Ohio

 

Our first stop in Ohio was Youngstown Air Force Station. Even though we haven’t used military campgrounds on this trip, as much as in the past, it was so nice to check out this small base with so many amenities. The Famcamp in Youngstown is right beside a military CrossFit station, a walking track and state of the art fitness center. Getting in a great workout was effortless; except of course for the workout.

From Youngstown, we traveled to Green Valley Resort where we met our newest best friends, John and Candi. They are from Washington state and travel in a similar fashion to the way we do. We discovered, after sharing travel stories, that last year we were at the same park, at the same time, in Idaho, and never met. So glad we didn’t repeat that mistake in Ohio. 

We were also pleased to visit another national park that I didn’t even know existed until we started to look for things to do in the area. Cuyahoga Valley National Park originated as a national recreation area and became a national park in 2000. We hiked to the parks premier waterfall and explored a bit of the Ohio and Erie Canal towpath. This little park doesn’t have the wow factor of most national parks but it’s always encouraging to see a natural space being protected and preserved.

Four Months In

 

After a rainy weekend at Cayuga Lake State Park, we spent our last week in NY at Allegheny State Park; New York’s largest park celebrating its 100th birthday this year. 

We have been on the road for almost four months now, and it feels like the eastern phase of our adventure is coming to a close. We aren’t traveling too far west on this trip but we are excited about edging closer to the mighty Mississippi, in a few days, on our way to Ohio and Michigan. 

We have taken time this week to address some of the jobs that have to be done when traveling that aren’t particularly photo worthy; refilling propane tanks, getting the truck serviced and taking time to really flush and clean our trailer tanks.

I know this lifestyle isn’t for everyone but I’m so thankful to have two travel partners who are just as excited as I am about what unknown experiences await a little further down the road!

Taking a Break

 

We are camping at Higley Flow State Park in the foothills of the Adirondacks. This area is only 70 miles from the St Lawerence River and is officially part of the 1000 Islands area of NY. We had every intention of exploring one or two of the 1,800 islands that make up the area but so far we’ve found ourselves content to just camp for a while. 

When there is so much to see and do, in a place we haven’t visited before, we can wear ourselves out trying to see and do everything! We’ve traveled enough now to know when it’s time to take a break and relax taking note of small things like spiderwebs in the morning, floating on rafts in the afternoon, evening strolls by the river and a campfire at night. When you slow down there’s a chance you might even run into the governor, in the restroom, while dining at the local eatery.

Drive by Sightings

 

We left Vermont a few days ago and took a route over the impressive Champlain Bridge back into New York so we could go through the village of Port Henry, NY. We chose this route to try and spot Champ, the lake monster of Lake Champlain. There have been sightings of this “horned serpent” for as long as people have resided in the Adirondacks. People began recording sightings of the Loch Ness type creature, in 1819, in the bay at Port Henry. We didn’t see anything swimming in the bay but when we passed the local Tri State gas station, we sighted Champy drumming up interest  for “Champ Days” in August.

We pushed on to Lake Placid, where we had reservations for a couple nights, so we could see the area where the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics took place. I think most people my age remember what happened in this beautiful place when it became part of Olympic history. Of course I’m referring to the amateur American men’s hockey team beating the veteran Soviet men’s team for the gold medal in the “miracle on ice.” I loved driving to all the sights in this area. It was also pretty cool following the Olympic Scenic Byway to our next destination in a less visited part of the Adirondacks.

America’s Small Town Capital

 

The smallest capital city in the US is Montpelier, VT with a population of just under 8,000. It’s a welcoming town nestled where two rivers meet in the Green Mountains. Known for it’s historic state government buildings and independently owned shops, it also happens to be the only capital city in the whole country without a McDonalds restaurant. 

The private campground where we’ve been staying for the Fourth of July weekend, is only 33 miles from Montpelier. We decided to take a day and check out the gold domed State House and visit Bragg Farm where the Bragg family have been making maple syrup for 8 generations. Tasting 100% real maple syrup for the first time was one of those defining moments when I realized I would never be able to buy Log Cabin or Mrs Butterworth syrup ever again.

We also got to enjoy the weekend without rockets glaring or bombs bursting. Starbaby is terrified of fireworks so we were thankful our campgrounds celebration revolved around everyone “lighting up” their camper instead.

Elusive Moose

 

I have seen a lot of large land mammals while hiking and biking in the US. The list includes bison, bear, elk, deer, big horn sheep, wild horses and burros. But the only moose I’ve seen, in the wild, was from the window of a greyhound bus, traveling through Colorado. The largest concentration of moose, in America, is in Maine but the Great North Woods, in NH, have a lot too. The whole week here, I have kept my eyes peeled for this large elusive creature. We’ve intentionally chosen hikes in the early morning or late evening on trails where moose signs like tracks and droppings were evident. We have literally walked in the hoof steps of moose but haven’t seen one. We still have a chance for a sighting in Vermont or Michigan but for now I’ll have to content myself with LL Cote’s moose mannequin. 

Moose facts: Moose have 32 teeth, just like humans. The word moose comes from a Native American word that means “twig eater.” Moose are usually loners and don’t form herds. The plural for moose is moose, not meese.