..........Flying Map............................Driving Map.........26Sep09 -- Belfast, ME
Ken: We both needed a good night's sleep. Day was bright and sunny and we drove about 20 miles to Unity, where they have the Common Grounds Fair. What a different experience. It is sponsored by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardners Association. It was a combination of our state fair, the Home Show for green technology, art expo with demonstrations, and the Native
Arts Festival. Folks were caning chairs, building canoes, selling solar and wind equipment, promoting social activist causes, blacksmithing, giving demonstrations of horse drawn farming, etc. etc. etc. Plastic water bottles were not allowed. All food was served in bio-degradable paper containers. Everything was touted as organic grown, all natural, healthy. Lots for kids to do and try out. Even a funky parade led by a piping group, entertainers on stilts and folks banging on pots and pans. Very few cell phones in evidence. Kids entertaining themselves the way my generation did as we were growing up without TV, radio, and other modern technologies. We found out later that there were over 26,000 folks in attendance today!!27Sep09 -- Belfast, ME
Ken: Nikki went out photographing the morning while I slept. We headed up the coast for an
explore, trying to follow the back roads as close to the shore as we could. We went to the end of the next peninsula to the NE, as far as Stonington. Visited only one light house on this trek. Came home in the dark to have dinner at the same lovely place I was at on Thursday night.28Sep09 -- Belfast, ME
Ken: Drove up the coast to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.
One drive around the park loop convinced us that we need to move the TrailManor up here after our week is up at Belfast. Lots of photos at the Thunder Hole, even though the surf was modest and the blows were not spectacularly high. Today was Baha'i Feast, and we'd made contact with a group in Augusta. So we drove directly from Bar Harbor to Augusta to join them. Hour long drive home was well after dark.29Sep09 -- Belfast, ME
Ken: Spent some time in TrailManor maintenance today. Reconnected the battery that I'd forgotten I'd disconnected for storage last September. Patched a leak around a roof vent. Cleaned up the lamps in the back so we have brake lights & turn signals. Mid-afternoon, we
went up the coast to explore Fort Knox on the Penobscott River. What a fun couple of hours of wandering around the passage ways and various rooms, checking out the cannon batteries, and admiring the stone work. We then had the Garmin Nuvi find us a movie theatre that was playing something other than "Julie & Julia" (every theatre we'd passed for several days was playing that movie only). Drove to Bangor and saw "The Time Traveler's Wife". Home to scrounge some dinner from left overs.30Sep09 -- Belfast, ME
Ken: The day was bright and mostly cloudless when we got up, so we decided to fly to see what
the fall colors were doing a bit further north. By the time we got off, we had a mostly solid overcast and flew at 2500' for 20 minutes to an airport with fuel at Norridgewock. When we got back in the air, there were heavy showers all across our path to the north, so we diverted to a place more NE, Millinocket. Walked into town an had a nice lunch at a motel/restaurant. Heading back home, we diverted quite a distance to fly around heavy 
precipitation and stay VFR. By the time we got around the bulk of the precip, we were able to climb all the way to 3500' for the rest of the flight across Bangor and into Belfast. Back to the trailer for a quiet evening listening to the all-classic station we found a couple days ago, and snacks for supper.1Oct09 -- Belfast, ME
Ken: Drove to Rockport to the Farnsworth Museum. It is home to a three galleries dedicated
one each to NC Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth and Jamie Wyeth. Of course there are other galleries with traveling exhibits and rotating exhibits from their extensive collection. Entry fee included access to the Olson home and grounds, location for the Christina series of Andrew Wyeth. We also found a Staples, and they were willing to exchange Nikki's new computer. But they had to order it, and we chose to pick it up in Bangor on the way back from upper Maine.2Oct09 -- Acadia NP, ME
Ken: Folded up TrailManor and went into town to do a few galleries. Wonderful lunch at family bakery. Back to hitch up TrailManor, then dropped me off at airport and Nikki headed for Bar Harbor. Given the short drive and the time for me to prep plane, Nikki pulled into the airport as I was tying the plane down at Bar Harbor. We found the Mt. Desert Island Campground and drove around to
select a site. Wonderful camp, narrow winding road through thick forest, not many campers, very rough sites. Lots of tent platforms, as well as water/electric hookup for campers. Shower/toilet buildings spaced through the four sections (one already closed for the season). Our site is next to the stairs down to the floating dock. We hoped to get the canoe set up and explore by water. Headed to town for groceries.3Oct09 -- Acadia NP, ME
Ken: Up in good time, loaded bikes on the van and headed for the
Eagle Lake Loop, one of the many carriage roads available for biking around Acadia National Park. Got a little rain while biking. So we drove over to the "quiet side" of the island and spent some time on little back roads, beaches, harbors, etc.4Oct09 -- Acadia NP, ME
Ken: Woke up to more rain and fog. So we headed up the coast to Lubec, then crossed the Canadian border onto Campobello Island to see the Roosevelt Summer Cottage. Given that this impressive
brick building has nearly 40 rooms, including 5 servants rooms, I had trouble calling it a "cottage". This is the only international heritage park in the world. It is a joint US-Canadian venture, but neither country's Park Services are involved. Good movie about FDR's childhood on the island. Returning through US Customs (usual scrutiny) we found The Village Restaurant in Lubec and one of the most wonderful meals of the trip so far -- very fresh scallops deep fried in a delightfully light batter. 
On the way back to Acadia NP we took several local side road loops to stay nearer the coast. The whole day was rainy, and this part of the trip was increasingly foggy. Many moody photos of harbors and forests. Did laundry on the way through Bar Harbor.5Oct09 -- Acadia NP, ME
Ken: Drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain. Even though it's only about 1500' high, the view is spectacular. Ocean on all sides, good view of the archipelago, Bar Harbor with two cruise liners at
anchor. The top is very rocky, and they allowed scrambling off the trails as long as you didn't trample vegetation. So we spent some time working our way around the summit on the rocks. From there, drove to Sand Beach and hiking around the Great Head Trail. This was more rock scrambling, even though the trail was well blazed with blue stripes at frequent intervals. Trail is a bit more than a mile, but with all the vertical component, and frequent stops for photos, we spent about 1.5 hours. Very hungry after our efforts, we found a Thai restaurant in Bar Harbor. Back to the trailer to have a quiet evening.6Oct09 -- Acadia NP, ME
Ken: Nikki got up very early and drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain to watch the sun rise. She
was startled by a crowd of maybe 200 already gathered and gathering, silently (almost reverently) enjoying the spectacular sun appearance. Showers for both of us, then did the septic dump run with our little blue wagon. Some more beach and fall color photos. Then to a lovely bakery with good food and WiFi access to get caught up on e-mail etc. Wandered Bar Harbor downtown, watched the Magaret Todd get under way. This is a 4-masted schooner that was commissioned in 1998, the first in half a century. Home to plan the next travel days.7Oct09 -- Acadia NP, ME
Ken: We'd planned to move to a campground near Portland, ME today. But we awoke to heavy rain. I can't fly and it's messy to take down the TrailManor in the rain, so we decided to stay one more day in Acadia. This means Nikki will have to drive from Bar Harbor to the campground near Boston tomorrow, as we have to meet Clare (daughter living in Oxford, UK) at Logan Airport tomorrow evening. Hopefully, the weather will improve as forecast, and I'll be able to meet Nikki there before fetching Clare. No cell phone, and pay for WiFi at the campground, so we drove back to the bakery with WiFi in Bar Harbor -- where we sit enjoying a great lunch, good internet connection, cell service, and watching the rain fall outside. And we sat there until after 6pm, when we headed to a nice restaurant for dinner, then back to the TrailManor.
8Oct09 -- Taunton, MA
Ken: Packed up the TrailManor and were out of the campground by 8am. Dropped me at the airport, and Nikki headed down the road. Got gas, paid tie down, and headed for Belfast (pick up package that arrived after we'd left). Filed and headed out. Ceilings were a bit above 2500' for the first third, then climbed above the scattered clouds to cruise at 6500'. Friendly controllers all the way. The skies cleared just before Boston, so I had an unobstructed view of downtown Boston and Logan Int'l as I flew directly overhead. Nice little field at Taunton. They had WiFi in the FBO, so I whiled away the waiting for Nikki time. She arrived, we found the KOA and set up for the night. In doing so, I discovered that the rear license plate on the van was gone! The only
things remaining were remnants of the two corners bolted to the car. Someone had apparently ripped the plate right off the car at one of the stops Nikki made driving down. Called the police, and arranged for an officer to come by later. Then drove the hour into Logan Int'l to meet Clare's flight from London. Back to call police and spend a little time with the officer who came to file the report. He said they get stolen plates quite a bit -- but rarely an obviously out of state plate. His guess was that a "collector" acquired ours. But it's a pain for us, as we have to find a place to go online where we have a printer, download the form from Alaska DMV, get copies of registration and mail it all with a check -- and instructions as to where to send replacements (which is not the easiest to predict with our travels). In the meantime, we are driving with the front plate on the back, and a copy of the police report in the glove box.9Oct09 -- Foxboro, MA & Middlebury, VT
Ken: Folded up the TrailManor but left it parked while we found breakfast. Then hitched it up and dropped me off at the airport. Nikki and Clare headed for Middlebury, VT while I got a briefing, filed and did the walk around. During that time, the conditions at Taunton dropped to be marginal VFR. Everything indicated it was quite localized, so I waited until the conditions improved a bit, then launched. Unfortunately, the rain showers that were limiting visibility were more wide spread than expected. I flew about 20 minutes at 1500' and 7-10 miles visibility before deciding I really didn't need to get out that badly and turned around. Boston Approach was most helpful in giving me vectors (Garmin 496 also provided guidance) as I headed back to Taunton. Rain was increasing, so I opted to land at an airport I was passing over, Mansfield Muni. Terminated the flight plan, tied the plane down in the rain, and headed into the FBO. I was hoping the rain showers would pass over and I'd still be able to head to Vermont -- but that was not to be. Forecast was for clearer skies the next afternoon, so I got a motel room and spent the night in Foxboro. Nikki & Clare had some road construction to contend with, and the smaller winding roads near their destination made for slow driving. They didn't get in to the Kampersville campground till after 9pm.
10Oct09 -- Kampersville, Middlebury, VT
Ken: Well, it's after noon and the clouds look better. However, we have to get back to the Boston area on Thursday, and the good weather is only forecast to last for 2-3 days. So I'm sitting in the hotel, killing time, until late afternoon when I plan to take a Greyhound from Foxboro to Burlington, VT. That will give me time with Clare, insure that we'll get back on Thursday, and not be tempted to fly in marginal weather. Given that the flight would have taken me 1.5 hours, and the bus will take over 9 hours, I've just experienced the full brunt of the old addage: "Time to spare, go by air." On the other hand: "Better to be on the ground wishing I were up there, rather than up there wishing I were on the ground." Meanwhile, Nikki & Clare are driving around upstate Vermont taking lots of photos and enjoying the fall. Sigh....[but I ended up renting a car and driving up to join Nikki & Clare -- which was a minor adventure in it's own right. Local rental places closed at noon and I didn't think about the rental option until a bit after noon. Lots of phone calls, then a rushed taxi the 10 miles to Norwood to catch the office before they closed. And it wasn't all that late by the time I made it to Kampersville, near Middlebury, VT.] Nikki & Clare did a farmers market, maple syrup education, more leaf "peeping". Together at the TrailManor, we all enjoyed a camp fire by grilling chicken, roasting corn on the cob, and fixing S'Mores.
11Oct09 -- Kampersville
Ken: More driving the back roads. Fun exploring the rural areas,
lovely colors, etc. We ended up in Burlington, and found a flea market, then down to the waterfront at Lake Champlain. Ended up going to a movie in Essex before heading home late.12Oct09 -- Kampersville
Ken: Nikki & Clare headed out before dawn to do photos, driving
around quite a bit before getting back at noon. We all drove around looking for covered bridges. Going over a pass, we stopped near the top to get photos. Standing in the road, something in the air caught my eye. I looked up to see a glider go by not too far way. It made several loops around the valley, and along the ridge we were on, before disappearing below us. We ended up in Montpelier to do some shopping. Home well after dark.13Oct09 -- S. Chatham, MA
Ken: Daughter, Angie, decided to fly in from Cork, Ireland to join us for a few days starting Wednesday. So we cut our stay in Vermont short, and moved the TrailManor to a place on Cape Cod. We rented a cabin with beds for all (TrailManor would have been a bit crowded), set up the TrailManor just long enough to empty it of things we'd need, then packaged it up for the next week and moved into the cabin.
14Oct09 -- S. Chatham
Ken: Nikki & Clare did laundry and set up housekeeping in the cabin. I returned the rental car to Foxboro and got a ride to the Mansfield airport. Flew the plane to Hayanis airport on Cape Cod. FBO was right across the street from the mall where Nikki and Clare were shopping
-- an easy walk to meet them. Angie took a shuttle bus from Boston's Logan Airport to Hyanis, where we met her. Dinner was at a Sushi Bar/Hibachi Grill place -- wonderful dinner. Back to spend some time as a foursome getting caught up.15Oct09 -- S. Chatham
Ken: Headed out the cape to find breakfast at a lovely little diner in Chatham. Walked around Chatham for a couple of hours. Then drove on out the cape to the end, Provincetown. On the way, we visited the National Park Visitors' Center. We spent quite some time in Provincetown, shopping, eating, enjoying the activities. There was a "Women's Week" celebration going on, and the street was full of female-female couples. Nikki, particularly, enjoyed being the object of attention by some passing single women. Back to the cabin in the rain.
16Oct09 -- S. Chatham
Ken: After breakfast, we did a small memorial for my dad. None of the others had been able to be at the one in Heyburn, ID, in July, and wanted to do some remembering. We then packed up to take Clare to the airport. Happened upon a beautiful restaurant for lunch, Abbey Park in Milton, MA. Managed to get to Logan by 1730, unload Clare, and drive through heavy traffic to the middle of Boston. Ended up in the Theatre District, saw some interesting shows on the lights, parked the car and got tickets for "Stomp". Wandered around for a bit, then to the show. The whole show was based around percussion music on anything BUT traditional musical instruments. They even had a routine that INCLUDED the kitchen sink(s). High energy, good humor, interesting music, thoroughly enjoyed. Back to the car, turned Blackberries on to find that Clare's plane had been delayed quite late and she had opted to stay another day. So we found our way back to Logan, picked her up and headed back to the cabin. I'm continually thankful for the Garmin Nuvii and its capabilities.
17Oct09 -- S. Chatham
Ken: Nikki and the girls got up early and drove off seeking breakfast, while I slept in a bit. Had a
bit more together time before driving to Hyanis to drop Clare at the shuttle bus terminal. Found an RV dealer that specializes in TrailManors and bought replacement vent covers (for the ones damaged by hail last year). A bit more shopping, then back to the cabin. Angie and I went off to a place to play pool, but the one table was in use for a while, so we returned to the cabin for a quiet afternoon. Angie fixed a five (5!) course dinner, each course of which was photographed and the photos sent to Clare while she waited at Logan to board her plane. Clare did get on the plane and is winging her way back to London as I type. Angie leaves tomorrow, via the shuttle bus from Hyanis, and Nikki and I plan to stay in the cabin for another day or two.18Oct09 -- S. Chatham
Ken: Rain, rain and more rain. Lazy morning in the cabin mostly eating and reading. Angie
worked on her house wiring design a bit, then packed up and we drove her to the bus terminal in Hyanis, in pouring rain. Once she was on the bus headed for Logan Airport, Nikki and I went to a movie and enjoyed a supper of popcorn, M&Ms and Coke. Drive back to the cabin was in even heavier rain!! More reading and to bed.19Oct09 -- S. Chatham
Ken: No rain today, but solid overcast and cool. Forecast to improve tomorrow. We spent the whole day in and around the cabin, working out where we'll go next (Chesapeake Bay and DC area), how long it will take us to get to on to Nashville and (probably) Texas, and thus how much time we have to explore our stops. We also plan to get the TrailManor in to a shop along the way, for a "going over". It's had no professional attention since we bought it, and we're in need of some advice on how best to care for details we might have been overlooking. Getting caught up on e-mail, finances, reading, etc. is a good thing to do now and then. Tomorrow we work on the TrailManor, getting everything ready to hit the road early Wednesday.
20Oct09 -- S. Chatham
Ken: We did just that. While Nikki went off to do laundry, I put new vent covers on to replace the two done in by hail last year (and patched this year). Cleaned, organized, packed, and closed up the TrailManor ready to roll. Went out hunting a Wells Fargo (none to be found on the Cape), found a lovely beach but no time for beach combing, found a place for dinner. Back at the cabin, we hitched up the trailer to the van, ready to roll out early in the AM, then settled in with some hot tea and our books. That will initiate Phase 5 of the 2009 Odyssey!
