Baby, It’s Cold Outside!

When people think of Rvers, they assume everyone heads south at the first hint of cold weather. Rightly so. Most Rvers do just that. Every once in a while something will keep you north a bit longer or temperatures will plunge unexpectedly. This happened to us over the recent Thanksgiving holidays.

After leaving the Outer Banks we stopped in the Richmond area where we experienced morning temperatures in the low 30s. No problem. We’d experienced weather as low as 19 degrees with our first trailer and that was in South Carolina. On a bit more north to the Washington DC area. Maybe we just don’t have good karma here. Last Spring instead of cherry blossoms we had snow. This time, instead of pleasant Fall weather we had COLD. When I say COLD, I mean COLD. First it was 15 degrees, then 10 degrees and one morning the thermometer on the window read 7 degrees. The furnace ran almost continuously but kept the trailer comfortable. We went through a 30 lb. propane tank in less than a week. The shower, toilet and sink in the bedroom were fine since the pipes run through the storage area. Not so with the kitchen sink pipes. they froze solid. Fortunately they thawed without any leaks. As we write this, the kitchen pipes froze again in central Pennsylvania this morning when the temperature was 10 degrees. We hope to be as lucky when they thaw.

We’re on our way to North Carolina for a new roof for the DreamChaser. If you are a new follower see our post in the June 2013 archives Attack of the Tree Branch. Fortunately we will be able to rent a loaner trailer for the 3-4 days it will take for the work to be completed. While we are there, we will ask about additional insulation for the kitchen pipes and/or heat tape.

Then a brief day or two at Huntington Beach SP or Buckhall CG in the Francis Marion NF and on to Florida. We can’t wait!

Fortress Louisbourg Celebrates A Tricentennial

Anyone know the difference between a “fort” and a “fortress”?  I always thought the difference was a “fortress” had “breastworks”, but, as Chari loves to point out, I’m wrong again! 

Actually, as it was explained to us at Fortress Louisbourg, a “fort” is a military installation, sometimes a single building, generally protected by a wall of some sort, built to defend an area against attack.  A “fortress” is more in line of a walled city, with a strong civilian presence, and a military garrison whose purpose is to protect that city.

OK, now on with the story.

Glace Bay, not far from Sydney, Nova Scotia, was for many years a thriving coal producing town.  But by the 1950s and 60s, the coal was mostly played out, and after some tragic disasters, many of the mines began closing down.  The economy of the area began a steep decline.In an effort to restore the economy of the area and put unemployed miners to work, as well as promote its proud and rich history, the Canadian government began a restoration project of the old fortified town of Louisbourg.  Today, Fortress Louisbourg is operated by Parks Canada (the Canadian equivalent of our National Parks Service) as a Living History Museum. This year, 2013, marks the 300th anniversary of Fortress Louisbourg with many special events scheduled.

Any student of history knows that England and France were involved in several wars during the 17^th, 18^th, and early 19^th centuries, and one of the primary goals of these wars was control of the North American Continent.  In 1713, with the Treaty of Utrecht, Britain gained control of the French territories in parts of present day Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, but the French retained control of Quebec City, Île Royale and what is now Prince Edward Island.  As a base for their very lucrative cod fishing industry, the French began building Port Dauphin on the former site of Fort Ste-Anne, but winter icing conditions led them to move to the ice-free harbor at the extreme southeastern part of Île Royale.  This became a winter port for French naval forces on the Atlantic seaboard and they named it Havre (Harbor) Louisbourg after King Louis XIV.  The location provided excellent defense from an enemy (British) attack by sea, since an island and a reef forced an approach to the town through a five-hundred foot channel, easy to protect with artillery.  In spite of an excellent defense from the sea, a series of hills to landward were very good locations for siege batteries, and, in 1745, British New Englanders took full advantage.   After forty-six days of seige, Fortress Louisbourg surrendered.

Politics being politics, the end of that particular war between Britain and France, three years later, saw the town restored to the French by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, much to the chagrin of the New Englanders who captured it.  During the next war, known in Europe as the Seven Years War, and here in North America as the French and Indian War, the fortress came under siege again.  It fell in seven weeks in 1758, and the British, determined that it would never again become a fortified French base, demolished the walls.  They maintained a garrison there until 1768.  Many of the stones removed from the walls were shipped to and used for the building of Halifax.

In 1920, it was declared by the Canadian government to be a National Historic Site, and as mentioned, after the decline of the coal industry in the area, restoration began in 1961.  The fortress as it stands today represents 25% of the original buildings. The unemployed miners were taught 18^th century French masonry techniques to create an accurate replica of the town in 1744.  Parks Canada does an excellent job.  Docents in period dress play the part of both townsfolk and soldiers.  They all speak both English and French and are extremely knowledgeable of the town’s history.  Spending a day or two wandering the streets, talking with the local 1744 inhabitants, and exploring the buildings and surrounding area, is both educational and entertaining.  Anyone visiting Nova Scotia should set aside some time for Fortress Louisbourg. Technically the site is open all year but the Living History is only there from June through September. In the winter months all artifacts are stored away and you cannot see the exquisite interiors or museums.

We’ve created a short video with some of our photos from Louisbourg.  If some of them don’t look quite like photographs, it because we’ve used an editing technique to make them appear more like illustrations.  Let us know if you like the effect.  Turn on your sound, and as always, click on the diagonal double-arrow icon to view full screen.

Halifax Is Our Kind Of Town

We love doing the slide shows and videos to music but they do take a while to construct. So we’re posting on those places we just need to insert pictures while we’re working on our Academy Award winning movies. Here’s where we hold up the LAUGH sign and if you don’t laugh we’ll insert a laugh track.  On to Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia.

Steve and I are not “city people” and don’t go out of our way to visit cities but when we do we always find some interesting sights.  Smaller cities are our favorites.  Maybe that’s why we feel so comfortable in Halifax.  It’s a compact and walkable city offering great sightseeing, history, restaurants and museums. Continuing to use the Provincial Parks we parked the DreamChaser at Laurie Park about a half hour outside of Halifax. This is a lovely wooded park on a lake. There are no hookups so it’s dry camping only. There were only a few sites large enough for our 35′ rig and none of them were close to a water source. This wasn’t a problem as we’d filled our tank before leaving Cape Breton. We’ve gotten used to dry camping, limiting our water use and we could run the generators to refresh our batteries. The bath house was spotless and well designed. This is a very popular park and was full the whole time we were there. So if you plan to go here in the summer, do make reservations. We spent a week in the area and three of those days were spent exploring Halifax.

Halifax Waterfront

Halifax Harborwalk

As with most visits to cities we had to find a place to park the truck. At first this seemed to be a problem as street parking was for two hours or less and the open lots we saw were already full. Our first visit was to go to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic so I called them and asked where we could park an oversized vehicle. They directed us to some large open lots near the railroad station and Pier 21. Turns out this was better than if we’d found parking in the other open lots. There you pay by the hour all day and here you pay a maximum of 6 hours and can stay for 24 hours. It is a short walk to where the harbor boardwalk begins. Halifax has turned their harbor into a beautiful open space full of restaurants, bars, harbor cruises and the Maritime Museum.  As we walked the boardwalk we picked up some tidbits of history such as learning about the founder of the Cunard Shipping lines, Portuguese explorers landing here in 1520, looked at the “drunken streetlight art, listened to a bagpiper, talked with representatives at the tourist bureau kiosk and picked up a discount coupon for a tour of the Alexander Keith Brewery.

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is a must see museum. Plan at least an entire day to prowl through all of the exhibits and the two museum ships in the harbor. We decided to purchase the Nova Scotia Museum pass which gives you entry to all 27 museums. The break even point is at four museums so if you go to more than that you are ahead of paying individual entry fees. There is more here than we have time or space to write about but we’ll note a few highlights: the Acadia, a hydrographic charting and exploration ship, was celebrating it’s 100th year so the museum had a special exhibit about arctic exploration, the extensive model ship collection, the history of the Halifax Explosion in 1917 and the Titanic artifact display. Until the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima the Halifax Explosion was the largest man-made explosion yet we’d never heard about it. The cause was a collision in Halifax Harbor during WWI involving a munitions ship. The resulting explosion leveled two square miles of the city. To this day the city of Halifax sends a Christmas tree to Boston in memory of all the help they provided following the disaster.  Just a  few nights ago we were watching History Detectives on PBS and they had taken a picture frame thought to be made  from railing salvaged by seaman on a cable ship sent to recover bodies from the Titanic. The final authenticating expert was from the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. He compared the artifact with one on display and identified who had made the frame.The frame had been made from a piece of the Grand Staircase aboard the Titanic. This is the second time we’ve seen items featured on the show. The museum was running a photo contest for the centennial of the Acadia. Steve and I entered. Although we didn’t win it was fun to participate. The special arctic exploration exhibit was called  Cold Recall and used lecture manuscripts and lantern slides from Roald Amundsen’s Northwest Passage exploration in 1903-1906. 

Steve’s Entry For Acadia Contest

Chari’s Entry For Acadia Contest

The Citadel is another must see landmark.  It is operated by Parks Canada so if you have the annual pass there is no admission charge. You can walk up the steep hills from the waterfront or drive up. Not wanting to leave our good parking spot we walked. Whew! We hadn’t done that in a while. During the summer the Citadel is staffed by students from local military schools who dress in period uniforms of the 78th Highlanders Regiment and provide tours of the fort. Built on top of the hill overlooking the city to protect Halifax harbor the  existing fort was never engaged in battle. As a result it provides one of the best archeology sites of the era. The time period of your visit is 1869.  Much of the ritual changing of the guard and cannon firing is for the tourist trade. Go beyond that and take the tour, go to the uniform shop and try on the 35 pound wool uniforms and be sure to see the 50 minute movie Tides of Time in the theatre.

View Of Halifax From The Citadel

Changing Of The Guard At The Citadel

On Tour In The Citadel Schoolroom

Steve Tries On Regimental Uniform

Basilica Ceiling Built Like A Ship’s Hull

From there we walked back down the hill stopping at two beautiful old churches and the Old Burying Ground. St. Paul’s Church is the oldest Protestant church in Canada and the oldest surviving building in Halifax, c. 1750. A timber hurled almost two miles during the Halifax Explosion was imbedded in the wall of St. Paul’s and it remains there today. A docent was on hand to provide a tour. The Old Burying Ground was the original city cemetery started in 1749 when Halifax was founded. It was turned over to Saint Paul’s in 1793 and closed to further burials in 1843. Like many historical sites it deteriorated until a citizens group formed in the 1980s to restore and maintain it. What I found the most fascinating was to be standing looking at the grave of British Major General Robert Ross. Why? Well, he was the commander of the British forces who raided and burned Washington, DC in 1814. He was killed shortly afterwards in a raid on Baltimore. The second church was the Cathedral Church of All Saints. It is known for the beautiful woodwork and stained glass windows. In 1763 when it was built no local craftsman knew how to build the vaulted 7 story ceiling so they hired shipbuilders who knew how to construct a hull and built it upside down. If you’d like to see more about the above sites Google them. Each has a very interesting website.

Major General Robert Ross

St. Paul’s Church

Cathedral Church Of All Saints

By now we’d worked up quite a thirst. Time to use our discount coupon for the Alexander Keith’s Brewery.  The Halifax site is the original brewery which has become incorporated into a shopping plaza. A modern brewery located elsewhere still produces beer. Tours are run frequently throughout the day and your ticket includes two beers if you are of legal drinking age or if you prefer, soft drinks. Costumed summer players escort you on a history tour of the brewery. Quite frankly, it is way over played until you get to the tavern where the players sing and dance while you imbibe. These young people were very talented.

Old Keith’s Brewery

Alexander Keith Brewery

Another day brought us back to the city to see Pier 21. This is the Canadian equivalent of Ellis Island. While immigration to the USA peaked between 1880-1920, Canadian immigration reached its high point following WWII. Both sites were closed as active immigration ports when ship transport was surpassed by air arrivals. Currently Pier 21 tells the story of immigrants processing through Halifax on their way to other locations. Soon an expansion of the museum will include all points of entry to Canada.

Pier 21

Remember we were going to take a sailing cruise aboard a  schooner for our fourth anniversary but got rained out? We finally had time and good weather so spontaneously we decided to take a harbor cruise on the MAR.  I wasn’t really dressed for being out on the water. Shorts and tee shirt were fine during the day but not for a sunset cruise. Fortunately the ship offered blankets. So I stayed wrapped up while Steve took photos. There’s nothing like gliding along on the water with the wind in your face. If we could learn to sail the RV just might get traded for a boat! Just as we returned to shore the most beautiful sunset appeared. What a great way to say goodbye to Halifax.

Schooner Mar Sailing Past Halifax Harbor Lighthouse

On Board THE MAR In Halifax Harbor

Drunken Lampost Sculpture

Halifax Waterfront At Sunset

Goodbye Halifax!

Just Call Me Keji

Having mentioned our stay at Kejimkujik National Park in the previous post this seemed a good time to tell you about our time there. With a tongue twister name like  Kejimkujik it’s no wonder that most everyone refers to this park simply as Keji. This was the third and last Canadian National Park we’d visit on this trip. Keji is also a National Historic Site because of a Mi’kmaw heritage site and the only Parks Canada site to be dually designated. The area where the park is located is known for old growth forest, lakes and a designated dark sky area. The park provides the core of the second largest biosphere in Canada. Keep in mind that at no time in Nova Scotia are you more than 50 miles from any coast. No wonder the Nova Scotia license plate has the slogan Canada’s Ocean Playground. There are two sites which make up the park: the main park in the center of the southwestern part of the island and the Seaside adjunct on the southern shore.  See the green areas on the map below.

We were in the RV camping area at Jeremy’s Bay in the main park where we had electric hookups and tank water. Water supply points are located frequently throughout the campground so refilling was not a problem. We carry 200′ of hose and rarely find ourselves further away from a water supply. When we do we use collapsable water containers (2 and 5 gallon size) for cooking and personal use thus saving the tank water as much as possible. The sites at Kejimkujik are large, wooded and private just the way we like it.

A Walk In The Keji Woods

Lichen Drying On A Tree

The park is great for bike riding. There is access to the water for paddling near the campground and at a day use area. The Kejimkujik area boasts 46 lakes and ponds formed during the last glacial period which amount to 15% of the park acreage. The Mersey River flows through the park and its watershed is the largest in Nova Scotia.  While we were there it was quite windy and we chose to paddle the river. Lake Kejimkujik was too rough for us. The river was wide and calm for about two miles. Then we hit some rapids. We were able to paddle through the first three but pooped out after giving the fourth one a good try. We didn’t feel so bad when a group of 20-somethings were working hard to make it. They just had a bit more endurance. The float back was great fun. This is definitely a When We Come Back Spot.

Start Of Our Mersey River Paddle

Beautiful Day For A Paddle

We took a few short hikes as well along the river to Mill Falls and drove to the far end of the park to see remnants of Mi’kmaq eel weir on the Mersey River. Keji was established as a national park in 1974 to preserve the dwindling old growth forest. It is estimated that less than 1% of all forests in Nova Scotia are over 100 years old. Under the protection of dense hemlocks in Spring a collection of wild orchids, mosses, lichen and mushrooms grow. Bogs are another of the protected environments in the park and can be accessed by hiking or paddling. Peak wildflower bloom is May-June. Do I smell another trip here? 

Mill Falls In HDR

Steve At Mill Falls In Keji

Mill Falls

Closeup of waterfall

Orb Made From Pattern In River Water

Keji was designated a Dark Sky Preserve in 2010 by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.  During the summer, Rangers provide Dark Sky presentations in an open amphitheater located at Jeremy’s Bay campground. The one we attended lasted about an hour and several constellations were pointed out. Unfortunately the presenters didn’t know how to operate their new computer assisted telescope and couldn’t get it to focus so we had to use our binoculars. With our new interest in nighttime photography we need to return and do star trails.

The Mi’kmaw Indians inhabited this area for 2,500-4,000 years before European contact. They built stone and wooden weir to catch fish from the river then dried and smoked them. There is a protected heritage site accessible only with a ranger. Guided site visits are lead once a week and you must sign up at the Visitors Center well in advance as group size is limited. We weren’t able to go this time but we know we’ll be back.

Example Of Mi’kmaw Artwork

Eel Weir On Mersey River

As if all of this isn’t enough there is the Seaside Adjunct located on Nova Scotia’s  southern shore.  This section provides excellent hiking trails and access to some of the finest white sand beaches in the Maritimes.

From our base in Keji we also drove over to Annapolis Royal, another Parks Canada site. We’d hoped to tour the fort but our timing was off. The town is also very interesting with lots of old buildings from the 1700-1800s. There is a beautiful garden there well worth touring however by the time we were there it was well past prime. You’d think with 2.5 months we’d have seen everything. Not so. That’s good. As if we needed an excuse to come back! We did spend about an hour at the Tidal Power Generating Station. This was an experimental station built to research using the power of Bay of Fundy tides for electric power generation. While this station worked well they discovered that other areas in the Bay were too full of silt. The silt quickly ground the turbines apart in as little as ten weeks. So for now this huge potential power source must wait for technology to catch up. We’d worked up an appetite by then so we stopped for lunch at a small German restaurant just across from the fort. Can’t remember now what we had but I do know it was very good.

We Were The Only Visitors

View From The Tidal Generating Station

Tidal Power Plant

Whales Don’t Care If It’s Raining

Since we’ve gotten things out of sequence I guess it doesn’t matter what order we use to post the rest of our Canadian Maritime adventures. Both Steve and I had independently done whale watching trips from the Digby and Brier Island area (western end) of Nova Scotia on previous trips to Nova Scotia. Both of us had fabulous experiences. On my trip we’d seen 10 Humpback whales and Steve saw the endangered Right whale. While there were other places we could have done whale watches we chose to wait and come back to this area.

We were camped in Kejimkujik NP (more about that in another post) and had made reservations with Mariner Cruises. This company had been recommended by the couple who joined us for dinner at the Red Shoe Pub on Cape Breton. They didn’t mislead us. It was a great day … except for the weather. As we drove the hour and a half from camp to Brier Island the weather went from overcast, to drizzle, to a steady rain and raw wind. Fortunately we carry rain gear in the car and had dressed warmly for the open water. I was complaining about the weather when Steve said “Whales don’t care if it rains, they’re already wet!”  With that I perked up and had a great time.

Google Earth Map Of Brier Island

Brier Island is a small island off the tip of Digby Neck. The road to it is a designated scenic highway. You need to take two very short ferries as well. Being on time for the ferries is critical to reaching the island in time for the trip. When you call to make reservations they will tell you to be at the second ferry by a certain time in order to make the whale watch on time. There is a twenty minute drive from the second ferry to the wharf. The boat left Brier Island and headed into the Bay of Fundy with about 16 passengers. The owner of the company comes along and acts as naturalist and guide. Even after years of doing this you can tell she loves whales by the excitement in her voice. It wasn’t long before we spotted some in the distance and headed their direction. They were demonstrating tail slapping behavior. As we approached they stopped slapping. Later we hit the jackpot with a family of humpbacks: Mom, Dad and baby. While I’ve yet to see a breach these three whales entertained us for over an hour. They stayed very close to the boat. The baby was especially curious and came over to spy hop and check us out. Then he dove under the boat and resurfaced on the other side. Mom kept a sharp eye on her little (10-12′) baby. Who was watching whom? Rain or no rain our cameras were clicking away. We also saw Greater Shearwaters out fishing for their dinner and a few dolphins. There is another whale watch company that offers whale watching by Zodiac and they came over our way to watch these three whales perform. We’d considered doing this but Steve felt our photo ops would be better from a boat. On a raw day like this we were glad to be a bit drier and warmer. Mariner served us hot beverages and homemade cookies too. Boy did that feel good!

Baby Humpback Approaching Our Boat

Adult Humpback Diving

Curious Baby Spyhopping

A Humpback Greeting

Flock Of Greater Shearwaters

Zodiac Whale Watchers

Looks Like An Illustration Right Out Of Moby Dick

As we headed back to shore the skies cleared and the day turned sunny. We spent another hour or so roaming the island and photographing the working harbor and other scenic spots. When I’d visited here in 2004 it was the first time I’d been to a rural fishing village. I was enchanted. At that time I had only a basic digital point and shoot with 3 megapixels. This time we found several picturesque scenes. Don’t you think the colored ropes would make a good jigsaw puzzle?

Fishing Wharf On Brier Island

Fishing Ropes For A Puzzle

Steve has put together a video of the trip with some of the commentary and background music by Judy Collins singing “Farewell to Tarwathie”. There are sounds of whales in the background.

Nuts And Bolts Of RV Living #4 – Keeping In Touch

Before we jump into our topic I’d like to say thanks to everyone who follows our blog or who finds us via a search. As of yesterday we have reached 10,000 views! Last year when we were setting goals for 2013 we hoped we’d reach 5,000 views. To have doubled that amount in less than a year is far beyond our dreams. This blog started out as a way for us to record our adventures and stay in touch with friends and family. It has grown and has pushed our learning curve along with it.

Here are some of the ways we stay in touch:

1) Cell phone of course. We have Verizon and it has worked well although we do hit areas where there is no service for anyone and poor Verizon coverage (near Chambersburg, PA when we visit family and near Zion NP for example). Generally we keep just the North American plan but did add Canada when we stayed there this summer. We also found out the hard way that if you are near the border you may want to add it to avoid roaming charges.

2) Verizon Jet Pack – This is what we use for our internet connection unless a park has it’s own wifi. It works wherever we have cell signal. No cell means no internet. Again, crossing into Canada, we put it on hold as the cost jumped to an ridiculous level. When without our own wifi we use free sites at restaurants, rest stops, campgrounds and libraries.

3) Mail – “How do you get your mail?” is probably one of the most frequently asked questions. We didn’t want to burden family or friends with forwarding mail although some full timers do have them handle it. Most RVers use a mail forwarding service. We have used a box at a UPS store. About every ten days to two weeks we call and have them send it to the campground via UPS Ground. It generally takes 1-3 days depending on where we are. We’ve found most campgrounds are willing to accept the UPS package. Some have even delivered it right to our trailer site. Occasionally, there have been times when the package was misplaced after delivery but we’ve always traced it down. Again, our only major problem was in Canada and no fault of UPS. In 2014 we will be changing our residency (that’s another topic) and will switch services then as well.

4) TV – When we had our vacation trailer we didn’t have TV. We went for over two months at a time without it and didn’t miss it. We knew it was a short period change. That’s one of things to consider on many fronts when thinking about full timing. This is your home. What you’d want in a traditional home you’ll want in the RV just on a smaller scale. We opted for the carryout Winegard satellite receiver with the automatic locator. Granted this was much more expensive than the manual one. We’d be setting it up each move and the time involved was much shorter this way. Steve looks up the settings for each new stop and has a compass preset. This way he knows approximately where to place the receiver. There are times when our site is too wooded and blocks the device but overall it works well. When we were in the northeast the satellite was much lower in the sky so this made it more likely we’d have obstacles in the way. When we don’t have reception we use DVDs and shows we recorded on the Directv DVR unit.

One thing to note if you plan to move around quite a bit or stay away from your home base for extended periods is to apply for the FCC waiver and pay the extra fee to your provider to get the network feeds so you can have local channels wherever you are. This would include PBS channels. Contact your satellite provider and they should be able to send you the form to complete. The process takes about 6 weeks. We didn’t know about this until we wandered away from our “home” after our first 3 months on the road and all of a sudden we couldn’t get local channels. Now when we’re east of the Mississippi we get the New York station feed and when west we’ll get them from Los Angeles.

There’s nothing like visits to family and friends or having them spend time with you enjoying our wonderful country. We are thankful to be RVers at a time when technology makes staying in contact so easy.

Where Next #4

It looks like we’re due for another Where Next post as we look ahead to the next six months. These locations are a general plan but as always subject to change for a variety of reasons. First we head over to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a photography workshop on nighttime photography. That’s an area totally new to us so we’re really excited. Then (brrrrr!) we go north to celebrate Thanksgiving and an early Christmas with family. Back we come to NC for a major repair on the trailer (see Attack of the Tree Branch in June 2013). With trailer and ourselves all refreshed and repaired we finally head south for some fun in the sun. Spring will take us to a new area of the country and many new adventures. Remember, if you want to view this full screen, click over the picture.

RV Travels November 2013 – April 2014

The heART Of The Eastern Shore

What is it my Mom used to say? Oh yes, “It’s OK to make plans as long as you don’t plan the results.” It should be a mantra for RVers. The cancellation of our stop in northern Pennsylvania meant we had to drive straight through to Maryland. Normally we stick close to the 244 rule (200 miles, 4 hours of driving or arrive by 4pm.) There was a domino effect on plans until we were back in Charlotte. We tried to move up our stay at Elk Neck SP in Maryland but there was no opening for our size rig. We changed our reservation to Martinak SP which is located along the Choptank river near the small town of Denton. This is the first time we’ve been able to  use our Maryland State Golden Age Pass which gives us half price rates Sunday-Thursday. One stay paid for our passes plus almost $50 more. A very good deal!

Originally we’d come here with the idea of kayaking the Choptank. However, the weather turned much cooler (down to 26 degrees one night) and quite breezy. So we chose not to paddle. Biking, walking and exploring the coast occupied most of our time. We drove down to the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and out to the Hooper Islands. Loads of birds were in the refuge especially eagles. It was a bit early for the snow geese. Seeing a blast off of these geese is on my bucket list! We also drove 1 1/2 hours to the Baltimore area to see a friend from Charlotte that had moved there.

Crossing The Hooper Island Chain

Cute As A Button

Relaxing On The Eastern Shore

One day Steve went to a local liquor store and came back with a photo of a poster. It was advertising an event sponsored by the Caroline County Arts Council for the following Saturday evening. The event was a fundraiser for the Council called an Evening With Edgar Allen Poe. When we went on the CCAC website for more information we also learned of an event in the neighboring town of Greensboro for a music performance about the War of 1812. Who says drinking isn’t good for you? We were lucky to get two of the last five tickets for the Poe dinner.

The music performance was given at the public library by Lee Murdock, a folksinger who specializes in music about the Great Lakes. Most of his performances are in the midwest. He’d put together the show we heard for the bicentennial of the War of 1812. He interwove history, legend and song for a very entertaining (and free) evening. There were only eleven people attending. The War of 1812 has local significance as many battles were fought on the Chesapeake Bay and of course at Fort McHenry. We bought a CD so we could enjoy the songs again. If you are interested in where he is performing check his website http://www.leemurdock.com .

Hidden In Downtown Denton

History In Denton

The Evening With Edgar Allen Poe was also a great event. Every year the CCAC picks an author and features a variety of speakers about the person, their contributions to literature and culture and selected readings. Before dinner we mingled as everyone tried to find the answer to their Poe related question issued upon arrival. My question was “How much was Poe paid for his poem The Raven?” The answer will be hidden somewhere in the post. It was a great way to meet some local people. The keynote speaker was an English professor from a nearby community college.  A local teacher and musician gave a talk on Poe’s influence on music. The presentation we enjoyed the most was a one man reading of The Telltale Heart by another teacher and thespian. He was terrific and received a standing ovation.

As I finalize this post we are beginning a two week stint in NC for Tweak Week #2. The answer to the trivia question is $9 (about $20 in today’s money).  For those new to our blog, Tweak Week is when we take the trailer in for maintenance/repair and ourselves in for doctor and dentist visits. Repair from our earlier Attack of the Tree Branch post will require us to find time for a new roof before heading south for the winter. During this time we will try our best to get caught up with the rest of our wonderful Canadian Maritime travels.

Where next? Check out our next post.

Fragile, Handle With Care

Our Happy Halloween picture of the World’s largest blown glass pumpkin was a good segway to this post as it is on display each Fall at the Corning Museum of Glass.

With the Federal Government shutdown our plans to see more of the Finger Lakes changed. Our reservations at Ives Run (a COE campground) were cancelled. One place we both wanted to see was the Corning Museum of Glass. So we drove an hour and a half to Corning from our camp at Letchworth SP. It was well worth the effort. CMOG is the largest museum in the world devoted to glass… and it’s getting bigger. In 2014 they will add a 100,000 square foot addition to the already extensive collection. Is this where we say “When we come back?”

Dale Chihuly Glass Sculpture In CMOG Lobby

Glass Blowing Demo

CMOG Exhibit Gallery

Early Scientists And The Telescope

When you come, for this is a must see museum, plan on spending the whole day. There are several demonstrations scheduled throughout the day from glass blowing to a discussion on fiber optics.  In the same area are educational displays about glass making. One item you probably have in your kitchen and never gave much thought to how it is made. There is a tower of glass casserole dishes showing the many steps involved in making a Corning ware casserole. The demonstrations are free with your admission ticket and you can get a schedule of show times at the information desk.

Corning Ware Casserole Tower

Be sure and sign up for one of the two docent led tours of the galleries  as the number of people is limited. The tour lasts approximately an hour and provides great information about the extensive collection. We then went back to some areas we wanted to explore in depth. The historical galleries are arranged so you see a representation of the period. If you are interested in learning more you walk behind the showcase for a more extensive display. For those wanting to research a specific period or style (for example cameo glass or Roman glass) there is yet another display by type. For the truly scholastic in another building is the library. If you have an unanswered question  the librarians will do research and answer by e-mail. There are exhibits of cameo glass, paperweights, contemporary art glass and the history of Corning and the glass industry. When we were there they had a special exhibit about glass beads called Life On A String.

In The Contemporary Art Glass Gallery

More Exhibits From CMOG’s Gallery

The Cameo Art Glass Display

Example Of Cameo Glass

Special Exhibit At CMOG

Oversized Lifelike Glass Fruit

Glass Tapestry With Over 2,000 Colors

Glass Table Top With Every Possible Type Of Glass

Delicate Glass Vase

CMOG has an extensive collection of paperweights. To celebrate the addition of the 1,000th item the museum commissioned artist Josh Simpson to create one of his Megaplanet sculptures. This was his first 100 pound ball and the largest in CMOG’s collection.

100 Pound Paperweight

CMOG Has 1,000 Paperweights On Display

Sample Of Paperweight Collection

Another Paperweight From CMOG Collection

Many of the photos we took were done with the idea of using the designs in making photo orbs, a Photoshop technique for turning photos into artwork. If you are not overdosed on glass by the time you toured the galleries take a walk over to another building to see a collection devoted to Steuben glass.

Orb From A Photo Of Feather Patterned Glass

Pretty In Pink Orb

Another Bead Display Orb

Orb Made From A Photo Of Pastel Glass

Orb From Pattern On Vase

An Orb From The Chihuly Sculpture

Orb From A Contemporary Art Piece

Chari’s Favorite Orb From An Art Glass Piece

Entering The Steuben Glass Display

Colorful Steuben Glass

Steuben Glass Vases

There are other museums in the Finger Lakes area as well as Seneca Lake, NPS sites and many vineyards. So we took a drive and checked out Sampson SP as a future site for a return visit. Good thing we did. There are some low railroad bridges the trailer wouldn’t clear if we came down from the north. Hopefully our truck/RV GPS is programmed to avoid these but who knows. We’ll be OK if we approach from the south. There’s no substitute for first hand knowledge.