1. Ohio
2. Pennsylvania
3. New York
4. Pennsylvania
5. New York
6. Massachusetts
7. New Hampshire
8. Maine
9. New Hampshire
10. Vermont
11. New York
12. Pennsylvania
13. Ohio
Monday, August 15, 2011
States driven through in order
1. Ohio
2. Pennsylvania
3. New York
4. Pennsylvania
5. New York
6. Massachusetts
7. New Hampshire
8. Maine
9. New Hampshire
10. Vermont
11. New York
12. Pennsylvania
13. Ohio
Maine or Bust Trip.. By the numbers
Miles traveled = 2,875
States traveled = 7
Miles Hiked >40
Calls to AAA = 1
Tolls = $23.00
Highest gas price = $3.84
Lowest Gas Price = $3.61
Lobster eaten = 11
Moose sighted = 0
Bear sightings = 0
Bear encounters = 1, sort of. Read July 17 for explanation
Trip Quotes
"I didn't get the point of hikes, why don't you just go on the Internet and look at the pictures."
-Lillian Hall
"You can't do this on the internet!"
-Greg while dropping into Emerald Lake from a rope swing.
"This is my second helping of ice cream tonight. Oh well, they make caskets for fat people, too".
-Helen Pransky
As we walked past some dog poop, Greg warned Luke from stepping in it by pointing at it and saying "dung, son"
Shane replied, "that sounds like Luke's Chinese name....Dung Son"
Greg added to the name by calling Luke "Dung Son Goon".
"Where's Jen?"
-Shane, as she is sitting in the chair right next to where I am standing.
"I wish we had some whipped cream."
-Lillian, as we were hiking and coming across a lot of wild blueberry bushes.
"Seen it. Bought it. Broke it."
-Rogan describing a splat ball being demonstrated at a gift shop.
"Get your thing wet."
-Overheard Greg saying to Luke in the shower. By 'thing' he meant wash cloth.
"Why don't I have a quote yet?"
-Mikah
"I like to eat, eat, eat mangos mangos!"
-Lilly
"Put your tongue behind the top of your feet."
Jen, trying to get us all to smile nicely in a unique way.
"Beth went in for a terminal puke. She had her back arched and everything."
-Greg
-Lillian Hall
"You can't do this on the internet!"
-Greg while dropping into Emerald Lake from a rope swing.
"This is my second helping of ice cream tonight. Oh well, they make caskets for fat people, too".
-Helen Pransky
As we walked past some dog poop, Greg warned Luke from stepping in it by pointing at it and saying "dung, son"
Shane replied, "that sounds like Luke's Chinese name....Dung Son"
Greg added to the name by calling Luke "Dung Son Goon".
"Where's Jen?"
-Shane, as she is sitting in the chair right next to where I am standing.
"I wish we had some whipped cream."
-Lillian, as we were hiking and coming across a lot of wild blueberry bushes.
"Seen it. Bought it. Broke it."
-Rogan describing a splat ball being demonstrated at a gift shop.
"Get your thing wet."
-Overheard Greg saying to Luke in the shower. By 'thing' he meant wash cloth.
"Why don't I have a quote yet?"
-Mikah
"I like to eat, eat, eat mangos mangos!"
-Lilly
"Put your tongue behind the top of your feet."
Jen, trying to get us all to smile nicely in a unique way.
"Beth went in for a terminal puke. She had her back arched and everything."
-Greg
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Sunday, July 31
Someone had played a nice joke on us by setting the hotel alarm to go off at 1:00 am. I barely remember hitting snooze twice as Jen ultimately turned it off.
We got around surprisingly early, enjoyed the continental breakfast and loaded up the car. Pressure check on the tire read 35 psi, not too bad. I did pump it up to 50 psi before we left as the other tire's pressure was 48 psi.
The drive home was pretty uneventful. Every dip or pothole in the road reminded me of our wounded trailer tire. I just kept telling it in my mind to hold for a few more miles. Fortunately, it did and we made it back safe and sound.
Its good to be home!
We got around surprisingly early, enjoyed the continental breakfast and loaded up the car. Pressure check on the tire read 35 psi, not too bad. I did pump it up to 50 psi before we left as the other tire's pressure was 48 psi.
The drive home was pretty uneventful. Every dip or pothole in the road reminded me of our wounded trailer tire. I just kept telling it in my mind to hold for a few more miles. Fortunately, it did and we made it back safe and sound.
Its good to be home!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Saturday, July 30 Home or "Bust"
I woke up early, around 7:15 and started packing up. Miraculously, we were all packed up and ready to go at 9:00, despite needing to dry off most everything outside. Our plan was to get breakfast on the road. We decided to stop at Dunkin Doughnuts. We had seen many on our trip out east. I must say, they had a pretty nice breakfast menu and it was not too pricey.
As we were traveling down I-90 in New York state, an SUV pulls up next to me and the guy has his window rolled down. As I look next to me he has his hands cupped to his mouth and is yelling something at me. I roll down my window and I can barley hear with the wind rushing by, he is yelling, "Your trailer tire is flat."
Oh crap!
I immediately get on the walkie talkie with Greg to let him know I am pulling over for a flat tire. Jen just happened to be on the phone with Beth and told her the same thing. As I begin to pull of the road I hear a kapoom! And, I see in my mirror a small cloud of smoke and dust.
Jen and I step outside and assess the situation. It is not good. the tire is shredded and came off the rim.
We jump into action. Jen crawls into the back of the van and gets the car jack and tire iron. This was not an easy task because the bikes were hooked to the back of the van and all of our stuff (coolers and bins) were in the back of the van. I start to put the jack together as Jen goes to the back of the camper to take the spare tire off. As she is doing that, Greg comes to help us too. They had pulled off the road a little ways ahead of us.
Jen had trouble with one of the lug nuts and screws, the screw kept turning as she was turning the tire iron to loosen the lug nut. She called me back to help and I noticed that the spare tire was flat.
Double crap!
I said we should call AAA. While Greg and I were working on getting the old mangled tire off the camper and ground, Jen pulled out a small bike tire pump and tries to pump up the spare with that.
We put on the spare but it did not have enough air pressure to be driven on, so I called AAA. Of course, the girls have to go to the bathroom, so Greg takes them with him up to his vehicle which already has the boys and Beth in it. The girls crowd in and they drive to the next service plaza which is 36 miles down the road. Since the back seats are taken out to accommodate the camping gear, Mikah had to share a seat with Luke while Lilly sat on the floor.
Meanwhile, I am on the phone with AAA and giving them information about what I need. I am trying to be vague about it because I am pretty sure the camper is not covered on our plan. They informed me that they will be contacting New York Roadside Assistance to come help with the problem because their regular drivers are not allowed on the turnpike and that it would be thirty minutes. As we wait, Jen calmly pulls out the iPad, sits in the grass Birmingham and starts taking notes and playing games. I'm trying to meditate to stay calm. I keep wondering how the brand new tires that I bought just weeks ago failed.
Forty-five minutes later, a tow truck with flames decals on the front pulls up. The driver puts out his cigarette to study the situation. I tell him, "All I think I need is some air". He gets a portable air pump and starts filling the tire to 32 psi, per the recommendations on the tire. At my request, he also grabs a portable ratchet and tightens the lug nuts even more. One final inspection and we are back on the road. We meet up with everyone at the service plaza. I checked the tire pressure and it reads 29 psi. In my head I am thinking, hmm, is it losing tire pressure or did he just not fill it up to 32 psi? I figure we'll find out soon enough.
After a short break to use the restroom and grab a few snacks, we get back out on the road. About an hour away from our hotel stop, Luke needs to use the restroom. We pull of at the next service plaza and this time the tire looks noticeably flatter. I check it again and this time it is only 19 psi. Not good!
After using restroom, I go and pump up the tire, this time to 50 psi to give me a little extra to get us there. On the way to the hotel, we detour to Wal-mart and look for fix a flat, an air pump and possibly a new tire. Fix a flat, check. Air pump, check. New tire, no luck. In the wal-mart parking lot, the tire pressure was already down to 35 psi. And when we checked into the hotel, the tire pressure was down to 30 psi.
Greg and I decided to use the fix a flat and drive around for a few milea as the directions stated. The fix a flat filled it to 40 psi and it seemed to be holding. Good.
Jen and Beth took the kids swimming while we were out. Upon our return, we met them at the pool and it was so crowded that Greg and I decided not to get in. So, Greg and I walked over to the KFC next door to get dinner for everyone. We enjoyed our chicken. Then I researched replacement tires and played words with friends on the iPad and we called it a night.
In all, the flat tire set us back an hour and a half, not including the Walmart stop. Reflecting back later, I could think of a hundred worse places or situations that we could have broken down. It could have been raining, it could have happened in a construction zone, there could have been no civilization around, we could have been in the windy mountains, we could have been alone, or we could have gotten a flat at the beginning of the trip instead of the end. All-in-all, it could have been a lot worse.
Before I went to bed, which was around midnight, I went out and checked the tire which had dropped to about 38 psi. It seemed to be holding. I was just hoping that it was not going to be flat in the morning.
As we were traveling down I-90 in New York state, an SUV pulls up next to me and the guy has his window rolled down. As I look next to me he has his hands cupped to his mouth and is yelling something at me. I roll down my window and I can barley hear with the wind rushing by, he is yelling, "Your trailer tire is flat."
Oh crap!
I immediately get on the walkie talkie with Greg to let him know I am pulling over for a flat tire. Jen just happened to be on the phone with Beth and told her the same thing. As I begin to pull of the road I hear a kapoom! And, I see in my mirror a small cloud of smoke and dust.
Jen and I step outside and assess the situation. It is not good. the tire is shredded and came off the rim.
We jump into action. Jen crawls into the back of the van and gets the car jack and tire iron. This was not an easy task because the bikes were hooked to the back of the van and all of our stuff (coolers and bins) were in the back of the van. I start to put the jack together as Jen goes to the back of the camper to take the spare tire off. As she is doing that, Greg comes to help us too. They had pulled off the road a little ways ahead of us.
Jen had trouble with one of the lug nuts and screws, the screw kept turning as she was turning the tire iron to loosen the lug nut. She called me back to help and I noticed that the spare tire was flat.
Double crap!
I said we should call AAA. While Greg and I were working on getting the old mangled tire off the camper and ground, Jen pulled out a small bike tire pump and tries to pump up the spare with that.
We put on the spare but it did not have enough air pressure to be driven on, so I called AAA. Of course, the girls have to go to the bathroom, so Greg takes them with him up to his vehicle which already has the boys and Beth in it. The girls crowd in and they drive to the next service plaza which is 36 miles down the road. Since the back seats are taken out to accommodate the camping gear, Mikah had to share a seat with Luke while Lilly sat on the floor.
Meanwhile, I am on the phone with AAA and giving them information about what I need. I am trying to be vague about it because I am pretty sure the camper is not covered on our plan. They informed me that they will be contacting New York Roadside Assistance to come help with the problem because their regular drivers are not allowed on the turnpike and that it would be thirty minutes. As we wait, Jen calmly pulls out the iPad, sits in the grass Birmingham and starts taking notes and playing games. I'm trying to meditate to stay calm. I keep wondering how the brand new tires that I bought just weeks ago failed.
Forty-five minutes later, a tow truck with flames decals on the front pulls up. The driver puts out his cigarette to study the situation. I tell him, "All I think I need is some air". He gets a portable air pump and starts filling the tire to 32 psi, per the recommendations on the tire. At my request, he also grabs a portable ratchet and tightens the lug nuts even more. One final inspection and we are back on the road. We meet up with everyone at the service plaza. I checked the tire pressure and it reads 29 psi. In my head I am thinking, hmm, is it losing tire pressure or did he just not fill it up to 32 psi? I figure we'll find out soon enough.
After a short break to use the restroom and grab a few snacks, we get back out on the road. About an hour away from our hotel stop, Luke needs to use the restroom. We pull of at the next service plaza and this time the tire looks noticeably flatter. I check it again and this time it is only 19 psi. Not good!
After using restroom, I go and pump up the tire, this time to 50 psi to give me a little extra to get us there. On the way to the hotel, we detour to Wal-mart and look for fix a flat, an air pump and possibly a new tire. Fix a flat, check. Air pump, check. New tire, no luck. In the wal-mart parking lot, the tire pressure was already down to 35 psi. And when we checked into the hotel, the tire pressure was down to 30 psi.
Greg and I decided to use the fix a flat and drive around for a few milea as the directions stated. The fix a flat filled it to 40 psi and it seemed to be holding. Good.
Jen and Beth took the kids swimming while we were out. Upon our return, we met them at the pool and it was so crowded that Greg and I decided not to get in. So, Greg and I walked over to the KFC next door to get dinner for everyone. We enjoyed our chicken. Then I researched replacement tires and played words with friends on the iPad and we called it a night.
In all, the flat tire set us back an hour and a half, not including the Walmart stop. Reflecting back later, I could think of a hundred worse places or situations that we could have broken down. It could have been raining, it could have happened in a construction zone, there could have been no civilization around, we could have been in the windy mountains, we could have been alone, or we could have gotten a flat at the beginning of the trip instead of the end. All-in-all, it could have been a lot worse.
Before I went to bed, which was around midnight, I went out and checked the tire which had dropped to about 38 psi. It seemed to be holding. I was just hoping that it was not going to be flat in the morning.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Friday, July 29 - Day at Emerald Lake
We woke up had breakfast and enjoyed an easy morning.
Since the kids heard us talking about kayaking last night, they were very anxious to start. We told them we could not rent them until 11:00, so I took them and played frisbee. When I stopped playing, they stopped too. We got out suits on and headed to the lake. We got there ten or fifteen minutes before 11, but they were open and we were able to rent them. We got one canoe and one kayak for four hours.
Rogan started in the kayak and Mikah and I took out the canoe. We explored the lake and fished a little.
We were out for about an hour, came back to shore and got some lunch.
We went back out, this time Mikah was in the kayak and Rogan and I were in the canoe.
In traveling along the lake, we had discovered a rope swing. Everyone was tentative to try it at first but after awhile everyone could not get enough of it. The higher you would start from the side of the lake, the further you would launch out over the water.
At one point, we decided to to shout a slogan about the trip. Luke began with New Hampshire's state motto, "Live free, or DIE!" Greg followed with his retort to Lilly's famous quote from the trip by shouting, "You can't do this on the internet!" I finished with a quote from our Puerto Rican roof salesman, "I beleeb... that I can!" It was an awesome way to spend the last day of our camping vacation.
Since the kids heard us talking about kayaking last night, they were very anxious to start. We told them we could not rent them until 11:00, so I took them and played frisbee. When I stopped playing, they stopped too. We got out suits on and headed to the lake. We got there ten or fifteen minutes before 11, but they were open and we were able to rent them. We got one canoe and one kayak for four hours.
Rogan started in the kayak and Mikah and I took out the canoe. We explored the lake and fished a little.
We were out for about an hour, came back to shore and got some lunch.
 |
| Lilly is really enjoying that burger. |
We went back out, this time Mikah was in the kayak and Rogan and I were in the canoe.
In traveling along the lake, we had discovered a rope swing. Everyone was tentative to try it at first but after awhile everyone could not get enough of it. The higher you would start from the side of the lake, the further you would launch out over the water.
 |
| "Live free, or Die!" |
At one point, we decided to to shout a slogan about the trip. Luke began with New Hampshire's state motto, "Live free, or DIE!" Greg followed with his retort to Lilly's famous quote from the trip by shouting, "You can't do this on the internet!" I finished with a quote from our Puerto Rican roof salesman, "I beleeb... that I can!" It was an awesome way to spend the last day of our camping vacation.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Thursday, July 28 Cannon Mountain and Travel to Green Mountains
We got up, ate an early breakfast and packed up as we are moving on to the Green Mountains today. When we were all ready, we went to the Cannon Mountain tram.
It was a car suspended under cables. There was about a 20 degree temperature difference from the bottom to the top. Thankfully, we brought our coats. We walked the half mile rim trail that took us to the top of the observation tower along the way.
You could see Maine and Canada today. If it would have been even clearer, we could have seen all of New England. It was a good decision to wait until today to go up.
Then, we headed to the Green Mountains in Vermont. It was only a three hour drive from where we were. We took the "scenic" highway that consisted of a lot of twists and turns. There were not many gas stations or fast food choices along the way so we didn't end up stopping for lunch.
We got to the Emerald Lake State Park around 3:30-4:00. When we were setting up, I noticed Luke laying on the bench of the picnic table. That is not a good sign as he is prone to migraine headaches. Beth and Greg confirmed my suspicion and Luke did in fact have a migraine. The original plan was to set up and find a nice place to sit down and have a nice dinner. Since, it was not a good idea to have Luke get back in the car again that night, we made pizza pies around the fire.
While Luke was resting and trying to alleviate the symptoms of his headache, Greg and I went and purchased some wood and scoped the place out. It has a very nice lake. We found out the price to rent kayaks and canoes. Then we headed back to the campsite. A group of guys camped across from us and we suspect they are in a band. They had a guitar, tambourine and other musical instruments. It seemed as though they were trying to compose new material. Greg struggled with the fire all night, but it was good enough to cook our dinner. Greg had to cut little kindling pieces out of the logs for it to burn. When he split the wood, you could feel the moisture in it. When it fizzled out, we decided to call it a night.
It was a car suspended under cables. There was about a 20 degree temperature difference from the bottom to the top. Thankfully, we brought our coats. We walked the half mile rim trail that took us to the top of the observation tower along the way.
You could see Maine and Canada today. If it would have been even clearer, we could have seen all of New England. It was a good decision to wait until today to go up.
Then, we headed to the Green Mountains in Vermont. It was only a three hour drive from where we were. We took the "scenic" highway that consisted of a lot of twists and turns. There were not many gas stations or fast food choices along the way so we didn't end up stopping for lunch.
We got to the Emerald Lake State Park around 3:30-4:00. When we were setting up, I noticed Luke laying on the bench of the picnic table. That is not a good sign as he is prone to migraine headaches. Beth and Greg confirmed my suspicion and Luke did in fact have a migraine. The original plan was to set up and find a nice place to sit down and have a nice dinner. Since, it was not a good idea to have Luke get back in the car again that night, we made pizza pies around the fire.
 |
| Nice big sites with plenty of shade. |
While Luke was resting and trying to alleviate the symptoms of his headache, Greg and I went and purchased some wood and scoped the place out. It has a very nice lake. We found out the price to rent kayaks and canoes. Then we headed back to the campsite. A group of guys camped across from us and we suspect they are in a band. They had a guitar, tambourine and other musical instruments. It seemed as though they were trying to compose new material. Greg struggled with the fire all night, but it was good enough to cook our dinner. Greg had to cut little kindling pieces out of the logs for it to burn. When he split the wood, you could feel the moisture in it. When it fizzled out, we decided to call it a night.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)