Northern Exposure

Each year for nearly 30 years the extended Moyer family heads northward to Canada for a fishing trip /family gathering.   We missed out on many of the trips because of being a military family stationed in places not convenient to making the journey.   But my sisters' families & Dad and Uncle Kerlin  were among the early goers and my sisters and their families and friends have been steady occupants of the 5 cottages on the Burt Farm at Clear Lake during the week following Father's Day.  Located at the end of Clear Lake near Elgin Ontario the camp is known as Green Valley Cottages and Campground founded and owned by the Burt family.   Clear Lake is on the Rideau waterway which is an historic endeavor connecting rivers and lakes via canals and locks  started after the War of 1812  providing a logistical canal system between Kingston and Ottawa, Ontario.    The waterway is now maintained primarily for recreational purposes.    It is a beautiful spot which we are eager to return to year after year.   This was our 2nd year for bringing the RV so the journey started with us loading up the 5th wheel and locking up the Sticks and Bricks (Home).



Our first stop was at Lackawanna State Park in northern PA.   We used this campground also last year
as our first stop.  The big difference we noted this year was the lack of our dog Toby encouraging  us to take a long walk several times a day.  We miss you Mr. T!    I had trouble backing the trailer into the site again this year, so this year I would say it's due to the narrow roadway and abundant trees. (Last year I chalked it up to being inexperienced)   This is a nice place but it is electric only and along with the access problems its quite possible I will look elsewhere next time.

Our site in Lackawanna State Park

This year we stopped near Watertown NY at Wescott Beach State Park  for our second stop.  We find it convenient to stay near Watertown to finish shopping for groceries for the week in Canada and to fill up with diesel before crossing the border.  We had a large back-in site (#17) that was above water as many sites had water/flooding problems due to the heavy rains during the previous week.  We also chose this spot so we could spend time with my life-long friend Dick Wiest and his wife Judy.   I've know Dick since we were 5 years old  and we were in school together grades 1 thru 12.  We met again as married couples in Las Vegas NV when I was stationed there in the AF,  and Dick was a new Veterinarian on his first job after Vet School.   We both ended up as RVers with Dick and Judy retiring and selling their Vet Clinic in Las Vegas  and  now are selling Vet products at Dog Shows and living part time in a 30' travel trailer.  They now spend their summers in a home they recently bought near Adams Center, NY.    He also just bought a new Chevy Silverado to pull his rig and I had hoped he would bring it over to the campsite so I could see it,  but,  they came over in Judy's car instead.  Perhaps we'll get to see it in November when they come to the Salisbury MD Dog Show.   Our son, Brian,  drove up from Baltimore to stay with us on Fri evening (June 14)  and arrived just in time for our cookout with Dick and Judy.   We had a great evening and the stop at Westcott Beach SP was just what we needed to get an early start for the border crossing to Canada on Saturday June 15.



CANADA  2013

What a difference a year makes!    Last year I had a lot of apprehension about bringing the HH to Canada.   This year it was "Don't sweat the small stuff!"   I was concerned with customs last year and if they treated a large RV differently than a car or truck maxed out with stuff.  Both years it was a few small questions after the "Bonjour!"  and we were on our way.    Much less anxious about the 2 two lane bridges crossing the Thousand Islands,  and  the  bridge "subway" marked for a Max 13' 2" clearance near Gananoque.    We headed north on Rt 15 toward Elgin, ON  and to the Sand Lake Campground.    We were greeted by the owner Kevin, who helped Ginny & I back into site O18.  We were all set up by early afternoon so we headed over to the cottages to visit family.   Brian rents a separate cabin at Pine Glen Lodge which is next to Green Valley,  and we rent a Pontoon boat there for the week.  Sunday it rained all day so we spent the day in Brian's cabin reading and watching TV -- limited channels so we watched a fishing show!    Ok, so we chronicled our activities in Canada last year and this year wasn't that different,  we can  describe our activities in three categories: fishing, boating, and eating.   In the fishing category, we were happy that Canada moved up the Bass season a week and now our week included bass  fishing but since we catch and release all fish this was not a big change for us.   One of the weeks activities that I enjoy is the Clear Lake Fishing With Kids contest that I have sponsored for the past decade.   The past several years, the contest had been conducted on the Pontoon boat.  since the # of kids is less than six.  (Nieces and Nephews kids).  We also like to take family members on boat rides on Clear Lake and adjacent lakes in the Rideau waterway system.   Its a wonderful time to ride around and enjoy the beautiful scenery the fellowship of family.

Lake view!

Brian showing how to retrieve a crankbait

Relax much?

Too little, throw him back!

Enjoying the outdoors

A busy guy!

Nice Bass!

Emily & Dad Norm

Preparing to board the Kids for the Fishing Contest

Awarding the prizes for the Fishing Contest

Good looking!  Not bad yourself, Brian

Boat tour of the lake.

BACK IN THE USA!!

We traveled back the way we came and directly thru customs at the I-81 entry point.   Normally, we would stop at the duty free shop (so Brian could get his picture taken with the stuffed Grizzly bear) but this year we decided to forgo the pleasure.   Customs was not too bad, after the Agent asked about 2 questions relevant to customs, he asked "How do you like towing that thing?"  ..So we were off into my happy world...talking about RVing and the HitchHiker we are towing. :)     We stopped at Watertown NY for refueling and some quick shopping, said good-by to Brian who headed down I-81 to Baltimore, and we headed NE to Higley Flow State Park in Colton NY (south of Potsdam).

This is another very nice NY State Park.  We came here because of the easy drive along the foothills of the Adirondacks and the campground had great reviews.   We had a no hookup site, which was actually no problem for our short stay.  We just had to run our generator several times a day to keep the batteries charged and to use the microwave and air conditioner.   We hiked to the beach and through all the campground loops noting potential sites for future visits.   It rained on our way back to the RV so we were glad to get back "home".   They had a nice bundle of firewood at the Ranger station where we checked in so we had two nights of having campfires ...forgot the chocolate so no S'mores.



Our next stop was in central Vermont.  We headed across northern NY and  across the Lake Champlain bridge at Rouses Point thru Alburg to Swanton on the Vermont side.  It was a rainy day for travel, in fact, it was a torrential rain south of Richmond VT where water was streaming down the mountain sides like I've never seen before.  The drainage ditch on the side of the road was completely full and at one point the water was flooding the road and traffic was forced to use the left lane and wade thru the running flow.   We figured if the tractor trailer truck in front of us  was able to get thru, we would be ok also.   We got to our campground , Lake Champagne Campground in Randolph Center, VT without any further trouble.  We had a brief break in the clouds and a hesitation in the rain while we set up at our site.   The sites at this campground were mostly on grass so at 18,700 lbs
we were leaving a sizeable rut in the lawn with these wet conditions.  We were here for three days and did not do any off site travel as it was raining off and on, so we did laundry instead.  This campground has a very nice laundry and since there were mostly seasonal weekender campers and it was mid-week there were a lot of empty rigs and we had the laundry pretty much to ourselves!   This was a good rest stop for us and we look forward to spending some time here in nicer weather so we can explore the area.   As it was, we refueled, got propane and  got ready for the trip to Hanscom AFB in Lexington MA.

BOSTON STRONG!

The drive through VT and NH was very pleasant with a minimum of interstate traffic until we reached Manchester NH.  We stopped at the border where NH has a large rest stop/liquor store.  Ginny went shopping for Chardonnay and I was busy contemplating how I was going to maneuver the rig through the busy parking lot to get back onto the interstate!  No problem!    We followed the Garmin until we were almost there, then used the directions from the campground's website to get us there.   We stayed at site 21 of the Hanscom Famcamp.  This was an electric and water site only and backed to the woods so we were happy.   We were met by Ginny's sisters Nancy and Kay for our second annual sojourn to the Boston area.    We travel here principally to visit Ginny's Uncle Joe and Aunt Joan.  Uncle Joe holds a special place in Ginny's heart as he is her Godfather.   Last years trip was such a success we decided a repeat was in order.  We stayed last year at the Famcamp at Fourth Cliff , south of Boston near Scituate, MA.   Well, when Ginny's cousins heard we were coming this year they decided to have a barbecue.  This was especially nice since we hadn't seen them in years.   It was a wonderful afternoon and Ginny's brother  Bill crashed the party as well.  He and his family came to Boston for a Red Sox game the evening before and heard we were going to be there, so it was great to see them also!    Unfortunately in the week before our visit Uncle Joe slipped in the tub and was sent to the hospital for a checkup and rehab.  They were unable to make the party, but we were able to visit him in the rehab center and were able to see for ourselves that he was on the mend.   We spent one of our days with Nancy and Kay traveling into town to Quincy Market to look around and have lunch.   It was a great afternoon.     Ginny and I came back later in the week to take a Trolley ride throughout the downtown area and go on a harbor cruise.   Temps in the mid 90's made this day somewhat brutal, and we didn't get off of the rides much to poke around, but we did have ice cream at the Cheesecake Factory (and that has to count for something!).  We also had our first ride on the MTA both going and coming as we used the train to get into town.   Boston is a great city and we enjoyed our visit there, but we both felt that 10 days at the Hanscom Famcamp was a bit long.

We got prepped for our next leg of the trip by dumping the tanks at the 1 week point so we wouldn't have to dump on our way out.   After hooking the RV to the truck we had to take the long way to the dump station which was right next to the laundry and on the main road leading into the back section of the campground.  Not a good design traffic wise and we were glad we would not have to do it again while there.   I always have wondered about getting a "blue boy" to empty the tanks, but with full tanks a 30 gallon blue boy would take 5 trips to get the job done then I'd have to figure out a way to stow it for traveling.   Based on our experience here and in Florida we can go a week without dumping and that'll cover 99% of our travel ... for the rest of the time we will hitch the truck and drive the rig to the dump station.    Last year we made 2 stops on the way home the first being at Westover ARB in Springfield MA.   This is a short run from Boston and a little off of the direct route so we decided to drive a little longer and go directly to Promised Land Lake in PA which works out to be about the halfway point back to Maryland.    Again we found the Garmin is a good tool, but you have to pay attention if you really care how you get to your destination.   Ginny was driving the rig through Hartford CT and we nearly missed our turn because the Garmin Lady wanted to take the scenic route.   It's great that Ginny can drive the rig so well as I actually sleep most of the time she is driving.   Then I am fully rested for my turn at the wheel.   When we swapped drivers she informed me she didn't like driving through CT one bit,  ... the hills, constant turns one way then another, and the traffic got to her.   Should'a told me sooner!    We arrived early afternoon at the Promised Land Lake headquarters.   They have 4 campgrounds here and we were headed for the newly renovated Pickerel Point campground.   Pickerel Point is a peninsula on Promised Land Lake and the campground was built in the '30s but the top to bottom renovations completed last year (closed the campground and took 4 years) made it a top notch location and perhaps the pinnacle of PA's State Park campgrounds.   They have some full hookup sites which I believe is a first for PA State Parks.   You would have to reserve a site early for a full hookup in the summer so we  picked an electric only site.   We backed into the  site with minimal fanfare (Our Walkie Talkies work great for communicating our back-ins)  and  within 15 min we had the rig unhooked, leveled, slides out and AC running!    Ginny wanted to take a walk so we walked down to the beach area on the point where she declared she wasn't ready to go home yet and we decided to stay here an extra day.  It was wonderful here.  We got out our bikes, had campfires, went for walks... and wondered why we left our kayak at home!   We definitely will be coming back to Pickerel Point! 

We changed our route for heading home.  Instead of I-81 we Went south from Promised Land Lake to East Stroudsburg then got on I-76  west to Rt 100, to Rt 222 heading through my old stomping grounds ( the Reading area) to Lancaster, catching Rt 30 to York then I-83 south to the Baltimore Beltway then to I-97 south to our exit in Millersville MD.