NH, VT, a Thousand Islands and a Thousand smiles!
We left Acadia NP last Monday and started heading west. But first we had to travel south to go west and that meant retracing our steps back the other way as we came in to Acadia on US Highway 1. If you continue following this highway all the way south your end point would be Key West, FL. Not going quite that far south, maybe next trip.
Seems we will be going south about as far as the Penebscot Narrows Bridge where, you loyal followers may recall, we missed our chance to ascend the bridge observation tower when we previously came thru here due to fog. But today looks splendid and bridge observations from 440 feet up should be a go.
This is really a cool bridge structure, so glad we had another opportunity to get a real close look at her.
Our next destination is the Thousand Islands in upstate NY right smack dab along the US/Canadian border. The Thousand Islands sit within the St. Lawrence River which forms the border. In looking at the road map we pick a slow meandering route thru western Maine, mid New Hampshire and then northwesterly thru Vermont along the ginormous Lake Champlain and on into eastern upstate NY.
As we rolled along US 2 thru Maine we were making good time and after about 3 hours of driving from Acadia we discussed either stopping for the day or having a bite to eat and continuing on. We decided to continue on so, where to eat? Well, this is where the loose schedule and planless travel shines it's best. We see on the map a roadside rest area up ahead a few miles and opt to pull over, stretch our legs and make up some sammiches.
We pull into a beautiful 5 acre or so lawned area right off the highway on the shoreline of the Kennebec River outside of Skowhegan, ME. I park, get out and take a stroll across the parking area and on down the well manicured lawn towards the river. I see a commemorative plaque and head over for a viewing.
We had no clue, thought it was just your usual cookie cutter rest area, but this was the actual site where Col. Benedict Arnold and 1400 men and supplies biviouqued on in October, 1775. As the Kennebec River Valley provided a route all the way north to Canada and on into Quebec, it was the no brainer path for Arnold and his men to follow in order to sack the British in Quebec City. That was the plan anyway...as Mike Tyson once opined, 'yeh, everyone has a plan until you get punched in the face'!
Seemed simple on paper, but by the time Arnie got to Quebec City he had only 600 of the original 1400 men and they were starving. Most had headed home and this being winter these guys had had enough. So Washington's plan for a siege on Quebec City came to an abrupt halt and quick retreat. Yet, Washington awarded Benedict Arnold with a commission as a Brigadier General in the Revolutionary Army shortly afterwards.
As a side note, Col. Benedict Arnold was famously noted for being a traitor later in his life, but at this time and throughout the Revolutionary War he was one of General Washington's most reliable and trusted officers. George must have been seriously disappointed with Bennie.
We have found lots of these historical nuggets during our travels thru colonial America on this trip. They don't seem to have a lot of notoriety on maps and such but they just pop up if you keep your eyes open. I mean this place was billed as a highway rest stop and turns out to have some serious historical context, very cool.
After lunch, with our brief US history thirst quenched, we consult the map and agree to push on another hour or so to Mt. Blue State Park, within Maine but right next to the border with New Hampshire.
We had a great conversation with the Maine Park Ranger at check in at Mt. Blue and mentions she previously worked for the California State Park System at the various State parks around Santa Cruz, CA. Very nice woman, got tired of dealing with all of the Silicone Valley nitwits coming out to camp for the first time with lots of money and little sense of the outdoors.
She loved CA but missed home, so she headed back to the mountains of western Maine and hasn't looked back. Loves it here, snowshoes/X country skis in the winter and works the campground in summer. She was of Lebanese ancestry so she and Deb shared similar stories of being brought up in a close knit, immigrant family and the food..ah, the food! It was a fine time spent with a wonderful person in the middle of nowhere Maine...perfect.
We set up camp and head down to the beach and enjoy a fine time in the crystal clear water surrounded by rolling mountains but had to call it short as a storm was approaching from the west with thunder and lightning, not conducive at all for a beachside relax. Back to camp we go, flamed a great bbq steak on the grill, baked spud and grilled corn on the cob dinner and called it an early night. Off to NH tomorrow morning.
Next morning we pull up stakes and continue our sojourn westward and on into New Hampshire with their license plates proudly displaying the "Live Free or Die" state...OK, if those are my two options, I'll choose live free, how 'bout you?
Now, I make jest of this NH license plate moniker in the modern day sense, but for these proud NH folk back in the Revolutionary War days, this 'Live Free or Die' meant everything. Back then, they felt this shit to the core and God bless 'em...could you place you and your family's lives on the line today for just a taste of freedom or liberty? Think about it, the odds were not in favor of these guys going up fightin side with the mighty British empire and... you were going up a'gin very, very long odds. Whoo boy, that's a tough one right there now loyal followers. I'd like to hear your thoughts, hit me up.
Upon our entrance to NH we are immediately graced with the White Mountain National Forest which affords tons of camping, hiking, kayaking...pretty much anything outdoorsy...opportunities. As is our usual custom upon entering any National Forest (NF), a visit to the ranger station is in order. This is where you learn the ins and outs of that particular NF, where is dispersed camping allowed, campground availability, recommended hiking trails and general do's and don'ts.
But, you know me, all I really wanted was a state highway map of NH and yeh, maybe some other tidbits about the White Mountains could help.
Met with a very professional USFS ranger at the front desk and inquired about said highway map. He whips out a state highway map for not only NH but Vermont, NY, PA and Maine as well...my man! We are now instant friends. Thank you kind sir, but I already have NY, PA and ME but most definitely lay that VT gem on me! Forward planning thru VT can now commence, score!
We travel south thru NH past Mt. Washington and down thru Conway, NH. Spectacular mountain scenery the whole way with lotsa tourist traffic going thru Conway, we motor on to White Lake SP for the night. Kind of a basic campground with a small lake adjoining it, sorry no pics, but a nice, quiet place to hang our hats for the night.
The next morning it was off to Vermont and, by the way, we somehow managed to live free and NOT die during our stay in NH!
Honestly, we blasted thru Vermont in a day. From what we saw it looked like a beautiful State with lots of nice spots to linger at, but we were hell bent on moving westward. We drove thru the Green Mountains (the french translation, Ver=green and mont=mountain...Vermont) and they were spectacular. Drove thru the state capital city of Montpelier...trivia question for you loyal followers of the blog: how many State Capital cities have we driven thru? The answer is 6, can you name them?
Stayed the nite alongside Lake Champlain in Malletts Bay, VT at a dumpy RV park and headed out early the next morning northward to the St. Lawrence River on the border between NY, USA and Quebec, Canada.
We loved our brief time in VT and based on driving across it, this would be a great place for further exploration. Would have loved to witness spots where Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys stood their ground and proclaimed liberty. Maybe next trip, there's always another trip!
We end the days journey at Robert Moses SP outside of Massena, NY along the St. Lawrence River. This being Friday we decide to hunker down right here and ride out the busy summer camping weekend until things loosen up on Sunday.
Once we're set up I head off to check out the local scene and Debbie stays back at camp to stretch out. I head over to the Eisenhower Locks, which is a US Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) facility, making up one small part of a huge navigable waterway transport system allowing ship movement from all of the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.
The Eisenhower Locks were completed and dedicated in 1959 by President Ike himself. Ike followed the passion of George Washington back in the late 1700's that the thing to keep this Nation of individual States together was a strong and efficient transportation network linking all of the States as One. Ike went on to promote, fund and deliver the Interstate Highway system, as we know it today...and, established Federal funding and ACOE management for completing the St. Lawrence Seaway project.
Next day we rent a 16' Boston Whaler for a half day to check out the River and what a fine time we had! Putzing along the river, we bounce from island to island not really knowing where in the hell we're going, but having laughs all the way, you know?
Hey Deb, let's see what's on the other side of that island over there. Get to the other side of the island and we find ourselves in a pretty narrow channel with beautiful riverfront homes and ALL of them flying Canadian flags in their yards! Oh shit Deb, I think we're in Canada! Now with Trudeau and this C-19 lockdown I'm expecting the Canadian mounties to be boarding our boat any minute now. I was quite nervous, so we hauled ass southbound and back to the USA!
When returning the boat we relate this experience to our most excellent boat handler, Emma, and she says not to worry, we do this all of the time! As long as you don't beach or dock the boat on the Canadian side you're fine. Cool.
Emma is a Massena, NY home girl...born, raised and all of her family lives here. She just completed her first year at SUNY Potsdam on line due to C-19 and is looking forward to the on campus experience this Fall for her 2nd year. Thinks she wants to major in Psych but not sure quite yet.
I asked when you complete your degree will you be coming back to Massena? She gave a very quick, hell no, I'm headed south where it's warmer! I further inquired, do most of your friends feel the same way? Absolutely yes, every young person I know in this town is looking to move on.
And after driving thru Massena I could see this. The town and towns folk look...well, old and tired. It would be hard to see how a young person could see a future here. Very sad but true. Common scenario all across small town America we've seen on this trip.
Best of luck Emma, get that degree and move on girl.
We successfully rode out the weekend at Moses SP and moved on Sunday morning to Jacques Cartier SP a few klicks up the River.
Scored a nice camp spot at Jacques Cartier SP (named for the French explorer that 'discovered' the St. Lawrence River in the early 1500's...never mind the fact that Native tribes had made this their home for eons!) and continued our exploration of the St. Lawrence River corridor. Very pretty park, as has been the case with all NY State parks we have visited.
Next day we drove the very pleasant 30 miles or so to Wellesley Island SP where we have a reservation for 3 nites. This park is located on one of the 'Thousand Islands' near Alexandria Bay, NY. No, I didn't count each one of them so I'll take their word for it!
Spectacular beauty and a very popular summer tourist area. We drove thru the riverside village of Alex Bay, as the locals call it, and scoped it out. Lots of vacationers milling about, the standard long lines of people waiting outside of restaurants for a table and gift shops doing a brisk business.
Noticed a fair amount of shuttered businesses in A Bay just like the rest of America we have seen this summer, the apparent victims of C-19 I suppose, which really sucks. I have also seen all across this country that many businesses were unable to reopen due to staffing shortages. Does anybody want to work anymore? Sheesh...
As a small business it's tough to do everything yourself so many of those operations are now gone forever. Some use the term 'Mom and Pop' which to me connotates an older couple running the place, but most of these businesses are run by young people with young families to support, just trying to collect their nut. It's sad 'cause they poured their hearts, soul and a lot of hard work into their dream only to see it die off simply because they can't find other people to help them out.
No dear readers, I'm not going to end this post on a downer, no way!
We have been greatly inspired by the stories we've heard from many lovely, hard working people all across this country which has convinced me that everything is going to be OK. The ingenuity and ability to overcome hardship with dedication and hard work, you know, not giving up on the dream, is out there big time. Even the folks who have lost their businesses, they ain't giving up, it's in their blood and they're going to make another run at it, be assured of that and join me in wishing them all the luck in the world.
OK, is that better? I think so, hope you do too!
Love and miss you all, next post in a week or so from the shoreline of Michigan alongside Lake Michigan with a brief stop on the way at the Rock 'n Roll HOF in Cleveland.
Peace out, Deb and Howard
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