#101 Sep 2015 Reflections after 7 Months of Travel

                                  Wow! We really are “Living the Dream”

When we started this extended trip we were excited about what we would see and do. Now we have experienced so much that it is difficult to believe. There is so much to learn about the world around us and we have just scratched the surface.

We returned home to Surrey in August. These thoughts reflect our seven months of continuous travel. We are behind in the posts because our heads are so full of memories that we need time to catch up to ourselves. There are many more posts to come but this seemed a good time to let family and friends know what we learned about extended travel.

Why we took this trip

1) Time and health. Don’t wait for the perfect time. It may never arrive.

2) Desire to see North America at our leisure

3) We planned this trip when the exchange rate was favourable but decided to proceed regardless of the rate. Who knows what tomorrow’s rate will be.

4) We enjoy nature and history and understanding the land and how people have affected it.

What we learned AGAIN

1) There is always more to see and do, than time to do it.

2) Enjoy the journey. Don’t worry about the destination.

An extended trip (with 24/7 togetherness)

1) We have been married 43 years and most of those years we worked, raised a family, maintained a home (inside and outside) and had a social life (together and separately). We are each other’s best friend but even best friends have differences. We learned more patience and better listening skills and still there were times when one of us went for a long walk.

2) Most of our stops were 2 to 4 nights giving us 1 to 3 days to explore. We had no timetable but needed to watch our days in the US and time outside of our home province.

3) We took R&R days as we felt we needed them but still never stayed in one place more than a

week. We had expected to plan several consecutive days for R&R but there was not enough time to do so.

Our vehicles

1) Without a touring vehicle, many attractions and points of interest are not accessible.

2) Our Class A motorhome is 38 feet. A vehicle towed on a dolly takes more space in park sites. Many of the sites we occupied would not have accommodated the car and a dolly.

3) We did not anticipate how many miles we would drive the car and therefore didn’t budget for that cost.

23,000 km (14,000 miles) 2008 Georgetown XL Class A motorhome

15,000 km   (9,000 miles) 2007 Suzuki Grand Vitara SUV

Value of the blog

1) Update for family and friends in more detail than a conversation.

2) Review of our experiences for us.

3) Ralph kept a daily journal of our location and notes of interest about our day.

4) I photographed info signs rather than keep many brochures. I also photographed everyday views to help us recall details of the locations. Editing 200 to 300 photos a day sometimes became a chore but also helped recall the events.

5) THANK YOU to all our viewers who have commented on our posts. We enjoy sharing our experiences and photos and appreciate knowing they have been viewed. The range of the Internet is amazing, as we have had over 9,000 page views from around the world.

           

Finding RV parks
Our criteria for choosing RV parks during this trip were very basic. We wanted full hookups in a safe location. We did not have time to access other amenities available in many parks. In 7 months we stayed in 66 different parks.

1) Magellan RoadMate RV 9365T-LMB GPS

                 Designed exclusively for RVers

                 We are very pleased with this GPS as it allows us to easily search for RV parks, points of

                 interest and is easy to navigate. 

2) Good Sam parks

a)  Are abundant

b)  Have been reviewed

c)  Always give a 10% discount

3) Passport America

a)    Fewer locations

b)   Parks are not reviewed

c)    Discount frequently not available weekends, holidays and peak season

d)   When available the 50% discount is only for a very limited number of days

4) Coast to Coast

                   a)  Membership - check for re-sellers

                   b) Usually $10 or $15 per night

                   c) Limited stay – usually 2 weeks

                   d) Some seasonal limitations

Time of the year to travel

1) We left British Columbia mid January and were in SE Texas within 3 weeks. We can             explore western states another trip.

2) We spent March in Florida. When we arrived we booked our parks for the month since it was peak season.

3) North of Florida was not peak season so we planned only a few days in advance. If we had traveled up the East Coast earlier, some attractions would not have been open.

4) We arrived in the Canadian Maritimes June 1^st. Some attractions don’t open until school is out, particularly in Newfoundland.

5) I have spring allergies that started early March in Florida. We followed spring up the East Coast and into the Maritimes. I experienced allergies and Ralph (suffered) with me for 4 months.

6) As we started our in depth sightseeing in late February the days were longer and we were able to explore later into the day. Most venues close about 5 PM but we were able to travel and enjoy the sights later in daylight.
We had originally planned to travel through the Maritimes and the East Coast in the fall to see the autumn colours. If we had traveled north to south in the fall our days would have gotten shorter. We would have had much less daylight for traveling and sightseeing as we headed south.

Expenses to anticipate

1) Fuel and liquour prices are lower in the US

2) Dollar for dollar, food, RV parks, and entrance fees are about the same in the US as Canada.

We were never in one location long enough to shop around for the best prices, especially for food.

REMEMBER the exchange rate. After a few months and many stores it was easy to think in Canadian dollars when looking at prices.

3) National Park passes are great value in both countries. They often cover historical points of interest as well.

Since returning home we frequently see places we have visited in movies, shows and news. What a marvelous way to refresh our memories!

28 American States    5 Great Lakes    10 Canadian Provinces

#100 May 2015 Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park

Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park bring to mind images of rugged mountains and tempestuous ocean,

Even a sandy beach,

Fabulous “cottages” of the wealthy,

Meandering drives and pathways,

Peaceful local inhabitants,

Glorious sunsets from the top of Cadillac Mountain,

And of course Maine lobster.

Mount Desert Island encompasses all of the above and more. For thousands of years Native Americans flourished and harvested the bounty of land and sea.

From the 1500s explorers mapped the coastline and the French and English struggled to possess this land with its rich resources.  

In the 1800s artists and outdoor enthusiasts discovered the remote beauty of the island.

In 1947 the Great Fire incinerated 67 summer cottages, 5 grand hotels and 170 year-round homes. Few of the grand homes were rebuilt and many of the summer people did not return.

Today millions of visitors experience the beauty of nature and small, local businesses thrive.

Cruise ships, boats and schooners sail the ocean blue.

All the passengers have a great view.

Bar Harbor was a dramatic finale to the US portion of our coastal trip.

#99 May 2015 Cape Cod

The name Cape Cod produces images of fish (cod, of course), whales, fishing villages and fishermen braving the wild Atlantic Ocean.

Did you know that in 1620 the Pilgrims first arrived in the New World, not at Plymouth, but on the tip of Cape Cod?

Before setting foot on land they created an agreement to govern and provide order for the new settlement. The Mayflower Compact’s core principles became the foundation of American Democracy.

In Provincetown the Pilgrim Monument commemorates the Mayflower Compact.

After five weeks of exploration the Pilgrims determined that the land was not suitable for settlement and moved on to Plymouth.

However, the sea around Cape Cod was teeming with fishing and whaling opportunities.

On the tip of Cape Cod, Provincetown became a vibrant fishing and whaling community. Whale oil was in great demand in Europe and the colonies. In search of the great sperm, whale ships ventured farther and farther out to sea remaining at sea for months, even years.

The first shipwreck in the area occurred in 1626. The turbulent waters off Cape Cod wrecked thousands of ships before the Cape Cod Canal was opened in the early 1900s, permitting coastal traffic to bypass the treacherous sandbars that lay offshore.

The majority of the shipwrecks occurred in the late 1800s. U.S. Life Saving Stations were built to keep watch for ships in distress.

Members patrolled the beach, meeting halfway between stations and exchanging tokens to confirm that they had covered the entire length of the their beach.

Between rescues the surfmen also maintained watch from the lookout tower. Chairs and reading material were prohibited to ensure constant vigilance.

The men’s lives were a mixture of monotony, repetition and occasional, terrifying excitement brought on by rescues. Weeks and months passed between shipwrecks but the men maintained the station and equipment, followed a stringent training regimen and remained alert for ships in distress.

If a wreck was close to shore the surfmen fired ropes out to the ship’s rigging with a small cannon and hauled survivors in one by one on a “breeches-buoy”. A sharp seven-man crew could bring a shipwreck victim safely to shore within five minutes. This photo is of the breeches (pants) buoy, a cork life ring with canvas pants.

The surfmans’ most dangerous duty was the surfboat rescue on rough seas. Timing and coordination were critical during launching and landing to avoid being smashed by the breakers. Surfboats could accommodate a dozen people – a captain, six surfmen and five survivors.

It is difficult to comprehend the courage displayed by the surfmen committed to saving the lives of strangers stranded at sea.

The modern Coast Guard now patrols the coastline and rescues boat and ships in distress.

Today Provincetown honors it's history and is a thriving arts and cultural centre. Throughout Cape Cod tourism, and of course, great seafood draw visitors from far and near.