Schoodic Woods Campground, Acadia National Park, that’s where we are headed today.  But before we could leave for there, we had an errand to run.  It was time to take Graybeard in for an oil change and lube.  Unfortunately, I was not allowed to do it at Pumpkin Patch, and with my back in the shape it is, I was not up to finding an empty parking lot to do it in.  So off  we went to the Bangor Auto and Truck Center where they took loving care of our home.

We in turn decided since Graybeard was in good hands, we would go get some breakfast at a place that everyone in the campground recommended and that was Dysart’s Store and

Restaurant.  The locals were not wrong it was a good place to go for breakfast and a

a cup of coffee.  We both enjoyed a hearty breakfast and got a kick out of the unusual

decor that we found on the floor and on the wall behind where we sat.   Now with breakfast out of the way, it was back to pick up Graybeard and get on the road.

According to the GPS the trip should take no more than 2 hours, however, we had no idea what amount of traffic we would become entangled in.  Surprise, surprise, there was really no traffic to speak of.  Perhaps it is still too early in the year for tourists to come flocking up here.  No complaints from us, though, it made for a really smooth trip.

This was the first sign we saw that told us we were now getting close to our destination.

Soon enough the next sign we saw was a clear indication that we were almost there.

And finally we found the Ranger Station where we needed to check in for our site, B26.

Schoodic Woods is located in breathtaking Acadia National Park which is located on the Schoodic peninsula. The Schoodic Peninsula contains 2,266 acres or approximately 5% of Acadia National Park. It includes the towns of Goldsboro and Winter Harbor. The peninsula is home to a former US Navy base which has been converted into a National Park Service training center.

A 3,300-acre resort development was proposed for land abutting Schoodic Peninsula’s national park holdings to the north. An anonymous donor eventually bought the entire 3,300 acre tract and built the Schoodic Woods Campground and miles of gravel bike paths before donating all of it to Acadia National Park.

Opening in 2015, Schoodic Woods is the newest campground in Acadia National Park, and the first built in the park since the original campgrounds were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression beginning in 1936.

Within the campground, the majority of the sites are for tents; other sites can accommodate RVs and trailers. All sites have electric, and others have electric and water. Flush toilets, potable running water, and a dump station are provided, as are picnic tables and fire rings in each site. All roads are paved. But, and this is very interesting, currently there are no shower or laundry facilities at the campground.  Want a shower?  Up in Winter Harbor they will be happy to accommodate you for $20 for 3 people to use their facilities.  Me, I purchased a big supply of baby wipes!  And another secret weapon of which I cannot divulge.

Finally, all checked in, we went to our site.  As we say Home is Where We Park It.  Our site is a spacious pull through, hard packed gravel, as close to level as a site can be, and all the utilities are new and exactly where you would want them to be.  Sweet.

Marti is already checking out his new digs, all kinds of new smells and places of interest.  So here is where we will be for two weeks and then – ready for this – we move even further north.  Hopefully, the weather will start warming up soon.  Though, right now, it isn’t bad, usually around 65 during the day, dropping to around 45 at night.  I’ll take it.

So our day is now done and we are settled in and unpacking.  I’ll tell you, for a guy from a populated state and town, it is sort of unusual  here.  Inky black, deathly quiet, and absolutely still.  Give me time and I’ll get used to it.  We hope you had a great day as well.  Never forget each and every day to take time to stop and smell the roses because once the day is done you will never get it back again.  So now in closing I’ll leave you with this thought, when you are confronted with something that’s gone wrong:

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and eventually some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

 

 

 

 

 

I hope we all had a chance some time during this day to just stop and pause and think about what this Memorial Day Holiday is really all about. The reason we can have a cookout, or go to the lake, or RV around the country  is because since the very first days of this country men and women have laid down their life for you and me.  Lexington, Concord, North Bridge, Bunker Hill – my visits recently to these historical sites and the sacrifices made by our forefathers at each are still vivid in my mind.  Let’s never forget that some where today there was a mother and a father , a sister and a brother, a wife and a child who remembers someone who put on a uniform one day and never came home. That’s what Memorial Day is all about my friends. Freedom is not free.

Picking up, packing up and getting ready to go.  This is the longest in the last month or two that we’ve been in one place for two weeks.  So it is time to gather things together and get back on the road.  Stow the awning, clean the front of Graybeard one last time, pack the tire covers away, put the outside chairs away, etc.  Barbara gathered the laundry together and went to the wishy washy.  Tonight we’ll pack up the computer room and put other odds and ends in travel mode.

But before we leave we went out for a late afternoon lunch to Tim Hortons which I later 

found out is a Canadian-based multinational fast food restaurant known for its coffee and donuts. It is also Canada’s largest quick service restaurant chain with stores in nine countries.  They had been advertising on TV recently a Chocolate Chip Iced Capp Coffee which I just had to try.  Yes, it is every bit as good as it sounds!  Along with that both Barbara and I had a steak and cheddar cheese panini sandwiches and we shared a portion of homemade potato chips.  Also good to the last bite.

Less I forget, I also discovered the real reason I’ve been having so much trouble recently

getting the patio awning out.  Bob, the tail gunner, from Yankee RV Travels, was gracious enough to show me that it was misaligned and also gave me some tips on how to fix the problem.  I later went on YouTube and found an excellent video that demonstrated exactly what he had told me to do to resolve the issue.  Once we move and get settled I’ll take care of it.

Time now to call it a day.  It’s been another easy one but you’ll not hear me complaining about that.  My back is slowly beginning to mend, another few days and perhaps it will be all behind me.  We once again did our favorite thing, spent the day together, traveling side by side, hand in hand, singing our song.  We hope you had a great day as well.  If not then wake up tomorrow with a new resolve to make the day the best it can be.  You may not be able to control what happens during the day, but you can control what you do with what life throws at you.   Now I leave you with this thought to ponder:

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and eventually some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

Well, this is the worst it’s been since we started full timing, an aching back.  Sort of minor

when you think about all that could have gone wrong already – but hasn’t.  So I’ll say my thanks to the good Lord and go with the flow.  I’m sure in time this will pass one way or the other.  Come on now what do think our forefathers did when they faced something like this?  Right.  Grin and bear it and sooner or later, all will be well again.

Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to church this morning.  The back is really bad early in the morning and late at night.  Thinking about it, it seems sort of silly that I just didn’t buck up and go.  We really have so much to be thankful for, so many blessings we’re received, some many, many wonderful days already under our belt.  We did, though, have our usual morning devotions.

The park has remained empty throughout this whole Memorial Day holiday.  It’s like we have our own little RV park, a little piece of heaven all to ourselves.  The rigs for

Yankee RV Tour group will start coming in this week since they leave on Sunday, June 3rd.  We’ll be gone before them, though, since we leave this Tuesday for our new home.

So what did we do all day?  I finished an interesting book I had started a week ago.  I can’t remember when I could just sit down and read all day without feeling guilty because something wasn’t getting done.  It was great.  Barbara got to watch a movie she had been wanting to see on the Hallmark Channel.  That was the extent of our day.

So since there is nothing more to report for today I’ll bid you good night.  Let’s all remember that tomorrow is Memorial Day and so at 3 pm lets observe a moment of silence.  Also let us remember that all gave some and some gave all so that we all could enjoy the freedoms we do today.  Don’t forget either, that older person in front of you that is tying up traffic and won’t get out of your way may just be a veteran that served for you and me.  Have a good night and in closing:

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and eventually some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

Slo-Mo on The Road of Retirement.  That just about describes our day today.  Starting with this morning neither of us was anxious to get moving.  Of course, this might have had something to do with the early morning – like 3 am – fly by of our National Guard fighter friends.  You do know when they are in the area!

Since they do seem to be rather active of late, I thought it might be nice to find out who they actually are.  You know it’s all about the history and culture of places we’re at.  So we’re talking about the 101st Air Refueling Wing which is a unit of the Maine Air National Guard, stationed at Bangor Air National Guard Base, Bangor, Maine.

 

According to their bio sheet their mission is:  The 101st Air Refueling Wing’s KC-135 Stratotanker mission is to provide the core aerial refueling capability for the United States Air Force and the Air Guard. This unique aircraft enhances the Air Force’s capability to accomplish its primary missions of Global Reach and Global Power. It also provides aerial refueling support to Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and allied nation aircraft. The KC-135 is capable of transporting litter and ambulatory patients during medical evacuations.  Now we both know.

Met another interesting individual today, name of Bob.  Bob is what is called the tail gunner for all RV Yankee Tours.  His duty is to fix and repair whatever might go wrong on vehicles that are part of a tour group.  I found out that either he does the actual repair or if the vehicle needs to be taken to a repair shop his job is to go with the vehicle and oversee the repairs to make sure they are done right.  He’s got years in the business and, of course, some strong opinions based on experience of the best and the worst of the current batch of RV’s being produced today.  While some of the brands he mentioned as the worst of the worst didn’t surprise me, however, I was surprised by some of the other brands that were on his worst of the worst list.  He also gave me some pointers and things to keep an eye on regarding Graybeard.   Really enjoyed talking to him.

Rod from RV Yankee Tours also stopped by.  He is a very interesting gentleman who shared with me some of the rather interesting people that he’s had on some of his tours in the past.  His one piece of advice which I intend to take to heart next year:  go slow, always stay long enough in one area to completely immerse yourself in the history and culture of that area.   Good advice I say.

The rest of the day was spent cleaning up our blog’s media files and continuing to back up past blog posts.  I also installed the second Max Air Vent Mate Cover.  Now we can keep both fans open in hot and stuffy weather even if and when it is raining outside.

Finally, let’s take a few moments and recall the history and meaning of this upcoming Memorial Day.

In May 1868, General John A. Logan, the commander-in-chief of the Union veterans’ group known as the Grand Army of the Republic, issued a decree that May 30 should become a nationwide day of commemoration for the soldiers killed in the recently ended Civil War. On Decoration Day, as Logan dubbed it, Americans should lay flowers and decorate the graves of the war dead whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.

American’s embraced the notion of “Decoration Day” immediately. That first year, more than 27 states held some sort of ceremony, with more than 5,000 people in attendance at a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. By 1890, every former state of the Union had adopted it as an official holiday. But for more than 50 years, the holiday was used to commemorate those killed just in the Civil War, not in any other American conflict. It wasn’t until America’s entry into World War I that the tradition was expanded to include those killed in all wars, and Memorial Day was not officially recognized nationwide until the 1970s, with America deeply embroiled in the Vietnam War.

Although the term Memorial Day was used beginning in the 1880s, the holiday was officially known as Decoration Day for more than a century, when it was changed by federal law. Four years later, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 finally went into effect, moving Memorial Day from its traditional observance on May 30 (regardless of the day of the week), to a set day—the last Monday in May. The move has not been without controversy, though. Veterans groups, concerned that more Americans associate the holiday with first long weekend of the summer and not its intended purpose to honor the nation’s war dead, continue to lobby for a return to the May 30 observances.

Despite the increasing celebration of the holiday as a summer rite of passage, there are some formal rituals still on the books:

• The American flag should be hung at half-staff until noon on Memorial Day, then raised to the top of the staff.
• And since 2000, when the U.S. Congress passed legislation, all Americans are encouraged to pause for a National Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m. local time.

That’s it for today.  We had a real slo-mo day on the road of retirement.  But I’ll take it.  We have quite a few plans beginning next week in Schoodic, Acadia and Bar Harbor.  So for now we’ll just sort of rest and mend.  Especially me, unfortunately, somehow I threw my back out and I’m just taking life easy and giving it time to mend.

We had a great day, once again we spent it together which is how we like it.  We hope you had a great day as well.  Never forget life is a precious gift given to us one day at a time with each day meant to be lived to the fullest.  In closing this Memorial Day weekend, I would like to share this with you:

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and eventually some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before