Marshfield, Vermont (State #47)-Meadowcrest Campground

August 26 -September 2, 2017

We finally made it to Vermont, State #47! Our home for the week was Meadowcrest Campground in Marshfield, not too far from the capital, Montpelier. It was a small campground with only about 15 RV sites and a few tent sites down by the river. BUT the kids had a FANTASTIC time. There was plenty for them to do and no associated fee to do them. So they could play air hockey and an electronic basketball game all they wanted. There was also an AMAZING slip-n-slide down the hill side, 

a playscape, and a small above ground pool. The weather, however, this time of year is on the cool side. So while they did use the pool, they only lasted about 30 minutes.

(Using THREE inner tubes to try an keep herself out of the frigid water!)

Many people recommended Smuggler's Notch State Park and so we had to check it out. The kids had so much fun exploring a cave area.

Then we hiked to Bingham Falls. The carved rock reminded me a lot of New Hampshire.

There were also many local companies that offered tours. The problem is that many of these products are seasonal and so some of the “tours” are only videos or some printed signs.

The first was Cabot Creamery. A very nice tour and able to see the cheese making process. And plenty of cheeses to taste.  YUM!  We also learned that they use a plant-based rennet, making all of their cheeses (with the exception of the one containing bacon) vegetarian.  Important for us now that we have a little vegetarian in the family.  

(No pics allowed inside)

(That glum face was intentional)

Next up was Bragg Sugar Farm House. This was only a video since maple sugar begins in late March and lasts only a few months. We also got to see their equipment, including the 2200 buckets that they collect the sap in EACH DAY! I really enjoyed this and learned so much. Like, did you know that the tree determines the grade of syrup. As the season progresses, it holds onto more of its sugar, which changes the grade. Vermont has its own set of regulations for production (more restrictive than the US). And the flavor of maple syrup is affected by the type of maple tree it comes from and the soil. Not all maple syrups are the same. Bragg Farm is definitely doing it right though because their syrups were DELICIOUS!

Rock of Ages Granite Quarry offers tours which cost $5 per adult. We did this based on the recommendation of a neighboring RVer in Maine. Our experience wasn't stellar and I think that is due to our tour guide. His discussion was very random and jumped from topic to topic so between that and the cold weather, I really lost interest. When I could follow, I did hear some interesting things. So I would still recommend it, but just hope that you don't get our guide.

Cold Hollow Cider Mill was the next tour. Well not really much of a tour. They had a couple of signs and I didn't really take much interest. I'm assuming there is not much to see here until the fall when the apples have ripened. Their cider was REALLY good, but I wasn't too impressed with the cider donuts. After taste testing, we bought some unsweetened apple butter and cider jelly. They also had a number of other local foods for sale and we picked up a few to test out (results pending).

And lastly, was Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream. It was $4 per adult. Unfortunately, they were cleaning the factory (which takes more than 8 hours and they do it between flavors) at the time of our tour. But they have some nice videos that play in the room where you get to peer down at the equipment. It was nicely done. We got to taste their new flavor, strawberry hibiscus, which was surprisingly good. Then we bought a few other flavors to test out. I am sad to say that I was disappointed. I really hoped that I would love it since I could buy it in Austin or wherever but it just did not compare to the ice cream in Maine, nor did I even like it better than HEB's creamy creations! Nice tour, but no thank you on the ice cream.

We enjoyed our time in Vermont. The campground and the owners were great.  It was pretty and well-maintained. But Vermont didn't impress me as much as I had expected. I imagine it is gorgeous in the fall or even in the spring but at this time of year everything just seems overgrown. I feel like the grass, wildflowers and weeds are about the swallow this place up! Perhaps they do not mow and just allow it all to die back over the winter???  And there were so many homes in need of love, it was a little depressing at times.  It was far from ugly, but if we return, I will definitely vote to wait until leaf peeping time!

Now we are off to Canada for our second Fulltime Family Rally!

Bar Harbor, Maine-Bar Harbor Campground

July 29-August 26, 2017

Bar Harbor, Maine is such a beautiful area and we were soooo excited to return and be able to stay for FOUR WEEKS!  Acadia National Park is gorgeous, the town center is so beautiful and the ice cream is fantastic!  We are already thinking about when we can come back.

We stayed at Bar Harbor Campground, which is the closest campground into the national park and has full hook-ups.  There is a free shuttle bus system that you can ride from the campgrounds, into the national park or into the town center.  It's so nice because parking in Bar Harbor and in the national park can be difficult.

The kids enjoyed their stay here but not as much as I had hoped.  The pool was too cold for Jordan and so she couldn't last more than about 15 minutes.  I really tried to plug into the local community but as much as I tried, I could not find them!!  Even hung out at the local swimming hole and rarely saw anyone.  Where are the people?!

(Trying to warm up after being in the pool)

(Glen Mary Wading Pool-only 2 feet deep and freezes over in the winter for skating)

The closest we got to locals was Circus Camp.  The camp is only there 2 weeks out of the summer and we were lucky enough to be there during that time.  I actually had to convince Jordan to go.  I knew she would enjoy it.  Turns out, she LOVED it.  She enjoyed the activities and enjoyed being with her new friends.  After it was over, the owner/teacher was amazed to find out that Jordan hadn't known the other girls prior to camp.  He said from the way they acted, he assumed that they had been lifelong friends!

Another fun thing that we had not done before was Diver Ed's Dive-In Theater.  For this, you go out on a boat with Diver Ed and his diving buddy, Mini Ed (a playmobil character).  They dive down with a camera and microphone so that we can see what they are finding and where and hear the commentary.  After collecting a few creatures he returns to the boat to show all of the kids and teach them a few things about it.  It was fun and educational.  Where else can you get your hair combed by a lobster and have a sea cucumber spray all over you?!

But the MOST exciting days were when my mom and Aunt Judy came to see us!  We had four full days to spend with them.  We took them into the park, including the Schoodic area, showed them around Bar Harbor, had lobster with them, visited the lobster hatchery and took them to the top three ice cream shops in the area (pics below).

I have to mention that we tested out all 6 ice cream shops in Bar Harbor prior to their arrival. You know, so they could have the best 😋.  AND we went to an ice cream making tour.  By the end of our stay in Bar Harbor, I had eaten ice cream at least 14 times!  YIKES!)

We made THREE  pints of ice cream at Udder Heaven (above) and the owner let us keep our ice cream in their freezer (since RV freezers are quite tiny) and when we wanted some, we just walked up there and they scooped it for us.  So fun!

This will be hard to narrow down but here are some of my favorite pics from our stay:

Little Hunter Beach:

Climbing the Beehive Summit Trail:

Sand Beach:

View from the North Bubble:

Thunder Hole:

 Having lobster at Thurston's Lobster Pound:

Observing the gorgeous scenery at Schoodic Point:

Collecting sea stars at Tidal Falls:

(Jacob is teaching someone all about sea stars)

 The best place to hang out and eat your ice cream...Agamont Park:

So, it was another fun visit to Bar Harbor.  I know we will be back some day to take in more of this beautiful place (and ice cream)!  But for now, we will move on to Vermont.

  

Salem, Connecticut-Witch Meadow Campground

July 3-29, 2018

After three grueling months of prepping and moving out of our home, a three or four day ride to Connecticut wasn't sounding too bad.  I could sit and do NOTHING.  And I did!  

We left out of Texas on a Saturday morning and made it to our destination in Connecticut on Monday evening, one day ahead of schedule and even after breaking down in rural Virginia. The kids were eager to arrive and voted to keep pushing forward.  

We did what Greg has named "The Cracker Barrel Express".  That means that we drive until evening and aim at pulling into a Cracker Barrel at around 8 pm.  They have RV parking (although we are a bit long for them) and you can stay the night for FREE.  It isn't totally free since we go inside and eat dinner but it's a great meal that I don't have to cook, it is quiet, and we are able to roll out early in the morning.

During our second day of travel, the truck began throwing a code.  It was the same code we got last year when we were heading through the mountains, "Low fuel rail pressure".  It was still running fine but worrisome since we thought that issue had been fixed.  Well after throwing the code a few more times (probably over a couple hours), the truck began to lose power.  Greg decided to head for the exit and it was a good thing he did because as we exited, we lost all power and rolled to a stop on the shoulder.  It was 6 pm.  

Greg got to work investigating the problem while I tried to get the roadside assistance process going.  In the end, Greg discovered some loose parts near the fuel pump primer. We had lost around 10 gallons of fuel (which our fuel gauge could not detect) and so we simply ran out of diesel before we should have.  FORTUNATELY, Greg was able to determine this AND the closest building to us was a gas station, WITH diesel!  So Greg tightened it all up, put a little diesel in and the truck started up!  We jumped in and headed to fill up and set out on the road again, arriving at the Cracker Barrel around 9 pm.  I have probably said it before, but we are SO fortunate that Greg is so handy and knowledgeable about this stuff. 

As I said, we made it to the campground a day early and the campground was very willing to accommodate us.  This place is great and the owner has been awesome (we stayed here once before when my stepsister had passed away).

The kids have been having a blast!  There are soooo many kids here and they have activities at the rec center nearly every hour from 9 am until about 3:30 pm.  Here's an example of what a couple of days look like:

Jordan loves all of the arts and crafts and Jacob has enjoyed the field games.

They have been walking and riding their bikes a lot and they met up with some old friends. There is also a pool and lake here for swimming and non-motorized boating.

Being in a small state is fun.  Within a matter of a couple hours, you can travel into another state!  So our first big outing was a weekend trip to NYC!  This was more relaxed than our last trip when we had to squeeze everything in, so I think the kids enjoyed it much more. We found a hotel to stay in near Times Square and drove in.  We checked out a couple of the local restaurants like John's Pizza and Mama Ruth's, went to the Museum of Natural History, watched a free Three Musketeers theatrical performance in a park (Jacob's fave),

 walked the Hi-Line after eating in Chelsea Market, went to the American Girl store

 and went to see School of Rock. 

(Getting some autographs after the performance)

Next, we went to Six Flags New England in Massachusetts.  Believe it or not, we had to drag the kids there! They have had so much fun at the campground that they do not want to leave.  But just as we thought, they had a great time.

Then we drove to the little town of Essex.  It was so pretty and quaint.  Jacob said he wanted to live there.  We had lunch on a little island and visited the Connecticut River Museum.  Some of the homes here date back to before the Revolutionary War!!  I was so AMAZED!  

(Built in 1720!)

In the museum, we sat in a Turtle Submarine Replica from the Revolutionary War, built the frame of a ship and learned that Essex was also the sight of attack by British soldiers in the War of 1812.  They burned many of their ships and stole their rum!

From there, we drove a little further north and had dinner with one of my old coworkers, Shari.  It is always good to see and chat with her.  Sadly, I forgot to get a picture.

Back in CT, we checked out Devil's Hopyard State Park.  I told them all, "It's a short hike, just under 2 miles. It won't take us long!"  I think next time I will remember to check the elevation.  It wasn't easy and considering we haven't hiked in 3 months, it was really pretty tough.  And I don't think I have mentioned this, but it is hot and SUPER humid here! 

(Chapman Falls)

Next up was a visit to the Mark Twain House and Museum.  This was a guided tour of the house where Mark Twain lived and completed many of the books he is famous for.  He had the house built and lived there from 1874 until 1891 when finances became difficult.  They moved to Europe where they could live more cheaply.  One of his daughters returned to the home and died soon afterwards from meningitis.  The family could not bear to live there after that and so they sold the home in 1903.  It was very interesting to tour through and learn that they spent $200 per WEEK on food for entertaining.  This was almost as much as one of their servants made in a YEAR and more than I spend weekly 100+ years later!

My final news is that we have closed on our house!   No more worry about that! The closing went smoothly.  Interestingly, they have mobile notaries!  When it was time to sign the documents, a notary came out to our campground and we completed the necessary paperwork and she took care of getting it back to Austin.  Easy peasy!  So we officially said good-bye to Janabyrd Ln. and we are okay with that (although we will miss our awesome neighbors). 

We are now heading for another month long stay in Bar Harbor.  Can't wait to have some of the most delicious ice cream I have ever tasted!!

An Update

April-June, 2018

We spent 3 months in Texas.  It flew by here is why:   After MUCH discussion (prior to our arrival in Texas), Greg and I decided to sell our home.  The decision was tough because we LOVE the location.  We know that if we had to settle again, THAT is right where we would want to be.  So then, why did we sell?  Of course, if we were rich, we would just keep it and keep on paying for all that goes along with taking care of the home.  But we are not rich, and we are super tired of returning to Austin to deal with bushes that still need trimming and plants that need planting even though we have a yard crew, decisions about what to do with our yard because the shade is killing the grass, worrying about if the beautiful trees are getting what they need and so on....  It's definitely a joy stealer.  We decided it was time to rid ourselves of some of the cost and hassle and open up time to do FUN things in Austin and see our friends when we are there.

So we worked our tails off for two months to purge and move out so that our house could go on the market.  On June 1st, the house listed and a couple wanted to put in an offer that night and ultimately, we accepted their offer.  Having had our pre-inspection, we thought this would be pretty smooth sailing and June would be filled with days to relax and see friends. WRONG!  Their inspector came back with 3 issues.  Two were non-issues but certainly consumed time and effort.  The third was that the foundation had shifted and was out of tolerance.  WHAT?!  

That meant three separate appointments from three separate foundation companies to get bids and opinions.  The shift was not much out of tolerance and all of the foundation guys said it was standard work and par for the course in our area especially after the drought four years ago.  

All was well, so it seemed.  The buyer husband was on board and then on June 9 we get a call that they backed out.  WHAAAA!  So we went back on the market and after another week or so, we received another offer with LOTS of questions.  All valid but they all take time to address.  In the interim though, this delayed the final move-out because our furniture was being used for staging.

At this point, we are still under contract waiting for the closing.  The foundation was stabilized in mid-July without any complications.  We finished clearing the house and closed the door behind us at 8 pm on a Friday evening and then we pulled out of Austin the next morning.  EXHAUSTING!

I NEVER WANT TO MOVE AGAIN!  But I will...  

So what now?  We did not decide to remain "houseless" but we have our eyes set on a particular location and will hold out a while to see if we can get it.  We want less maintenance and to get that, we are buying a townhome.  There will still be home maintenance, but no trees, yard or other outdoor things to take care of.  And there is a pool, that WE will not have to maintain!  We think it makes sense for US and our lifestyle.

So we are in the holding pattern, but in the meantime, we will continue to see this beautiful country and make more wonderful memories with our kiddos.  The townhome may not come available this year, but that's okay.  We will still return to Austin to see our friends and families and we won't have that to distract us. 

Let the next adventure begin!