Alabama Album

Fall foliage meets swamp land near Rick and Marsha's home.

The chefs at work in the kitchen, making Mexican food!

Rocket Park in Huntsville.

Lavern, one of the resident cats at the Burritt Mansion, which we toured with Rick.

Rick and Marsha looking great in their back yard.

Keith, Laurel's cousin, in front of his Kuk's Dog Days restaurant.

Kim, Keith's wife, with her first grandchild.

Roy, the big tuxedo cat, relaxes on Kim and Keith's driveway.

Alabama was a time for reunions with friends and family. Time to share memories and make some new ones! We were invited by Rick and Marsha to spend time with them in Madison, Alabama. Rick and Marsha went from grade school through high school with Laurel. We enjoyed Mexican food with them, especially since Rick gets red chilis from New Mexico and makes chili sauce from scratch! Marsha got out the high school yearbooks one night and we all wondered what happened to some of our classmates. It was great to reconnect with them after not seeing each other for over 30 years! They sure haven't changed much.

After Madison, we headed south to Tuscaloosa to visit with Keith and Kim. Keith is one of Laurel's cousins who used to live in Chicago. We tell everyone that Illinois is a nice place to BE from. We got to see his new restaurant, Kuk's Dog Days, which is in downtown Tuscaloosa. They treated us to dinner that evening and we stayed overnight with them. Kim made biscuits and gravy the next morning, one of Don's favorite breakfasts! Yummy! We enjoyed the good ole' southern hospitality for 3 days between the two couples.

Holy Smokes! It's the Smoky Mountains.

Ober Gatlinburg Aerial Tramway

Autumn leaves nestled in a limb.

Laurel Falls in Smoky Mountains National Park

Laurel at Laurel Falls!

Fall comes to the Smokies.

While traveling down Interstate 81, we were in vicinity of the Appalachian Mountains and also the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Another chance for us to use our National Park pass that lets us get into any national park for free (because Don is over 65). Not only is it free, it's one place that we've wanted to visit for a long time. I yearned to take my camera out and hopefully catch some great shots of the Smokies. After setting up the trailer, we were off and running, so to speak. At Gatlinburg we took the aerial tram up the side of the mountain. Half way up there, it started to pour. We still got some wonderful pictures of the clouds hanging low over all the hills and valleys. The next day we lucked out and it was overcast, but not raining, as we hiked up to Laurel Falls. Another interesting tidbit: absolutely everyone decorates for fall here....banks, businesses, homes, even gas stations!

Wandering in Washington, DC

The white marble on the Lincoln Memorial stands out at dusk.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Don and his friend, Gary, check out the name listing for the Vietnam War Memorial.

Statues depict soldiers during the Korean War.

Fountains at the World War II Memorial.

It was a "TR" day for our trip to Washington, D.C. We drove the TRuck to the TRain, then took the TRolley around the city and the TRam around Arlington. We still managed to do a lot of walking even though it seems like it was all sedentary. The one day gave us just a taste of the city, making us want to come back for an extended stay. We had a chance to visit the Vietnam, Korean and World War II memorials in addition to several other sites. Our visit to Arlington National Cemetery and seeing the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was inspiring.

Getting around in Gettysburg

A re-enactment on one of the battlefields takes place in front of us.

The "General" of the Union Army overlooks the battlefield from his spot on Little Roundtop.

The Peace Memorial is in the background, the only monument dedicated to both the North and the South. At the top is an eternal flame.

This is the Pennsylvania Monument, the largest monument.

This soldier on his horse is for the 8th Penna Calvary.

The red brick house on the left is the famous Wills house where Lincoln stayed.

The Sachs Covered Bridge, outside of Gettysburg, near the Eisenhower Farm.

If you want to experience a piece of American history, GO to Gettysburg! This quaint town in Pennsylvania is not only home to the famous battlefields, but also the Wills house, where Abraham Lincoln slept the night before he gave his famous Gettysburg Address. Of the 200 homes that were there during the Civil War, there are 189 still standing! As you drive around the battlefields, you realize that everywhere you turn there is another statue or monument just waiting to be seen. We had to search for the Sachs Covered bridge, which turned out to be a challenge since GPS failed us miserably. This bridge was used by both the Union army and the Confederate army when it retreated. Many homes and barns still bear the bullet and cannon holes.

Plymouth Rocks!

This is the building built over the famous Plymouth Rock.

A replica of the Mayflower rests in the bay.

Flowers and the Jenney Grist Mill.

One of the headstones in the cemetery on the hill.

This is the Unitarian Universalist Church, the first parish in Plymouth, and started in 1620.

The Atlantic is cold enough to suck in your breath!

Plymouth rocks! Or should I say Plymouth Rock? Either way, this is a great place to visit. We did see the very famous boulder, a replica of the Mayflower, and explored around this quaint town. Things not to miss are the Jenney Grist meal, the Sparrow house (oldest wood frame home in Plymouth) and the cemetery. It was interesting to read the headstones from the 17th and 18th centuries.

After leaving Plymouth, we drove over to Cape Cod National Seashore, and Laurel was brave enough to put her feet into the Atlantic ocean, which was quite cold. We can truly say we have been coast to coast this year!

Maine-ly for Fun

The Margaret Todd Schooner in Bar Harbor, Maine

"All hands on deck!" Gary, Sherry, Laurel and Don are waiting to set sail!

View of the boats on Bay Harbor at sunset.

Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse

What else do you want to indulge in when you get to Maine, other than LOBSTER?!

We spent the Labor Day weekend in Bar Harbor, and we blessed with warm temperatures and sunny days. Acadia National Park was on our list as one of the places we wanted to visit, and it didn't disappoint us! The view from Cadillac Mountain looking out to the Atlantic and also over to Bar Harbor was stunning. Lunch was seafood, of course! Who would ever want a hamburger when you have lobsters all around you?

On Saturday, we treated ourselves to a sunset ride on the Margaret Todd, a schooner. It sails out of Bar Harbor. The island even has free bus service, so we took the shuttle bus from our KOA campground into Bar Harbor, since parking is at a premium any where near the town center. We set sail at 6 PM and got back in at 7:30, just in time for a beautiful sunset. Sunday found us wandering down the island again, traveling to the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. What a glorious weekend!

What's new in New Hampshire?

Our site backed up to the Ammonoosuc River. Don't ask us how to pronounce this!

Welcome to New Hampshire sign at the state line.

So what's new in New Hampshire? Not much! Spent only one night at the Littleton/Lisbon KOA. What did we do there? Nothing but 4 loads of wash!

The Vagabonds in Vermont

Evening descends on Lake Champlain.

Our site in Grand Isle State Park.

Dinner is almost ready!

I really don't scream for ice cream, but I sure do love it!

Ah, "Nirvana" for ice cream lovers!

On Monday, August 31st, we wound up staying at the Grand Isle State Park, located in Vermont. It's one of the islands on Lake Champlain. State Route 2 took us on small, winding roads through 3 long and skinny islands before it reached the town of Burlington. Staying on Grand Isle was peaceful, since the sites were huge and it wasn't crowded. The only downside was the fact that we had to dry camp. No electricity meant no access to the laptop! Horrors! Is there such a thing as Internet withdrawal? We bought firewood, and Sherry got a great fire started so we could cook our evening meal and have coffee. We also cooked breakfast over the fire.

On Tuesday morning, we left and traveled across Vermont, not a long trip at all. Made an important stop.......at Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory! The free sample at the end of the tour was a combination of orange sherbet and vanilla ice cream, which tasted quite similar to a 50/50 bar we had when growing up. Of course, that whetted our appetite for more ice cream! Each of us wound up getting our favorite ice cream waffle cone before heading on down the road.

Niagara Falls & Westcott Beach

View of Lake Ontario from Wescott State Beach.

A lifeguard stand, but no lifeguard! It was way too cold for anyone to be in that water!

This is the site we shared at Wescott State Beach. It was more than big enough for our two rigs.

Choppy water on Lake Ontario.

Gary and Sherry take a moment for a picture at Niagara Falls. It was a cold and cloudy day.

Us with the American Falls in the background.

Wind, spray, clouds and the famous falls.

The rain and clouds continued to follow us from Michigan, through Canada and over to Niagara Falls. Fortunately, it stopped raining about 10 AM, so we headed over to Niagara Falls State Park, on the U.S. side of the border. We didn't want to waste precious time trying to get over to the Canadian side of the falls, since it looked like it could pour at any minute! We stayed in the Niagara Falls North KOA on Friday and Saturday night. On Sunday morning, we drove to Wescott State Beach, which is near Watertown, NY, and right on Lake Ontario. Boy, was it ever cold and windy there! For us, it felt like winter time, only they kept reminding us it was the end of September.