Shrimp a la Spartanburg

So here we are in Spartanburg, South Carolina.  Because motorhome people don't like to be hurried during their adventures, we turned that easy one-day drive from Alexandria into a leisurely two-day cruise, stopping for one night midway.  Next day, we pulled into our campsite here in the early afternoon, giving us plenty of time to get settled before heading to the local Red Lobster restaurant for a dinner of endless shrimp.

Oh, did we mention that our son is a server there?  This country may be teetering on a recession, but people are filling the tables for endless shrimp.  We know the restaurant manager, the bar manager, and of course that handsome young Mr. Chambliss, el server numero uno, and we still had to wait 15 minutes for a table on a Tuesday evening.

But how the wait was worth it.  We feasted on every type of shrimp dish Red Lobster prepares right now ... parmesan, scampi, coconut, alfredo, sweet and spicy, popcorn.  All of it was yummy.  The service, of course, was top notch, and we had a great time.  

It was good to see our son, and while we could have partied into the night, we all had to turn in early because the next two days had been set aside for Frank and Matt to golf.  We said our goodbyes for the evening, headed back to the campground, and turned in for the night, anticipating the next day's adventures.

Fanfest in Alexandria

from the Chambliss balcony

We have spent several relaxing days with Frank's parents in Alexandria, VA.

It is always a treat to come here, but especially so in September or October - prime TV viewing months for sports fans.  NCAA football, major league baseball, and the NFL . . . it's hard to decide which game to watch.  So, of course, we have tried to watch them all.  Watching with Carroll and Christene Chambliss is pretty fun ... it would be hard to find two people more knowledgeable about baseball and football.  Christene knows her pitchers.

Hallmark Condominium

We have had quite a weekend:  Our Tampa Bay Rays are still in the hunt for the wild card berth (let's hope they stay strong).  The Chargers won (it was not pretty, but style points are not awarded in football).  The Buccaneers beat Atlanta (wowser).  Clemson is 4-0 to start the NCAA football season.  The Buckeyes even look pretty good, considering their changes this year.

Beautiful new carpet

Our visit is always too short.  We have enjoyed the wonderful hospitality here, and of course Christene's delectable meals.  My goodness, can she cook!  Sigh . . . we will miss her signature dishes.

So now we are headed south again.  South Carolina beckons, and we are going to visit our son Matt and his fiancee Rae.  Frank says there is golf to be played, and Linda knows there is a great yarn shop in town.

The journey continues.

Beginning the Journey Home

 

We spent 2 nights near Reading, Pennsylvania.  We just relaxed, got a pizza (and beer ... read previous post) from Pizza Hut, had a lovely campfire, and enjoyed the scenery.

Then we drove 70 miles south to the heart of the Pennsylvania Dutch Country in Lancaster County.  We stayed at a very nice park in the middle of the beautiful farm country.   Rather than take in the touristy traps (of which there are many) we just spent two afternoons driving through the countryside and back country roads seeing the Amish farms.

 

This part of Pennsylvania is so beautiful with rolling hills, well manicured farms, and several covered bridges.  We shopped at a couple of local markets and bought some locally-made cheese, sausage and scrapple.  It was a very relaxing portion of our trip.

There is a lot of good information about the Amish and Mennonite communities at the following link:  

Amish People 

The next destination was Frank's parents home in Alexandria, Virginia, about 150 miles south.  We left PA late enough in the morning to avoid the morning rush into Baltimore, and early enough to avoid the afternoon rush out of Washington, DC.

Because we would be staying with them, we needed a place to park the motorhome for a few days - not an easy thing to find in the metro DC area.  We ended up finding a campground about 20 miles south of DC with storage spaces.  So, we drove there first, put the motorhome onto the storage site, and packed the Geo Tracker with clothes and necessities for a few days stay in Alexandria.  As we were driving back north on I-95 toward DC, we congratulated ourselves on our good timing ... we had indeed missed the evening traffic jam coming south.

We love spending time with Frank's parents, and try to visit a couple of times a year.  We always have a great time; we are truly blessed to have such a wonderful relationship with these two remarkable people.

We are turning our thoughts toward home now, and ever grateful to God for his grace and protection over us as we have traveled.  From here, we will head to South Carolina to see our son and his fiancee for a couple of days before heading back home to Florida.

To Pennsylvania

The trip to Pennsylvania was not boring.  We had surprising experiences in several areas.

1) The Tappan Zee Bridge is toll-free going east.  Incredible, considering almost every mile of US Interstate in the Northeast Corridor is a toll road.  How do the other states provide Federal Interstate Roads for free?  Don't tell me taxes.  These states that charge for travel on the Interstate also have the highest gas taxes and high state income taxes.  Where does the money go?  Oh wait, never mind.  I don't think I want to know the answer.

 
2) We discovered that the make-shift installation of our LCD TV in the front of the motor home is secure enough to withstand the deplorable conditions of the freeways in New York.  Good grief those roads are awful.  If you're paying for the roads in NY, shouldn't some of that money actually go to make the roads drivable?  The bumps were so bad that the built-in coffee pot above our dinette slipped out of its housing and fell to the floor at one point.  But, the TV did not move.  When we get home, we might bolt it down, lol.

3)  You cannot pump your own gas in New Jersey.  It's against the law.  But, New Jersey does have the cheapest gas in the area, so it's a good tradeoff.

4)  Who designs the roads in New Jersey?  What does "All Turns from the Right Lane" really mean?  Does the phrase "jug handle" have any transportation meaning OUTSIDE of New Jersey?  Just asking.

5)  Pennsylvania has an entrance fee just inside the border from New Jersey on I-78.  

6)  Pennsylvania has, without a doubt, the strangest beer laws in the country.  You can only buy beer from two places:  a) a "beer distributor" which, by law, can only sell in CASE QUANTITIES, or b) a bar or restaurant, which, by law, can only sell in single or six-pack quantities.  A bar or restaurant by the way, can sell only a maximum of 2 six-packs to any one customer.  There is no running down to the corner market for a 6-pack of Bud.  At least the beer is cheap, though, if inconvenient.

Pennsylvania is a beautiful state, though, with gorgeous hills and farmlands.  Catch our next post for details on our stay in Amish Country.

Mystic/Mistik

We left the Cape and began our journey toward home.  We knew it was time to go because it was starting to get COLD!   We are Californians-turned-Floridians with no cold weather gear whatsoever, and currently no intention of getting any.  We don't ski.

We drove to Mystic, Connecticut, intending to spend one night, then drive past the New York City metropolitan area the next day.  Before pulling out of the campground the next morning, we pulled up to the office for get our motor home propane tank filled.  All went well with the filling process until the attendant tried to disconnect the hose.  The hose would not disconnect and we were stuck - tethered, actually - to the big campground propane tank, stuck in front of the camp office.  What to do?

The office manager called a local LPG repair company, who said they would send out a repairman, but it would be at least an hour until he arrived.  Eventually he came, and disconnected us, but by this time it was 12:00 noon on Friday . . .  not a good time to start driving past New York City in a motorhome, towing a car, on unfamiliar freeways.  Remember that Garmin sometimes makes mistakes.

We decided to stay at the campground for another night, especially since the campground gave us the night for free because of the gas line problem.

Once we were back onto a campsite and hooked up again, we decided to explore the area.  The Old Mistik Village was nearby, so we went to investigate.  The Village is a collection of shops and services catering to tourists, and is built like an old fishing village.  It is almost exactly like Seaport Village in downtown San Diego.  In fact, Old Mistik Village was the model for the San Diego Seaport Village, if I remember correctly.  We walked around, bought some overpriced (but quite delicious) fudge, and then headed back to the motorhome.

Then we headed back to the camp for an evening of watching baseball.  We remarked to ourselves that yet again, it was Providential that we did not drive through the New York City area on a Friday afternoon.  How much safer and easier it was going to be for us driving on Saturday.  We were grateful to have no deadlines and no set itinerary.  These little setbacks always bring us more joy than frustration, as we see and experience places we would have missed otherwise.

God is good, all the time.

The Vineyard - Part II

Clouds + Ferry

On our second day on Martha's Vineyard, we split up:  the women went one way, and the men another.  Linda and Julie went to visit Julie's mom, Betty.  Betty was like a second mom to Linda and her sister for so many years.  It was good to see her again.  After running some errands, the women had lunch at a cafe on Circuit Avenue in Oak Bluffs.  Man oh man ... the memories came flooding back with every bite of that delicious grilled cheese sandwich and onion rings.  Just like Linda remembered 'way back when.'

After taking Betty back to her place, Julie and Linda went souvenir shopping.  While Linda is always trying to de-clutter her life (really?) there can never be too many MV trinkets around.  She picked up various decals (couldn't decide which ones, so she bought them all), a hat for Frank, a t-shirt for herself, etc.

So many choices .  .  .

Meanwhile, the two men (along with Julie and Geoff's son Andy) took Andy's boat over to Falmouth on the Cape for repairs.  Andy runs a sport fishing business from this boat, and Frank was more than eager to tag along for the ride.  Unfortunately, the repair couldn't be completed until the next day, so the men hopped on the Patriot mail boat to get back to the Vineyard.

The Solitude

Goeff and Andy

But soon the time came that we had to head back to the Cape and our motor home, and the rest of our trip.  After many goodbyes and hugs all around, we got on the big ferry back to Woods Hole on the Cape. This would be the third trip across the Vineyard Sound for Frank that day (on three different boats, yet), but we heard no complaints from him.

Getting ice cream at Menemsha

Aquinnah (Gay Head) Lighthouse

West Chop Lighthouse

 All things considered, the Vineyard experience was just wonderful.  The women caught up on old times and discovered new common interests;  the men established a new friendship and made plans for future times together.  It doesn't get much better than that.  We will be back!

Back in the parking lot on the Cape

The Vineyard - Part I

We made it to Cape Cod and settled into our campground at Peter's Pond in Sandwich.  We had been to Peter's Pond once before in 1993.  It was still pretty much the same ... overpriced and overrated.  But, this IS Cape Cod, tourist Mecca.  Nevertheless, we eagerly anticipated the next day's journey to Martha's Vineyard.

When first planning this trip, we always figured that if we made it as far as Maine, we would go over to the Vineyard for a day on our way back south.  The Vineyard holds sweet childhood memories for Linda.  For several years, her parents owned a "cottage" in the Oak Bluffs Campground and she spent a couple of months there every summer.

Then, through Facebook, Linda recently rekindled a childhood friendship with Julie, who is now a permanent Vineyard resident.  Julie's parents and Linda's parents were good friends.  Both of their dads were Methodist ministers in Ohio, and both families spent their summers on the Vineyard.  The families visited each other often in Ohio, as well. The details are complicated, feminine, and murky, but suffice it to say the two of them were thrilled to have found each other again.    And just like that ... our original plan of just an afternoon on the Vineyard blossomed into a more leisurely 2-day stay.

So, we took the 9:30 AM ferry from Woods Hole to Oak Bluffs.  Julie met us at the terminal, and the grand Vineyard adventure was off and running.  Julie and her husband Goeff gave us a wonderful tour of the entire island.  We visited all the places Linda remembered from childhood.  There were a lot of "remember when ..." moments during the day.  

We ate fried haddock at an outside picnic table in Vineyard Haven, and pub sandwiches that night in Edgartown.  We spent the night at Julie and Geoff's gorgeous home and sat up late swapping stories.   After all these years, these two women picked up as if they had only been apart for a month or so.  Frank and Goeff got along as old friends also.  We never imagined our trip to the Vineyard would be so nice.

 Come back for Part II.  It gets even better.

The End Of Maine

It's hard to believe we have been a week without an internet connection.  Or, is it just that the week has been so eventful and interesting that we haven't even had the energy to talk about it.  Actually, it's both, but whatever, it is time to catch up.

We ended up spending two more days in Portland.  The place is so lovely, and we were not ready to leave its sites, smells and tastes behind just yet.  OK, we wanted more lobster and we wanted to eat breakfast at Becky's.  (BTW, our friend Julie was right, Becky's French Toast is amazing and should be on everyone's bucket list).  And then there were mundane tasks to be done:  the laundry hamper was overflowing and Linda needed a "fill" on her nails.

 

Plus, Don and Nancy had invited us back the next night for a hamburger cookout and evening of card playing (3/13 was the game).  We will see Don and Nancy in January when they come back to Lincolnshire for the winter season.

All in all, the time in Maine was well spent.  We had no idea our visit there would be so memorable.  We promised ourselves we will come back some day.

We really needed a couple of days to recuperate from all the festivities in the Pine Tree State.  But we also were anxious to get on with the next part of the trip ... a visit to Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard.  So we said goodbye to Maine and headed down I-95.

A Perfectly Lovely Day in Maine

We are in love with Maine.  And what is not to love?  Lobster, blueberries, beautiful scenery, wonderful friends.  If it wasn't for that darn snow ... 

Our friends Don and Nancy have shown us the best time in Portland. There is just nothing like touring with the locals.   On Friday, we saw the famous and infamous places, the backroads and byways, and heard the stories of who, what, where, when and how, for so many fascinating places.

Don and Nancy

   
    Portland Headlight
    Bug Light Park
    Higgins Beach
    Scarborough Beach
    Prouts Neck
    Eastern Promenade
    Back Cove
    Cape Elizabeth




Lunch was fresh haddock and cole slaw at the counter of the iconic Becky's Diner on the wharf.  Don and Nancy are regulars there and know the servers and their life stories, but more impressively, the servers know Don and Nancy.  It was old home week when we walked into the place.

We had supper at Don and Nancy's house ... fresh, whole lobsters that we picked up from a local diner and brought back to the house.  (Talk about being local, when we stopped to pick up the lobsters, Nancy walked into the back door of the kitchen, where the staff greeted her warmly and were just pulling the lobsters out of the pot as we walked in.)

Before

After

Salad, fresh biscuits, blueberry pie and cake, and Shock Top beer completed the perfect Maine supper.  It was a perfectly lovely day in Maine.

On To Portland

Our last night in Bethel was cold (45 degrees) and rainy.  We were so ready for some better weather.   We didn't bring any arctic gear, and we were shivering last night.

But, the 2-hour drive to Portland today was just beautiful, and we pulled into our campground at noon under sunny skies.  After hooking up the utilities, we headed for downtown Portland and a trip on the daily "mail boat" around Casco Bay.  What a beautiful trip ... 3 hours on a "working" boat that delivers passengers and freight to several of the many islands in the bay.  Here was the view on the way back to shore:

Upon returning to the dock, we were pretty hungry and in search of lobster.   What else do you eat in Maine?  We have vowed to eat lobster each day we are here on the Maine coast.  We headed to the Lobster Shack in Cape Elizabeth.  Very touristy and overpriced, but the atmosphere and view are worth something!

Tomorrow we feast with the locals.  Another couple we know from Florida lives in South Portland, and they will be our hosts for sightseeing and a home cooked dinner of lobster, biscuits and blueberry cake.   Life is pretty good in Maine.

This and That

It continues to rain in Maine (thanks, Tropical Storm Lee), and we can't get out and about, so it seems like a perfect time to share things that didn't fit in on previous posts.

1) It is not good to cross the Ohio River in a motorhome at Maysville, KY, as there is approximately 1" clearance between the motorhome and any oncoming 18-wheeler.

2) The Garmin makes mistakes.

3) It's interesting to be in a place where the foreign language TV stations are in French, not Spanish. 

4) Fried dough is a legitimate menu item.

5) Linda and the woman who runs the Ross County (OH) Archives must have a common ancestor.

6) The leaves changing color in the fall are a beautiful part of God's creation.

7) Frank still doesn't like to golf in the rain.

8) The Rays are done for 2011, although they did well considering all the players they lost from last year.

44.404232

We are here.  In Maine.  Finally. 
44 deg, 29 min north latitude ... the most northerly place of
The Chambliss 2011 Summer Tour.

We are now 3,150 miles from Vista, California.
     We are now 1,600 miles from Largo, Florida.
          We are way up north!  And it is beautiful here.

After a shopping spree for Linda at the holy grail of all yarn stores (WEBS), an overnight campsite in Massachusetts, and a gorgeous drive through picture-postcard-perfect Vermont and New Hampshire, we arrived in Bethel, Maine, on Sunday afternoon.

Why Bethel, Maine?  Well, our neighbors at the mobile home park in Florida are Bethel natives, that's why.  They spend 2 months up here every summer, and our original plan for this trip was to make it to Bethel and spend time with them before they headed back to Florida in August.  But, our timing turned out to be off, and we had those pesky delays, to boot. 

Nevertheless, we visited their summer camp today, and spent some time just sitting and enjoying the natural beauty of their place.  What a gorgeous place they have to spend their summers.

Downtown Bethel is downright quaint and beautiful . . . so many lovely buildings and interesting shops.  There is a lot to see, and the community is bustling.  We contributed heavily to the local economy when we discovered a "Made in Maine" store and purchased lots of souvenirs and gifts.  We intend to take in the Bethel historical museum tomorrow and have dinner at the highly- rated local diner.

We are so glad we made it to Bethel.  We intend to come back.

Restless

We have been at Ilion long enough to know the TV stations, and some of the Walmart cashiers know our name.  It may be time to go.  The Erie Canal is now flowing in the opposite direction from what it was doing pre-Irene:  west-to-east before Irene, at a dead stop for 2 days post-Irene, and now east-to-west.  Canal management.  Why do we think tax dollars are involved?

So, what's next?  We will be leaving here on Saturday headed for Maine.  It is simply coincidental that one of country's largest yarn stores is on the way.   How could we possibly drive by the WEBS Yarn store (yarn.com) and not stop?  Don't answer that.  The store is almost exactly half way to our Maine destination so Linda will check out the store, we will stay the night at a nearby camp, and then (finally) arrive in Maine on Sunday.

We looked through our original, pre-trip itinerary to see exactly how delayed we have been with our mechanical troubles and hurricane interference.  Surprisingly, we are only 6 days behind schedule at this point.  Not bad, considering.  It's just that some activities have been truncated and some rearranged.

But as we have noted before, it has all been a wonderful experience.  We have met interesting people during our delays here and there.  And we have seen local culture that we would not have seen otherwise.  Google 'chicken riggies' if you have any questions.  It is out-of-this-world delicious, btw.