Saturday, June 23 In 1940 the 154th Brethren Annual Conference was held in Ocean Grove, NJ. Attending was my father with his minister-father, and my mother, with her minister-father. They met and very quickly fell in love. I have always been anxious to visit Ocean Grove where this great romance began.. I did a little research on Ocean Grove and discovered there was much more to it than the usual little seaside community. It was founded in 1869 by a Methodist clergyman who formed the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association to operate a summer camp meeting site on the New Jersey seashore. By the early 20th century, the meeting ground was known as the “Queen of Religious Resorts.” Today it is a 5-star family seashore resort, and is still the headquarters for religious meetings of all denominations at the Great Auditorium that was built in 1894; it seats 10,000 people! The Great Auditorium is also surrounded by a tent city that is comprised of 144 tents that are rented out on a seasonal basis – and are booked for the next 10 years! From here, a population settles in for a summer-long worship experience. Noteworthy on Ocean Grove’s tree-lined streets is the largest assemblage of authentic Victorian architecture in the nation --- row after row of magnificent “painted ladies” – some appear to be boarding houses and some private residences. I wonder if one of these is where my grandpas/parents stayed 74 years ago? A comment on the weather . . . it was crappy! The fog never lifted, the drizzle was continuous, and the temperature dipped down to 62 degrees! Even with that, people were out and about and enjoying the carnival-like atmosphere surrounding the Great Auditorium area. The Auditorium was closed, and just as we got there the K9 Unit arrived to sniff around the massive inside – probably to get ready for an afternoon program. But, nothing stops Tom, and he navigated to the back side of the building where he found a door open up a flight of outside stairs. We risked it, stood inside an upper level of the theater, and saw for the first time how mammoth it really was. Except for the dog and his handler we were the only ones in the building, and we had plenty of time to get pictures and wonder what seats my parents had occupied as young lovers. Were they holding hands? Beside the Great Auditorium was a smaller pavilion that was open and in full-force sermonizing mode. On the podium were several witnesses and the audience was paying close attention and interjecting quiet “amens” in agreement. Still dribbleing, but not enough to really get us wet, we waked to an area beyond the Auditorium to the Starving Artists indoor/outdoor restaurant. The outside was under cover, and we enjoyed the sweet garden-type patio and some pretty wonderful food. We made a quick dash into the headquarters for the Auditorium to ask about records of the 1940 Brethren Conference. We were directed to the Historical Society next door, but the Curator was not available – we picked up his card and I planned to email him. All this time we had left Charlie and Jasper in the car (it was 62 degrees) and we were starting to feel a bit guilty. The dogs were sound asleep when we returned, and we woke them for a walk on the sidewalks lining the beautiful Victorian homes . . . with the manicured lawns. Even in the slight sprinkle it was pretty. I could almost see my parents strolling the same street, heading for the beach boardwalk as they pondered their future – hopefully in beautiful sunshine. That was almost a wrap for the day – almost! At the Silvermine we walked the dogs for a brisk march around the campground, cleaned the sand off their feet and bellies, and left them to watch a little TV while we headed out for supper. We had made the decision to head for home tomorrow, so this would be our last seafood dinner on the Atlantic. We headed back down to Seafood Alley, and settled on Carmen’s. We arrived just at the point that they were starting to busy-up, and we got seats within a few minutes on the covered outdoor deck. The menu was more expensive than we were accustomed to, and hoping that indicated big portions, we decided to share the broiled shrimp and scallops. The salad was plenty big, the onion rings were large and generous, and there were 7 shrimp and 7 scallops on the broiler plate! We left a few onion rings, a ½-loaf of bread, and one little scallop untouched! At the Silvermine I worked on the inside, cleaning sand from the floor and rugs, and putting away loose items, while Tom worked on the outside dumping the tank and packing our paraphernalia. By 9:00 we were ready for a quick launch in the morning and settled down to read . . . and savor the wonderful memories from the past 17 days!
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Thursday, June 21 This was a new one for us . . . a flat tire! Tom noticed it as he was hooking up this morning (at 7:30), and it delayed our take-off for about 20 minutes! Tom can now say: I’ve done everything in my new airstream! Our drive was only 250 miles today, but the fact that it closely circumvented New York City meant that it was, at times, a very slow go. Tom handled the rig in all that traffic like a gear-jammin’ cowboy – even going across the Hudson River on the George Washington Bridge with the NYC skyline in the distant view. Our destination was the Ocean View Resort Campground, just a bit past Atlantic City, NJ. Big beyond belief, with over 400 camping sites. There are campsites (all are shaded and wooded) and camping cabins for short visits, and seasonal sites for your own trailer or for purchased park-model trailers. There is a lake with beautiful beach and snack bar, several laundromats, Ocean View Café, game room, pool and splash park, tennis and shuffleboard courts, miniature golf . . . you get the idea. From here we will headquarter for the next three days to explore Atlantic City and Cape May. The only problem . . . I don’t see any OCEAN VIEW! For dinner we had lamb steaks on the grill and hash browns on the griddle. Tom found a Goodyear dealer nearby, and called to make arrangements to have our bum tire replaced; that will be first on the agenda in the morning. Friday, June 22 A slow start to the morning called for eggs for breakfast! By 10:00 we were on the way to get our tire replaced . . . starting with a beautiful drive up a coastal road that hugged the ocean-front. Passing through Ocean City my memory did a double-take, thinking that was the location where my parents met at a Brethren National Conference in 1939 – both attending with their respective old-order-Brethren-minister-fathers! After a bit of research I found that Ocean Grove was the location of that conference, and that is about 1 ½ hours to the north of our location. Time will tell if we do more investigating along those lines. Our drive took us up and over several bridges and through nice coastal towns with wide streets and homes lined up along the waterfront. Eventually we could see the skyline of Atlantic City in the distance. We were not prepared for the reality of Atlantic City – recalling instead the glamorized images that were mostly media-fueled several decades ago. It was not nearly as exciting as our mental picture, and seemed to be a little bit on the down-side of prime. The boardwalk was extensive, wide, and clean, with one side banked by novelty stores, tattoo parlors, and fast-food eats, and the other side lined by beach front. It was not at all crowded, and while it was early on Friday afternoon, we just didn’t get the feeling that party life would perk up too much at night. But, we enjoyed a long walk and were glad we had the chance to see what Atlantic City was all about. On our way back to Ocean View we turned off onto Fish Alley and bought large fresh shrimp for dinner tonight . . . and stuffed shrimp for dinner tomorrow night. Temperatures today were not above 72 degrees with cloud cover, and a few sprinkles developed as we got back to the campsite. But, we are so deeply wooded that not much rain made it through the canopy onto the ground. We are creating a monster! The more we walk Jasper, the more he wants to walk. . . and is able to walk. When we are ready to come in the Silvermine for the evening, he is still wanting to rip-snort up and down the campground roads. Once he is inside, he wants to chase balls up and down the Airstream hallway. But, when we do put him in his bed at night at about 10:00 – he sleeps soundly through until 7:00 a.m.!
Wednesday, June 20 The USS Nautilus (SSN-571) was the world’s first operational nuclear-powered submarine, and the first submarine to complete a submerged transit of the North Pole. Nautilus now serves as a museum of submarine history and is stationed at Naval Submarine Base New London, following a 5-million dollar make-over in 2002. We spent the morning touring the historic submarine. We had lunch at the trailer and then headed back out for downtown/oldtown Mystic – a few of the stores had been closed during our tour last night – specifically, the Ivory Ella store! I felt good about every penny I spent in that store – money to help the elephants . . . and my name, too boot! Mystic is a “drinking town with a bridge problem” – according to some of the signs we saw. Right in the middle of downtown is an old-fashioned draw bridge over the Mystic River that allows ships and sailboats to cross through and long lines of cars to temporarily pile up. Sure enough, while we were in Mystic, we paid our dues to the bridge, being stopped in our car twice, and stopped on the sidewalk once! Being up here on the coast I had developed a craving for sea scallops – broiled in butter. Many of the downtown restaurants did not have them, but I finally found a large diner down the road from our campground that did. They were lovely and exactly what I wanted – the baked potato was especially good, too. But, the roll came with cinnamon butter that I suspect was emulsified oil and the mixed veggies were overcooked! Tom’s fish and chips were . . . respectable.
At the Silvermine we sat out and talked to our neighbors for awhile – they were full-timing in a large Tiffin motorhome – both retired Airline Attendants! Our intent was to leave out by 8:00 in the morning, heading for Ocean City, just South of Atlantic City, NJ. Tuesday, June 19, We made the decision today to cancel our reservations for a 4-day stay at Liberty Harbor to tour NYC. At the time we made the plans we didn’t know we would have a new little puppy that could not be left alone for more than a few hours. We were able to secure reservations for the weekend at a more puppy-friendly camping resort – but first, Mystic, Connecticut for the next two days! We left our ocean-front campsite in Salem at 9:00, and headed for Mystic, Connecticut, arriving at Seaport RV Resort shortly after noon. Mystic was settled in 1654 and is famous as a safe harbor for tall ships to weather a storm and as a shipbuilding seaport village. Our afternoon tour was the Mystic Seaport Village, a collection of port-side structures that illustrate Maritime history. We explored one of the last whaling ships to cease operations after 80 years of whaling, and saw the Mayflower II as she was undergoing a major re-haul. The village displayed old-time necessary businesses of all kinds to a flourishing seaport. It was a dog-friendly stroll, with most of the stores having water bowls at the entrance. We cooked a pork-loin dinner at the campsite – the first home-cook in several days. It cooled off dramatically in the evening, and we walked the Historic Downtown Mystic streets – a wonderful little assortment of shops, restaurants, B&Bs, and outfitters. Tomorrow we will have the whole day to explore the rest of Mystic.
Monday, Jun 18 Our final day of touring in the Salem area was a drive following Route 127 (The Essex Coastal Scenic Byway) up the coast, past Manchester-By-The-Sea, Gloucester, Rockport, and to Halibut Point State Park at the very tip of Cape Ann. It was hard to get the GPS to follow 127 as it wanted to drive us inland a couple miles along State Route 128; we insisted on the ocean road, and were rewarded with the very best of coastal views! Each little town had a downtown district lined with shops and restaurants right off of a harbor. Mixed in were residences and for-rents, and people walking the streets as locals or tourists. At the tip of Cape Ann we stopped at Halibut Point where Babson Farm Quarry began harvesting 450-million-year-old granite in 1840; The quarry closed in 1929. The self-guided trail led back to the water-filled excavation pit and on to the ocean-where we rock-hopped the granite boulders for a good view of the Atlantic. During the afternoon threats of severe thunderstorms began popping up. At 4:30, as we headed out for a quick trip to the Marblehead area, we took the precaution of putting away all of our outside bits and pieces. On the drive were able to grab some carry-out Calzones to bring back to the supper. We pulled in just as the storm threat really geared up and enjoyed the rest of the evening in the Silvermine.
Sunday, June 18 Touring began at 8:30 this morning as we drove the 3 miles into town – forgetting that it was Sunday morning and nothing was going to open until 10:00! We hustled the dogs back to the Silvermine, walked them to tire them out, settled them in the trailer for a nap, and headed out for the downtown area again. We arrived at the National Park Visitor Center and saw the movie on the history of Salem (very little mention of the Witchcraft saga), shopped a few stores, and made a leisurely choice for lunch, reading menu options as we walked down the streets. We ended on the outdoor patio of the Rockafellas Restaurant for a father’s day special of Fish & Chips – absolutely wonderful fish, with French fries and onion rings! We again picked up Charlie and Jasper, and this time left for town from the Winter Island parking lot on the trolley for the historical tour. It was a narrated, open-air trolly, that wove an 8-mile-course past many Salem sites: Charter street Burial Ground, The House of Seven Gables, The Witch Dungeon Museum and many other museums, and the historic Chestnut Street. We each took a dog and both landed a window seat for them to hang out of. At the halfway stop we got off the trolley and walked the downtown, focusing on the grassy parks for the dogs. We jumped on another trolley and continued the tour back to Winter Island. We rested, read, relaxed for an hour, and took the dogs for another walk along our coastline. In the late afternoon we headed out again with the intent to tour the Pickering Wharf area, and find a nice restaurant for supper! Parking was at a premium on Sunday afternoon, as the last weekend crowds lingered as long as possible. Eventually we scored a spot, and walked (quite a distance) to the wharf. I chose Longboards, little pub/restaurant, and we both had the triple slider (shredded pork, burger, and lobster) all slider sandwiches on small buns. Tom made a plan for tomorrow, which would be our last day in Salem. I'll end with this picture that I found on the internet, showing an arial view of Winter Island Park. Managed by the City of Salem, It has been a wonderful location from which to explore -- electric/water hookups, bathhouse, close to downtown Salem, on the water, ocean breezes . . . we would come back!
Saturday, June 16 Today was the day that our little caravan of three Airstreams split up . . . 2 to head for home, with us continuing for another few weeks. Tom was up and walking the dogs as Suzie and John and Penny and Rupert pulled out of Saddleback at 6:00 a.m. We were also up in time to wish Alan, Carie, and Bev good luck on their mission to drop the Airstream off for servicing, before heading home. When I got up at 6:30, I gathered up every scrap of laundry I could muster and sorted and bagged it for a laundry stop on our way to Salem, MA. We were off by 8:00, found our laundry mat, spent 1 ½ hours, and were off again by 10:30. We only had a 50 mile drive to Salem, but it was a slow-go down the coast of New Hampshire before crossing into Massachusetts on Highway 1A. By noon we had located our home for the next three days – Winter Island Park. Located right on Salem Harbor, we are backed up right to the water! The campsite itself is one in a row on a paved lot, but we did luck out and get the last site in the row with our own private little grassy area for the dogs! A few sites down from us is the Function Hall in one direction, the Gift Shop/Store in another direction and a path down to the public beach in another direction. The oceanfront is a direct drop-off to the Ocean from the bumper of the Airstream! We are positioned less than 3 miles from the Downtown District of Salem, and wasted no time heading in by car to determine the old-town lay-out. With the dogs in tow (It was reported to be a dog-friendly village) we walked around the pedestrian outdoor mall of shops, restaurants, Town Hall, City Hall, and a variety of Salem-themed museums. We discovered that the one-hour, narrated trolly tour leaves right from our campground door --- and it allows small dogs! TOMORROW! We came back to the campsite and cooked dinner and lazed around until time for an evening walk. We walked the campground and saw a few RV’s lined up along the prime spots of the ocean front like us, and plenty of other RV’s lined up away from the water. There was also tent camping on some grassy little hills. We walked down by the docks, watched the sun as it was setting, and returned to the Silvermine for showers. With this brief introduction to Salem, MA, we can hardly wait for tomorrow to get here for the real sightseeing to begin!
Friday, June 15 It rained a lot of last night, and all this morning, only stopping at 2:00. The boys worked on diagnosing a grating sound on Alan’s rig: calls to a local Airstream dealer and an RV on-site fix-it man, and a whole lot of consulting with each otherl. Verdict: It could be a brake problem or a bearing problem. To avoid any regrets, Alan will haul to a near-by Airstream fix-it place, where it can’t be serviced until the 29th. He will drive home and make the return trip to pick it up in two weeks. Tom and I made a 6-mile trip to a large pet facility with a do-your-own-washing set-up; I should mention that Jasper and Charlie went with us. Oh, it was an easy way to wash the dogs with all the equipment and supplies needed for the chore. In the afternoon, as the sun came out, we enjoyed walking our clean dogs around the campground pond . . . photographing the frogs, and the kids trying to catch the frogs! While we dog-washed the rest of the group found a spectacular seafood restaurant 13 miles away for a late lunch. Tom and I ordered a lobster roll and lobster bisque, picked it up, and brought it back to the campground for supper. Evening we were gathered under the pond’s pavilion for a John’s 60th birthday celebration – Suzie had made strawberry shortcake and Alan and Carie had ice cream. What a wonderful way to end our 9-day trip with this group. Tomorrow, we each head our own way! I got this great reflection picture of Alan's and Carie's "Silver Lining" across the pond in the stillness of the evening.
Tuesday, June 12 I don’t know what the temperature got down to during the night, but the inside of the camper read 48 degrees when we woke up! Not to worry, because the day rapidly warmed up. Meanwhile, we enjoyed coffee -- water boiled on the Bio-Lite stove and brewed in the Stanley French Press. John’s new grill was still set up, and we decided to introduce it to breakfast: eggs, bacon, hash browns, pancakes, strawberries, coffee . . . . We met our neighbor, Don, (solo in a Class “C” motor home), and he joined us for the conversation and coffee. Generators were allowed from 8:00 – 10:00 and we all made use of that time to charge our Airstream batteries. By 10:30 we were off to explore. The Kancamagus is a 34-mile National Scenic Byway with interpretive sites, scenic overlooks, and hiking trailheads. We drove it from Jigger Johnson to the towns of Lincoln and Woodstock where Clarks Trading Post was a big tourist trap that got our attention . . . and some of our cash. A Life Is Good store also claimed a lot of our money and time! We had asked and received directions to a burger place, but it wasn’t until 2:00 that we were able to get seated – the good news is that we were on an outside patio and able to take the pups. While we were in town we made a plan for an evening taco dinner, and hit a grocery store to top off our food supplies. Then, back to the campsite to enjoy the outdoor amenities and a quick walk from our campsite down to the bank of the Swift River. Having eaten such a late lunch we were not hungry, and postponed the taco fix for the next night. Wednesday, June 13 The Mount Washington Cog Railway has been climbing the three miles to the 6,200 foot summit of Mt. Washington since 1869. . . this morning it was our plan to enjoy the trip. We walked, watered and fed the dogs and bedded them down in the trailer for a long nap, and left the campground at 9:00. On the drive, we saw a quick view of the Mt. Washington, and it appeared to be in cloud cover. We arrived at the home of the world’s first mountain-climbing cog railway at 10:00, just in time to visit the gift store at the base of the mountain and pose for some pictures in front of the trains. Since we last rode the railroad in 1996, the vintage coal-fired steam engines have been replaced with environmentally-friendly bio-diesel locomotives. As we entered the coach we immediately noticed that the seats had a dramatic forward/downward tilt; puzzling about that for a moment, we finally realized that was to counter-act the backward/upward tilt of the engine on this steepest section of railroad in the world! Looking out the window I got a picture of the cog mechanism that pulled the train up the mountain --much like a giant bicycle chain. Tom manned the big camera out the open window, and I used my phone for pictures of our group inside the coach. The slow, steady, steep, 3- mile ride up the mountain took about 30 minutes! Notice the little shed that appears to be at an angle -- it is level! At the top, a New Hampshire State Park, we unloaded for an hour to enjoy the 360 degrees on the viewing deck, pictures at the summit marker, and the visitor center. I’ll let the pictures tell the story! My final picture of the train ride is of Tom testing the steepness of the incline on the train -- he was able to learn over at a rigid angle and not fall down! We were back “home” by 2:00 where we were greeted by enthusiastic puppies – who appeared to have napped the whole time we were gone! After walking them to loosen up the kinks we drove the short distance to the town of North Conway for a stroll through the shopping district. Postponed from last night, we prepared a taco feast to rival any 5* Mexican restaurant – right here in New Hampshire. Several times we walked Jasper around the loop road to tire him out, and returned to sit around the campfire. Mosquitoes were out in full force, and at 9:00 I gave up for the comfort of a shower in the Silvermine. I also worked to pack stuff away, as we would be leaving in the morning. Thursday, June 14 Our target time to leave was 7:00, and we only missed it by 10 minutes. Our destination was Northwood, NH and Saddleback campground, just a 2-hour drive. We were there by 9:30, somewhat surprising our campground owner/hosts that we had arrived 4 hours in front of check-in! But, they recovered nicely and made us completely at home. Saddleback is a wonderful little home-grown campground where the owners live while on campground duty in the summers, in-between snowbird winters. Alan, Carie and Bev took off to visit Alan’s mother in nearby Manchester, NH . . . that was the driving force behind this caravan from the get-go. John, Suzie, Tom and I, accompanied by our pups, headed out for a straight-line, 25-mile drive to the coast, landing at Hampton Beach. We enjoyed walking the concrete strip (not exactly a Boardwalk), where a sand sculpture contest was taking place. The beach itself had a doggie-ban, and we weren’t able to enjoy the sand and the surf . . . but the smells and the sights were a good tease. On our way back to the campground we located Sander’s Lobster market and liberated 7 occupants for another evening lobster-fest. This also called for a grocery-stop, and it wasn’t until 5:00 that we rejoined Alan and his crew at Saddleback. Tonight’s lobster fest is a repeat menu of Monday night’s lobster fest; if you need more details or pictures, go back and read that blog entry!
Friday, June 8 We pulled out of the driveway Friday morning, after a 2 day pit-stop at home – repacking for a 3-week vacation. The first part of this trip was planned and outlined by Alan-- destination New Hampshire; later, we would continue on our own. Along for the caravan: Alan, Carie, and Bev (Carie’s mom from Oregon), John and Suzie with Penny and Rupert, and Tom and Ella with Charlie Button and Jasper – 7 people, 4 dogs, 3 Airstreams! Driving across Route 30 we merged onto I-71; when I texted Carie they were just 6 miles behind us on I-71, and we joined up at the next roadside rest for the ride to Bald Eagle State Park in the heart of Pennsylvania. Arriving at 4:00 we enjoyed the clean, grassy campsites and ideal temperatures from the lawn chairs until time to fix supper – hamburgers. As we were done eating, John and Suzie pulled in to complete our caravan group. They ate, walked the pups, and then joined us at a campfire --- just as I was heading in for the night! Plans were made for a 7:00 take-off in the morning and our first day of 3X3 caravanning. Saturday, June 9 Tom and Alan started the day with a review of the route we would follow all the way to Salisbury State Park, MA on the Atlantic Ocean! As we pulled out and continued East on I-80, Alan was in the lead, we were tucked in the middle, and John completed the parade. The EPS estimated an 8 hour trip, plus additional time for rest stops, dog walks, gas-ups, and eats! The first rest stop was an opportunity for our first picture line-up of all three rigs . . . and the boys wanted to make sure the “rear-ends” were correctly identified. Alan got a picture of the pups and parents, and Carie clicked one as we followed their rig out of the rest area. By 5:00 we landed at Salisbury State Preserve in Massachusetts where we had reservations to enjoy two nights very close to the Atlantic Ocean. Our campground was actually on the Merrimack River, with a nice beach. The beach led down the road to the ocean, within walking distance of our campsites. During the evening we walked the campground and the beach with the dogs and delayed a steak supper until 8:00. Awful, biting, little no-see’em bugs chased us inside at 9:00. They were so small that we were warned they could get through the screens, causing us to close up the windows and put the AC on! Sunday, June 10, Bright sunshine came flooding into the Silvermine at 6:00 a.m. Tom headed out for a first morning walk . . . I pulled the covers over my head for another hour. Later in the morning we took another walk on the river beach and the pups got introduced to breaking waves . . . . run . . . run . . . run! By 9:00 we jumped in the car and drove to check out the little town of Salisbury. The main downtown was a small square backed right up to the ocean with a carnival-type atmosphere: a musical calliope, lots of eat-shops, and a few novelty stores. We walked the boardwalk and ventured down on the beach to the Atlantic Ocean (not knowing dogs weren’t allowed on the beach!) By 10:30 we were back at the campsite. Carie and Bev had headed off in the truck to check out the beach themselves, so we put Alan in the truck with us for a run into BROWN’S seafood for lunch. There was a big variety . . . served steamed or fried. Ella – Lobster Roll; Tom – Shrimp plate; Alan – seafood plate and a basket of clam steamers! At this point I need to explain our sibling visitors: Suzie's brother, Rod, was visiting with his friendly Lab, Halie. They actually came yesterday and spent the night in the Airstream. Alan’s brother Steve, and family, showed up for a quick afternoon visit. Here is Alan with his family! The dog delegation set out for a walk to the Ocean beach – just a mile from our campground –5 dogs, 5 people. We made it to the beach, didn’t see the sign saying no dogs, and walked all the way down to the surf, when we realized our blunder. We crossed over to the River beach, where dogs were welcomed, and walked that shore all the way back to our campsites. That set up a nice lazy afternoon at camp, with chats, naps, books, short walks, and one shopping expedition! Alan’s crew was off visiting his mother who lived an hour away for the evening. The rest of us scored Lena’s Restaurant for dinner – another great choice for seafood. Tom and I had the breaded/fried/lobster and onion rings. Even cooked in the hot oil the lobster was flavorful and tender! Stuffed and satisfied, Tom and I picked up the campsite to prepare for leaving in the morning, took showers, walked the dogs for a last time, and retired to the Silvermine. Monday, June 11 There was no particular hurry in the morning, and our target was only 2 hours away. Taking advantage of the leisure-time Alan worked on his sticking door latch, Suzie and I walked the dogs, and Tom and John headed in for diesel fuel and a grocery shop . . . including live lobster. More about that later! Dumping the trailer isn’t fun unless you have all your friends with you. . . . here is a picture of the party at the dump station! At 11:30 we pulled out of Salisbury Campground, headed for the Kancamangus Highway and Jigger Johnson National Forest. After a lunch stop, while driving thru the scenic New Hampshire byways, we formed a group consensus that Suzie should seek a medical opinion before driving deeper into the wilds! At the dump station something had slipped into her sandal and cut her foot – a very strange-looking slice surrounded by punctures. Within a few miles, while texting about the problem, we passed a walk-in medical clinic (in the middle of nowhere) and pulled over for a consult. We walked the dogs and shopped the candy store/gift shop while she had her foot attended to. An hour later we were on the road again, just an hour short of our destination, with a foot that should heal nicely! That last hour of driving was New Hampshire backwoods at it’s best: winding roads, dark green forests, mountain lakes, fast-moving streams, log cabin structures, trading posts, and a man carving a tree stumps with a chainsaw! We were surprised to find Jigger Johnson Campground mostly vacant! Suzi got a great shot as we pulled into the campground. Deeply wooded and colossal campsites . . . it was hard to find three campsites where we could actually see each other! We settled with the anticipation of those live lobster that had traveled the last 100 miles with us! John had bought a new back-woods cooking station with power burner and griddle top; it was out of the box and set up in no time flat! Out came the corn-on-the-cob, roasted red potatoes, fresh lemons and a couple pounds of butter to accompany the lobster. John had a large pot of boiling water that held all 7 lobster, and a smaller one that held 7 ears of corn! Before escorting the lobster to the swimming pool, John hypnotized one and forced him into a handstand! Here’s a few pictures of the great lobster event! Mosquitoes were out when we arrived, disappeared for a couple hours, and were back out with a vengeance after dinner. I made a quick exit to the Silvermine and tried to eliminate the ones inside, and then settled down to read!
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October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |