Tribute to the Pop-Up

Day 83, August 31, 2014

After a lovely church service this morning and an afternoon of enjoying Center Harbor on Lake Winnepausakie, we're sitting cozily in our trusty little pop-up, enjoying the sound of rain on the roof. We're feeling a little nostalgic because this is our last night camping in this wonderful little camper. 

When we first bought this Jayco Baja 10Z brand-new in the fall of 2005 in Boise, Idaho, I intended to keep a notebook on board to record all our outings in it. Somehow, that never happened. So tonight we sat at the table after dinner and made a list of all the places we could remember where we camped and enjoyed this cozy shelter.

In Idaho we enjoyed many campsites on and near the Salmon River, in and around Stanley, McCall, Cascade, Yellow Pine. Bergdorff Hot Springs, and Ponderosa State Park. During some of those trips we shared the pop-up with friends: John and Nancy Hanna, Kevin and Nan Kelley, and Mike and Marge Van Dyk. We also used the pop-up,as a "guest room" sometimes when our grown kids or adventurous friends came to visit. 

From Idaho we took several extended trips. In the summers of 2006 and 2007 we traveled to Estes Park, Colorado. The first summer I attended Gospel Music Week at YMCA of the Rockies Camp. While I attended music workshops, Curt enjoyed the company of his former Montana State University student and our good friend James Healy, who camped out with us with his sweet dog Sadie. (Sadie was originally our dog back in the early 90's, but I was dealing with allergies at the time, and was allergic to her. So James took her, and the two of them had some amazing extreme outdoor adventures together!...skiing, mountaineering, backpacking, whitewater trips, etc. Sadie did it all!)

The second summer Curt and I both attended Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp. I took lessons in Celtic harp and fiddle, and Curt worked on the upright bass. The pop-up was the container of MANY squeaking, squawking notes as I learned the fiddle!

After we hauled it to Texas when we moved there in 2008, we spent many weekends camping in nearby State Parks: Lost Maples and Garner near Leakey, and South Llano near Junction. We towed it west to Fort Davis,Texas and Ruidoso, New Mexico.

We camped in it in the fall of 2012 at the Wintercreek Reunion Dulcimer Festival in Bennington, Oklahoma. The rainstorm at that festival was unbelievable. While many people were soaked in their trailers or tents, we stayed warm and dry...and more importantly, all our musical instruments did, too!

Just before our current trip, we had the pop-up inspected top to bottom, stem to stern, and every tiny little thing was repaired to perfection. We had an air conditioner installed (should have done that years ago!) and got to use it for a grand total of two nights before we hit cooler weather and no longer needed it!

And now, on this trip, we've spent over 60 nights in it in the following states and provinces: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maine, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Hampshire.

Tomorrow after we arrive at Ross and Lorna's house in Massachusetts, we will empty our camper of all its contents. We'll be leaving it at the dealer in Maine on Wednesday as a trade-in when we pick up our new KZ Vision travel trailer. We wish we could keep the Baja and give it to our kids to enjoy... But there's no way to tow two trailers with one truck out to Idaho. So we'll have to remember all the good times we've had. 

We're thankful to the Lord for the safety He's provided, for the wonderful people we've met as we've traveled in the pop-up, and for the enjoyment we've had of His marvelous creation. it's our prayer that the new owners will enjoy the same types of experiences and will travel in safety, peace and good fellowship as we've been blessed to do.

Finally Escaped Maine! In New Hampshire Now.

Days 81 and 82 of Trip, Friday and Saturday, August 29 and 30, 2014

Yesterday morning after our breakfast at the King's Hill Inn B&B, and a long visit with Janice, the owner, we roamed around the beautiful grounds and took some photos. First, here's the room we stayed in, tucked under the eaves upstairs:

Before I show you some photos of the property, I'll mention this. Janice and her husband, Glenn, have been operating the B&B for fifteen years. Because of some significant health concerns, they really need to sell it. Now, I'm not turning real estate agent, but I'm just mentioning this in case someone reading this blog knows someone who knows someone who wants to own and operate a B&B. I can't imagine a better deal than this: 25 stunning acres in Maine, some wooded and some beautifully landscaped, a historic house for the B&B, another beautiful house either for rental or for the owners to live in, a newly restored 100-year-old barn for weddings, dances, events of any kind, a lovely little chapel, AND a thriving business thrown into the mix. We couldn't believe how low their asking price is for all this. They really do need to sell, and that need is reflected in the price. You can see the full real estate tour on Youtube if you're interested, or you can forward the link to a friend who might be... It has all the details, and an aerial tour as well as room by room tour. Just Google search: You tube, King's Hill Inn.

Janice was saying that an ideal scenario would be for two energetic couples to go in together. That way they could relieve each other, and both could get regular vacations (which is a difficult thing for B&B owners to do, generally), and there is PLENTY of income opportunity to support two families.

If you have questions, just look up the King's Hill Inn B&B online and contact Janice or her realtor. Now...ready to see some of what I've been describing? Well, feast your eyes on this!

The chapel:

The amazing 100-year-old + Barn:

Upstairs barn loft:

View from the barn. Tallest mountain in the distance (hard to see with my iPad photo) is a ski resort 30 minutes away, so plenty of winter income as well.

Old carriage lane with original rock fence leading to cleared areas:

Looking back toward barn in distance.

Second house on Property

2nd house on left, Barn on right with B&B just visible beyond it.

Curt and Janice in front of B&B

We have been praying for Janice and Glenn steadily since we left yesterday morning. We would be thrilled if somehow this information found its way to someone who might be able to relieve their situation. Janice said they would even entertain the idea of someone coming to operate the B&B for a year or two to try it out, with the option of buying if they wished. So, think.... Which of your friends have you heard saying, "I'd love to try running a B&B someday..."?

After leaving the B&B, we headed to the quaint town of Norway, Maine. As we drove down the Main Street, I saw a sign that said "Fiber and Vine." From my quick glimpse, I couldn't tell if it was a yarn store or a wine store, so I asked Dear, Patient Curt (DPC) to park so I could run back and see. It turned out to be BOTH! Now in my travels so far in Maine, I've seen yarn paired with dog accessories (Wags and Wool in Lubec), with candy at Bea's Yarns in Bar Harbor (which, by the way, is properly pronounced Bah Hahbah around here), and now with wine in Norway, Maine. I can't wait to see what other unique combinations I find on this trip!

I was having such a great time with Sarah, who works there, that I was shocked to see that almost an hour had gone by when the door opened and Curt came in to see if I was still alive. 

I waved goodbye to Sarah as DPC towed me out the door . . . 

. . . But I managed to get one last shot of the felted wool mail box hanging on the door and the wonderful spinning wheel in the shop window:

Too bad. We have to go right past there next week when we pick up our new travel trailer. I think I'll give Curt a copy of one of James Michener's novels to read that day!

Since we were visiting exotic places, we (accidentally) drove through Naples and narrowly missed Denmark before we left Maine and crossed into New Hampshire. The scenery is much different here than in Maine. There are lakes, mountains and green trees everywhere!

Since we're not using a GPS and are just relying on maps, road signs, and intuition, occasionally we have to make a U turn and give something another try. This wonderful farm and country store was the prize we found on one of our U-turns. We filled our cooler with fresh vegetables!

On our way our I noticed the pumpkins. We've been watching for signs of fall, but even at this northern latitude we haven't seen too many indicators. The trees are still VERY green, with a very occasional tiny spot of bronze or light red in a small part of a maple tree here and there. At this point, when we look out at the landscape, the predominant color is still GREEN!

 

The pumpkins, however, were a definite sign that fall is on the way. And I know we'll be seeing more and more colors in the coming weeks. I'll be sure to share them with you.

Today we had our first excursion into an L.L. Bean Outlet Store. What fun!!!!

We're camped in a KOA near Chocorua, New Hampshire, south of Conway. We arrived yesterday, and we'll be here two more nights (the last 3 nights in our pop-up). Then we'll head back to Ross and Lorna's house (Curt's brother and sister-in-law in Massachusetts) to temporarily offload a fair amount of the stuff we're hauling, so we can head back to Maine Wednesday and switch out our pop-up for the new travel trailer. Then we'll spend a couple of days with my cousin Kim and her husband, Brad in Henniker, N.H. before going back to Ross and Lorna's to properly "move in" to our new home on wheels, and to spend some more hilarious family time (after almost two months away, my sides have finally stopped aching from the Shirer Shenanigans I endured on the last visit!). From that point, we're not sure where we'll go next. We generally plan about a week in advance, and just see what comes up!

Have a restful, festive and safe Labor Day weekend!

Big Changes: Day 80 Milestones

Day 80 of Trip, Thursday, August 28, 2014

After repeating some of our favorite activities in and around Acadia National Park yesterday, including biking on the carriage roads again...

Swimming in the pool, and having one last popover overlooking Jordan Pond...

We said goodbye to Hadley's Point Campground early this morning and started our trek westward, away from the coast for the first time in 7 weeks.

We stopped at 10 a.m. for some gas, and I noticed that the convenience store was selling Chester's Chicken. We haven't had that since we left Garden Valley, Idaho in 2008. Suddenly we were both famished! So of course we had to have fried chicken for breakfast! We decided that once every six years it wouldn't hurt us to do that. After we bought it, we looked around for a table to enjoy it, but alas! There was none. So we pulled our lawn chairs out of the back of the pick-up and sat beside the truck on the pavement of the gas station, and enjoyed our fresh, hot chicken as we watched the traffic roar by. Nothing like great ambiance for an elegant meal!

A couple of roadside photos... A very interesting bridge with the supports coming up between the 2 lanes of traffic:

A lovely flower bed in front of a beautiful bank building:

The return of roadside rock, which we never saw on the coast:

And the restoration of the gleaming copper roof of the State Capitol in Augusta:

Today we also traveled to China, Paris, Poland, Norway, and Oxford...all without leaving the State of Maine! And we had three more big events for our adventure: we hit Day 80 of the trip, we passed our 6,000 mile mark,  and.....(drum roll, please).... We bought a new home! One that's road-worthy, that is.

Exactly four weeks ago, while we were waiting 4 hours on the ferry dock going from Prince Edward Island to Nova Scotia, we first dared to think of traveling in an RV that would be bigger and more convenient than our pop-up tent camper. As we were hanging out on the ferry docks that day, we saw a small RV and talked to the owners, who happily gave us a tour and extolled its virtues. From that day, we've looked pretty carefully at lots of different RVs in the various campgrounds, and we've collected much advice from owners as they've proudly shown us their various rigs. And it's so funny...almost every one of them have said, "we used to have a pop-up camper." I think there's definitely a pattern here....

Today we found a hard side camper, on the smaller end (23'), which we believe will keep us comfortably enjoying our travels For MANY more miles than our pop-up will. It's been a great entry into this lifestyle, and we've had lots of fun with it. But we think we want to do lots more traveling like this, and a few more amenities will keep us going longer. We're both really excited about this!

Because it's still in the showroom, I couldn't get enough distance for a good photo of the outside. This is the best I have for now, but soon we'll be able to show you a complete set-up:

It's a 2015 Vision, made by KZ RVs, an Amish family-owned business known for its quality for many years.

Here are a couple of interior shots:

As you can see, Curt was "test-driving" all aspects of it. He didn't take a shower in it though!

We have a few loose ends to tie up, and it's Labor Day weekend, so we'll pick it up on Wednesday. We can't wait!

So to celebrate, we're staying at the King Mountain Inn, a B&B outside of South Paris, Maine. I'll try to catch a couple of photos tomorrow. (It's 10:30 p.m. now). As we had our celebratory dinner (no, not lobster this time. Not even seafood of any kind!), our server was a terrific young man named Spencer. We believe he's really going places. He really enjoys people, and it shows in all his conversations and actions. Today was the first day of his Senior year in High School, and he already knows where he's headed. He wants to be a psychiatric nurse. What a great direction for a sharp young man. All the best to you, Spencer!