Thanks to our Hosts

Now that we are back home from our trip it is time to reflect. And, one thing about this summer's adventure that stands out is the fact that it would not have been possible, or nearly as enjoyable, had it not been for the wonderful friends, family and acquaintances who hosted us along the way.

You not only shared your homes with these two Ancient Vagabonds, but graciously shared your food, drink, family, friends, pets and communities.

We are both so very thankful to all of you.

Please click the above photo to see the folks that made it all possible!

The Rest of Maine

You get the best lobsters in Maine, we learned that there are nearly 7000 licensed lobster fishermen in Maine and each one can have up to 600 lobster pots ~ that's a lot of lobsters ~ and indeed there were pots everywhere. We had two great experiences eating whole lobsters, one at what is called a "Lobster Pound" and the other at a “Clam/Lobster Bake" which was in conjunction with a boat trip around Boothbay Harbor (check out Cabbage Island Clambakes Maine) ...... I will let the photos tell the story. (click on the photo for more)

Our third week in Maine was spent in the Acadia National Park area, which came as a bit of a shock to be joining hoards of tourists after the quiet and isolation of our previous two weeks. However, Bar Harbor was well worth seeing and exploring. Once again there were many hiking trails and we were able to find some quiet spots, one being a lake where we took a dip and the only other sign of life was a duck who just popped up alongside us, don't know who was more surprised, him, or us.

We never seemed to tire of the jagged coastline of Maine with its numerous lighthouses, and wonderful hiking trails. We found we really had to be careful of where we walked, for, compared to Washington State it was strewn with rocks and roots. However, it's definitely a State we would like to return to. Having said that we would not wish to live there in the winter months ..... way too cold.

After Maine we spent some time with friends in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Jersey. We then continued toward home via the Outer Banks of NC where we acquainted ourselves with the history of the Wright Brothers, as Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills was the area they spent many years perfecting the first successful powered airplane flight in 1903. (Interestingly enough it was a mere 66 years later that Neil Armstrong landed on the moon carrying in his pocket a piece of canvas from that very flight).

Much of the land on these Outer Banks are a Wild Bird Sanctuary and wild ponies are known to roam the beaches, however we did not see any. We greatly enjoyed the town of Ocracoke at the southern most tip of the Outer Banks before catching a ferry back to Cedar Island (a two and a half hour trip) to the mainland. Then it was back to Charleston for a couple of nights before heading back home to Florida.

It was a wonderful trip, and in the 12 weeks we were on the road, we had amazing weather with maybe 3 days of rain ~ yes we even managed to elude Hurricane Earl.

Now it's time to hibernate and recharge the batteries for our next adventure.

Eastport Maine

We have found Maine to be one of the most beautiful states we have seen, and know without a doubt we will be returning. The coastline is truly a feast for the eyes with its rugged natural beauty and many lighthouses. Throughout the state most homes are painted white and everyone seems to be displaying the American flag. There is mile upon mile of unspoiled countryside. Sparsely populated, inland, and the coastal areas in the most northern part.

We have been so fortunate weather wise, experiencing unusually higher temperatures, virtually no rain affording plenty of opportunity for hiking. After leaving our little cabin on the lake we headed to the coast and spent a week in Eastport, a small neglected fishing village, which is slowly reviving. Property/land is very cheap in this area, probably due to its' remoteness. Although we were without wifi and cell phone connection for a little over 2 weeks, we enjoyed the quaintness and solitude. We enjoyed another 'Blueberry Festival' appreciating the local arts, crafts, and foods.

While there we took a 3 hr whale watching boat trip~ it was fun to be back on the water, passing many small islands while lots of porpoises played around the boat, when suddenly this huge whale breached alongside us, right where I was standing, I was so startled and taken aback, I could only gasp ~ no time to even think of taking a photo. Twice more he surfaced, so close you felt you could just reach out and touch him, before he disappeared into the depths ~ I replay the memory of it many times and still feel in awe.

We discovered "Cobscook Reversing Falls" which is "a must be seen, to be believed place." (Coscook Bay is off the Bay of Fundy where the high to low tides measure 20 to 28 feet.) The reversing falls occurs in an area where the water flowing to a large bay goes through a narrow rocky bottleneck. As the water rushes through this narrow channel it creates rapids, whirlpools and waterfalls over some large boulders. Then when the tide turns around the falls occur in the opposite direction over the boulders. It was amazing, but NOT an area to go swimming!

Click the lighthouse photo to see more.

Roadtrip stats update

We are currently in Massachusetts having completed our 3 weeks in Maine. What a wonderful state, there was fantastic scenery around every corner (especially in Acadia National Park). And, the people were very friendly and down-to-earth. The weather has been so nice that we have not taken the time to update the blog, so a status update will have to do for now!

Since we started:
Days on the road - 70
Miles Driven - 5,600
Miles hiked - 230
Beds slept in- 23

Things acquired:
A few more pounds
Desire to see more of Maine
Appreciation for what it takes to get lobsters to the dinner table and out of their shells to eat

Rangeley Lake Maine

I am going to keep my posting brief this time and let the pictures tell their story (click the one to the left for more). It seems that the further north we travel, the more beautiful the scenery, and we have fallen in love with Maine. We have SO enjoyed our week’s stay in this tiny cabin by Rangeley Lake. Despite being 'cosy' our lodgings have suited us just fine. We managed to cook all our meals in the efficiency kitchen, and sleep well on the blow up bed that (after some rearranging of furniture) we could just manage to squeeze between the front door and the bathroom - which was not much bigger than that of an airplane loo.

The weather has been a perfect mixture of low 50's at night and 70's-80's by day. We have enjoyed misty mornings, sweltering afternoons with lake dips and evenings by a log fire. We attempted to Kayak, however, did not feel that confident so we were content to lounge and read on our private dock taking a swim as it suited.

There was a "Blueberry Festival" here on Thursday and that was fun to see all the locals and their various arts/crafts. We had our first taste of a 'lobster roll' ... delicious.

Rangeley is a very unspoiled, somewhat sleepy little town, not too much has changed in the past 50 years, there is not a fast food place to be seen, and guess what ...... the locals like it that way.

In the way of wild life, at dusk we hear loons calling to each other, while our mornings are shared with hummingbirds right outside our window, and during the night, the odd howl, possibly a coyote, I am pleased to say, there is an absence of bugs.

We are going 'moose peeking' again tonight, we have yet to see one, but have been assured by the locals that they are around, and so we will try our luck again. Tomorrow we head for the coast, to a town called Eastport. In some respects we shall be sorry to leave this spot, one fellow described this area as being "the center of the universe."

Oh Canada

Time to get back to a posting .... I realize that we have been a little quiet lately.

We spent a week visiting with Ron's family ~ mom, sister Nancy, and brother-in-law Paul, in Erie, PA at the end of July. Nancy being quite the social butterfly, had us on the go every night. We were whisked off to my first professional baseball game, naturally partaking in the tradition of eating hot dogs, and for those of you who really know me, this is right out of character. Another evening found us square dancing ~again another first, which actually I found to be quite enjoyable with aerobic benefits. Then there was picnicking beside Lake Erie listening to a rather aged group playing a rendition of the Beatles for several hours. The horse racing track was also entertaining, Nancy having her special technique of picking the winners by the colors the jockey wore, which amazingly seemed to work ~ our week seemed to fly by.

After Erie we headed for London, Ontario to spend a few days with old Bermuda friends (Liz and Collin) whom we had not seen for about 18 years. Apart from some grey or thinning hair, a few added pounds and odd laughter lines, we had not changed one bit, and found ourselves to be the same crazy baby boomers, we SO enjoyed catching up on each others lives.

On our way to London we explored the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake .... a delightful place, not at all like the Niagara Falls attraction, and well worth a visit. During our stay in London, we took a day trip to Stratford-upon-Avon, Ontario, larger than the S-on-A in England, however we had a lovely lunch, walk along the river and poke around the shops.

Then it was on to Williamstown, Ontario about 400 miles away. Once again preferring to take the back roads. We found ourselves to be just enchanted with not only the beautiful scenery, and the general friendly politeness that all Canadians seem to exhibit, but there is a relaxed, gentle feeling that one experiences, a softness, and kindness, that is somehow not as evident in the US. We just LOVED our two weeks there.

We were going to spend just a few days with Mary and Walter on their mini farm in Williamstown (I have known Mary since I was 17yr. old, we did our nursing training together, plus spent some time together in Bermuda in the 70's and she was my bridesmaid, so we "go back a bit"!) but I digress ... we extended our stay to a full week where Ron acquired the title of " The Live Stock Hand" as he found himself each morning, before breakfast, attending to the chickens, cleaning out the ponies’ stall, checking the heifers, gathering the eggs, and helping to prune and tie the grapevines. Ron was most pleased to have made good use of his newly acquired wellies! There were also 3 cats, 2 very shy, preferring to hide in the barn, and a lovely golden retriever, called Ellie-May who we just fell in love with.

Then there was the garlic ... 2000 garlic bulbs, to be sorted, cleaned, tenderly peeled layer by layer with a toothbrush, before being braided in bunches of ten. We managed to assist with 500 bulbs .... not a tedious job by any means, in fact quite the opposite, it was most rewarding, peaceful and satisfying. One could truly feel the tranquility of this lifestyle seeping through ones pores, and I would say that it felt like a little bit of heaven on earth. Williamstown itself is quite historic, it was a re-settlement area for the British Loyalists troops after the Revolutionary War. Several original buildings have been restored and maintained as historical sights.

Click the photo for more.

Roadtrip Stats

Days on the road - 30
Miles Driven - 2,800 (only 500 on Interstates), the remainder on meandering back roads
Miles hiked - 135
Beds - 13

Things acquired:
A few sore and aching muscles
Multiple mosquito bites
Historical perspective
Renewed appreciation for the enormity, beauty, and diversity of the US

Click the photo for more

Blue Ridge Parkway NC

Well, this Parkway is just wonderful. When we started we did not appreciate that it was a 470 mile long park, and we plan to drive around 400 of those miles by the time we are finished. We set off for this area a week ago, stopping to visit with an old friend of mine that I did my midwifery course with back in 1973, and actually last saw in '81 ~ but, as it is with old friends, we just picked up right where we left off, and greatly enjoyed our visit.

When we were in Asheville, NC we spent a long day touring the Biltmore Estate ~ described as a quiet “country getaway” by its owner ~ it was designed by Richard Morris Hunt for George Vanderbilt. It took 6 years to complete and was opened on Christmas Eve 1895.

This “little retreat” with its impressive entrance hall 7 stories high, happens to have 250 rooms, includes 65 bathrooms and in total has 12 acres under roof! This amazing and wonderful French Style Villa, houses unimaginable art treasures even today, and it was interesting to learn that during WWII The National Gallery of Art in Washington DC stored their priceless paintings and sculptures here, in an empty room, for safekeeping.
Every imaginable luxury/pastime was provided for guests, typically 30 at any given time. These included a bowling alley, indoor swimming pool, gymnasium, library, gun room for hunting parties, music room, and then of course there are the gardens to stroll in, or horses always at the ready to ride.
Can you just imagine the number of staff it took just to keep this home 'ticking over' not to mention the gardeners. The servants quarters alone is another story.....

As far as the eye can see, the landscape around this home appears to be naturally rolling forests, however George commissioned Frederick Law Olmested (same chap who designed Central Park in New York) to plant more than 3 million trees, taking 10 yrs. to complete.

On a MUCH smaller and intimate scale we spent another day walking around “Connemara” ~the estate of Carl Sandburg. ~ Sandburg was a well known poet, lecturer and Pulitzer-winning author. He was known for being “ The voice for the American people” and he and his wife spent 22 yrs. living on this quiet estate. I rather like the following quotation of his... “ It is necessary now and then for a man to go away by himself and experience loneliness: to sit on a rock in the forest and to ask of himself, “ Who am I, and where have I been, and where am I going ”

We are now meandering North along the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway, comprised of 81,000 acres, described as having unsurpassed diversity of climate, vegetation, and photographic zones. This Park has been open to the public for the past 75 years, Sadly, the majestic views are becoming more difficult to see due to a haze caused by pollution. The visibility today is now decreased by 40% in the winter and 80% in the summer months making it difficult to capture decent long distance photographs. However, it it not only about the beautiful views, but the feel to the air, the pine, woodsy smell, the sound of insects/songbirds/butterflies/babbling streams, or just the quiet reflection of a lake ~ the peace that one experiences when one just takes the time to “be still” and drink in the natural beauty that surrounds us, is just so soothing for the soul, yet we tend to miss this during all those years of ~ “living to work.”

With no timetable it has been refreshing to drive short distances stopping along the way to take hikes, have a picnic or just sit and enjoy the scenery .... yes life is good, it's 3 weeks on the road now and we are still friends!!

Click the photo of the "Ancient Vagabonds" for more.

Myrtle Beach and Brookgreen Gardens

What a delightful week we have had relaxing in the comfortable home of our dear friend Juanita. (For those of you who remember our Alaskan travels of 2009, Juanita is wife #2.) We are thoroughly enjoying the locally grown produce from the farmers markets ~ feasting on salad fixings, sweet corn, watermelon. Also enjoying the fresh fish, shrimp, and BBQ ribs.

We managed to avoid the holiday crowds by lying low over the 4th of July w/e, I was just delighted to have the Wimbleton finals to watch during the day. In the evening, with camping chairs slung over our shoulders, we walked the one mile down to Surfside Beach, where we enjoyed one of the best firework displays we have ever seen.

While the majority of the holiday makers were enjoying the beach, on the 5th and 6th, we happily explored "Brookgreen Gardens" which back in the 1850s was a rice plantation, owned by a Joshua John Ward. It was documented that in some years he harvested 4 million ~ yes I am correct when I say million ~ pounds of rice, thanks to the 1000+ slaves he "owned" at that time. (Is it any wonder that these wealthy men of the South were in fear of slavery being abolished, but I digress.)

In 1931 Archer and Anne Hyatt Huntington (not related to the Hyatt Hotel family) bought this land and created the beginnings of Brookgreen Gardens, and created an “Outdoor Sculpture Museum" and display garden. The complete collection comprises over 1200 works, spanning the entire period of American sculpture from the early 1800's to the present. But, only 500 sculptures are displayed at a time throughout the 50 acres of these gardens. The expansive lawns, serene flower gardens, and numerous lakes provides a haven for the numerous varieties of butterflies, birds and many small wild animals, all of which we enjoyed during our hours spent there. One’s senses are just delighted with lingering fragrances throughout the many flower gardens. While we ate our picnic lunch, beside one of the beautiful reflecting lakes, butterflies danced in the breeze and bull frogs serenaded us from afar.

Set apart in a corner of this "garden" is a Labyrinth, which we chose to walk, for it is said, that if one does, "it connects the past with the present and refreshes one’s soul".

This truly is a garden to revisit over the seasons, and not one to be missed for those passing this way.

Click the photo for more.

Charleston

Well, Savannah was very quaint, but Charleston is more Majestic and Grand, both cities just steeped in history. As before, we started off our sightseeing via a 90 min guided bus tour and then hoofed it on foot around the Historic District for a few hours. The abundance of wrought iron work around the homes was very interesting, it was a sign of wealth, and the double bowed staircases leading to the front doors was so the gentlemen could use one side and the ladies the other, it would have been most improper for a gentleman to see the ankles of a lady, if he did, it was expected that he would make a proposal of marriage! The cobblestones laid in the streets were once used as ballast in the ships coming over from England. For the return trip their holds were filled with tobacco, rice, indigo dye or cotton.

Trying to decide which home see in more detail was a challenge, as they are all so varied and interesting, however, we did choose one, the Nathaniel Russell House, widely recognized as one of America's most important "Neoclassical" dwellings, geometrically shaped rooms (oval, square, and rectangle on each of its 3 floors) and a magnificent free-flying staircase leading to all levels. (I could see myself living in this home back in the 1700's! (as the lady naturally, not as the staff!)

On our way to Myrtle Beach, we stopped at one of the Plantations in Charleston, called “Boone’s Farm Plantation”, the grand home is still occupied, and the land still being used as a small farm, the produce from which we are presently enjoying with some home cooking, which after a week of eating on the road is pretty tasty. It was a most educational experience ~ History came alive for us, especially the slave history and we could actually visualize ourselves there as one of the slaves. In one of their original cabins there were finger imprints in the handmade bricks in the fireplace hearth..... all rather humbling.

The slave art of Sweetgrass basket weaving is still done to this day ~ a typical basket is priced from $90-$300 ~ and only found in the Charleston area. Like lots of other dying arts, the baskets are expected to increase in value so, we were advised that if we bought one, not to let the kids get rid of it in a garage sale after we pass on, but rather we should mention it in our will for it to be kept in the family! Good salesmanship but still very interesting! I am making a list of books I want to read, to enhance our visit here in the South.

There just was not enough time to see it all, so we didn't try; instead we have decided to spend more time in Charleston on our return trip in Sep. The reason we did not stay longer at this time was due to it being the 4th of July holiday w/e, so, instead of being caught up in all the crowds, we are quietly relaxing in Myrtle Beach at our dear friend, Juanita's, home (she is back in Denali Park Alaska, working again until Sep). As part of our “down time” we are enjoying watching the Wimbledon finals. Ron is presently off at a Stock Car Race while I am enjoying some knitting time.

One week into the trip ~ driven 900 miles ~ walked 30 miles.

Click the photo for more.

Southern Hospitality at its Best

So here we are at the beginning of our 3-month road trip, with our first stop in Savannah, a 7 hour drive from Anna Maria Island.

We found this quaint old city ~ which really had more of a “town” feel ~ to be absolutely delightful. Our first glimpse of the historic downtown area was a trolley tour, giving us an overview of the city before deciding which areas to explore on foot later in the day. It was a good opportunity to appreciate the history and architecture of the Savannah’s 22 squares in the Old Historic Downtown District. We found the layout of squares with their trees, grand homes and beautiful gardens to be just enchanting.

It really is all about the trees ~ huge live oaks ~ massively draped in Spanish moss. The squares each had a charm of their own, with statues or water fountains as added features. We actually walked 14 of these lovely squares, continually finding something to delight us.

We experienced our first taste of southern cooking from Paula Deans restaurant (arch enemy to Weight Watchers)...... oh my how do those southern gals manage to keep their figures, as it truly is 'finger licking good'.

The old Colonial Park Cemetery which is right in the middle of this district was both sobering, because we both realized we are more than twice the age of most of the deceased, and fascinating because many of the head stones had been defaced (by the changing of dates/details)during the Civil War when the troops were garrisoned there.

We have had a wonderful "Couch Surfing" experience, first night staying with George and Jake. George was a restaurateur for 10 years and treated us to a most delicious gourmet dinner, with classical music playing in the background; it was most charming and entertaining. In addition to tending his own extensive flower and vegetable garden (oh and did I mention hens), George is also know as “The Gardner” to some of the historic, downtown gardens.

Our 2nd and 3rd nights were spent with Nancy ~ a friendly gentle lady, her friendly dog and shy cat, ~ in her farmhouse, again another knowledgeable gardener, on the lovely "Isle of Hope"…such a charming community and again another wonderful experience. We enjoyed our stay in both of these homes enormously.

Click the photo to see more.