Last, but not least, Rhode Island

Our last stop found us in "The Ocean State," Rhode Island. I would never have thought that our smallest state would earn that title, but "www.statesymbolsusa.org" states that although the smallest, it has 400 miles of direct access to the Atlantic. It mentions that the only state to beat that mileage is Alaska. I'm assuming there is a difference between coastline and "direct access," because I'm pretty sure any of the east coast states, Hawaii and California can beat that number. Goes to show that you can't believe everything you read (unless it's written by me). Just like GPS's. George can choose to listen to those, but he's usually better off listening to me.

Regardless of it's nickname, I loved Rhode Island and want to return again and again. This stop had us meeting up with friends Tricia, Craig and Charlie, all of us converging at Meadowlark Campground.

Meadowlark earned high marks from all of us despite the fact that we were squeezed into small sights and backed up inches from our neighbors to our rear and awnings almost touched slides. Most of the people in our vicinity were seasonal campers who had been coming here for years and years. It turned out to be such fun with these friendly folks as we joked, shared food and stories.

Photo courtesy of ACR

We all converged on Tricia's and Craig's site to enjoy a meal of whatever we all had in our refrigerators. It turned out to be a great meal.

Charlie's site was right next to theirs and was eerily tucked almost on top of a small cemetery. There were less than a dozen stones that were difficult to read, but we did make out one dated 1776. I wonder who Charlie was parked on top of? I'm not sure I could have slept there and we never ended up eating dinner at his site either. 

A sandy beach was less than a mile from the campground and many interesting historical sights were within walking distance.

Right down the road was the Boyd's Wind Grist Mill. This windmill was the only "eight-vane" mill ever built and operated in New England. Sadly, it's only one of a very few surviving across the United States. I tried researching the others in the US and have come up with nary a one.  I located one in the UK and Germany, but nothing closely resembling Boyd’s here in the States. If anyone reading this knows of any of these unique pieces of history, please leave me a comment with its location.

Our nightly view from our bedroom window were the vanes illuminated by ground lighting. Quite a sight.

Steps away was Paradise School, which now houses the Historical Society and Museum.  It was closed for the Labor Day Weekend, but the exterior was a sight to see with its pale yellow wooden clapboard. A small sign noted the name and year, "1875."

Paradise School

While looking at the building I assumed the bell would have hung in the top cupola and wondered if, as in my own childhood, boys and girls entered and exited through separate doors. I was disappointed at not getting to see the inside so I I had to just imagine how it must have been for students and teacher so long ago. 

The next day found us headed to Bowman's Wharf in Newport where we spent the day strolling around, grabbing lunch and taking an afternoon Trolley Tour.

Bowman's Wharf

George had his eye on that big baby in the background. It was navy blue and white.

We found a nice place for lunch and enjoyed a great meal sitting a flight above a busy street.

Tricia and her date for the day.
Craig's fav football team was playing.

Me and my date.

Photo courtesy of ACR

After lunch we took a short walk to the Trolley station and hopped on for a one and a half hour tour of Newport. George and I believe that there is no better way to learn the history and secrets of a place than a tour upon a trolley. We were fortunate, once more, to have a very talented and witty driver/tour guide. He was an Irish bloke, a Newport native and a retired history teacher, making him a favorite in Charlie's book. This trolley, opposed to our last one in Bar Harbor, was packed full.

Our driver told us stories about his childhood as he rounded turns or passed places where he had played baseball, went to school, or told his best story, which he peppered throughout the tour, which was about Trinity Church. where Princess Diana and Prince Charles Jackie and John F. Kennedy were married. Her family was from the area and we drove past the farm she spent most of her summers. At Trinity Church, there was even a sign with their photo announcing that great event. Coincidentally, our driver's parents got married at that same church in 1951. He told us he's still trying to get a sign displayed out front in their honor.

We were all pretty excited to see a beautifully restored Crown Victoria. It clearly stood out as it inched through the heavily trafficked road. Look at those white-walls. It was a sight for sore eyes.

My name and the word "crown" go together so naturally; don't you think?

No bathing suits, thankfully, just a great "Destination Dinner."

A most enjoyable dinner on the beach.

A view of the beach and cove.

Always a friendly person offering to snap a photo

Capturing the sun setting on our new Jeep Wrangler.
Dis be MY photo.

The next day all of us, except George, hit the Newport Vineyards Winery and Brewery. My new "thing" this summer has been an interest in IPA's and locally brewed beers. Pale Ale's are so far my favorite, but I am new at this game, so my immature palate needs experience.

A line of wine enthusiasts about a mile long greeted us as we pulled up to the winery and we were worried we wouldn't get to participate in a tasting or get a table for lunch. Although that tasting never did come to fruition, we didn't have to wait long for a table and we got to taste whatever we wanted while sitting! 

Waiting on line before we realized we could just make a reservation for a table.
Photo courtesy ACR

The vines

Courtesy of ACR - my "Beer Flight"

Photo courtesy ACR -
The interesting cheeses that paired so well with the different beers. Ah-ma-zing.

At lunch, Tricia ordered a wine flight and I opted for a beer flight. We all shared a cheese board that contained five different cheeses that I've never tasted before. It had crostinies, nuts, fruits and jams as well. I've always known about wine and cheese pairings, but was astounded to discover that it works the same way with beer. And I thought beer only went with pretzels and nuts!  I began noticing distinct notes in each beer as I compared the cheeses. I can't say exactly what those notes were, but one was definitely citrus. This may be a new obsession for me. I'll keep you posted.

We all had a great last day, including George, who got to take his new bicycle out for a long test ride.

Happy for the month to be over.
She had a rough time,
but she carried on like a trooper.

Thirty-two days on the road seemed to quickly come to an end. We got to add five stickers to our map: VT, MA, ME, NH, and RI and Lucy got to add a sticker to her US map of Vet visits. We ate our way back and forth throughout New England and we were able to witness a different way of living, eating and talking. For example, "Hey, ya need more butta with that lobsta?"

Charlie, AKA ACR, also writes a blog and you can compare his notes to mine as he went into much more detail, especially with our trolley tour, sights and food. You can read his version of the day HERE!

Deep thought for the day: All good things must come to an end and all "ends" are the result of beginnings. Enjoy the beginnings, the middles and the ends. If lobster is involved at any portion, don't forget to ask for extra  'butta." ~ vc

Wolfeboro, New Hampshire

Most times, these "welcome" signs come up too quickly for me to snap a photo and this time I only got a "State Line" sign, no welcome from New Hampshire. The "Granite State," as it is known, has the Purple Finch as its State Bird the Purple Lilac as the flower. Their motto is "Live Free or Die," which was pretty black and white; no shades of purple there.

Wolfeboro was a relaxing place to call "home" for a couple of nights in a campground that was dark enough to trick you into sleeping late. The first morning, I kept waiting for the sun to rise and awaken me naturally, but only Lucy's meows of protest woke me after 9 am resulting in someone having to eat a late breakfast (paw tap, paw tap).

We visited New Hampshire on our way out to Maine, but we didn't earn a sticker for our map, because our "criteria" to earn one is to spend at least one night camping and do some sightseeing. This time, the sticker was ready to get affixed to our USA map! It filled up the Northeast States nicely

Entrance sign to campground

I booked Wolfeboro Campground due to its proximity to the town of Wolfeboro, Lake Winnipesaukee and for its price. George had some reservations as we approached the entrance sign. He was already in a "bit of a mood" after our GPS routed us to a dirt road that traversed up and down a steep hill. My Waze app was suggesting a different route, but we opted to follow the one that is designed for RV's. Goes to show you that you can't believe everything you are told. At times you just need to with your gut or listen to your wife. I must say, the sign gave me pause also.

After meeting the quirky owner, checking in, convincing George that this place was great and getting situated in our site, I took a walk around and quickly felt such a sense of  peace and serenity being among the tall pines. Looking upward or down, you could see the dappled sunlight playing among the leaves on the trees and the pine needles on the ground. One roadway actually made me hope that the path to heaven would look similar (see my photo below).

My vision of the "Pathway to Heaven."

Although standing there provided me with the rustic beauty of nature, magical sounds and smells and comfort, no photo I snapped did the place justice.

George was just happy to get situated in a location where sap wouldn't drip on the roof of RV or Jeep.

The next morning, George headed out for a ride on his new toy and the owner stopped by in his Polaris 6-Wheel ATV, which was his main method of transportation. We had such an interesting conversation about his, and the campground's past, present and future.

Back in the 1970's his father bought the property  and initially carved out 18 camp and ten tent sites. They designed it, laid the water and electric lines and built two large homes, an office, restrooms and a barn.

After his dad passed, every site was enlarged, sewer was installed and an additional 20 large sites and three cabins were built.

I was amazed at how many details were put into each site, such as a hand-designed fire pit with natural "fire walls." No two were the same. Each had a large tree stump to use as a table for your cooking needs. A picnic table was supplied as well. A rustic, woody, camping experienced was provided and it was all you needed.

Fire pit made by owner and his dad.

Notice "fire wall" behind

and tree stump "table" on left.

The problem facing this brilliant man and this creation is the fact that he's getting at an age where maintaining the grounds is becoming out of his physical capabilities.  However, this is his "home" and life-long project.

 It's sad to realize that this park peaked, flourished and is going to either weaken or disappear as times goes on. I was happy I got to experience his "piece of paradise" while it still existed. While far from a resort, this place was an obvious labor of love and an amazing result of hard-work, talent and determination.

"Camper," with his GPS tracker

Later that morning I came across a man walking his cat on a rope. I had to snap a photo of "Camper," a lucky stray cat who was found at a campground and became a special member of a new family. I was told he has a GPS gadget on his harness so his dad can find him if he gets loose. Great idea!

Our HUGE site. Fire pit was located far to the left, out of range in this photo.

The small, quaint town of Wolfeboro resembled an old time fishing village and is located on Lake Winnipesaukee. Lake Winnie, for short, is the largest lake in New Hampshire spanning 21 miles. We noticed a sunset cruise was planned for the next night and we were able to get last minute tickets. Turned out that a popular local band was playing and we soon discovered that we were oldest (and definitely most sober) of the bunch.

The boat circled the perimeter of the lake and we witnessed a rare sight - undeveloped lake shoreline. It was pristine, calm and a perfect evening. The view of the sunset made the inexpensive trip even more of a bargain.

Thought this was just too cute not to include.

Pre-cruise dinner on the dock. Weather was very cooperative.

Our cruise boat. We sat below, party was on top.

Ahhhh, the "piece de resistance".....the sun dipping behind the mountains.

Oh no...
George checking out another toy?

Our short stop in New Hampshire came to an end. We never did get to see or do many things, but what we did was quite enjoyable.

I would love to return to Wolfeboro Campground if ever in the area. I'd be interested to see if the owner is still there and take a stroll on that "pathway to heaven," but not all the way! A boat rental to explore the lake on our own would also be on tap. 

Next stop will be our last of our August itinerary, Rhode Island.

George took this somewhere in New Hampshire and I had to post.
Love my beautiful home.

Deep thought for the day: Home is where we park it. I love living an RV lifestyle, especially when it's spent on the road finding new places, meeting different people, and seeing amazing sights. Although in New Hampshire, I will defer to Maine's state motto:  "The way life should be."  ~vc

Reminder: if you like what you read, please leave a comment. 

Finishing up Maine

Jeff Pert

 While visiting Maine, you will be hard pressed to find a souvenir store where a sampling of Jeff Pert's work is NOT sold. Whether on post cards, napkins, shirts, or bags - you will look and smile. 

Jeff Pert was a Maine native and cartoonist who had quite a sense of humor when it came to the regional favorites - lobsters and moose. While we didn't see any moose, we saw plenty of lobsters and can appreciate his depiction of lobsters taking on human characteristics.  

Sadly, Jeff died of a heart attack at age 55. Maine lost a talented and funny resident, but he left behind many cartoons guaranteed to make you smile.

I included a few of his most popular (and my favorites) for you to enjoy. One is here and the rest at the end of this blog entry. It's worth scrolling down if you don't care to read the whole blog.

I'm with Stupid

Many harbors hug the Maine Coast and the one furthermost in our journey was Bar Harbor. I neglected to include our last day in my last post that we spent walking the pavered roads, souvenir shopped and checked out different restaurants for lunch.

Bar Harbor

George looking rather "Nautical."

The view from the bench I sat on while George went "toy" shopping.

The building where the toy was bought.

George couldn't leave Bar Harbor without buying something. He was like a 10-year-old, smiling from ear to ear with his "really good bargain."  We saved so much money!  lol

The "toy." A battery powered bicycle

A late lunch was enjoyed on the front porch of Galwyn's. It hit the spot and gave us a fabulous view of the harbor, as well as no crowd in the restaurant.

This last day in Bar Harbor was spent snapping photos of the gorgeous sights, sounds and smells. While it was  bit "touristy," it was not as commercialized or busy as Kennebunkport.  I would love to return to this harbor and visit the many lighthouses and eat at the restaurants that we deferred to Galwyn's. So many to choose from.

The next day found us driving down the coast to Newport, ME and Magunticook Campground by the Sea. It was a pleasant campground run by new owners who went out of their way to make sure we had all we needed and answered our many questions. The next day we decided to check out area lighthouses and the owner drew a map, indicating the direction to go and some good places to eat.

While there were about six lighthouses spattered within our vicinity, we only got to see one up close and personal. No tours offered at any, but the one we did see had a small museum that we found informative.

A distance from the shore of the campground afforded us nightly views of the Tenants Harbor Light. 

Enlarged and blurry. Tenents Harbor Light

There are currently 80 lighthouses along Maine's coastline, second only to Michigan that has over 100.  Although we had a short list, the first stop was lunch at McLoon's Lobster Shack. We literally ate our way throughout New England.

This is a photo taken off the Internet. When we were there the line was LONG.
This is a popular spot right on the water.

You got a rock with your order number.

George's lunch. I had Lobster Stew. His was great, mine was meh.

George just had to get Maine's famous Whoopee Pie!

The view from our table.

The lighthouse we got closest to was Marshall Point. The day was warm and windy, but a wrong turn after this stop caused us to miss the last lighthouse on our list, Owl Point Light.

Impressive view of Marshall Point Lighthouse at the entrance to Port Clyde Harbor

Lighthouse Keeper's Home

Every local trapper had a different bobber registered.  It was fascinating.

If your lobster traps were not hauled up by a certain time,
the fisherman could be identified and possibly in trouble.

We stopped next at Port Clyde's General Store. It was truly an authentic and well preserved establishment that served it's locals perfectly. I was impressed at the "old time" feelings it evoked in both George and me. 

Jams, jellies, maple syrup and more. Most of the flooring was original.

Layers and layers of paint colors on the entrance door.

A familiar coast line sight are piles and piles of emptied lobster traps.

Ready for the next morning.

Our second and final lighthouse stop failed to afford us a glimpse due to the timing and a lack of restrooms. The Rockland Breakwater Light is located at the end of a one mile walk on a granite jetty. Since entrance to the light was not permitted and our long day was coming to an end, we settled on  just imagining walking the mile out and back. It was agreed that it was enough.  Time to find a restroom!

The unattended jetty was another thing that I noticed could never be permitted in New York. Some stupid fool would fall off and sue. Maine was wonderfully free..."the way life should be."

Believe it or not, a mile walk down that jetty will take you to lighthouse.

The cove protected by the Rockland Light.

Construction began in 1881, it took over 700,000 tons of granite
and two decades to complete.

The end of our day found us sitting at the bar of  Flatbread Pizza in Rockport, ME. It turned out that it was the night of their weekly fund raisers for a local non-profits. 

Our visit coincided with the High School Girls' Field Hockey Team raising money for uniforms. The place was packed with locals supporting the high school and their kids. We were impressed with seeing a bunch of teens, all well-behaved, respectful and grateful for donations. We were hard-pressed to find a cell-phone among the group and got to spend a bit of time talking to some parents and other patrons. 

The pizza and flatbread were delicious and the rustic bar was clean and impressive. I loved the stenciling on the wall and the American flag hung high under the ceiling beams. I thought once more, yes, "the way life should be."

This evening ended our visit to Maine. We saw and did so much, but there were dozens of things we agreed to see next time, so a future trip will be on the horizon.  

I'll end now with an explanation of my quoted text...

"The Way Life Should Be," is Maine's license plate motto.  I didn't get it at first, but after a few days, I thought, "yes....this IS the way life should be."

➤Please feel free to leave a comment. All are appreciated! Now for a sampling of some of my favorite Jeff Pert comics for you to enjoy.

One of my favorites!

Another of Jeff's cartoons. "Suddenly, Chuck
realized his "friends" had an ulterior motive for
getting him in the hot tub."   Too funny!

Deep thought for the day:  Remember that life is short. Strive to be remembered as funny or fondly, like Jeff Pert is to the people of Maine.  "How's the water Bob?"~vc

Just a reminder that all of the campgrounds where we stay are listed under the tab marked "Campgrounds." There you will find my reviews and a bit of pertinent information.