The Lelacks are moving south

Greetings from Maine!

As we were camping in one of our last camps in Maine, we made friends with a chipmunk. To be fair, we were buying his friendship with chips and grapes. Rose and Chris stuffed their cheeks with grapes to see how many they could store. They did beat the chipmunk as he could only carry three. Chris and Rose must have had seven or eight packed in. Chris had the hardest time not biting and chewing...but with practice he should get it. Now if only I could find where they buried all that food. (picture of lumpy faces)

We hunted everywhere for moose. We asked the locals and game wardens and were assured they exist and where to find them. Did you know that the best time to find moose is at dawn, dusk and from noon to 2:00 PM? Now I understand dawn and dusk...but lunch time? We checked with a few authorities and they confirmed that moose do get up and wander out for lunch and after eating go back for their siesta. Too much!!!! The one we finally found was located in a moose rehab. There were several there for us to see...but it sure feels like cheating.

Next to the moose rehab was a fish hatchery. When I asked Rose what she enjoyed most that day I was ready to hear "seeing moose". But what I got was "feeding the fish". The hatchery has a coin-operated dispenser so we could get the feed. It was thrilling to see all those fish jump for the single piece of food we dropped (ever teased fish?). There were some real battles going on with them. Land-locked salmon seems to be the big sport fish in this area, and I think that is what were in the tanks. Rose was the last to leave, so I got a picture of her totally enthralled with the feeding process.

Unfortunately, we did get rained-out of a lot of outdoor activities that would have been awesome. We were camped close to Acadia National Forest and managed to get there a couple hours before the week long storm hit. This island was once owned by the Rockefeller family who developed the carriage paths to counter the road development for automobiles. The paths were all designed to not allow for cars. When they gave the island to the national park service it was decided to leave it the same--which is a treasure now. There are wonderful places to go and see. We managed to drive the 40-mile scenic route and play on the only beach, then it rained. And rained. And rained. It started to feel an awful lot like home. It rained until we left--we did not get to hike any of the trails. Maybe when we come back? I did manage a picture of Bar Harbour from one of the pull-outs on the scenic route.

The sun did return after we moved camp further south. It was time for Jerry to do some serious lobster eating. Rose and I begged off. Chris and Jerry had their share, but not their fill. I know there is more to come when we return again to the sea.

The only "old" historical site we found at the new campsite, was Fort William Henry. This is the third fort built on the same site. Each time the Indians managed to destroy it. The first fort (built in the 1600's) was built with wood and the formerly friend Indians burnt it. It was rebuilt with stone, (early 1700's) but the mortar was too weak to withstand the bombs lobbed from the French ships in the harbor. The third rebuild was with reinforced stone and it lasted long enough for a settlement to develop. The French-Indian war was waged in this area and pretty much routed this group. The site is a wonderful picnic site with a terrific view of the harbor. Chris found a fuzzy caterpillar (which shows on his arm). Both children wanted to adopt it until it turned into a butterfly. He managed to escape between the rocks, which saved me from saving him.

We had a wonderful time in Maine, but alas, it is time to move south. Bidding fairwell to such a beautiful state is with mixed feelings. We have thoroughly enjoyed everything (except the rain). We have picked some new places to go should we ever be blessed with a return trip. However, we know that there is just as much to enjoy in our next state: New Hampshire.

Had Our First Major Celebration

Chris turned five on the same day we decided to travel way-up north. There is a picture of him with his favorite present from his best friend, Calvin. It is a rocket launcher fishing pole. All the males will like the idea of a gun-shooting-fishing-pole.

Our plan was to go to Camponella which is FDR's childhood summer home. It is also the only International Park in the world. The home is located on an island in New Brunswick. This island is tied closely with the United States so having a co-operative park makes sense. There are more Americans visiting the site than visitors from any other country. Going through customs was a piece of cake.

I must admit that we were jaded having already seen that summer cabin in Vermont. The Roosevelt cottage wasn't' as opulent as the Vanderbilt cabin, but beautiful nonetheless. Once again the rain prevented us from enjoying what the main attraction would have been--wonderful paths and trails all across the island. The paths were planned when the developers were marketing this island to the wealthy as summer retreats. The young FDR made full use of hiking paths and all kinds of water sports. It is a swell place. (Swell is a word used when FDR was young.)

Neither could we fully enjoy the wonders of the Bay of Fundy. This bay has the lowest low tides of anywhere in the world. When the tide is out...you know it. The bottom of the bay is exposed to all the beach combers (birds, animals and people). It seems like the tide was a -23 or -24 feet the day we were there. Very interesting to see. While we enjoyed our ice cream watching the tide turn, the proprietor told us that whales actually swim by the deck occasionally.

We bravely faced the rain and traveled to the north side of the island and thought to hike out to the lighthouse. What we couldn't see when we started this 15 minute walk (on a clear day) was the steps that had to be descended, mud and rock flat traversed and more steps ascended. The lighthouse can only be accessed by land when the tide is out. The steps looked steep but possible. That was when we lost the first in our party (Jerry returned to keep the truck warm). Chris, Rose and I held tight to the railing and descended. When we reached the rocks at the bottom we realized that they were more treacherous than the steps. Wet slimy rocks try to pitch you right over. Carefully we made our way to the other set of steps without incident. Ok, there were the stops to check on all the cool things caught in the tide-pools. At the top of the steps the trail wound through a small woodlot and then shazaam!! Another set of steps with the bottom of the bay between. At first I figured we did it once, we could do it again. But, there was a huge difference between these steps and the first ones: no barriers under the hand rails AND they were considerably steeper. The rain was really pouring by this time (see picture), Rose was without her sweatshirt and it just didn't seem prudent to jeopardize our well-being for this adventure. I was actually proud of myself that I did the common-sense thing and took their picture and went back to the truck. If it hadn't been for the rain it would have been less dangerous and a definite "do". Maybe next time?

I guess we can't do everything.

Chris got to choose what he wanted for dinner since it was his birthday and we were a long way from home. His choice was "Spaghetti or anything healthy." We hunted for an Italian restaurant for 70 miles, finally settling for a pizza place that advertised pasta. Guess what he ordered? Pizza. So much for healthy. The staff were great though and hunted up some candles to put on his piece of cake. They don't sing for people in restaurants here...so we didn't either. We sang in the truck.

Til next time

Hiking and resting a lot now

We have discovered the most wonderful thing about these children--they have
incredible stamina.  Also have realized they need better shoes. From our
camp, there are some really incredible hiking trails within shouting
distance (if you shout like Jerry).

The first hike we took was to a place called Step Falls.  The rocks at the
bottom of the mountain allow the stream to fall into a serious of pools all
the way to the top third of the canyon.  This last part is the most
impressive as it is one solid piece of rock that has been weathered by the
water into a serious of pools (hence the name Step).  The folks in Maine are
not sissies when it comes to hiking.  There are few switchbacks in the trail
so it is up and up and then straight up the face of rock cliffs.  Rose and
Chris kept saying how awesome it all was.  Trust me, they are children and
don't say things just to please.  If they hated it they would just sit down
and say "no more" like any other child.  They pressed on until the top and
still had stuff left to go some more.

Another day and another hike to a place set-up for field trips for school
children.  There were interpretive signs along the trail describing the
flora and fauna ('sept there wasn't any of that fauna stuff).  Jerry and I
both commented when we pulled ourselves up the last rock ledge to our
resting spot, that we wouldn't want to be responsible for a class of
10-year-olds on this trail.  The view was spectacular.  This trail ended up
being close to a six-mile loop.  Again Rose and Chris were simply amazing.
They oohed and ahhed with the best of us.  In the distance from the last
view area we supposedly could even see our campground.

By adding the hope of seeing a moose in the mix, we are all gung-ho to get
out in the woods.  One thing lacking with Rose and Chris is quiet.  They
both talk non-stop and when they finally run out of things to say, they
start making noises.  Lots of different animal noises.  Since we did hear a
wolf howl one night here, that is now their favorite animal sound to make.

We are close to the beach AND within driving distance of Tom's of Maine
Toothpaste factory, so we left the woods for a day.  The funnest thing about
the factory was putting the first mark on their map for Salem, Oregon and
using crayons on their wall.  Of course, we got gobs of samples of
toothpaste and dental floss, but if you asked for a vote, the samples from
Hershey's wins hands-down.

Playing in the Atlantic Ocean was exciting.  They have huge clams that most
everyone was ignoring (but not our Rose and Chris).  We had to limit them to
only taking two clam shells (empty) when we left.

It was a startling thought to stand and look out at the Atlantic Ocean and
realize how far we came to see it.  We know we are extremely blessed to have
this adventure, and are so thankful to God for giving us this gift of travel
and time.

While traveling to the beach we came upon a real road sign.  The names of
the countries are actual names of the towns in this part of Maine.  Jerry
said that this is the same sign that was used in the TV program Northern
Exposure (which was filmed in Washington).

This camp is in North Central Maine in the Moosehead Lake region.  You would
think with a name like Mousehead our chances would be better of seeing one
of those fellas...so far no go.  Another camper that lives by the coast
(where we are heading tomorrow--Saturday) said they had a moose in their
driveway, so we haven't given up hope yet.

We are dry camping here, which is a first for us.  It really isn't a problem
doing without hook-ups since last year at this time we only had a tent.  Uhm
..that is, until morning latte time.  I brought a latte machine (I have
chosen my addiction wisely) but it needs electricity.  The only outlet is in
the day-use area, which is where we are this morning.  Breakfasting in the
park so Oma can have a latte.  No complaints from the crew.  They love being
outside.

Next stop: the coast.

Mmmmmoose? Yeah right

Made it to the far Northeast.  Things are different here, let me tell you.
For one thing they have the most incredible road signs.  (Picture included)
One sign in particular is interesting.  It says something like "Moose are 6
times more likely to be hit for the next few miles.  Avoid moose."  I should
take a picture of that sign.  So far, we haven't seen any.  Rose is starting
to think moose live with the big fat dude (Santa Clause).

Our first campsite in Maine is located in the resort town of Bethel.
Believe it or not, but winter is high season here. Activities for the summer
are boundless and the weather sounds much better.  A guy at the gas station
said it was 70 below zero last winter (with the wind-chill factor).  Can you
believe they will tolerate that sort of temperature without even ONE coffee
shop in town?  A person could make a mint here with a latte machine (and I
am not talking about a mint latte).

We toured the Bumpus Mine and actually got to dig for some of the rare gems
that still remain in the tailings.  All of us got "rock fever".  We hardly
go anywhere now without trying to find a beaut.  While on our tour of the
mine we did find several pieces of tourmaline.  The better grades of this
semi-precious gem is aqua-marine.  Our pieces were small, but a trophy for
us never-the-less.  One of the better parts of the experience for Rose and
Chris was carrying a flashlight into a cave.  They were wonderful at the
digging part as well.  In fact, the tour-guide was impressed enough with
them that he worked with us an extra hour, after everyone else had left, to
make sure we even found some rose quartz.  We had ourselves a couple of
happy pebble puppies.

Here is something interesting (especially for our friend Todd).  Way back in
the olden-days in Maine, they mined and cut granite to use as curbs for
their streets.  This must be better than cement...or at any rate cheaper.
But wait--there is an update!  We witnessed new curbing being done and they
are still using granite!  Pretty curbs.  Bad roads.

We did get a couple of days of rain.  In fact, one day we left camp with the
temperature inching up to 80 and bright sunshine.  We left our awning down,
and when we got home it was down further and slightly lobsided.  It seems
thunderstorms build quickly when the humidity is high.  That is exactly what
happened and no one was available to put our awning away.  The park managers
were busy rescuing a group of 60 teachers stuck on the river avoiding the
lightening bolts.  Smart teachers decided to stop on an island rather than
go to shore to wait for the storm to pass.  The managers apologized to us as
they usually go out in the park to rescue awnings, but just couldn't do it
with those teachers being stranded and all.  Of course, we understood.

Believe me, we are learning from every mistake--so far there hasn't been any
mistakes that have even slowed us down, or changed our mind about this
adventure.

Traveling is a hard job...but someone has got to do it.

We are two states away from these pictures, but this is where we left you. 

Seems we are still playing catch-up...where does the time go?

When we were in Shelburne, Vermont we visited the local museum.  This must
be the mother of all museums.  The approach they took to display all their
collections is to place them separately in houses.  The houses are unique as
well.  Each one has some historically interest and were moved to the grounds
at different times.  It isn't just houses, there is a jail, a couple of huge
barns, a covered bridge, a depot.  The round barn had a quilt show. (Picture
of Rose at the Shaker barn.)

A U-shaped barn had a zillion carriages and sleighs.  There was a gypsy
wagon that captured my attention since that is the role we have assumed.
Sure would have been a miracle for us to cram all our junk into something
the size of that little number.  It was quite colorful, however.

The Ticonderoga was moved onto the museum grounds sometime in the '50's.
The video of the move is worth watching since the museum is miles from the
lake.  They built a special train track to pull the ship across the farmland
dismantling the track from behind and relaying it in front.  They were
happy counting feet in a day.  (picture attached)

One historic farmhouse was converted into a revolving children's learning
center.  On our visit it was dedicated to art.  Water painting was the
inter-active sport. Rose camped there for quite a while. Besides the
calendar, her artwork is the only thing on our wall.

A covered bridge held a special fascination since it was actually placed
over a pond.  The pond held the real show.  It was jam-packed with turtles.
There were so many we couldn't even count them...besides they refused to
stand still so we could.  There were some rather large ones that could hurt
if they latched on to you.

The following day was so beautiful and sunny we just had to give the bike
trail a try.  What a wonderful experience!!!  Especially discovering that
Rose can bicycle for 11 miles without complaining!!!  Of course, we did take
lots of breaks to help.  At the turn-around there was a beautiful park for
us to rest in.  Jerry and I rested.  Chris and Rose made friends and played
on all the equipment until time to get back on the bikes and head back the 5
5 miles to our truck. (Several pictures documenting our day on bikes.)

Great place Vermont.  Should be full of leaf-peepers by now.

Mixed Bag

We are deep into the New England states. You know they talk a lot different from the people we met in Kentucky...almost like two different countries. (Did I really say that?)

Got a call from social security the day we got here and they discovered that Jerry died some time ago, and they wanted his money back. Hmmm....that explains the smell. It took a couple trips to the office here and several calls to the office back there to get them to believe he was really alive and well (also known as fat and sassy).

After that mini-adventure, we needed to be treated--what could be better than having a bit of fat with our sugar? Ben and Jerry's is a beautiful 20 minutes from our camp. We may need another trip that way before we are through here. Not sure which is more enjoyable, the factory tour or the drive out there. This country is very inspiring. I knew there would be adventures here when I saw the "watch for moose" sign on the freeway. Our eyes haven't stopped watching for them yet.

We must be in factory-tour mode as we also toured a mom-and-pop chocolate factory and a teddy bear factory. But wait...the best is yet to come.

Over a century ago when railroads were being built, one of the barons came up this way to negotiate for a choo-choo to go through this region. He fell in love with it and brought his wife up to check things out. They bought thirty farms, combining them into one estate (Vanderbilt-Webb estate). They decided to built their hunting cabin on the part of the property that overlooked Lake Champlain. By the time the depression hit, they had several residences and their children were now maintaining them. They found they were a bit short of funds to continue all the homes, so this one was donated to a non-profit. It has been kept with the original furnishings. The barn is the first building that comes in view...and it is a show-stopper. It is now used as a children's educational farm experience. Every animal that is there is allowed to be touched by the children, and they do have a bunch of animals. We were entertained for many hours. Rose and Chris both were able to milk one of the dairy cows. They make cheese in another part of the barn which is sold locally. Another part of the barn is a huge bakery--ahhh...I can still smell the warm bread. There is a renaissance school also. That is only the first floor level of the barn. It is three-stories with a loft. No idea what they do with all of it. When you walk into the center courtyard you feel like you have entered a castle keep.

When the two oldest in our group got rather bored with chasing chickens, we decided to walk to the "cabin". It is 1.5 miles from the barn down a wonderful country lane. The air was incredibly fresh and cool...there wasn't a bit of complaining about spending our day thus engaged. When we rounded the corner giving us the first view of the dwelling, our breath stopped. The house was used for hunting parties and entertaining the local elite. It now is used as an Inn. We could only tour the lower floor...but it was almost too much for us. The original family consisted of the parents and four children. There must be 30 bedrooms. All rooms with a view of the lake. Many other out buildings are close-by that look like fancy servant houses. Below the house is the stables (can't keep the horses over the hill, you know). This stable is about half the size of the barn (which means it is still an immense castle). By the time we got there, I had used up both picture chips...sadly no pictures of it. But if you ever come here--this estate is a must see. Take the time to walk ALL the way out to the house and enjoy the view of the lake and the thrill of seeing those structures. One word--incredible. Made us wonder what their full-time house was like if this is the hunting cabin.