Living full time in our motor home allows us to be Ready To Go. . .on to the next adventure!

Golden Gate Bridge - San Francisco Skyline as seen from the Marin Headlands - California

Friday, July 26, 2013

RV Parks–Timberland Acres RV Park–Trenton ME–Bar Harbor ME–Acadia National Park

 

The Bar Harbor – Acadia National Park area is a very pricey place to visit during high season. . .

which was why we had originally planned to workamp (park host) when we got up here. . .

however, due to family obligations, we were getting a really, really late start on our summer trip,

and just simply could not commit to the time frame. . .

most RV Parks like to have their staff in place by the end of May,

and we weren’t sure we could be there before the end of June. . .

 

Soooo. . .we started researching what it was gonna cost us to stay on our own dime. . .

my goal per night is $20. . .sometimes less, sometimes more. . .but on average $20. . .or $600 per month. . .

 

Well we knew that wasn’t going to happen. . .but given that we could stay at several of our

Thousand Trails Membership parks along the way, the averages would still work out. . .right?  HA!

Some of the RV Parks in the area are $74 per night with one being up to $82 per night. . .OUCH!

 

I can understand if you are just vacationing. . .then perhaps your budget stretches to that. . .

but WHOA. . .this is real everyday life for us. . .AND. . .we are bringing our home with us. . .

so the research continued until we found Timberland Acres RV Park in Trenton ME. . .

located 14 miles from the Acadia National Park Entrance. . .that’s not too bad. . .

and for $750 for a month. . .which averages out to  about $25 per night. . .

that’s not too bad either. . .50 amp FHU’s . . .pull through. . .hmmmmm. . .

 

now you guys who travel full time know what I am saying. . .right? 

hmmmm. . .what are we getting ourselves in to? 

okay. . .it’s a risk, but is has pretty good reviews. . . let’s try it!

Timberland Acres RV Park

I’m pleased to tell you that it’s great. . .long level pull throughs

we are parked in the very back row. . .so it’s very, very quiet and peaceful

Timberland Acres RV Park

look at these awesome pull throughs across the street from us. . .

they are 100 feet long. . .marvelous! 

 

The park is not located on the water or anything. . .there’s nothing fancy about it. . .

but Walmart and Home Depot are only three minutes away. . .

 

and of course, if you are staying less time, the price is more per night. . .

but we are thrilled with our decision. . .yaaaa!

‘til next time,

Janice and Dave

 

 

 

 

 

Narrows Too Rates

Mt Desert Narrows Rates

KOA Rates – Full Hook Up – Pull Through $82 per night

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Campobello–New Brunswick–Canada and Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Little Summer Cottage

Events of July 20, 21, and 22

Besides Lubec Maine being the Easternmost town in the United States,
Canada, United States, International Bridge
it’s also where you can drive the International Bridge to Campobello Island
Visitor Center
in New Brunswick, Canada. . .
Postcard view of the front of the Roosevelt Cottage - 36 rooms

it really was not at all an ostentatious mansion like many of the other
“summer cottages” we have toured in our travels. . .
actually a very modest home. . .the square footage was much, much
less than what the “34 room cottage” would lead you to believe.
Playroom
the children’s play room. . .there was much discussion about the glue bottle. . .
we all remembered using that stuff in school. . .and when I was in school,
it was still a glass bottle, and you had to press down really hard to get the glue to spread. . .
loved the old telescope and the Scrabble game on the table
Scrabble, dominos and a telescope set up in the corner of the parlor. . .
view from sitting room - Passamaquoddy Bay
and this glorious view overlooking Passamaquoddy Bay. . .
part of the Bay of Fundy. . .fabulous!
Mrs Eleanor Roosevelt would use the megaphone to call her children, and, or her guests to dinner. . .as told by the docent
according to the docent. . .Mrs Roosevelt used this megaphone
to summons her five children and, or her guests from their outdoor activities.

The docents, placed strategically though the cottage made the tour very enjoyable. . .
they simply explained what you were looking at, and then you were free to move on,
or, if so inclined, you could ask further questions and actually have a discussion. . .
in other words, it wasn’t one of those long drawn out speeches,
where your eyes are rolling back in your head, and you’re wondering. . .
am I ever going to escape. . .it was a very, very pleasant way to do a tour. . .
we enjoyed it very much, and highly recommend it. . .
old bicycles and a chair to transport President Roosevelt after he developed polio. . .old bicycles and a chair to transport President Roosevelt after he developed polio. . .
on the back porch of the cottage were these old bicycles, and this chair designed to bring
Mr Roosevelt from the dock up to the house, after he was diagnosed with polio.
Birch Canoe located on back porch. . . notice stitching down the side. . .
the family were all athletic and enjoyed outdoor activities. . .
I loved the stitching down the side of the canoe. . .
looking up at the back of the house from Passamaquoddy Bay. . .it was located a good ways from the water. . .
leaving the house, we made our way down to the dock. . .
looking up at the back of the house from Passamaquoddy Bay. . .it was located a good ways from the water. . .
which was quite a distance from the house. . .
Eastport ME as viewed from Campobello Island Canada, Easternmost City in the USA
all summer residents of the island would take a train to Eastport Maine. . .
and then travel by boat to the island. . .
FDR - Franklin Delano Roosevelt - Plaque on Visitor Center
before you do the house tour. . .stop by the Campobello FDR Visitor Center. . .
get a map. . .and see the movie about the Roosevelt’s time on the island. . .
it will make it all come alive for you, and is well worth the time spent. . .
Canada, New Brunswick Province, Campobello Island,  (15)
the neighboring “cottage” to the Roosevelt’s was even a bit more glamorous.
. .view of Passamaquoddy Bay
it is now used as a conference center. . .you can certainly see why. . .just beautiful!
and if you are so inclined. . .this is where you can have. . .
“Tea with Eleanor”
(free tickets are given out at the visitor center)

Head Harbour Lighthouse - can only be reached at low tide - we hiked all the way out to the lighthouse
we also drove out to see the Head Harbor (East Quoddy) Light Station. . .
you can only hike out to it at low tide ($5 pp fee)
using some rickety, kinda rusty stairs,
and climbing over some slippery, slimy rocks.

I had pics of all of it. . .even the eagles we saw on the hike back. . .
but somehow I deleted them out of my camera. . .
I’m just sick about it. . .but, what’cha gonna do?

so the above pic of the lighthouse from the first sandbar is the only one I salvaged. . .
I’m just thankful for that one. . .or I would’a had to be “borrowing” one off the internet. . . Smile

Our RV friends made it over to the lighthouse. . .
you can see their incredible hike and pics at this link:

In the Direction of Our Dreams - East Quoddy Lighthouse

Finback Whale
some ladies standing at the top of the stairs swore these were whales. . .
I don’t know. . .I’m not quite convinced. . .but hey. . .okay. . .
we saw whales while we were in Canada. . .yaaaa!
Harbor Seals
we did drive out to Liberty Point where we absolutely did see harbor seals. . .
my zoom wasn’t strong enough to get pics of them in the water. . .
but they were very visible up on the rocks. . .
Lighthouse, West Quoddy Head Light as viewed from Campobello Island
and also from Liberty Point. . .this beautiful view of the West Quoddy Lighthouse. . .
which is located in Lubec Maine. . .
West Quoddy Head Light, Quoddy Head State Park, Lubec ME, Lighthouses, Maine
and which we had visited up close and personal earlier in the week
at West Quoddy State Park in Lubec. . .so beautiful. . .
Maine, Lubec ME, West Quoddy Head Light, Lighthouses, Quoddy Head State Park,
you gotta love the stories. . .
Maine, Lubec ME, West Quoddy Head Light, Lighthouses, Quoddy Head State Park, Scenery (9)
we hiked down to the beach for a different view. . .
Maine, Lubec ME, West Quoddy Head Light, Lighthouses, Quoddy Head State Park, Scenery, Beach (4)Maine, Lubec ME, West Quoddy Head Light, Lighthouses, Quoddy Head State Park, Scenery, Beach (3)
Maine, Lubec ME, West Quoddy Head Light, Lighthouses, Quoddy Head State Park, Scenery, Beach (2)Maine, Lubec ME, West Quoddy Head Light, Lighthouses, Quoddy Head State Park, Scenery, Beach
this was the beach. . .I tell you what. . .my grandson Jordan and I could have used a few
of these awesome rocks back in the day when he and I used to do painted rock sculptures. . .
Maine, Lubec ME, West Quoddy Head Light, Lighthouses, Quoddy Head State Park, Scenery (5)
one more beautiful view from the beach. . .
Maine, Lubec ME, West Quoddy Head Light, Lighthouses, Quoddy Head State Park, Peat Bog, Hike (9)Maine, Lubec ME, West Quoddy Head Light, Lighthouses, Quoddy Head State Park, Peat Bog, Hike (8)
Maine, Lubec ME, West Quoddy Head Light, Lighthouses, Quoddy Head State Park, Peat Bog, Hike (4)Maine, Lubec ME, West Quoddy Head Light, Lighthouses, Quoddy Head State Park, Peat Bog, Hike
and one last hike above the West Quoddy Lighthouse. . .
it was almost a rain forest type atmosphere. . .with all this peet moss underfoot. . .
I wish I could explain how great it was to walk on. . .
almost like one of the cushy gel mats you put in front of the kitchen sink. . .
such a beautiful place. . .we loved it all. . .

Sorry this has been such a long, long post. . .I just wanted to get it ALL in. . .LOL,

‘til next time,

Friday, July 19, 2013

The Most Easternmost of the Easternmost. . .you figure it out

We were going to be within two hours of the most Easternmost point in the United States. . .
we gotta go. . .right. . .well of course we do!
Easternmost Town - Lubec Maine - Lighthouse - East Quoddy - West Quoddy - Sparkplug
Lubec Maine.. .the Easternmost TOWN in the USA. . .remember that!
Art, West Quoddy, East Quoddy, Lighthouses, Easternmost
I appreciate artist’s renderings. . .and this one with the East Quoddy
and West Quoddy Head Lights is especially great. . .
Lubec Maine - Easternmost Town in the USA
another rendering of Lubec Welcome. . .
Easternmost Campground
we stayed in the Easternmost CAMPGROUND. . .
Maine, Lubec ME, Easternmost Point in the United States, Coastal Maine, Sunset RV Park, RV Parks, Monaco
very nice. . .lovely views. ..water and electric with a dump station. . .
I was a little confused as to why it was called Sunset Point. . .
when I would think being the Easternmost Campground . . .Sunrise would be the focus.
Maine, Lubec ME, Easternmost Point in the United States, Coastal Maine, Sunset, Sailboat - Copy
well. . .this is why. . .beautiful sunsets across the cove
Maine, Lubec ME, Easternmost Point in the United States, Coastal Maine, Sunrise
however. . .I was specifically focused on the sunrise,
and was determined that I would get up in time to photograph it. . .HA!
this is the best I could do. . .
seriously people. . .the sun rises at 5:15. . .that is WAY before I usually get up. . .
I did get this shot from the bedroom window the first morning we were there. . .
and then we had several cloudy, foggy, rainy mornings. . .
not that I was up to see them, you understand. . .but I could hear the raindrops hitting the roof. . .
all the reason I needed to stay snuggled in for a couple more hours. . .

On to more Easternmost stories though. . .we visited Eastport Maine. . .
Easternmost City - Ellsworth Maine
the Easternmost CITY in the United States. . .just so you know!
Eastport ME as viewed from Campobello Island Canada, Easternmost City in the USA
here’s a beautiful view of Eastport taken from the Canadian Island of Campobello. . .
my suggestion. . .if you want to visit Eastport. . .just take the ferry from Lubec. . .
it’s not really a pretty drive over there. . .and once you get there,
I can’t honestly say there’s that much to see. . .it was okay, I guess. . .
and if you’re that close and you want to go. . .then you should. . .

Okay. . .last story. . .
Easternmost
we had been told that the first place to see the sunrise in the United States
is Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. . .so when we visited up there yesterday,
I was curious to see what they had to say about it. . .

Okay. . .I can buy the claim that if you are on the summit of
Cadillac Mountain at 5 AM,
you could possibly be the first to see the sunrise. . .

It all intrigues me somewhat. . .whose claim is the most valid? 
I don’t know. . .I’m just gonna enjoy the uniqueness of it all. . .
that’s their story. . .and they’re sticking to it!

Til next time,
Janice and Dave

more really great pic and perspectives from fellow RV'ers blogs:

In the Direction of Our Dreams - There's More to Lubec

In the Direction of Our Dreams - America's Easternmost City

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Portland Head Light– and a Fabulous Island Visit With Friends

In 2009, when we met Al and Diane in San Antonio TX. . .
who would have ever dreamed that four years later, in 2013,
we would be visiting them in their fabulous little cabin on an island in Maine. . .wow!
Maine, Frye Island ME, Diane and Al LePage, Summer Trip 2013 (15)
Our very first workamping job was as the Activity Directors at Admiralty RV Park. . .
we had so much fun. . .and Al and Diane were part of our volunteer corps. . .
Al ran the poker games and tournaments. . .and Diane was the ambassador for the activities center. ..
she would always say. . .oh I don’t really do anything. . .but really, she excelled at making folks welcome. . .
all the ladies would be up there quilting. . .someone new would walk in, and Diane would say,
'”come on in. . .where are you from” and if they were interested in crafting at all,
she would give them a tour of the facilities, make sure they knew where the schedules were. . .
just really great stuff. . .not anything that she had to do. . .she did it because she chose to. . .
and as we just discovered this week. . .it’s because she’s just a natural at it. . .
Maine, Frye Island ME, Diane and Al LePage, Summer Trip 2013
the ferry ride over . . .Al was telling us that back in the day when they still
brought their motor home back with them, there were times he would be loaded
on the ferry with his backside hangin’ off. . .aiii yaiiii yaiii. . .
that would make quite a picture wouldn’t it?
Maine, Frye Island ME, Diane and Al LePage, Summer Trip 2013 (1)
not sure why they didn’t offer to pick us up in their private plane. . .ha ha. . .
just kidding. . .it was really one of the neighbors planes. . .
Maine, Frye Island ME, Diane and Al LePage, Summer Trip 2013, David, Janice (14)
we got a little driving tour of the island. . .it was much bigger than it appeared from the water.
This was taken at one of the beaches. . .
Maine, Frye Island ME, Diane and Al LePage, Summer Trip 2013 (7)
the little harbor. . .
Maine, Frye Island ME, Diane and Al LePage, Summer Trip 2013 (5)
mountains as viewed from the island. . .we really drove down to this little beach
to see the lighthouse. . .but the owner had the top off making some repairs. . .
what are the chances?  ha ha. . .
Maine, Frye Island ME, Diane and Al LePage, Summer Trip 2013 (16)
after the driving tour. . .as Diane and I sat on the back deck
grilling a pork loin and some veggies. . .one of the locals stopped by to visit. . .
Maine, Frye Island ME, Diane and Al LePage, Summer Trip 2013 (20)
Dave and I had the privilege of spending the night in the “puzzle room”. . .
I loved it, and wish I would have gotten some better pics. . .
As they’ve collected puzzles in their travels,
they’ve fastened them to the walls and ceiling in this bedroom,
until it actually looks like wallpaper.  It wasn’t til I was lying in bed looking at the ceiling,
that I realized they had also added pics of themselves to the puzzles. . .
it was so great!  I’m kinda sad that this is the only picture I got. . .
but, I didn’t wanna just go around snapping pictures of someone else’s house. . .

Al’s parents bought a lot back in the 60’s
and built the cabin. . .Al and Diane have done lots of improvements over the years. . .
taking down a wall to open up the sunroom. . .it was really, really a great space. . .

The next morning, after a breakfast of blueberry pancakes. . .we all loaded up in both vehicles,
and headed back to the ferry, where they loaded us on with a dump truck AND a cement truck. . .
I’m glad I was riding with Diane, and we kept a conversation going that kept my mind off of it. . .LOL!
We parked our car at the mall. . .and joined Diane and Al for a private tour of Portland. . .
seriously. . .it just doesn’t get much better. . .
Maine, Portand ME, Coastal Maine, Diane and Al LePage, Portland Head Light, Lighthouses  (26) (23)
Maine, Portand ME, Coastal Maine, Diane and Al LePage, Portland Head Light, Lighthouses  (26) (6)
first stop. . .Portland Head Light. . .so, so beautiful. . .
Maine, Portand ME, Coastal Maine, Diane and Al LePage, Portland Head Light, Lighthouses  (26) (1)
just one more view. . .of course I have many more views in my folder. . .
these are just the ones I loved the most. . .
Commissioned by President George Washington 1790
commissioned by George Washington . . .
Maine, Portand ME, Coastal Maine, Diane and Al LePage, Portland Head Light, Lighthouses, Compass  (26) (15)
I loved this too. . .
Lunch at the Clam Shack
next stop. . .yup. . .lunch!
Whole body clams. . .delicious. . .fried scallops. . .delicious. . .perfectly cooked. . .
Bug Light Lighthouse, Downtown Portland
then on to the “Bug Light”. . .
Bug Light Lighthouse, Downtown Portland, header
and a view of Downtown Portland. . .

We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Al and Diane, and hope they know
how much we appreciate them taking the time to play hosts. . .
‘til next time,

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Kennebunkport Maine

Maine, Kennebunkport, Town (57)

Kennebunkport Maine. . .a pretty little coastal village

Maine, Kennebunkport, Harbor, Boats (59)

with a pretty little harbor

Beach Path

a pretty little beach path

Maine, Kennebunkport ME, Coastal Maine (23)

overlooking the beautiful Maine Coast and Atlantic Ocean. . .

Maine, Kennebunkport, Bush Compound (45) (6)

but. . .being a Texan. . .there’s one main reason for stopping over in Kennebunkport.

To see with my very own eyes. . .the summer home of Bush 41. . .

Maine, Kennebunkport, Bush Compound, David, Janice (45) (8)

the Texas flag almost unfurled in the breeze. . .

Maine, Kennebunkport, Bush Compound (45) (9)United States Flag, Texas Flag, Maine FlagMaine, Kennebunkport, Bush Compound (45) (10)

plaque and anchor near the parking area

Maine, Kennebunkport, Tide Out, Coastal Maine (47)

a pretty little cove. . .tide’s out

Maine, Kennebunkport, Boats, skiff  (62)

and my favorite picture of the day. . .

 

loved seeing Kennbunkport. . .a great day for the memory bank. . .

‘til next time,

Janice and Dave