777 July 12, 2022 Happy Birthday Tim!

We had planned to take our time this morning.  I wanted to take a good walk around the property at the campground and down to the covered bridge and walk the road beyond the bridge.  Tim brought his yoga mat and was looking forward to some yoga by the river.  It started to rain.  We quickly packed the tent and all our gear.  It really is NO fun when everything gets wet.  The rain quit but we were ready to roll.

About three miles from the campground, I saw a bull moose standing in the marshy area by the river.  We pulled over to watch him but he was easily spooked and walked off into the trees.

Minutes later, we saw a second bull moose at Umbagog Lake.  This guy knew we were there but we were far enough away (about 100 yards) that he allowed us to take pictures.  When he heard other approaching traffic, he would walk closer to the trees.  When cars had passed, he would resume his morning meal.  A moose needs to eat 40 pounds of twigs, leaves, bark, and aquatic plants every day!

We stopped at Moose Cave…no moose here but there is legend that says the moose would lose their footing on the slippery granite and slip into the gorge and river below.

We stopped for our breakfast at Screw Auger Falls.

We had trouble being motivated to work out when we got back…but we did it.  I walked away from town.

I saw two women get out of a car with cameras.  I went to see what they were looking at.  There was a huge crop of low green bushes with lavender flowers.  The ladies were not sure what it was.  Tim and I had seen these fields as well.  Up close, the leaves looked like potato leaves.  I used the plant app and they were…white potatoes!

This evening we had wanted to celebrate Tim’s birthday by going out to dinner.  Most restaurants here are only open Thursday-Sunday.  I had brought along some crabcakes from Santoni’s.  We cooked sweet potatoes and baked the crabcakes and packed dinner and went to a nearby rest area along the river.  The crabcakes were amazing and we smothered the sweet potatoes in cinnamon maple cream…oh my!

We drove to Davis Park.  Here we had maple cream ice cream drizzled with bourbon barrel aged maple syrup…oh my! 

Tim has been using the maple syrup in his gruel, in his coffee, and we have been having it in our tea each evening…oh my!  We are going to have to place an online order for more…or drive to Florida this winter and find Happy Hills at a Farmers Market!

It was a good day.

776 July 11, 2022 Aziscoos Valley Area Campground

On Monday morning, I took the path from the campground that led toward town.

Instead of walking downtown, I headed along the river and then down a country lane.

Tim took his bike for a six mile ride.

We got some groceries in Bethel and Tim saw this sweet car in front of the hardware store. The guy who owns it bought it new in high school!

Look what Happy Hill Maple Farms posted on their site!

We packed the Jeep for another overnight camping trip. We headed north onto 26.

We stopped at Grafton Notch State Park, first we hiked around the Screw Auger Falls.

We drove along further and hiked at Mother Walker Falls.

We took a couple of gravel roads…just exploring!

Such a pretty ride!

Another Appalachian Trail crossing.

Umbagog Lake.

About 3 miles from our destination, I saw a large black bear walking in tall grass along the edge of the woods. By the time we backed up to get another look…he was gone!

We arrived at Aziscoos Area Campground in late afternoon. We had a gorgeous tent site right on the Magalloway River, all by ourselves.

We had another peaceful evening by the campfire. We could hear the river running over some nearby rapids. Lots of birdsong and crows cawing. Omelets for dinner with fresh bread and wine…perfect!

Not a quote tonight…but totally worth sharing!

To the folks who just showed up in the 43ft $200,000 fifth wheel, that costs double my house, you have a beautiful rig.

To the folks who are down in the woods in a bivvy tent, you guys are hard core, awesome setup down there.

To the folks who just pulled in with their 1979 C class with more rust than panel. I can only imagine the memories you’ve made in that thing. I bet that dent has a story.

To the folks that took that last site that nobody wanted, pulled in, put down the seats in their mini van, and started cooking. Your dinner smells delightful.

Y’all, we all camp differently, and we may not agree on it all, but we have to remember the only thing that matters is memories are being made, and you’re getting 120% out of your time with your loved ones. You have to forget HOW you go camping, and remember WHY you go camping. THAT is camping my friends.

July 9-10, 2022 Maine Lakes And Mountains Region

One of the very best things about this campground in Bethel is the variety of options there are for morning walks. On Saturday, I chose to walk west toward the airport. There is a paved walking path that crosses beneath the highway and winds around to the small airport and then through woods to a pollinator garden. It was a lovely walk.

We went to the Bethel Farmers Market and collected some zucchini and squash and heirloom tomatoes.

We spent the morning packing the Jeep for a potential overnight in the wilderness of Maine. We were going to take a scenic road and see if along the way, we might find a place to camp in the tent.

We stopped at Coos Canyon to explore.

We stopped at Height of Land to admire the view.

The Appalachian Trail crosses the highway here. We saw lots of hikers with loaded packs.

We found a logging road and found a place to camp for the evening. It was incredibly quiet. There was occasional birdsong and we heard a woodpecker in the distance. The wind rustled the trees…but it was otherwise silent! We spent a relaxing evening by the fire. We watched for bear and moose with bear spray close by…no visitors.

On Sunday morning, we decided to continue our drive through the Maine Lakes and Mountains Region. We stopped along the Rangeley Lakes National Scenic Byway.

Maine blueberries…not ripe yet!

We spent lots of time traveling on logging roads and roads that were barely roads, looking for another camping spot. We were thwarted at every dead end…but we did see lots of beautiful and remote wilderness.

Moose tracks…but no moose!

We did find a nice private campground with large sites by a river…we will write more about that on Tuesday because we intend to go back there tomorrow night and stay.

We got back to the RV in midafternoon. We rested and then I walked and Tim did his workout. We decided this evening to walk on Hastings Island. The campground has a suspension bridge that is 50 feet above the Androscoggin River to its own private island.

The trail is a one mile loop around the perimeter of the island. It started off okay and then we were more than halfway and there was a tree to climb under and then at points the grasses were as tall as I and the trail was nearly impassable….but we trudged through. Another downed tree took us way off course and again we waded through giant weeds…it was a little creepy! Finally we made our way back to the bridge and home! What an adventure! I thought this might be a good place for my morning walk tomorrow…but I will NOT be going back!

Yesterday, we found the Good Foods Store. We bought dark chocolate almonds and maple flovored yogurt and both were delicious. Today I went back and bought white lasagna for our dinner. It tasted homemade and was so yummy with chicken and prosciutto and spinach and red peppers in a savory sauce and topped with cheese. A perfect meal.

774 July 8, 2022 Bethel, Maine

I took a walk bright and early this morning. I walked on winding narrow country lanes. I saw this bear carcass beside the road.

At 8:30, we were scheduled for our tour at the sugar house.

We met Lisa and her son, Michael. Michael gave us an excellent tour and education on the production of real maple syrup. Happy Hill Maple Farms harvests sap from 21,000 tapped maple trees. Much of the work involved is maintaining the lines that direct the sap from the forest to the bottom of the hill. Lines are often damaged by wind and storms and fallen trees. Animals including squirrels, bears, and moose also wreak havoc. The lines must be vacuum sealed in order to use suction to draw sap from the trees. The bulk of the harvest occurs during an 8 week span in March and April. The first sap draws are lighter in color. As the ground warms, the minerals are drawn from the soil and into the sap, producing richer and darker syrups. In a single season, Happy Hill collects about 325,000 gallons of sap. It takes 40-80 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of pure maple syrup. The process is highly technical and involves the use of reverse osmosis and boiling. We love staying on working farms. It is enlightening to learn where our food actually comes from. This family is hard working and even though the harvest is for a very short time, there is a lot to do during the other months of the year.

Lisa did a tasting with us, allowing us to try the various grades of syrup. We tried some syrups aged in bourbon and whiskey barrels and we tried syrup infused with lavendar. This farm has a deal with a bourbon distillery in Florida. The distillery provides bourbon barrels to age syrup. When the syrup has been bottled, the farm takes the barrels back to the distillery to use for maple flavored bourbons. The farm also makes maple creams. These are more solid spreadable forms of the maple sugars.

Log Cabin syrup and other similar brands are NOT real maple syrup. They are made from artificial ingredients and chemicals meant to taste like maple. When you buy real maple syrup from a store, it only has to contain 2% real maple syrup to be labeled REAL. When you buy pure maple syrup from Happy Hill…it is the REAL deal. It is costly to produce and expensive to purchase. We also learned that pure maple syrup has a lot of antioxidants and minerals.

With the sugar buzz well underway, we went shopping. We chose the grade A dark color syrup with a robust flavor, we chose some bourbon barrel aged syrup, and we chose some cinnamon maple cream.

We stored our purchases and got on the road. Before we left, I had noticed that the rear of the RV seemed to be sitting a little lower than normal. Tim noticed that the air gauges were not reading as they normally did. Once we were traveling, we noticed that our ride was rougher than usual. We thought we had a problem with our air ride suspension.

We found a deisel mechanic shop in the town of Gorham. The guy there took the time to help diagnose our problem. There is definitely a leak. His shop was not able to have the parts we might need and they suggested that we call Frieghtliner in Bangor, Maine and in the meantime to drive carefully. They did not charge us at all and they wished us well as we left.

We are staying at Bethel Outdoor Adventure and Campground in Bethel, Maine. Tim was able to call Freightliner but they cannot see us until next Friday. They have however, ordered the parts we might need and will have them there when we arrive. Until then, we will stay here in Bethel. There seems to be a lot to see and do in the area and it will be nice to have this as a springboard to explore!

This evening, we went to Brian’s for dinner. We had a delicious meal!

We will NOT be here this winter to verify this statement but the weather is perfect right now!

773 July 7, 2022 Happy Hill Maple Farms

It was in the 50’s overnight. It was chilly and it felt luscious as I took my morning walk.

We took Route 9, the Molly Stark Byway, a scenic route across Vermont. It was hilly and again a stream curved along the roadside with lots of cattails and tiger lilies and areas of dense forest. There were sections of rough road with construction too.

We traveled into Brattleboro where we found a place to fill the propane tank on the RV.

91N took us to our destination.

We had found Happy Hill Maple Farms on the Harvest Host website. Our hosts were not available this afternoon so we wiled away the time, relaxing and reading by the babbling brook. This is such a peaceful place.

772 July 6, 2022 Woodford State Park

My morning walk first led me to Cutler Botanic Garden, a hidden gem in an area otherwise filled with hotels and gas stations.

When I walked in the other direction, I found a Starbucks. All around it was a great kickstart to the day!

We took 88E to Schenectady and Albany and there we made our way to 7 across the remainder of New York. It was my intention to work on the blog but the scenery was just too pretty! We crossed the Susquehanna River several times. The hills were rolling with lush vegetation. Cattails and wildflowers flanked the roadside. We rode through small towns and saw lots of red barns and silver silos. Church steeples were tucked in amid the towering trees. The clouds were dramatic with just bits of blue sky peaking through. We had a smattering of rain showers as well.

We crossed into Vermont on Route 9 and passed through quaint downtown Bennington with a compass painted on the road in the main intersection and an old time clock on the corner. Gorgeous old churches and hanging baskets dripping with colorful flowers added to the charm of the town.

The road contined to meander along a stream. We saw wild turkeys strutting along. We made a plan to camp at Woodford State Park in the Green Mountain National Forest.

We were in bear country. The rangers informed us that a bear had been rooting through coolers in the campground about 10 days before but that there had been no sightings in the past 4-5 days. Nonetheless, when we hiked around the lake later in the day, we played music as we walked. The trail had lots of root and rock obstacles and a couple of fallen trees that we had to climb over. It was good work!

We spent the evening enjoying a glass of wine by a campfire. We are back in our groove now; relaxed and loving this life!

771 July 5, 2022 Binghamton

We wanted to wait until after the July 4th holiday to leave. I felt bereft as I drove away from mom after our last visit. I was also saddened to say goodbye to Kyle and Allison.

I have said that more than one thing can be true at the same time…while partings are always hard, we were also eagerly anticipating this trip. We were getting restless and we are ready to explore new places and see new things.

This is the life we have chosen and while we are always at home when we are with our children our “true home” has wheels!

Today we head north to destinations truly unknown.

We drove through Worthington Valley to 83N to 81N to 88N to Binghamton, New York. We found a Cracker Barrel near the interstate where we could overnight. We were not in the mood for a heavy homestyle meal and so we just fixed tomato sandwiches.

We were lucky that the parking lot was adjacent to a Regal Theater. We hadn’t been to the movies since well before COVID.

I have seen the original Top Gun many, many times and it is a favorite. We went to see Top Gun Maverick and I just loved it! It was a good way to pass the evening hours and it was a great movie to see on the big screen.

Tomorrow…onward!

770 May 3- July 5, 2022 Time At Home

We drove from Atlanta to Maryland, taking two days to get “home.” We parked in Kyle’s driveway.

May 7th was Allison’s bridal shower. Mom and I got to spend lots of time together preparing treats for the party. We had lots of fun celebrating the future Mrs. Pearce.

The remainder of the month of May was spent going to appointments…dentist and doctors and lots of other stuff. The Jeep got some much needed work done, including some welding on the rack. We did some jobs for Kyle and Allison as well, sanding and painting and priming and yardwork and centerpieces and curtains and candles and lanterns and the veil for the wedding. We also got to see lots of friends for lunches and dinners and crab feasts and walks and showers and parties. It was so nice to see everyone. We hadn’t been home since September.

I spent time with my mom as well…I really miss her when we are gone though we try to stay caught up during our daily phone conversations.

On May 28th, David and his family flew from Atlanta to BWI. The kids had great experiences on their first flights! It is so rare for all of us to be together in the same place…I was overjoyed!!!

We had to visit the COW for ice cream…nothing like getting up close and personal with the underside of the cow!

On June 1st, we all went to Harryman House to celebrate my 60th birthday. The kids especially enjoyed the warm chocolate chip cookie platter with vanilla ice cream!

We had the rehearsal dinner at La Palapa. It was a lovely evening with delicious food!

On June 3rd, Kyle and Allison were married at the Howard County Conservancy surrounded by close family and friends. The bride absolutely glowed as she floated through the evening! The weather was perfect for their fairy tale wedding. A beautiful party in an incredible venue.

We had more appointments and then we took a quick trip to Crisfield and stayed in the roof top tent.

The following week, we went to Rock Hall where we found a quaint motel near the harbor.

We watched cats and chickens while Kyle and Allison were on their honeymoon in Cancun.

We had a wonderful time at home!

769 April 11- May 2, 2022 Visit In Atlanta

We stored our RV on Monday and then went to David and Andrea’s house to spend several weeks. We took the boys back and forth to school. We took them to swimming lessons.

We had lots of cuddling time and IPAD time too!

We watched after school soccer and took the kids to the playground.

We had an Easter Egg Hunt.

We gave Mama and Dada a couple of date nights.

We spent a night in the driveway in our roof top tent.

We went to the zoo.

We did lots of fun projects and we baked cookies…Easter bunnies and always gingerbread men!

We celebrated Austin’s 4th birthday with a pirate themed party with swords and eye patches and a treasure map and a pinata!

All too soon, it was leaving time again. The boys are older now. They are so fun to be with. They are well behaved and love to tell stories and use their imaginations. They are curious about nature and the world and how things work.

When we are in visiting, we try to be useful. We did some yardwork and mulching and made dinner most nights. We are so grateful that Atlanta is one of our homes.

768 April 8-10, 2022 Stone Mountain Campground With The Littles

Although Oliver was still recovering from his awful GI bug, he was eager to go camping in the RV with us at Stone Mountain. Austin was instantly on board! The two boys dragged their suitcases into the hall and I began to issue instructions: “Bring me 4 pair of underwear.” They each ran to their rooms, proudly coming back with underwear. They dumped them into the suitcase and then ran to get pajamas, then shirts, and so on. We couldn’t forget pillows and favorite blankets and lovies…and books…lots and lots of books!

We arrived at Stone Mountain and the boys were thrilled to explore the RV or our “house on wheels” and our campsite. Oliver had been with us once when he was very small. Austin had never been. We were camped right next to the lake. We took a walk around and then enjoyed some snacks by a campfire.

The boys got showers which they enjoyed tremendously and then we read until they were sleepy.

Saturday morning was chilly, windy, and damp. Luckily, I had thought to get a new LEGOS. Each of the boys has a remarkable ability to assemble projects and we had lots of fun.

We packed picnic food and then went for a hike at the base of the mountain. Oliver thought it was the biggest mountain in the world. We walked as far as an overlook where they could see all of the City of Atlanta far in the distance.

We enjoyed our lunch and the boys played on the playground.

We did more walking and dyed Easter eggs and played and played and played.

Another campfire and more stories until bedtime.

Sunday morning, we took the Sky Ride to the top of Stone Mountain.

We had the very best weekend. It is always such a joy to share something we love so much with the people that we love.