October 2nd to October 21st, 2013
We had planned this Fall trip for quite some time to see the Autumn colors and to check out some National Parks and Historic Sites, but with the Government Shutdown in effect we had to make some last minute changes knowing that those facilities would be closed to the public. So we pulled out our National Geographics Guide to State Parks of the United States and reviewed some different options for the States that we would be traveling through.
In Connecticut, our first stop, we visited Bluff Point State Park in Groton. Once we located the park we realized that the RV was not going to make it under the old railroad tressel at the entrance that had a clearance of 10' 8", which is precisely what our height is! Fortunately for us there was a small parking area in a Town Park just outside the entrance so we squeezed into a parking space there and walked a short distance to the State Park. Good thing we weren't towing the Jeep! The state park has a 3-mile loop trail through wooded areas and along wetlands that brings you out to the rocky Bluff Point with views of the Long Island Sound and Fishers Island. On a clear day you can see Long Island in the distance, as we did. The weather was sunny and warm and we had a very enjoyable hike. When we got back to the RV we even took a short hike along the Poquonnock River Walkway, near where we had found our parking space earlier in the day. After a little snack we found our way to the Walmart in Groton and stayed there overnight. In the morning we stopped at Mystic Seaport for a quick look around on our way to Rhode Island. The Seaport has a large parking area with a section for Buses and RV's.
In Rhode Island we decided to visit Fort Adams State Park, which was built to protect the entrance to Narragansett Bay and Newport Harbor after the War of 1812. After an interesting drive through the narrow streets of downtown Newport we arrived at the park and were immediately delighted with the view of Newport Harbor. We enjoyed taking the 2-mile Bay Walk around the Fort with views of the harbor and the bay. When we got back we had an afternoon snack in the RV and enjoyed lovely views of the harbor. When our snack was done we were on our way again and headed to the Walmart in Wareham, MA., where we stayed overnight.
In Massachusetts, we spent our first day exploring Cape Cod. We started near Bourne and meandered along State Hwy 28 through the Southern portion of the cape up to where it meets US Hwy 6 near Orleans. We drove US 6 all the way up to Provincetown. Although both Visitor Centers were closed, we were lucky enough to get out to the National Seashore at Nauset Light Beach where we found the parking lot open with plenty of room for us to park the RV. We took a stroll on the beach where we viewed some seals in the water just a short distance from shore. Unfortunately, as the day went on the weather turned cloudy, then rainy. It was not much of a beach day. We would have certainly spent more time on the cape if the weather was better. I'm sure we will be back this way again. We returned to US Hwy 6 and made our way back to the Walmart in Wareham, where we stayed for a second night.
The following day we drove up to Plymouth to check out Plymouth Rock and the harbor area. After walking around town for a few hours and seeing the Rock and the replica of the Mayflower, we headed to my cousin Lee's house in Brockton. After arriving we reminisced for a while about old times and then Lee and her husband Steve took us into Boston to show us around the North End (Little Italy) area. We walked around a bit and then stopped for dinner at one of their favorite Italian restaurants. We enjoyed the dinner and the tour. After camping out in their driveway that night, Steve dropped us off at the train station the following morning and we spent the day in Boston on parts of the Freedom Trail. We saw Quincy Market, Paul Revere's house and Statue, The Old North Church, Copp's Hill Burying Ground, Charlestown Navy Yard (closed due to the government shutdown) and the Bunker Hill Monument. Although it was another rainy day, we made the best of our visit. I'm sure we will visit again. After returning on the train to Brockton we had a pleasant evening visiting with Lee and Steve. We called it a night and camped out in their driveway again.
The next day, after topping off our water tank, we left in the early afternoon and headed over to my cousin Karen's house in Worcester to visit with her and my Aunt Joy. We got there around 4:00 PM and kept my Aunt company for a few hours until Karen got home from work. We had a nice time visiting with them. We camped out in front of their house for the night. In the morning we stopped in for coffee and said our goodbyes before heading to our next destination... Maine.
After driving most of the day we stopped at the Walmart in Rockland, ME. for the night. The following day we stopped at the nearby Ford Dealer to have our brakes checked. We had been hearing some metal on metal sound, which I thought was the front disc brake sensors. Wrong.... it turned out that the problem was the rear brakes. I should really say, the lack of rear brakes! The brakes shoes were gone! After our 8 month, 12,500 mile road trip towing the Jeep across the country they had disintegrated! Unfortunately, rear brake shoes don't have sensors to tell you when they need to be changed. I was planning on having them checked in December when the RV was due for its NYS Inspection. I will be having them checked every 10,000 miles from now on. Anyway, it turns out that we found another great Ford Dealer that took us in, did excellent work and got us back on the road the same day. Conveniently for us, there was a McDonald's right across the street from the Ford Dealer. We waited there, had coffee, had lunch and used their WIFI. We also walked around Lowe's for a bit, which was right behind the McDonald's. Anyway, once the brakes were done we settled up then drove a short distance North to Camden Hills State Park Campground and set up camp for the night.
Camden Hills State Park turned out to be a very nice park and campground. We chose a dry camping site with WIFI for two nights at a total cost of $38.88, off a wooded loop road. We managed to get enough sun through the trees for our solar panels, since many trees had started to shed some of their leaves already. In the Summer you would probably need to examine the sites a little more closely to find one with sufficient sunshine for your solar panels or chose one of the many water & electric sites the park offers. The campground had a conveniently located dump station with a fresh water fill at no extra charge. The following day we set out to hike one of the many trails within the park. We chose the Mount Megunticook trail which took us to a height of 1385 feet with views of Maine's Atlantic coast. Later in the day we walked across the street to another section of the park and hiked along the coastal trail. There, we were able to find some outlets that took us down to the waters edge. Some took us on to rocky beaches and others on to some very large boulders jutting out in to the ocean with the waves crashing against them. All in all, we enjoyed our stay at the park. The following morning we checked out and headed to the Walmart in Ellsworth. We spent the day doing our laundry and shopping to restock the RV.
Although the Government was still shutdown and Acadia National Park was still closed we decided to take a drive around Mount Desert Island anyway and try to make the best of it. We looped around the Western part of the Island on Hwy 102 and 102A. Then we looped around the Eastern part on Hwy 3 and stopped in Bar Harbor. We found the RV parking area and then took a nice stroll through town. We enjoyed our walk and the views from the harbor. During our drive we noticed that every entrance road to Acadia that we passed was closed, as well as all the trail head parking lots. In some areas we found lines of cars parked along the shoulder of the road. Apparently, many people were still walking into the park or making use of the trailheads. We had read some reports that people were being issued a summons if they drove a scooter or rode a bicycle into the park. At one point we decided to park and walk along a trail in a wetlands area. The Government Shutdown certainly put a damper on things and we were disappointed that we were unable to enter the park. We had hoped that the shutdown would have been settled by the time we made it up to Maine, but that didn't happen. I guess now we will have an excuse to make another trip up this way again. Late in the afternoon we drove back to the Walmart in Ellsworth and spent another night.
The next morning we headed for Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire. We arrived late in the afternoon at the Lafayette Place Campground and found a site for two nights at a cost of $50.00 that would accommodate our RV. The site was wooded, but it worked well with our solar panels. All of the sites there are dry camping for Tents or RV's. There is no WIFI. They did have fresh water available throughout the campground, but they did not have a dump station. The Cannon Mountain RV Park on the North shore of Echo Lake does have a dump station at a cost of $15.00. We settled in for the night, had dinner and planned our hike for the next day. We decided to hike four different trails that created a giant loop that would bring us back to the campground at the end of the day. So after breakfast the following morning we started on the Lonesome Lake Trail, which brings you up to, you guessed it, Lonesome Lake. It is nestled in the mountains 1,000 feet above the floor of the notch, and is a popular hike. It is reached by a 1½-mile trail that begins at Lafayette Place, just south of the cabin near the campground. Once you reach the lake there is a lakeside trail, which we took, that leads to the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) hut at the far end of the lake, where we stopped for lunch. After lunch we then took the Cascade Brook Trail to the Basin Cascade Trail to the Pemi Trail, which led us back to the campground. It turned out to be quite a workout. When we got back to our campsite we were ready for hot showers and a big dinner!
The next morning we checked out and headed for the Justin Smith Morrill Homestead in Strafford, VT., a National Historic Landmark. Unfortunately, we were stopped en route by a 10' 6" clearance covered bridge. That destination was quickly removed from our agenda since our RV is 10' 8" high. Anyway, Rene also planned for us to stop at the King Arthur Flour flagship store in Norwich, so we re-grouped and headed over that way. If anyone reading this enjoys baking of any kind, the King Arthur facility has a store, bakery/eatery and a baking school all in one large complex. If you should visit they do have a large parking lot that will accommodate RV's and buses. Rene bought a few things for her baking projects and I made sure we included a large loaf of rustic French bread before checking out. After our adventure in baking we headed over to the Walmart in Bennington and settled in for the night. The next morning after breakfast we headed West to New York State where we had Niagara Falls in our sights. It was a travel day and we were headed to the Flying J Truck Stop, just off of I-90, in Pembroke, NY. We settled in there for the night in preparation of our visit to Niagara Falls the following day.
I have visited Niagara Falls a number of times in the past, but this was Rene's first visit. Unfortunately, the weather was still cloudy and cool so we dressed appropriately. It didn't rain, but the mist from Horseshoe Falls picked up by the breeze would have you believe otherwise. Good thing we had our rain jackets on. We took in the sights from the American side and then walked across the bridge to the Canadian side. Make sure you have your passport or enhanced drivers license with you to get back. I've always heard and read that the view from the Canadian side was better and it is. The gardens and parks on the Canadian side were very nice as well. There was no charge to walk into Canada, but it cost us .50 cents each to get back into the U.S. If you plan to visit by car or van type RV you can park in parking area 1 at the main entrance for Niagara Falls, if you have a class A or C motorhome you will have to park in area 2 on Goat Island. The attendants at parking area 1 will give you directions to parking area 2, as they had to do with us. With enough sightseeing for the day we got back on the road and headed East on I-90 and stopped at the Scottsville rest area and called it a night.
After breakfast the following day we meandered through the Finger Lakes area on some two lane highways enjoying the scenery. By the end of the day we made our way over to the Walmart in Horseheads and settled in for the night. The next day we continued our scenic highway drive and ended up at the Farmers Museum in Cooperstown. After visiting the museum in the late afternoon, we made are way over to a nearby rest area where we camped out for the night. The following day my cousin Patty who lives in nearby Milford met up with us and we followed her home. Patty and her husband Dave made room for us in their driveway and we were set for the night. We spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on the last 18 years since I saw her last. I also enjoyed meeting her husband for the first time. We all stepped out and had a nice dinner at a local restaurant, then it was back to the house to continue our visit. We finally called it a night and retired to the RV. The following morning we visited for a while before saying goodbye and hitting the road again. We made it back to my Dad's house in Westbury by late afternoon.
Regards,
Frank & Rene
PS: To view all of our trip photos, please go to our facebook page using the link below.
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