This segment reflects the start of our journey and describes where we went and where we stayed, all the way from south Florida up to the Maine border with Canada. If you don't have time to read everything, here are links to some highlights of this portion of the trip. Silver Springs State Park FL Steven Foster State Park FL Finger Lakes NY Old Sturbridge Village MA

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Leaving Wellington FL

First, I want to get in a quick plug for our home town. We are quite proud of the community of Wellington which we live in. The city is clean, lovely and safe, situated about 15 miles west of West Palm Beach and about the same distance east of Lake Okeechobee. Around 60,000 people call Wellington home.

On the one hand, half of the community is no different than you might find in any other modern Florida city, although it may be a bit more upscale-ish than the normal south Florida community. On the other hand, a large segment of the community is equestrian-oriented, and comprises estate-sized acreage dedicated to polo, hunter-jumpers and dressage.

Wellington is best known as the "Winter Equestrian Capital of the World," because during the January to April season about 250,000 visitors and thousands of horses descend on the community to enjoy all the horse activities the community has to offer. Celebrities such as Microsoft's Bill Gates, Apple's Steve Jobs, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Bloomberg, Tom Selleck, Steven Spielberg, Prince Harry, Arab sheikhs and South American billionaires all come to enjoy or participate in the Winter Equestrian Festival. In years past, Prince Charles and Princess Di used to come for the polo. Wellington is also a rather unique and diverse community consisting of many internal theme-oriented sub-communities. In addition to the horse community, there are communities with their own golf courses, and an Aero Club where many residents have their own airplane hangers right next to the houses, all accessible to a paved runway complete with control tower.

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Ok, now for the trip.

West Palm Beach FL to Silver Springs State Park, Ocala FL

[81142 - 81390]

Around 7 am we shut down the house, shoved the dogs into the truck, and schlepped some last minute things over to the trailer. Then around 9 am we had a nice lunch with some friends. About 10:30 am we went back to the house and retrieved some things I had forgotten. We probably loaded to much - we always do. But we have Goodyear Endurance tires so they should hold up ok. Finally, around 2 pm we headed out for Silver Springs State Park at Ocala FL.

We didn't get too far up the Florida Turnpike before we encountered our first problem. Around 3:30 pm the cover came off one of the rooftop a/c units! I remembered that I had worked on the unit a few days earlier, and I think I forgot to tighten down the bolts holding the cover down. I didn't try to retrace our steps to try to find it, as it likely got torn up on the highway. We're just glad that nobody got hurt.

Silver Springs RV Park
3151 NE 56th Ave, Silver Springs, FL 34488
Ph: 352.236.3700
Website
10 June @ 2 nights, $17 / night

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In what is also known as Silver River State Park, this is one of the nicest campgrounds we've been to. By 8 pm we had arrived at the, which was fortunate since their gate closes at 8:30 pm. If you should arrive after closure you can call the after-hours ranger. Most sites in the park do not have sewer, but a few do. We had site # 21 which didn't have sewer but that was ok. Most sites are back-in but there are a few pull-thrus. There is diesel down the street at Circle K; take a left out of the park entrance and go down route 40 a couple miles; it had the cheapest diesel we found in the area.

The El Toro restaurant is on the way to Circle K, on the left. Having lived in San Antonio for four years, we have given up hope of finding real Mexican food on the southeast coast, but this was pretty close. They even had chalupas and flautas.

There is a glass-bottom boat tour at the park which lasts 30 min, but we didn't have time to take it. A longer tour is available on Fri, Sat, Sun.

The town of Ocala is nearby. The entire Ocala area is absolutely covered in Spanish moss, giving an almost magical look to the surroundings.

Click here to see photos of the Silver Springs RV campground.

Ocala FL to St. Augustine FL

[81418 - 81501]

It was a relatively short hop on US 17 from Ocala through the Ocala National Forest to I-95 and up to St. Augustine. It was a bit out of the way to go east rather than north, but Phyllis has a niece that we wanted to see, so we stayed there for three nights. St. Augustine is one of our favorite cities in Florida, so it really wasn't so out of the way.

Pelllicer Creek Campground
10255 US-1, St. Augustine, FL 32086
Ph: 904.458.7275
Website
12 June @ 3 nights, $42 / night

This is a small, lovely campground about 17 or so miles south of St. Augustine. It is located on the edge of Pellicer Creek, with a gazillion crickets chirping night and day. The creek is "old Florida" and has a lot of charm. There is a small sitting area where you can relax, fish or wait for the resident alligator to come by. Kayaks and canoes are available for rent. The staff was friendly and helpful. There are about 30 sites, but some are not all that level. Getting a large RV thru the gate is a little tricky, as there is not much clearance. I had to back up and try again a couple times with my 37-footer. The clubhouse has a kitchen and a couple washers & dryers. Wi-Fi and internet are available and are reasonably fast. The internet was out for a couple days, but I suspect it was a temporary glitch. We also averaged one power outage a day, but there were thunderstorms in the area which might have accounted for the problems.

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If you come in from the north and miss route 207, the next exit south (route 206) also takes you into St. Augustine. The same applies, but in reverse, if you come in from the south.

Here are some other campgrounds in the area you might want to look into.

• Ocean Grove: pricy, stacked in.
• Bryn Mawr: expensive, covered wooden decks, close quarters, next to beach, gated access both coming in and at the beach. We have stayed there 3 times.
• Peppertree: across from Bryn Mawr, terrible (in our opinion), essentially a trailer park with a few spots for RVs.

Click here to see photos of the Pellicer Creek campground.

St. Augustine

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Historic St. Augustine is one of our favorite places to visit on the eastern Florida coast. Settled early, it is the oldest city in America. The old fort and old jail are interesting, and the city tour is worth taking to get a flavor of the town's history. And don't forget the popular beaches. My only real objection is that there are not a lot of really good restaurants, and the ones that are there are hard to find without consulting the natives. There are several "trendy" seafood restaurants on US 1 but we haven't found anything particularly remarkable. Shopping is plentiful in the 312 & US 1 area: Office Depot, Staples, Home Depot, Lowes, Marshalls, Walmart, Aldis, Harbor Freight, Target, Publix, Winn-Dixie, etc. The Flagler Hospital is also on US 1 just south of 312. Other areas in town also have shopping, restaurants and fast foods. There are plenty of good restaurants on A1A Beach Blvd as well as A1A itself.

There is a large outlet mall on I-95 at exit 318, with a Camping World across I-95 on state road 16.

Jacksonville is about a 45 minute drive to the north on I-95.

Following are some other activities in the area. Google them for more info, such as directions, open hours, tours and so on.

• Anastasia Island and A1A; the easiest route is to take 312 over the bridge
• Red Train trolley tours, Old Town Trolley tours
• Ponte Vedra Beach
• Castillo de San Marcos, aka the Old Fort
• The Old Jail
• San Sebastian Winery
• Lighthouse and Maritime Museum
• The ampitheater
• St. Augustine Alligator Farm
• St. Augustine distillery
• Marineland Dolphin Adventures
• Old Wooden Schoolhouse
• Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum

On route 16 east, just past I-95, there is a fuel station with relatively cheap diesel; at least, it was when we were there. I forgot the station name.

St. Augustine FL to White Springs FL

[81625 - 81750]

-- words..


Stephen Foster State Park
PO. Drawer G ,US 41 North, White Springs FL 32096
Ph: 386.397.4331
Website
15 June @ 3 nights, $40 / night

Officially called the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park, this is a beautiful park set in an old-Florida down-south atmosphere. It is dense with pines, hardwoods and palm trees, and the undergrowth is thick with palmetto bushes. The campsites are spacious and level, nestled among large trees dripping with spanish moss. The park entrance is off US 40, and can be reached either via I-10 to 40 N, or by I-75 to route 136. The Suwannee River of song fame runs through the park. It is not a wide river, maybe 40 feet or so across, but very scenic. According to the Stephen Foster museum in the park, Foster never actually saw the river. The park is about 17 miles north of Lake City, which is large enough to have conveniences like CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens, Walmart, Starbucks, Publix, Krystal, etc. Sorry, no Costco. There is a neat little home-cooking restaurant just south of the park called Fat Belly, which serves iced tea, burgers, wings and shrimp, among other things - perfect for this old redneck country boy. Personally, I found the fried catfish delicious.

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Hookups at the park include 30/50 amp and water, but there is no sewer, cable or wi-fi at the sites.

Note that there is another Steven Foster park across the river in Georgia. I don't know if it is part of the same park system, but I doubt it.

Click here to see photos of the Stephen Foster campground.

White Springs FL to Acworth GA

[81800 - 82188]

The trip from Steven Foster State Park up to the Atlanta area was relatively easy, as it is right up north I-75. This interstate has a terrible reputation for wrecks and traffic, but we were lucky as there was neither, at least on our side of the road.

McKinney Campground
6659 McKinney Camp Ground Rd SE, Acworth GA 30102
Ph: 678.721.6700
Website
18 June @ 3 nights, $32 / night

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We stayed three nights at McKinney Campground since we have friends and relatives in Marietta, which is just south of Acworth. The campground is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers, as is all property on the lake, although it is run by a private contracting firm. The campground is large and heavily wooded, the sites are roomy and not close to each other, and some sites are lakefront with gorgeous views. We camped in site #43 which was waterfront. Although we were told it was long enough to accommodate a 37' fifth-wheel, we found that it was difficult to navigate. The site was curved, not straight, was not level, and had trees and an slight uphill grade that made it quite difficult to exit.

Another thing that disappointed us was the gate closing at 10:30 pm. That would be fine if it had an entry code, like most other gated campgrounds do, but they lock it and there is no way to get in if you are late. Having family in the area, we wanted to spend more time with them but always had to leave by 9 in order to ensure we made it in the gate.

There were a sprinkling of fireflies while we were there, but they were not abundant. Maybe they will be during other times of the year.

In short, I would not recommend this campground, as there are many others in the area.

Click here to see photos of the McKinney campground.

Red Top Mountain

A year ago, we stayed at nearby Red Top Mountain Park campground several times. The sites are big and far apart, and the wooded atmosphere is delightful. It is also close to the lake. Although it is a Army Core of Engineers property it does have a coded entry gate, so you can party in town without having to worry about being locked out. However, be aware that they have railroad ties lining both sides of the camping spots, making it terribly hard to get in and out with a 37-footer without cutting the tires on the corners. There are also large erosion ruts which makes navigation tricky. This one is also on my don't recommend list. On the return trip we will try to find a campground in the area that doesn't have such an ominous gate policy. [Note: we actually did find a great campground there called Alatoona Landing Resort. See here for details.

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Acworth and Marietta

The town of Acworth is located about 30 or so miles north of Atlanta. It is a somewhat historic town that has grown tremendously over the years. It is located conveniently to Cartersville and Kennesaw, which is famous for Kennesaw Mountain where a famous Civil War battle took place.

The main attraction in the area is Lake Allatoona, a huge lake popular for fishing and boating. If you are into either you will definitely enjoy.

The Acworth and Marietta areas is rife with history.

• Marietta Museum of History.
• Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield.
• Kennesaw Railroad
• Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw.
• Marietta Confederate Cemetary.
• Big Chicken landmark on US 41.
• Marietta Gone with the Wind Museum, also called "Scarlett on the Square".
• Etowah Indian Mounds Historic Site in Etowah.

There is a Costco in Marietta with diesel.

Atlanta

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As you might expect, Atlanta has many, many attractions. The zoo is very interesting and well worth a visit, as is the Cyclorama. The Atlanta aquarium is fantastic; the wall experience has the feel of actually being underwater and looking at all the brightly colored fish. As a scuba diver myself, I was impressed with the realism. Downtown Atlanta is rife with impressive restaurants, clubs and all forms of entertainment. If it's what you're into, night life in Atlanta offers no end of fun.

If you are new to the Atlanta area, here are just a few suggestions of things that might interest you. There are many, many more so if you run out of things to do, Google for Atlanta entertainment options or, even better, ask a native.

• Cyclorama
• Zoo Atlanta
• Georgia Aquarium
• Underground Atlanta
• Atlanta Sightseeing Bus Tour
• First-time Tandem Skydiving Experience
• Stone Mountain Park
• World of Coca Cola
• Atlanta's Southern Food Tour
• Atlanta Botanical Gardens
• Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site
• Piedmont Park
• Fox Theater
• CNN Studio Tours
• Fernbank Museum of Natural History
• College Football Hall of Fame
• Atlanta History Center
• Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
• Centennial Olympic Park
• High Museum of Art
• Jimmy Carter Presenditial Library & Museum
• Six Flags Over Georgia
• Skyview Atlanta
• The Varsity and The Krystal
• CNN headquarters tour

A personal note on the last item in the list. If you want to experience the best damn chili and slaw dogs in the world, go to the Varsity. It is in downtown Atlanta on I-75, across the interstate from the Ga. Tech campus. Get off onto the North Avenue exit. It is the largest drive-in fast food restaurant in the world, complete with real-live car hops and a double-decker parking area. It actually covers two city blocks. I cannot begin to count how many times I went there when I was a student at Tech, and we simply cannot visit Atlanta without making a trip down to the "V" for dogs and shakes. The Krystal is also iconic in the southeast and is famous for its original sliders.

If you want to visit several of the above attractions you might want to consider purchasing an Atlanta CityPass which offers significant discounts.

Acworth GA to Greenville NC

[82285 - 82801]

If you're wondering why it took so long to go about 550 miles, it took us around three hours simply to get out of the Atlanta area. Be warned - this is not unusual.

Whispering Oaks campground
2773 Sunnyside Rd, Greenville NC 27834
Ph: 252.752.8886
Website
21 June @ 3 nights, $45 / night

Whispering Oaks is a very pleasant campground on the outskirts of Greenville, off US 264. Hosts John and Kelly Powers are friendly and very helpful. The sites are quite roomy, and there is a small pond on the campground with peacocks sounding in the distance. There is plenty of room for dogs to run around, be you so inclined. The sites have no cable or wi-fi. The water pressure very high, so it is best to use a water pressure regulator if you have one. One of the nice things about this campground is that they also do RV service there.

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Click here to see photos of the Whispering Oaks campground.

Greenville

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The city of Greenville is situated on the Tar River. Downtown is relatively easy to get to from the campground, being only about 15-20 minutes away. Take 264 to Alt 264 [aka Greenville Blvd] to Tar Road to 14th st to Fire Tower Blvd. There are plenty of fast food and other restaurants, pharmacies, Lowes, Walmart, etc in the area. A quaint local farm produce place called Strawberries is just out of town on NC route 903. The have whatever is in season at the moment - corn, potatoes, cantaloupes, tomatoes, okra, eggs, blueberries, etc and, of course, u-pick strawberries when available. Also check out the homemade ice cream. Speaking of blueberries, you can pick your own in Winterville at Renston Garden Market.

New Bern

One of the reasons we stayed in Greenville was to see some longtime friends who live in the area. While visiting, one of the things they did was to take us on a side trip to the town of New Bern, about 30 or so miles from Greenville. The town is very close to the Croatan National Forest. This historic town was the original capital of North Carolina and sits on the Trent river, which is quite wide and impressive and feeds into the Atlantic Ocean. We visited Captain Ratty's Seafood restaurant on S. Front St. and had mussels for lunch. The place is quite interesting and the food is good. Afterwards, we went to the Cow Cafe on Middle St. for homemade ice cream. I got big chunks of cherries in mine - two scoops is more than plenty!

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Click here to see photos of New Bern NC.

Greenville NC to Woodbine MD

[82900 - xxx]

The drive from North Carolina up to Maryland was problem free; nothing to report.

Ramblin Pines Campground
801 Hoods Mill Rd, Woodbine MD 21797
Ph: 410.795.5161
Website
24 June @ 3 nights, $58 / night

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You can get to this campground from I-70 via either of two exits. State road 97 (exit 73, Old Washington Road) is the furtherest east from I-70. You will go through a little roundabout and then travel over some railroad tracks on the way up to Hoods Mill Road. If you instead take route 94 (exit 76, Woodbine Road) go up the sharp hill and take a right onto Hoods Mill. After a few miles, take a right at the white farmhouse. The campground itself is easy to miss, especially at night. Use your GPS. This is a very nice campground, with a friendly and helpful staff. There are amenities for the kids, a swimming pool, a putt-putt, a play area and a bounce area. There is also a nice little fishing pond. The camp store has some basic RV supplies along with some munchies.

The sites are not too close together, and they have cable, water, elec and sewer.

When you check in be sure to get a gate card; there is a $40 refundable deposit. If you don't have a card and you get back to the campground after the guard leaves, park outside somewhere out of the way and walk in. Be sure not to block emergency vehicles or other traffic.

If you have a satellite system, the TR loop doesn't have overhead trees; other sites are wooded. We stayed in site TR4 which was an easy back-in. Warning - unless you have a small rig, avoid site TR1, as the hookups are quite far in the back; normal water hoses and electric cords won't reach!

One of the things I didn't like about this campground are the water faucets, which are buried in big round pits about two feet below the ground. There are three disturbing things about this. The first is that the pits are covered by large, heavy stones which are probably hard to move for those getting up in age or might have some sort of infirm. The second is that I had to get down on my knees to even reach the faucet that was down deep in the pit. Again, what does someone do who can't do that? Third, if a pit is left open, it serves as a hazard to kids running around, as well as folks who might be walking around at night without a flashlight or not paying attention. Moral - carry a light and watch where you walk!

I think a lot of folks leave their rigs here and only come out on the weekend, when there are lots of kids playing and yelling, and lots of folks sitting around camp fires. In stark contrast, on Sunday night I didn't see many people out, or any campfires to speak of. Although the rigs were still here, a lot of cars and people were not. I can't say how many people are seasonal (those who stay here throughout the season) and how many are just weekenders, but there seem to be both.

The only things they recycle there are aluminum cans; no glass, plastic or cardboard. I asked someone who worked there why and they said that's the only thing Carroll county recycles. So they simply throw the other items in the trash. Really? When we lived up the road in Frederick County twenty years ago they were already recycling everything. Maybe in 10 or 20 more years this county will catch up to the rest of the world.

This area is convenient because of its access to points around the compass. It's an easy drive to the east to Baltimore via I-70, to the west to Frederick (there's a Costco) via I-70, further to the west to Hagerstown and I-81 via I-70, to the south to Washington DC via MD route 97 to I-270, and points north in PA via I-83. Rockville MD is also an easy drive down route 97 (a Costco there also). Mt. Airy and Damascus are also fairly close to the campground.

There is a restaurant called the Woodbine Inn on Woodbine Road (exit 76 off I-70). Our friends who live there said it is very good and highly recommended it. We didn't have the chance to try it but there were always lots of cars when we drove by. There is also a little shopping center close to the exit with diesel, a pharmacy and other stuff.

Click here to see photos of the Ramblin Pines campground.

Woodbine MD to Wilkie-Barre PA

[83340 - xxx]

I-81 north of Hagerstown MD is so bad it can shake you silly - they really should be ashamed! This may be partly due to it being a heavy north-south trucking corridor. It rained almost all the way from Woodbine MD to Wilkie-Barre PA, and we also encountered fog coming into PA.

Frances Slocum State Park
565 Mount Olivet Road
Wyoming, PA 18644-9333
Phone: 570-696-3525
Website
27 June @ 1 night, $38 / night

This campground is located a little northeast of Wilkie-Barre. Here are some web photos of the park. It looks pretty interesting and I do wish we had more time there, butI do suggest avoiding this campground if you have a big rig. The roads to the campground are narrow and winding. GPS is almost a necessity. We had site # 51E. This was only a 1-night stopover for us, so we don't really have much to say about it or the campground. Nearby Perfect Pizza came with some good recommendations, but we didn't have time to try it out. Apparently I neglected to take photos of the park, but here are some from the web.

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Wilkie-Barre

Wilkie-Barre looked like an interesting town from the interstate, but we were told to avoid it; they didn't say why. Since we only overnighted there we didn't have time to check it out. There is a river.

People also said that the Poconos are nice. Maybe another trip?

Wilkie-Barre PA to The Finger Lakes NY

[83620 - 83774]

The drive to the Finger Lakes is a beautifully treed range of hills. However, I-81 through PA was terrible! Between the roads in SC and PA, I will likely have to buy all new tires for the truck and trailer. Both states should be ashamed of the shape of the interstates, especially since they get subsidies from the federal government. After crossing into NY, the roads got better - not great, just better.

Watkins Glen / Corning KOA
1710 NY-414, Watkins Glen, NY 14891
Ph: 607.535.7404
Website
28 June @ 3 nights, $99 / night

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This was our first ever experience in a KOA. We may try again some time, but so far we're not impressed. Incessant traffic noise turned out to be due to a close-by racetrack! The area is hard to navigate for big rigs - I took down a fence post with my 37-footer. Apparently the people that laid out the areas muss have never driven a long fifth-wheel. Our site was A138 which is long enough to accommodate our rig and is relatively easy to navigate [it is a pull-thru]. If you camp here, be careful when coming in. They gave us the wrong directions to pull into the site - the hookups were on the wrong side! If you have kids, the campground offers lots of ammenities.

The sites are somewhat crowded, but they have full service: 30/50 amp, water and cable. There technically is wi-fi, but internet service was almost nonexistent, or spotty at best. I couldn't seem to maintain a connection for long. They say they're in the process of modernizing their wi-fi.

There is a charge for a second vehicle, guests, or bringing your own firewood ☹

If you have dogs, there is a fenced-in dog park.

Click here to see photos of the Watkins Glen campground.

Watkins Glen

The town of Watkins Glen is a short drive up hwy 414. It is a picturesque village that's well worth walking around,. Don't expect a Provincetown or Key West, but the beautiful marina is well worth a visit. The Watkins Glen Yacht Club has a restaurant open to the public. I had clam strips and iced tea - both were good. Look for the little ice cream stand on route 414 - they have both soft and hard ice cream. The Senaca and South Falls areas are worth a picture or two.

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Click here to see photos of the town of Watkins Glen.

The Finger Lakes NY to Old Sturbridge Village MA

[xxx--- xxx]

Once again, we found that the roads during this leg of the trip to be quite crappy. BTW, Mass residents used to refer to the state as "Taxachussets" when we lived there before. I don't know if they still do.

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Village Green Family Campground
228 Sturbridge Rd, Brimfield, MA 01010
Ph: 413.245.3504
Website
1 July @ 2 nights, $38 / night

This campground had more the flavor of a trailer park than an RV campground. We backed up to somewhat of a trash dump. There was lots of debris laying around which really spoiled the mood. This is a shame, because if cleaned up and the hookups were closer to the parking pad, the campground would be quite nice.

The sites are very open. It is very easy to navigate around, but the roads could benefit from some grading. Our rooftop DTV worked fine in the open area. There is a kid area, a catch-and-release pond and a camp store.

Our site had a picnic table, a fire pit, water and 30/50 amp, but no sewer or cable. There was wi-fi but no internet access. The campground has a dump station and honey wagon service.

Click here to see photos of the Village Green campground.

Sturbridge

This is the little town that the Village (see below) was named after. Not much to comment about as almost everything in town was closed until "the season", which apparently starts around 7 July. Luckily the Village itself was open.

We did manage to find a pizza place that was open - sorry, but I don't remember the name. We got a calzone there which was pretty good.

Old Sturbridge Village
Website

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This is a recreation of a typical New England town circa 1830s. It has period faithful buildings such as homes, churches, stores, mills and shops. It has a working produce and animal farm, and some of the buildings feature artisans busy at crafts like pottery, tin smithing, blacksmithing, weaving and quilting, folk dolls, basket weaving, forge welding, baking, barrel making, leather craft and so on. Here are some Google photos of the Village.

We visited the Village many years ago when we lived in western Massachusetts and had fond memories. We were please to see that things have essentially remained the same over the years. Some things have changed, of course, but the overall character has been preserved.

We were exasperated to find that the Village was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. If you plan to go there, check out their operating schedule .

Click here to see our photos of Old Sturbridge Village.

Sturbridge Village MA to Bangor ME

[84230 - 84537]

The interstates thru Worcester MA were quite bad, but when we got to New York they got a little more heart-warming. In Maine they were even better. We spent $6.15 on the Maine turnpike.

Pleasant Hill RV Park & Campground
45 Mansell Rd, Hermon ME 04401
Ph: 207.848.5127
Website
3 July @ 2 nights, $45 / night

This is a big and pleasant campground set on a hill, and there is lots of room between sites with good maneuverability for big rigs. The 'B' sites are easy pull-thrus for big rigs - ours was # B3. The five sites across from B are easy back-ins. I didn't check out other sites, but I think the ones further back are for smaller rigs. If I were doing star ratings I would give this one a 4.5. We did have a "hot" electric plug, and one side of the main went out. I never found out the exact cause, but the power was out for a couple hours and I suspect there may have been a surge when the power came back on.

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Click here to see photos of the Pleasant Hill campground.

A word about lobster

When we used to live in Massachusetts we ate a lot of lobster and littleneck clams (called steamers). One of our favorite lob experiences came when we visited Bangor, Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. It was around Memorial Day so the weather and water were both quite cold. We camped on the beach and bought a fresh 18 pound lobster off an incoming fishing boat and cooked it right on the beach. It was delicious! And by the way, that myth about a big or old lobster being tough is patently untrue. It turns out that taste depends on how long a lobster has been out of the ocean water; keeping them in lobster tanks doesn't do anything to change that.

And if you happen to pass one of those little lobster or littleneck roadside shacks, do yourself a favor and pop in. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Ok, now we're setting out to go to the Canadian border and then on into New Brunswick. It's taken a while to get up here but we've enjoyed seeing old friends again and spending a little time in the good old US before immersing ourselves in Canadian culture.