Random Post from the Past--July 1999

While awaiting the Dell computer tech, I decided to look through some of the old files on the laptop I'm using in the meantime.  I discovered some of the files from my original Yahoo geocities website which was my first attempt at "blogging" about our travels.  Yahoo has since eliminated the Geocities websites so I'm going to dust off a few journal entries at random as soon as I can get the external hard drive hooked up to find the photographs that originally accompanied this particular post.  As a side note, Roo was our 1994 Bounder motorhome that was our first "full timers" mode of transportation.  Although we purchased it new in 1994, we only lasted a year in it as full time travelers as we discovered the roominess of fifth wheel trailers in November of 1998 and purchased our first one in December of 1999.

		July 1999
	We turned Roo's nose towards New Hampshire next.  Our campground was the Twin Mountain Motor Court & RV Park, Twin Mountain, NH.  We had a beautiful view of the mountains, plus a steep trail led down to a wide stream behind the campground where Mouse and I could watch fly fishermen entice trout.  We spent our entire week here driving, going up to Conway to see the sales tax-free outlet shops and take a sightseeing train around the mountains, playing golf in Bethlehem (where there were granite bounders in the middle of one fairway!) and visiting Franconia Notch State Park and seeing the famous Great Stone Face immortalized by Nathaniel Hawthorne.  When people ask about our favorite places, the White Mountains of New Hampshire immediately come to mind.  Every roadway has a crystal clear stream tumbling over granite boulders running beside it, with waterfalls and cascades appearing along side the roads suddenly.  I can't even begin to imagine how beautiful it would be in the fall! The covered bridge at Franconia Notch State Park. A wayside waterfall; all along the roadways in the area of the White Mountains in New Hampshire you'll discover small waterfalls and granite filled creek beds bubbling over with crystal clear water.  Men fly casting fascinated me as it was the first time I had ever seen anyone fly fishing. Crawford's Notch--just a beautiful stop on a day long sightseeing trip.  Of course I wish I could take the photographs all over again with today's much better digital cameras. The walk up to "The Flume", the waterfall at White Mountain National Park in New Hampshire.   At the top of the Flume. The Whirlpool, a very large natural catch basin of mountain spring water at White Mountain National Park. I was thrilled to see "The Great Stone Face" of Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel and crushed when several years later the "face" slid off the side of the mountain despite the best attempts of man to anchor the rock. While we wanted to stay longer, the lure of lobsters pulled us into Maine.  Our first stop was the Red Barn Campground in Holden, ME.  Lots of kids here, but a nice, clean park convenient to Bangor (it was here that ignorant Buckeyes learned to pronounce the capitol city as Bang-gor instead of Bang-her).  Lots and lots of lobster.  Lots.  Messy, wonderful lobster.  We did do the obligatory drive to Bar Harbor but were so turned off by the crowds that we made an immediate one block loop through town and headed back to explore Acadia National Park, which was much less crowded and certainly more scenic!  We just aren't into crowds and touristy little craft shops.  Part of that is that we have no room for knick-knacks and wouldn't pay the prices they charge anyway.  Golf that week was at Herman Meadow Golf Club in Bangor.   The Bar Harbor Lighthouse. It was time to head into Canada, where Denny made the mistake of telling Canadian Customs that we were full timers.  We were immediately pulled over and subjected to a very thorough search of both Roo and Sassy.  Needless to say, I was very unhappy as I had to hold a struggling, frightened cat in my arms outside while they were searching inside as we didn't bring a cat carrier with us since Mouse didn't travel outside the rig.  I finally threw her into the car, but had to drag her out when they wanted to search the car- did I say that there was also a drug dog involved?  Not a pleasant experience.  I discovered later that the custom's officers assume that all full time RVers carry guns.  Thank goodness Denny didn't mention he was a retired police officer!  But we had left his pistol with our oldest son, knowing that guns weren't allowed in Candad.  Then we had to pay duty charges due to having too much booze; we should have told them to confiscate it as it would have been cheaper to buy new!  A very educational border crossing. We spent a week in New Brunswick at the Heritage Farm Campground in Mactaquac, New Brunswick.  A nice campground that accepts the Passport discount and is near to golf courses.  We visited King's Landing where the employees dress the part of early settlers and act as if it's really the late 1800s on a farm.  The horse-powered saw was fascinating and we learned how ingenious man can be.  It is definitely worth stopping to see if you happen to be in the area.  And now I'm wishing I had taken more time to elaborate on the places we visited back then, but I was more interesting in living what we were doing than writing about it. I'll be inserting more of these early journal entries at random.  Now it's time to step away from the computer.