PA, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky then Home for the Eclipse

Through Pennsylvania and Ohio we trekked to Elkhart, Indiana the RV Capital of the United States! We checked out the RV Hall of Fame and museum, Notre Dame University,

Notre Dame Campus was beautiful and we of course had to see "Touchdown Jesus"

The Administration Building had all these murals of Christopher Columbus

There was a wedding every hour at the Church

The Student Center was huge and adjacent to the football stadium

  

and looked for Bradd and Hall to buy a new dinette and sofa for the RV. We even found an RV salvage store that had extra shelves, brackets and such. 

Elkhart is really an artsy place.  Seward Johnson large art is displayed throughout the town.

Love the Elk

Reminded us of the Barksdales' Airstream from back in the 80's

Yes, there really is one of these

Weird ones

Aqua was big

Hollywood types used them a lot

 

 On the way home we stopped in Bowling Green to have a diesel man Fitz knew –Gary Sabo –answer some questions—we ended up getting a new gas tank made and installed.  We were just in time to join the Kids and Lake Crew at Center Hill for the solar eclipse on August 21^st—unbelievable.  We have decided this is a great way to spend the hot months of July and August—travel north. 

Part of the Barksdale Clan--we watched the eclipse from their porch

 

Part of the Fitzpatrick Clan

 

Lake Crew had a drone that flew up and took our pictures

 

Those on the water said the water became absolutely still

 

An awesome site
 

August 2017 Roaming through Massachusetts and Northern NY

After putting Katie and the kids  on the airplane in Portland (first plane ride!) we visited Kennebunkport (Arundel Wharf for dinner) and regrouped—its awfully quiet after a couple of weeks with the kids and we are shifting gears. 

We hated to see them go!

Beautiful seaside homes on the Maine shore

Kennebunkport and the Bush Compound

On July 19^th Fitz and I head out to Plymouth, MA and Pinewood RV.  There we visited Hyannis, Provincetown (best kept secret on Cape Cod—those that live in Key West during the winter, come here in the summer), Boston (the USS Constitution was being launched after extensive refurbishing), Plimouth Plantation and Rock (small!!!), and to ritzy Nantucket (went across the island on a city bus to Sconset Beach where Bill Belichick has a huge home—8 gardeners were working in the yard).


Boston had some beautiful architecture

Fenway Park--almost makes you want to like baseball

USS Constitution was having a huge ceremony



Nice churches
 

Provincetown was a great surprise

Great dinner at P-Town

West Point was the next step and while the military academy was totally worth the trip, the RV park proved to challenge even the best of drivers.  Down the mountain in a windy twisty fashion we traveled to sit beside the Hudson River and for 24 hours we wondered how in the world we would get the RV out of there. 

RV Park at West Point or as Fitz calls it "The Hell Hole"

 

The Chapel at West Point was beautiful



West Point was renovating (isn't everyone?) but we had a great tour and learned a lot

West Point hovers over the Hudson River-- spectacular views and quite proud of their football team too

  Rhinebeck/Hyde Park, NY and Interlake RV was next and we visited Val-kill, FDR Home and Library, a Vanderbilt Mansion (Frederick—the favored grandchild of Cornelius who inherited most of the Vanderbilt wealth).  In Poughkeepsie we walked across the Hudson River and ate a fabulous lunch in Rhinebeck at the Beekman Arms.  Met a man named Neil Hammitt who drives for an older lady who is a professional classical pianist out of Cleveland, TN—they travel by RV all over the US-mainly going to music festivals!

In Rhinebeck--history dates back to a meeting place for the Colonials during the Revolutionary War

 


FDR Home in Hyde Park

FDR Library

Living room for FDR Mansion

The walk over the Hudson River at Poughkeepsie was fun

Val-kill was on the Roosevelt Land in Hyde Park and is where Eleanor lived full time after FDR died--
they had a small furniture making business there for a few years



The Vanderbilt Mansion was next door to FDR's place

Vast renovation on the Vanderbilt Mansion

Two week vacation with Leeton and Holden July, 1, 2017

From Nashville we get ready to head to Cookeville and Long Branch Campground on Center Hill Lake.  Independence Day with the kids and Lake Crew on the lake--who could ask for any better?  Then on the 5th we head for Maine with Leeton and Holden.

During the July 4th Parade they honored our favorite veteran--Fitz was gracious--I was proud

 


Watching the parade
 

 

Lake Crew Jr

 


Nothing like our Lake Crew

 


Our traveling buddies were really terrific

    There are stops at Cherry Hill Park RV outside Washington DC (ride the subway and tour the White House) and Liberty Park, NJ, across the Hudson River from New York City (to tour the Statue of Liberty). Between Maryland, New York and New Jersey it is hard to say which roads are the worse.  All the really bad ones seemed to be Toll Roads (George Washington Bridge cost us $84!?!)—Leeton and Holden proved to be real troopers through it all. 

 


Love our Presidents

 


We wore them out!

 


White House

 


We were impressed with the security checks at the White House

 


 


Manhattan was just a ferry ride away

 


Lady Liberty could not put a smile on Holden's face

Lindee and Leeton loved to perform and they looked like twins 

the lobsters were intriguing

   Next, Wilton, Maine, where we will meet up with Katie and visit Boothbay Harbor, Bar Harbor, Cadillac Mountain, and Biddeford Pool.  Holden met a beautiful little girlfriend named Olivia (from Providence, RI, and we met a cute little boy named Owen (who suddenly announced after a couple of days that his name was no longer Owen but Sam)—and so the peculiarities of summer camping begins.  Katie’s roommate from college, Amy Thompson lives here and we were able to spend a delightful few days with her and her family.  Her daughter, Lindee is about 6 months younger than Leeton and they immediately became best friends.  

Olivia was a cutie

 
 
 

The morning after

 

The Thompsons were delightful

 

And what a feast--Leeton was not so sure though

 

 

Lunch at Boothbay Harbor

 

Cadillac Mountain atop Acadia National Park