on US60 which was a surprise. We had expected a two lane road but it turned out to be a divided highway, two lanes each side with limited access. The road is concrete, smooth and almost no traffic in the 250 miles we travelled. Some congressman brought home the goods on that one. It cuts through the Mark Twain National Forest and a lot of very scenic terrain. Weather was not good as it went from black clouds, to rain, to hail with a high wind all day. We lost about .2 in diesel mileage today battling a strong head wind. The Chalet’s height is a definite disadvantage in these conditions. Tonight we are boon docking in a Walmart – a very busy one but we are tucked into a corner so we could get the slides out. Wichita tomorrow.

Sunday - At my daughters and just finished a fabulous Easter dinner. They've given us tips on a couple of good places to visit after we get oil/filter change tomorrow. Santa Fe next?

High Point NC to Pigeon Forge TN

2011-04-21T19:58:00.000-04:00

After a stay in New Bern, NC with Jim and Cathie (Lance 845) we headed to High Point, NC.

April 19, 2011 - What a change in temperature from what we’re used to in Maine. It’s been a beautiful sunny 80F but no humidity. Today Mike O and Travis at Xtreme Campers in High Point, NC put in SuperSprings, a hanger for the generator exhaust pipe, a propane tank slider latch and started a back up camera.

Travis will finish up the camera install tomorrow and we have fingers crossed that the LED bulbs come in on the UPS truck.

Driving out of Maine the propane tank door popped open and the tank slide was hanging out the back end of the camper. We think we didn’t push the tanks all the way in but there isn’t a really secure latch. Mike at Xtreme thought about it a bit and designed this cool hinge latch. He welded it, painted it and put rubber on the back side where it holds the tank in. Clever!!!

Something we are going to have to live with is a new cooling fan that is on the Dometic refrigerator. There is now a second vent opening way above the frig to vent the heat. This is to “cure” the overheating problems. The fan is a small muffin type fan but it has a really high pitched hum to it. No time right now but later we’ll look into what might be available that is quieter. It’s been running a lot in the 80F heat and has a long cycle. It is a very annoying whine. We’ll research and see if we can find a quieter fan.

April 20-21 When we left Xtreme, we headed west instead of to FL. We’ll save the “visit the relative” loop through the south, include Vicksburg and do that this fall. From High Point we headed to Scott Kerr Lake near Boone, NC having a very leisurely drive along back country roads. Incredible luck but we got a site in the Corp of Engineers camp right on the water. Very windy but warm and so much different than the past winter. The F350 handled better with the SuperSprings, riding level and easily. The rear camera took the place of the radio area with a 6”x 6” screen. Radio, DVD, blue tooth still work with controls on the side of the camera screen plus it has a built in navigation system. Now we can see who/what is behind us. Fingers crossed that the Synch for the phone would work but it did so can answer calls hands free. Course I managed to hang up on a few camper friends learning how it worked but they called back.

From Boone, we travelled windy, twisty Route 321 through the mountains from Boone to Johnson City, TN. The mountains are so soft and green this time of year with azaleas, dogwoods in the dense woods and new leaves.

We’re now in the Pigeon Forge area of TN. Joe is indulging me tomorrow as I want to go see the replica of the Titanic. If it is a total tourist trap from the outside, we’ll forge (yuck, yuck) on headed for Wichita and a visit with my daughter and grandsons.

Headed to Alaska - the long slow way

2011-04-17T21:53:00.000-04:00

How do you get reservations in a camp or chalet in Alaska? Simple - you drive one there. Here’s our new Chalet – a 2011 Chalet double slide truck camper with rear dry bath and center island. We traded the Host double slide for this beauty on April 2 and spent a frantic week transferring gear and setting it up for a hoped for trip to Alaska via who knows where. Bill Penny at Truck Camper Warehouse in NH did a great fast turnaround for us on getting the camper ready. Here it is almost ready to roll.

On April 9th we left Maine headed for the Mid Atlantic TC rally. We stayed with TC friends in PA overnight having been greeted with surprise at the new rig. We were trying to keep it a secret until the rally which was really hard to do. First up was a three day stay in the bayside loop at Assateague National Seashore.

Assateague is always a treat even with a lot of fog and pretty nippy weather. We met up with fellow TCers Ron and Toni (TinCanSailor) and did day trips to Berlin and to the pig iron museum at Snow Hill. Both these small towns have managed to retain the charm and look of towns I remember growing up in in the south.

The rally at Tall Pines Harbor Campground was huge this year with around 170 rigs attending – 400 some people. I think every one of them came through the Chalet to take a look both inside and out (smile). It was fun showing folks through and we got lots of good feedback on storage and layout use. Joe’s really happy with all the outside storage and the ease of getting to the propane tanks, water inlets and dump valves. As usual, between the events that Ron and Michelle had planned, we did a lot of socializing.

Didn’t matter if you were from the cold north or the warmer south, we all enjoyed standing outside and catching up on the last year. We met a lot of new campers and shared tales of places to see. Wazoo is quite famous but most of us agreed that we would live vicariously through his photos and not take the bigger rigs where he ventures.

Saturday night was pretty scary with huge thunderstorms and a deluge of Noah’s Ark proportions. We were lucky and did not have the tornados that so many nearby did. The bay water was driven into the campground, the rain was pouring and pine cones were dropping like grenades. Many TCs lost power but there was no serious damage to anyone. In the morning, we found that the water level around the camper was an actual measured 8” up on the tires. It took a while to sort out the firewood, folding chairs, door mats, dog bowls, etc. etc. that had floated around. It looked like an inland sea for a while. Ron Humphries held the raffle after Sunday breakfast as he had to cancel it Saturday night – way too dangerous to be out in the storm in a big tent.

We traded campers for several reasons, the biggest one of which can be seen here.

Side entry seems cleaner to get to, no slides have to go out to get to the bathroom, and the steps on the Chalet are extremely sturdy. We also wanted an on board generator instead of having to set up the Honda 2000 when we stopped on the road. We weren’t sure how we’d like the center island but were frankly shocked at how much room there is to move around it.

I still have empty cabinet and drawer space and Joe has room in his outside space. We’ll leave that empty for those items you pick up on travels. Yes it is a heavy camper but the F-350 dually diesel is handling it fine with an extra leaf spring. Diesel mileage has gone from 11.2 with the Host to 10.9 with the Chalet but the truck just turned 8,000 miles so we may gain a bit. The ease of use and space gained is worth the mileage.

After crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge we travelled on down to New Bern, NC and are camped with Lance845 by the Neuse River. Beautiful evening, we’re all super tired from the travel and rally. Tomorrow will be a rest day and then onwards. Our plan is to go to the Atlanta Aquarium, Vicksburg, Meteor Crater, Hoover Dam, Death Valley and then head north towards Alaska. Many other places to see in between and who knows if we will make it all the way to Alaska but we’re on the way.

The rear of our camper – paint not quite dry. If you see us on the road, flag us down and share tips on those special places where you live.

November Dry Camping Maine Coast in fantastic weather

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Recompence Campground, Wolfe's Neck Farm, Freeport, ME

November 11-14, 2010

Twenty one truck camper rigs and 48 people gathered for a perfect late fall weekend by Casco Bay. This site is part of a 600+ acre salt water farm that has been put into conservation trust. West Bay sites are dry camping with no facilities except gorgeous views from all sides. This year the weather gave us a gift with never a cloud, no fog, snow or rain, low wind, and days in the 50s to 60F. Even though the week before had been heavy rains, the ground had dried enough so no one sank into mud.

Joe and I went over early Thursday AM thinking we would beat everyone but found that Jim and Genie from western PA had come in the night before. They made a 12 hour trek to end up in the dark by the ocean where they had never been before. Good for them! It was their first trip in their Lance, having just traded from a pop-up.

By mid morning, the TCs were rolling in.

We had campers from western PA down to Rhode Island, from Quebec to Nova Scotia and in between. Amazing how the prospects of a good weather weekend with other TCs will bring folks out. We set up two 10x20 tents and started the fire. By Thursday evening, twelve campers had arrived and were enjoying drinks and appetizers by a blazing fire by the ocean.

Two of our North East campers from NY had already winterized their TC and actually had snow on it. What a surprise when they drove up to join us. Who says TCers can't overnight in a motel if they have to.

Friday saw the arrival of more campers, kids, dogs, friends, and great sunshine. Many people went into Freeport to LL Bean and other stores to do some early holiday shopping. Did I mention there are brew pubs and taverns in Freeport?

There were several campers who were either first time ever truck campers or who were using a new camper. How I wish all who want to get into truck camping could come to a meet/greet like this one and get all those questions answered. With this many pieces of equipment, both trucks and campers, there were mechanical problems. Mike Tassinari (as usual) sprang into repair mode and fixed a solar problem for us, hot water for Phil, battery for Jim, and diagnosed a dead Jeep. Thanks Mike!

Here are some of the first time campers. One couple had attended last year's Springfield, MA RV show just to see truck campers. Lots of us met them there and stayed in touch as they figured out what they wanted. They ended up with one of our group's Ford and Lance camper and came to Freeport as their first campout.

Saturday a few more rigs rolled in including TWO triple Chalets. I'm sure they got tired showing the floor space and exterior storage bays but graciously did so.

Joe and I had gotten quite a few emails from people who saw news of the gathering both on RV.NET and Truck Camper Magazine and wrote to ask if they could come by. Four couples did come and got a great education on campers. One of the couples had bought our 2005 F-350 and now know they want a side entry, aft kitchen, single slide. Another found out that probably his F-150 is not going to carry what he had been hoping but better to know now than later. Thanks again everyone for showing your campers.

We barely fit into the two tents for our Saturday night potluck. Door prizes were drawn and how does it happen that Paul almost always gets drawn first?

Travel tales around the fire continued to sunset and beyond. Half moon, bright stars and flocks of geese flying by aren't exactly hard to take.

Sunday a tradition continued and the men cooked breakfast while we gals had coffee and talked. Joe had had a half cord of dry hard wood delivered and by Sunday morning we were throwing the last log on the fire.

Thanks everyone for coming, for the great time, drink, food and tales of places to go we shared. What a fun group with every single person sharing in the work of tents up, tents down, moving tables, cooking, etc. etc. We're now scattered back across the North East (and a bit beyond) but ready to do it again next year. Those reading this - you coming?

September 24 - Meat Cove to Mabou

2010-10-27T11:00:00.000-04:00

Leaving Meat Cove we looked back at the TCs still there. It's a remarkable place to camp.

Our last day together, we travelled in small groups back down the Cabot Trail, again conquering the 13% grades. Some of us rolled through Cheticamp and on to the Glenora Distillary. This is North America's only distillery using everything from Scotland except the water. They won't call it Scotch but that is what it is. At over $200 for a 250ml bottle, we did not leave with any.

Our goal was Mabou and the The Red Shoe Pub for a farewell meal and an evening of Celtic music. Of course we knitters stopped at a local farm where they raise the sheep, shear, spin, and dye their own wool.

Paula and Jerry arranged for us to park on the local dock overnight.

We walked up to the pub, again had local food and listened to fiddle, piano, spoons and pipes. We scattered in the morning heading back to ME, MA, PA, NY, and CT. The thought and effort Paula and Jerry put into this trip will grow into legend. Thanks you two for all the hard work, photos, and those great Nova Scotia caps.

Paula and Jerry:

Eh Canada ! You are a beautiful place.

September 21 - Cabot Trail to Cheticamp

2010-10-27T10:43:00.000-04:00

September 21 - Hurricane Igor interfers with our Truck Camping plans - how dare he! Originally we were leaving Englishtown to go to Meat Cove but the gale force winds made us reconsider. Jerry and Paula called both camping places and found that we could swap days. So today we headed around the Cabot Trail from Englishtown to Cheticamp instead of Meat Cove. The winds were at least 40 mph but the day was clear with huge waves kicked up by the hurricane winds.

What is it with Nova Scotia and the coffee and pastry shops? We have not noticed overweight folks here but it is probably because most of the walking they have to do is straight up and down steep hills. We stopped at the Clucking Hen for coffee and disturbed the locals by filling the parking lot. Local wood and glass artisan shops were within walking distance so they were probably happy to see us.

We next stopped at the Chowder House at Neil's Harbor, parking on the lobster wharf and taking about a bazillion photos of the huge waves. They were really rolling in at about 12-15' and breaking at sea.

There was a very small local road from Neil's Harbor back to the Cabot Trail which gave us vistas far to sea and an idea of how this land is formed. Deep valley's, steep hills/mountains and protected harbors and always the very restless sea pounding in.

The west side of the Cabot Trail is very steep, a long, tough climb even for our TC trucks. We stopped several times along the way to rest the trucks and look out over the ocean. It always amazes us when a person in a rest area asks "Are all of you together?". Like why would thirteen truck campers roll in together if we weren't together????? The Cabot Trail is as spectacular as we had all hoped it would be.

We're camped in Cheticamp for two days. We'll backtrack to Meat Cove as none of us want to miss the chance to camp on a remote cliff overlooking the ocean and watching (hopefully) whales pass by. By Thursday the hurricane winds and waves should be gone and a more comfortable camp will be possible.

Nova Scotia - Baadeck

2010-09-20T21:07:00.000-04:00

September 20 - Englishtown and Baadeck - Today was the second day at Englishtown Ridge Campground. This is an immaculate place with flat camp sites, a stone building with fireplace, tables, chairs to socialize and a very welcoming atmosphere. The day was a non travel day and a time to catch a bit of rest and do local sightseeing.

Most of us went into Baadeck to fuel up, re provision and take in the sights. Joe and I wen to the Alexander Graham Bell Exhibit, run by the Provincial parks department. I'd always associated the Bell name with just the telephone but he was quite the inventor and mechanical genius. He built prototypes for a hydrofoil boat and during WWI the US Navy was interested in them. War ended and Bell never developed them further. He also worked with his wife Mabel and Helen Keller on improving the methods of teaching deaf to communicate more easily. Quite the man! This photo is of propeller designs for a hydrofoil.

Group of us women went to a local yarn shop and later sat around to have Toni demonstrate sock making. I know that doesn't excite most of you but it is a great hobby for those hours riding in the truck or lazing around a campfire. I later found one of my favorite Canadian yarns on sale at, of all places, a local grocery store! and at less price then the mill which I'd planned on visiting on the way home.

The day was off again on again drizzle but ended in one of those nature shows that's hard to believe. First came a double rainbow in the middle of a bright pink sky. "Red sky at night, sailors delight" so we should have great weather tomorrow for the trip up to Meat Cove, the tip of Cape Breton.

and then to top that came a spectacular sunset.

Most of our travelers watched "RV", the movie with Robin Williams tonight which comically shows how not to handle the systems in an RV. We'll be up early tomorrow to travel on to Meat Cove. All of us are hoping the weather holds and also that we will have whales pass by the campground. I doubt there is wifi so will catch up hopefully when we get to Cheticamp.

Nova Scotia - Iona and the Heritage Village Museum

2010-09-19T20:25:00.001-04:00

September 19 - Today we split in quite a few directions but all ended up at Englishtown, finally arriving on Cape Breton Island. the 104 highway is a good, divided well kept road that showcased long views out over the waterway between Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton.

Several TCs headed off to Fortress Louisbourg, the largest reconstructed 18th-century French fortified town in North America. There are over 35 buildings in this fort with history interpreters in period dress to tell the story. It takes a full day to walk around and visit all the sights.

Others headed on to Baddeck to shop, have a lunch and then proceed to our night's camp. Three of us chose to go to Iona to the Heritage Village Museum. It's pretty easy to travel with other TCers but especially with those who served in the military. Joe's Coast Guard, Chuck's Marine and Ron's Navy. There's never a thought about not having able hands always available.

So many times on this trip we have had a ferry crossing. Many of the ferrys are "on call" meaning that when they see vehicles on one side ready to cross over, the ferry goes to get them. They all also seem to cost $5 no matter the length of the crossing. We three all fit on a very small ferry and got to chat with a local ferryman about Cape Breton on the five minute trip.

The Highland Village Museum is a living history museum and depicts life as lived by the early Scottish Gaelic culture. The web site at http://museum.gov.ns.ca/hv/ has videos and background music which will get your toes tapping. We wandered through almost all of the buildings and climbed up and down the steep paths. This was a very worthwhile stop on our trip.

The museum has several Highland cattle, shaggy, horned cattle that were originally brought by the Scottish settlers. How'd you like to farm on this land?

For those of you who haven't seen the north Atlantic coastline it is hard to describe. Photos are the only way.

We caught up with the group and even though it is now raining, we sat around a campfire all holding umbrellas. Hard to keep truck camper folk inside. Tomorrow we'll go to Baddeck to tour the Alexander Graham Bell site and to walk around the markets. Supposed to be a rain day again but we'd like to get the weather out of the way before we head up to Meat Cove. A TC not with our group pulled in tonight just coming back from the tip of Cape Breton. He said the roads are passable into Meat Cove, they had a great camp on the side of the steep slope to the sea and watched many whales go by. Fingers crossed we can do the same.

Mahone Bay to Peggy's Cove Nova Scotia

2010-09-18T19:40:00.001-04:00

September 17- After our ketch trip Thursday, the crowd was dragging so made a quiet night of it. Rain overnight and then heavy rain to start out travel day. The first stop was in Mahone Bay to go to the farmers market, do laundry if necessary and reprovision. Why more provisions who knows as all of us have been partaking of the super local seafood restaurants and bakeries. And yes there was a true bread baker at the farmer's market who had everything from chocolate croisants to those long thin crusty loaves.

I'd looked forward to going into some of the Nova Scotia yarn shops and found a real treasure in "Just a Yarn" in Mahone Bay. If an of you are fiber people, it is a must stop. Others went into the quilt shop and the pewter maker. Mahone Bay was yet another small, walkable Nova Scotia town with friendly people and lots to see.

We split up from here with most of us eventually following the coastal route from Mahone Bay up to Peggy's Cove, wending our way through inlets, coves and tiny fishing villages. Road names like "Pig Loop" and "Dead Horse" crop up but many of the road names reflect the Scottish heritage with McGregor, Culloden, etc. pretty common. By early afternoon we were in the midst of a strong coastal squall with heavy rain and high winds probably in the 40 mph range.

We are camped just before Peggy's Cove in Indian Harbor, again right on the ocean. This time we are on a small hill or the salt water would be washing over the campers.

Ted and Mike were parked closer then we were to the ocean. Here they are during the storm.

Eventually the storm broke and we could see sunset with a promise of clear sunny skies tomorrow.

Tomorrow we'll do a group breakfast over near the Peggy's Cove lighthouse, visit the shale ledges at the cove and then have a driving day to Antigonish. We plan on sticking to PH7 (Provincal Highway) which will take us right along the coast. Some of that will depend on the weather and deciding if we want to do 160+ miles at 35-50 mph (scenic as it is).

September 18 - The storm blew every particle of pollution out of the air and left us with one of those picture postcard days.

Peggy's Cove is a major tourist attraction and we wanted to get in and out prior to the busloads of folks from the cruise ships out of Halifax. We passed a lot of those buses - double decker and tandem buses on the way out. The cove is a working fishing village with a year round population of 35. This is one of the working wharves with the mirror smooth ocean.

We filled up the back half of the parking lot with a lot of TCs plus an extra Adventurer rented by a couple from Germany who were fascinated with all the TCs.

After a hearty breakfast of fish cakes, fried potato and fatback bacon we waddled up to the light house. Trying to corral 20+ people for a group photo was slightly difficult. Anyway, here is the lighthouse.

(On Edit - a fellow traveller had this great shot of most of the group at the lighthouse)

We decided not to travel up the coast as we will see a lot of coastline around Cape Breton. The Trans Canada Highway is a well engineered smooth road, easy to drive and lots of scenery including a Bald Eagle. Guess I cannot call it an American Bald Eagle since we are in Canada.

Tonight we are in Antigonish to do laundry, fuel up, sit by the campfire and plan more travels. Tomorrow we head for a two night stay in Englishtown. Some will mackeral fish, some will kayak and others will tour over to Fortress Louisbourg National Historic Site. Joe and I plan a side trip to Iona to see the Highland Village Museum, recreating early settler life on Cape Breton. More when we get wifi again.

Nova Scotia - Lunenburg sail

2010-09-16T19:15:00.000-04:00

September 16 - Lunenburg

The Truck Camper crowd takes to the sea! What a fabulous and exhausting day. Jerry and Paula chartered the "Eastern Sea", a 48 foot wooden sailing ketch to take us for a sail around Lunenburg Harbor and out to sea. GLORIOUS day, a bit nippy and VERY windy but one of those special times we'll all remember for a long time. Here's the ketch.

We motored out from the dock and then the fore and aft sails were raised. Joe helps raise sail, a long way from his Coast Guard days. Only the two smaller sails were raised as it was VERY windy and raising the main sail would have probably capsized us.

Some of our crew took their turn at the helm. Here's Mike with Tom standing by to lend a hand.

and here is Ted (FarcticOx) with our trip mascot, Ducker. Ducker is the name of a breed of dog from Nova Scotia. Each TC gets to keep Ducker for the day and take him to new and interesting places. Each evening around the fire, the tales of the day are told.

Why do we all look like we are dressed for the Arctic? Why it is pretty cold out to sea with a high wind. Here's part of our crew on the sun side of the ketch.

Coming back to harbor, the wind really kicked up and we were rail in the water a lot of the time.

For those of you who don't sail or spend time on the water, putting the rail in the water means the boat is tipped way over on it's side until one rail is touching the ocean. It's a fine trick for a skipper to race like that and not go too far.

Two of our group, Catherine and Paul (Miskeeta) decided to stay on the down rail side. They were holding on.

Two hours of sun, wind, sail, water and we were pretty tired, wind and sun burned when we got back and no one would change a thing. Lunenburg is a very steep town, built into the side of a hill and though the harbor area is water level, getting back to the TCs involves a long, long uphill climb. We decided to fortify outselves for the trek and had a seafood lunch at the "The Knot Pub". Some shopped their way back including a local distillery and fresh vegetable mart.

Tomorrow we head for Mahone Bay and Peggy's Cove to once again camp right on the ocean.

Nova Scotia - Whale Cove to Lunenburg

2010-09-15T19:54:00.000-04:00

More Nova Scotia - September 14-15 - Reports when we get good wifi access which isn't that often

Our truck camper hosts, Paula and Jerry, did a HUGE amount of preplanning for this trip. They better watch out or all of us will want to tag along with them to Mexico next winter. It's not easy figuring out where a dozen truck campers can all stop at one time in tiny towns and country roads but they did it.

Tuesday morning the 14th we left Whale Cove and drove through the bottom center of Nova Scotia, going west to east, following along Route 8 through woods that reminded Joe and I of The Great North Woods in Maine. This land was scoured by glaciers eons ago, leaving behind tiny lakes, ridges, and rock formations. Much like Maine, this is timber land and the roads reflect it. Part way though we stopped at a small country store to be greeted by hot pastries just coming out of the oven. Nova Scotia folks know how to bake as we have found out repeatedly. We passed through Kempt and Calendonia, stopping in Liverpool for fuel, groceries and to replenish the adult beverage stash. This was our longest travel day in distance. The goal was getting to Petite Riviere and Rissers Beach Provincial Park.

And oh my what a gorgeous beach this is. Jerry and Paula had reserved the boondock spaces right on the sand beach, a rare treat for those of us who don't have access to sand beaches. The sun was strong, the wind even stronger and we watched as a fog bank was coming into shore. Then the fog lifted and we had one of those perfect nights to camp listening to the surf and no traffic noise at all.

We actually got both sun and wind burns but worth it. We picked rocks, shells and explored folded rock wall along the beach.

Here's the view from inside the camper window.

Today (9/15) we drove up to Paula's ancesteral home near La Have. Parked on a tiny road running by the beach where she used to spend summers and all walked, picking up sea glass, more shells and enjoying listening to her talk about growing up here. Is this a row of Truck Campers or what? We've turned quite a few heads watching us go by during our travels.

The beach is mostly shale that has splintered and been pounded by the North Atlantic forever. For those of you who haven't walked such a beach the smells, sights and sounds are memorable. Even for those of us who can get to ocean beaches, this one was so clean and enjoyable.

Another great bakery with hot raisin and cranberry scones and coffee just before the ferry towards Lunenburg. You can drive the big U shape to get around the bay but at $5 it saves a lot of fuel and it's pretty. The ferry men said it was the heaviest load they had all summer even though we could only get five campers at a time on the ferry.

Tonight we are camped at the Lunenburg Board of Trade campground - next to the Visitors Center. Most of us walked down, down, down into Lunenburg and went to the Fisheries Museum. There were exhibits and artifacts on whaling, cod fishing, rum running and how the wooden ships were built. They are restoring a huge 4 masted schooner berthed behind the museum. Some of our group explored the inns, taverns, gift shops of this small town that has not gone commercial. It was a long, steep climb back to the campground as you can see by the tired looks all around.

Tomorrow we take a cruise on the "Eastern Star" sloop out into Lunenburg Harbor and some of the surrounding islands. Who said Truck Campers had to stay on land?

Nova Scotia - Annapolis Royal to Brier Island

2010-09-13T21:22:00.000-04:00

Nova Scotia September 11, 2010

Three more TCs rolled into St. Andrews, New Brunswick after a trek up from MA. I think they were a bit surprised at Route 9 known as the Airline out of Bangor. That is the beginning of the Great North Woods and an immense space of trees, lakes, wildlife and loggers.

We timed the drive up to Digby so that we were in plenty of time for the ferry. Here's the rather impressive line up of TCs waiting to get on the ferry. At the end of the line is a pop-up from Ohio who was rather amazed to see that many rigs in one place. Lots of fun to see the stares and interest in the campers and we gave tours and handed out business cards of places to buy campers.

The ferry was much larger than I had anticipated and actually still had room for vehicles. Our group has many retired Navy and Coast Guardsmen but they didn't need their sea legs as the crossing was smooth as glass. We spent much time up on the decks watching the approach of Nova Scotia.

We were greeted at the landing by truck camper friends Farctic Ox (Ted and Cheryl) who were taking those arrival photos cruise passengers usually cringe about. After the obligatory grocery and fuel stop we caravan over to Dunromin Campground next to Annapolis Royal, NS.

Tomorrow we'll all split and head to craft fairs, a tidal power station exhibit, to roam through historic gardens and view restored town buildings. Our hosts, Jerry and Paula, have arranged a dinner of local Nova Scotia foods for a welcome gathering.

September 12 -13

Quite a few of us walked into Annapolis Royal from the campground - about a 3 mile round trip. Along the way is a tidal power plant with very interesting exhibits and a Nova Scotian who explained how the tide is used for power and what is in the future for such use.

The town is a historic settlement that goes back into the 1600s. Joe and Chuck must have done something wrong as they ended up here:

You can see from the buildings in the background that this is an old town! From Annapolis Royal we travelled to Bear River to feast on fresh baked pasteries and to stock up on Nova Scotia's version of lasagna and shepard's pie. Since we had a long day ahead, figured just warming up something would be all we could handle.

On to travel by ferries to both Long Island and Brier Island, two remote and beautiful islands that jut out into the Atlantic. At the tip of Long Island we parked on a wharf to await the ferry. Of course since truck campers travel well, we feasted on fresh Digby scallops, fish and chowders while waiting.

It took a while to ferry all of us over but the ride was only about a half mile. Small boat so we didn't all fit on at one time. The current runs 10-12 knots which for you landlubbers is FAST. The ferry gets pushed with the tide and only the experience of the captain gets it to dock without a bump.

Joe and I wended our way on Brier Island out to the southeast tip and walked a long time through the grasses, headlands and by the lighthouse. Some of our TCs went to the northern tip to watch the seals and enjoy the warm sun. Others walked the beach and relaxed by the jetty watching the fishing boats go by.

Tonight we are back across both ferries in a small campground called Whale Cove. We've seen many fire rings made out of washing maching tubs but have you ever seen a portable one?? These are all over the campground - tubs on the chassis of an old lawn mower.

Tomorrow we head to Rissers Beach Provincial Park to camp right on the sands of the North Atlantic Ocean. A-Boondocking we go!

Truck Camper caravan to Nova Scotia

2010-09-10T07:29:00.000-04:00

We've started out on our long awaited Truck Camper rolling Jamboree/Caravan through New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. We've headed up early with fellow truck camper friends Toni/Ron and Fran/Chuck. First time ever crossing the border into Canada, we were asked to go into the customs building to have our passports "verified". Usually we get a few questions and are passed right through. There is never anything in the camper that shouldn't be so we don't mind the thoughts of an inspection - which hasn't occured yet. Pleasant man took the passports, asked questions and we must have answered okay because we were sent on our way with an "Eh, Enjoy Canada".

Camped for the night on the Bay of Fundy in St. Andrews, NB. Tide was full in when we arrived followed quickly by a pretty heavy rainstorm. By the time we got set up and remembered the camera, the tide was racing out.

Feels so good to have this crisp, cool air after our hot summer in Maine. here's a view out the camper door after the rain.

To start our journey off well, we even got a gorgeous rainbow over the Bay with the tide full out.

Tomorrow we six will walk into St. Andrews and play tourist before heading off to the ferry from St. John to Digby, Nova Scotia.

TC Caravan through PA

2010-08-16T20:45:00.000-04:00

Mid July we went to Truck Camper Warehouse in NH to get the Heki hatch latch replaced and a couple of 12 volt receptacles installed. Also picked up a great camp chair for Joe for his birthday. Bill's helper replaced the latch in about 5 minutes. It would have taken us a couple of hours at least. Now the hatch latches securely again and Bill gave us a couple of tricks on closing it which should prevent another break. Pull down hard on the U bar before attempting to close the latch!!

On August 11th we left Maine to join up with five other couples and their truck campers. The purpose of the trip was to find a campground suitable for the fall 2011 rally - and to meet up and have some social time. Being retired we can add some days to a trip and so set off. Our first overnight was at Thompson Lake State Park in NY. Big, clean park with large sites, a pretty lake and very few people. Nothing beats that first night's sleep back in the TC again.

Wandered on through NY and into PA and ended up at a Corps of Engineers park near Tioga PA. We seek out COE campsites as they are always clean, beautiful surroundings and very inexpensive when you use the Golden Age national pass. Hard to beat $11 for this site with water and power.

We met up with Mikeeee/Cathie, Ron/Toni, Chimmy/Cathie, Spot/Kim and the good Michelle and started our tour of campgrounds. The first was a Yogi Bear park near Milton, PA. We had our usual group breakfast and then started off over hill and dale to a big KOA. We drew a few stares when we caravaned in. We were all asked to show our TC insides and how they worked. They aren't that unusual are they?

It is really fun to travel in a line of truck campers. We all have CBs so easy to chat as you go.

The third campground visited was not suitable for our use but we had already committed to staying over. Up go the pop up tents over tables, group supper and a few beverages shared. Joe found a few cut logs on the edge of the woods for our fire and what did Spot have???? Why a chainsaw of course !!! These guys from Michigan come prepared. Mike braced the log for cutting and we all stood by waiting for a huge "oops". Nothing happened, fire was enjoyed, morning breakfast in pouring rain and off we went to the last campground.

Fourth campgorund is perfect but we might need to talk them into having 40+ rigs show up as they are new to ownership. Campers scattered to the winds - Maine, Michigan, Massachusettes, Pennsylvania - MMM&P! Joe and I continued on to another COE camp for the evening and now are up on Lake Erie. Had no idea the miles of grapevines and wineries along the lake.

All alone are we. Finally got wi-fi and a chance to catch up. We'll continue to wander around Lake Erie and meet up with friends again in NY late week. We've seen a few other TCs on the road but they are fairly rare compared to those huge 5ths and As. Love the nimbleness of our camper.

July - Fourth, Cobscook and New Brunswick

2010-07-08T19:27:00.005-04:00

July 1-5th, 2010 - Fourth of July at Fort Pickering, Winter Island, Salem, MA

Met up with a group of fellow truck campers for a boondock over the 4th of July. Since we are retired, we were among the first to arrive and picked a space at the edge of the field. This was the first test of the solar system and it performed beautifully, giving us all the lighting we needed, as long as needed and never dropping under 12.3 on the meter. What it would not do, of course, was to run the AC which was sorely needed - 95F and humid. We did run both the roof fans plus a 12 volt fan from a plug recently installed. Just too lazy to try to run the AC on the generator since we spent most of our time socializing under the pop up tents.

This is the lighthouse and harbor where we were camped and the tents set up for picnic and gatherings.

This was an unplanned event and spread word of mouth. We ended up with a dozen rigs, mostly truck campers but also two older bus RVs that are being restored. Can we pack campers in close to the breeze or what? These are the TC roofs.

July 4th dawned hot, bright and with a busy harbor. We socialized, sat under the tents and read, played Sudoku and just chatted.

Mikeee cooked an 18 pound beef roast on the grill and lobsters in the propane pots. Kevin and Paul opted for SIX plus pound lobsters and had a great time both cooking them and breaking into them. An ax was needed on the claws. As usual, too much food and beverages but the conversation keeps up. We sat up by the light house and watched incredible fireworks from Marblehead, Beverly, and Salem. You could actually see part of Boston's on the far horizon.

Too short a visit with friends as always but we headed back to Maine to clean the camper and restock for a quick trip to Canada.

July 6-8, 2010

We try to come up to Kingsbrae Gardens in St. Andrews, New Brunswick a couple of times a year. This is a 27 acre perennial garden with walking paths, ponds, more flowers than you can imagine and a cafe serving local foods. This year we chose to take the Airline out of Bangor as far as Wesley and then cut over to Route 1. Our goal was to stay at Cobscook Bay State Park which is right on the ocean. With no reservations, we figured we could get into the park but had no idea we would get a waterfront site.

Arrived at low tide, pulled out the chairs after a pretty good hike around the park and watched the tide come in. As usual, I pulled out the knitting.

Change in temperature from the weekend? You bet as it was 72F and sunny and the view is one of the reasons we live in Maine. This is what happens to the shoreline with a 25+ tide. Views are the same, one at low time, done at close to high tide.
Lots of wild life including brown rabbits, red squirrels, very loud crows and chipmunks. No moose or deer. No way to explain how relaxing sleeping in the camper is when the night temps drop into the 60s and there is utter silence.

Next AM off we head to St. Andrews, stopping at the 45th Parallel exhibit and then at a US National Monument to the settlers of St. Croix Island. Many large bronze statues here giving a real feeling of what it must have been like to try to survive a winter in the middle of such a cold river/entry to the ocean.

We crossed into Canada at the new border crossing in Calais, bypassing the old city totally and not getting into the tiny town roads. No problems crossing as there shouldn't be as we never have anything with us we shouldn't have. Kingsbrae was worth the drive and time, lunch was smoked salmon and seafood chowder. Walked through the harbor town of St. Andrews and are now camped right on the ocean at the tip of the peninsula between two huge A RVs. Friendly folks who are fascinated that we can live and travel in something as small as a TC. We look at the As and wonder how they can ever get anywhere but a major highway. To each his/her own. Here's a view out the TC door.

Home tomorrow with lots of our own garden work to do. Wonder where we will go next?

Celebrating the 4th of July

2010-07-01T07:18:00.000-04:00

Hope most of you will be able to get out and enjoy your truck camper over the 4th of July. TCs and celebrations just seem to go together. Our holiday started June 30th with the arrival of TC friends from Maryland. They are on their way to Nova Scotia and stopped in for an overnight. We cooked up a big fish chowder and sat and shared tales of places to go.

Both Lances were squeeky clean even with being on the road for twelve hours. That Maguires wax does the trick.

Daryl, Barbara, Mary and Charlie just before heading off on the obligatory visit to LL Beans and then continuing their trek north. It's always fun to have fellow campers stop in.

We'll be headed off to camp with 6-8 other TCs on a beach. Fingers crossed it's not soft sand but the others are experienced beach goers and we've got shovels!

F350 in the driveway

2010-06-25T20:56:00.001-04:00

Is this a gorgeous truck or what? Dream to drive, peppy, easy to handle, very very quiet engine. It's so quiet we miss the clatter sound of a diesel. This is a 2010 Ford F-350 DRW diesel with a 6.4 engine and 3.73 gears. Today we had an extra leaf spring added to help with the TC weight sitting well on the truck. Monday and Tuesday, the truck body gets a sprayed in LineX coat and the Torklifts and camper power receptacle get installed. Great trade in value on the old F350 and the incentives from Ford were just too good to pass up. Figure this will be our last camper truck before we go tottering off into the sunset.

Wonder where we'll go with this one?

Trading UP!!

2010-06-23T15:38:00.000-04:00

Way too good a deal not to trade up on a 2010 Ford F-350 DRW long body Lariat diesel. Fingers crossed that the 6.4 with the 3.53 gear ratio will still do the job with the heavy camper.

Trade takes place tomorrow and then the scramble to get an additional leaf spring put in, Torklifts and the camper plug so we can get OTRA. We are going to miss Phil's Blueberry Hill gathering but should make the on-the-sand bookdock on Winter Island for the 4th.

Putting these two photos up so the plug installer can see what is on the truck/camper currently.

Meandering through ME, NH and VT in the TC

2010-06-13T17:05:00.000-04:00

Fun long weekend wandering around through ME, NH and VT. It was a pretty rainy time but still so good to be on the road and seeing sights. Took off from ME and headed over the Kancamagus Pass, through the fog and clouds but always beside fast flowing streams.

After those mountains out west, the White and Green Mountain ranges are pretty tame but oh so lush and green.

It's so easy to think of these streams in the winter with the ice chunks and deep cold. Summer that water is probably as cold as January and the woods are often shrouded with fog.

These boulders dropped like pebbles are called erratics and were left behind by the glaciers eons ago. This one was split in half like with a chain saw but probably by water and ice.

We continued over to West Chesterfield, NH to Bill Penny's new truck camper facility, Truck Camper Warehouse. Bill is remarkably busy with lots of new camper deliveries. He worked us in for a 12 volt

receptacle in the camper so we could have better use of our solar and battery capacity. We were the first campers to use one of Bill's full RV sites behind the big building. Power, water and good company.

Massive thunderstorms and tornado warnings were everywhere so we decided to head a little closer to home. Ended up camped on the Saco River in North Conway right by the river. The weather alert radio went off a couple of times with storm warning but they never arrived.

One last spin around Lake Winnepausaukee and home again to get the camper totally cleaned out and restocked. All the accumulated stuff never used is now out and we are clean, packed and ready for the next trip.

GFI, Solar, Tall Pines and lots more

2010-04-24T17:05:00.022-04:00

Time to catch up the blog on our Truck Camper travels. First - the mystery battery problem was dirty battery terminals. Once cleaned and sprayed with dielectric cleaner, the batteries charged again. More on this later.

Mid April is the time of year for the Mid Atlantic Truck Camper rally run by Ron and Michelle Humphries. What a great time it is to meet up with old TC friends, meet lots of new ones and learn of new places to go. We left Maine on Sunday, April 10th and overnighted at a Cracker Barrel in Fishkill, NY. Great service CB provides as they freely let RVers use their lots. We always enjoy a good meal and a safe night's sleep. Mysterious power and water leaks start and make us pretty uneasy. Stopped at Delaware RV Center and had the batteries checked. They tested good on a load test and we confirmed that the water leak was probably from a split low water hot water drain valve. Very dumb placement of the valves as hot and cold are side by side and virtually impossible to work on. Here's the valve after repair by Xtreme Campers in High Point, NC. They used PEX tubing and a knife handle valve.

On to Assateague National Seashore to camp on Bayside Loop C with TC friends Fran and Chuck from CT. As always it's amazing to see the wild ponies wander by, all the shore birds and enjoy the warmth of a southern spring sun. The pine pollen was so thick it looked like yellow rain and both of us started wheezing from the pollen.

A lingering TC problem cropped up once again - no heat from the gas furnace. Chuck was a RV tech in a former life and kindly swapped out the Suburban furnace board for us. Yes we carried a spare one plus an igniter and gas regulator. Furnace worked once, then quit again with none of us able to figure it out. Since there was now a cold driving rain, chickened out of a cold night and drove down to Sanford, VA to Tall Pines Campground to start the rally early. Plugged into power, turned on the cube electric heater and slept well.

By Wednesday fellow TCers were arriving in droves. Here is our Host with the North East party tent beside us, Joe watching new arrivals and a line up of our group.

Mystery electrical problem showed up again with batteries not charging. Lots of TCers looked and could not find what was going on. Finally friend Fireman Dave stuck his head way into the area with the converter and found a GFI way hidden in the back. Yeap - it was tripped. One push of the popped GFI and we are golden once again. Lessons learned - but a really poor placement of the GFI.

When we grow up, we want to be like the big boy TCers that go out on the ocean sands. These are some serious fishing rigs. This is Ron Humphrie's TC with front carriers, rod holders and serious back deck plus kids, dog, and extra water tank on top.

Our chief Wagon Master Mikeee T did his usual incredible job of cooking two huge beef roasts while Cathie T prepared haddock with crumb topping. We feasted, imbibed adult beverages and told tales of where we'd been over the last year. This feast was followed by the first of many poker games.

All too soon the rally was over, TCs scattered home from Nova Scotia to California. We head down to Xtreme Campers to see Mike Olesnevich and have him take a look at the water problem and gas furnace. He graciously worked us in on Monday AM. Travis immediately found and fixed a water pump diaphram problem we didn't even know we had. He then cut the very inconviently placed low water drain line and put in a new shut off. The gas furnace problem is proving to be a real mystery to everyone who looks. Mike and Travis found oil in the regulator from overfilled gas tanks which prevents free flow of gas to the furnace. Ah-ha every one went. Purge the tanks, lines and regulator. Fixed!! Unfortunately not. A third regulator went in, furnace worked over and over correctly so we called it good. In the meantime since we were already there, we had Mike put in a Kyrocera 120 watt solar panel and a Morningstar controller. The Host is prewired so we can add another panel later if wanted. Poor Mike suffered through my concern over the solar panel lifting off the roof in the wind from travelling. He quickly fabricated an airfoil, painted it white, applied an Xtreme Campers sticker, mounted it on the front edge of the solar panel and called it good. Obviously the panel didn't move.

Off we went to a Corps of Engineers camp area at Philpott Lake in southwest VA. Beautiful place and a great way to end our trip before pushing for home. Unfortunately the gas furnace quit again - it just won't light and times out after trying three times. The controller board, igniter, regulator have all been replaced. We'll look for a Suburban RV furnace repair place close to home and give it another try. After all we're headed to another North East TC gathering in Salisbury, MA mid May and it can still be pretty cold up here at night.

Today we cleaned the camper and didn't plug it into electric power. Sure was fun to watch the solar panel working and topping off the battery. More boondocking here we come!

Cape Cod Canal Camping March 2010

2010-03-24T13:56:00.006-04:00

So what if we didn't have a bad winter in the Northeast? So we didn't really need a get away? Wrong! Don't say "let's go camping" to those of us up here in the cold or we just all migrate to a warmer spot for the weekend. Nine TCs had an impromptu weekend at Schusset Beach on the east end of the Cape Cod Canal.

Warm, sunny, very very windy but oh so gorgeous to be out again.

Farctic Ox and TwoMaineiacs set up the grills for a weekend of feasting. Trapper Dick, Sailor, Phil, Mikee and several others who don't post on RV.NET all showed up with our usual pot lucks and adult beverages. Phil made muffins which is why he's called "The Muffin Man".

We walked the beach, climbed on the jetty, got sunburned , tried to shield from the constant wind and traded tall tales of places to go and trips already taken.

How many people does it take to put up a windscreen? On Cape Cod - a lot.

Mystery of the TC Electrical System

2010-03-07T13:02:00.001-05:00

Since winter seems to have disappeared we just couldn't stand to see the TC alone in the woods covered with ADCO cover and looking so forlorn. Friday AM took the cover off, batteries back in, mats in the bed of the F350, happy smiles on our face, and went to raise the jacks to load the TC. NADA! Nothing, no click, no whirr, no hummm, no nothing. Joe had been great this winter about putting a charge on the batteries every six weeks for six hours and being sure the distilled water level was good. He rechecked the connections, checked the transfer switch to be sure no mouse/squirrel/varmint had not eaten the wiring. No idea how they could since that part of the TC is under the floor, insulated, etc. but checked anyway. No signs of anything wrong. Fuses and GFI were good. Hmmmmmm......Joe and Mike T talked on the phone and Mike said to hook up the generator and see if the jacks would work. Yes they did. Loaded the camper on, drove around a little bit to see if the truck would charge the batteries more. NO battery power??!!! Batteries are Interstate and only two years old.

What the heck - it's loaded, it's a beautiful 50F degree day, Truck Camper Warehouse is open in NH and the rig needs a road trip. Called to be sure Bill Penny would be there and off we went. There is no snow in the southern reaches of ME, NH and eastern VT. The ski slopes in VT around Brattleboro were open since they are high and man made snow is keeping up with snow depths. Pretty streams were babbling along the back roads. Since the TC has no gear in it, no battery power and is still winterized we found a motel in Brattleboro. That one night stay plus restaurants of various kinds drove home the point of how much we love our Host camper and it's own bed/bath/kitchen. Sure missed traveling without using the TC as our home.

Bill was very busy delivering a Northen Lite, working on a triple slide Chalet he'd sold and talking to potential TCers. He caulked a suspicious seam for us, looked over the electrical, could not find anything wrong at all and said he'd have to mull on it a bit. We got to meet two couples new to TCing and referred them to RV.NET. One has been lurking for a year researching but hasn't posted yet. He'd just picked up his new TC last week.

Didn't take Bill long to say AH-HA, did a tiny repair and there was the electrical system fully working again. We had a pleasant trip home on small back roads and today Joe has started putting gear back in. We both really want to get OTRA - on the road again. The Mid Atlantic rally is only 39 days away.

Batteries were good, transfer switch was good, wires weren't broken, fuses and GFI were good. So.... can any of you guess what the problem was?

Truck Camper Magazine article - Ladie's Week

2010-02-01T18:34:00.008-05:00

Is this fun or what? Our adventures in the camper are the first of the Woman's Month articles for Truck Camper Magazine. This is an online magazine with articles on trucks, campers, places to go, people, manufacturers, all associated with truck camping. You can read the article here - href="http://tinyurl.com/ykeo8kq and all of the magazine here - http://www.truckcampermagazine.com/

Gordon and Angela White are the editors/owners of the magazine. Joe and I had a great time talking to them at the fall Carlisle TC rally last year. Angela followed up with an hour long phone interview and I sent her a disk full of photos. Thanks Angela and Gordon! I hope the article helps other women become more at ease with driving and operating their campers.

Recompence weekend campout in Maine

2009-11-09T09:15:00.009-05:00

Three hours of steady work got the TC back on the truck and ready to go over to Recompence Campground at Wolfe Neck Farm in Freeport for an impromptue weekend TC gathering. Joe's leg has improved greatly but not enough to let him go for the whole weekend. I needed a restful time in the camper so we figured I'd camp and he'd visit.

Eleven hearty New England TCs showed up for a glorious fall weekend in Maine. Friday was cold, windy but sunny for the most part. We got the fire going early on and, with various adult beverages, managed to stay warm.

This year the ground was muddy but not ankle deep as it has been before. No one sank out of sight and had to be pulled out though Paul said his was starting to list to the side. The cattle are no longer on the farm so we had no wide eyed calves mooing at us from the fence line.

Mikeeee brought his 10x20 tent which was set up as a gathering place and a wind break. As usual we shared a lot of good food and chat about places to go and see.

I took the women up to Bath for a yarn store trip and lunch at Kennebeck Tavern on the Kennebec River. Somehow we never all made a LL Bean trip this year but managed a few crafts shops and a lot of chatter. Relaxing weekend mostly spent around the fire.

Had our usual group breakfast on Sunday which the men cooked. Too short a time but so good to be back in the TC. Unfortunately our propane furnace failed so I did end up back at the house Saturday night to sleep. Too old to enjoy a 40F degree night? Yes! Mike's torn the gas heater unit apart and we're ordering parts today. Sure is nice to know someone so knowledgeable on the inner workings of all kinds of HVAC equipment.

Tempted to leave the TC on the truck awhile longer. Who knows if there is another weekend left to the year before the deep snows arrive.

TC off for the winter

2009-10-19T18:20:00.003-04:00

Yes the TC is off the truck for the winter and almost totally winterized. Anti-freeze is in, everything perishable out and all the linens, etc. all boxed up and put up on the bed. Only things left to do are to shut off the gas, remove the batteries and (hopefully) remember to move the license plate from the TC to the truck. F-350 goes in Wednesday for service and then into the garage with the 1/4" to spare so the door goes down.

Why so early? Why did we miss the Northeast Truck Campers fall rally in Salem, MA last weekend? Well Joe came down with a pretty bad case of cellulitis in his lower right leg and spent 13 days in the hospital. The only good thing about it was we were in familiar territory with known hospital and doctors. We could have been in a back canyon in Utah or on a beach in Oregon and had to hunt for medical that would accept retired military health insurance. We'd have found it but if a medical problem had to happen, glad we were home.

The gear we took out isn't so buried in the cellar that we couldn't load the TC back up and head out during the winter. Time will tell. He's healing very well and quickly. walking easily again and getting pretty bored with spending most of his day with his leg elevated over his heart. Lots of trips left to the wound care clinic but he'll heal given a bit of time.

So...... be careful when you are out camping. Treat any tiny cut or bug bite as a source of infection. We never found what caused Joe's cellulitis but just be careful.

Wandering through PA and VA

2009-09-29T19:11:00.018-04:00

Our fall NorthEast Truck Camper Rally was held at Western RV Park in Carlisle, PA. Chimmy and Cathy were great Wagonmasters and made everything run smoothly. We got there a day early and set up after spending a night at Cracker Barrel. how odd to say you slept at Cracker Barrel!!

Here we are all set up on quite a slope. Had to take the camper off the truck to get it level. Darryl (Headin'South) lent us a brace for the front end of the camper which stopped all wiggling. We picked up one later at Camping World. Thanks Darryl! plus those smoked oysters were great.

Lots of activities such as a dog show,

Bingo, way too many chances to sample local wine/beer, cheeses, etc. Pot luck was fun and everyone always brings their best. Five of us women even took a trip to Adam's County Winery and to a local yarn shop. Great time and since we didn't want the trip to end - we didn't.

After the Fall Carlisle PA Truck Camper rally, four of us continued on into PA and then into VA. What a joy it is to travel with like minded people who share the same things we like to do. Carlisle was a great rally and we got to meet new TCers and renew old acquaintances. We just kept on going with a bit fewer folk. It's a real joy to look ahead (or behind) and see a line of TCs riding along.

Camped overnight in Bedford, PA after stopping at a local winery. My wine of choice is single malt so the winery stops were educational. Our next stop was in Shanksville, PA at the temporary memorial to the 9/11 Flight 93 crash. That was a really sobering sight to see and made me even more appreciative of our freedoms. Plans are drawn for a permanent memorial but I wonder if part of that will be improving the farm roads to get there.

Next stop was "Falling Waters", a Frank Lloyd Wright designed house.

It was built for under $150,000 and today the operating and repair budget is over $4,000,000 a year. I loved the stone work and roof lines but it was not a house I would want to live in. Joe's head grazed the ceiling in several places and the general scale of the house was not user friendly. Gorgeous to look at but cramped to live in especially the bedrooms.

Interesting camp that night as none of our spots were any where near level and we ran out of leveling blocks and resorted to local rocks. Next day we toured "Kentuck Knob", another Frank Lloyd Wright house.

The exterior details were just perfect to fit in with the site - one of FLW's main themes in a house. The kitchen was almost laughable in size as he expected the home owner's to have most meals catered and only to serve snacks out of the kitchen. Beautiful homes to look at but living inside art must not have been fun if not functional. Our TC looked spacious after a few of the house's rooms.

We're now camped near Independence, VA at a friend of one of our TC buddies. Their summer house camp is beside a roaring brook and in a grove of old maple and oak trees. He's even built a suspension bridge over the brook.

We've had great down time with most of us reading, napping, and planning supper. Last night Chef Mikeeee cooked pork loin, steaks, and fresh veggies on our host's big BBQ grill. Life just doesn't get much better.

We're back in Maine after a great trip with good friends. Truck Camping's best benefit for us is not just the places we see, but the friends met along the way.

Blueberry Hill in New Hampshire

2009-08-26T17:09:00.012-04:00

Since returning from this summer's western jaunt, we've not used the truck camper much. We spent two weeks in VA working with the siblings cleaning out mom's condo for sale. Two weeks of way too hot weather, daily big thunderstorms, humidity enough to need a gallon of water a day - all reasons we sure do enjoy our home in Maine. We accomplished what we wanted as a family to ready the condo so even the heat was worth it.

We've just returned from Blueberry Hill Inn and Campground in North Stratford, NH. One of our truck camper friends lives nearby and found this 8 spot campground behind a B&B. It's always a great drive from Maine up into the western mountains and through the White Mountain National Forest.

We've spent so much time in our Host camper this summer, it is really easy to set it up. This time we put out the rear awning and also set up the popup tent at the end of the awning. Rob did the same so we had a big dry area during all the rain storms.

Mike brought up a 22 pound sirloin roast, fresh corn on the cob and steamer clams. Stoney brought up Mike's rotissier grill and two turkey fryer pots for the clams and veggies. Here's Mike checking the roast. It was fabulous! What a perfect summer meal with friends, beverages and a lot of chatter around the campfire.

Family Times (Jayne and Rob with their dog Lacey) set up next to us. They are really enjoying their brand new Eagle Cap truck camper. The amount of storage in this model is incredible. Rob worked with the tall steps into the Eagle Cap and built an interim step so it is easy to get into.

We're still hoping to get up to Kingsbrae Gardens in St. Andrews, New Brunswick for a camping weekend. In September we'll meet up with about 35 other truck campers for a rally in Carlisle PA and then a final small group meet in October in Salem, MA. Next week the camper goes in for re-caulking and a checkup. Love the Host and hope to keep it on the road for a long time.

June 30 Home again, home again

2009-07-01T21:10:00.005-04:00

June 30 - NY to Maine

Home again, home again. Never did get to go up the "Going to the Sun" road in Glacier National Park but what sights we did see. This sign is always a very welcome sight no matter how short or long we have been away.

We ended our trip by stopping in MA to see FamilyTimes new Eagle Cap TC. Sweet! Maine is in the third week of rain and we miss that western sun and heat. Great trip and five weeks flew by way to quickly. We traveled 9,636 miles, averaged 11.2 miles per gallon of diesel not horrible considering most of our trip was in the mountains. Average price per gallon was $2.67 with the lowest being $2.29 in Michigan and highest $3.20 in CA. Worth it? You betcha especially since last year's trip $4.65 per gallon.

What parts of the trip will stick with us the longest? The drive over Tioga Pass, north of Yosemite National Park and all of Rocky Mountain National Park for me. Joe says his is Olympic National Park and the views from Hurricane Ridge and also Crater Lake. We would both like to go back to Washington State and spend a month or so wandering around. I'd like to sit on Rialto Beach and watch the sunset. Never did see the type of western sunset colors we had hoped for so we'll just have to go back.

The Host Rainier truck camper and Ford F-350 worked perfectly, all systems taking a lot of abuse on rough roads. The new Michelin tires got a workout on some pretty poor roads and proved to be a good choice for us. We were thankful for our TC friend Mike Tassianari who talked us through fixing the refrigerator after being at high altitude and the thermocouple sooting up. Minor problem overall and just lack of maintenance on our part.

We didn't follow in truck camper friends Wazoo and Farctic Ox's footsteps with extreme back country camping but we stayed in many national forest and state park campgrounds. Most of the time we were pretty much alone in those parks and the quiet and utter darkness at night was fascinating. Sure is a great feeling to drive into a national park, campground or Corp of Engineers facility and either pay nothing or half price. That America the Beautiful senior pass is one of the good things about getting older. Joe calls it his "Golden Geezer Pass".

Once again I'll put all our best photos to music and burn to a DVD to bore all our TC friends and relatives.

Thanks again for all you on RV.NET who gave suggestions on places to go and things to do. We followed many of your thoughts and enjoyed them thoroughly. Hopefully we can pass on to others some of these special places. What an incredible country we are lucky to live in.

June 27 - Iowa through Illinois to Indiana

2009-06-27T19:17:00.002-04:00

June 27 - Iowa through Illinois to Indiana

Travel day - after looking for fossils at Devonian Fossil Gorge in the Coralville Corps of Engineers Park. None seen and fortunately the dam held while we were parked
in front of and under it.

I-80 East over the Mississippi River Bridge is closed for inspection and repair. Seems there were weak structural members and per internet, no idea of when it will be repaired and reopened. We did take I-80 from Iowa City to 280 around Davenport and then I-74 to get Peoria and red road Route 24. This route meanders through Illinois corn and soy bean fields, through myriad tiny towns and great views of America at its small town best. We plan to stay on Route 24 as long as possible as it cuts east between I-80 and I-74/I-70/ Slower? of course but a lot more scenic and almost no truck traffic. Gets pretty tense traveling in and around herds of 18 wheelers on the interstates and not much to see. Might get back on I-80 to cross Pennsylvania but not decided yet.

1,120 miles to go to home. Wonder what adventures lie between here and there?

June 25 Nebraska and June 26 Iowa

2009-06-26T20:57:00.010-04:00

June 25 - Travel day through Nebraska Heat

Up on the road really early to try to air out the cow manure smell from the truck before the day's heat hit. Think I'm getting wimpy in my older age. Took I-76 to I-80to meet friends, one of the few interstate roads on this journey.

Today was a pure travel day other than the joy of meeting up with fellow TCers TinCanSailor and SailorsMate in Paxton, Nebraska. They were heading west from MA, we were heading east and with the miracle of GPS and cell phones we met up. We traded places to go and see and I gave Toni a lot of the brochures we had collected along the way. This is their first long trip since retirement and the TC is proving perfect for what they want to do and where they want to go. Joe and Ron did a lot of looking over each other's TCs to see that everything was working well. The seal in our toilet is slowly leaking out flush water from the bowl and no amount of cleaning will stop it. Doesn't happen all the time but enough that we'll replace the seal or ?? when we get home. They had a great time discussing tires and rims while Toni and I drank a lot of water.

Nebraska is right in the middle of the Breadbasket of America. Miles and miles and endless miles of corn, hay, and other foods we couldn't identify.

And then there are the cattle! Missed getting a photo of the main part of this stockyard since we didn't want to open the window. Got the "tail" end. We do love a good steak and can appreciate a bit more the effort to get it to us.

Tonight we are in a superb Nebraska state park, Eugene Mahoney State Park in Ashland, NE. Big trees, paved pad with manicured grass around it, full utilities plus wi-fi for $19 plus a $4 park entry fee. To get air conditioner tonight, we'd probably have paid twice that. TC when we opened it up looked like this -

It's hard to find an out of the way, safe place to run a portable generator all night so we chose to go for power. We even went over to the Lodge and had the buffet for dinner. US Air Force SAC museum is at the park entry so we'll go through there before leaving Nebraska tomorrow headed into Iowa.

=====
June 26 - Iowa

Travel day in heat but overcast so it only got to 85F instead of 98F. We stay on red roads as much as possible but due to construction had to get travel I-80 a bit today.
The thundering 18 wheelers just get a bit too much after awhile.

There are hundreds of these huge windmills lined up in rows like a checkerboard. They
are adding even more as we saw a lot of the big vanes on flatbeds once we had to get back on I-80 for a bit. Many of the smaller country roads are being repaired. Thanks to Delorme GPS software we usually can figure out an easy way around the detours.

We stopped in Newton, Iowa at the Maytag Blue Cheese Farm.

Never had any idea of how blue cheese was made. We watched a film on the process and then took a tour of this immaculate small facility where all the employees looked like they were contented like the 200 head of Guernsey cows that provide the milk. happy people, great samples and we left with Havarti, Munster, and of course - blue cheese. This blue is nothing like what you can get in a grocery store. Smooth, creamy
and strong but not overpowering.

Tonight we are in the Corps of Engineers campground at Coralville Lake, Linder Point. Another great bargain at $8.00 with the old geezer pass as Joe calls his Golden Age access pass to federal facilities. Quiet, clean, electricity for the AC (86F is still hot) and some beautiful trails we walked down to the lake. Tomorrow we will go see the Devonian Fossil Gorge and then head further east. Looks like we are headed home and the total wandering has stopped. We'll wander a bit more but the line home is getting straighter.

June 24 - Rocky Mountain National Park

2009-06-25T11:09:00.005-04:00

June 24 - Rocky Mountain National Park

Today was a mountain and elk day combined. This morning at the North Fork Campground in the NFS we were awakened by bugling elk. Cool! From where we were in the White Mountain National Forest to Yampa, CO was 50 miles of gravel road. This road was in
better shape than a lot of interstate highways we've been on. Saw several small
groups of elk and a lot of beautiful scenery. Elk are huge animals and move so
gracefully and quickly. Their dark brown color blends pretty well with the big trees
so once they run out of the meadows, it's hard to spot them.

From Yampa we went to Grand Lake via Routes 40 and 34 into the Rocky Mountain
National Park. You can see the Rockies from quite a ways away and they were just
glowing with snow on the top in the bright sunshine. Along the way, we saw many
miles of dead lodge pole pines with some new growth of trees around them and between
the groves of aspen. A ranger told us the dead trees were from the pine bark beetle.
There hasn't been a big fire in RMNP since the 1880s and the older trees get stressed
and infested. Fire normally controls these beetles. The park service no longer tries
to prevent forest fires as fire is a natural pattern of renewal in the forests. One
day this corner of Colorado is going to be ablaze. Some of the trees are being cut
and used but no way could you ever remove them all. You can see the dead pines behind
this elk.

Just as we entered the park there was an "elk jam", a traffic jam caused by people
stopping in the middle of the road to view a herd of elk. Managed to get through the
crowd and then had the road to ourselves for a long time. Up and up and UP we went,
finally maxing out at 12,100 feet. Many, many 15mph U turn curves with no drop off
rails up there and we took it slow and steady.

Hated to leave this park and the scenery but finally drove out through Estes Park and
back to Route 34 over to Fort Morgan. Look at this "boring" road we travel led out of
Estes Park.

We were headed for Fort Morgan town park which has spots for RVs with electricity for
a donation. For some reason it just didn't feel "safe" so we moved on in search of a
better spot - and ended up with our first Walmart (and last?)

For those of you who have never been by a cattle yard there is no way to describe the
smell. Think of an open septic syst We'd planned on staying in the Fort Morem in 90F
heat and you might have a clue. If you like beef, be grateful to these cattlemen but
hold your breath. The old romantic image of cowboys out on the pristine range has
given way to more commercial feeding in the lots. Last night was our first Walmart
camp over and we had to move the truck during the night as an empty cattle hauler 18
wheeler came in to park nearby.

Mike T - the refrigerator thermocouple didn't soot up even at over 12,000 feet.
Fridge is working great.

Tomorrow we head on east to Kearney, Nebraska and a museum on pioneer life. We're
trying to catch up with TinCanSailor and Sailorsmate who were in North Platte. Two
TCs from New England passing east/west should be able to catch up with each other
with cell phones and GPS right?

p.s. Writing this June 25 as we drive down I-76 towards a meet up with our TC
friends. My eyes are actually watering from the cattle poop smell.

June 23 Provo to Flat Tops Scenic Byway, CO

2009-06-24T20:50:00.006-04:00

June 23 Provo to Flat Tops Scenic Byway, CO

Mostly a travel day with several stops to see dinosaur digs and take a lot of back roads and scenic byways.

Dinosaur National Monument in Jensen, UT had few exhibits and no park maps available. They explained that to get up into the campgrounds near the Green River we would have to have a "high clearance" vehicle but they couldn't explain what that meant. We argued a bit but finally wandered on down to Dinosaur, CO where they also had no park maps (budget cuts?) and very few exhibits. We started up the 30 mile trail into the Green River but quickly turned back as the road was washboard and not a lot of fun. Not knowing exactly where we would end up and having been to a lot of dinosaur digs last year in Utah, we decided to forge onward. Don't mind not knowing where I'm going but would like some sort of activity at the end.

We hit the back county Roads 61 and 64 towards Meeker, CO. Amazing amount of mining and natural gas trucks use these tiny back roads.

They are tandem so we moved over a lot like we do in Maine for the logging trucks. The White River runs along this valley and it has ranches, hay fields and a lot of orchards right beside the red rocks we associate with desert and high country. Altitude was mostly around 6500 feet all day.

Stopped in Meeker to look at the town park for an overnight. Just not inviting when those high mountains kept calling with the river and elk and birds. Kept going into the Flat Tops Trail National Forest and State of Colorado Scenic Byway (county road 8), going by even bigger ranches, huge log homes up on the sides of the mountains and a lot of elk grazing in the fields and by the roadside.

We're camped in North Fork unit of the NFS. About 35 sites and there is only a tent here other than us. The aspens around us are stark white and the firs make a deep green contrast. No sound except for the birds and leaves rustling. Can sit outside without being drenched in bug spray for a change.

Tomorrow we head on towards Rocky Mountain National Park.

June 21 Tioga Pass CA and June 22 Provo UT

2009-06-23T10:23:00.004-04:00

June 21 - Summer Solstice and Tioga Pass

We finally found one of the most scenic, fun to drive roads in the USA. If you are ever near Yosemite, you have to make the Tioga Pass run. We saw more TCs on this road
than any other yet. Many were pulling boats, many had kayaks and a lot had people
beside them putting on mountain climbing gear. All the small primitive campgrounds in
this area were full.

Left Yosemite early to avoid most of the incoming tourists (like we aren't?) and
headed up Route 41 to route 120 which is called Tioga Pass. What an incredible ride.
You climb from the water falls and domes of Yosemite and go up into Sequoia trees
along snow covered trails. As you ascend, the road gets steeper and twistier but
there are good pull out spots all along to let faster vehicles go by. We stopped for
many photos and walks up into the forests.

Tuolomne Meadows was a high open meadow nestled in the center of miles of molten rock that looked like waves on the sand. Tenaya Lake was so crystal clear you could see the bottom for a long way out. It was freezing cold water as there is still lots of snow up on the peaks and in shadowed valleys.

All good roads eventually end and Tioga did as we came out to Lee Vining CA and some
much needed diesel. $3.19 a gallon but we were sucking fumes so needed it. Stopped
for lunch at Mono Lake Tufa Reserve -Tufa not Tofu. Tufa are fresh water vents that
have petrified and left as rock formations when the level of Mono Lake was dropped.

At Benton we left Route 120 and started off on Route 6. This dead straight road goes
through totally uninhabited country. Most of the land is semi-desert, open cattle
range and home to herds of horses. We assumed the horses were wild since this is BLM
land. At one point, we went 25 miles before a car came the other way. We were headed
to Tonapah to a free campsite but Joe felt Tonapah was the model for an Apocolypse
movie so we wandered on. It was close to a wrecked ghost town and not very inviting
feeling.

Humbolt National Forest, Ward Mountain just south of Ely, NV was our stopping place
for the night. There were only two other campers in this entire park, beautiful place
with small twisted cedars and many lizards. As we were setting up for the evening, we
noticed the check light on the refrigerator was on and ,yes, it was not working.
Since we read RV.NET and had seen others have this problem, we knew it was probably
associated with being over 10,000 feet. Do you think we could get it lit? No way.
Good friend Mike Tassinari was home, cell phone worked, and Mike talked us through
lightly sandpapering the thermocouple. Tiny piece of metal stuck way in the far
almost unreachable corner of the refrigerator mechinicism but finally got it cleaned
and the frig lit off well on propane. Thanks again Mikeeee. We owe you a case of
Klondike Bars. Since we are headed even higher in altitude in the Rocky Mountain
National Park, good trick to know.

Awesome trip so far, so much to see and walk through. We aren't really campers, we
are travellers and what a country to travel through. Tomorrow we head up near Provo
and then cut east to the Rockies.

=============
June 22 - NV to Provo, UT

Today was a travel day and a day to catch up on laundry, groceries and cleaning up the exterior of the TC. A botanist would have been in love with the layers of bugs on the nosecone - but all gone now. We're now beside the Provo River in Provo Lake Park enjoying a beautiful sunset and a steak dinner. Time to get a new grill when we get home. This one is falling apart!

We did stop along Route 6 coming from Nevada into Utah to see several old mines and the equipment that was left behind. A lot of tiny towns on this route have dried up and just left carcasses behind of what was once a pretty busy town.

Also stopped at the Baker Archeological Dig which is an excavation of a Freemont Indian village. When you look around from where the wall outlines are, you realize how exposed to the elements and animals these people were.

Provo is a big city and we are anxious to get back into the back roads again tomorrow. We missed some of the dinosaur museum last year when we were in Utah, so are going to try to catch them this time.

June 19 - Jackson, CA to Yosemite National Park

2009-06-22T11:03:00.014-04:00

June 19 - Jackson, CA to Yosemite National Park

Today was a rock and roll day. California Route 49 is a real treasure for those of
you who like tight curves, steep ups and downs and who don't get carsick. It is a
fascinating road with a lot of pullouts with markers of historic places and events,
beautiful sights out over ranch country and tiny towns all along the way. There are
vast stretches where there is absolutely nothing but the road in front of you and
steep hills, dropoffs and a few cattle - no people or vehicles. We went through San
Andreas hoping for some signage to the fault line if this is actually where the San
Andreas Fault gets its name from. I know the fault line is actually visible in parts
of CA and was hoping to see it. At least it didn't split open in front of us.

In several small towns, we stopped and walked the old main streets, enjoying the
early frontier architecture and watching all the river rafters stock up on supplies.
This is big business in the small towns all along these rough, small rivers. I kept
expecting to see kayaks but mostly there were the large rubber rafts.

Stopped in Mariposa and walked that town, finding Castillo's Mexican Restaurant for
lunch. At last - great food and what we think was authentic flavoring. Maine is not
exactly a hot bed for Mexican food, flavors there being pretty bland and all tasting
the same. This was not bland and definitely not flat. My tongue is still tingling
from the salsa.

We had not planned on going to Yosemite National Park and therefore didn't make reservations. Of course all campgrounds in Yosemite are full so we found camp space
in Mariposa. Off comes the Host, first time since we left Maine.

An audience gathered of course to see how the truck camper came off. Always fun to
explain the fastguns, legs, etc. Off we go in the naked F350 to Bridalveil Falls and
Glacier Point. The Ford feels like a sports car without the TC weight.

Prior to El Portal, a landslide had totally closed the road and gone out halfway
across the Merced River. Two temporary bridges make a detour around the slide. IT's
going to be a long, long time before the original road is open if ever. The rockslide
went half way up the mountain like part of the side of the mountain had just
collapsed.

Along the way to Yosemite, there are many rock overhangs. No signs of RV debris so
they must be tall and wide enough.

Bridalveil Falls is the first real glimpse you get of what Yosemite is about and it
is awesome. After only three circles in the small parking lot, we finally squeezed in
a legal space as the park ranger was busy writing tickets for the idiots who had
parked everywhere. We must have heard a dozen different languages walking up to the
view point but once there, everyone sort of falls silent as they look.

We decided to go up to Glacier Point today and save the valley floor for tomorrow.
Weather was 90F as we entered the park and 63F up at Glacier Point. No way to
describe the view all along the way and up at the end of the 16 mile dead end road.

Met a Caribou TC couple from Bend, OR who really want a Host and asked us a lot of
questions. Shame we were TCless. Saw many pop up TCs and way, way too many of those
Rent-an-RVs driven by people who probably have never even driven a pickup. Scary when
you are looking down the side of a cliff and see one of those things barreling
towards you over the middle line. I kept thinking of Robin Williams and the movie "RV". Shudder.

Great day. We are both very tired from a lot of intense driving, town walking and a
couple of the smaller trails up at Glacier Point. This view was all along our walks.

Tomorrow Yosemite Valley floor and then we will turn eastward.

==============
June 20 - Yosemite Valley

Today we planned on playing tourist and taking a guided tour of the part of Yosemite
Valley that you cannot drive into. Wrong!!! We had to pick this weekend to come to
Yosemite. It was "Free Weekend" with no entrance fees so of course there were traffic
jams, no parking, and a lot of very overworked rangers playing traffic cop. We missed
a two hour tour by one seat - meaning there was one left rather than two but it was
okay because by then we were on edge from all the people. Isn't that the problem with
being a TCer? You get so used to the back roads, out of the way places, that if you
encounter crowds, it's a bit of a bother.

We did finally find a parking place in a far off lot (truck only, not TC loaded) and
took the shuttle bus over to the Visitor Center. We wanted to see the Ansel Adams
exhibit (fantastic) and watch the 20 minute film on how the park was formed. Both
were excellent but by then, the elbow to elbow crowd was enough. Shuttle buses were
packed so walked back to the truck and left.

Fortunately we were able to find a parking space along several of the open meadows
and walk there on the paths and boardwalks. We also watched climbers going up El
Capitan through our binoculars. Oh to be young and fearless?

Got a good photo today of the landslide over Route 140.

Went into Mariposa and walked the street(s) again going into a lot of the small
shops. So many of the small towns have vacant buildings, businesses and houses.
Recession is hitting hard in the tourist areas. Maybe that is why Yosemite was so
busy today. Free means a lot to a family.

The TC is loaded on again (first try!), fridge has some Tecate Beer cooling and we
are going over the next leg of our trip. We are going east on Route 120 which
is the Tioga Pass Road. A ranger today gave us some good places to take off this road
for incredible views. I'll start a new message group on going east in hopes of
picking up more places that have to be seen and roads that have to be driven.

June 17 and 18 - Redwoods to Whiskeytown Lake to Jackson, CA

2009-06-18T21:11:00.013-04:00

June 17 and 18 - Redwoods to Whiskeytown Lake to Jackson, CA

Long day today but worth the time. After spending more time walking in Jedediah Smith Redwoods we headed south on Route 101, the Redwood Highway, to intersect with the Newton Drury Scenic Road. We had stopped in Klamath at a ranger station to clarify the meaning of "no trailers on this road". No one there and the three rangers took a lot of time explaining why no trailers on unmaintained pothole back roads. They did point out several they felt the TC could handle without rocking so much it tore the cabinets out of the wall. Someone recently tried to sue the NFS for rough roads, hopefully not a TCer.

Newton Drury road goes right through a redwood forest for miles with many turnouts and trails to walk. We were mostly all alone walking through these giants, with only bird calls and the sound of dripping water around us.

Stoppepd and saw the biggest redwood named Big Tree - Diameter 21 1/2 feet, 304 feet tall and 1500 years old. Lunch was enjoyed while watching a herd of elk grazing.

Back on Route 101 we drove just about straight up to the Lady Bird Johnson redwood area. I think the grade was about 15% or so it felt and no good place to park at the top so we just pulled into a grass area and took a short walk.

Beaches everywhere on 101 as we continued south. We really enjoyed the sand at Clam Beach since it was the closest we'd seen to Northeastern sand beaches. No we didn't try to dig clams.

Finally cut east headed in the general direction of Yosemite. I'd already called and there are no reservations to be had there except first come but we are going to try it anyway. Route 299 is another mountain, twisty, turny, up, down, sideways road with log trucks and terrified drivers. Again, fabulous scenery but if you get carsick, don't go there. Not many places to cut east/west in northern CA which is similar to ME/NH/VT. Took hours to go from Blue Lake to just before Whiskeyville. We're "camped" or should I say parked in the Oak Creek National campground RV section. It consists of nine spots lined out on the edge of a huge paved parking lot where the boaters put their trucks and boat trailers. Hey - it was $7.00, we couldn't have driven any further and it's clean and quiet. Joe just finished cooking a steak and all is right with the world.

Tomorrow, we head towards Yosemite.

====
June 18 - Whiskeytown to Jackson, CA

Did you all hear me screaming today? Oh Reddog1, you live in this general area. How on earth do you travel these roads all the time. These are the tightest, steepest, closest together curves we've traveled in almost 5,500 miles.

First group came south of Auburn, CA on Route 49/193. If we were to get carsick this would have done it. However..... once we got on Route 89 there were a series that made Route 49 look like a straight away. Hats off to any of you who travel these roads as a commute.

Today was a travel day, planned as such. We are headed to Yosemite and have reservations for Friday and Saturday night. Figured we'd get a good part of the mileage done today.

Now I can understand why so much of CA burns often. All along our route today we saw vast fields of dry grass that had to be knee high.

Folks we talked to said they hadn't had a bad grass fire for 30 years, that most of the big fires are south of here. No idea how a fire here would ever be stopped as the dry grass goes for endless miles.

Tonight we splurged especially after our $7 asphalt campsite last night. We are in "Jackson Rancheria RV Park" in Jackson, CA. Plush, not expensive but we are the only TC here. Lots of those huge bus sizes, 5th wheels and a few travel trailers. The RV Park has a mandated black water dump as you enter. They do it and give you a bio friendly black tank treatment bottle. We're going to take the shuttle bus over to the casino and watch people throw money away. Good chance to catch up on TC chores and, since it is 94F degrees, we're going to enjoy the electricity tonight with AC.

Tomorrow - on to Yosemite where we will take the TC off and enjoy exploring for a couple of days.

June 16 - Crater Lake and redwoods

2009-06-17T11:44:00.003-04:00

June 16 Crater Lake to the Redwoods

We'd hoped to get into some of the Oregon lava fields around Bend but for budget
reasons, the state has some parks closed Monday and Tuesday. Oh well!

As we got closer and closer to Crater Lake the skies started to clear and the sun peaked through. Up you go, up to 7,500 feet, on roads that still are banked with 6-8'
of snow. Suddenly the first pull over appears and there it is.

If you haven't been there, words just won't work since the colors, shape and reflections don't translate well in photos. The lake is in a perfect bowl created once the volcano erupted and then collapsed. The rim is even so no rain water and snow melt cascade out. Deepest lake in the US and the most wondrous shade of turquoise blue that changes with the light. Since we had boots we walked out to some
of the points off the turnouts and just gawked. The mosquitos were thick and very
hungry but TCers carry bug spray.

We visited the Steel Visitor Center and watched a short film on how this area was
saved and made a national park. The other 3 minute film was showing how the park
service clears 20+ feet of snow from the roads. Nerves of steel those plow drivers
have as there is nothing but sheer drop offs in many places. We hugged the center
line a lot to keep away from edges.

Took Route 62 out of the park. Something must have happened on the tip of the north
road because as we approached it a park service person was putting up road closed
signs. We did get about 2/3 of the way around and it was well worth the time.

When we entered California, we had to stop for an "Agriculture Inspection Station" -
a first for us. Very polite but wanting to know each and every piece of vegetable and
fruit on board. Since I couldn't remember exactly, we invited him in to look himself.
I knew I had avocados, cherries, lettuce, etc all bought in Oregon. We left without
the avocados. He showed us the white scale on the avocados which he said was insect
eggs ready to hatch. California is where a lot of our produce comes from so no
problem having him put our fruits in the incinerator. He also looked all under the
truck for signs of gypsy moths.

Route 62 led to Route 199 and one of the more twisting, turning roads we've been on.
If you get carsick, don't take this road. We are in the Jedediah Smith Redwood State
Park, last place available for the night. We'll take a lot of the trails and then
head down the coast to a coastal redwood park.

June 14 and 15 - Cape Perpetua to Bend Oregon

2009-06-15T23:22:00.015-04:00

June 14 - Cape Perpetua, Florence and Eugene, OR

Left South Beach campground early and headed down the coast through more summer tourist towns. Fortunately we persisted, got some glimpses of the ocean, stopped at a lot of state park pull offs and walked down the cliffs and out on the beaches. Along the way there are turnouts to see lighthouses and a beach covered in seals or sea lions. Couldn't get close enough to see and didn't feel like swimming over for a visit.

The path did finally turn back to wildness and we stopped at Devil's Churn to walk down and see the waves crash into the cleft in the cliff.

We finally rolled into Cape Perpetua. What a glorious place that is. It was exactly what we thought the coast of Oregon would be. We talked at length to two volunteer rangers and then to a fellow TCer who stopped to chat. They gave us good advice on some back roads to take to get up top of Perpetua for views which often include passing whales - but not that day. Years ago, I had cut out an article on Cape Perpetua and kept it in a folder of places I really wanted to see. Now I have and it was worth the drive to get there. We lingered a long time walking the trails, watching the waves and talking to the rangers.

Lunched with an internet knitter friend Junieanne in Florence at an excellent restaurant, Bridgewater Fisheries. Hard to beat a lunch of grilled oysters and shrimp. One of our main purposes in this trip was to go to Eugene and visit relatives I haven't seen in years. Seeing the two woman cousins was just like seeing them yesterday even though it had been 50 years. We're not that old are we? We camped in their yard and had a lot of fun remembering our youth and catching up on the years in between. They grow all their on veggies and fruit and it is almost a full time job. Grilled salmon, salad greens just picked and roasted garlic on home made bread!! Great visit especially since it was day before my aunt/uncle's 63 wedding anniversary. The TC was warm and snug during a big rainstorm in the evening. Fun to carry your own house with you.

=====
June 15 - Eugene to Bend OR

Today we got to see more of Oregon's waterfalls, mountains and landscape variety. Fresh picked strawberries for breakfast and off we went headed east from Eugene towards Bend. The back road, Route 242 from MacKenzie Bridge to Sisters, is still closed due to snow. We stayed on 126 up through the Willamette National Forest beside Mount Washington. We walked from Koosah Falls to Sahalie Falls and both were roaring.

When trudged uphill back to the camper and there was a fellow looking under the F350 truck at the frame mounted Torklifts. He was pretty embarrassed but said he wanted a TC and didn't know how they were attached. Joe and he had a great time going over all the details while I showed the rest of his group inside the Host. They left in their fifth wheel with two Host brochures and lots of photos of our rig. They kept saying how they could not get into a lot of places and that the TC was how to get into their fishing holes.

Sisters, OR was a suprise as it looked like an old west town. Lots of empty spaces to park on the main road but signs said nothing could be parked there that was taller than 6.5 feet tall. I kept looking up at the snow covered peaks looming over Sisters and thought of Mount Saint Helens and its big bang. Hope not!

Smith Rocks State Park was hard to find as the signage could have been a lot better but good old DeLorme mapping got us there. We walked the rim opposite the monoliths and watched rock climbers free climbing. Scary! No, we did not drive the TC up this road at Smith Rocks. Looked more like a Whazoo Trail where he would follow the horseback riders using it.

Stopped at Host Industries to pick up some TC brochures since we give so many of them
out. Mark gave us a quick tour of the plant and we got to see a kitchen unit being installed in a camper. We also met a CA couple who had just picked up their custom built Host Everest. They had about every extra possible and it was one serious TC. Extra batteries, two solar panels, outside spotlights, extra wardrobe spaces, all on a F350 with G rated 19" tires. They suggested LaPine State Park as a good place to stay for the evening and that's where we are.

Tomorrow we head out to Crater Lake and then redwoods somewhere in CA.

June 13 - Oregon north and mid coast

2009-06-13T22:05:00.007-04:00

June 13 - Oregon north and mid coast

Roosters woke us up this AM at the crack of dawn so we just got up and hit the road.
No idea where they came from but it had been years since we'd heard chickens in the morning. Stopped in Ilwaco, WA and walked to the lighthouse - uphill through lots of mosquitos. Crossed over into Oregon at the Astoria bridge and went to Fort Stevens. This was an active Army fort from the Civil War to WWII and quite interesting with many exhibits, photos and a large group of volunteers who dressed in period costume and shot off cannons. Most times you are walking in any type of vegetation in this part of the country, you will find signs like these. Amazing the wild animals have adapted to living close in to small towns.

Off shore there were more sport fishermen at one place than I've ever seen. I'm more used to the solitary guy alone in his boat but there were swarms of boats so something fishy must have been running right near the bridge. I've yet to find a good place to buy some smoked salmon. Most have been closed. Today we did buy some sweet cherries at a roadside stand but found out they were from CA after the purchase. Still good and sweet.

Somewhere in the back roads off of Route 101, we came across big sand dunes right in the middle of a forest. Lots of ATVs roaring around but a good wind would remove all traces.

The coast of Oregon was much like I had imagined with steep banks, haystacks off shore and lots of lighthouses.

What I hadn't thought of was all the traffic and tourist shops in the small towns along Route 101. It reminded us of Route 1 in Maine during the summer which we avoid like the plague. Looks like school must be out and the Oregonians are hitting the road.

We walked many beaches today, stopped at most of the overlooks and read the information signs. Only made it as far as South Beach State Park just south of Newport, OR for the evening. Huge campground, power, water for $20. After all those nights way in the forests and all alone this feels like being in a gypsy encampment. We did walk out to the beach - uphill through the mosquitos and listened to the surf.

Truck and TC are performing great. The TC still looks good though it is very dirty and needs a scrub. We've never seen so many TCs on the road, every make, model, brand, configuration, truck, etc. Probably half are hauling boats.

Tomorrow we head south to Coos Bay to visit an online knit friend and then back up to Eugene to visit relatives. Last on to Bend to visit a friend and Host. We're thinking Crater Lake next and then down to CA to see redwoods. Isn't retirement grand?? Diesel is gradually rising from $2.39 to $2.69 but it beats last year's $3.80+.

June 11 and 12 - Olympia National Park and the seashore

2009-06-12T22:00:00.017-04:00

June 11 - Olympia National Park

The original plan was to go up to Neah Bay to be as far west as we could go in the continental USA. We are getting better about not waking up at 6AM Eastern and actually made it until 8AM Eastern today. Housecleaning chores - how does a TC get so dirty so fast? Because you are hopping in and out of it all the time in hiking boots and the debris just comes in with you. Too much trouble to take the boots off for short time.

From Doswallips State Park we travelled north on route 101 to Sequim. What a beautiful little town, neat, clean, friendly with all the services you could want but not a lot of traffic or people. Looks like it is one of those places you would look into for retirement out of constant winter snow and ice. Talked to a lot of folk as we walked around town and found they get maybe 2' of snow in the winter which melts quickly but that it is dry in growing times so things have to be irrigated. Turn your head and look at the stunning Olympia Mountain range towering 5,200 feet straight up still covered with snow. Ah... to be younger and wanting to move.

Travelled out to Dungeness looking for seafood but everything was closed. Perhaps not the season? Back to Port Angeles and the local Ford dealer took us in very quickly for an oil and filter change and a general look at the systems. Flying colors, a hearty thank you for such good service and off we go again.

We stopped at the Olympia National Park ranger station for general information on the
camp grounds out on the west coast. Charming 72 year old ranger said we could not leave until we drove up the Hurricane Ridge Road to the top. What wise words! Great windy, twisty drive up with the engine and fresh oil just purring.

Very few people around and the scenery was breath taking. If you are ever out this way, you HAVE to go up this road. Snow still on the peaks, elk grazing feet away, formidable mountains and a view out to the Straits of Juan DeFuca and Canada.

The ranger had explained there is no south going road from Neah Bay but a lot of backtracking. We decided not this trip and went back to 101 and on to Crescent Lake and Marymere Falls. My leg muscle was cramping so Joe climbed up to the Falls alone - or as alone as you can get with two groups of teenagers on a school hike. He said it was a rain forest both dripping from the trees and at the waterfalls.

We are camped tonight in Mora Campground, one of the Olympia Campgrounds. Got to love those $6 fees with the Golden Access pass. Large site in the middle of a stand of at least 100' trees, ferns, dead silence. We spotted only one other camper in the entire park. I think we'll get hit with a pretty good rain tonight but maybe that will take a few more bugs off the TC.

Tomorrow, on to La Push to go to Rialto Beach just two miles away on the ocean to finally see the Pacific and get our feet wet. Then on to Kalaloch Campground just down the road to hopefully camp right on the ocean.

Hoping we don't hear an alert and have to make use of one of these signs.

===========
June 12 - Rialto Beach to Willapa Bay, WA

How awesome are the beaches in Olympia National Seashore??? We spent hours today just walking on the "sand" and gawking at the huge washed up trees and the haystacks off shore. Sand is a generic name because this beach is all rock,r smooth, polished rock. We have a truck camper friend who makes jewelry with rock and silver so picked up a lot of unusual ones for her.

The truck camper was dwarfed by the size of the "driftwood". These are full size
trees washed out of the mountains and into the sea. They end up piled on shore.

Offshore are what are called "haystacks", remnants of the older shoreline that did not erode due to being of a harder material. It was low tide while we were there and we walked around one. No sightings of sea mammals but we did walk across a clam flat with squirting clams by our feet as we stepped. We also stopped at Ruby Beach and at 4th Beach to again walk. Very few people around.

Continuing south on Route 101 led us into just wooded roads similar to Maine except for the size of the trees. It was interesting seeing the clear cut logged areas next to the different sized trees as they were replanted over time. You have to think of forest as a crop but it is sad to see the devastation in the cleared areas.

We stopped for a late lunch in Westport and found it to be a mix of tourist town with lots of gift shops and a large working fishing fleet. Had delicious clam chowder and fried oysters. The oysters were the size of Joe's palm and quite a different taste from eastern oysters - stronger but good. Tomorrow I'll buy a pint for an oyster stew since we are camped near a seafood market in Bay Center.

Tomorrow we will cross into Oregon and start our trek down the coastline as far as Coos Bay. We are going to try to get a campsite at Fort Stevens next to Astoria, then
inland to visit relatives and friends and then who knows where????

June 9 and June 10 Mount Rainier and Mount Saint Helens

2009-06-10T23:49:00.010-04:00

June 9 Vantage WA to Mount Rainier Cougar Camp

Beautiful day again with puffy white clouds all along a very scenic drive from Vantage WA to Mount Rainer's east side. We drove I-90 to Yakima and then good old Route 12 again. Are all Route 12s scenic? It seems so as we also remember a spectacular Route 12 in Utah. Taking 123 brought us to the east entrance of Rainier and a very friendly and helpful ranger at the Ohanapecosh Center. He mapped out some trails for us that weren't of the Farctic and Wazoo variety and we spent several hours walking. "Grove of the Patriarchs Trail" led us to trees that were 1000 years old after crossing a one person at a time bridge over a raging creek.

We walked/hiked this trail and also continued a bit on another trail toward Box Canyon. Good old LL Bean hiking boots still in great shape and hold their grip well. There was still snow in the forest shadows, deer nearby and one rather large poop we hoped wasn't a bear.

Since Stevens Canyon road is still closed we kept on 123 to get a good view of Mount Rainer from the northeast side. Spectacular!

Going to the west side proved a bit more difficult since the Stevens Canyon Road over the pass is closed. There is still a lot of snow but also, according to the ranger, a lot of winter damage that will take a long time to repair.

Due to road closures you have to do a square circle. Back to Route 12 to Route 7 at Morton where we stopped for a few groceries. I know we are "cheap" but we just got some pita as prices there were twice what normal would be. Long way to haul groceries, fuel, etc. Route 7 then goes to 706 and there into the west side of Mount Rainier National Park. As we approached the park the skies opened with much thunder and lightning and rain just poured. We stopped by the side of the road to wait it out and let the rain wash some of the bugs and mud off the TC.

We are camped at Cougar Rock Campground for the night. Tomorrow we will hike/walk more of Rainier and then head for Mount Saint Helens. It's another drive around because of winter damaged roads but worth it.

===============

June 10 - Mount Rainier to Mount Saint Helens and Olympic Peninsula

We are still on East Coast body time so were on the road at 7AM probably to the disgust of some tenters near us.

We were able to drive from Cougar Rock Campground up towards Paradise but not all the way as the road is closed due to winter damage. What a remarkable sight to see an avalanche path and what that slide does to the land. There is nothing left in the path but smashed trees and boulders. This time of year there is a small stream rather than a mass of melted snow rushing down.

Mount Rainier proved to be elusive today except for one shining moment. Here's our Host Rainier at Mount Rainier. You can see the top of the mountain over the front nose piece of the camper.

Round we went the long way to get to Mount Saint Helens. There is no easy way to cut across country with so many small roads still closed. As we left Morton, WA towards Helens, the fog started and the higher we got the more the clouds descended on us. There were times we were feeling our way along about 25 mph with flashers going. There were several pullouts where you cold see down into the valley and the path hundreds of feet wide of mud and debris from the volcanic eruption. There is still no growth in this area even after almost 30 years.

The Johnston Ridge Observatory finally appeared out of the fog and proved to be worth
the journey up the mountain. The US National Park service has built 14 new bridges to get into this area. They provide extensive photos, exhibits and a movie about the eruption at the observatory. At the end of the movie, a giant curtain rises and you should be able to see Mount Saint Helens in the distance. There was just a hugeb blank white area due to the fog/clouds.

Fortunately we wandered the exhibits long enough for the clouds to lift and we got to see the mountain and the surrounding area. The government decided not to plant new trees in the destroyed area and it has not really even begun to regenerate even after 30 years. Weyhauser replanted their acreage and is ready to harvest and replant.

Quite a shock to come back out of the mountains and get on I-5 up through Olympia. The further we went up Route 101, the smaller the road, the fewer the people and the better the view out over the Hood Canal.

We had hoped to stop for supper and have local seafood but have yet to find a place open. Time of year or the economy? We're stopped for the night at Doeswallips State Park. Tomorrow we'll head for Neah Bay and an overnight there - or maybe even two.

June 8 - Kooskia, Idaho to Ginkgo State Park, WA

2009-06-08T22:03:00.006-04:00

June 8 - Idaho to Ginkgo State Park, WA

Another amazing day traveling through our country. Route 12 out of Idaho leveled out a bit from the primitive river route into a roader, somewhat calmer river ride. Most small towns on this route are across bridges so you don't have to go through them if you don't want to. We did ride through Lenore and Spalding to get a taste of what village life would be so far from a big city. All the services are there of course plus a lot of people who waved hello. Saw this fellow at one of our stops.

Stopped for diesel and also had a conversation with a young couple hauling a large cattle carrier. They talked about ranch life and how they still try to get into Lewiston (a larger town) periodically but rush to get back to the ranch life. I know we forget what it takes to put that food we so take for granted onto our table. As we progressed west into Washington State, we passed miles of apple orchards, wheat fields, barley fields and cattle feeding yards. Lots of work we simply dismiss by putting our dollars into the grocery store hands. Thanks to all of you who are reading this who labor in those fields in whatever manner.

We passed into Washington State at Clarkston and fortunately found the local chamber of commerce for information. The two ladies there loaded us down with reams of local info but, for us, more importantly, current WA state books, guides to state parks, places not to miss AND they gave us the same thing for Oregon. It's a real treasure trove to look through in the evenings.

Once into Washington, we traveled Route 261 through rolling hills that stretched forever. Near Palouse Falls State Park, the hills are covered in planted crops in strips next to fields of sagebrush with pastures of beef cattle in between. We chose NOT to take the tiny path carved into the cliff to get closer to the falls but admired it from a distance. I know Farctic Ox and Wazoo would have been running down that trail!

Westward we rolled to Vantage, WA and Ginkgo/Wanapum State Park. At Ginkgo we were the only people there other than the interpretive ranger so got a personal tour of the petrified artifacts and a showing of a film on how petrification takes place. This whole area of WA, MT and ID was buried under many floods that occured when the Ice Age caused ice dams across the rivers. Eventually they broke flooding from MT to the Pacific. When the Columbia River was dammed for hydro use back in the 30s it formed Wanapum lake. A village was moved as were early Indian petroglyphs. These pictographs were moved to within the state park.

Short travel day today in mileage but pretty rich in history and culture. We are camped at Washington's Wanapum State Park with a view out over the lake and are next to a row of cedars. Very windy and lots of rattlesnake warning signs around but TCs are tight right? Right?

Tonight we'll sit with all the maps and see which direction we really want to head. Do we keep the original plan to go to Mount Rainier next and then Mount Saint Helens? or change course and go up into North Cascades National Park. Air card is working tonight as fast as our home internet so we can do closer research. Got to see what roads are open in North Cascades before heading that way. LOTS of extra driving but we won't be out this way again anytime soon.

June 7 - Polson, MT to Kooskia, ID

2009-06-08T10:32:00.006-04:00

June 7 - Polson, MT to Kooskia, ID

Today we got to see what the real Montana working lands look like and then saw the
wild and pristine part of Idaho. It's been a long day and we are pooped! Now camped
on the banks of the Clearwater River just south of Kamiah, Idaho, watching the sunset
and having an adult beverage. Joe cooked up some burgers on the grill, no bugs
around, 60F at 8PM. Of course our body time is still partially on East coast time so
for us it is 11PM. How do people in Alaska ever get used to daylight all the time?

Started off in Polson at the Kerr Dam. Finding it was a bit tricky but we did and climbed down wooden stairs a LONG way to the bottom to see the dam. Lots of fishermen
just ahead of the dam and quite the collection of birds including two osprey.

Joe is still speaking to me but sometimes I don't understand why. I love back roads
and have no fear of getting lost. I'd mapped out back roads to the National Bison
Range just below Moiese, MT. When I say back roads, one of them was actually named
Back Road. It was a collection of small roads, mostly Route 112, that followed
Pleasant Valley between two mountain ranges. This, for me, was the first time I'd
really gotten to see what living as a rancher in Montana would be like. The road was
gravel, narrow and meandered between huge pastures with every kind of cattle you
could imagine. On both sides of the valley were mountain ranges, some still snow
capped. No towns, just an occasional church or school building. Most of the
farms/ranches are quite far apart and I kept thinking of how the women got to
socialize - if they did. In the distance a herd of cattle were crossing the road and
I was fully expecting to see a cowboy on his/her horse. There was a cowboy, just not
on a horse but an ATV with dog happily sitting on the back.

The bison were everywhere! We chose to take a shorter drive than the two hour loop of
the whole park. Narrow road with no pullouts meant you couldn't park and just observe
for a while. No way do you get out of your vehicle!

Montana is vast and the distances between large towns long. We went through the
outskirts of Missoula and thought that most everyone in that quarter of Montana must
have been shopping as a treat to get into town. Grabbed milk and bread and got out of
town as fast as we could.

From Missoula we started our trek across Route 12 to Idaho. Thanks be to whoever it
was here on RV.NET for telling us to take this scenic drive. I don't have internet
right now so don't have your name handy. Route 12 from Lolo, MT to Kooskia, Idaho is
awesome. It is the wildest, most pristine piece of land we have ever travel led. The
route is beside a rushing torrent of water, crashing around curves in the river,
forming rapids, whitewater and a constant source of awe. The mountains along this
pass are steep, the trees are very different from the east being a forest of all
spruce? or cedar? with no deciduous mixed in. We kept passing trucks towing rafts
headed back towards Lolo but only ever saw one kayak in the river. It was so rough, I
really wondered if it were too rough to raft. Light traffic so we took our time and
stopped at many places to walk beside the water.

We were headed to the Corps of Engineers campground at Dworshack Reservoir but got
too tired to safely drive further. The night's camp is on a broader, much calmer
meaning no rapids part of the river. I still wouldn't want to fall in because it is
very swift. This is out our back TC door.

Tomorrow we'll wander ever westward, changing our route as we go.

June 4 to June 6 Glacier National Park

2009-06-06T21:19:00.012-04:00

June 4 - Fort Peck to Great Falls, MT
June 5 - Great Falls, MT to Glacier National Park
June 6 - Many Glaciers, MT to Polson, MT

June 4 - Morning came early again and we spent the time before places opened, doing
basic maintenance on the TC. The gas hot water heater was not working, giving a
constant reset light. Joe called our TC friend Mikeee who can fix just about anything
in the HVAC line. Joe had already done most of what Mike suggested but he gave a few
more hints and one of them worked. Probably a loose wire by the tank where I had put
in paper towels - where I wasn't supposed to store anything. Well paper towels are
light right? Mike's "payment" of a box of Klondike Bars will go to him next we see
him.

We toured the Fort Peck dam area and learned the story of how the dam was built
during the 1930s depression. There was a catastrophic and deadly collapse before it
was finished. At the base of the dam is the Fort Peck Interpretive Center which lays
out the discovery of dinosaur remains and traces their history and the ecology and
geography of the area. Excellent exhibits and well worth the time to go there.

There was also an art and sculpture exhibit. I liked this one thinking of all our TC
friends who hike deep into the wilderness.

We travel led on Route 2 today and whoever said this part of Montana is called the
Big Empty was absolutely correct. Between Big Sky and Big Empty there is nothing but
grass, horses and cattle. We think the vast planted fields are wheat but not sure.
You have to be a hearty soul to live out here especially during the winter.

At Malta we stopped at the Great Plains Dinosaur Museum. They had one real intact
skeleton which was interesting but what was more so was the county museum. There were
photos loaned by local families from early pioneer times through the Great Depression
up to current farming. Quilts, a roster of those who have served in the wars, class
photos, exhibits of old kitchens, parlors, etc. Fascinating to tour and you felt as
though you were sitting in your grandmother's parlor looking at family history.

At Havre, we switched over to Route 87 south to go to Great Falls. This road is two
lane, no shoulders and 70 mph. I have to hand it to those who live here and put up
with the tourists who know one wrong twitch of the hands and you end up in a ditch.
Actually not bad driving, much more civil people who pass a TC going 62. The tip of
their hat is better than the hand wave back east.

We're in a tiny campground just prior to Great Falls but amazingly there is internet.
We're feasting on corn husk covered tamales, fresh salsa that is a bit hotter than we
are used to and local nacho chips. When in the country, eat like a native.

Tomorrow our choices are the Memhke Steam Museum (tractors not trains), the CM
Russell Museum Complex, Malmstrom Air Force Base museum and a second Lewis and Clark
Center. We are close to museum done and time to head for Glacier. I keep checking the
"Going to the Sun Road" and know it is not open yet. But there is so much else to
see, do and hike that it won't matter in the long run. We'll take 89 north and wander
to see what there is to see.

=============

June 5 - Great Falls, MT to Glacier National Park

Started the day looking for the a Steam Engine Museum. Finally found it and we both
broke out laughing. It was basically a collection of old rusted farm engines out in
some man's front yard. We kept going. Route 89 through Great Falls was pretty busy
with AM going to work traffic but thinned as soon as we hit the outskirts.

First stop was at a small but excellent dinosaur museum in Bynum, MT. No one else
there and the young lady took a lot of time with us discussing the exhibits and how
they find and collect dinosaurs. She took us into the lab and showed us a piece of
dinosaur bone embedded in rock. We couldn't tell the difference.

You have to stay alert when driving Montana roads. Once there was a herd of horses
standing and laying by the road, another time a huge bull just glaring as you went
by. Somebody left a gate open!

At Browning, we kept on route 89 instead of taking the straighter 460. We like windy,
curvy roads where you never know what is going to be around the corner. In this case,
a lot of burned forest. Looks like the Glacier area had a large forest fire not that
long ago as nothing has started to regenerate yet. We saw coyote, deer and an eagle
but no bear.

It is early in the year as the National Park staff said at the visitor center. We
were the 99th and 100th person in and it was already 2PM. They have seen a big change
from last year due to the recession and people not traveling. No problem getting into
any Glacier campground.

We made the Going to the Sun Road or at least part of it. Looks like it is going to
be a long time before it is open. They are still clearing 20-30 foot snow on the road
plus there was a rock slide they have to clear. We were able to drive the TC up to
the Jackson Glacier Overlook on the east side out of Saint Mary. Spectacular scenery
and no way to describe it even in photos. Saint Mary Lake is a beautiful blue and
almost reflective. We took a short hike at Sun Point up on a bluff to look over the
lake and mountains. Sunrift Gorge was quite slippery from recent runoff and we knew
we could get down but not sure we could get back up so didn't.

Made the obligatory stop at Saint Mary to get a few groceries and a T shirt. We were
the only customers in the store and had no problem getting waited on.

We're camped for the night at Many Glacier Campground. There is an Okanagan and
another Host near us but very few people here. We'll short hike in the morning and
then proceed around to Goat Lick Overlook. The rangers say that mountain goats are
spotted there daily. Fingers crossed we see some as we never have.

On the West side we can take the TC up as far as Avalanche Creek. Rangers highly
recommended the "Trail of the Cedars Nature Trail" so we will hike that. Will
probably stay at Lake McDonald campground tomorrow night.

Beautiful country. We are so fortunate that it is preserved and open for all to use.

=====

June 6 - Many Glaciers to Polson, MT

Last night we walked around the campground and got to see an Earthroamer (outside
only as they weren't around) and four other TCs. There were only about 15 campers
here so that is a pretty good proportion of TCs.

Quite the day! We awoke in Many Glaciers Campground to 2" of fresh snow and 29F
temps. The Host TC was warm and dry and cozy as could be. What a great way to camp.
During the night the propane bottle switched itself to the second bottle, nice to
know that it works.

Shelburne Lake and Swiftcurrent Creek were among the most beautiful sights we've seen
on this trip.

We rode out to Route 89 but kept thinking of that twisty, steep ups downs between
Saint Mary and Kiowa. Somehow, I remembered one of our RV.NET TCers who told us about
Route 464 which was the truck route. We took it and eventually were glad after we got
past the climb to 5,200 feet in sleet and hale. Interesting drive with two calves
standing in the road with their moms on the other side of the fence bellowing. Hope
they got back. Diesel in Saint Mary was $3.49. Diesel in Browning was $2.39. Shows
the cost of getting fuel into an out of the way place.

Hooked up with Route 2 again and a much more pleasant drive. Goat Lick Overlook
proved to be true to its name. The mountain goats come down the mountain to lick
salt. We were able to see a goat with cavorting calf.

Along the way to West Glacier we passed many waterfalls and runoffs.

At West Glacier we headed up to Avalanche Lake. This is as far as an over 21' vehicle
can travel. The road beyond this stop is still closed due to snow removal and a
landslide. No date was ever given for when it will be open but they've got quite a
way to go to clear the road. We walked through an ancient cedar forest for about a
half mile and then headed UPHILL to Avalanche Lake. It was a hike and well worth it.
Of course the camera batteries died and the spares were in the camper. Go figure!

We looked at both Fish Creek and Apgar campgrounds for an overnight but both were
very tight in height on the TC and busy. We've gotten spoiled with not many people
around. We're in a KOA in Polson, MT after traveling along Flathead Lake and the
Flathead National Forest. This campsite is quite a difference from the last several.
Huge, gravel, perfectly flat site with power, water, sewer, cable and wi-fi for
$24.00. The view out over the lake to the mountains is awesome. We're considering
staying a second night here to go to a model train store/exhibit and a yarn store.
Probably time for a down day anyway. I look out at these half million dollar A size
bus RVs and am so very happy with our 9.5' TC. It's the only way to go.

June 3 - Theodore Roosevelt North Unit to Lake Fort Peck WY

2009-06-04T22:54:00.007-04:00

June 3 - Theodore Roosevelt North Unit to Lake Fort Peck WY

Today was a really weird travel day with some good sights along the way. As mentioned before we are still on East Coast body time in a Mountain real time zone. This AM we woke and realized it was really only 5:00AM, a bit early to start putting up TC legs and start a diesel truck. That politeness didn't last long as the person next to us started their generator. Off we went headed for Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North unit. We thought there was a connecting road between the two units but it is for foot and horse traffic only, not even bicycles. Back to I-94, up #85 and over to the North Unit we went.

Along the way we passed miles and miles of National Grasslands. We took a small road into them and enjoyed seeing nothing but grasses, birds and old pasture fencing. I don't think other than in the deep woods of Maine I've ever been somewhere there was no sign of humanity - other than the fencing.

This buffalo must have been the designated greeter for the park. He was almost under the entrance sign both when we got there and when we left. He was a huge bull, all alone, and looked pretty grumpy.

Once again the roads were deserted and we just about had the park to ourselves. We hiked Caprock-Coulee Nature Trail but saw no animals, just a lot of buffalo poop. Don't know how we would have handled coming face to face with a buffalo on a narrow footpath.

We did watch this fellow for a while and finally decided it was a very large coyote not a wolf. Ranger confirmed that later but said there have been scattered reports from the ranchers surrounding the park that they have seen wolves.

Fort Union Trading Post near Buford, ND was our next stop.The old fort recreation is in ND, the parking lot is in MT. Mildly interesting but don't make a special trip for it. Next came the road adventure for the day. We took Highway 327 when leaving the fort. It turned out to be 40 miles of gravel, very dusty with farm trucks passing and an average speed of about 25 mph for us, not for the farm trucks. Truck and TC held together well but both sure can use a bath. We did get to see some very remote ranches.

From Bainville, MT to Nashua, MT Route 2 passes through the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. In Maine the speed limit would have been a cautionary 50. In MT the speed limit was an exuberant 70 which certainly keeps you alert. Most we were comfortable with was 60 but they passed easily with no rude gestures. We have found the west to have very friendly, polite people, more than willing to give directions or advice on places to see.

Tonight we are in the Downstream Campground in Fort Peck, MT. It is a US Army Corps of Engineers Park and quite impressive in size and cleanliness. Power, showers, dump station for $8.00.

Tomorrow we will tour the dam facilities, go to the Dinosaur Museum (our reason to come here) and head west yet again. No cell service, no wifi along the way so haven't been able to check how clearing of "Going to the Sun Road" is progressing.

June 2 Bismarck ND to Theodore Roosevelt Park

2009-06-04T22:43:00.005-04:00

June 2 - Bismarck ND to Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit

We're still on East Coast Time so are up and going a lot earlier than places are open. After filling up with $2.29 diesel, we followed the Missouri River along Route 1804, stopping at several places to see this historic waterway.

The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center near Washburn, ND had unusually good
exhibits, history of their trip and paintings by a Swiss artist who followed their trail several years later. Fort Mandan, several miles down the river, is part of the exhibit and was a recreated fort where L&C over wintered. All I could think of was the tight quarters for all those men, animals, one woman and a baby - plus a huge Newfoundland who walked from St. Louis to the Pacific and back.

Route 200A is a scenic, straight, ribbon like road cutting through farms. Anywhere you go in NOrth Dakota it seems it is uphill against a wind. Even downhill is against the wind. And yes there are many wind farms to take advantage of this power. This time we saw the herd of deer crossing the road ahead of us and had slowed to a crawl. One late deer ran across just before we started up again. We seem to be large animal cursed this trip. The pheasant that flew by are so beautiful.

Knife River Indian Center had a recreation of a summer earth lodge. We have tons of room in our TCs compared to putting 40 people into a round dome with fire pit in the middle. On we went to Killdeer, down to Dickinson to resupply at Walmart. Good old Walmart has become our TC provision center. Most of them have RVs parked on the edges of the lots.

Back onto I-94 to Painted Canyon National Site which is right on I-94. This is the start of ND's Badlands, a softer, more colorful version of South Dakota's Badlands. At Madora, we entered the south unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Medora is a quaint little town which has a summer theater, a restaurant famous for cooking steaks on a pitchfork over open fire and way too many tourist shops though they have kept the glitz and neon out.

One of the advantages to getting older is the Golden Age Pass to National Parks. We paid $00 to get into TR Park and the camp fee tonight will be $5.00. Something back from the government?

We drove the 36 mile interior park loop seeing for the first time herds of wild horses. Farctic Ox had told us long ago that the wild horses moved differently than domesticated ones and he was right. We were fortunate enough to see a herd running and could just picture Indians waiting around the canyon to capture them. Buffalo are here also but not in as abundance as Yellowstone. Beautiful drive with a lot of pullouts and no traffic at all. We actually only saw three other vehicles in 36 miles.

Camped the night in Cottonwood Camp which is right beside the Little Missouri River. Flat, level, no hookups and just beautiful quiet. We are now two hours body time ahead of local time so saw dawn creep into the canyon.

Today we head to the north unit of TR Park and then over into Montana.

June 1 - Federal Dam to Bismarck, ND

2009-06-01T23:04:00.007-04:00

June 1 - Federal Dam to Bismarck, ND

No rain this morning but high winds that were to dog us all day and do a real
job on the diesel mileage. We're body time an hour ahead of our location in the Central Time zone so still getting up early to enjoy our surroundings. Leech Lake had whitecaps but the fishermen were still heading out in their bass boats. No one wears a life preserver!

There are a lot of Indian reservations in this area of Minnesota so there were many casinos and gambling resorts. Startling to be driving in wilderness and come around a corner to see a 15 story hotel and jam packed parking lot. Maybe that's where all the cars have been? Go past the casino and once again we were the only vehicle in sight.

Met up with an online knitting friend in Fargo, ND. Maureen on left, Anne on right.

We kept Joe happy by taking him out for lunch. Odd how sometimes meeting an online friend is the same as just having talked to them the day before. Some people actually are what they seem like on line. Great visit, good lunch and, of course, I bought yarn. Fargo is still recovering from the flood damage this spring. We passed a storage yard with a mountain of filled sand bags. The bags are slowly being emptied and stored for next time.

Lots of buffalo in Fargo - statues that is

We decided to take I-94 to Bismarck rather than back country it on this journey leg. I-94 is arrow straight, rolling hills, and we kept waiting to see cows flying by in the air it was so windy. The speed limit was 75mph. We managed 62mph and still felt like we were standing on the pedal. We went from our usual 12 to 12.5 mpg to 8.8mpg for the day. Bet if we had been heading east we would have gotten 15mpg!

Tonight we are in a commercial campground to catch up on laundry, email, dump, fresh water, etc. Tomorrow we have under 180 miles planned heading north and then west to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We plan to stay there two days, take the TC off and travel some of the park roads to see buffalo and other wildlife. There are several historic forts in the area and a place to have a steak cooked on a pitchfork. Probably pretty touristy (the steak) but could be fun.

We are parked between two lilac hedges in full bloom. Sweet smell and the wind has finally died down enough they aren't beating on the TC.

Florence MI to Federal Dam MN - every westward

2009-06-01T22:56:00.007-04:00

May 31 - Florence, MI to Federal Dam, MN

Another day of long, straight, good condition red roads through forests including the Ottawa National Forest where there were a lot of deer standing by the side of the road grazing. Fortunately none of them decided to step out in the road and become venison jerky or hood ornaments.

We remarked today on how genuinely friendly the people of the UP, Wisconsin and Minnesota are. Everywhere we stopped people would see our license plate and come say hello and welcome. We gave a lot of tours of the TC and handed out about all the TC brochures we had. We heard over and over how they own a 5th wheel or a travel trailer and how they are restricted from going where they want to go. Hope there are some TC dealers in the upper tier of the country as there seems to be a pent up demand for our size camper.

If you are on Route 2 passing through Ashland, WI we found a neat little RV park owned by the city. It is called Kreger Park. Turn on Willis Ave. North to Water Street by Lake Superior. Water, power, bathrooms, level, looked safe and right smack on the water. Self registration honor system for $20. We have seen many small towns that have a village park where you are allowed to stay overnight for a honor system payment of $5 to $10 with no facilities. Don't I wish the East had such a system?

We stopped at Amnicon Falls State Park south of Superior, WI and hiked through the woods (and mosquitos) to see a lot of waterfalls and interesting rock formations. Fun to watch the fly fishermen try to cast and not get caught up in the trees. Must take a lot of skill to catch anything in water moving that fast. While we were having lunch, a park ranger knocked and asked if he could see the camper. I didn't know TCs were that unusual!

Superior, WI is the site of the Richard Bong World War II Museum. This veteran was a decorated ace pilot who rebuilt a plane like he flew in the Pacific Theater. Lots of interesting exhibits. Joe stops at most of the war memorials if possible as he reads a lot of WWII history.

Back to Route 2 headed west - where else? Passing through the Chippewa National Forest we came upon an immature bald eagle feeding on a dead deer by the roadside. See those deer are good for something. No way did we approach to try to get a photo as this bird was going to protect his meal. It was a beautiful sight though to see such a huge young healthy looking bird.

Our camp for this evening is at Leech Lake COE Recreation Area in Federal Dam, Minnesota.

This is a must stay park if you are anywhere nearby. Huge camp sites, level, dry, good bathhouse with laundry. It is run by the US Army Corps of Engineers and is used as a base camp by an awful lot of avid fishermen. We paid $16.00 for a water/electric/sewer site - half off because of our Golden Age Passport. Every once in a while getting older pays off. We walked down to the boat ramp and dock and watched lots of fish being off loaded from bass boats to a screen house where they were cleaned. Gulls lined every branch around but nobody was dumb enough to throw out a scrap. Rain has finally moved off and it is a nice sunny 64F at 8:15PM.
Listening to the fishermen and women, they are happy to have open water but just as happy to go ice fishing.

Tomorrow we back road it to Fargo where I am meeting up with an online knitting friend. Then the decision will be made on back roads or use I-94 to get over to Theodore Roosevelt National Grasslands Park. We'll be doing enough way back roads so it might be time to use a fast one to get to the next point.

May 30 - Lighthouses and Lake Michigan

2009-05-30T20:07:00.005-04:00

May 30 - Lighthouses and Lake Michigan

Today was a leisurely drive headed west on Route 2 through Michigan and into a tiny piece of Wisconsin. Lake Michigan is VAST with few people in small towns. All I can think of is how much snow and ice they must get in the winter. We are on Route 2 having left St.Ignace, stopping at a lot of state rest stops to walk. At first I thought the columns of something dark rising up out of the woods were smoke plumes. Discovered they weren't when one descended upon us and turned out to be about a bazillion bugs/gnats. It was actually hard to breath for a few seconds. Didn't bite, just wandered off. Later we saw what looked like a flying black ball right ahead of us. It was more bugs. You can imagine what the front nose of the TC looks like.

The sand beaches of Lake Michigan are powder like from being pounded against a somewhat rocky coast. It's not like our granite in Maine but the beach is not hard packed.

Very hard to walk in as you sink ankle deep but the view out over the water was worth it. Lots of little towns along Route 2 where many businesses are closed. We even saw what looked like a new Hilton Inn that was closed with tall weeds all around.

Got off Route 2 Cooks, MI right on Lake Michigan and took a tiny road out to Nahma. I don't think an A class RV could have gone down that road. We picked up hot pasty and ate by the water. Can it get any better than this? For those of you who don't know (and we didn't), a pasty is a meat pie with a meat, potato, carrot, rice and onion in all enclosed in a flaky crust. I asked for a small and the lady laughed. They only make one size and they weigh about a pound. We split one and didn't fight over the last bite, we were full. Recipes for the Michigan version here - [url=http://www.absolutemichigan.com/dig/michigan/real-michigan-food-the-]Michigan pasty[/url]

We next headed to Escanaba for the Sand Point Lighthouse and Museum. Very good local museum with history of how the huge logs were moved out of the woods to ships in the winter. Basically they made an ice road and skidded them out. Joe enjoyed talking to another retired Coast Guardsman while I climbed the lighthouse for the view. The wind off the lake is so cold you expect to see icebergs any minute. Wonder if it ever warms up?

Last time I got on a bicycle (Tall Pines) I took a most ungraceful fall. Joe thought I should get on this one. HA!

A bit further west in Iron Mountain was a mining museum we had planned to see. However, the view was so beautiful over the lake, we headed south from the lighthouse down through Ford River and Cedar River eventually cutting north again to rejoin Route 2 and enter WI. There is a tiny piece of WI that sticks up into MI and we'll get to claim it as a state we have camped in. We're at a small campground in Florence, WI - $12 for the night with water, electricity, laundry and WiFi! We are finding almost no one in the state parks yet. Schools still in and it is a bit nippy.

Mostly sunny day, very windy and the TC rocked quite a bit. We got to show off the Host to a group of ATVers who had stopped at the National Forest center in Florence, WI. They were on a week tent camping trip on the ATV trails and looked pretty longingly at the TC. Joe could not convince one of them that a dual slide TC was too heavy for his F150. It's always fun to show someone a TC who had never been in one before.

Tomorrow we head to Superior, WI. We found two state parks with high waterfalls and good walking trails near there. We'll camp at one of them. There is also a WWII museum that looks pretty interesting. Ever westward!

ME to VT to NY to MI on the way to Glacier

2009-05-29T19:19:00.011-04:00

Wednesday, May 27 - first day on our trip "To the Sun". Cold, rainy but glad to be on the road. Truck and camper are doing great and the new tires make the ride a lot smoother and tighter.

Headed across Maine and passed through lots of tiny Maine towns. We felt like we were the only people on earth as there was no traffic. New Hampshire was even more deserted but greener if possible. The low mountains of NH just sort of roll along with lots of lakes. The White Mountains aren't white currently thank heaven.

VT was even greener and same roads - where are all the people? Not that we want crowded roads but it was just odd. We took all back roads of course but even the farms were deserted. Stopped at Cabot Cheese Creamery and enjoyed the tour, samples, and bought some small blocks for gifts.

We're currently in Massena, NY ready to go over the border into Canada. Cold, gray, rainy but hopefully we'll hit some sun soon. Plan on staying in several of the Canadian Provincial Parks on lakes as we cross over to Sault Sainte Marie. Be a few days before we check in as there isn't a lot of cell/air card service up here. Looking forward to seeing some of rural Canada again.

May 28, 2009 -Joe did a masterful job today dodging a very large cow moose who hopped over a guard rail in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, right in front of us. She must have gotten a running start up a hill from a bog and was low down so we didn't see her coming. Suddenly, there in front of us was a moose!!!! A vehicle on the other side of the road where she first appeared, managed to stop. Moose was literally between our two vehicles. I don't know how Joe missed her or
she decided to go back to the bog and turned at the last second. Pretty shaky moment to be eye to eye with a 1,000 pound or more creature whose back was as high as the hood of the F350. If Joe hadn't have swung right and the moose hadn't swung left, we'd have hit her broadside. It was one of those moments that's still bringing sweat to my forehead and an "attaboy" to Joe. This is a moose bog for those of you who live in cities.

We left NY early AM and came across to Ontario at Massena on the Seaway International Bridge. I was driving at the time and could not decide which customs entry lane to go in. None were marked RVs, only passenger vehicles and trucks. Being a truck, I swung into the truck lanes and was immediately told by a trucker that RVs go through as passenger cars. Well why not say so on an entry! Joe walked over to customs to see what to do and came back with TWO custom agents. Training day for a new guy - groan. They were polite and very thorough, going through all the compartments in the TC but curiously not even opening the F350. Mostly the same questions about where have you been, where are you going, do you have firearms, mace or pepper spray, are you married? Like Canada doesn't let unmarried couples through? The new fellow was following his paper script pretty closely and kept losing his place so asked the same questions over. Only took about 20 minutes and we sailed on. They almost forgot to give us a token to put in the gate barrier slot so we could get out of the truck yard. My mistake for going in as a truck. Nothing was found or confiscated because there wasn't anything there to take. They oddly didn't even ask questions about potatoes or beef this time.

Other than the border crossing and the moose, today has been another rain day and at times a mix of small hail and rain drops the size of marbles. Deluges in an instant and then nothing for miles and then torrential downpours again. The TC (fingers and toes crossed) has not leaked at all and is still working great. Joe's been calling this trip "Going to the Rain" not "Going to the Sun" road.

From the border we took Rte 2, the Heritage Trail down to the "1000 Island Parkway". Looks like this area has an abundance of natural stone for building as there were many beautiful stone houses, more like mansions. Off shore there are tiny islands whose land area is almost completely covered by house. No problem getting a water view there. Everywhere you looked there are Canada geese with goslings, thousands of them just grazing along.

Canada is immaculate, no road litter, no junk along the sides of the road. Most houses appear in excellent repair, with flower gardens, cross mown lawns, long neatly stacked rows of firewood. The roads are better maintained than most of the small roads in the US. It's obvious people take pride in their homes.

My only problem with the route we took today was it was 80km speed limit. For those of you (like me) who are metric challenged, that is about 50mph. It takes a long time to get anywhere especially since today was sort of a travel day and we were in woods. We went from Belleville on the shores of Lake Ontario on Route 60 up to Algonquin Park and then over to Parry Sound to a provincial park for the night. 320km (roughly 200 miles) at 80km (50mph) is not a four hour drive but more like six. Great woods views but looked just like New England - moose included.

In the morning we'll explore Killbear Provincial Park a bit more. We both need a long walk to loosen up. We'll then head to St. Saulte Marie and cross back into the US. Plan on staying at one of the many Michigan state parks right after you cross the border.

May 29 - Back in the USA

We've crossed through Ontario and are back into the USA. Customs was way backed up at the International Bridge at Sault Sainte Marie. Took about 45 minutes to get to the customs booth and about 1 minute go through. US only wanted to know about firewood and fruit. no entry into either the camper or the truck, just a wave and move along.

We're camped in Straits State Park in St.Ignace, Michigan, right on Lake Huron. The mosquitos are FIERCE and almost impossible to stay outside the camper. We've taken a good long walk along the shoreline but at times they were so thick they were getting in your eyes and nose. Shades of Maine!

The drive out of Ontario was much easier than yesterday. The stretch we came through Parry Sound up to Whitefish and then a nice lunch by the water in Blind River. This land has obviously been sculpted by glaciers. the land is covered by small ponds, rock ledges, innumerable beaver dams and lodges and scrub pine by the rocks. The sun came out for a few minutes but we had cold rain again most of the day. Route 69 and 17 were larger roads in excellent condition and still not crowded. We saw four Truck Camperss in a row all hauling boats. Looks like they were off for a weekend of fishing.

Tomorrow we will head for another Michigan state park further west and see if the mosquitos are as bad there. No moose today though we were on hyper alert watching all the small ponds we went by.

Going to the Sun and beyond

2009-05-26T21:36:00.008-04:00

We can't stand exploring the rock bound coast of Maine and all of New England again this summer (big smile) so we are headed west. We enjoyed our trip out west last summer so much that we are heading that way to explore more. House sitter is available, the aged folks in our family are well and we are still upright and walking so time to go while we can.

Here is the planned, yet tentative, route from Maine to Glacier National Park. We'll probably drop down and go over the Beartooth Highway and then north to Glacier.

We will be trying to stay in state parks, rest areas, Corps of Engineers, free places, etc. We like history, geology, archeology and have a lot of museums and petroglyph and dinosaur sites mapped out along the way.

"Going to the Sun" road is the reason for the Glacier trip. We know we cannot drive it in the TC and probably will just take a jammer bus. I think the F-350 DRW will fit on the road but we want to enjoy the scenery, not have to watch every inch of the drops off the road. As of today, the snow removal crews are still digging through 20-30 feet snowbanks on the road so it isn't fully open yet. Yes we put our winter parkas in the camper.

After Glacier, if we are still talking (TCs are small!) and the legs are holding up, we'll head for the Oregon coast. I've always wanted to see Oregon and also visit several friends and relatives there. Here's the tentative route.

Email or post here is you know of sites that shouldn't be missed along the way. We hae an air card so will be able to reply and also keep the blog going. Fingers crossed for good weather and safe driving.