Our Last Hurrah of the Fall Season

October 10-15, 2013

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, we took PeeWee to visit friends, do some sight-seeing, to join family for a pot-luck dinner and to camp in a Provincial Park on Lake Huron.

A sunny, deserted beach at Wasaga Beach Provincial Park - what a contrast to a busy summer day.

That's some light lunch. Always thinking healthy.

Parked for the night in the driveway at a friend's chalet at Blue Mountain.

Funky painted Muskoka chairs for a silent auction fundraiser at the Collingwood Farmer's Market.

Collingwood waterfront with grain elevators in background.

Parked at the Georgian Hills Winery for a sampling of local wine accompanied by a cheese tray which we enjoyed at the outdoor patio.

Ripe for the picking!

An overnight stop at the Wiarton Marina to bring closure to the boating season (operation dinghy). The Niagara Escarpment and the Bruce Trail are behind us.

The front yard of Alice and Byrne's chicken farm where we gathered for the family Thanksgiving. 

A colourful arrangement made by Alice.

The fun-filled traditional hayride. 

Our children and grandchildren.

Andrew, a wannabe farmer.

Shift that gear David.

Four generations.

Susie, Kevin and Brooklynn

Cosby, Brooklynn's new friend.

Time for the pumpkin carving contest.

What the boys do best. 

Who are you lookin at?  Never seen lamas before?

The golden glow of early morning light.

A peaceful stream.

Not just chickens on the farm. Baa Baa

Cosby keeps Grace company at morning coffee time.

That's some healthy looking kale.

Next stop - the playground at the Goderich Beach. Some silly fun!

Safer sitting down in the rocking boat.

The Sifto salt mines, where tunnels extend for miles under Lake Huron.

Yeah, guess what we got here?

A very busy port for loading grains for shipment abroad.

A memorial to recognize the devastation to the town of Goderich and the loss of one life from the 2011 tornado.

Love those shadows.

Base of the Goderich lighthouse.

Ready to roll to our campsite, about 10 minutes away.

Tucked into our own little private and prime site #55 at Point Farms Provincial Park. Since everyone left after the long weekend, we shared the whole park with only one other couple. Super quiet.

Staircase to the beach.

We had mile of beach walking all to ourselves.

Preparing our Thanksgiving dinner. Awh, no turkey?

Chicken, sweet potatoes and peas. Yum, Yum.

A great meal, wine and a setting sun over Lake Huron, can't beat that.

Even had our one and only fire of the year. Never too late.

Sun went down and the sky filled with bright stars. 

Early morning hike and then .....

.... hot coffee to warm up.

A blaze of colour. 

One more hike on the beach.

Lots of exercise on the trails.

Yes, we were the last campers of the season to leave the park. 

See ya next year. Loved the park.

Highlights from our First US Bound Trip

September 10-26, 2013

Our trip included a four-day Pleasure-Way rally and RV show in Hershey Pennsylvania, then continuing to the east coast going through New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, back through New York and then home. Quite the journey for such a short time. We stayed mainly in state parks, which were very well kept and reasonable, four free nights at a Walmart and at state visitor centers.

We were in good company with 65 other Pleasure-Ways at the Hersheypark Camping Resort in Hershey, Pennsylvania. We took part in club events and took in the RV show, recognized as the largest in the US.

A Cooper's hawk with a vole, taken at our campsite.

Setting up camp at Rickett's Glen State Park. PA.  

Hiking the Falls Trail in the park, with over 26 to view along the circular route.

Happy hikers.

Everyone was unique.

Lobster Landing Restaurant, Clinton, CT., is a ramshackle, 100-year-old, wood-frame shanty by the water where you buy lobsters, oysters, and steamer clams to take home and cook or eat under the plastic covered outdoor "restaurant".

Stopped by for a glass of wine and ended up staying for supper. Very friendly couple who just started camping.

Excellent supper and great company.

A charter schooner at Mystic River, Rhode Island.

Massive weights for lift bridge.

Taking customers out for a sail.

Harbour at Rockport, Massachusetts

Colourful fishing net buoys.

Low tide.

Artistic touch.

A must, when on the coast. Was here 20 years ago and it cost $5 for lobster, now it's $10, not bad.

Quite the buoy and badge collection.

Evening light, Ipswich, Mass.

Atlantic Ocean sunrise.

Just breaking the horizon

Almost gem like.

Patterns in the sand at low tide.

Morning coffee at Sandy Point State Reserve, Mass.

One of many stops along the scenic ocean drive in Maine.

Nubble Lighthouse, Maine

The mandatory photo with the Nubble Lighthouse. It is a famous and popular tourist site. Glad PeeWee fits into a regular parking spot, because it was a busy place.

A chicken supper in PeeWee on the beach at Kennebunkport, Maine.

A kayak tethered to buoy a fair distance from shore at low tide.

Great balancing act for this power boat.

Waiting for the tide to return.

Spent a quiet (free) night at the Walmart in Sanford, Maine.

The best camp site of the whole trip, where we shared the New Discovery State Park in Vermont, with one other motorhome. What luck. 

So, which one of the many hiking trails in the park shall we explore?

A backroad led to the start of our five-mile hike.

Look-out from the top of Big Deer Mountain, a strenuous climb but worth the effort. The clouds opened up and the whole valley was obscured with the rain. Raincoats, what raincoats?

Grace is dwarfed by this massive stone, which sits right at the very top of the mountain. All right, who put it there.

Our camp for the night was at Crown Point State Park, New York, right next to this historic site. Exploring the old British fort site which was built after the French fort was burned down when the British took control. Later the Americans ousted the British. The location was very strategic, since it controlled the water traffic on Lake Champlain. 

Remains of officer quarters.

This modern bridge built in 2011, connects Vermont and New York at the southern end of Lake Champlain.

Our site with a view.  The bridge lit up at night, adding a special touch to our stay.

Early morning hike around the fort perimeter.

An eery figure from the past?

The tall memorial to Samuel de Champlain pokes through the trees.

Our free night spot with hydro at Camping World, Syracuse, NY. The site was free, but did drop some cash in the store before we left in the morning. This was a super centre store and the lot was full of BIG units that were having service done. 

View from the top of the lighthouse at Golden Hill S.P., right on Lake Ontario. 

Our site with a fantastic view of the lake where we could see the CN Tower and tankers go by. The perfect spot for our last night on the road.