Bennington, Vermont

It is great to be in New England! With the exception of the laundry hanging on the clotheslines, Bennington, VT doesn't feel like Maine. However, it is a charming, picture-postcard town on the northern end of the Massachusetts Berkshires and the southern gateway to the Green Mtns. of Vermont. Maple syrup is the claim to fame here followed closely by...maple sugar candy and covered bridges!

Bennington's attraction this summer is "MooseFest." Forty, nearly life-sized,colorful,themed moose are scattered around the small town.
The Appalachian Trail passes thru Bennington. We hiked to the top of Harmon Mtn. to meet Adrienne. We had to bribe her and a few of her hiker friends with dinner in town in exhange for photos with "Hiker" moose. She is down to the final 500 miles of the AT!

We biked the paved Ashuwillicook Rail/Trail 2x. There was no winery on this trail...but there were Margaritas at CJ's Tavern. :) The trail follows a river, meanders through wetlands, wraps half-way around a lake, all with mountains on both sides.


It has been raining frequently and hard...so, we've spent a fair amount of time inside...watching for New England bound hurricanes! It's a good excuse to get a haircut, browse the bookstores, do the laundry, take in an art exhibit etc., etc. Al even played Scrabble with me...twice!!

We had planned to go directly to Maine, but decided we'd stop in New Hampshire in the White Mountains for a week or so. An RV spot near Mt. Washington reserved, our departure Check-List prepared, Al added a little air to the tires (with his brand new air compressor), and disconnected the various and assorted electric cords, unmentionable hoses etc. We bid our RV Park neighbors farewell, loaded the kittys and pulled the Rig ahead to remove the blocking. A large amount of water started coming from the bottom. Wow, where is that coming from???? Ok, well it eventually stopped. We'll deal with it when we get to New Hampshire._

BigHorn

For those whose lifestyle involves full-timing in an RV, the living quarters are affectionately referred to as "The Rig." Our Rig is quite comfortable with all the comforts of home. We actually upgraded to a queen bed. Not sure how we're ever going back to that std. double we so carefully stored away. The kitties miss the sunroom but the rig has plenty of windows...although, the lack of windowsills caused a few surprises.
Al keeps busy with the regular maintenance etc. and installed additional stabilizers...for more...stability. :) The basement is adequate storage for our "must have" items. The central vac is great! The furnace heats us up quickly, but uses a lot of gas. An electric fireplace takes the chill off, and creates a nice ambiance. We've not had to use the A/C; but we checked to make sure it is functioning.
Big Rig plumbing is learned behaviour. There is a skylight over the shower to ward off claustrophobia. It doesn't take long to clean the whole bathroom! Enough said...
Al rearranges the "pillow package" on the bed to ensure the kitties have regular mental stimulation. They choose their snoozing spot based on the configuration. :) Remember now...we're retired...we are happily amused by the littlest things!
By virtue of our Southern vocabulary, we know we are "blessed" to be living our dream in our Big Rig!
The Togetherness Meter: Al is away for a few days enjoying some heat in the South. I think I'll take in a Tuscany Art Exhibit at the local college, browse the local used- book store... for as long as I care to, stroll the streets of Bennington, VT, buy a piece of maple sugar candy and nibble it with a cup of Green Mtn. coffee...in the middle of the afternoon at a sidewalk cafe...and skip dinner!

"Absence is the wind that blows out the little candle, but fans the embers of a fire to a great blaze."

W. Virginia & Pennsylvania

We spent a couple of nights in Falling Waters, WV because we thought we could get a little bit of warranty work done on the BigHorn. It didn't work out quite the way we had planned, but we did visit Harper's Ferry and the Battlefields at Antietam Nat'l Park. Although I am partial to history that isn't war-focused, it's hard not to get caught up in the stories of the +/-20,000 lives that were lost at Antietam. It is impossible for me to fathom what people endured during the Civil War.

From W. VA we went to Pine Grove, PA thinking we might meet Adrienne there...but she was walking faster than we were driving! We moved to Palmerton, PA to bike the Lehigh River Gorge Rail/Trail.

We have come far enough north that there is a Dunkin Donuts on every corner. I ate TWO(2) jelly donuts and Al had two boston cremes--twice!! I know, I know, the coffee is readily available in the grocery store...but it is just not the same as that heavenly aroma as you open the door at Dunkin Donuts. :)

On to Stroudsburg, PA in the Pocono Mtns. Delaware Water Gap is a quaint little town with beautiful scenery as the Delaware River forms an S in the mountains. We took a little tour on the local Trolley and learned that Jackie Gleason frequented Sam Snead's Tavern to shoot pool. Bushkill Falls is a tourist trap...but the bridges etc. over the waterfalls are quite well done and worth the time. I don't know if the frequent rains have made the Delaware River muddy...or it always looks like chocolate milk...but people are canoeing and swimming and rafting like it is pristine water. The flowers along the bike trail were pretty.

Our good friend Bev stopped in for a visit on her way to Philadelphia. She enjoyed all the comforts of the BigHorn guest room!

Al's mother lives in north central PA. The BigHorn stayed in Stroudsburg while we took a side trip to Treasure Lake in Dubois for a visit. The small mountain towns are beautiful. Al visited some old friends and was treated to his favorite venison sausage! Of course, the elk are incredible to see! While we were visiting, we found a Rail to Trail and biked 36 miles!! You'd think someone might have explained to the fool who wanted to keep going, just how far 36 miles is on a bike. The last 5 miles nearly did me in... Good thing I photographed the flowers along the river early in the day.

The kitties have done a lot of traveling in the last few weeks, but they recover quickly.

We're done with PA. Southern VT is our next stop where we'll spend 3 weeks exploring the Berkshires in western MA and the Green Mtns. in VT.

Luray, VA

The weather in the Virginia mountains is fantastic...warm during the day and cool at night. Luray is in the Shenandoah Valley between the Shenandoah Nat'l Park mountains and the George Washington Mountains. Quite beautiful actually. Lots of farming going on here. It is less than 100 miles to Washington D.C. One might think it would be a favorite getaway for those living in the city, but it does not seem that way. The area is a bit downtrodden.

However, we found a nice, quiet, clean, well-kept RV park and enjoyed our stay. We plucked Adrienne and a couple of trail friends from the AT. She stayed with us for two nights and I hiked with her in the Park for 9 miles. That amounted to less than a half day for her, but it was enough for me! The Togetherness Meter dropped temporarily and rallied at the end of the day. Al picked us up, fed us dinner at the Big Meadows Lodge, and Adrienne continued on her way. What an amazing experience she is having!! We feel fortunate to witness small segments of her journey.

We hiked some on our own in the Park which is replete with wildlife, and that is always fun. Deer are plentiful and proprietary about the trails. Adrienne and I encountered a deer on the trail that did not want to give us the right-of-way. She stamped her feet a few times but eventually left the trail just long enough for us to pass. The bears are many but are more cautious, due, no doubt, to lots of work on the part of the Park Rangers.

Al rented us a sea-worthy vessel(an Old Town of course) to canoe the Shenandoah River. It was my first experience on a river, and now I recognize the V and know where the boat SHOULD go. After a few times, it was fun! As always, Al is a great teacher and it was a good day.

Luray has an amazing Singing Bell Tower called a Carillon which is actually a musical instrument. It has 47 cast bronze bells arranged in chromatic series and played from a keyboard of oak levers. Four times a week an elderly gentlemen climbs up the tower and plays for 45 minutes. What an incredible sound! Maybe you music enthusiasts are familiar with it, but we were not.

One of my favorite things is to find a really good used book store and we stocked up with a pile of good reading. We visited a local winery to replish our wine cellar and picked up a few much-needed items at Camping World--a unique U.S. map with removable state stickers to show the world where we've been...just like every other RV has. :)

Today, we went to the dentist. Dr. M thought it was really weird for us to get our teeth cleaned while on vacation. English was not his first language and it didn't seem necessary to pursue it.

The RV Park has all manner of creatures and musicians coming and going to keep us entertained, and we joined the town folks for 4th of July fireworks. Al made two new friends, Daryl from Texas and Johnny Appleseed from Massachusetts.

We really like hearing from Y'all on the blog and via e-mail! We're headed for Falling Waters, WV. See you there!