Our First Five Days on the Road

Here we are in Cape May, New Jersey. Getting here has been quite an adventure.

Day 1: Seabright to Truro and dinner with Arch's sister, Grace, and her family. Grace made us Christmas dinner - a delicious treat. Thanks Grace.

Day 2: Truro to Woodstock, NB. It poured rain all day making driving really tricky. The fall colours through the Cobiquod Pass were spectacular, as they were all through New Brunswick but it was difficult to enjoy them in the rain.

Cobiquod Pass

New Brunswick

The sun came out as we arrived in Woodstock and found a place to spend the night in the local Walmart parking lot. Sleeping in a Walmart parking lot was an experience and one I am in no hurry to repeat. The street lighting was very bright, it was close to a noisy highway and, worst of all, cars were driving by the Adventure Bus throughout the night and slowing down. I did not realize that there were people working a night shift in the store and their parking lot was right beside us. I was sure someone was going to break in and attack us at any minute. Arch, of course, slept through the night. As did Tara. Some protection they are!

Day 3: We were up very early and had to hang around waiting for daylight to cross the border. Despite the worrying and preparation - we had every paper anyone ever suggested we should take with us - the  border crossing was a big non-event. The customs agent simply made sure we matched our passport photos, asked us the usual where are you going, what are you taking? questions, looked at us enviously and waved us through.

The weather was spectacular and it was a beautiful drive through Maine.

We stopped in Freeport with the idea of boondocking in the LL Bean parking lot but when we arrived it didn't seem like such a good idea and after our experience in Woodstock I wasn't keen on the doing this and so we went to a KOA campground just outside of town. A really nice spot with lots water for a shower, electricity, etc. etc.

Day 4: Freeport to Norwich, CT and the Mohegan Sun Casino.

This was a great spot to boondock. A special parking lot is available for RVers and there were lots of RVs there. So we felt quite safe. The area was quite a distance from the casino but there was a shuttle bus to pick us up and take us there and return us to our motorhome. It was very quiet and the view was spectacular.

Day 5: The only good thing I can say about this day is that we lived through it and have landed safely in the warm weather here in Cape May.

We knew we had a long driving day ahead of us so were up and on the road by 8 am. The first hour was fine. Then the heavens opened and it started to pour. And pour. And pour.

 We took I-95 south to I-287 around New York City, and The Garden State Parkway down through New Jersey to Cape May.

The Tappan Zee Bridge was hell - wet, with narrow lanes and crowded

What a dangerous drive. There was endless construction, The rain was coming down so heavily we couldn't see two cars in front of us, I-287 was flooded in two spots, which caused real chaos, there were no rest stops and the drivers were the rudest we have ever encountered. But finally, as we drove down the Garden State Parkway the rain stopped and the sun came out as we pulled into Cape May at 4pm. - 8 hours to drive 300 miles.

Finally, we thought, a chance to relax. Bit it was not to be. We were assigned a camp site that seemed quite lovely but we were a little concerned that the camp sites beside us were occupied by seasonal campers who use trailers as summer cottages. But no one was there so we settled in. Then they arrived - 4 carloads of them. Again, at first all seemed OK. Until one guy got out a leaf blower and started blowing the leaves from the camp sites and the street. I ask you, who clears a camp site of leaves? Talk about a thankless job. Finally he stopped and all was well for a while. After supper they set up around a camp fire and started drinking and you know the rest of the story. They got noisier and louder but we knew quiet hours started at 11 pm and as they were regulars we figured they would pack it in then. NO such Chance. Finally, at 2 am Arch went out and asked them to tone it down a bit. They did, except for 1 guy who went around yelling asshole. asshole at the top of his lungs right under our bedroom window. It was quite a night.

This morning Arch complained to the office and the owner immediately refunded our fee for last night and moved us to a new site that is not as aesthetically nice but is surrounded by nice people. Much better. At the moment Arch is outside enjoying a camp fire and I am inside, with the windows and door open writing this.

And, did I say, the weather is spectacular. 19C today, 21 tomorrow and the next day!