Wednesday June 29, 2016 Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick Canada

We woke up to a rainy morning with fog.  We only had 107 miles to drive.  It turned our to be slightly further.  We got our coffee ready and were pulling out at 9:30.

A stop along the way

I remembered that we hadn't got our FRS radios out.  We stopped at the exit of the campground and got them out.  The batteries were run down and the light on the charger didn't come on when I plugged it in with the radios in place.  We decided to check them further after we were on the way.

We got to the exit of the park and the Garmin GPS didn't indicate the route.  We went on since we had a sheet with detailed turn info.  That didn't help we pulled off and got the new Garmin out of the Jeep.  Gerri also got regular AA batteries out for the radio and it worked.  Later when we arrived at Ponderosa Pines RV, I checked out some other rechargeable batteries and they worked.  The dead batteries in the radios also came to life after being charged in another charger.

We weren't too far off course ad were soon out of Saint John and on a 4 lane highway.  We passed a couple of covered bridges but there was no place to pull over.  We left the 4 lane on Route 114 and the road became rough, curvy and hilly.  When we got closer to our destination we drove through a national park. The road was better.

The last town we came to was Alma.  We saw boats sitting on the sea floor tied to a dock that was easily 20' above their deck.  Again no place to pull over.  We were able to stop at a covered bridge before we got to the RV park and get pictures.

Once at the RV park we got set up and then it rained heavily.  We drove to the park where the Hopewell Rocks are located.  I didn't try the stairs to the sea floor.  The tide was out so there were people walking around the rock formations called the flower pots.  There was one cache near the viewing platform and I found another at the turn off from the highway into the park.

We were caught in a rain storm walking pack to the park entrance.  After returning to the coach we spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening watching it rain and listening to old time radio.  Gerri made a delicious Mexican style soup with sausage and beans.

We turned in at about 10 PM.  We heard it rain most of the night.

Tuesday June 28, 2016 Saint John, NB, Canada

Reversing Falls

We got up and started our coffee and caught up on computer chores.  At 8 we followed a group to a lookout point above reversing falls.  I went down the many stairs that took us closer to the water.  High tide was at about 6 so the water was flowing in from right to left from our observation point.  The water marks showed the water to be about 10 feet from the highest point.  We also went to a park above the observation point where the view was different.

Reversing Falls tide coming in

When I tried to set our route back to the RV park, the GPS wouldn't work right.  We had similar problems two years ago when we went into Canada on our Alaska trip.  I had also been having trouble with it resetting when I would try to enter a location.  We found our way back to the RV park and then went to Canadian Tire and bought a new GPS for use in the Jeep.

We had lunch with the group at the restaurant in Rockwood Park, Lily's.  Dale Christie treated us to a rendition of Oh Canada! that had the Canadian diners on their feet applauding.

Reversing Falls tide going out

After lunch we got the directions to the Reversing Falls set in the new GPS and went there.  The tide had turned and now the water was flowing right to left as it rushed back out to sea,  We then drove to another observation point on the opposite side of the river.  no stairs since the parking lot here was just above the high water mark.  We ran into other members of our group there.  There was also a Kayaker in the rapids and at least one more getting ready to launch his kayak.

A view closer to the water

1784-1935 New Brunswick Museum

We drove through the downtown market area and saw that the cruise ship in port was of the Royal Caribbean line.

Back at the park we spent a lazy afternoon ready and watching TV and reading.  After dinner we visited with Bob and Mary in their coach next door.  Two other couples joined us.  We were regaled with stories of an African caravan they had all been on.  There was a heavy fog that came in and you could hear the fog horns.  Later it rained during the early evening and again after we went to bed,

Monday June 27, 2016 Saint, John New Brunswaick

We had our coffee and then went shopping at Costco and Walmart.  While Gerri shopped at Walmart I found a cache in the parking lot.

The official kick-off for our caravan was at 2:00 at the park information center which had a meeting room.  At the meeting every one was introduced and material relating to the trip was passed out.  We were divided into teams and played a trivia game.  Most of the questions related to the New Brunswick area, Canada and a few questions on meters v. feet, grams v. pounds, etc.

At five the group got back together for hors d'oeuvres and dinner at 6.  The dinner was prepared by the wagon masters.

It was cool and a wind had come up.  There was no sitting out visiting tonight.
We were in bed by 11, listening to the wind blow.

Sunday June 26, 2016 Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada

After a stressful day yesterday we slept in this morning.  We had our coffee but didn't venture out during the morning.

 With a 4 hour difference in time here and Las Vegas, it was two before we tuned into worship services webcast from the Oakey Boulevard Church of Christ.

Lilly Lake by the RV Park entrance

During the morning and afternoon more members of our group arrived.  Several other RVs also arrived and parked at the other end of the area designated for caravans.  That group was a mix of travel trailers, fifth wheels and motor homes.

A tribute to area bridge builders

We went to Costco for some needed items.  when we returned we greeted more members of our group who had arrived and met some new people who weren't on the Alaska trip two years ago.  The area between our coach and the Steindinger's seems to have become the gathering place for our group.  An impromptu potluck dinner was put together for about 6 PM.  I think most of our group was there.  I heard that we have a total of 18 coaches.  The gathering slowly dwindled after the sun set at about 9:40.  After the sun goes down it starts to cool off very quickly.  When we gave up at 10 there were still a few people setting out visiting.

We read for a little while and it was lights out by 11:30.   Tomorrow we have the first official meeting at 2 and then a supper prepared by the wagon masters.

Saturday June 24, 2016 Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada

We got up this morning hoping to leave the park by 9.  We started on coffee and preparations to travel.  When Gerri started retracting the large slide it wouldn't close.  Closer inspection showed that the rear corner was hitting the frame of the wall mounted wall mirror.  It became obvious that the box had shifted in it's opening and wouldn't retract.

I made a call to Coach Net and they started looking for a mobile service that would come and check the problem.  After awhile Coach Net called back and told me they had left messages with two companies and would let me know when someone was on the way.  I went to the office to let the owner know we wouldn't be leaving on time.  The owner told me that Coach Net had called him asking about local companies.  The park owner and one of his staff came to our site.  While we were looking at the mechanism, we noticed that the storage bay doors were out of square.  We decided to retract the leveling jacks.  As the jacks retracted we could see the slide box lining up with the opening.  After the weight of the coach was back on the wheels, the room retracted normally.

I made a call back to Coach Net to cancel the service call.  After hooking up the Jeep we were on our way at about 11:30.  We had some delay due to construction and stopped for fuel before getting out of Bangor.  After leaving Bangor we were on State Route 9 most of the way to the border.  The road was two lane and went through some small villages.  The country side became more hilly with more pine trees and many lakes.

Just before the town of Calais, ME we turned and crossed the St. Croix River into New Brunswick, Canada.  There were only a few cars ahead of us and the border crossing was quick and smooth with only a few routine questions.

Although R-9 was a good road, the highway became better on the Canadian side.  Highway 1 was smooth and 4 lane divided.  Along the way the GPS started acting up and didn't show our route.  Of course there were few turnoffs and the distance to Saint Johns kept appearing on the signs. Closer To Saint John the GPS started working properly.

Downtown Saint John

We saw one sign on highway giving the exit number for Rockwood Park.  It was different than the one given on the GPS.  We followed the GPS.  After a few turns and bridge crossings we arrived at the park and checked in.  We were directed to the area designated for our group.  We met Ben Rose, our wagon master, and he showed me where to park.  We parked and set up next to Bob and Mary Steidinger who had been on the Alaska Caravan two years ago.  The slides all worked properly.  We were set up and visiting with other members of the caravan, some we knew from Alaska.  With the time change we are now 4 hours ahead of Las Vegas time.

It was light until about 10 PM.  We went to bed shortly after 10.  I tried to read for awhile, but didn't last long.

No activities are schedule until Monday when the caravan officially starts.  We have no firm plans for tomorrow.

Friday June 24, 2016 Hermon, ME

Last full day in the US before meeting the rest of our caravan in Saint John, New Brunswick.  Several members of our group are set to arrive on Saturday.  At least 4 other couples are in Bar Harbor about 40 miles from us on the coast.

We started this clear sunny day with our coffee and other morning routines of computer activity and reading.  In the afternoon we went sight seeing.  The Good Sam trip planning program I have been using can show points of interest along the way, including historic, scenic, quirky oddball sights, science and others.  We had already visited Stephen King's house (quirky and oddball).  Today we visited a replica covered bridge and war memorial located near the Cole Land Transportation Museum, we didn't go in the museum itself.  Those of you who know Gerri understand why.  She doesn't care for museums.  The grounds of the museum had war memorials.

We saw a giant statue of Paul Bunyan.








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We also visited the Thomas Hill Standpipe.  The standpipe was built in 1897 as a water storage facility for fire fighting in Bangor.  The tank inside the building holds 1.75 million gallons of water and is still in use to control water pressure to the city.

We went to Sam's Club for final grocery shopping.  We bought a camera to replace the one I lost in Niagara Falls.  We also went to a CVS to pick up a prescription for Gerri.

The sight seeing and shopping pretty much took us all around town.  We wanted to get some pictures of the Penobscot River, but several of the streets along the river were closed for some type of special event.  Gerri did get a picture across the river of an old boat moored on the other side.  It was a warm and clear day and the a/c was cooling down the rv when we returned for the day.

Thursday June 23, 2016 Hermon, ME

Our first morning in the Bangor area.  The day was cloudy but sunshine broke through occasionally.  Gerri continued the washing.  We also made phone calls to take care of last minute details such as prescriptions being filled.  We decided to stay here one more night to wrap up everything before being in Canada for 2 months.

I went out between rain showers and found two caches.  In the late afternoon we went to McLaughlin's Seafood for an early supper.  We had lobster rolls served with fries and coleslaw.  We also shared a cup of clam chowder.  http://www.mclaughlinseafood.com/

Stephen King's house Bangor, Maine

We drove by Stephen King's house and took pictures before being run off by a dog named Cujo.  Only kidding about the dog.

After being tourists we went to the local Walmart for some last minute shopping and to pick up my prescriptions.  It rained heavily while we were inside, it was loud hitting the roof.  By the time we finished shopping the rain had stopped and I found an easy cache in the parking lot.

Back at the coach we spent the evening reading, catching up on computer time and listening to old time radio until bedtime.

Wednesday June 22, 2016 Hermon, ME

After finding out our next reserved RV park was 390 miles away instead of 260 miles, I had an alarm set for 6 AM.  We were up and having our coffee on the road by 7:30.

Toll roads!  Another reason to like the west.  Oh well, it would have been over 100 miles further to avoid the tolls.

Front

Our first destination was Augusta to visit the capitol building.  We parked at a Walmart and drove to the capitol in the rain.  This is our fourth capitol visited on this trip.  It was the third during rain and the third with renovation.  The dome appears to be some type of copper or bronze color.

Back

Side

It was still raining when we got hooked back up and on the road.  We only had another 78 miles to get to the park near Bangor.  There was quite a lot of traffic and it rained very heavily several times.











By the time we got to the Pleasant Hill RV Park the rain had pretty much stopped.  We got set up and made a few phone calls to get last minute prescriptions filled.

Gerri checked out restaurants in the area but decided to make supper here at the coach tonight and go out to eat tomorrow while we are in Bangor.  Everyone says we have to have lobster rolls, so we will try them.

 Our mail was waiting for us when we arrived.  I spent some time going through that and deciding what needed attention.  Reading and computer time took us to bed time.

Tuesday June 21, 2016 Avrill (Albany), NY

New York State Capitol Building

We were out of the RV park by 8 AM.  We had a thunder storm during the night with a lot of lightning, wind and rain.  Leaving the park we noticed one tree down.  Along the highway there were limbs and a couple of power poles down.  We got a couple of pictures of barns and the country side before leaving the Buffalo area.

The Mohawk River

We drove most of the way on I-90, a toll road.  It cost us over $60.  We arrived at the Alps Family Campground at about 3 and were directed to our site.  We got set up, including all utilities.










We are only here overnight but I dumped the tanks because we had been 4 nights without a sewer connection.  The power was 30 amp and kept kicking off when Gerri tried to run the dryer and Microwave.  We put the water heater on diesel to cut down the strain on the power supply.  Fortunately the weather is cool enough that we don't need an A/C.

We unhooked the Jeep and headed to Albany to see the capitol building.  Remember our quest to visit as many capitols as possible.  Traffic was awful and the streets narrow.  The capitol building itself is an imposing old building but has no dome like many other around the country.  We got a few pictures and headed back to the RV park at the peak of rush hour traffic.

Back

Front

Crossing the Hudson

I hooked the Jeep up ready for travel.  When we got there a neighbor told me I had a tail light out.  I checked the Jeep and motor home both hooked up and unhooked.  All the lights were functioning.  I also cleaned the bugs off the windshield.  I even cleaned the inside of the windshield, it was getting cloudy.

























I thought we had a drive of 240 miles tomorrow to the Bangor area.  I plugged in the RV's GPS and it calculated 380 miles, more if I avoided toll roads.  We will try to get an early start.  Another capitol to visit, Augusta, ME.  We did get a text from Montyne this afternoon that our mail would be waiting for us at the park near Bangor.