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We drove from Ellsworth, ME to Plymouth, MA on September 11. Pretty uneventful except for hitting Boston traffic. We killed a little time with a stop at Trader Joe’s and Claire getting her hair cut! We finally made it to Plymouth that evening.

Friday morning we woke early to go check out Plymouth Rock. Then we did some school work in a Walmart parking lot before heading to the KOA in Middleborough.

The next morning we took the commuter train into Boston to walk the Freedom Trail. Highlights included coffee at Ogawa (thanks to Amelia for the recommendation), Faneuil Hall, the Holocaust Memorial, Bunker Hill and the presentation there, and the U.S.S. Constitution. We caught the commuter train back and picked up pizza on the way back to the campground.

After making pancakes the next morning we drove down to Bristol, Rhode Island. This was one of the places Matt has really enjoyed working and was excited for showing us around. We were graciously hosted by a guy (Rob) that Matt had worked with and his family. It was an enjoyable afternoon/evening making new friends.

The next morning we walked to a couple parks on the ocean to do school and got coffee/steamers. From there we did a little more exploring before getting a thorough tour of the factory from Rob. Quite an impressive operation and a wonderful learning experience.

From there we drove to New Haven, CT to get thin, New Haven crust, mashed potato pizza. City logistics can get complicated with the camper, but after trying to figure out how to make it work, Matt said we should just go for it – order the pizza and he’ll drive the van and camper through downtown New Haven to pick it up! The bouncer at the pizza place laughed as I hopped out of the van to pick up the pizza, but it went better than expected and the pizza was fabulous!

The next day after getting some school done, we had plans to go back into New Haven for hamburgers at Louis’ Lunch. This is the birthplace of the hamburger, and Reece and I had been talking about making this happen for months. Check out their history here (https://louislunch.com/history/). Matt dropped us off a few blocks away and then unfortunately ended up driving the camper through the Yale campus. He was stressed out, but Claire, Reece, and I just waited patiently for our food to be made in the original ‘machines’ they used. A fun experience for us – sorry Matt!

From there we continued on to Kittatinny Campground in Milford, PA where we could look across the Delaware River to New Jersey, and visit our friends, the Mortensons, in Port Jervis, NY. We enjoyed dinner and their company two nights in a row before leaving our camper with Dan’s parents and heading upstate with just the van.

The drive was beautiful, and the scenic route we took made us glad we did not have the camper. We stayed with my Aunt Lise (my mom’s cousin) in Amsterdam, NY. What a lovely visit! We toured Old Fort Johnson and the Erie Canal, were treated to lunch by Aunt Debby at a fun roadside café and then went apple picking and through a corn maze at Sand Flats Orchard. The owners lived in Colorado Springs for a number of years. Such fun!

The next day were joined by Michael, Lise’s husband, and went up to Lake George, NY and saw a re-enactment of the Battle of Lake George. Very impressive and informative. It was a gorgeous fall day!

Thankful to Aunt Lise for such a relaxing and fun time with good food (stuffed shells and meatballs, miso eggplant, potstickers, the sushi name I can’t pronounce, Stewart’s ice cream, and blueberry muffins), good conversation, and lots of family history! Five stars for Camp Coolidge (aka Aunt Lise’s house)!

From there, we took advantage of being camper-less and detoured to Vermont (since we were close and hadn’t visited that state yet) to do an overnight backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail. It was nice to get out in the woods, and the fall colors were really starting to pop!

During the middle of the night we heard a loud screech/scream. We thought it was a screech owl, but with the help of Dan’s dad, we figured out it was probably a fox! If you’re interested to know what the fox says – listen to this or this – you’re welcome.

We got help from Dan’s dad, because we went back to their house to pick up the camper after backpacking in Vermont. That was also a beautiful drive on some smaller roads with the fall colors really starting to come in. We ended up making a short detour to see FDR’s home in Hyde Park, NY. We really only saw the grounds because we were there late in the day and home tours were no longer running. Beautiful nonetheless.

Dan’s parents were gracious enough to let us stay on their property that evening and even gave us a wonderful tour of the wood shop and garden and breakfast the next morning. Super grateful for the generosity of ‘strangers’ who are now ‘friends’.

From there we travelled more narrow roads (now with the camper) through the Delaware River Gap Recreation Area (PA side) down to our friends’ house a little outside Philadelphia. It was wonderful to see Ryan and Claudia and their girls and their dogs. Their property (including their garden, treehouse, and fabulous Halloween decorations – of course) is amazing, and we’re so grateful that we get to spend some time with them and they let us crash and leave the camper there.

We did end up having to leave the next day to travel to the Pittsburgh area where Matt has several days of work. I’m writing this from a hotel room on a rainy day near Pittsburgh. Don’t worry, we’ll go back to Ryan and Claudia’s and see them more and even get to camp with them!

The new element of leaving the camper is freeing, but packing and unpacking adds to the mental load. Learning new things!

Still enjoying the road and making it work! Matt has several work jobs lined up, so that’s great!

(Once again – pictures coming eventually. After I catch up on all the others! )

Since I last posted we left Amherst Shore and travelled to the Bay of Fundy. We stayed at the New River Beach Provincial Park. The land for the park was donated to New Brunswick to be made a park for the public. We could walk to the beach from our campsite. It was great.

Fundy Bay has the highest tides in the world, so the change is very significant. We walked the beach each evening at low tide (and one morning) to search for ocean treasures. We found jellyfish, sand dollars, sand eels, hermit crabs, clam shells, mussel shells, lots of cool seaweed, and so much more!

It was rather rainy and wet while we were there. We went for a 5 km hike out a peninsula one day when it was drizzly. There were beautiful overlooks, an over abundance of undergrowth in the forest, and a bog!

The next day rained all day and the camper started feeling a bit small, so we headed into St. John’s to see the reverse falls. The St. John River flows into the bay while the tide is low enough, but as the tide rises, the water pushes back against the river and actually makes the water flow the opposite direction. Needless to say, there are lots of rapids and whirlpools that happen because of this. We went at high tide, so we saw it flowing backwards. In between high tide and low tide is slack tide -where the water is calm and the only time small boats can travel across this section of water.

After seeing the reversing falls, we went to get Beavertails (a Canadian treat we’d seen a few times – fried dough with toppings) at Claire’s request. It was located in a shipping container shopping/eating/entertainment area. A great idea!

From Fundy Bay we headed back to the States. We crossed the border in Milltown, ME. It was rather uneventful. We were one of a number of RV/campers that were crossing that day. They even let us keep our store bought apples, carrots, celery, and cucumber. They did however take our half green pepper that we had. Claire said that she would have eaten it had she known. (We laughed thinking about Claire scarfing down the green pepper in front of the Customs agent.)

We continued to Ellsworth, ME to set us up for seeing Acadia National Park the next day. It was a nice campground with a pool, playground, arcade, and tavern.

We went into Acadia, the next day and realized we were woefully unprepared. We got to the visitor center, but it was just long lines of people trying to get information and passes. We finally figured out that the best way to travel is by the shuttles they have. Wanting to make it to Thunder Hole 2 hours before high tide, we hopped on a shuttle without any preparation. It was a lovely, calm, sunny day, so Thunder Hole wasn’t super impressive and we walked down the coast to Otter Cliffs. From there we hopped back on the shuttle with many others and rode to Jordan Pond. It was packed. We found food and water and decided to hike Jordan Cliffs on recommendation from my good high school friend who lived in Maine a long time. We filled my 16 oz. coffee cup with water (our only container) and headed out. Having little clue of what we were going to encounter, we discovered we were rather unprepared for an awesome adventure. It was an impressive trail along cliffs at times with metal staples for steps/railings. We encountered a family with parents carrying their 2 small kids in hiking backpacks and a group of guys who come hike this trail every year because it’s their favorite.

We veered off the Jordan Cliffs trail near the end to summit Penobscot Mountain before heading back down to Jordan Pond and then up and over to Bubble Pond to catch the shuttle.

After Acadia we went into Bar Harbor for dinner where we enjoyed lobster and lobster bisque. We also walked part of the island trail that only shows up during low tide. Once again we were amazed at the number of people that were there on a random Tuesday in September.

The drive ‘home’ wasn’t too bad either.

We spent one more day in Ellsworth to ‘repack the boats’ (laundry, cleaning, school, organizing, etc.) before heading towards Boston.

We feel like we’re moving quickly, but fall and cooler temps are coming. And we’re liking the pace so far. Sometimes I think we should stay and dig deeper, and then I realize we’re just making this up as we go along, so we can do whatever!

It’s been a bit since I updated (again). We have had minimal internet the last few nights, and minimal time the few nights before that!

So, we found out that Canada also has Labor Day, and campsites fill up fast for that weekend! But we found a spot to stay at the South Montreal KOA. It had a fun playground, nice bathrooms, and good access to Montreal. Upon arrival (Friday of Labor Day weekend), there was a festive and fall feel in the air. The next morning it was raining and we took it slow. We eventually went into Montreal and hiked in the Mount Royal Park (or Parc du Mont-Royal in French). It was drizzling for the first half of the hike and downpouring for the second half. We were grateful for rain jackets and umbrella but were dripping wet upon arriving back at the van!

And we were grateful for art! The signs had great pictures, especially since we don’t speak French.

We then got warm beverages at a small café (and I include small, because it was probably about the size of our bathroom) and wandered around for a few blocks since the rain had stopped. We saw beautiful buildings, a church with 2 limos pulling up and a wedding party getting out, and some beautiful flowers. Definitely a tiny, but wonderful, taste of the city.

Upon the recommendation of our neighbor, Jason, at the KOA, we headed to Quebec City next. Since we had gone to Montreal, we had thought about skipping Quebec City, but we are so glad we didn’t! We got a campsite in Beaumont and then took the ferry over to Quebec City. So cool. When you get off the ferry you are at the base of the old town and just go up – streets, staircases, etc. It was Sunday of Labor Day weekend, and it was packed! We walked up to the Fairmont Hotel, to the Citadel, by parliament, and through a pedestrian road/shopping/food place. The terrain was anything but flat and so, so cool! It felt very European. One of our favorite places so far.

Campsite Photos in Beaumont – Camping Guilmette

From there we continued north and east to Riviere-du-Loup along the St. Lawrence River – which we found out turns to salt water just east of Quebec City. We found a lovely park to walk/play and narrow scenic roads to drive our large camper down. No pedestrians were injured in this excursion. This was the furthest north we have been on our trip.

We then set sights southward to Nova Scotia. That meant travelling south away from the St. Lawrence corridor to head over the Canadian section of the Appalachian Mountains. Our van did great hauling over the hills which was a relief. And we think we’ve finally named the van and the camper – Van = Moby, Camper = Richard (Dick for short). It stemmed from the idea that the van looks a bit like a great white whale. It has stuck.

It was Labor Day as we were driving, and we saw a number of hot air balloons in the sky as we drove. Reminded us of Labor Day in Colorado Springs!

We stopped in Great Falls, New Brunswick to check out some great falls and then continued to Woodstock, New Brunswick where we parked in a Walmart parking lot for the evening. Amazingly enough, the Walmart was closed – for Labor Day! When we pulled into the parking lot there was one other van there, but within an hour there were a total of 8 of us!

We also tried to see the northern lights that night, but with the lights of the parking lot, we didn’t see anything with the naked eye. I took a zoomed-in picture on my phone, and you can see a tinge of pink/purple, but it’s not impressive – but still sort of cool.

The next morning, we drove to Amherst Shore, Nova Scotia. We stayed here 3 nights on a nice, wooded campsite. Wednesday, we did school (not on the go), and then went to Pugwash, N.S. Yes, Pugwash. It was recommended by a campground employee, and we were skeptical with that name, but it was really impressive. We visited the Thinker’s Lodge (a national historic site). It was the site of the first conference of scientists for peace called for in the Russell-Einstein Manifesto in 1955 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell%E2%80%93Einstein_Manifesto). It was hosted by Cyrus (and Anne) Eaton and became known as the Pugwash conference which is still held today. The conference won a Nobel Peace Prize with Joseph Rotblat in 1995. The actual Nobel Peace Prize is on display in the house. The house is still used today for conferences, weddings, etc.

We also found out that there are salt mines in Pugwash – like mines that go down 1000-1500 feet and then out under the harbor where they harvest industrial salt. Matt really wanted a tour, but they stopped giving them a few years back…

After that we went over to the ‘beach’ area where they had docks as well. We met another family there who was catching sea creatures. We caught/saw crabs (including hermit crabs), starfish, schools of little fish, and other random treasures. We need to get our own nets for catching things!

A stop for ice cream rounded out the day. Another good one.

On Thursday we went to Prince Edward Island National Park. We went to the Green Gables Visitor Center where we learned so much about Lucy Maud Montgomery and got to see the life she lived and created for her fictional ‘Anne-girl’. An experience complete with dress up clothes, walks through the woods, and raspberry cordial. (I put a lot of quotes from from here on our quote page. Feel free to check them out!) Then we took a drive through the park and around the island. A stop at the beach and then for fish and chips and poutine rounded out the day before heading ‘home’ to Nova Scotia. Prince Edward Island was one of the places I was most looking forward to going as we were planning this trip- so glad it was able to happen. We are tired, but grateful for this experience.

Thanks for following along! We think of you all often! Please feel free to reach out if you have any suggestions or want to connect!

Sorry for the delay in updates. We haven’t had the greatest internet, which is why there aren’t any pictures in this post.

We had a wonderful week in Holland with family. Lots of pool and beach time. Good food and memories made with people we love and cherish. Sorry if we missed you in our time there. We promise to come back again!

We left Holland on Monday morning (August 25) and headed across the state to Pontiac Lake State Recreation Area. We stayed there two nights so we could go to the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, MI. It was fabulous!

Pontiac Lake State Recreation Area

At the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation we got to see the chair Lincoln was shot in. We sat in Rosa Park’s bus seat (the actual bus has been refurbished and put in the museum). We stood by presidential limousines – including the one Kennedy was shot in. We got to tour the Dymaxian house (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dymaxion_house). And so much more! We saw so much history. Really incredible.

After that we headed into Canada – they let us in! Thankfully it was pretty uneventful to get in. We’ll keep you updated on how the border crossing back into America goes!

We dipped our toes into Lake Huron, then headed southeast to camp on the shores of Lake Erie at Turkey Point Provincial Park. We drove through many fields of corn, soybeans, strawberries, tobacco, and asparagus. We also stopped to help a man pulled over on the side of the road – he just needed some water for his overheating truck. He gave us a tour of the 11 toilet trailer he had just purchased and was hauling. He was very excited about it!

That night we toasted being in Canada, waded in Lake Erie, and watched the sunset. The next morning we went for a short hike before leaving. Then we headed northeast, stopped in a small town for groceries, and then hit rush hour traffic in Toronto. We finally made it to The Big Apple (no, not NYC). It’s a lovely tourist trap on the side of the highway that had great food and a free place to park for the night. And then maple coffee, hot apple cider, bathrooms, and a petting zoo in the morning.

From there we went to the shores of Lake Ontario – to touch our 5th and final Great Lake of the summer. The shore was a plethora of perfect skipping stones (and lots of seaweed, a dead fish, and some washed up trash). Reece was in his glory skipping rocks over the small waves.

Because school is sometimes tough in a van, and we had been driving a lot lately, we stopped at Grass Creek Park along the way to stretch our legs and get some schoolwork done. We ended up meeting and playing with some locals who were also at the park. Then they went swimming in the river, so we did too! (Trying to embrace opportunities!) Needless to say, less schoolwork was accomplished than originally planned, but a fun experience was had by all!

Then we continued northeast.

We spent 2 nights on the northwest side of Indianapolis in the middle of corn and soybean fields. Pretty sure the corn was taller than our camper (which is almost 11 feet)! They had a mini golf course, a pool, and an extra large Adirondack chair for pictures. (Yes, my feet look huge!)

We spent a full day at the Children’s Museum in Indianapolis. It was a wonderful experience and fun to have a field trip for the second day of school!

The pictures don’t do justice to the amount of fun, interactive learning opportunities we encountered. It was really fabulous!

From there we headed up to Holland to visit my family while Matt went on a couple back-to-back work trips. It’s a great pit stop to a place and people that we love. I don’t have many pictures to post yet from all the swimming and fun (and school, and laundry, and organizing/cleaning) we’ve been doing, but we did finally get our U.S. map on the back of our van. (Thank you Sarah Garrett!!) Putting all the states on made us realize how many miles we have already covered in the van this summer.