Dat 180, Sunday, Sep. 30, 2018- Laundry, Breakfast , groceries, DVD planning.

It was cloudy  this morning and a cool September day. Overhead the sun tried to peek through a few times , but the clouds were dominant. This evening they are thicker as we are predicted to have rain during the night.

These mushrooms were right by the trailer and they are part of a "circle"that often comes when a tree has been cut , in the past years. More are coming , so I may get another shot.

Our spot with more than 15 empty sites beyond us toward the back of the park

Looking to the office and the center there are more campers. There are two of those "Allegros", behind the trailer.

 We found a very clean and efficient laundry in Milton VT  just up highway 7 (US2) and completed that before noon. We would rate that one in the top five on our trip. A late breakfast at the Milton Diner where many of the locals meet on Sunday at least.  A very plain place with no real emphasis on decor.  Good food and that is important. Autumn decor was small dolls as "scarecrows" in a small milk bottle filled with different types of beans and lentils.  (You wanted to know that, right?).  Early settlers in Milton made most of their income from lumber and potash until 1840 when dairy became popular and butter and cheese were sold. Eventually, milk was also shipped to Boston and New York. Today there is much retail  businesses , like Costco.

Then some grocery shopping at Hannaford Supermarket and it was busy. Looked like a Friday evening. I am not sure why that was as a Sunday noon, as usually is a quiet time to shop.  

Having accomplished that we spent the rest of the day working on photos and discussing what type of approach we will take to put together a DVD for showing to groups and families. In as much as we have more than 10,000 photos from this trip,  there are many ways to go.  Let's mention a few possibilities. There are; topical (separate the birds from the lighthouses, from the scenes, etc) , then there is grouping by geography. (we saw many different parts of North America), and it could be by political boundaries . There are other ways, but those are some.

The length of time is also a consideration as audiences will not tolerate a show that is more than an hour, if that long.  I'd like to see a single DVD that will briefly cover all of the areas that we saw, if only to see the scope of the trip.

We worked that over a bit and that helped to see what it entailed .Because this trip involved so many places and different environments and habitats, we could go in many different directions. One thing is for sure , There will be at least three DVDs that will come out from this trip.

Many in the campground left today (Weekenders get a special rate  here if the come for 6 weeks in a row,) as the "in by Friday  out by Sunday" group was many.. There is also an "Allegro" Convention in town. That is the RV "Allegro"  made by Tiffin Co. There are about 30 of them in the park  and they  are huge.  I read that a 2019, 37 foot, Phaeton (Tiffin) Motorhone will sell (sale price) at $299,000.00.

Tomorrow we will explore some of the area including four of the Islands that make up the northern part of Lake Champlain.  Causeways contain a road that runs through them.There is one National Wildlife Refuge and a number of State Parks on that-route. (US 2 mostly) , Stay tuned.

Day 179, Sat. Sep. 29, 2018- Through Maine, New Hampshire, into Vermont-- Sheer beauty.

It dawned a somewhat foggy  44 F in Skowhegan, but by the time we were on the road the sun was winning the days weather battle and it did all day. I was not farther  than a 1/4 mile from the entry to US 2 when Ruth loudly said "Stop here".!! I tried to get a place for the trailer at the side of a two lane highway, with very little shoulder and finally did . She said she didn't mind walking back. (This happens when she sees a good photographic moment and sometimes there is no place to stop, but I could see she really wanted this one. I asked her after she got back in..."Is it a winning photograph?" She said she thought so if the light seemed right.  Here it is and I have not seen it yet . She took three quick shots and this is the first one she took. I just downloaded them so you get a first look.

So you be the judge. A bridge near Skowegan on the Wesserrunsett Stream which empties a few 100 feet into the Kennebec River.  We re looking from the downstream side.

The trip through the entire US 2 from Maine to Vermont and through New Hampshire was awesome. As it was Saturday "everyone" was out on this beautiful autumn day . Sunshine, little breeze, and 65 F temperature. There were pumpkins, corn stalks, apples for sale, at least one  'corn maze',  a few cows (it is not dairy country) but many horses and  always the forests... but I did not see any clear cutting!

The peaks of mountains are named after the presidents, Lake Coos is where the Connecticut River is today.

One of many ups and downs through the valleys today on US 2. It was a very good road.

As we know , the lumber barons built many homes in those "lumber flush" days with many still standing today. One barn we saw was FIVE stories tall. It was huge!

Rock cuts particularly in New Hampshire through the schist and shale.

As US 2 does wind around and go through every town, I cut off on I-89  at Montpelier, to save some time. The views did not cease even then. There was some color starting and in another week or two,  it will be a blaze of color. Some scenes we included here.

Almost forgot that we crossed the Appalachian Trail where the Androscoggin River meets it at the highway.

Anyone for a ski?

Part of downtown St. Johnsbury VT.

The White Mountains are spectacular as we drove through them.

Two of five church spires in St Johnsbury,  VT., St. John the Evangelist (RC) on the right.

Finally   we arrived and got set up in a very large and full campground. Our site was isolated form the main campground so was quiet and inactive. Photo in better light tomorrow. We stopped at Dixfield to mail a package.

Yes there is a Mexico , Maine. See below.

ADDENDUM!

ADDENDUM!


"The land was once part of Holmanstown Plantation, granted by the Massachusetts General Court in 1789 to Colonel Jonathan Holman of Sutton, Massachusetts (now Millbury) and others. In 1803, Dixfield was set off and incorporated. The plantation's remaining portion, which had been first settled by Isaac Gleason, was incorporated on February 13, 1818 as the town of Mexico.The name was inspired by local sympathy for Mexico's 1810–1821 fight for independence from Spain. Then known as Mexico Corner, it developed as a farming community with mills at the streams.In 1894, George W. Ridlon, president of the Rumford Falls Brick Company, founded a settlement in the eastern part of the town called Ridlonville. He erected 30 cottages and The Hotel Ridlon.  Mexico has a population of 2,000.  Because of its low land position, it has been flooded 4 times in the last century."

AND...the town of Rumford has three names , East Rumford , Rumford Point and Rumford, hence...


 "Located in the foothills of the White Mountains, Rumford is the site of Pennacook Falls, called by historian George J. Varney "the grandest cataract in New England," where the Androscoggin River drops 177 feet (54 m) over solid granite. Bands of St. Francis Indians once hunted and fished here, where salmon spawn in the 13-acre (5.3 ha) pool below Upper Falls, a barrier that fish cannot pass. The river is home to a large population of the finless brown variety of trout. Indians also came here to trade furs brought from the lakes region. Sawmills and gristmills were built to harness water power from the falls, although Rumford would remain primarily agricultural during its first 100 years."

See you tomorrow from the laundromat in Milton VT.

Day 178, Fri. Sept. 28, 2018- Back in the USA! Brake check and WW2 connection.

Coming across the border as Ruth said... "Was the friendliest and most welcoming we have ever had." IT WAS TRUE! 'Mendendez' had a big smile and was most pleasant. Pretty  good looking I would say as well. It went smoothly, even the exam of the trailer and the usual questions. It does happen!
The new customs at the American side is excellent and up to date with 5 lanes for busy time. Today there was one line and we were about 9th in line. (7-8 minutes).

The new border customs station at Calais ,Maine

The general route to Skowhegan Maine,  from the Canadian border (St. Stephens) is Route 1 to I-95 and then finish with US 2 which goes through Skowhegan. (I-95 heads down to the "Big" cities of the USA ...NYC, Boston, Baltimore, Washington DC)

I had an appointment at OK Tire (St.Stephens)  for 10:00 AM,  where I bought the tires a few days ago. I needed to get the  trailer brakes adjusted.  Ideally one would do that every 3,000 miles, but I know we were over that as we have traveled over 3,000 miles in Canada alone  the last 60 days with just the trailer. So it was done and they are working nicely. It was rainy at the shop so they had me back the trailer into  the bay to work on it.  It was a "Squeaky clean" back in. I think the young man that did it was having difficulty with the space as there was no space on the outside of the  trailer because of the tight walls. Undercarriage of trailers are close to the ground.

US 2 between Bangor and Skowhegan. Some color.

There MUST be roadwork in the summer, (Full bridge replacement.)

Some of the color on US 2.

It was raining lightly for about 1/2 the way there, and once we got on Rte #1 we moved along through the mixed pine, spruce and maple forests. At this time they are starting to get color and there were "swatches" of it at times and some stretches of brilliant color. In the northern Aroostook County there are very few people. It is 6,800 sq. mi. and has about 70,000 people. (10 persons per sq. mile?)  Here, it is called "THEE county".

In Bangor we connected with the son (Joe)  of a WW2 Navy man. Joe had written a book about the carrier that his Dad served on and for a Father's day present connected him with many of his shipmates . The result of that after a few years was a book about the CVE 27 USS Solomons. My brother served on the same ship and that is how we made the connection on the internet. He  lives about 45 minutes from Bangor, but said he and his wife Carol, would meet us there for lunch. It was a good spot as there was a huge parking lot for the trailer. We shared thoughts and ideas in the short time that we had. THANKS JOE!   If you are ever in Bangor and want to be exposed to some "Diner memorabilia, "Ricky's Diner" is the place to go, They have car shows every week and the walls are filled with "50's memorabilia.

From Bangor,  I -95 moves south and we took that until the town of Newport where US 2 is close enough to pick up into Skowhegan. It seemed when we came over the "mountain" that the colors stopped being as brilliant as before. (blocked by mountains,  the cool air stayed north?).

Last night before the rain there was a 'sundog' in spite of the wires I took this from the trailer door.

Tonight we stop for one night at Two Rivers RV in Skowhegan right off US 2.

 Now we have settled into a campground called "Two Rivers" where there is a capacity crowd this weekend. Folks are getting in those last great days of summer.  At the next campground, (Lake Champlain)  I put off reserving it until this week, and the 'registrar'  said "You got one of the last two sites".  Lesson learned. Weekends are always a tight fit for getting in the parks.

It was interesting to see the sun set just after 6:00 PM EDT as in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick it was an hour different.

Tomorrow is one of the longest mileage days on the trip. All the way across New Hampshire and Vermont to Lake Champlain (Colchester) . It will be a beautiful trip we believe and we will take our time. Sorry there are no stops for us this time. I think that (NH, VT) is on one of our old DVD's!!!

Day 177, 90 days in Canada ends... cemetery, church, wharf, tides, blockhouse and ice cream.

Yes, we leave the Ocean tomorrow. And to celebrate the wonderful time we have had here, we stayed in town all day and just "cruised" the environment. It was the thing to do as we did see plenty. Sometimes the things that you seek to find are the ones that are the nearest. We don't have to travel far. Sometimes it is right where we are.

Today was a day like that.  A good example was one of those spots by the side of the road that did not look too special, but was inviting  none the less. On one side was the tide slowly emptying the small stream and estuary next to where we parked by the side of the road.  On the other side was the stream , a few small shrubs and trees and a potential for some bird life. Both of these scenes turned out to bring us about two hours of enjoyment during which we had our usually "prepared lunch".

Our lunch spot where we saw the birds

It started with a number of LINCOLN SPARROWS that were down in the stream side and both getting water  and insects  to eat. It took us a while to recognize them, but they came close enough to the road so we could identify them. Then came a flock of AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES. They are plentiful at this tine of the year. and constantly on the move. They flitted between the trees and although they don't stay put long, they are immediately recognizable.  While eating lunch on the seaside of the road two birds moved about the trees and finally perched on a tree there. At first they looked like small flycatchers, but upon closer examination with the binoculars ,they were identified by the wagging tails and plain front as an EASTERN PHOEBE. On the side of the breast there is a black smudge that cinches the identification.

Eastern Phoebe

Lincoln Sparrow

Catbird

 

Things were picking up and we weren't finished yet. Down into the emptying estuary were three deer. A female and two of her fawns probably about 2 months old. They were testing the emptied ground where there had been a full body of water a few hours ago. Was Mom teaching them about tides?

It was a great spot and, as I said, not necessarily visually special except for the activity.  We meandered on further down the road and past the golf course  but no activity except for more deer. (These deer are very tame and practically "own" the area.)

A trip to a cemetery and a red stone Anglican church caught Ruth's eye this week and we were waiting for some sunshine to get good light for some photos. This was a good time and we did that. The cemetery around the church (consecrated in 1845) had about 5 sections each for a different age group. The oldest we saw was dated (born in 1794) from the 16th century.

St John Church and cemetery

St John church

Then to the blockhouse back in town for  some look at the War of 1812 and the effect it had on this community. **Remember MAINE is just across the water about 1/2 mile.**

West Point Blockhouse at St Andrew NB

Some history

Blockhouse details

A short trip to the city wharf in time to see two whale cruises heading out to sea, One a motor launch , the other a sail boat under power as there was little wind.

Whale watchers going out

St Andrews By the Sea from the wharf

The lighhouse at St Andrew NB

We did not have time to tour the Kingsbrae Garden, as it is 27 acres of choice plantings and arrangements . Supposedly world famous.

But we did end the day with an ice cream cone in town and was served by 'Shawna' who was "downsized" from her job in the city and took this one and loves it. It is only summer employment but she seemed not to be too concerned. Her attitude will hold her in good stead.

So tomorrow we head for the "States" and Skowhegan Mane. Crossing the new borrder crossing at Calais.  We will meet a friend who  lives in Maine that is the son of a shipmate of my brother's in WW2 on CVE 67 "USS Solomons". He wrote a book about the ship and the men who served her. We will meet for lunch in Bangor.

Day 176, Wed. Sept 26, 2018- L'Usine de Chocolat. All you could eat! "BONUS PHOTOS"

After stopping at the OK tire store one more time, we headed into St Stephen. The stop at the tire store was to see if they would do a brake adjustment for me on the trailer . Tom said "YES!". Yea! So on Friday when we come through I will stop and get that done. Trailer brakes should be adjust every 3,000 miles. We have exceeded that at this time.

Then we headed for the Ganong Chocolate Museum (AKA Factory) on main street in St Stephen. Taking the tour was fun and we did get to eat as many chocolates as were available.  Margaret was the cashier and "tour guide". She was born on P.E.I. and was lively.

The tour was very complete and these photos will help to tell the story.  BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM

The main entrance to the Museum.

The side of the new factory a 1/2 mile away.

Front of the new factory.

 Inside the factory were the displays and some "hands on " devices.

For instance where does the cacao come from and where is it eaten the most? It comes from countries between the Tropics .

 It

Where is it eaten the most? By the countries that don't grow it.

These are those "chicken bones" we used to see.

The Valentine heart box was created by The Gangons

A worker putting on the"swirl".

 Other shots from the day, showed the family, the workers, and how it affected the community. One worked married the president of the company.

The family members that ran the company since the 1880's.

Mr, Ganong's Code that he went by.

Scholarships for local students.

Long hours back then and on holidays.

They had a good time as a "team".

The depression and WW2 had its effect.

Tomorrow we will look for new areas to explore. We see the Sea birds each day now. They love the Bay and the wind and the rain. No new birds today....Too much chocolate.
 *****************
BONUS PHOTOS

The "Clam Digger" where we had takeout seafood.

JIm's plate already has 5 scallops eaten.  Soooo delicious.

Had to buy some gifts , and what would be better than 'chocolates'?

Day 175, Tues. Sept. 25, 2018-- Porcupines, new sea birds and cherry crumble.

It was a very good day. You saw the banner headline about Porcupine, and that was true. On one of the trails that we walked a ways, a slow moving , very large Porcupine ambled out of the woods on one side of the trail, seemingly oblivious to us, and headed to the woods on the other side as if we were not even there.  A great moment to see one so close, as only once previously, have Ruth and I seen one on our trips.

There it is! A New Brunswick Porcupine.

But that was  half way through the sites we visited today. We started at Pagan Point Natural Reserve about two miles NE of the campground and tried the trail there. There were some sparrows namely a  WHITE BREASTED SPARROW, LINCOLN SPARROW and a  SONG SPARROW. We did see many of the latter today. Katy's Cove, a summer time beach spot with some forested area was where we saw the PORCUPINE. It was a delight to  watch.

At Bar Road end there is a very unique road that begins and ends there. I say that, as when the tide is out for about 5 hours the land between it and an Island called Minister's Island can be reached by foot or bicycle. In the high tide it is not possible of course. (The sign says cars can too , but few do this).

This is the crossing when there is low tide. It is called the "Bar".

An explanation of the crossing. (There is a fee!)

Up Route 127 further is a Wild Salmon  Center , where they study the ways to improve conditions for the wild salmon. There are many salmon "ponds "in the Bay of Fundy now, so this industry is important to the Maritimes. Fishing as I mentioned is a $1.6 billion industry.

One of the holding ponds at the Salmon Center. It had been an old mill at one time as there is a stream there.

An "end" view of the main building which is used for weddings, and conferences . there are stairs and a boardwalk to the stream and holding tanks across the stream.

The last stop up north of the town was the "Sam Orr Trail and Pond". This is a trail that is split by Hwy.127, so we parked on one side and walked that trail. The wind had been quite steady by that time so few birds were out.

The local golf course is right on the ocean where the deer run free.

Final destination was a"Joes Point Road" . In New Brunswick there are two blockhouses still intact , that were original block houses from the War of 1812. One is here in St Andrew and we did visit it today. Tomorrow if the sun comes out we will photograph it for publication. On that road we talked with an older couple (late 70's)  about the deer population which is diminishing here. They were applying poly coat to two pillars that are at the entrance to an estate they work for. She has been working there for 50 years and was hired when her father told her to take a load of manure to this family. She was hired on the spot and has been there ever since. We did see deer four times today and these three were on the golf course by Joe's Road.

The three deer we saw running on the golf course.  (White tail)

 A few  miscellaneous items will wrap up this day's posts. This morning we did see some sea birds  and one new one. The same ones I saw last evening plus the Black Guillemot: Today's birds seen included;  LONG TAILED DUCK, KINGFISHER, BLACK BACKED WOODPECKER, SURF SCOTER, NORTHERN GANNET, GREAT BLUE HERON ,  and BLACK GUILLEMOT, plus 15 more species. I saw the woodpecker while Ruth was next tone photographing some light shadows in the trees.
Tomorr0w we head into St. Stephen , as it is going to rain all night and into the morning, we will do grocery shopping, and hit the CHOCOLATE  FACTORY.  Sorry no tagging along.

Today we found 'Patrick' another family name.

An explanation of Pagan point.

Vascellum certisii (Puffball (small)

The Van Horne Trail runs through St Andrew.

The Algonquin Hotel (Resort) has been here since 1889. It looks out on Pasamaquaddy Bay. We drove through the overpass three times today as it is a main road through town.