(2024 Heartland Ep 12)

After crossing Vermont and New Hampshire, we stopped near the coast to visit a longtime friend, Norm MacLean.  More than 40 years ago, we worked in the same Prudential department, ate lunch together and played racquetball with several other guys.  Norm was even an usher at our wedding in 1980.  His friendship and spiritual mentoring have profoundly affected my life.

Norm moved to Massachusetts, and then New Hampshire, in the ‘90s. We have enjoyed several visits with him over the years. 

We took a short walk from Norm’s apartment to downtown Exeter. The small village is situated on the Squamscott River, a few miles from Portsmouth. We passed Jailhouse Spring, where several locals were filling water jugs from the historied spring.     

We admired several historic churches in the center of the town and Norm pointed out the prestigious Phillips Exeter Academy several blocks away.  The school is the alma mater of three Nobel Prize winners and Meta (Facebook) founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Incident in Exeter

In addition to the numerous colonial-era landmarks in the area, Exeter was the location of one of the best-documented and publicized UFO sightings that occurred in 1965.  Today, the town hosts an annual UFO festival that marks the incident and raises funds for several children’s charities in the area. Unfortunately, we were too early for this year’s festival that occurred at the end of August.  

Norm was our tour guide for the day and took us to a variety of nearby attractions. 

We stopped at Jenness State Beach, where wetsuit-adorned Norm surfs from time to time, and continued along the scenic coast, passing through Portsmouth and into Maine. We stopped at Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier for lunch and watched several frisky lobsters skittering around a small tank. We decided on fish and shrimp instead, enjoying our meals at an outdoor picnic table overlooking the creek.

A while later we walked a short trail around Steedman’s Woods. We accessed it via Wiggly Bridge, a short span that crosses a swift flowing arm of Barrell’s Millpond. The bridge is said to be the smallest suspension bridge in the world. Regardless, it is definitely wiggly!

From there, we made a late afternoon stop at Nubble Lighthouse (photo at top of blog post). Sitting atop a tiny island near York, ME, the 41-foot lighthouse was built in 1879.

Our day came to an end as we passed through Kennebunk, ME bound for Blowing Cave Park.  Beyond the park’s crashing waves and misty sea spray, is Walker’s Point Estate, summer retreat of the Bush family.  It was the home of George HW (#41) and Barbara Bush. 

Several vehicles were parked in front of the house. We wondered if George W (#43) and Laura Bush were visiting.

Covered Bridges

There are LOTS of beautiful covered bridges throughout New England. They are reminders of quieter and simpler times. We wonder if there is a blog dedicated to covered bridges that includes a route to the best bridges in New England.

Today, some of the bridges have been closed to vehicle traffic. Others have been rebuilt. There are even new covered bridges that resemble the old bridges. Our journey took us by (and across) several of them. We had to detour several times because Pap was too tall!

Enjoy our covered bridge photos below.

White Horse Villa

In 1954 my dad retired from the US Navy and purchased the White Horse Villa in North Conway, NH.

The Villa was built in the 1800s. It is located near White Horse Ledge, a glacier-carved 800-foot granite cliff, and an oxbow on the swift-flowing Saco River.

My dad, mom and brothers spent the next six years renovating the old place. I was born in 1957.

The house was sold in 1960 to a ski club from the Boston area (they still own the property) and our family moved to Florida.

Best Cinnamon Buns in Exeter

Before embarking on our coastal tour, Norm took us to two delightful cafes in downtown Exeter to sample their cinnamon buns.

St. Anthony’s is a classic kind of place, with friendly staff and great coffee. We split our fresh flaky bun three ways, enjoying the nice cinnamon flavor and rich frosting.

A few blocks away, Me and Ollies has a more modern coffee shop vibe, where they serve up specialty coffees and baked goods. Their bun had soft and pillowy coils of a biscuit-like dough with icing drizzled on top.

The buns were unique and very good – 4s on a scale of 5!

Next Week

Our 2024 Heartland blog series wraps up with stops in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia.

We returned home several weeks earlier than originally planned. The timing was perfect, however.

(2024 Heartland Ep 11)

(It’s been a rather eventful month since we returned home.  We’ve endured Helene and Milton, two major hurricanes, and seepage in our downstairs, when our sump pump failed during heavy rains before the storms.  Dried out and thankful for minimal impact from the severe weather, we hope you’ll join us as we keep those affected in prayer)    

Following our second week of summer camp, we stopped in nearby Madison, Ohio to catch up on laundry and to start the drive east toward New Hampshire.  We planned to visit a close friend in Exeter, NH and to continue to Conway, NH where Ed was born and where we would visit the White Horse Villa, an old boarding house that Ed’s parents once owned.

We camped that night in a parking area behind Warren Free Methodist Church in Warren, PA. 

Baby Arch

During a grocery run to a nearby Walmart, we stopped to see the 14-foot Baby Arch erected to recognize area workers who fabricated the stainless-steel pieces used to construct the Gateway Arch in St Louis, MO.   They intricately measured, cut and ground wedge-shaped pieces to fit with other segments of the arch. The pieces were shipped via trains and semi-trucks to St Louis where the 630-foot arch contains more than 900 tons of stainless steel.

After church the next morning, we continued north to New York.

At Letchworth State Park, we hiked to three waterfalls on the Genesee River as it winds through a canyon that is up to 550 feet deep. Letchworth is renowned as the Grand Canyon of the East.  

The next afternoon we toured Mt Morris Dam, several miles downriver from the waterfalls.  The dam, 1028 feet long and 230 foot above the riverbed, does not have a reservoir.  Instead, it is the largest concrete gravity flood control structure east of the Mississippi River.  It holds excess flows of the Genesee River to prevent flooding of agricultural land and the city of Rochester, NY, 35 miles away.  

The visitor center at the dam has photos of repeated floods of Rochester before the dam was completed in 1954.   In 1972, flood waters from Hurricane Agnes nearly crested the dam as it protected Rochester from serious flooding. We found that amazing considering the height of the dam!

In the Path of Debby

Fast forward to 2024. We learned that Hurricane Debby had struck the Big Bend area of Florida and was headed up the east coast toward us.  With a forecast of heavy rain and gusty winds and a track somewhat near where we were camped, we decided to stay in the Finger Lakes area in western New York for a few days to let the storm pass. 

Hurricanes and RabbiTRAILS

Since retiring in 2018 have our travels distanced us from the threat of hurricanes?  Nope. 

Hurricane Michael struck Panama City, FL in 2018 as we returned from Alaska.  We took multiple trips to the Florida Panhandle to help with Samaritan’s Purse relief efforts.

Two years later, our travels were affected by two hurricanes – by Delta, as we camped near Roanoke, VA, and a few weeks later, by Zeta north of Atlanta, GA. 

In 2022, we were stranded with truck engine problems in North Sydney, Nova Scotia as Hurricane Fiona approached from the south. We escaped just in time to a safe campground a couple hundred miles away in New Brunswick. Then, after returning home, we again worked with Samaritan’s Purse in Ft. Meyers after it was devastated by Hurricane Ian.

If you’re from Florida, dealing with hurricanes is how it rolls.

Western New York – Gardens and Locks

Our New York travels continued with a visit to the Buffalo Botanical Gardens. The gardens, competed at the end of the 19th century, include a magnificent glass covered conservatory that houses tropical and other plant species and several small ponds of colorful koi fish.

We also visited locks on the Erie Canal in nearby Lockport. During a sunny afternoon cruise, we learned the history of the locks and 363 mile canal that goes from the Hudson River westward to Buffalo and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal, sometimes called our nation’s first superhighway, was 40 foot wide and four foot deep. Today, the enlarged canal is mainly used by recreational watercraft.

^{There are two sets of locks at Lockport – to the right is the Flight of Five, five narrow locks originally on the canal.
Those locks were replaced by two wider and taller locks in 1918.}

Taughannock Falls

^{We enjoyed a short walk to Taughannock Falls. The falls plunge 215 feet over rocky cliffs that tower nearly 400 feet above the gorge.}

Thankful for moderate rainfall and no strong winds from Debby, we continued east through Vermont and New Hampshire.

Next Week

Visits to old bridges, an old house and a friend of more than 45 years in the Granite State.

^{Read to the end to find out}

(2024 Heartland Ep 10)

(We’ve been taking a break from blogging to return home and recover from our travels. Rested and nearly caught up on everything, we return to our 2024 Heartland journey…)

As July came to an end, we arrived at Madison, Ohio for a week on staff at Cedarbrook Camp of Ohio.

This was our second week at a Cedarbrook camp this summer.  There are a dozen Cedarbrook camps across the US that seek to provide a Christ-centered, safe and fun camping experience.  

We served at the Land o’ Sunshine (Florida) Camp Cedarbrook for more than 25 years and began serving at other Cedarbrook camps after the Florida camp was discontinued in 2016.

Cedarbrook Camps

Like many other summer camps, Cedarbrook camps offer various activities like archery, riflery, camping skills, nature, crafts, swimming, canoeing and lots more.   What attracts us to Cedarbrook camps is their emphasis on Christian principles in all aspects of camp and the development of practical life skills for campers.  The camps are staffed by adult volunteers who view camp as personal ministry.

Scenes from CCO – waterfront area used for swimming, canoeing, kayaking and fishing, archery targets, and getting a watermelon ready for a fun game of greased watermelon football at the lake!

Similar…

Cedarbrook camps have many similarities.   All have individual morning devotions and counselor-led Bible studies.  Evening programs include fun age-specific and all-camp activities followed by singing and an evening campfire/talk.  Singing ranges from traditional fun camp songs to worship and praise songs.  One evening each week cabin groups cook their evening meal over a campfire. 

And many Cedarbrook camps offer intense multi-year counselor leadership training for older campers.

…And Different

There are some interesting differences in the camps as well.

Heat and humidity are a challenge at camp in Texas, so the cabins and other camp buildings are air conditioned. Evening programs don’t always include a campfire.

At Ohio camp, days are mostly pleasant and nighttime temps can even get chilly (at least by Florida/Texas standards). There is no air conditioning and floor fans are sufficient.

Like Texas camp, Ohio has a morning flag raising ceremony with traditional bugle calls (played on a trumpet and saxophone), the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem.

The Ohio camp uses facilities at Stony Glen Camp located 35 miles east of Cleveland.  The large site is situated along the Grand River.  There is a nice pond for swimming and fishing, and several ravines offering challenging hikes to scenic waterfalls.

Cabin groups eat their meals family-style (Texas meals are served cafeteria-style), and, in addition to the dinner cookout each week, Ohio campers cook their breakfast over a campfire.  Canned-biscuit donuts cooked in hot oil and rolled in sugar are a favorite!

Fresh-cooked donuts are a favorite at the morning cookout

Ohio camp is held for four weeks, with three weeks for girls and one week for boys.

How We Served

Pat and I taught fire-building and outdoor cooking to third/fourth grade boys, assisted with other activities and helped close camp for the summer.

We were blessed to serve at Texas and Ohio camps this summer, and hope to return in the future.

Next Week

We head east from Ohio, with stops in Pennsylvania and New York, and hunker down for a couple days to allow Hurricane Debby to pass.

So, what’s better than a week at camp?

TWO WEEKS of camp!

(2024 Heartland Ep 8)

Our earlier overnight stops along Lake Superior provincial parks were at Sleeping Giant, where we attempted a challenging hike to the top of the giant and learned about a silver mine on a tiny island in the lake.  At Rainbow Falls, we viewed a nice waterfall and hiked several short trails to nice vistas above the lake.

A Superior POW Camp

Our travels continued eastward to Neys Provincial Park, midway across the top of Lake Superior. Much of the park is at lake level with scenic sandy beaches and a rocky shoreline.

We learned Neys was the site of a prisoner of war camp during WWII – one of 26 POW camps in Canada during the war.  The first POWs were German Officers transferred from Britain starting in January 1941.  Captured enemy merchant seamen were at the camp from November 1941 to December 1943, and high-level Nazi sympathizers were there thru the end of war.

A fourth group of Japanese Canadians were housed at the camp after the war as they were repatriated into Canadian communities. 

^{A park ranger tells us about the WWII POW Camp at Neys; metal pieces from a water tower are what little remains of the camp}

A park ranger led us on a short hike where she told us about the camp and pointed out the locations of buildings and other camp facilities.  Camp buildings were removed after the camp closed in 1946 and, except for displays and artifacts at the visitor center, there are few remains that reflect the unique history of the park.

Winnie-the Pooh and Ed Too

At White River, a small town on the Lake Superior north shore drive, we visited a larger-than-life monument to Winnie-the-Pooh.

In 1914 an army lieutenant on his way overseas purchased a small back bear and named it after Winnipeg, his hometown. He left Winnie at the London Zoo during WWI, and the beloved bear became the basis for the Winnie-the-Pooh story by A.A. Milne in 1926.

Pukaskwa National Park

We spent two nights at Pukaskwa National Park where we hiked two challenging (and shorter) trails that climbed to amazing views of Lake Superior.   We were reminded of some of the beautiful coastline and islands in Maine and Newfoundland and kept expecting to see whales breeching.  There are no whales in the fresh water of Lake Superior we reminded ourselves!

In case you were wondering, Pukaskwa is pronounced like Arkansas (e,g, puck-a-shaw).

^{We often stopped at Tim Hortons for coffee and donuts; Ed was perplexed by the reminder ‘Always Fresh’ above a men’s room urinal at one location}

Pap Becomes a Tripod

Shortly after leaving Pukaskwa we heard something dragging under the truck.  We quickly stopped and found the rear driver side camper jack leg dragging on the road.  The jack motor was continuing to operate, pushing the rear end of the camper and truck higher and higher.  I scrambled to cut the power to the jack.  

The jack leg was bent and could not be retracted. It took several minutes to figure out how to remove the jack from the side of Pap.  

Camper jack control box – the loose power connector was at the bottom left (+12 VDC); the power connector was snipped when installed

The cause:  the ‘hot’ wire on the box that controls the camper jacks slipped off a loose screw and directly contacted the connector for the rear driver side jack. 

We are thankful the only apparent damage was to the jack itself.  And we praise God for His protection because had we been going at regular speed the entire back corner of the camper could have been ripped off!

A new camper leg is waiting for us at home.  This will be Pap’s second leg replacement.    :>(           

Next Week

Colored eggs, footballs and an impressive collection of flying things.

(2024 Heartland Ep 7)

We left the North Shore Scenic Drive and Grand Portage behind and crossed the border into Canada, looking forward to nine nights at several provincial parks and a national park on the north shore of Lake Superior.  It would prove to be a memorable experience in several ways.

Letting the Sleeping Giant Lie

After a restful night at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, we undertook an ambitious hike to the top of the sleeping giant the next morning. 

Minutes after starting out we were SWARMED by black flies.  We hastily pulled out the Deep Woods Off, spraying it generously on our legs, hands and faces (we were wearing long sleeve shirts thankfully). 

The bug juice helped…some.

In all our travels we experienced worse bugs only one time – last summer when driving to Chena Hot Springs in Alaska.  When we stopped to take a short hike, the mosquitoes were so bad we got back in our truck and kept going!

That wasn’t an option this time, so we kept moving, swishing and swatting as we moved along. 

We hiked up and down a series of hills for nearly three miles and came to a junction with two trails to the top of the giant.  We were told one trail was extremely steep and the other was slightly longer but not nearly as steep.  We chose the second one.

The trail narrowed and followed a small creek.  We crossed the creek several times, hopping across rocks attempting to keep our feet dry.  The trail was very steep in places and at mile five, we reached the final junction to the trail to the top.  Ahead was a boulder field that we would have to scramble to keep going.

^{Stopped by a boulder field and steep climb!}

We were covered with bug bites and already weary from the hike, so we let the sleeping giant lie and turned back. :<(

The World’s Richest Silver Mine                   

We finally reached the parking lot, climbed into our truck and drove to Silver Islet, a small town near the park.  We were in search of something to comfort our sore feet and aching muscles. 

At Silver Islet General Store, we purchased a couple of their ‘famous’ cinnamon buns (review below) and learned about the Silver Islet mine.

In 1868, a silver vein was discovered on a barren rock just offshore from the store.  A mine shaft more than 1000 feet beneath the ice waters of Lake Superior was constructed, and more than $3.25 million (nearly $75 million today) in silver was extracted before the mine was closed in 1884.  It was the richest silver mine in the world at the time.

Later, we redeemed ourselves a bit with a shorter hike to the Sea Lion formation on the edge of Lake Superior.  The formation, which resembled a sea lion at one time, was formed by an intrusion of molten rock through thick layers of sedimentary rock.

1000 Kilometers Deep?

The next morning, we followed a RabbiTRAIL to Ouimet Canyon, a provincial park not far from Sleeping Giant.  The canyon is an impressive gorge, cut into the rock of Lake Superior’s northern shore by ice, wind and rain.  

A sign at one of the canyon viewing platforms claims it is more than 1000 kilometers to the canyon’s bottom.

Although the actual depth is about 100 meters, the sign refers to the climate at the canyon’s bottom.  The steep canyon walls protect the bottom from sun and weather, and Arctic plants found there closely resemble those at Hudson Bay, nearly 1000 kilometers to the north!

We found the rugged 150 meter wide and two kilometer long canyon to be quite stunning!

Rainbow Falls

Our bug bites began to heal, and we continued our journey along Lake Superior arriving at Rainbow Falls Provincial Park.  The park is named for a series of waterfalls that flow across colorful rock layers to Lake Superior. 

We hiked a couple trails to several beautiful vistas of the lake.  Although the bugs were not as bad as at Sleeping Giant, Pat did not take any chances.  She wore a head covering that protected her from the bugs any time she was outside the camper!

At the end of one hike we had our first close encounter with a Tesla Cybertruck.  The EV is as large as Percy, our pickup.  We wondered about the vehicle’s range and the location of the closest charging station!

Cinnamon Bun Review

The Silver Islet General Store doesn’t ice their buns – they sprinkle them with sugar.  We were told this is ‘eastern’ style.  The buns resembled coiled biscuits which made them a little dry.  They had good cinnamon flavor however.

Our preference is iced buns with pillowy (raised?) dough.

Score – 3 out of 5.  Braeburn Lodge has nothing to be worried about.           

Next Week

A POW camp and leg injury – our Lake Superior park travels continue.

(2024 Heartland Ep 4)

Our journey shifted to the five weeks between the Texas and Ohio Cedarbrook camps. We traveled through the American heartland and took time to do important things close to our hearts.

Visiting Family in Boerne

We headed west to Boerne, a small town about 30 minutes from San Antonio. There, we would visit Jim and Bobbi, my brother and his wife, and Dawn, our niece. 

It was good to catch up on life since our last visit two years ago.

We camped nearby at Guadalupe River State Park.  The river snakes 230 miles from the Texas Hill Country near Boerne to the Gulf of Mexico.  In the park, there are swift flowing rapids and calm water stretches surrounded by steep limestone bluffs. 

^{_{Images from Guadalupe River State Park}}

Seeking relief from the relentless Texas heat, people waded and swam in the cool water. Nearby, twisted cypress trees grew along both sides of the river.

Revisiting Favorites

My brother and wife used to own a B&B and wine tour business in nearby Fredericksburg, so we’ve visited the area numerous times.  We returned to some of our favorite places:

Old Tunnel State Park – millions of Mexican freetail bats live in an abandoned railroad tunnel between Fredericksburg and Comfort. They exit each summer evening to consume millions of insects.   From a viewing area at the top of a hill, we hiked down to see the tunnel. Inside, there were hundreds of bats flying about in the tunnel, presumably getting ready for their evening flight.

Alamo Springs Cafe – we were disappointed the restaurant adjacent to the tunnel was closed that day. We were craving the best jalapeno burgers in Texas (so we think). We considered driving to Llano, north of Fredericksburg, for amazing Texas BBQ at Cooper’s Old-Time Pit Bar-B-Que, but the round trip was more than 100 miles and our time was short.

So, at the enthusiastic recommendation of a friend, we tried Mary’s Tacos in Boerne. Mary’s street tacos are amazingly fresh and delicious.

We now have a new restaurant to revisit on our next Texas visit.

Rustlin’ Robs – a visit to Fredericksburg wouldn’t be complete without grazing RR’s free samples of jellies, salsas and sauces spooned on little crackers.

There’s lots more to see and do in the area, but this is all we had time for this time around.

More Family Visits

Our next stop would be near Tulsa, Oklahoma for a visit with Pat’s cousins and their families. We haven’t seen them for more than 20 years,

We continued north to the Kansas City area to visit Pat’s aunt and uncle, whom we saw last year on our trip to Alaska.  Married more than 71 years, they have an enduring testimony.

_{Visits with Pat’s cousins and families in Claremore, OK and Pat’s Aunt and Uncle in Shawnee, Kansas}

We try to make reconnecting with family a priority.  Each visit has proven to be an incredible blessing to us both!

Harvest Hosts – Camping in the Heartland  

We often stop at Harvest Hosts locations during our travels.  Hosts are homeowners, farms, vineyards, churches, museums and more that make their properties available for travelers to camp overnight, often free or for a small fee. 

_{Various Harvest Hosts we have stopped at during our Heartland travels}

We’ve stayed on dairy farms, vineyards, several museums and even a flower farm!  Gracious homeowners have allowed us to stay on their properties, where we enjoyed getting to know each other.

A couple hours north of Kansas City, we stopped at one HH location in Missouri, where we visited with hosts Ken and Robin for nearly two hours.  We learned we have much in common as Christ-followers and RVers, and enjoyed Robin’s fresh cookies as we learned about interesting things to do in the area.

Mail Delivery Across the West

At their suggestion, we detoured the next morning to St Joseph, MO, location of the Pony Express Museum and starting point of the Pony Express.   Starting in April 1860, Pony Express riders carried mail nearly 2000 miles from St Joseph to Sacramento, California.  They exchanged horses at relay stations every 10-15 miles and new riders took over every 75-100 miles.    Mail could be delivered in 10 days for $5, a considerable price at that time.

A bold and storied part of the American past, the Pony Express existed for only 18 months – it was replaced by the telegraph.

Quick RabbiTRAILS

As we drove America’s heartland, there were plenty of interesting stops.  Here are a few:     

Next Week

We visit Des Moines, Iowa, in the heart of the heartland.