CT, NY, VA, NC, SC, AL

Clearly, we overstayed our welcome in New England. By the time we left Cape Cod, most of the restaurants and seasonal shops had closed for the season...What were we thinking?? Our first stop in the race south was the coast of Connecticut. No warmer, cold and raining...keep going. We took a wide swing around NY City as the forecast was not good and we thought we'd avoid the mess of the city. Florida, NY provided some leftover ice. Snow in every driving direction marooned us for 3 days...burning LP gas at a rapid rate trying to stay warm. The Alabama-born kitties were not amused by the chill! Both resorted to burrowing under the bed covers to stay warm.

On to Hagerstown, MD where it was marginally warmer. We happened upon the Western Maryland Rail/Trail and stayed an extra day to bike. It is a really great flat, paved trail along the Potomac River. We did the whole thing-44 miles!! A new distance achievement.

With the Mason Dixon Line behind us, our confidence of milder weather increased with each mile. We stopped in Petersburg, VA to visit with some old friends from Maine whom also reside in an RV. We ate good food, drank champagne on our 34th Anniversary, laughed often and heartily, went happily down memory lane and had a great long weekend!

Next stop, Topsail Beach, NC just north of Myrtle Beach. Our RV site overlooked the Intracoastal Waterway, and we biked across the draw bridge to the beach. I knew we were getting close to our Florida home-away-from-home when a decidedly non-New England bird appeared at our RV site. Dolphin (or maybe porpoise) were feeding near the beach, the sunsets were beautiful, the sand between our toes felt good. There is a really cool open-air Catholic Church on the beach. I'm really anxious to get to Pensacola!

We overnighted in Columbia, SC and Auburn, Alabama and Al visited with some work friends in both places. Visiting friends makes a quick stop much more fun! Another pit stop to weigh the RV to ensure we're still running lean. The scales gave a good weight...the kitties can continue to eat. It was fun to pass the cotton fields in Alabama. Cotton fields never fail to tickle me!

Finally, we rumbled into the familiar Pensacola RV Park--our home for the month of November! Yes, a late-season hurricane is in the Gulf of Mexico and we're battening down the slide-outs...hoping it will be over quickly with minimal impact and the beautiful weather will return soon.

Happy Thanksgiving to all! If you are traveling, go safely.

Cape Cod, MA

It was with heavy heart and a cranky attitude that Al left Maine. The piles of freshly split firewood, old friends, the promise of snow and the upcoming deer hunting season were all calling to him. However, once on the road, he was all about Cape Cod!

The amazing Tulip has found her inner wheels and was quite content with the road rumbling beneath her and the world whizzing by her. It was a pleasant 300 miles!

The Cape Cod bike trail is as good as the brochures describe it. It is a paved boulevard with rolling hills, curves, cranberry bogs, rotaries, beaches, bridges and a rock hiking trail in Provincetown across Cape Cod Bay to a lighthouse.

We took our bikes on the ferry to Martha's Vineyard. The island is fairly large and not really quaint, but it has great biking trails along beaches and thru forests and towns. The small fishing harbors and the gingerbread houses are picturesque. Most all structures on the island, as well as Cape Cod, are sided with cedar shingles that age to a weathered gray.

Cape Cod was much fun, but we have overstayed our visit in New England; it is getting really COLD! It has been nice to be on the coast again. We need to plot a path south... and fairly quickly before it snows. The forecast is not good for the upcoming ten days. Our plan is to take a wide swing around NY City and then due south to Pensacola!

Bangor, ME

There is much to be said for traveling the country, the romance of the open road, meeting new friends and generally being footloose and fancy free. But, there is something soul satisfying about coming home...and not just for the lobster chowder!

Being in Maine has been a whirlwind of catching up with old friends, spending time with Josh, climbing 3/4 of a mountain, bearing witness to Adrienne's completion of the AT, watching the amazing "changing of the leaves", and feeling the comfort of familiar surroundings and good memories.

Funny how sometimes one is too busy to take advantage and enjoy what is in the backyard. We biked on the Carriage Roads in Acadia--something we never did when we lived here, and we snacked on popovers at the Jordan Pond House. Al was all too happy to deliver a food drop (including Whoopie Pies) for Adrienne in the North Maine Woods where he worked and hunted for many years.

Adrienne and Will summited Mt. Katahdin with their friends. And so ends Adrienne's incredible 2,055 mile AT journey. We are so proud of her and her accomplishment...and feel SOMEHOW this must be a result of exemplary parenting!! :) :) Al and I climbed the mountain as well...beyond treeline, over boulders, straight up boulders, until we reached the ladder rungs where the wind was blowing 90 knots and the trail "spoke" to me and said, "STOP." Although I assured him I could get myself down the mountain, Al did the noble thing and accompanied me... even though he really wanted to be at the top with Adrienne. I believe it is a new definition of true love. :)

Bangor, Maine is the legendary birthplace of Paul Bunyan and home of Stephen King (although rumor has it he spends his time in Florida now).

We've had the best time!! Leaving is bittersweet. That said, frost is on the pumpkin, and there are people to see, places to go and things to do--like biking on Cape Cod where it is a bit warmer!

Kingfield, ME

Here we are at Deer Farm Campground in Kingfield, Maine. The Park is...rustic (although recycling is mandatory...or "take your trash home with you" and once again the rig sits in a well-shaded spot. But, Josh is closeby in Carrabassett Valley and it's Fall and we'll have a great time! There are some really good restaurants in close proximity to the ski resort at Sugarloaf Mtn...and we are eating really well. My new favorite is "cheeseburger soup" at The Rack.

We biked on The Narrow Guage Rail/Trail which follows the Carrabassett Stream and comes to an end at the base of SugarLoaf Mtn. where one can indulge in a nice cup of Irish Coffee before heading back. Josh sprayed our bike chains with some miraculous substance and I now see the benefit of utilizing those gears!

The leaves are "turning" a bit early and the scenery changes daily! Maine has a "Hut to Hut" 180-mile project underway for hiking/cross-country skiing between huts. Two are completed; the others are under construction. We hiked to the Poplar Falls Hut while Josh arrived by mountain bike trail for lunch in the beautiful lodge.

We hiked up the backside of Sugarloaf Mtn. on the AT...and it was hard! It was very steep and mostly huge rocks. I just don't know how Adrienne does this day after day carrying a full pack. She is down to the last 200 miles or so. What an amazing test of emotional and physical endurance.

You know we're always on the lookout for KW signs...and low and behold we sighted one in Carrabassett Valley!

Togetherness Meter: Al went off with Josh to work on a mountainbike trail for an upcoming race. The kittys and I attended to some domestic chores and pined away for a few hours.

Maine is known to be home to hundreds of moose...which we searched for tirelessly. We drove the 20+ miles between Stratton and Rangely (moose alley)a number of times...nothing. Hiking around some small ponds near the campground we saw much evidence of where the moose "was", i.e., Al's shoe beside the moose hoof print. :)

It feels good to be in Maine, especially at our favorite time of year. There is nothing like fresh Apple Cider pressed yesterday! It is fun to watch the loon family in the pond. But, it's getting cold; frost is in the air. The kittys have reminded us they were born in Alabama and require a certain amount of warmth. We stayed in Kingfield a few days longer than we had planned. Bangor is the next stop!

Twin Mountain, New Hampshire

Hallelujah! The weather is perfect...warm, sunny days and cool, brisk nights...and all free of precipitation! The Rig is right out in the sunshine. We're done with shade trees and pitch. There is that matter of all the water when we left Bennington. Al has a theory...time will tell.

Mountains surround the RV Park and we can see Mt. Washington and the smoke from the Cog Steam Engine as it chugs up the hill. We opted for the easy way up and rode the Cog to the top. The myth about being "mooned" by a hiker is NOT myth...very much the truth! It is pretty busy up there: Nat'l Weather Station, Museum, Cafe, Gift Shop, shuttle busses, cars, AT thru-hikers, day hikers. What a ride straight up the side of the mountain. The incline is such that the trees look like they are leaning. It was a beautiful, clear, warm day at the summit defying the norm of cold, gusty winds.

As the AT is steep, winding and arduous in The Whites, we encountered Adrienne a number of times as her long mileage per day became seriously decreased to allow safe navigation of the terrain and enjoy the awesome beauty along the way. Her hiking buddy has joined her to finish the trek, and it appears he has given her renewed enthusiasm. They are both incredible!

Franconia Notch is a hikers dream...and can be a dangerous nightmare. On a lovely, holiday weekend, we hiked the Falling Waters Trail intending to stop at the 3rd waterfall. Others, however, were continuing to climb even though "it wasn't recommended." The trail, now called "Agony Trail", would eventually join the AT on Franconia Ridge. So, after lingering over a late lunch, even though it was too late in the day, we continued to climb.
Understand that Al is "MODERATELY to extremely" hindered by my less than skilled climbing. We stopped short of the Ridge at Shining Rock, a huge sheer rock side of the mountain, to allow this not-to-surefooted climber (who didn't get up early enough so we could start earlier so we could make it to the top before darkness threatened) to descend before dark.

I redeemed myself on the bike trail from the Flume to Cannon Mtn. Thinking we could outdo our friends Bob and Susan Biker, we opted to ride both ways. It was a tough 10 miles up. Did I say tough? Last gear tough! There must have been a downhill somewhere because the return had some big uphills as well. :) Passing by The Basin was a photo op and a good excuse to rest. What a ride to the bottom!

We hiked some in Crawford Notch and Pinkham Notch. One week turned into two and could have been longer...but the season is marching on...and our chariot will turn into a frozen pumpkin if we overstay our welcome in New England!

We glimsed a couple of moose after many evenings of searching and saw many flocks of turkey.

Al continues to LOVE his truck and pressed me into service washing and waxing it...for the 2nd time! It's about a mile around the thing. :)

Whew! I've been rather long on words tonite. Kingfield, ME is circled on the map. We're so excited to see Josh... and our Maine buddies...and eat some lobster!