Here’s what we have been up to!!

A big Hello to our faithful followers!  We have been enjoying ourselves soooo much that making time to blog took a bit of a back seat. We do work 5 days a week ( We know some if you question if we work at all but we do) and the camping season here at the Bar Harbor Oceanside KOA kept us hustling! It was a very busy and successful season!

We do feel bad about not keeping  our blog followers up to date on our adventures. We will be making an effort to post on our blog more often.

It’s hard to believe that our 6 months in Bar Harbor is quickly coming to an end. Fall is in the air, the leaves are starting to change color, and temperatures have dropped. We’ve been wearing our winter coats and hats the past 2 days! Day time temps have been in the 50’s and overnight temps in the 40’s.   The Fall leaves are a bit behind in changing color but with the recent rain and cooler temps the Maple trees are sharing beautiful red and yellow leaves!

We’d like to share with you our top 5 things that we enjoyed  during our time in Maine:

5) Sightseeing/lLighthouses;  We enjoyed visiting many different towns/ places in Maine. We went to Castine to see the Hermoine ship sail into the harbor, we visited the Bangor State Fair, and Old Orchard Beach. We were lucky enough to visit Canada going to Campobello Island and Saint John, New Brunswick up to Fundy National Park. We also drove to see several Lighthouses including Bass Harbor, Pemaquid  Point, East Quoddy, Lubec channel, Egg Rock and Mulholland Light.

4) Tours: As KOA employees we were fortunate to get free tickets on several tours in Bar Harbor. We went on a nature boat tour and saw Eagles, Peregrine falcons and seals with pups. We sailed on the Margaret Todd Schooner in Frenchman’s Bay. We went on the Lobster/ seal Tour and learned a lot about the Maine Lobster industry. We also took a ride on Oli’s Trolley around Bar Harbor.

3) Natural Resources:  We really enjoyed “Living off the land”. We picked Mussels and steamed them up anytime we wanted them! We learned to cook our own live Lobster using sea water and sea weed. We picked and ate wild Blueberries, Huckleberries, Black Raspberries, and Apples. We even made Applesauce in the crockpot twice with Apples right off the tree at the campground.

2) Maine coastline/Beaches:  The Maine coastline is just breathtaking! We enjoyed many picnic lunches sitting on rocks along the coast looking out at the crashing waves, smelling the salt water, pine trees, and listening to the channel marker bell. We enjoyed beach combing finding sand dollars, and beach glass. While walking in tide pools we found baby shrimp, squid, and  hermit crabs.  We even enjoyed swimming in the Western Bay during the hot and humid weather!

1) Acadia National Park:  There is so much to see and do in the park, we only scratched the surface. We hiked on several trails and Carriage Roads but we really enjoyed the South Ridge Trail, (a hike up to the top of Cadillac mountain) . We hiked that trail twice..  3 hours to the top, and 2 hours down.  We road our bikes on Carriage Roads around Eagle Lake.  We hiked the Ocean path, and visited Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, and Otter Cliffs. We have a National park Passport book and were the first people to get stamps for the 2015 season at several locations in the park! Park staff had to go find the stamp and ink pad for us!!   The wildlife has been spectacular! we’ve been so fortunate to see and abundance of Adult and juvenile Bald Eagles, Seals ( Grey and Harbor), Porpoise, Blue Herons, red squirrels, chipmunks, A porcupine, fox, deer, turkeys, and a gazillion Mosquitos!  Maine Mosquitos are vicious!

We’ve had a wonderful time! We have loved being so close to the ocean. There’s so much more to see! We will plan to come back to the area for sure for more exploring! Acadia is a beautiful park and it covers a large portion of Mount Desert Island.

We will be leaving Bar Harbor October 16th, heading to Florida. We will be working at the Orlando, SW KOA in Davenport, Fl for the winter.  We are looking forward to being close to Allison’s Mom and family. Stay tuned..  we will keep updates coming on the blog! This is how we rolled in “Bah Haba”!

Finally an update!!

Hello to all our faithful followers! We haven’t forgotten about you really we haven’t! We have been busy with our jobs at KOA, and when we are not working we are enjoying exploring Acadia National Park and the surrounding areas of Mt.Desert Island!

Our Florida tans have faded.. We traded our flip flops for wool socks . We have already experienced temps in the 30’s overnight to mid 50’s during the day. Recently we have had days in the 60’s. Getting closer to shorts weather, but not yet!

We arrived April 23 ( can’t believe it’s been a month already) and have settled into our campsite with a view of the Western Bay. We have everything set up, and have especially enjoyed having a campfire while watching the sunset over the water.  The cats are enjoying the birds and squirrels that visit our feeders. The hummingbirds arrived May 6th and Zoey is really enjoying them! We have a feeder hanging from a suction cup on a tinted window, so the birds can’t see the cats!

There were still some piles of snow here and there when we arrived and the trees had barely started to bud. Now the trees are alive with green leaves, flowers are blooming,  and Spring has sprung!

We have been to Acadia several times since we arrived and have driven around the majority of the island, but have only begun to scratch the surface.  We have hiked on the carriage roads, Ocean path, Bowl Trail and Gorham Mountain.

Cadillac Mountain is the highest point on the Eastern Seaboard at 1532 feet. That is the first place to see the sunrise on the East coast. We have enjoyed the view driving to the top and plan to take the hike to the top. A tradition of many here is to drive up  to Cadillac for the sunrise and have breakfast at a restaurant in town. Sunrise is at 5:00am right now.

We have picked Mussels twice in a nearby Bay for dinner. The mussels have to soak overnight in cornmeal to help clean out the sand and grit. Kate steams them in onion, garlic, white wine and butter. Talk about Yummy!! Big and yummy!! I can’t believe we can pick them anytime we want!

We will be here until October and look forward to exploring more of the island and local attractions.

This is how we have been rolling!

Bar Harbor!!!!

We spent 2 days in Dartmouth, Mass visiting with Kate’s friends and family. We headed out on 4/23 for one more layover in Saco, ME before arriving in Bar Harbor.

We got on the road early and our first stop was the New Hampshire state  liquor outlet just after 9am. I’ve never seen anything like it!  This liquor outlet had more than one dedicated exits in both directions off the highway! We just had to stop and pick up a few “packages” as they say in the area!

  

The driving weather was just perfect.. blue skies, sun and no rain or wind! We were in the Saco, ME area by 10:30am, so we decided to push through to Bar Harbor. By 2:30pm we had arrived! That was our longest drive about 8 hours.

We were assigned a beautiful spot for our RV. Because our Fleetwood Storm is only 29 feet, we were able to fit into a tighter spot with a “water view” of the Western Bay. We can see the sunset over the water  from the passenger side of the RV. The smell of pine trees and saltwater is just intoxicating!

We spent the past weekend getting our RV and campsite set up. We bought a 30# propane tank and ” extended stay” kit so that we don’t have to move the RV to refill our on board propane tank. We will be stationary for 6 months. Kate gave me a “Yard Stash” for Valentine’s Day. We got that set up behind the RV for outdoor gear. We haven’t set up our screen tent yet since we’ve been having  some windy weather off the water.

We have suet, hummingbird, and niger seed bird feeders out to attract a variety of entertainment for the cats. So far all    we brought in is a red squirrel.  Kate bought some rose shrubs and looks forward to having a little garden area too!

We’ve already had “lobstah” rolls at the Thirsty Wale in town, and enjoyed a big bonfire with other workers here. We’ve seen Beaver’s, a  Seal swimming in the bay, Turkeys, a Bald Eagle, and Deer.

Bar Harbor is a quaint town with lots to explore! We officially started working today for KOA cleaning up and organizing all the Recreation gear, arts and crafts, and theme bins. Tomorrow we will start leaning the KOA computer system.

Thanks to everyone who followed our trip, and checked up on us! The worst part of the drive was I-10 through Texas and windy weather from Scranton, PA to Mystic, Conn. The best was seeing all the sights along the way!  This is how we roll with KOA!

Travelin’ Days

Here’s a quick update on our travels!

4/17-4/18

We spent Friday and Saturday night at the Gettysburg KOA. It was a nice park but getting there from 15N was quite a ride. Lesson learned, triple check GPS directions and even better call the campground in advance to confirm driving directions. We saw way more countryside then we needed to in a 29 feet RV towing.   The trip was well worth it, we got to spend Friday with a very dear friend of Allison’s.  Saturday we attended a potluck picnic in Thurmont, MD  with friends/ co-workers of Allison’s when she worked at VCA Veterinary Referral in Gaithersburg, MD in the early 90’s. We were greatly surprised with sunny mild weather in the mid 70’s.

We have driven through Spring like weather now in FL, GA, SC, NC, VA, MD, and PA. We have enjoyed seeing various flowers and trees blooming including Magnolia, Dogwood, Cherry, Bradford pear, Forsythia, Azalea, and Daffodils.

4/19

Sunday morning we headed to Scranton, PA to spend the day with Allison’s Aunt and cousins. The weather was very nice and we enjoyed sitting outside and talking about our travel adventures. They put out a wonderful spread featuring one of Allison’s  local favorites kielbasa! They make it the best in Scranton!

4/20

We got off to a bumpy start this morning. Fenway got in a mood and chased Zoey through the RV, so Zoey found yet another hiding place where we couldn’t get to her. ( now stuffed with bubble wrap) Zoey finally came out, and Kate grabbed her .. Phew! When Kate turned the key to start up the RV, the battery was dead. Luckily our RV had its own “jump start feature” and Kate got the RV started!! Yay!! What next? Rain rain rain! Awful weather to drive in!  As soon as we pulled out of Scranton the back up camera wouldn’t come on.. And Kate fixed that too!!!! She was my HERO today!!!

The drive on I-84 and I-95 was rough today. The rain was awful and many places were quite windy. We didn’t drive much ab0ve 40-45 mph the entire route. Whoever was in the co-pilot role was constantly monitoring the Waze app for traffic and the Weather channel.  We were worn out by the time we arrived in Mystic!

The wind is really gusty and rocking the RV here in the park. It’s 52 degrees going down to 46 tonight. We are safe, warm, and happy to be parked!!!! Tomorrow we are headed to Dartmouth, MA for a 2 day layover with Kate’s relatives and one of her dear friends!   The weather is supposed to improve by mid morning. This is how we roll into New England!

Enfield/Rocky Mount KOA, NC

This is day 2 of our drive to Maine. It was the furthest that we have driven since we left Tucson, 8.5 hours in one day. We were on the road just before 7am. We prefer only driving 4-5 hours if possible.

Our cat Zoey rides in a large soft dog carrier while we are driving. This morning she was already “onto us” and decided to hide out under the RV dashboard.  The area under the dash is quite large and full of wires, hoses, and more wires. Kate and I had to squeeze ourselves around the Captain’s chairs with only the aid of a flashlight (it was before 7am and still dark outside) to wrangle her out. It was RV Yoga to say the least. We got her out  thank goodness!  I gathered up all the pool noodles and long foam pipe insulation to stuff/wedge/cram under the dash and fill up the space. Hopefully we will not have a repeat in the morning!

Tonight we are staying at Enfield/Rocky Mount KOA (Just off I-95)

Things we like:
The pull thru site we are in is very long and roomy on either side.
It’s very quiet ( .07 miles down a rural road from the highway)
Our AT&T signal is 5 bars strong!

Things we don’t like:
The WIFI is horrible!
Amenities advertised are in poor condition ( for example the Mini golf course is run down and covered in pine needles). 

Overall we would give this park on our “Just Uzz” scale a 3 out of 5.  We move on to Gettysburg KOA tomorrow! Rolling through the KOA’s!

Savannah South KOA

We stayed for one night at the Savannah South KOA off of I-95 in Georgia. (4/15/15)

Things we liked:

The park is very close to I-95 (easy on/off)

The bathrooms/shower house was very clean.

There was an abundance of wildlife: Swans, Canadian Geese,and turtles. (We got some great pictures with the Nikon)

Things we didn’t like:

Tengo Internet

Low water pressure (bathhouse & site hook up)

We didn’t catch a single fish in the 35 acre lake. (Not even a nibble! )

Tengo Internet seems to be the Internet service of choice at Many RV parks not only KOA. So be sure you have some DVD movies to watch since steaming is either impossible or forbidden.Overall on our “Just Uzz” scale (1-5: 5 being the best) We rate this stay 4.5! We would stay here again.

This is how we roll up the East Coast!

Space Coast RV Park, Rockledge, Fl

We hadn’t originally planned to stay at an RV park while in Fl. We were going to park in Mom’s driveway, but decided at the last minute that it would probably be best for everyone if we got an RV spot. So while on the road we started calling RV parks close to Cocoa, Fl. We found an available space at the Space Coast RV Park.

The park is located directly off of Interstate 95 in Rockledge, Fl. We had a 7 mile drive to my moms in Cocoa and about a 25 min or so drive to Coco beach.  It’s a very nice location.

The park was operated as a KOA park at some point based on the iconic A-frame shape of the office building. It is a large park with accommodations for tent campers, RV’s, 5th wheels, and mobile homes. The park is quite large and has several nice ponds on the property with a variety of fish and turtles.

We really enjoyed all the wildlife in and around the park including Osprey, Sandhill Cranes, Great Blue Heron, Ibis, Bunnies, and even the squirrels. The cats also enjoyed watching the flurry of activity, especially when the Ibis or Cranes walked by. We even caught a glimpse of an Alligator!

They have one heated  pool with very nice lounge chairs open from dawn to dusk. We really enjoyed being able to swim. There were many breezy  days when the pool water temperature was warmer than the air temperature and it was downright chilly getting out!

The park also has a small store with a variety of camping supplies, shuffleboard courts, laundry facilities, propane, and planned activities/events.   The shower/bathhouse buildings are very nice, great water pressure and kept clean.

You may notice a Canadian flag in front of the office. There were quite a few Canadians at the park when we arrived. Many of them started leaving the last week of March.

There is also a Camping World just one exit north and they were very nice. They took care of some issues we had with the RV.  We took the RV there twice for half a day each time. They got the work done in a timely manner and were great with calling us and returning calls as well. Ask for Kami in the Service Department.

Our time here has come to an end, we would surely stay at this park again. We are packed up and pulling out tomorrow morning.  Stay tuned as we head to Bar Harbor Maine! This is how we roll!

A Visit to the Zoo

A Visit to the Zoo.

A Visit to the Zoo

Today we visited the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Fl. We were very  impressed from the get go.  The animals had lots of room to roam, the displays were informative and there were lots of interactive things to do, touch, and feel, for the kids and “big kids” too! The day started out with a photographers worst nightmare. I clicked the first photo at the entrance gate, no problem. The first exhibit we saw was the Meerkats.  There were 3 one month old babies in the exhibit with all the other adults ( so cute)  so of course I held up the Nikon. I clicked the shutter and got a message “out of memory”. The memory card was back in the RV inside the laptop. UGH!! Now my hand is against my forehead it utter frustration!!!!  I was not going to spend $20 for a 4GB card at the gift shop (hitting head again) !!! So, all of these photos were taken with our iPhones.

The park is divided into several areas:

Paws on play, which includes water play, a petting area and touch tank.Expedition Africa, which includes Giraffes, rhinos, and other African wildlife,Wild Florida showcases Florida wildlife huge Alligators, a 250 pound Crocodile, Bald eagles and other endangered species native to Florida.

La Selva or “the jungle” showcases Jaguars, monkeys, and tropical birds.Australasia has a free flight aviary including cockatoos, cockatiels, parrots and rainbow Lorikeets.

All of the animals had remnants of their Easter Baskets in their enclosures. The Easter baskets were mainly made up of decorated cardboard boxes, and brown paper bags, and paper mâché eggs. The monkeys had a grand old time tearing into their Easter treats, hardly anything was left as seen in the photo below.

While walking by the Ant eater display we noticed him heading over to a small wading pool. We stood quietly and the Ant eater sat down in the water and started washing his tail!!  He was very serious about bathing his tail and started scratching and cleaning the rest of his body. We couldn’t believe it!

We had a great time feeding the Rainbow Lorikeets. We each bought a little cup of fruity nectar for $1. (what a bargain!!)  The zoo volunteers told us to cover the cup with our hand, walk into the center of the exhibit then take your hand off the cup. Well we didn’t even have a chance to take our hands off the cup we were covered in birds!! The birds did nip Kate when she tried to move the cup away. One of the birds started nibbling on my necklace after the cup was empty.  The birds put a smile on our faces, and I started to forget about the Nikon.  

We took a break at the zoo cafe and had a wonderful lunch of grilled Mahi in soft tacos and sweet potato fries. A very tasty combo indeed! There were lots of tables in the shade to sit at, we had a table for 2 right next to the Flamingos.

The zoo also offers paddle boats rentals, kayak tours, and a zip line/ tree trek adventure. Lots of great activities for all the family and “big kids”. 

We really enjoyed walking around the zoo. Including lunch we spent about 4 hours there and plan to go back to try the Tree top trek, zip line adventure, and kayaking tour in the future.  This is how our “paws” roll!

A visit to Cocoa Green Market

Our friend Wendy who is a volunteer at a farm market invited us out for a visit today. She advised us to bring a camera, wear sneakers, and bring bananas for “Tony” the Llama.  Bananas for a Llama?? Yep!! The market is located off of 524 in Cocoa Florida. Visit their website http://www.cocoagreenmarket.com   or the FB page https://www.facebook.com/CocoaGreenMarket.

As soon as we parked the car and got out, we had smiles on our faces!   The farm had a very warm and peaceful feeling. The staff and farmers were all very friendly and made us feel like we were home.

We got a very special treat,  a chance to hold and bottle feed 5 day old baby goats! The mama goat wasn’t doing well, so the farmer was having to bottle feed the babies.

All of the goats, Mom, Dad, babies, and other goats were all in a pen together. They were all very friendly. They were all tame and wanted to be scratched. The babies especially just soaked up the love!

There were lots of chickens and roosters running around all over the farm so the sneakers were a must! One chicken laid 2 eggs in a basket that was part of the produce display. 

The market sells all kinds of fresh organic produce, fresh eggs, and a variety of other homemade items. Our friend Wendy is very clever making bags, outdoor cushions, and aprons from recycled feed bags. They are very colorful and handy for lots of things. Kate enjoyed shopping and bought some goodies including Earl Grey Tea cupcakes, Zucchini bread, and gluten free muffins.

“Tony” the Llama is something else! He’s  a very spoiled Llama! He came right over to the fence to see if we had any treats. He loves carrot tops for a treat, but he especially loves bananas! He has a favorite red plastic basket that he must eat his treats from!  When Tony sees Wendy’s husband David, he runs down the fence to greet David and of course look for bananas! Tony was in luck today, David brought more bananas. After seeing all the animals, we cooled off with some home made ice cream. We really enjoyed our visit.

This is how we roll at the farm!