After our initial journey into Boston for the baseball game we rested near our campsite and community on Thursday, July 27. We walked a total of 4 miles that first night we traveled to Fenway Park, so we needed to rest up before the next trip into Beantown. This trip on Friday, July 28 was on the train out of Lincoln, MA which is south of Hanscom AFB. We drove to the station and parked in the commuter train station parking lot for free. We boarded the train and paid for our roundtrip fares, two seniors at $8.50 each. The trip took 40 minutes and arrived the North Station below the New Boston Garden. This station is also a hub for Amtrak and the MBTA metro lines. We exited the station to look for the nearest ON/OFF Trolley Bus stop. But first a photo with the statue of "The Goal". Bobby Orr's Flying Goal won the 1970 Stanley Cup for the Boston Bruins. It's considered by many hockey fans to be the most famous goal ever. And it produced an iconic photo that has been reproduced countless times and was made into a poster that is still selling more than five decades later. We boarded the Trolley Bus at stop #4 and headed to stop #10 at the Marriott Hotel to pay for tickets. When we saw the stop across the street for the Boston Duck Tours it got us thinking about a different tour. So we took a lunch break and talked it over before committing to the Trolley. We decided to duck out on the trolley...quack, quack, quack! We hopped aboard the 2PM Boston Duck Tours and enjoy a fully narrated and guided historic tour of Boston in a “DUCK", a W.W.II style amphibious landing vehicle that travels on land and water. We were greeted by our legendary ConDUCKtor Max Marshall Arch, who narrated our tour. We cruised by all the places that make Boston the birthplace of freedom and a city of firsts, from the golden domed state House to the Boston Common, the historic North End to fashionable Newbury Street, Quincy Market to the Prudential Tower, and more. Just when we thought we'd seen it all, it was time for a Big Splash as our driver drives the DUCK right into the Charles River for a breathtaking view of the Boston and Cambridge skylines. We saw a different view of Boston and Max, being a former stand up comedian, was hilarious as our ConDUCKtor. After the DUCK tour we found our way to the U.S.S. CONSTITUTION before it would close at 6 PM by using the Metro system back to North Station. From there it was a 1.2 mile walk. We crossed the Charles River by the locks and headed for the former Charlestown Naval Shipyard. The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was built in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of the new U.S. Department of the Navy in 1798. After 175 years of military service, it was decommissioned as a naval installation on July 1, 1974. The 30-acre property is administered by the National Park Service becoming part of Boston National Historical Park. Enough of the yard remains in operation to support the moored USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides"), the oldest warship still commissioned in the United States Navy and afloat in the world. USS Cassin Young (DD-793), a 1943 World War II-era Fletcher class destroyer serving as a museum ship, is also berthed here. The museum area includes a dock which is a stop on the MBTA Boat water transport system. Among local people in the area and the National Park Service, it is still known as the Charlestown Navy Yard. USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She is the world's oldest ship still afloat. She was launched in 1797, one of six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794 and the third constructed. The name "Constitution" was among ten names submitted to President George Washington by Secretary of War Timothy Pickering in March of 1795 for the frigates that were to be constructed. Joshua Humphreys designed the frigates to be the young Navy's capital ships, and so Constitution and her sister ships were larger and more heavily armed than standard frigates of the period. She was built at Edmund Hartt's shipyard in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts. Her first duties were to provide protection for American merchant shipping during the Quasi-War with France and to defeat the Barbary pirates in the First Barbary War. Constitution is most noted for her actions during the War of 1812 against the United Kingdom, when she captured numerous merchant ships and defeated five British warships: HMS Guerriere, Java, Pictou, Cyane, and Levant. The battle with Guerriere earned her the nickname "Old Ironsides" and public adoration that has repeatedly saved her from scrapping. She continued to serve as flagship in the Mediterranean and African squadrons, and she circled the world in the 1840s. Constitution was retired from active service in 1881 and served as a receiving ship until being designated a museum ship in 1907. In 1934, she completed a three-year, 90-port tour of the nation. She sailed under her own power for her 200th birthday in 1997, and again in August 2012 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of her victory over Guerriere. Constitution's stated mission today is to promote understanding of the Navy's role in war and peace through educational outreach, historical demonstration, and active participation in public events as part of the Naval History and Heritage Command. As she is a fully commissioned Navy ship, her crew of 75 officers and sailors participate in ceremonies, educational programs, and special events while keeping her open to visitors year round and providing free tours. The officers and crew are all active-duty Navy personnel, and the assignment is considered to be special duty. She is usually berthed at Pier 1 of the former Charlestown Navy Yard at one end of Boston's Freedom Trail. She is a beauty and I got a warm feeling inside being onboard this remarkable piece of naval history and tradition. We took our time visiting Constitution and her related museum until they chased us out at 6 PM. On our walk back to North Station we stopped for dinner. We were both "feeling" the length of the day, the summer heat, and the mileage on our legs and feet. We got back to the train station and waited for the Fitchburg Line Commuter Rail back to Lincoln. We got back in the dark but found the truck in the empty parking lot and headed back to Hanscom AFB tired but satisfied. Friday was a full day's worth of American history, great local food and drink and plenty of walking (5.62 miles worth) under our belts.

Our last day in Plymouth was planned. We wanted to see Nantucket Island and some of Cape Cod so we got up earlier than usual and drove to Hyannis Port to catch the fast ferry. Hyannis is a village on the Cape Cod peninsula in Massachusetts. It’s known for beaches like wide Kalmus Park Beach and the private Kennedy Compound at nearby Hyannis Port. The John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum chronicles the assassinated U.S. president’s family vacations through videos and photographs. At the harbor, the Cape Cod Maritime Museum has boat-building exhibits. Ferries connect Hyannis to Nantucket Island. We paid to bring our E-bikes over to the island so we could get around at our leisure. About 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, Nantucket beckons visitors to experience its coastal beauty. Just 14 miles long, the crescent-shaped island is easy to explore by bike and the island shuttle buses have bike racks. Nantucket is home to just one town and two zip codes, and many of the restaurants and shops are located downtown in Nantucket proper. We chose Nantucket over Martha’s Vineyard. Martha's Vineyard is located closer to the mainland, only 7 miles offshore across Vineyard Sound. With about 125 miles of coastline, the island comes in at close to 96 square miles, about twice the size of Nantucket, making a car more of a necessity. The town’s population soars from 17,000 to close to 200,000 in summer — about twice the number of seasonal visitors to Nantucket. The trip over took an hour and when we arrived I couldn't believe the crowds of people, cars and trucks! It was crazy; Karen and I couldn't wait to get out of the downtown area. I can only imagine what Martha's Vineyard would be like! We ate lunch then headed west out of town towards Jetties Beach. This location was on the windward side that day and the water was rough, but the swimmers and sunbathers appeared pretty content. From there we turned south and rode across Nantucket's width to the leeward side of the island to Surfside Beach. The scenery was pastural with the interior of the island relatively calm but plenty of road traffic so we traveled the bike routes when available. Our next stop was via Surfside Road to Milestone Road bike trail and on to Siasconset on the eastern most end of the island. With the roar of the nearby surf muted in the background Siasconset has it all. Just don't call it "sigh-a-skonset" or they'll know you're a mainlander; it's simply pronounced "skonset". The area was settled as a fishing village in the 17th century. The core of Auld Lang Syne, one of the older fishing shacks, is believed to date back to the 1670s, potentially making it one of the oldest houses on Nantucket. Various other cottages date from the 18th and 19th centuries. Many of the houses were haphazardly expanded, contributing to the unique look of these Nantucket cottages. In the 19th century a whaling station was present in the village. In 1877 Edward Underhill from Wolcott, New York, bought land in the village, and constructed new cottages in the fashion of the original fishing shacks, and then rented them to summer tourists before they were sold upon his death. We decided to take a different route back to the town and rode the Polpis Road bike route. This bike trail took us by a golf course with a wonderful view of the Sankaty Head Light, a lighthouse located on the east end of Nantucket island. It was built in 1850, was automated in 1965, and is still in operation. It is located at the easternmost point of the island, in the village of Siasconset. It was one of the first lighthouses in the United States to receive a Fresnel lens. The tower is 60 feet (18 m) high; its lower portion is constructed of brick, and its upper part is granite. Originally, the light's turning mechanism was powered by a weight-driven brass clockwork, A brick house was built next to the tower at the time of its construction to house the light keeper's family. In 1887 this house was torn down and a new structure was built. Renovations to the tower at the time included installation of a new lantern section, adding some 10 feet (3.0 m) to its height. In 1933 the light was electrified, and the mechanical works to turn it were taken out of service. Its original lens was removed in 1950, and is now at the Nantucket Whaling Museum. The light was fully automated in 1965. In 1987, the lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Sankaty Head Light. The 'Sconset Trust acquired the lighthouse in 2007, and had it moved away from the eroding bluff (approximately 400 feet) in October of that year. We arrived back into town around 6 PM and started looking for a place to get dinner. Our choice was the Nantucket Lobster Trap Restaurant for seafood, of course! After eating, we headed to the ferry terminal for the return trip back on the "standard" ferry. This last daily ferry back to Hyannis included bikes, cars, trucks, semis and passengers. It would be a 2 hours and 15 minute trip but we were in no hurry; we both took a quick nap on the crossing back. This was another full day of activities and 30 miles of biking.

What's it like when you travel full time in a RV and get sick? Saturday, July 29 was a day that Karen and I expected to rest up. Friday ended late and I went to bed with a slight sore throat and an achy body I attributed to one very long day of sightseeing in Beantown. The next morning however I woke up with flu like symptoms; my whole body was sore and I had a 102º temperature. All I wanted to do was sleep. Fortunately, I had two days to recover from whatever I had before we were scheduled to leave Hanscom AFB. So I spent the weekend in bed trying to shake whatever I got. This was the first time either of us had been ill on the road. By Monday, July 31 morning the fever was gone and I was starting to get my energy back. Still not at 100%, we packed up to travel which took longer and more out of me. Karen took up the slack and did more of the travel prep than normal. We hooked up the rig and left for Pinewood Lodge Camp in Plymouth, Mass, a short 63 miles away with an hour and a half driving time. Once we arrived, checked in and set up camp, we both rested. This episode got us both thinking about the what if's. What if we needed to stay longer for me to recover at the campground where we were staying? What if Karen needed to drive the truck and trailer to the next destination? Because I have my medical care covered by the VA, if I had any serious illness I could have gone to the emergency room of any hospital for treatment. The circumstances ended up favorable this time, but we do need to do some pre-planning for when we experience future illness events. Tuesday, August 1, I was back to normal, whatever that means (!) and we were both ready to get out and do some more sightseeing. We had planned to make one more trip into Boston on Sunday, but due to my illness we had to delay it until we moved to Plymouth. We drove to the Kingston Station, 15 minutes from our campsite, for the MBTA Commuter Train and returned to Boston for a third and final day of exploring Beantown. This day would include a trip to the Mapparium, an enormous, inside-out glass globe built in 1935. This unique depiction of the planet gives visitors a rare chance to see the world in a way that doesn’t distort the surface of the Earth. Even when looking at an accurate globe, the relative sizes of the continents are distorted by perspective, as the spherical shape causes different regions to appear at different distances from the eye. But with a view from the very center of a globe, looking out, the eye is the same distance from every point on the map. It is fascinating to view the Earth this way for the first time. Africa is huge. North America, Europe, and Asia are all jammed up against the North Pole. You have to look nearly straight up to see them. Sizes and locations of continents and countries you’ve always taken for granted are suddenly unfamiliar. The most curious part of all about this exhibit is its acoustics. When you stand at the center of the perfect sphere, you can hear your voice in full 360-degree surround sound. The curved glass walls do not absorb the sound waves, but reflect them back. That’s also why those at one end of the bridge can hear the whisper of those at the opposite end—loud and clear. This effect is called a “whispering gallery.” While the relative size and position of the continents are correct, the map’s political boundaries are long out-of-date. The Mapparium globe hasn’t changed since 1935. It’s still possible to find Siam and French Indochina, but not Israel or Indonesia. The USSR looms large. Africa remains a large block of European colonies. .The Mapparium is located on the property of the Mary Baker Eddy library which includes a reflecting pool and fountain. From the Mapparium we walked to Chinatown for lunch and then on to the start of the "Freedom Trail" walk at the Boston Commons. We walked the Commons to the Massachusetts State House with the gold dome then across the street to the Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Infantry Regiment Memorial. The movie "Glory" is loosely based on this unit and it actions during the Civil War. From there it was on the the Park Street Church and the Granary Burial Ground where some of the famous patriots of the revolution are laid to rest. Paul Revere, John Hancock and Sam Adams to name a few, including many of the victims of the Boston Massacre. On to Old South Meeting House, the Old State House and the Pavement Marker for the 1770 Boston Massacre Site. We ended the tour day at Faneuil Hall before taking the train back to Plymouth. We decided to swing by the Plymouth waterfront for a seafood dinner at Cabby Shack. We were hungry after the 6.25 miles final walking trek through Beantown,

What's Boston, Mass known for? Food...Boston Baked Beans, Boston Cream Pie. Sports...Fenway Park and the Red Sox and the Garden (Bruins and Celtics). And of course... Our home for five days was Hanscom Air Force Base Family Camp. Hanscom's host unit is the 66th Air Base Group, which is part of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. The men and women of the 66th Air Base Group secure, support and sustain more than 10,000 active duty, Reserve and National Guard military personnel along with Department of Defense civilians & contractors who work and live at Hanscom Air Force Base. Additionally, they support approximately 130,000 retired military personnel, annuitants and spouses living in the six-state New England area and New York area. Hanscom FamCamp is an RV and tent campground located 3 miles outside of Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Massachusetts. They offer 73 RV sites and 10 tent sites. The campground is located 15 miles west of Boston and surrounded by historic towns such as Lexington, Concord, and Lincoln. We checked in on Wednesday, July 26 and within an hour and a half drove to the nearby Burlington Mall to get the #350 Transit Bus to Alewife MBTA Subway Transit Station. We transferred from the Red Line to the Green Line on our way to Kenmore Station. The Metro cars were packed with baseball fans headed to Fenway Park for the 7:10pm game. We had no tickets, but what the heck, we had to try because this was the last home game while we were here. Well gang, after almost 3 and a half hours of this adventurous odyssey to see a baseball game at Fenway...Eureka! We got our tickets, some appropriately over priced stadium food and found our seats with some other last minute attendees from Britain and Germany. I mean you can't make this stuff up! The first six innings were sleepers. We got bored and decided to see some of the other vantage points at Fenway. You know, that's all it took. Once we started moving around someone must have called the two players benches and told them they're losing the Teague's interest. Well, maybe not but the action on the field sure got our attention and we headed back to our seats. We were still wandering around for "Take me out to the ballgame" between the 7th innings but were participants for the Fenway tradition of "Sweet Caroline" in the 8th. Fenway was magical! It was a great game and great energy in the oldest baseball park in the US. We checked it off the bucket list. Did you know it opened in 1912. Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, is the next-oldest MLB ballpark and will celebrate its 99-year anniversary in 2023. After Fenway and Wrigley, all other MLB venues opened in 1962 or later. This is a real piece of baseball history and I'm so glad I got to share it with my best friend and reluctant baseball fan... KAREN of course! After the game ended we once again entered the sea of humanity attempting to exit the stadium and get onto the Metro. Fortunately I purchased our returning tickets before the game. The subway scene was intense and I mean BO intense plus the crowded train cars. We arrived at the Alewife Station long after the last #350 Transit bus had left so we called a Lyft and got back to the truck before midnight. Now I know many of you are asking questions like, "Are you crazy? What were you thinking?" Honestly, Karen and I are learning that these kinds of adventures make the journey more memorable. We've got to be a little crazy to do this life anyway. The only downside is our bodies don't have the endurance to bounce right back, so Thursday we recovered and recharged.

Driving from Freeport, Maine to Londonderry, New Hampshire took less than two hours. Londonderry is a town in western Rockingham County, New Hampshire. It sits between Manchester and Derry, the largest and fourth-largest communities in the state. and home to a small Episcopal Church congregation that participates in the Harvest Host program. The church sits in a very scenic location surrounded by apple orchards, farm stands, and beautiful views. Although rural in nature, the church was located near a busy road so earplugs were a necessity at night. But this was an ideal location for us due to its proximity to our friends Dan and Suzanne who live in Bedford near Manchester, New Hampshire. We arrived in the early afternoon on Monday and set up under some shade trees; the weather has been getting warmer and without hook ups we can't use our air conditioning. Laundry was on the to do list. Between the washing and drying loads we did a trip to Starbucks but eventually got caught in a torrential thunderstorm. When we got back to the trailer with open windows, we had some items to dry off but nothing seriously wet. This abrupt change in the weather is typical of New England in the summertime. On Tuesday, Dan and Suzanne drove out to meet us at St. Peter's Episcopal Church. It was just like old times. We gave them the tour of Trinity and they had so many questions. This seems to be a common occurrence given this radical lifestyle change. We promised to answer all their questions, but we decided to do it over lunch. We ate at the Cooper Door restaurant and had a great meal to go along with great company. We got caught up as best we could in a couple of hours. I am always amazed at how quickly we reconnect with our friends and just continue on like no time has passed. We seem to have that experience often and I'm so very thankful for it. When lunch ended, they drove us back to the church parking lot where the two women just couldn't say goodbye. Hugs, tears, more hugs and that was just Dan and I... no, just kidding. We sense that another trip to New England is in our future. We so love this region and the people; we will have to come back to see more. When we do, Dan and Suzanne are top on our list and we'll make it a longer visit.

This place makes our top ten list, no question! It is the quintessential image of a Maine coastal community. When we arrived on Friday, July 21 we were able to change our booked campsite for one night to a spectacular waterfront site overlooking Casco Bay just northeast of Portland, Maine. The park sits out on a peninsula where the Harraseeket River flows into Staples Cove. The protected harbor of South Freeport can be seen from the tip of the peninsula. The sheer beauty of this location, the wonderful staff and the large campsites, even with NO hookups in the campground, makes it onto our top ten list. Our first agenda item was dinner on Friday at the campground with our new friend, Steven Frederick who lives close by in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. We met for the first time when we traveled to Roatan last December for a scuba diving trip. We've kept in touch knowing we would be in his neck of the woods. We had a great evening with cocktails, a steak dinner with all the fixings plus wine and we got to know one another much better. Saturday, July 22 we had to move from the waterfront site to our originally booked spot two rows in from the water.. It was still a great location with plenty of room. Once the trailer was re-staged we drove to Portland, Maine to do some shopping and sightseeing. We stopped briefly in the downtown and then took a trip out to South Portland to look for the Forest City Cemetery where Samuel Teague, my great, great, grandfather is buried. Owned and operated by the City of Portland, this cemetery actually lies within the City of South Portland, along Lincoln Street. Subsequent land purchases have brought the cemetery to the present expanse of 97 acres. CEMETERY TIMELINE July 2, 1858: The first land parcel of the present cemetery was purchased. August 1858: The first lot was sold. November 12, 1858: The present name of Forest City Cemetery was given. BURIALS & RECORDS There are approximately 30,000 burials in Forest City Cemetery. The burial records for Forest City Cemetery are kept at the Evergreen Cemetery office at 672 Stevens Avenue in Portland. Not far from the cemetery is the Portland Head Light, a historic lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The light station sits on a head of land at the entrance of the primary shipping channel into Portland Harbor, which is within Casco Bay in the Gulf of Maine. Completed in 1791, it is the oldest lighthouse in Maine. The light station is automated and the tower, beacon, and foghorn are maintained by the United States Coast Guard, while the former lighthouse keepers' house is a maritime museum within Fort Williams Park. At five o'clock we met Steven at his home for cocktails and some beach time with his lovely family. Since he lives just down the road from the "world famous" Lobster Shack at Two Lights, we had to finish the evening with lobster rolls for dinner! Steven is not a lobster kind of guy and had previous dinner plans with his family, but insisted on giving us a ride there so we didn't need to park. What a guy! After dinner he picked us back up and we ended the evening with a sunset selfie before heading back to our campsite. Sunday morning we attended a small church community in Brunswick, Maine then headed back to Freeport for lunch and shopping. Freeport is the home of L.L. Bean Company. In 1912, Leon Leonwood Bean opened a store in the basement of his brother's apparel shop at Freeport Corner selling the "Bean Boot" (or Maine Hunting Shoe). This store, L. L. Bean, became so popular that in 1951 it started staying open 24 hours a day. Its retail and mail order catalog facilities expanded into being Freeport's principal business and a worldwide company with annual sales of over a billion dollars. The L.L. Bean flagship store is the anchor to outlet shopping in the town of Freeport. The town sees about 3.5 million visitors annually, who spent $308 million in 2015 alone. L.L. Bean, for its part in the community, has invested heavily in activities for both visitors and residents, including their Outdoor Discovery Schools and their Summer Concert Series. Three days here was just not enough time to do everything we wished we could do. On Monday morning, July 24 we pulled up the landing gear and headed for Londonderry, New Hampshire a couple hours away to visit with Dan and Suzanne Kirby who have been living in New Hampshire since 2003. Dan and Suzanne were our Santa Rosa neighbors; we have kept in touch with them since they moved away and have visited in past years. We are looking forward to reconnecting and catching up again!

The journey south from Acadia National Park has taken us to Duck Puddle Campground in Nobleboro, Maine. This family-run campground is located on the shores of Pemaquid Pond. Strategically close to the towns and villages of Damariscotta, Damariscotta Mills and Newcastle to the southwest and Waldoboro to the northeast. We planned on spending some of our three days here researching my father's side of the family tree. This area of Maine is where three generations of the Teague family clan originated, beginning with my great-great grandfather Samuel Teague (1818-1894). Starting the process with what I already knew from my father, Warren Arthur Teague (1929-2021). I knew he lost his father, Walter Emil Teague (1884 - 1931) at the age of 47 in an automobile accident on Christmas Eve when my dad was only two years old. His mother, Irene Hayhow Teague (December 16, 1903 - May 25, 1932) was in the same accident but survived 6 months longer before passing away from complications. She was able to arrange for a close family friend, Helen Olson to raise my father with the help of a trust fund she had prepared with a Los Angeles bank. We journeyed to the Damariscotta Public Library to collect information with their genealogy resources. We were extremely lucky to actually meet with Patti Whitten, a genealogist who volunteers at the library on Thursday afternoons. She helped us find all kinds of family records. My grandfather, Walter Emil Teague was born in Cape Elizabeth, Maine on March 2, 1884. Cape Elizabeth, is part of South Portland, Maine. His father was Warren Ludwig Teague (my great-grandfather) and his mother was Luella M. Archer. It appears Luella may have died before 1891 because Walter Ludwig remarried Jennie Irish June 15, 1891. The 1900 census shows Warren Ludwig (age 43), Jennie Irish (age 34) , Harry M. (age 19) and Walter E. (age 14). Fascinating to learn so much about my family tree. We were able to copy birth records, death records, marriage records and census records as far back as 1870. The oldest record we were able to find was the record of a death belonging to my great-great grandfather Samuel Teague. An added benefit was discovering the name of his parents, William Teague and Grace Oliver. I hope we can drill back faster with this information. I still need to do the maternal side as well. Our stay at Duck Puddle Campground was very fruitful for genealogy research. From here we head to Freeport, Maine to stay at the Winslow Memorial Park and Campground. In 1953, Adelaide Winslow Harb gave this scenic oceanfront gift to the Town in memory of her mother, Delia B. Powers Winslow. She entrusted some 90 acres “with the buildings and improvements thereon known as Stockbridge Point with the proviso that the land and its buildings shall be used as a public park and for public recreational purposes." The Park is located at the end of Staples Point Road on a peninsula between Casco Bay and the Harraseeket River.

It’s been a great five days at Bar Harbor Campground and in Acadia National Park, but all good things must come to an end. We drove out to Jordan Pond one last time to park the truck and ride the E-bikes on some more of the carriage roads we missed. Finding a parking spot was more challenging this go around. The weather on Monday, June 17 had improved, so more people had ventured into the park. We parked south of Jordan Pond House Gate Lodge to the west of the Day Mountain Loop. According to the signage next to the lodge, "the Jordan Pond Gate Lodge was completed in 1932. This building and the Brown Mountain Gate Lodge near Northeast Harbor ornament the carriage road system. The gates serve as a symbolic barrier to automobiles, and welcome the traveler into a motor-free system of carriage roads in the heart of Acadia National Park". "The design of the gate lodges was inspired by the rustic architecture found in France near the home of explorer Sieur de Monte, who once held land claims on Mount Desert Island. Like the bridges, and the carriage roads themselves, the gate lodges were designed to blend harmoniously with the surroundings" After the 5.3 miles around the Day Mountain Loop we rode back to the Jordan Pond House to break for lunch. We ordered ice teas this time and shared a delicious chicken salad entree. With our energy restored we continue onto the two smaller loops to the west, including the Amphitheater Loop. These two loops are located near the stream that empties from Jordan Pond down to Long Pond at the southern end of the island. Because it had rained heavily the night before, the stream was a pretty impressive sight. I had to shoot some video for you to enjoy. We crossed multiple arched bridge structures on this carriage road section and felt that this was one of the prettiest parts we had seen and experienced. With the afternoon fading fast we started heading back to Jordan Pond and the truck's location. In the end, we added another 13 miles to our previous 21 miles from the earlier trek. A total of 34 miles of the 45 mile carriage road system. Not bad for a couple of senior citizens even on E-bikes, huh? This is an incredible National Park to see. Make it a priority if you're ever in the state of Maine.

On Sunday, July 16 we attended Calvary Chapel Downeast in Trenton, Maine in the morning and met some lovely brothers and sisters in Christ while getting spiritually fed studying Acts 11. We've had rain, heavy at times, throughout the night, so we planned to take advantage of the Island Explorer bus after church. We returned back to the Bar Harbor Campground and picked up the bus from there. The fare-free Island Explorer features bus routes linking hotels, inns, and campgrounds with destinations in Acadia National Park and neighboring village centers. Clean propane-powered vehicles offer Mount Desert Island visitors and residents free transportation to hiking trails, carriage roads, island beaches, and in-town shops and restaurants. Our first stop was the Bar Harbor Village Square. We had yet to visit since arriving. Over-priced restaurants and typical souvenir shops lined the main square and the street down to the marina. I found some interesting subjects for a photograph: an old church and graveyard and a beautiful inn on the water. But honestly, Karen and I could not wait to leave after an hour and a half of "sightseeing" a majority of the town. In my opinion, Bar Harbor is a quaint town that has become commercialized. We walked back to the Village Square to take a bus to Acadia National Park's Hull Cove terminal to change buses. We wanted to take the Loop Road bus (Route 4) around the park. Arrived early enough to change to the #4 bus and got a different view of the park while someone else did the driving. We stopped at Sand Beach for ten minutes, so I got out to capture a couple of images. Believe it or not, people were actually getting into the 55ºF water, which the park service warns is "Wicked Cold". Once back on the road we continued on to Jordan Pond. It was almost 5 PM and we decided to stop at the Jordan Pond House for "Tea Time". In addition to tea we enjoyed the Specialty Tea Time Tray with cucumber tea sandwiches, berry scones, smoked salmon canapés, seasonal fruits & pastries for $ 24.99. And we had to order one of their famous popovers, served with Maine made strawberry jam & butter. The popover recipe they use at Jordan Pond House is now used at the Asticou Inn, in nearby Northeast Harbor. The Jordan Pond House traces its history back to 1847. The first settlers conducted a logging operation, establishing a small mill near the foot of the pond. The original farmhouse was built by the Jordan family of Seal Harbor, for whom the pond and house were named. It is situated at the southwestern corner of the Park Loop Road, overlooking Jordan Pond from its southern shore. Two rôche moutonnées, known as "The Bubbles", provide the backdrop to the view from the house's lawn at the rear of the 60-acre property. Jordan Pond House was established as a restaurant by Melvan Tibbetts in the early 1870s. In 1883, Bostonian Charles T. How, one of the first to develop real estate in Bar Harbor, bought the property. In 1895, Mr and Mrs Thomas McIntyre took over the business, which would remain in their hands for the next half-century. Near the end of this reign, John D. Rockefeller Jr. purchased the property and donated it to the National Park Service to ensure its continued existence. We finished our tea time visit at Jordan Pond House and caught the last Island Explorer back to the Visitor Center and then back to our campground. We stayed dry, despite the rain and decided to skip a big dinner when we got back. A pleasant and relaxing "day of rest".

Now on our third and fourth day in the park area, we have been learning more and more about this amazing national park. From our location at the Bar Harbor Campground we can take a free shuttle bus service almost anywhere on Mount Desert Island. Acadia was first established as Sieur de Monts National Monument in July 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson but then was changed to Lafayette National Park in February 1919 when it became the first national park east of the Mississippi. It was not until January 1929 that it officially was named Acadia National Park. The word “Acadia” likely stems from “Arcadia,” a part of Greece that this area reminded the explorer, Giovanni Verrazano of as he sailed by in 1524. Today, the park encompasses approximately 49,052 acres in three main areas. The largest is located on Mount Desert Island. Next is an approximate 2,366 acre tract of land to the Northeast on the mainland at Schoodic Peninsula. Thirdly, to the Southwest (accessible only by boat) is Isle Au Haut. Baker Island (Southeast coast) and Bar Island (north side of Bar Harbor) are also National Park land. Saturday, July 15 we decided to drive the truck and explore the western half of Mount Desert Island. Hwy 102 goes to Southwest Harbor, Ship Harbor and around to the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. We continued up the west side past Blue Hill Bay to Seal Cove, then Seal Cove Pond to Somesville at the north end of Somes Sound. When we got to Ship Harbor we took a hike out to lands end. Located off Maine 102A down the road from Seawall Campground and Wonderland Trail, Ship Harbor Trail is a figure-8 trail covering 1.3 miles. It is a great trail for families and birders. The tide was out, so the water in the small bay that makes up Ship Harbor was draining out the narrow opening to the ocean. The view from lands end was stunning. The sense of grandeur and expanse of the ocean was palpable. We continued on to the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse. The road was narrow with much traffic but we made it to the small parking lot. Unfortunately there were just too many people so we took a couple of photographs and bugged out of there as soon as we could get out. After spending our afternoon visiting the "slower side" of the island, we returned back to the trailer for an early dinner. We had purchased some flatbread pizzas at Walmart that cooked up; they were remarkably good. Later we walked down the hill to Udder Heaven Ice Cream Retreat of Maine. They claim to make ice cream " Not Wicked, Just Good". We can testify that their ice cream was indeed "Heavenly".

In the movie Apollo 13, an engineer comes into a conference room and dumps a bunch of hardware onto a table. The goal? To fit a square peg into a round hole. The problem? After an explosion crippled the Apollo 13 spacecraft, the three astronauts went into the Lunar Module for much of their flight home. However, the module wasn’t designed for three astronauts together; only two would be descending to the lunar surface. With each breath, the extra astronaut helped overload the CO2 scrubbers in the lunar module. The crew had plenty of scrubbers for the command module, but did not have backups for the lunar module. Why couldn’t they plug the command module scrubbers into the lunar module? They were different shapes and sizes. The lunar module used cylindric scrubbers while the command module used cubic ones. That’s when NASA’s engineers got to work to solve the problem. Using only equipment available to the astronauts, the engineers in Houston were able to fashion a workaround that used the command module scrubbers in the lunar module. When we arrived at Bar Harbor Campground in Maine on July 13, we had to fit a square peg, our 35' fifth-wheel trailer into a narrow, uphill campsite with trees on both sides of the "round hole". In addition, the turning area on the road was downhill and had boulders as a barrier on the driver side of the turn. Karen and I had to "work the problem", with an audience to boot. Fortunately, one of our neighbors helped by trimming some of the problem branches for us. I made three attempts to make the turn up into the campsite, avoiding trees on both sides and the boulders by the truck only to find out the bike rack on the rear of the trailer was hitting the ground. Work the problem. "Dear Lord, we need your help to do this." I pulled back out to the road where Karen and I removed the E-bikes, the rack and placed them out of the way to attempt another try. I also decided to put the truck into a 4-wheel drive mode for this next attempt. Slowly, steadily, with Jesus as my Co-pilot, Karen on the radio and a helpful neighboring camper as an extra eye, I was able to back the monster around and up into our "cozy" campsite location. After getting up before 7AM to fuel-up, breakdown our previous campsite, hook-up and travel 3 hours, this new challenge at the end of our travel day was the hardest day we have both had in a long time. I was totally exhausted after this ordeal and had to take a serious nap. Karen worked on the inside while I decompressed and later finished getting us set up for the next four days. The site is quiet, has a gorgeous view looking out to the coastline and we are surrounded by edible, ripe wild blueberries for our enjoyment. The first morning after arriving was Friday, July 14 and we wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather. We loaded up the e-bikes and journeyed to the Hull Cove entrance of Acadia National Park. We wanted to start exploring the park using the unique carriage road features available to us. Forty-five miles of rustic carriage roads, the gift of philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. and family, weave around the mountains and valleys of Acadia National Park. Rockefeller, a skilled horseman, wanted to travel on motor-free byways via horse and carriage into the heart of Mount Desert Island. His construction efforts from 1913 to 1940 resulted in roads with sweeping vistas and close-up views of the landscape. The roads were built to preserve the lines of hillsides and save trees, align with the contours of the lands, and take advantage of scenic views. Approximately 16 feet wide, the carriage roads are an example of broken-stone roads commonly used at the turn of the 20th century. Gate lodges act as impressive welcomes to the carriage road system, stone-faced bridges span streams, waterfalls, motor roads, and cliff sides. Granite coping stones used as guardrails line the roads, affectionately called "Rockefeller's teeth." Today, carriage roads now have multiple-user groups.. Pedestrians, bicyclists, horse-back riders and horse-drawn carriages share in the beauty, access, and safety of these auto-free roads across the park. We rode a total of 21 miles of the carriage roads by some beautiful lakes, ponds, scenic vistas and historic structures. Lunch was on the observation deck of the Jordan House overlooking the lake of the same name. On our return trip back to Hull Cove we even spotted a Red Fox the size of a Labrador Retriever. We packed up the bikes and headed back to the trailer to enjoy dinner and get a good nights sleep, tired and satisfied with our first adventure in Acadia,

We changed our minds, which we seem to be making a habit of doing as we live this life of travel! After looking at our list of places to see before leaving Robbinston, Maine, we realized we could see almost everything. So we decided to stay with the original timeline of leaving on Thursday, July 13th. First was a return to Saint Stephen and Saint Andrews; both places were high on the list for one more visit. Despite questionable weather for Tuesday, July 11, we took our bikes with us across the border around 2PM in the afternoon. But we forgot that when you cross the river from Calais, Maine (USA) into St. Stephen, New Brunswick (Canada) you lose an hour due to the time zone change. UGH! Our goal was to explore the Ganong Chocolatier and check out the exhibits and hands-on displays, examine vintage chocolate boxes and machines, and peek into the studio where Ganong’s famous hand dippers still craft chocolates the way they have for over one hundred years. But God's grace was with us when we arrived in time for the last tour at 4 PM. Officially dubbed ‘Canada’s Chocolate Town’ in 2000, St. Stephen is home to a sweet history. The Chocolate Museum celebrates historic innovation and tells the story of candy-making in St. Stephen. Ganong introduced many Canadian confectionary firsts: Delecto boxed chocolates, Chocolate Nut Bars, Heart-Shaped Boxes, and Ganong Original Chicken Bones. Unfortunately, the hand dippers had left the factory for the day, so we missed out on that piece of the historical process. However, we did get some samples at the end of the tour and purchased some dark chocolate, sea salt covered caramels too...of course! Continuing on to the town of Saint Andrews, we rode our E-bikes to the lighthouse and we observed the tidal difference during the high tide period. From the blockhouse at one end of town, we rode down the main street to the lighthouse at the other end. The tide was coming into the Passamaquoddy Bay and up the St. Croix River so we had an opportunity to see the full effect. The place I was standing a few days earlier in the week at the channel marker offshore from the Pendlebury Lighthouse, was now literally under 20+ feet of water! Returning to the downtown area, we enjoyed another marvelous dinner of fish (Haddock) and chips and also specially seasoned grilled Scallops. From our outdoor table waterfront dining experience at the Harbour Front Restaurant, we watched the tide drop over a foot in less than an hour. Unfortunately, there was no time to golf St. Andrews this trip. We biked back to our parked truck before the rain and headed back to the USA gaining back the one hour lost earlier in the day. Campobello was on the agenda for our last full day of this leg of our journey, Wednesday, July 12. Campobello Island is in Canada and we remembered to factor in that one hour time change. Roosevelt Campobello International Park preserves the house and surrounding landscape of the summer retreat of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt and their family. It is located on the southern tip of Campobello Island in the Canadian province of New Brunswick and is connected to the mainland by the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Bridge at Lubec, Maine in the United States. The cottage, built in the Shingle Style and completed in 1897, was designed by Willard T. Sears. It was given as a wedding present to Franklin and Eleanor in 1908, by Franklin's mother Sara Roosevelt. In August 1921, 39-year-old Roosevelt, who would go on to become the 32nd President of the United States, was stricken by a severe paralytic illness, believed to be polio at the time, leaving him permanently paralyzed from the waist down.  FDR was no longer able to stay at the "beloved island", but he sailed there in 1933 and visited briefly in 1936 and 1939. Eleanor Roosevelt loved the cool summer weather and visited many times with her children and friends. Armand Hammer acquired the cottage in 1952. After Eleanor's death in 1962, Hammer deeded the property to the governments of the U.S. and Canada. In 1964, they created the 2,800-acre International Park. After our arrival at the park, we enjoyed the Visitor Center exhibits and a short historical film then walked down for a guided tour of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s magnificent 34-room “summer cottage” which has been preserved and is almost exactly as it was in 1920. Our guide gave us an interesting tour of both floors of the memorabilia-filled cottage. From there we walked over to the neighboring Hubbard Cottage which was built in 1892. Designed by Gorham Hubbard, a successful Boston insurance broker, it was sumptuously appointed. Featuring a magnificent picture window, Hubbard Cottage is a wonderful example of “rusticator” living on Campobello Island. Our visit ended with a 3 PM appointment for “Eleanor’s Tea” at the Wells-Shober Cottage. The afternoon program is served with New Brunswick-made King Cole tea and homemade ginger snap cookies; it was arranged in advance by Mrs. Karen Teague through an online reservation. The three ladies who hosted the event shared a more comprehensive narrated account of Eleanor's life and accomplishments. Our mothers would be proud as we displayed proper high tea manners! Our next stop was the Head Harbour Lightstation on the northeastern most point of the island. Unfortunately, the tide had come in too far for us to walk out to the facility, so we resorted to taking photographs from a distance. However with the tide coming in this rapidly it afforded us another unique opportunity to see the 2nd largest whirlpool in the world. Getting back in the truck we made it in time to catch the ferry from Campobello to Deer Island. We arrived just as the whirlpool effect was starting and had a great vantage from the southwest tip of the point. Old Sow is the largest tidal whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere. It is located off the southwestern shore of Deer Island, New Brunswick, Canada, and off the northeast shore of Moose Island, the principal island of Eastport, When the tide comes in from the Bay of Fundy, located off the Atlantic Coast between the State of Maine and the Province of New Brunswick, a tremendous amount of ocean water, called a current, flows swiftly into a confined area called the Western Passage before emptying upriver into Passamaquoddy Bay. After making a sharp right turn to the north, traversing a deep trench, flowing past an underwater mountain and encountering several countercurrents, a portion of the current "pinches off" to form the huge circular current called Old Sow and often several smaller ones, nicknamed “piglets.” Circular currents of all sizes are commonly known as whirlpools, vortexes, eddies, and gyres. Old Sow varies in size but has been measured at more than 250 feet in diameter, about the length of a soccer field. While the turbulent water can be dangerous to small-craft mariners — some of whom have barely escaped a 12-foot drop into the Sow’s gaping maw — its swirling motion has a positive environmental effect. It causes nutrients and tiny sea creatures normally found in the bay’s colder, deeper waters to rise to the surface. This process, called upwelling, ensures good eating for the resident fish and seabirds. We timed it perfectly and stayed for an hour to observe this unique ocean phenomenon. An hour later we were back on the ferry to Campobello. We finished off the day with our trip back over the FDR Memorial Bridge to Lubec, Maine, USA to enjoy another seafood dinner. This was another very full day of sightseeing in this area that I have fallen in love with. I experienced a truly melancholy feeling about leaving before returning back to the campground to prepare for the next road trip. We will return someday but from here it's on to Bar Harbor, Maine for a five day visit to Acadia National Park.