“Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet…”
When I was a little girl, we watch Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea – two movies released in the mid-1980s. It wasn’t until I was much older that I understood why I was so enamored with the movies. Anne, like me, is adopted, a bit dramatic, independent, and just trying to figure it out. I also fell for the landscape of Prince Edward Island, and I knew I needed to visit when I was in Maine. So, I reserved a cute AirBnB, a rental car, and made some plans.
I drove up on a Saturday and made a stop at a scenic overlook on my way out of Maine. It was about a six hour drive from the RV resort to Charlottetown, PE, my first destination. I made reservations to see Anne & Gilbert: The Musical on the Holland College campus at the Florence Simmons Performance Hall. It was a good local production, and the audience was made up of fans like me who were around the island to visit the sites from the books, original movies, and the newer TV series. They offered a package that included a ticket to the show and admission to the Green Gables Heritage Site, the Anne of Green Gables Museum, L.M. Montgomery Birth Place, and the site of L.M. Montgomery’s Cavendish Home.
The weather was mostly overcast during my trip, so when I made a stop for snacks, I also bought a jacket at a local sporting goods store, Hart, and grabbed a jacket. Then I headed to my AirBnB and had some time do some reading and relaxing.
Of course there were lighthouses dotting the coastline, and I visited three of them. I’m afraid of heights, so climbing up the stairs is a “no go” for me.
The pictures don’t do the coastline any justice. The red sands reminded me of scenes from the Anne movies, especially the ones near the Red Sands hotel. In the background of the picture on the right, you can see the enormous Confederation Bridge that spans the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Other than by boat, it’s the only way to get to the island, and it’s the longest bridge in the world that goes over ice-covered water. Thankfully, it has very high sides, so the 10-minute drive across had my palms only slightly sweaty.
I’ll spend more time on the Anne sites on the islands, but I’ll close with some words on the food. I think I might’ve been made for life in Canada.
There was a museum dedicated to POTATOES. I love potatoes. In the cafe, you could get a loaded baked potato with – you guessed it – a side of potato chips. It was one of the best meals I’ve had on my journey.
I stopped at the re-creation of Avonlea village and had lunch at Turkey Tavern where I had a generous turkey dinner, a delicious sparkling apple juice, and my first taste of Cows Creamery butter, which lead to buying a pound of butter at one of their local stores.
The junk food on PEI was the same but with some slight differences – all delicious.
Despite the number of signs I saw warning of moose and moose crossings, I didn’t see any on our way in or out of NH and into Maine. We had a pretty uneventful drive to Maine, but Arthur was definitely done with our day-long adventure. During the last half hour, he sat in the passenger seat, hidden behind the window curtain, meowing.🍫 Maybe he was upset that he didn’t get to see the FLW houses?
He was in for a treat at the Paul Bunyan Campground though. Little did we know that our neighbors would be these free-range chickens that provided a lot of entertainment.
Our roaming neighbors.
We had a great spot. It was set-up like a semi-circle, so we didn’t really have any neighbors and were surrounded by trees. It was a great set-up. The only downside was that it was water and electric only, so we needed to make a pitstop at the dump station before we left and be mindful of our water usage.
The campground was right off a main road in Bangor, but it was set so far back from the road that there was no traffic noise. The bathrooms were good for showers, and an ease walk from our spot. They even had a little library where I donated some of the books that I finished.
Because we were so close to Acadia National Park, I wanted to see it from the water. I found Sea Princess Scenic Nature Cruises that offered a morning cruise. I drove to Northeast Harbor and grabbed breakfast at local place, which I didn’t write down the name of, so it’s completely lost. I sat on their porch, and I’m pretty sure I had the blueberry pancakes because, well, it’s Maine.
I also had time to walk around before the cruise and found this great, little trail that lead from where the boats were docked to the downtown area.
The cruise was great. We went out of the harbor and saw Sutton Island and Great Cranberry Island, and docked at Little Cranberry Island in Islesford.
It was quaint community that we all had a chance to walk around. There was a small museum that had more details on island life. Remote and challenging as it sounded, it seemed idyllic. I can believe that the winters would be anything but.
While I was waiting for the rest of the folks to return to the boat, I got to see some fishermen return and process some fresh seafood from the dock. It’s hard work, and it was impressive to see them going through their daily routine.
Yep. There were lighthouses.
I also had time to visit Stonington, a lovely harbor town, that weekend.
I parked near one of the inlets at Small Cove Park and managed to step in some poop when I went to grab this first picture. The town has a lovely library, which had some very impressive local art. If I wasn’t in an RV, I might’ve been tempted to buy something. There was a miniature village as well that you could walk around. I bought some post cards at small shop and walked the rest of Main Street on a sunny Saturday morning.
Arthur had some great naps in Maine. I also bought a rug to put on the back of the couch, and he loves it.
While we were in Maine, I took a trip to Prince Edward Island in Canada. More on that excursion next time. Thanks for reading!
New Hampshire’s state motto feels a little dramatic, but when it was written by General John Stark in 1809, it was the reality and an inspiration. My time in NH was, thankfully, less extreme.
On the way to our campsite in Bethlehem, we made stops in Manchester and Concord. There are two Frank Lloyd Wright houses in Manchester – curated through the Currier Museum of Art. I was able to get a tour time to see both homes and spend some time in the museum itself.
The Zimmerman house was built using the Usonian design and was set on this beautiful lot surrounded by trees and lush landscape. It felt like a family home – same uncomfortable-looking furniture but a warmer, lived-in feel. The kitchen still had the original appliances, including that neat in-sink dishwasher, an efficient sized fridge, and a huge chest freezer.
The house features these mitered window panes in the entry way (pictured above), which created this seamless view, bringing the outside in. I’m not sure how stable or wind resistant those windows were, but they were lovely to look out.
We were able to just stroll down the street to the second FLW house in Manchester, the Kalil Usonian Automatic house. In contrast to the Zimmerman house, the Kalil felt very modern and cold due to the hundreds of concrete bricks that made up its walls.
I thought this set of photos would be a good contrast the ones from the Zimmerman house. The Kalil house is a combination of solid blocks and blocks with windows. There was a lot of natural light, but you can tell by the first two pictures how industrial it felt. There was a mother-in-law building behind the house. Both homes were surrounded by trees, which added much to the atmosphere of living in nature.
The small building in the back had details about how the bricks were individually made and then stacked together to provide the structure of the house.
After the house tours, I spent a little time enjoying the Currier Museum itself and grabbed a quick lunch in the museum cafe. We made a pit stop on the way to Bethlehem in Concord for groceries, and then we were off.
We set-up to stay a week at the Apple Hill Campground. When you drive into a lot of RV parks, it can be hard to tell what to expect. Driving down to our site was like driving into a park. Our site was great – lots of trees and very quiet. We had some nice neighbors who were up from the DC area. The husband was an author, and the wife taught piano, but they were mostly retired. It was nice to chat with them and learn more about their travels. You can read more about them at their site: Greedy Travelers.
On Sunday, a co-worker who has a home in the area, stopped by, and we went for breakfast at the famous Polly’s Pancake Parlor. Thankfully, I was with a local who knew the ropes to getting a table and avoiding the lines. Polly’s started in what looked pretty much like a shack, but as it grew in popularity, they’ve built a really impressive restaurant. You can customize your pancakes, so I got three different ones – plain batter with blueberries, gingerbread with walnuts, and chocolate-covered maple toffee in the plain batter. They were all fantastic. If you go, call ahead for a reservation and go hungry. I wish I could’ve eaten more.
After pancakes, we drove over to Bretton Woods, which sits in the shadow of Mount Washington. It was a little overcast, so we couldn’t see the summit, but we did drive up to the Omni Mount Washington and got a great view of the area. It’s nice to drive around with a friend who is a local and can tell you all kinds of stories about the wonderful times that they’ve had in the area with their family.
We enjoyed the rest of the week, Arthur got some restful cat naps, and work felt manageable in the woods. The only real downside to this park was the showers. 🍫🍫🍫🍫 If I ever stayed there again, I would figure something else out for showers.
I don’t really like maple syrup. I see recipes all the time that call for it as a sweetener, but it’s not really my thing. I do like a pancake or a waffle with a bit of butter, then peanut butter, and then I dip it in maple syrup, but that’s it. Maybe I’ve never had really good maple syrup or maybe I have something against maple trees. Just kidding. I love all trees.
After our two-week stint in New York, we headed off to the great state of Vermont for some trees and some mountains and maybe some maple syrup. It was mid-August, so I knew we wouldn’t encounter any leaf peepers (too early), and the forecast looked pretty good.
The drive was memorable – to say the least. My first clue should’ve been when we were in line to dump our tanks. There was only one RV ahead of us, so I thought we’d be on the road fairly quickly. I was wrong. In RVing, you really have to roll with the punches, especially when dealing with other campers. Typically, it’ll take me and Estella about 10 minutes to get out the waste hoses, hook-up, dump, pack up the hoses, and get on the road. Her tanks aren’t that large, so – even when full – ten minutes is generous. The couple in front of me were at the dump station before I pulled up to wait, but let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and say they had just arrived.
They had a Class C RV, which is bigger than Estella and probably had bigger tanks than E has. Fine; it’ll take a bit longer to dump. They were there for over a half hour. The dump station – which was really well thought out – had a semi-circle drive that had a nice hedge and other foliage around it. The waiting area was just across the way and also a half circle. Like I said – a nice set-up. I could see them futzing with the waste hose – AKA the Stinky Slinky – and then came the hooking up of the car they tow behind the RV. The waste station – in all of its semi-circle glory – is not made to hook up a towable car. As you can imagine, the struggle was real – for all of us. 🍫🍫
This seems like a great time to share my Ms Haps (mishaps) rating scale. I’m using a chocolate bar (🍫) scale (🍫 = minor; 🍫🍫 = ordinary; 🍫🍫🍫 = embarrassing; 🍫🍫🍫🍫 = terrible; 🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫 = not enough chocolate in the RV to recover).
Finally on the Road
I’m far too Minnesotan to get out of my RV and tell them that the reason they are struggling to hook up their tow is because they are not in a straight line. This feels very obvious, but we weren’t in a hurry, and – sometimes – when you struggle, it’s kinda nice to see other people learning and growing as painfully as you are. Such is life.
Like I said, this situation should’ve been a sign. Our mapped drive to Shelburne, Vermont, estimated about 5 hours of travel time. This is usually a decent amount of travel for Arthur. He prefers less, but I don’t, so 5 hours is like a compromise. While absolutely lovely, it was a hilly and somewhat bumpy ride. Arthur did not do well. There was puking and peeing and overall discontent – for all involved. 🍫🍫🍫🍫
We arrived at the Shelburne Camping Area after making one pitstop. The RV park was pretty basic. It has a nice restaurant on the road into the park, and it’s off the main road through town. Once you get into the park, there are a handful of cabins. There was no one there to check-in with, so we just found our paperwork and drove to our site. It was a small site but had all the hook-ups that we needed even if most the water and electric were on the wrong side. The bathrooms / showers were not memorable – bad or good – so nothing more to add on that.
It was also a very, very busy work week, which was fine because it ended up raining most of the week while we were there. On Thursday, we did a software release, which had some unintended consequences and made my Friday a bit of a nightmare. I did pause to take a break and go for a walk into town to the Shelburne Country Store and a local bookshop called The Flying Pig.
^ This was my standard work set-up on a release night, and the only picture I took while I was in Vermont. From left to right: second monitor, work laptop, iPad for testing, reMarkable for notes, MacBook Air for testing. Not pictured: my mobile phone – also for testing.
The country store is exactly how you would picture a quaint store in one of those fall Hallmark movies where the sad, single lady goes back to her hometown to be depressed until she runs into the local fill-in-the-blank guy that she went to high school with and then falls in love. It was crammed with Vermont-based goodies, and I got postcards, stamps, my VT magnet, some maple syrup (for my parents), and some red pepper jelly, which I enjoyed with my Vermont butter and crackers. The Vermont butter I picked up was quite tasty, but I forget what it was – maybe Cabot?
At the bookstore, I browsed and just enjoyed the atmosphere of being in books. I picked up This Summer Will be Different by Carley Fortune. It’s a great “beach read” and set on Prince Edward Island where I was headed in the next month, so it was perfect for getting a glimpse at what to see on the island. My other selection was a book of poems by Chard deNiord who I had never heard of, but whose poems I instantly enjoyed while I was paging through In My Unknowing. I think I perplexed the person when I checked out with two such varied choices, but – what can I say – I’m complex, which is perplexing.
What I haven’t mentioned yet was the walk to town. There was a sidewalk, but it was next to a very busy road, and it seemed like no one walks it based on the amount of staring I received on the way there and back. Since it was one of the only days where it was sunny, I was surprised by how warm I was by the time I got to the country store and was grateful that the sun started to set on my trek back to Estella and Arthur.
Another AI generated image, but you get the general idea.
My last post from New York is from the lovely area of Buffalo. There are two Frank Lloyd Wright homes in the area, and I was lucky enough to get tour times at both in August.
The Martin House was epic, but you couldn’t take pictures inside, so the above pictures are just from the outside and the atrium. The website has a really extensive virtual tour, so you can really get a feel of the space. The wisteria mosaic fireplace in the entry hall is absolutely gorgeous. The furniture, as per FLW tradition, look very uncomfortable, but the creativity in architecture make this a house well worth the visit.
Graycliff was the second FLW house I had time to visit on the shores of Lake Erie. This house was a summer home and had a secondary house above the garage for the family’s driver and then for their daughter (from what I remember…). The picture policy was much more liberal at this home, and it was far more casual than the Martin House in design and flow. It really focused on bringing the light and nature into the home.
A couple exterior shots of the main house and the view from my favorite room.
Graycliff featured some of the most beautiful fixtures that I’ve seen in a FLW house. From the bathroom with subtly pink hues, the kitchen cabinetry, and the lovely kitchen sink with built-in dish-drying drainage – more proof that functional is sexy.
While in the area, I was also fortunate enough to meet up for dinner with a co-worker in the sweet hamlet of East Aurora. Their town slogan is “Where good neighbors gather”, and I found the village very charming and welcoming. We grabbed burgers at 189 Burger and had a chance to catch up about my travels and his growing young family. As we left, he was astounded to see who he called “Buffalo Bills Royalty” eating there; I have no idea who it was, but they’re a solid football team, so it felt notable I guess. 🙂
I’m really happy to say that I’ll be back in the Buffalo area next fall and winter. It’s one of the finalists in my search for my unicorn city. Honestly, it was a surprise that I was so taken with the area. I’ve always loved being near water, and the medium-sized towns and familiar feel of the area were really refreshing to find this far along in my journey.
On my drive back from Buffalo to Syracuse, I saw the most lovely mix of sunset and clouds. Not the best picture, but it really was magical and a perfect way to end my time in New York State.
Next time, we start our venture further north into Vermont.
Until then, one more glamour shot of me and Arthur, spending some quality time together.
When I think back to our time in NY, it surprises me that we were only there for 13 days. We had so many adventures, and I still don’t think I saw everything that I wanted to see.
Confession time. For some reason, I’d never seen It’s a Wonderful Life. I have no idea why. I love Christmas – ask anyone who knows me. It’s my favorite. I also really like Jimmy Stewart; I’ve seen The Philadelphia Story more times than I can count. In college, I did the scene about lassoing the moon for a speech class. So, I did things backwards – I went to the city that inspired the classic story of gratitude and giving before I watched the film.
The plaque reads: “The Village of Seneca Falls may have inspired the hometown look of Frank Capra’s 1946 holiday film classic It’s a Wonderful Life. Mr. Capra is known to have visited here in the mid-1940s at the time the screenplay for the film was being developed. Many similarities exist between Seneca Falls and the fictional “Bedford Falls.” Among these are the design of the Bridge Street bridge, the use of several place and personal names, and the village’s geographical location.”
The gentleman on the right is the person who took the picture in my magnet. He was handling the purchases in a movie-themed gift shop and shared that it was his photo on the magnet. I told him I wanted a picture of him with it, and he couldn’t believe it. He was a delight; his shirt even matches the magnet. And, since my visit, I have finally seen It’s a Wonderful Life.
Seneca Falls is also the home of the very first women’s right’s convention where the women (and some men) gathered debuted the Declaration of Sentiments. They have preserved the building where they met, and there’s a museum adjacent to the building. There was a park ranger who gave a talk that afternoon as well. Read more on their website: https://www.nps.gov/wori/index.htm. I didn’t realize this was also in Seneca Falls when I decided to visit – what a powerful surprise.
Left – The hall. Right – The water feature and mural on the side of the museum.
I am so prepared and still laughing. 😉
Next time – one last post about our time in New York.
After our stop in PA, we headed up to the Syracuse, New York, region to stay at the Oneida Shores Campground near Brewerton. While relatively small, this was a really nice campground with just electric and water hook-ups but with a dump station. There was plenty of area to walk around and sit by Oneida Lake. The shower area was pretty good as well, so overall, it was a nice two-week stay, and I was glad we made the stop.
I rented a car to go out and see some of the sites and explore Syracuse and Ithaca and the Finger Lakes areas. I made two different trips into the Finger Lakes region and really enjoyed the community of Auburn and Seneca Falls.
On whim, I drove to Ithaca. Cornell was a school that really interested me when I was high school. At the time, it just seemed too far away for school and too expensive, so I set it aside. Driving around Ithaca, I think it would’ve been a good fit for that young Ms Haps. The old Ms Haps thinks the steep hills and winters might not be the best fit now. I bought a new pliers since I left mine somewhere. 🍫 I had a drive around town, enjoyed the scenery, and then had a lovely drive in the countryside to a small Finger Lakes community called Auburn.
What a great surprise this little town was. I happened upon one of their last summer Downtown Auburn Saturday Markets that they were having. They had live music, and I had lunch at a local spot – Parker’s Grill and Tap House. The food was fine, the cider was good, but the atmosphere was lively and fun. I went for a nice walk around town and discovered a few things that I really found appealing for a return trip.
One of the many beautiful historic homes in Auburn is The Seward House, and it is available for tour, so I stopped in to see the beautiful woodwork and the rustic kitchen. Seward served as the Secretary of State for both President Lincoln and Johnson, and it was a gorgeous home filled with books and many pictures from all of Sewards international connections.
While I was at the Seward House, they also gave me a map to the local cemetery where the Sewards and Harriet Tubman are buried. There were beautiful tributes to them as well as a just a well-kept resting place for all the loved ones there.
Arthur had a good rest in NY and enjoyed the lake breezes at the campground.
Next up – more New York exploration in Seneca Falls and Buffalo.
The end of July took us to the Pittsburgh area to visit to some family. We had a nice lunch out, a wander around the mall, and some fun time with the grand puppy.
After our layover outside Pittsburgh, we headed further north to Evans City to stay at a peaceful Boondockers Welcome host. I had managed to wrench my back at some point on our way to PA, so I was wearing, what I like to call, my championship belt – which actually is a back support brace. 🍫🍫 I was moving pretty slow, so it was nice to be at a stop where I didn’t have to do too much to hook up to power and then just settle in. The host was very friendly, and we had a great chat one of the three evenings I stayed there.
Our next drive took us into Potter County – a place that holds a lot of memories for me. It was a beautiful route into the Galeton area. We stopped for groceries and set up at Crooked Creek Campground, which was on the banks of the Pine River. We had some rain, but it was beautiful and peaceful.
There were a couple of nice nights where I could take a little walk. Arthur slept well while we were there, but he seems to sleep well everywhere…. The creek was idyllically calm.
We stayed for a week, and then we were off to our next stop – New York State.
On our way out of Pennsylvania, we made a stop at the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. It’s not as impressive as the Grand Canyon, but it has fond memories for me, and it was good to see it one more time.
It really flew by. Before we left Jenison, we made a stop by Speed Wrench to get our sensors checked out and fixed. We had a great tech who had stopped out to see us at the campground and offered to work after his workday to get us back on the road. The service was fantastic, and we were back on the road for another night before leaving Jenison. And we’re back with no threat of limp mode!
We made our way to the Wayne County Fairgrounds in Bellevue, MI, next. This fairgrounds had GREAT shower facilities.
From time to time, I have to travel for work, and it’s really convenient to work with a cat sitter from Rover.com. In July, I had about 2 hours to get checked in, set-up the RV, meet the Rover sitter, and get to the airport. I did it, but it was not ideal.
Our spot at the campground was in full sun, so I left the AC running while I was gone to try to keep it as cool as possible. While I was in Florida, I received daily updates from the sitter, and Arthur did so well. It definitely gives me peace of mind, knowing someone is taking good care of him while I’m away. The AC did not like being on 24/7 while I was away, so I had to deal with some condensation and dripping water when I got back. 🍫🍫
After FL, I was able to head into Ann Arbor to do some exploring. It just happened to be the art fair weekend and walking around had me reminiscing about the Uptown Art Fair in Minneapolis. While busy, it was a lovely late afternoon to walk around and get a sense of the downtown area. The campus feels integrated into the town, and the community is lively and involved. I had a nice cupcake at a newly opened bakery – Molly’s Cupcakes – on Liberty Street.
After my dinner cupcake, I headed over to the Majestic Theater. I am a sucker for an older movie theater, especially one with real butter for the popcorn. I saw Twisters, which was a summer delight – especially after making it through the early days tornado season in Kansas.
I also had time to head back to Grand Rapids to tour the Meyer May House – another beautiful Frank Lloyd Wright home.
A local company bought the home and restored it. They are sourcing the pieces of the home that were sold off and then found and restored. Just beautiful.
I did have to leave the fairgrounds since they were prepping for their county fair. I headed over to a Sun Outdoors campground – Kensington Valley. It was a really lovely property with a couple of small lakes and lovely sites. The bathroom facilities could use some updating, but the location gave me the opportunity to meet up with a friend and her family. They rented a house in Ann Arbor, so we had a lovely dinner, dessert, and conversation – so fun to be around a family and enjoy a meal together.
Hard to believe that I’m putting a bow on Michigan already. It was a great time, and we will be back in 2025.
14 starts left after a stop for gas and another at Target to get more supplies for the coming week. After our errands, we headed up to Muskegon to tour the historic Hume and Hackley homes.
There were two really nice family stories that went with these two homes. They were both enormous old homes, but very different on the inside. The tour was informative but the decor really stole the show for me.
The transom windows and lovely fireplaces were just some of the highlights.
12 starts left when we left Muskegon for our campground outside of Jenison and after we checked in. The Steamboat Park Campground was a beautiful location on the shores of the Grand River. It had come highly recommended from my co-worker’s parents, and they weren’t kidding. Our site was close to the center of the park but very quiet and private. It’s great when you’re a short walk to the amenities, and when I say amenities – I mean the showers and the garbage. 🙂
Glamour shot of the Grand River. We did get a good amount of rain while we were there, so I was glad that we weren’t at one of the sites on the river. Really beautiful to walk by, but felt safer off the river bank. Our check-in experience was really great, and we were able to get deliveries, so stocking up on the supplies was easy. The showers were great and the laundry facilities were sparse but accessible.
I didn’t rent a car in Michigan, so I took a few Uber/Lyft rides to get into town and meet up with a college friend and her friends who were in town for a concert. We had a very delicious breakfast in downtown Grand Rapids at Social Misfits before we headed to the Ford Presidential Library. My friend is a real history buff, so she spent a good deal more time actually reading all of the displays.
In addition to the pretty dish ware and the Oval Office re-creation, there was a beautiful garden and walking area around the museum, which is on the banks of the Grand River.
I also got some more quality time with my co-worker and her family while I was closer to Grand Rapids. We had a lovely family dinner where I actually ate vegetables and a fun girls night out at a local cider joint – Farmhouse Cider Co. They had a food truck and flights of cider that were delightful – a lot like my first weeks in Michigan.
Also, I did try some things to see if I could clear the limp mode from Estella, but they were all to no avail. We’re down to 3 starts. 🍫🍫 🍫🍫 Time to call in the reinforcements.
The Adventures of Ms Haps & Arthur 