Uncertainty

I'm waiting for my sister to let me know what's up with my dad. They're in the ED at Kennestone.
As Annelle and I planned this trip we knew there may be something with my dad or her mom that we would have to make decisions about. It looks like I may need to fly to GA tomorrow morning and we aren't sure how we will proceed after that. Not sure if Annelle will take a few days to drive home or what. Been a stressful day worrying about it all.
We are grateful to be parked in the yard of a good friend of a good friend, so that is a plus.

Will keep you posted.

Super lazy Sunday

Another rest day. Except it really is for both of us. Had a leisurely breakfast sandwich alla Annelle (with the last of my bread) and did grocery shopping (seems like an everyday thing!) I've been chomping to get the car washed and vacuumed, so that happened. Roxy needs a bath too, but that probably won't happen today.

We're paying bills, doing a load of laundry (also a never-ending chore) and staying out of the hot sun. Thought about doing some exploring in Hartford but I wanted to drive as little as possible.

Later we'll have a curried fish dish in the Instant Pot and some Oregon Pinot Noir.

This life is simple, for the most part. There are repeatable steps, usually daily. The navigation has been a bit of a pain but we have made it to all our destinations. I'm not looking forward to skirting NYC in a few days and we're trying to get the Co Pilot RV adaptable GPS app to speak to me. She'll say "Welcome to Co Pilot" but won't give any verbal route instructions. I am able to see the map (had to get a hands free phone thingy) but it sure is nice to hear it when driving in traffic. I'll look online in a bit and see what I can find out.

It feels like we've been on the road for much longer than 25 days. We are only 1 day behind our original route plan at this point.

P.S. I am grateful for a trip that has some flexibility included.

Bristol

Today was a rest day for Annelle so she drove with me to the next campground. Bear Creek in Bristol, CT. Nice little PULL THROUGH space. Not too many trees but the temps are wonderful at night. Fall is definitely here. There are cabins, tepees, and tiny huts. It's right next door to Compounce Theme Park- the oldest theme park in the US. We considered going to the haunted graveyard tour, but the $$$$$ was a bit high for us.

Tomorrow she was to ride through Hartford, which she has been dreading due to hills. So she's skipping it! I know she will ride many, many more miles, and Hartford isn't one of the best places on the trail, so I'm glad she isn't making herself do every damn mile. We are looking at what kind of fun we can get into in the car.

One more night here and then off to Bridgeport to stay at Anita's friend's house. She is very kind to put us up in her yard/driveway for 2 nights!

So, nice day, fairly relaxing, and tomorrow to be even more relaxing. I do think we both needed this down time.

P.S. I am grateful for a shower big enough to shave my legs! I was beginning to think winter was going to have to start early.

A better day- Friday Sept 27

Annelle got up this morning and decided to change the plan.

Pancakes for breakfast and a ride together on the Charter Oak Trail in Manchester, CT (where we used to buy our new clothes and shoes each year for school when I was a kid!)
We had a leisurely morning and drove up to the trail.

So perfectly done. Beautiful stream side trail, if hilly. We didn't ride much, but I was glad to have a chance to get on the bike (hadn't since Provincetown.) It felt great.

After the ride we had lunch at a pizza place and brought enough leftovers home for 2 more meals apiece!! What a bargain.

Went to Target to get supplies, including a card reader since I left ours at home. Annelle is using her camera while on the trail as her phone is for mapping.

Today is the first day in a few weeks we were home in the afternoon together. We put out the awning on the camper, had a glass of bubbly to celebrate the day (thank you Elizabeth Wise) and brought Jack outside too. It was a fine afternoon.

Now we are getting neighbors. A few campers have arrived since dinner. Quiet time here is 11pm, which is later than we have been used to at a campground. Apparently this is the busiest weekend of the year for this campground! Tomorrow night will be a big fest and trick or treating for the kids. We leave in the am for our next stop, so we'll miss it. Aw, gee.


P.S. I am grateful for the beautiful day we got to share today.

DL and Roxy’s Big Adventure, or The Universe is Such a Jokester

The day started out nice enough. Short trip to take Annelle to the trail, back to camp to pack up, dump tanks, get on the road. The road was lovely again, wide, well maintained, and not busy at all. 

I got to where I thought I was supposed to go and couldn’t find a campground. I turned into the address gps gave me, thinking the registration was behind the bushes. That’s when I got out of the car and had my first Uh Oh moment of the day. I called the campsite and it seems there is more than one Water’s Edge Campground and I had gone to the wrong one. New address entered into gps and one more hour of driving ahead.

Yes, I had pulled into a driveway. A private driveway.  A short one with no possibility of a turn around. With big rocks at the corners. And the road I had turned from was a one lane dirt road with a stone wall. Nobody home. Nobody anywhere. 

Big deep breaths. I am grateful to Oprah (haters gonna hate) and, more recently, Ashley Garrett, for reminding me to be grateful and look at the good things. 

Out of the car to assess the plan. Many backs and forths (and out of the car moments to see where I was)  later I did manage to get out with only one casualty- one of the homeowners solar path lights. I have the address so I will offer to replace said light. 

Back on the lovely rural highways. Horse farms, turning trees. Back roads. Sitting up and breathing in. Then, bam, the road ahead is closed. Like no way was I going forward. Bridge out. Seriously, 2 times in one day to try to extricate myself from a situation by backing the trailer. Seriously???

I am here to tell you I did just that. It wasn’t pretty, but it worked. GPS reroute and made it to the campground that did have our reservation. Backed into one site and the ground was so soggy I couldn’t level. Luckily it’s the end of the season and there are many sites empty. I ended up at the very last site, among the trees, and called to let them know (she had told me to pick whichever site looked good and let her know.) Leveling was fine. I forgot to eat. Or drink. 

Beer and chips time now. Annelle just had a shower and I’m next. When the rain stops. 

P.S. Ashley, I’m grateful for many things. Your fun classes at ARMC, your laugh-out-loud fb posts, and your reminder to me to look at the half-full glass. It’s not my go-to!

Wednesday, Sept 25

RI has some nice highways. RI 101 is a 2 lane, double yellow, nicely maintained road on which I got to drive Roxy for many miles. And I'm grateful for that ease.

Observation: Jack seems to do well when I do well. If I'm stressed driving he seems to meow more. If it's smooth sailing and I'm chill, so is he. It's interesting.

Another observation: This trip reminds me of labor. As in birthing babies. There is pain and agony, followed by rest. There is much talk of never doing this again. The end result (the campground in this case) is so wonderful I forget the previous agony and, lo and behold, do it again.

Such mixed feelings. One minute I'm ready to quit. The next I'm ready to get a super cool, larger, more easily driven camper. These thoughts occupy the many miles I traverse daily. Along with taking time to look at the beauty of New England. And to remind myself to Be Here Now.

I love a Salt Box, a Cape Cod, especially when they're sided with cedar shake shingles. Some of you may not know that I was born in Connecticut and lived there until I was 11. In a Cape Cod house. There is so much that feels like home here to me. The leaves are turning, the air is cool. My favorite season since childhood, fall has so much to love. I could see myself living in many of the sweet towns I pass through.

Tonight we are at a very quiet campground on a lake at the State Line Campground between RI and CT. Most of the seasonals have left or gone home to work for the week. Another laundry day before I picked Annelle up from the trail.

It took me a while but I backed in. It's funny how, once I get a groove going, it's easy. The groove part just takes longer than I'd like!

P.S. I'm grateful, as above, for the easy roads. And for the quiet of this place. We've had a nice dinner and are both, after all the planning for the next few days, relaxing.

The end of beginners luck

I should never have bragged. We all know that. Yeah, I did a good job parking at James and Anita's. But there hasn't been a good back-in since then. Today I called the camp office and asked to change my site to one that was more conducive to an easy parking job. Thank goodness it isn't still summer tourist season.

Annelle left at 0900 from camp for what's to be her longest day yet. I'm a little concerned as we were both tired this morning.

We have broached the subject of "not as young as we once were, are we?" All you people in our cohort (I know, there are outliers) probably know what I'm talking about. You youngsters may be thinking what wimps we are. Your day will come. I could use a spa day! I'd bet Annelle (who hates spa days) would agree.

Our campground (Massasoic SP) has no wi-fi so I decided to spend a little time at the Starbucks nearest Annelle's pick-up spot at Fall River, MA. I never order those sweet drinks but today the Salted Caramel Frappucino was calling my name. I guess every few years it's good to remember why. From Find Friends it looks like Annelle may have made a turn south and she still has 13 miles to get to me. I'm early.

I picked her up yesterday at The Christmas Tree Shop! It was right across that super high bridge and I know how she loves those places. I went in and bought a small colander and a dustpan and brush. Sometimes the broom is just too much.

P.S. I realize I have a ways to go to get to a gratefulness comfort level. I keep forgetting. So, today, I'm grateful for all the drivers here in MA (known to some as "Massholes") who have been kind to this camper driver. Many people have let me into traffic in front of them and have given me the benefit of the doubt without honking. 

Monday afternoon

Monday afternoon. Jack and I are relaxing in the breeze after our morning work. Dropped Annelle early at the trail, did some shopping for groceries and sunscreen, came back and cut vegetables for dinner, had lunch. Someone is cooking a terrific smelling meal not too far from me.  I can't believe  the wind is bringing it this way.

This campground has very wonky internet. Last night Annelle ended up using her phone as a hot-spot. I'd like to post a couple of pictures, but not happening.

Annelle is supposed to ride to the campground but she just texted to let me know she's behind due to intense winds. I imagine she will text me when she gets to the big-ass bridge and ask me to come get her. Can't say I blame her, the winds are pretty bad, and that bridge is VERY HIGH and only 2 lanes with a raised area for bikers and hikers.

Later note. I picked her up. I couldn't see her having any fun going across that bridge with the wind as it is. She only lost a couple of miles.

Oops

It occurs to me I have forgotten my grateful P.S. statements at the ends of the last few posts. So I'll start with one here:
I am grateful for diversity in the human and natural worlds. P Town is a great place to people watch. Commercial St on a Saturday is full of all kinds of people having fun. And Saturday I heard a Parliament of Owls conversing deep into the night. So cool. I am not sure of the species but they weren't the ones I hear in Suches.

Today Annelle left from camp and rode 1/2 way to the campsite we will be parked for the next 2 nights in Buzzard's Bay. It's right under a bridge. A big bridge. As with most of the campgrounds we've overnighted, there are seasonal people here. One guy said he's been here 39 years. I can hear lots of cheering all over camp when the Patriots score (which they have been doing a lot today.) We are at the western end of Cape Cod, on a canal.

saw this tee in P Town

Our site. Jack is in the door but you may not be able to see him.

Rest Day- P Town

Yesterday- longest drive yet (148 miles) and the first hour was through Boston. We have a GPS app for RVs that routes away from places propane can't go or where we wouldn't fit. I don't usually use it as it doesn't display on my screen so it's more difficult to follow. When we used it around NYC Annelle was able to give me a heads-up so the stress level was a notch or two lower than yesterday. I made a wrong turn and ended up in a tunnel. I didn't blow up, so that's good.
The road was ok after that, and the drive on the Cape was nice. I'm fine going 40-50 in back of a truck. Safety in numbers.

The campground is lovely (again) and about 1/2 mile from Provincetown Center. We walked and walked and walked last night, had a great dinner overlooking the water at The Mews (thanks for the rec Janice and Melissa) and walked back. We were both so beat we went to bed at 8.

This morning we slept in and walked to a waterfront breakfast. Did a little shopping (not buying) and now are back at Roxy for planning, clean-up and whipping up Instant Pot oatmeal for the rest of the week.

This was last night on the pier. The weather couldn't be beat.

We will do some exploring this afternoon around the less commercial part of the town. 

A Day in the Life (of DL)

This may be interesting as all-get-out or may be seriously dull. Read as much as you care to read!

AM:
Coffee. But first, get out of the warm, cozy bed and into the 41 outside, 60 inside camper. Quickly change clothes. Then coffee, oatmeal, toast or some other easy breakfast. Feed Jack.

Wash dishes. Secure all loose articles. Close all doors, windows, vents and the over-bed storage area.
Take dinette table down and secure. Make sure all electric and gas appliance toggles are Off.
Empty litter box and get trash ready to go.
Double check the above.

If we're at a full hook-up place, drain grey and black tanks. Pack up hoses in black bag. Turn off water and pack up hose in blue bag.
Raise stabilizers from each corner. Pack blocks on which stabilizers have been resting. Remove lock from camper hitch (someone could still steal it, but it would be a hassle) and turn gas tanks off.
Back car to hitch. Connect ball, chains, electrical and emergency brake cord (in case the trailer comes off the hitch- it will brake the trailer.) Remove hitch stabilizers. If ball hasn't completely connected, move car an inch or two until it connects. Make sure pin is engaged!!
Remove chucks from wheels, back and front. Pack all the blocks and chocks in the red bag. Red, blue and black bags get locked in the under-bed storage area.

If Annelle isn't leaving from the campground, load her bike. If we don't have sewer hookups, drive to dump station and empty tanks.

Drive to the drop-off for Annelle. Once she takes off, continue on to the next campground.

Midday:
Do a lot of the above in the opposite order. Of course, that's after either pulling in or backing into the site and leveling. All by myself. It's a process, I'm learning.
Eat a little something. Hang out with Jack, read, clean (sweeping is a twice-a-day event). If we had boondocked the previous night, plug in anything that must be charged, especially the cordless drill (stabilizers up, stabilizers down) , the Mophie chargers and the computers.
When Annelle texts her last stop (usually about 8 miles left for her) leave the campground to pick her up. This, of course, depends on how far it will be. Some pick-ups are 3 miles, some 20. We have a system!

Later afternoon:
Get back to camp. Explore. Shower, chill, think about dinner. We're trying to hold eating out to 1 night a week, depending on where we are. One cannot pass up fresh seafood when available. We often combine lunch and dinner.

Evening:
Annelle spends lots of time looking at the route for the next day. She had everything tentatively mapped out before we even left Georgia, but there are crazy things that come up and maps actually are updated way more often than she had expected. We make sure we have reservations for the next few nights.
Do some reading. Get in bed way earlier than usual- hey, it's dark.

We've had 1 rest day and it was way too busy. We will have the next one in Provincetown on Saturday and plan to play/explore all day. NO WORK! (I'll do it Friday when I get to camp- laundry, etc.) Annelle will be riding to the campground (and taking the ferry from Boston) and I'll have my longest drive yet to the tip of P Town.

See ya later, Maine

This morning is a rare opportunity to get a post in before the fatigue sets in. And beer. (see following.)

I left Annelle at a Catholic Church in Berwick this morning. Shout out to the super nice couple (also small camper owners) who were interested in our bike rack. So friendly. They were sorry they didn't know about us earlier (I gave them Annelle's card) as they would have invited us to park in their driveway for an overnight. People dis northerners a lot, but Mainers are fantastic people. Maybe because Maine is such a fantastic state!

Tonight we will be boondocking*  at Cisco Brewery (formerly Red Hook). They are a part of the Harvest Host system across the country. Breweries, farms and wineries offer a free spot for one night for campers. In return said campers are requested to spend $20 at their business. This place is huge and has a beautiful cafe/brew pub with food that we've heard good things about. Sounds fair to me!

The drive this morning was through more fields than forests. Brilliant sun and perfect green grasses. Big farm houses. So sad to be leaving this place I love and excited to see what comes. Driving the back roads of states is so much nicer than driving through the bigger cities, though I will get enough of that soon!

P.S. I am grateful for (yeah, I know, redundant but oh, so real) another sunny, cool, breezy (Annelle may not like this so much today) unrivaled day in one of my heart's places.

*Boondocking means no electric, water or sewer. We emptied our tanks this morning and filled the fresh water tank so we would have water for a shower for Annelle and for midnight toilet trips. We have a gas water heater, so a warm shower can happen. When we get to a campground with a dump station we can empty the black and grey tanks. We can go several days like this if we don't use the shower, but if we know we can hook up tomorrow we will be cool.

Wells, Maine

If you remember, I said I wasn't going to do anything on my rest day. Then I made cinnamon rolls, and 2 loaves of Italian Bread. Then I made sauce and put together a lasagna. At about 2pm I was officially out of gas. This will not be how I spend "off" days in the future, not matter how I enjoy those activities! But we have several lasagna meals in the freezer and another round of delish toast to show for it. We had lasagna for dinner w Hannah last night too.

It was great to hang with Hannah and the dogs. We slept in the camper so Jack wouldn't get too lonely and woke up to 47 degrees. The air here is so exhilarating and clear. I love it.

Left this morning to take the camper to Saco for the electrical cord. I dropped Annelle off right there- the Eastern Trail passed right through their back yard! The super nice guy also worked on the stabilizer I had bunged up on a curb. It worked, but now it looks almost like it's supposed to. And in trailer organization news, I found the most adorable (and useful) tiny dish drainer. Y'all know how I love organization.

The campground in Wells is another amazing, fabulous place. Right off route 1, lots of trees, quiet. I met a man from Brunswick, GA and had a long conversation with a guy from W. VA. Campers are a generally jovial bunch, especially the retired ones.

We had seen this art car in Damariscotta and now it's here with an art camper. Cali plates, lots of tsotchkes everywhere. Dashboard of car and front of RV. I can't imagine how much they weigh with all the tiles, etc.

Tomorrow we will be in New Hampshire. It has been great to start the trip here in Maine. Though we didn't know some of the down east territory well we were comfortable with the more southern, coastal areas. Good friends around. Lots of familiar territory. Now the really unfamiliar is ahead of us for a while.

We're getting into a kind of rhythm.  Jack has been exceptional. The scary issue with the lights and back-up camera is fixed and we've learned a few more things about RVing. Annelle will start doing more mileage as we go south, pending weather and any other "issues" with Roxy.

P.S. I am grateful for every small success. Parking, leveling, working systems. And for all the help we've had along the way with the above.

Winding up a good day

This morning we got all packed up, I dropped Annelle at the start for the day, and I drove on to James and Anita's in N. Yarmouth. I had been concerned about backing into their camper area as it's right off the road. Luckily it was Sunday am and not a lot of traffic. I pulled off a bit onto the side and took a few deep breaths and went for it. I'm here to tell you, it happened. It isn't 100% straight but it's mighty damn close. After leveling I came inside and took a heavenly shower and started the laundry.

Drew came over to help us troubleshoot the trailer running lights and it looks like we just missed an obvious issue- the 7pin electrical connector cord (which is too long) looks like it suffered a bad case of road rash. So we need to see about replacing the cord. Seems like this isn't something out of left field so I think it won't be a huge problem. I just have to get it to Saco on Tuesday after I drop Annelle at her starting point.

We also had a nice visit with Elizabeth Wise (thank you so much for the baby bubblies! I'm sure celebrations will be in order on several occasions.)

James and Anita have been camping so we didn't get to see them but we have had a nice afternoon and evening with daughter Hannah. Right now I have a biga rising for bread tomorrow and dough rising for cinnamon rolls in the morning. Tomorrow will be a day off and neither of us plan on doing anything. We are both very tired and relieved to have a day off.

P.S. I am grateful for a rest day amidst the chaos of travel.

Friday the 13th

It was bound to happen. Something funky with Roxy. We were driving down a very rural road from Bucksport to Damariscotta and I noticed the rear-view camera was off. This usually only happens if the electrical connection isn't in tightly. We finally found a safe side of the road (no ditches!) and pulled over. Did all the troubleshooting we knew to do. A super nice man asked if we needed help and we decided it might be a fuse to the trailer hitch. Then we finally figured out (the sun was so bright it was hard to see) the left brake light and blinker were working fine and the right side was sort of strobing. We decided there must be a short and drove on to the campground. Oddly, all the turns were left turns!  

Since we hadn't had lunch we decided to have a 4:30 King Eider's Pub late lunch/early dinner. I almost passed on the oysters, can you imagine? They were perfect. Lesson learned: never pass on Damariscottas in Damariscotta,

This is the first campground that has a party vibe. Kids, music, games. In most of the others we have been among our cohort- the AARP crowd.  It's a beautiful place on Lake Pemaquid and we will be here 2 nights. The temp at 6:30 is 56.

P.S. I am grateful for nice men on the side of the road who take time out of their days to help. People are good.

Thursday, Sept 12

Today was an easy camper haul for me. Under 20 miles! I got all set up and went to do some exploring in Bucksport. Wasn't there too long when I got a text from Annelle that she had missed a turn and was way off route. We figured a pick-up spot that would be in a couple of hours so she'd make 30 miles.

Another beautiful day. I don't think it ever got to 70. The KOA here is, again, lovely. The nice host gave me some alternate people if I needed anything as she was subbing for a guy up the road who was getting married today! And she was also awaiting the birth of her first grand baby any minute.

Annelle found a yellow jacket in her shoe when she was changing from her riding shoes into her regular shoes and her foot doesn't look so great. I went up the road to get some baking soda and lidocaine, and with ice and elevation we are hoping she can ride tomorrow.  She is wearing my flip-flops as she can't get into her shoes (crocs) without pain.

On the way back from Rite Aid I saw a young couple who are riding self-supported from Bangor to Boston. They are tent camped a few sites away from us. Youth. I did see around 50 riders on US 1 near our campground, obviously following some of the trail. Many looked self-supported. Panniers, bags, etc.

One last night of the Mexican leftovers and I will have to cook tomorrow. Or, since we will be in Damariscotta, maybe we'll hit the King Eider Pub! Plan the next 2 nights there, then to North Yarmouth.

P.S. I am grateful for all the waterways, lakes and ponds I get to cross every day. Some are tiny, some dark and shoaly, some massive and serene. They all look inviting.

Another heavenly day in Maine

Annelle left this morning in the cloudy mist and I drove on to a nice campground just outside of Ellsworth, ME. While she was riding I went to the grocery to get a few staples and made a quick visit to the LL Bean outlet. Really, the prices aren't that good for most things. There may be a super deal, but you'd have to search to find it. I left empty-handed. Sad faced emoji here.

It was hotter today than before, but it's a perfect 71 at 6:45 pm. We had leftovers with a few added treats (Beyond Meat Brats and sour cream), took showers and are plotting the route for tomorrow.

We did have a bit of a snafu this afternoon regarding pick-up sites. Roads aren't always named the same thing in real life and on GPS. I did, finally, on a dirt road,  find her and all is well.

We will be having a rest day at James and Anitas this weekend. They won't be there, but we will get to do laundry and make some bread/cinnamon rolls. I'm a little non-plussed about having to back in to their camper slot, (right off the "highway") but I gotta do what I gotta do. The guy at this campground helped me back in today. What a prince. Really!

P.S. I am grateful for, again, the wildness and quiet of rural Maine. I am grateful for every minute I spend in this perfect state.

Another 2 day post

First Day Ride

We drove north east yesterday from Saco (Portland area) and are camped at Cobscook Bay State Park. It was around 45 last night but we were snug inside with our fleece blankets. Jack slept at our feet and was perfect. 

Today I drove Annelle to Calais, just on the Maine side of the Canada entrance station. She was on the road at 10am, 67 degrees with lovely sun. The road was so desolate on the way up there I was a bit concerned. She will be doing a good bit of riding on the trail, but some of it will be on the road. I drove back to camp.

We don’t have any hook-ups here (electric or water) so I went to the shower house (1 shower house for 125 campsites!!!) and did dishes after I showered. Roxy is much cleaner and neater again!

I had a ball-park idea of when she would be at the pick-up spot, and I tracked her on Find Friends, so I was there waiting when she finished. I think she enjoyed the day.

Ashley Garrett, I’m inspired by your gratitude journal report and I’ve decided to have a go at it myself. Each day I will add a P.S. to the blog with gratitude in mind.

P.S. I am thankful for the most beautiful day in Maine. Warm sun, pine trees, clear air.

Today, Tuesday, we have internet. This is a small but mighty campground. Full hook-ups, delightful bath house, washer and dryer. They have tent sites, teepees for rent as well as cabins. There are 8 RV spaces and they're not on top of each other. It's quiet. There's a blueberry shop across the street. 

The Mexican dinner is in the instant pot and we're having a cocktail. Things are sliding into place, so far. Jack made the 40 minute drive between campgrounds with only minor mews, and with no drugs. He's doing so well, I'm thrilled. 

And I'm also happy to be hauling Roxy for a small part of the day. Hooked up, cleaned house and went to the grocery before Annelle was done with her ride!

P.S. I am forever grateful for a father who instilled in me a love of the outdoors. 

2 days on the way north

Thursday, Day 2 of the trip up north

Today was a long, long, day. Lots of road work. Queer GPS routing due to propane tanks. 

The fact that Jack woke us every 30-40 minutes all night didn’t help our attitudes. 

Gas pull-offs also odd. We learned a few more things about this RVing thing today.

We also made a wrong turn going into Jersey City and ended up on surface streets with lots of work going on. At the end of the day this was not a positive. But we got here and everything since has been delightful.

The campground (the closest RV park to NYC) guy recommended a Taqueria a few blocks walk from the campground that was a perfect city corner hangout. Good food and better margaritas. We ate outside as it was cool and breezy.

The campground is slap in the middle of a busy city, on the harbor. We can see NYC skyline from here. Lady Liberty is just out in the bay. We got a shower and LIFE IS GOOD again. Seriously, there are few things that are more restorative than a good shower (especially after a good margarita.) And the temperature is so much better than last night’s 80s in NC. Dorian shouldn’t be a problem for us- I think we’re outrunning him. We may get a bit of rain tomorrow but nothing terrible. We have seen many, many electric trucks heading south in groups of 10-12.

Jack is looking forward to some chill pills tonight. They have been great in the car for the 9 hour drives, but then he’s awake all night. Not tonight. And once the actual bike ride starts and the drives are only an hour or 2, he will be ok in the car without pharmaceutical help. 

NYC is doing this the month of September in honor of 9/11.

Very clever puzzle-piecing of RVs.

Friday. Today we have easy wi-fi access.

Jack was a prince last night after his cocktail.Slept quietly at the bottom of the bed, occasionally coming up for a snuggle. I'm looking forward to the same tonight.

Driving through Jersey City is essentially driving through NYC. Seriously, I may have shaved a month or two off my life span. I am in no hurry to do anything like that again soon, though I may have to. The Mario Cuomo Bridge (formerly the Tappan Zee) was a dream when we finally got there. It has my undying gratitude for being so easy. 

It was a shorter day than the previous 2 but it felt every bit as long. Probably getting out of the city was part of that. We finished an audio book. It never got above 70 so we didn't have to use the air at all. And now WE'RE IN MAINE.

The KOA in Saco is wonderful. Lots of trees, quiet, but right on route 1 so easy to get in and out of. Tomorrow we will get to sleep in before heading to Portland. We will be here 2 nights before heading up to Cobscook St Park (where we have camped in the past) for 2 nights. I will drive Annelle to the start in Calais on Monday morning and she will ride part of the way back. Tuesday she'll finish up in Cobscook and we'll break camp on Wednesday for the next stop. 

Just got back from Otto's Pizza (.5 mi from the campground) where we had our favorite Ricotta, Butternut squash and Cranberry pizza. It's so good we make it at home, but it's always better at the source.

59 degrees right now at 6:40. Heaven.

Is this really happening?

Roxy is packed up with all but last minute food in the fridge. Spent this morning cutting up carrots, watermelon and peaches. We also have Nerissa's delicious pop-in-your-mouth orange heirlooms and ground cherries for the road.
Last minute other stuff will go in the backpacks in the car.

The bikes were a muscular puzzle we didn't let get the best of us. Almost, but we were determined. The photo doesn't quite show how high we had to lift them to get them in position. These are NOT our 19 lb road bikes. After finally getting them settled we decided they will never both be there together until the trip home! Luckily one will fit inside the camper pretty effortlessly.

Today we celebrate our 20th anniversary of commitment and our 6th of legal marriage. Starting a new year tomorrow on the road to adventure. 🚲