History in Pennsylvania

Wrightsville is where we found John Wright Store and Restaurant near the sight where the world's longest covered bridge (5,960 feet) once spanned the Susquehanna River connecting to Columbia. The bridge was built in 1814 and destroyed by high water and ice in 1832. The replacement bridge was burned in 1863 during the Gettysburg Campaign of the Civil War. Wright's Ferry was the first means of crossing the river beginning in 1730.

We also discovered a lime kiln, used to burn limestone and turn it into lime.

Naturally, driving through Lancaster County you will see many farms similar to this one.

On the Boardwalk

As we arrived at Atlantic City we saw closed casinos and boarded up businesses. The Trump Taj Mahal is open, but not as grand as I expected a Trump business to be. We passed through the casino to get to the boardwalk. Our first stop was Landshark Restaurant for lunch. Afterward we walked the boardwalk, exploring the various shops. We entered the casinos at Bally's and Caesar's Palace and it was very noticeable that  they were less than half full. One casino employee told us business would pick up July 4th.

We made a quick stop at the nearby SAM's Club to purchase four coach batteries for the motorhome. We found the batteries were bad when we arrived  at Timberline Lake Campground. Ray and Dave got them installed and now everything is in order again as we prepare to roll on down the highway again. 

Visiting Great Friends!

We spent the day in Toms River, New Jersey with Jim & Marilyn at their beautiful home.

New York City

We started the day with a commute to the city on a New Jersey Transit train from Harriman to Hoboken then a short trip on the subway to WTC. The trip went smoothly from the automated ticket purchases to the transfer from train to subway. Linda had been to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in October so she decided to stay at the motorhome with the dogs.

Our excursion to the city centered around the National September 11 Memorial and Museum and the One World Observatory. A time to enter the observatory is assigned to the tickets at the time of purchase. We had a 2-hour wait so we walked over to the memorial pools then a bit farther to lunch. There was a short wait once we returned to the observatory. At 1776 feet, the building is the tallest in the western hemisphere. During the elevator ride to the 102nd floor there is a 47 second video depicting 500 years of the Manhattan skyline, at the end of the video the doors open to the magnificent view today. There is also a restaurant there and visitors have access to the two floors below for the panoramic views of the city.

Following the observatory we went to the National September 11 Museum, where again the time to enter is assigned to the tickets at the time of purchase. Our assigned time was just minutes away. It is amazing how the museum is built around the remains of the two towers. Most of the museum is below ground level. I wonder if visitors in fifty years will still feel the same somberness we did. The sadness was intensified when we entered the room where photographs are displayed of those who perished September 11, 2001. 3,000 is a large number and upon entering the room my breath was taken away by the sight of so many, but as I read each name and examined each face the sadness was so very real for each one of them and the loved ones they left behind.

Tuesday we all took the train from Harriman to Secaucus where we transferred to another train to New York Penn Station. At Secaucus we were at the track just about to board the train, when we heard the announcement that the train to Penn Station was leaving from a different track. Everyone aboard quickly ran off the train up the stairs to get over to the correct train. We turned and followed them and learned from one of women that was the second time the train had been switched. She told us that happens regularly and she has the hardest time getting to work on time.

The others have had enough of NYC, I could stay and take the train into the city again and again, but it was time to pull up the stakes and get rolling down the highway again.

West Point

The adventure for today was a visit to West Point. We were permitted to drive and walk the entire campus. We just couldn't enter any building. The Hudson River overlook was gorgeous! I got several photos of the Parade Field and the tree planted by the class of 1874.

Bar Harbor Behind Us...

New York City ahead of us. Today is a traveling day for us. We won't try to go the entire distance today, we'll stop at about the halfway point for the night. The roads in Maine are making for a bumpy ride this morning.

Lulu

Today's adventure took us aboard Lulu with Captain John Nicolai. We set out to see Egg Island Lighthouse, harbor seals and see a demonstration of lobster fishing. Captain John was a wealth of information. We have learned so many things during this summer adventure and today's lessons were well planned and skillfully presented. Thank you Captain John and Steerman Frank!  Wait until you see the 4-pound lobster Dave ate today! The blueberry pie was mine.

Spirit of Acadia

We did a bit of sightseeing around Bar Harbor, beginning at the harbor where we watched the fishermen aboard the Poseidon prepare bait bags for their lobster traps. We learned that last year was a record year for the fishing industry in Maine with 120,000,000 pounds of lobster being caught and sold at $4.00 per pound. Toured Acadia National Park with our tour guide, Mike, on Oli's Trolley. Mike shared so much history and information I can't come close to remembering all of it now. One very bit of information I found incredibly interesting was a family built a 100 room cottage here and loved to entertain. The dining room table would seat 100 for dinner, then be lowered into the floor where the servants would set the table again for dessert. While the table was gone the dining room was used as a ballroom. There were more important facts shared as well, such as the Wisconsin Glacier carved out the islands here. We had planned to have dinner at C-Ray Lobster pound, but we waited a bit too late, and found we were too late at the other lobster pounds nearby, so we returned to Fiddlehead Restaurant, where we had the lobster dinners Tuesday.

Welcome to Maine

Look who welcomed us to Maine!

 Of course we had lobster for dinner....

I Love Thousand Islands!

This is our first time to visit this area and I hope it won't be our last. The people we've met have been welcoming, neighborly and full of information. It is understandable why so many New Yorkers have chosen Thousand Islands for their summer retreat. 

 I would never have dreamed a river could have such translucent water as the St. Lawrence River. The island residents even use the remarkably clean river water in their homes, after light filtration.

The quaint villages of Alexandria Bay and Clayton have fascinating shops, locally owned restaurants and charming homes dating back to the turn of the last century.  I could wander the streets, admiring the homes for several more weeks. 

 We took the Two Nation Tour which was one of several choices at Uncle Sam Boat Tours. Our tour director was a native of the area, living on one of the islands. He shared so much information and history I wish I had used a voice recorder. The tour included Millionaire Row and even a tiny man-made island with a small cottage built there. Our last stop on the tour was Boldt Castle.

I had read the history of Boldt Castle before arriving so I knew George C. Boldt built the castle as a display of his love for his wife, Louise. When she died suddenly, just before the completion of the castle, he abandoned the construction and never returned. The castle and other stone buildings sat abandoned for 73 years until the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired the castle of Heart Island. The revenue from tours is used to restore and improve the castle and other buildings. It wasn't until I entered the spectacular ballroom, which never hosted even one grand soiree, that I perceived the unquestionable sadness of this love story.  

Niagara Falls

Tuesday was a travel day for us. We left Cleveland behind and Niagara County RV Resort was our destination. After checking in at NCRR we headed out to Niagara Falls. We wandered around taking in the siights and sounds of the falls and the many, many tour groups.  We enjoyed dinner at Hard Rock Cafe, a first for us, then went back to the falls to see the lights,

Wednesday was spent in Canada. The views of the falls were spectacular from the observation deck of the Skylon Tower and lunch there was scrumptious!  

Today we traveled again! This time our destination is the Thousand Islands area of New York where we are staying at Thousand Islands Campgrounbd in Clayton. Everyone here is very friendly and tomorrow we'll go out to see the sights here along the Saint Lawrence River. 

Cleveland Rocks!

The summer adventure has begun in Cleveland. We met Dave and Linda at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds where we setup our motorhomes to stay a couple of nights. Dinner last night was at a local place, Brew Garden, in Berea, Ohio. The food was delicious and there was live music. Today we visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We listened to music and learned about many rock and roll artists.

While at Brew Garden we could have charged our cell phones! Will Cell Juicers be in every restaurant, mall, or on street corners?