Raleigh, Red Bay and The Return

 I'm getting lazy again, several weeks since the last blog update.  Well, we've closed the loop on our 2026 Northeastern swing.  After visiting Keith and Abby, we dropped down to our old neighborhood, Yorktown, VA.  We camped at Yorktown Naval Weapons Station's famcamp, very nice.  We'd stayed there back in 2012.  Amazing how the trees have grown in 14 years.  While there, we saw some sights and visited old friends, checked out the house we owned from 2002-2006.  The neighborhood's holding up pretty well.  After Yorktown, we blasted over to Raleigh for a week in John and Phyllis' driveway.  Sure glad they've got 50 amp hookups, it was 100 degrees every day we were there.  We stopped a couple places on our way west, Charlotte, NC (won't be back) and a really nice place outside Atlanta near where the folks lived in Kennesaw, GA.  Mom sold the house in 2005, and I was able to speak with the fellow that bought it from her.  It's also holding up very well.  After Atlanta, we stopped in Red Bay, AL for a few minor repairs.  Red Bay is the company town where our motorhome (Tiffin) is manufactured.  There are many, many providers that have sprung up in that town to fill the void, as Tiffin has trouble just keeping up with warranty work, let alone providing long term maintenance.  They've been making motorhomes since the 80's, so many of them benefit from detailed knowledge.  After Red Bay, we closed the loop and returned to the famcamp at Little Rock AFB, back where I was stationed when Laurie and I met in 1984.  It's a great place to spend the first month of Fall before heading down to FL.  Some pics from the trip...

Current state of the sticker map.  We didn't actually go to Rhode Island or Delaware, but this map

has them combined with other states since they're so small.  We were there in the last motorhome, 

so no big whoop.

Our house in Virginia, Duff Drive.  I painted it yellow in 2005 or 6, still looks great. 

The folks house off Wade Green rd in Kennesaw.  They lived here from 1983 to 2000 when Dad

passed, Mom stayed another 5 years before moving to FL.  Holding up really well.  And no, 

they didn't pick the green siding!

Phyllis and Laurie on departure day.

Heading out from John and Phyllis' place, again.  They've seen us depart

in two different motorhomes, probably 6 or 8 different times.  Always

a wonderful time.

Treated ourselves to a store bought wash and wax while we where in Red Bay.  4 energetic young

men did a much more thorough job than I ever would.  This is at Sabrina's RV Detailing, also

where we were camped for the 4 nights we spent there.

Another example of why Red Bay attracts folks for maintenance.  This is the setup at

First Glass Glass.  We had the magnets reinstalled for our window shade, a MagneShade.  It's a custom

built shade with magnets around the perimeter, then the glue magnets inside your windshield

and it goes "click" right where it's supposed to be.  They scraped off the magnets 

when we had our windshield replaced in Colorado last summer, so we had them reinstalled

by the pros.

Got in a hootenannie at Red Bay with fellow musician Jimi Walker (no relation we could determine).

The Legend of Keith and Abby

 Our next stop was to visit some friends in Dahlgren, VA.  We camped in their yard, 50 amp electric hookup and all!  Before describing the visit, I feel compelled to describe how special this couple and their kids Madison and Luke are.  First, they are as humble and kind as anyone you'll ever meet.  This stands in stark contrast to their level of achievement.  Keith is a full Colonel in the US Army Reserve.  Abby is also a "part time" officer.  Abby holds a doctorate in physical therapy and owns her own practice in Dahlgren.  We met them when Keith was authorized to telecommute back in 2013 or so, and they were camped for the season at MacDill.  Even though they were only about 30 at the time, they fell right in was all us old folks.  Keith is a heck of a karaoke singer, for example.  Anyway, we've gotten together many times over the years, both in Florida and Virginia.  We feel very lucky to have Keith and Abby as good friends.

While we were there, we were able to take a boat trip to Colonial Beach for lunch, and another boat outing to visit their private island home.  Yep, in addition to a bunch of rental properties, they own a private island in a wide creek leading to the Potomac River.  It's got electrical power fed through a submarine cable provided by the local power company and everything.  All that and two goats that keep the 2 acre estate weed free!  Playing guitar and singing is always a big part of things too.  Luke is learning, wished I'd started at 10.  Madison has a yard full of exotic chickens, as well as several quail and dove.  Quite the young ornithologist.  Anyway, a few pictures from the visit.

Intrepid travelers with Keith and Abby

Luke, Abby, Keith and Madison

The kids tubing on the Potomac on our way back from Colonial Beach

It's very nice when friends have a yard we can park in!

Very interesting tale.  This paddle wheeler (diesel engine, but driven by the wheel) needs work

to bring it back to its former glory.  Keith and Abby had their wedding reception on board

15 years ago.  Unfortunately, it fell into disrepair and needs a lot of work to restore.

The island home with one of the lawn mowers in the foreground.

Great days on the water in Dahlgren.

Ledyard, CT and Lancaster, PA

 I'm getting behind again, two stops.  After Portsmouth, we stopped in Ledyard, CT to see friends Yancey, Kris and their son Colby.  They have a great flat spot in the yard with RV friendly electric hookup!  After that, we spent a week in a nice, quiet spot in Lancaster, PA.  We were able to visit several times there with friends Dennis and Sue.  Here's a few pics.

Old Mill Stream in Lancaster, ran along our campground

Catching some bluegrass music at a local farm

The gang in Ledyard

We were able to tour the Coast Guard Academy's training ship, the Eagle.  We

captured it from the Germans at the close of WWII and took it as a war prize.

Intrepid travelers at the helm of the Eagle

Portsmouth, NH

 First stop on the journey south was Portsmouth, NH.  We'd been to a couple places in NH, but never the seaside area.  We also made a trip to Bangor, ME after my last entry and before Portsmouth where we got to see Stephen King's famous house (just from the sidewalk).  Here are some pics

We toured the Moffat-Ladd House on the water in Portsmouth.  It was built by William Whipple,

one of New Hampshire's Declaration of Independence signers, in 1763 down by the harbor.

  This window was

etched "Roses are reid and violets are blu, shuger is sweet & sow are yu. Polly Tufton Moffatt."  Polly was born in the house in 1868.  As the story goes, she used one of Mom's gemstone rings

to test the theory that they were hard enough to scratch glass.

Elaborate staircase, not bad for 1763.

Interesting carved tree trunk in Stephen King's front yard.  Carved in 2020, design by his 

wife Tabitha.

Front gate at Stephen King's house in Bangor.  Interesting spider web theme, must

have been great around Halloween.

Coincidentally, Mom lived in Portsmouth for a short time while my Grandpa Tyler

worked during WWII.  This is the corner of Granite and Market streets, where she lived at the time.

Our spot in Portsmouth, Sea Coast Campground.

This is Joan Guidaboni, an old friend from MacDill.  Last year was her last season at MacDill

after 25 straight years (give or take), so we had to look her up while we were in her hometown!

Casco and Bucksport, Maine

 Tomorrow starts the slow meandering trip back south.  We've been camped in Bucksport, ME for the past week, about a half hour south of Bangor, 45 minutes from Acadia National Park.  We visited this area in 2017, but it's been nice seeing it again.  We were here for what might turn out to be the hottest day of the summer, maybe 90 degrees and a little humid.  That's what we consider mild, but it was a "scorcher" for the locals.  The first week we were in Maine, we camped near Sebago Lake and visited our friends Craig and Jody, along with Barry and Barb, and Tony and Suzie.  They're a great group, though over the years they've all quit Jeeping together through the hills.  We still had a nice visit, highlighted by a road trip down to Old Orchard Beach to hear some live music and enjoy the cooler oceanside temps.  Overall, we've really enjoyed our time in Maine, have to do it again some day.  Some pics from the visit...

L to R - Tony, Suzie, Barry, Barb, Laurie, Me, Jody and Craig

Dyce Head Light House

Looks like fun

It would be great to have a little boat like this guy with all these islands to explore

Bar Harbor.  It's low tide, and you can see the sand bar that gives the harbor its name,

on the right.

Intrepid travelers, rocky viewpoint off the Acadia National Park loop road.

More rocks...

Eagle Lake, Acadia National Park

Bar Harbor from the summit of Cadillac Mountain

The Penobscot Narrows Bridge, completed in 2006 on US Highway 1.  We took the elevator

to the top of the closest spire to see the view from the observation deck.  There's also a 

coastal protection fort, Fort Knox (decommissioned before the one in Kentucky was established)

Bucksport at the top of Penobscot Narrows, and you can see Fort Knox on the point of land

to the left.  It was never used in combat, but no ship would have tried to sail past at that range.

Fort Pointe Light House

Our spot at the Bucksport/Fort Knox KOA

Concord, New Hampshire

 I'm running about a week behind on my entries.  So...we stayed a wee in central New Hampshire, just outside Concord in a little village called Contoocook.  It was a great stay.  We had a nice spot in a quiet park, and took in a few local sites while we were there.  New England is a great place to beat the summer heat and way less crowded than other areas we've been to.  Here's some pics from last week.

Riverfront dining on the Contoocook River.

The oldest covered railroad bridge still standing.  No longer on an active track, but they saved

the bridge.

Intrepid travelers at New Hampshire's only entry in the National Park system.

Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, Cornish, NH.  We bought one of those National

Park passport stamp collecting books this time around, so we've been to a few that we

missed first time around.  This mansion was purchased by the top sculptor of the Gilded Age,

Augustus Saint-Gaudens.  He created a lot of bronze sculptures, some at a studio onsite here,

many in other locations around the world.  A community of like-minded artists sprung up around

him, called the Cornish Art Colony.

Saint-Gaudens' garden.

One gigantic Thornless Honey Locust tree, planted in the front yard and allowed to take over.  

The base of the trunk is massive, maybe 8 or 10 fee across, and they removed the front steps to allow

it to grow over the years.

Standing Lincoln, one of the many bronze statues cast by Saint-Gaudens.

Catching some live music by the river in Contoocook.

Our spot at Sandy Beach campground.  We don't always get this much room and shade, pretty nice.