Missing It Already.

Since I've been home for three days I've been missing camping.  It's a simple way of life even though there's a lot of work.  I would love to be a Full-timer.  Not sure my DH could handle it.  He can work anywhere in the country and if I get nationally certified so can I.  Moving around to a different area every few months would be awesome.

Tahquamenon Falls, MI

White Fish Point, MI

Dallas & Domino enjoying the outdoors.

Domino & Dallas tuckered out from all the hiking and fresh air.

Last Day In Canada

We stayed at the Milton Heights Campground in Milton, ON.  We were only going to stay two nights, but ended up staying four.  This was a great home base to visit, Guelph, Toronto & Parry Sound.  My grandfather was born in Guelph and my great grandfather and Bobby Orr were born in Parry Sound.  My great grandfather actually died in Parry Sound at the age of 33.  The campground was clean.  It had hydro (electricity), water and sewer.  Most of the campgrounds we went to did not have sewer.  This one also had a laundry room which is great to have because it's really hard to pack a ton of clothes in a small camper.

There were a lot of dogs here and a lot of really nice people, most of whom were from Ontario.  I wasn't surprised they were all so nice, because they were dog people, hahaha!  We even gave a couple that was staying across from us our email addresses so if they are ever in the States they can let us know.  I am glad that we left when we did because most people had a long weekend in Canada due to their Thanksgiving being celebrated on October 10th and lots of people started filling up the campground with children.  I don't mind children, but they do make my dogs bark.

It was really nice to stay somewhere for more than two days and not have to hitch and unhitch every other day.

On our way home it was more than a days drive because it takes a lot longer to drive pulling a travel trailer because you're not going 60 mph.  So I found a nice place on a river in Schenectady, NY.  We didn't get there until 7pm so everything was dark.  We almost drove down a railroad track because it was right near the turn for the place.  It was called Arrowhead Campground & Marina.  It looked like a nice big site when we pulled in, (thank goodness it was a pull-in site at this time of night). But we couldn't see anything but the plug to plug in.  We didn't hook up to their water because we needed to use up our water in the tank before getting home.  In the morning when we woke up, it was a spectacular site.  On our door side of the camper was the river with lots of trees and no other campers in our line of site.  I couldn't believe our luck coming in so late on a holiday weekend and getting, what I would call, a prime site.

Still not home yet, but I'm sure we will be back tonight or tomorrow morning.  I truly have enjoyed our experience RVing and could do this most months out of the year.

Guelph, ON where my Granddad was born

The Basilica in Guelph, ON

Wayne Gretzky Sports Center & Hall of Recognition.

Domino & Dallas chilling' at Milton Heights Campground thinking they're getting the steak we're cooking!

Bobby Orr Hall of Fame in Parry Sound, ON

Bobby Orr Hall of Fame in Parry Sound, OR on Georgian Bay in Lake Huron

Yes I play Pokemon Go.

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Bobby Orr's dedication to his Dad after he passed away.

In front of the City Hall of Guelph, ON trying to find out about my father's family.

From the top of the Civic Museum in Guelph.  Small museum, but nice old pictures of the town.

Outside the Guelph Library still trying to find out about my family.

Toronto For The Day

Went to Toronto today.  It is a very big city.  I haven't walked through a major city in awhile so I don't know if there are tons of people walking around in business suits all at the same time with large pockets of no-one in between.  My husband went to the Hockey Hall Of Fame and I walked Domino & Dallas through Toronto.  I was worried as I walked through little marbled sitting areas thinking that one of my dogs was going to have to go to the bathroom.  I guess I shouldn't have worried, because Domino decided to wait until he was in the middle of a street.  I saw that he was trying to go and I kept pulling him onto the sidewalk.  I did go back into the street and pick up after him.  And I was happy in the end that he didn't go in front of one of the many restaurants that we walked by.

When Gary got out of the Hall Of Fame we walked to the CN Tower near the waterfront.  We had to take turns going inside.  I went and bought both tickets so Gary just had to wait in three lines instead of four.  It cost $35 to go to the main upper deck.  There is a higher deck that I thought Gary would have gone to, but he didn't.  And they have an outside area where they tether you off and you can practically hang off the side of this very tall building.  So we went up 114 stories, but we could have gone up 147 stories.  It was not as impressive as the Sears Tower, or the John Hancock in Chicago.  These windows were just like regular windows.  I wanted them to be floor to ceiling.  They did have an outside fenced in deck that was nice and windy.  And they had a glass floor in a small part of it that people were lying on and having their pictures taken.  I could barely get myself to look down.  And it wasn't as scary as I thought going up and down the glass elevator, even though I was right out front.  I think it was because they shoved so many of us in one elevator and I felt like I was safe and secure.

Surprisingly, they had pretty good spinach and feta stuffed bagels at the top of the tower.

We then walked for 15 minutes to go down to the waterfront.  It had kayaks for rent and a tiny beach which was nice.  And also a train museum and a brewery.  We never got to walk to the gardens or any other museums.  They are not all together like in Chicago.  If we didn't have the dogs, we would have gone on a double decker bus tour and a lake tour to the Toronto Islands.

I liked Ottawa better than Toronto even though we didn't have a chance to walk around Ottawa.  I guess because there were no hockey places in Ottawa so Gary didn't have a need to walk around, hahaha!

Ottawa

This time we went to Canada.  We've both been to Montreal before, but never went to Ontario.  Actually, we started by getting a route to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and it showed us a way through Canada.  I figured that would be interesting and maybe this time we would actually see some wildlife besides our own two dogs.  Well, so far we just saw one deer on our way up through Vermont.

We left in the middle of the afternoon to make some headway.  And halfway through the ride G was too tired to drive so we stopped in a small rest-area in Sharon, VT.  There were a few big rigs, but it was quiet, cozy and free.

We bypassed Montreal because we've both been there a lot and figured with a trailer in tow it would probably be a mess.

We got into Ontario in the afternoon and didn't have a place in mind to stay.  I looked on my RV Parky app and found a great campground called Wesley Clover Park Campground.  It was small but woodsy and private.  We were actually next to a tiny little cottage that was empty.  It was a lovely place.  But all night long we heard some noise and finally realized it was the highway that we were just minutes from, even though we had to loop around and felt like we were in the middle of nowhere.  There were a lot of empty areas that we were able to walk the dogs.  There was so much wilderness I was a little apprehensive to walk my dogs alone, but did and still didn't see any bear or moose or elk.

The next morning we had our truck unhooked from the trailer and made our way into downtown Ottawa.  Of course it was rush hour, but we were on vacation and forget that everyone else has to work.  But, oh my goodness... OTTAWA IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CANADIAN TOWN I HAVE EVER SEEN.  I didn't get very many good pictures because there were so many busses along the sidewalk and it was way to busy to walk the dogs around.

Beautiful pictures to follow when I have amazing wifi.  Right now it's free and very sketchy.  I use to take wifi for granted.

Art Work in the middle of Ottawa

Travel Trailers Are Tricky

At Recompence Shore Campground we had a little mishap with the truck and camper.  We were looking at the map of the campground and it had lots of different areas.  We could tell where we were, but could not tell how to get back to the office to check out by 11am.  The campsites were enormous, but the roads to and from, not so much.  We went down a few wrong ways, which in a car or truck is just fine, all you have to do is turn around.  But here we had to backup with a 21' trailer behind us.  We were battling trees, large rocks and fence posts.  I was outside the truck and giving directions.  Either my directions were misleading or the drivers ears were shut (I'm not naming names)!  It took us 45 minutes to get to the office, yikes!

As you're turning the truck, the trailer goes the other way so if you turn too much they hit each other.  Most of the time you would stop and turn the wheel.  But this time we had so much stuff in the way we were caught between the trees, rocks and fences.  And all this because there was a bridge that had a sign on it that said, "No RV's allowed over bridge"! The bridge was probably only 6' long.  We did way more damage to our vehicles than we could have possibly done to that little bridge.

Recompence Shore CampGround

This place is more than just a campground Recompence Shore Campground freeportcamping.com.  It is also an organic farm on the ocean, sells vegetables and has a dairy farm with a camp and school for kids.  It's right next to Wolf's Neck State Park Mainetrailfinder.com.  The campsites have water and electricity if you aren't on the ocean, that's what we got.  Today we went to visit the farm and check out the ocean views. We had a very large campsite with a huge open area that the dogs could run around in if we could have unleashed them.  Instead we took them through the trails in the woods on our way to the farm.

Domino & Dallas are loving the cows.

Recompence Shore Campground, Freeport, Maine

This is an awesome place to camp with children. They have so many things going on to teach children about farming.  They also have farm to plate meals on certain days, hay rides & let a few people help with feeding the farm animals.  I wish I knew about this place when my boys were little

The sheep were talking to my dogs.  I don't think they knew what they were and didn't know what to do with them.  I thought for sure Domino would want to go after them and try and herd them.  I know he likes herding us.  And they also had ducks that weren't caged and my dogs just walked by and didn't do a thing.  It was awesome and not stressful like I thought it would be bringing them into the barn.  All the people there were very accommodating and friendly.

Something New To Learn Each Day

Well, I didn't have internet for two days.  I thought I could write my blog and just not publish it.  I guess I was wrong.

We have been seeing some beautiful scenery.  But still no wildlife, unless you count our dogs.  We even stayed inside Acadia National Park for two nights and only saw chipmunks.  How does that happen??

It rained the two days we stayed in the park it was like being in a rainforest. We met a few people from across the way.  One guy was very friendly and liked our dogs, and the other one kept walking by and staring at our dogs without saying hi.  I don't tend to trust people that don't like my dogs.

A Learning Lesson

So our trip so far is a learning lesson.  Our RV is lite.  Which we thought was a great thing because it was easier to tow.  Then we realized, yes it's easier to tow and will use less gas, but it will also get swept all over the highway when semi trucks drive by.  Well it was tough going, but beautiful scenery along the way.

We were on our way to Acadia, but didn't want to be rushed setting up our RV.  It was almost 6:00 so we called a place on the water in Searsport, ME and they had an opening.  I would have thought there were less people camping in the fall, but I was mistaken.  There are a lot of full timers and retired folk that camp when it's quieter.                  

There are three levels of sites here.  One was right on the ocean, but up high on a ledge, the other was one row back and then further back.  They had no more ocean front sites so we opted for the second row.  Which is pretty awesome because you can still see the ocean.  

We also got to see the almost full moon and an awesome sunrise.  We did go to bed at 8:30 and wake up a little before 6am.  And after a few hours of sleep Gary learned how to turn on the heater.  I guess it gets cold on the ocean in Maine in September hahaha!  We took the dogs for a few walks outside before going to bed.  And said hello to a few couples walking around with their dogs or alone.  Everyone here is very friendly.  But I guess who wouldn't be if they're on vacation.  Plus, I have never  met a mean or angry person in Maine.  Even if they weren't from here.  

So after a half restful sleep and a beautiful sunrise, I tried using my Instant Pot pressure cooker.  I was looking around for the instructions and realized I must have left them at home.  Thank goodness for free wifi at this campsite and being able to find anything on the internet.  I opened a few cans of vegetables and added some water and quinoa, and voila a one pot healthy protein and fiber rich breakfast that we can also have for lunch or dinner later on.

Making It Homey

I remember when my son was little and he thought homely was what we were saying when we were actually saying homey.  I couldn't understand why he was saying something was homely and he obviously seemed to like it.  Well today I added some dish scrubbers to our new home and I think it adds pizzaz to our little abode.  I love the colors.  Bright colors is something that this place definitely needed because everything is brown an beige.  It might actually make me want to do the dishes a little more now.

Wildlife & Other Fun Camping Things

My new obsession is to find a field guide that I can check the wildlife in the area that we are visiting. I want to be able to know what the scat (poop), and footprints are that is near us and how to protect us and our dogs from the animals that we come in contact with.  Someone online was saying to not spend the $35 on bear spray and just use hornet spray.  Then I found out that this is inhuman to use on bears and I'm guessing on hornets too, hahaha!  When we get really good at camping after a few years, maybe we can go into the woods and forage for food.  But that is something for my wildest dreams.   And my FB friends know that I do have some wild dreams.

I have joined a few FB pages about RVing and what I have come to find out about RVers is that they are a bunch of friendly, helpful and kind people.  You can ask any random, crazy or normal question and get at least 50 answers within an hour.  Much more helpful than any customer service company that I've spoken with.  There are also campground reviews and all kinds of stuff to look up.

These are two of the products I've received so far from Amazon.com.  The salad spinner is awesome and can also be used as a very large bowl.  I'm going to try out the towel when I shower.  It is so much more compact than a regular towel and it is suppose to be quick drying.  This way we can wash it after our showers and it should be dry for the next time without having to find a washer and dryer.  Will also be getting one to wipe off the dogs if it rains.  It's amazing what kind of products you can find when you need them.

Instant Pot

This is my crockpot/pressure cooker.  I can't wait to use it in the RV.  I've been printing out healthy recipes with just a few ingredients and spices.  But today I found out that you can also cook a pizza in this thing.  Actually any crockpot.  So as I make the recipes I will be posting them here so you can try them out if you like.  Gary says he is going to stop or lessen his meat eating.  Only time will tell. And I am hoping to lose at least 15lbs.  Hopefully we will be doing a lot of walking and we will be having awesome fall weather. Can't wait to bring all of you on this journey with us.  Sorry it has to be just an online journey. ~Have a peachy day

So Much To Do So Little Time

A week from today is our ship out date.  We still  have so much to do to get ready.  Thank goodness for www.Amazon.com, we have Prime membership so we can order things last minute and hopefully get the majority of things by next week.  Still haven't started to pack the RV, but I think I will be doing that soon so I can clean up our house before we set out on our journey.

Important things to do before leaving:

1.  Visit Granddaughter

2.  Get lock box on truck

3.  Find bin with a cover to put dirty hose into

4.  Make sure AAA is printing up our directions

5.  Pack RV

6.  Clean house & make sure the kids come to visit it once in a while

I listed the most important things we still need to do.  Obviously in the order they mean the most.  If I had the time I would have put visit granddaughter more than once, hahaha!

The other day before the storm Gary turned the camper around to make it safe in the driveway.  I noticed a beehive growing in our vent on the top of the camper.  He says it's empty, but at least now I know what to look out for in the future.
          

Thirteen Days Left

Leaving in less than 2 weeks.  I'm getting both excited and nervous.  Listening to all the weather around the country sounds horrific, but if we don't get up and go now we will probably never do it.  Life certainly does get in the way.  There is always something keeping everyone from enjoying their life.  Work, Family, and everything in-between.  Everything will be just where I left it when we get back.  The only thing I'm expecting to change when we're gone is my granddaughter.  I'm hoping that I can FaceTime with her.  I know she's too little to understand, but I just want to be able to see her.  She is the most adorable little girl I have ever seen, says every grandparent in the world, hahaha!

Most of the stuff we need for camping is ready to go.  We are going simply and enjoying nature, solitude and leaving the problems of life behind.  Now I must go and put our trip on AAA Trip Tiks again.  The first few times it did not save.  But since I can be old school, I wrote it down in my notebook.

If anyone knows of any interesting things around this country that we should check out while we're out and about, please comment below.  ~Have a snazzy day!

Mini Vacation

Today Gary took me on a micro mini vacation.  We drove the trailer to the town next to us and parked along the side of the road on a pulloff area that is between two lakes.  It is really hot out today, but there was a beautiful breeze coming off the lake.  We only spend a little over an hour there, but it was great and an easy way to unwind and get use to spending time in our new little home.  How do you guys take a min break?  Would love to hear other ideas.

RV Cooking

I've been trying to plan what kinds of food my husband and I will be cooking on our adventure.  I've looked up a bunch of vegan and vegetarian recipes that look pretty good, but not many recipes online for that sort of thing.  I call myself a vegetarian, but am really a vegan that loves butter.  Since there are so many types of vegetarians I just thought I would add another one.  Gary is a carnivore.  He will mostly be eating vegan meals with maybe a few grilled burgers or steak in between.  I'm hoping that we lose weight on this adventure do to the fact that we will be doing a lot of walking and eating mostly healthy foods.




We will try and stop by lots of farmers markets due to the fact that Ruby has a very small refrigerator

and a practically non existent freezer. Bringing a huge bag of rice and beans which should cook up quickly in the crockpot/pressure cooker I purchased and adding fresh veggies should be easy enough.  They said that using the burners on the RV stovetop will use up a lot of propane.  This way we plug into the campsite and use their electricity.  And with the pressure cooker things will cook faster and we don't have to stay inside the camper while it's on.


As many of my family members know, I like to research anything I'm planning on doing so that I can do it the quickest and easiest way possible.  I don't like wasting time or money.
Still trying to figure out what these are on the bottom shelf of the fridge door.

Coffee Time

We had coffee with Ruby this morning.  The dogs, Dallas & Domino are really feeling comfortable in the RV.  They even seem to bark less.  That is really the only thing I'm worried about at the campsites.  Dallas loves to talk to squirrels.  But most people don't enjoy her high pitched voice when she's doing it.  I'm hoping with all the exercise we'll be doing that she will be too tired to talk.  And maybe Gary will too, hahaha!

Ruby Is Her Name

So Ruby is the name that came to me when we went to pick her up today.  I am happy with that name.  She is rugged and friendly at the same time.  I feel very comfortable with her.  I wanted to sleep in there tonight, but my significant other is not onboard.  He says it's too hot.

He practiced driving it today and did pretty well.  The backing up part did not go so well.  I think it did, he didn't run over anyone.  I wanted to try doing it, but I don't think he wanted me to get good at it before he did.  Oh men.

The anticipation of getting Ruby has gone and now it is taken over by anticipation of our traveling adventure.  I just can't wait to get started on our journey.