We’re OK, Adios, and Anniversary

EG Simmons Park
Ruskin, FL

Where have we been?  Well, we finished up the month of July in Trenton, ME totally enjoying Acadia and the Bar Harbor area.  We will go back there again sometime.  Besides the wonderful hiking and biking, we enjoyed a puffin/whale watching tour, horse carriage ride, sunset from Cadillac Mountain, and a few other things.
 
We then spent a week near Moosehead Lake, ME and yes, we saw a couple of moose.  We liked it there because it’s less touristy but still touristy enough, if that makes sense.  That is where I developed an abscessed tooth that hurt like the dickens.  We decided to cut our New England trip short and head for NC so that I could get some dental work done.  My brother is a dentist and he was able to work me in nicely.  I am now a triple crown winner with three gold crowns.  I had two cracked teeth crowned (one abscess) and one preventative crown.  That took half of August and all of September which was a great time to visit with family.  It had been about 11 months since we last visited so we probably won’t go that long again.

It’s now October and we are in FL for the winter.  We had our yearly service done at Lazy Days and also had all four jacks replaced.  Thank goodness HWH covered that part.  We had always had trouble with them, but during the summer they got to the point where they would not come up without spraying them.  After talking with HWH, they said to stop spraying them so that they would fail for Lazy Days.  Thank goodness we didn’t move much because we had to pry them up every time.

We are on our way to the Keys for a few weeks.  We were lucky enough to get reservations at a State Park with some friends.  Then we plan to spend the rest of the winter in Cedar Key.  We are in the process of purchasing a lot there so it will be our winter home on a regular basis.


After this last hiatus from blogging, I have come to the conclusion that it just isn’t meant for me to blog.  There are thousands of other full-timers out there that don’t blog or do facebook, and I bet they enjoy themselves just fine.  I find myself feeling guilty if I don’t post once a month, but then I start dreading it.  Life is too short to put myself in that position.  I do plan to update Tawanda's Tracks in the next few days and keep it fairly updated.  Gin is on facebook but rarely posts also.


On a brighter note, today is our 30 year anniversary!  We don’t have a marriage certificate or wedding photos to share but we have each other.  What did we do to celebrate you ask?  Had lunch at McDonalds.  You see, when we started seeing each other, we ate there quite often.  It has been years since we actually sat down inside to eat a Big Mac and fries.  Brought back lots of memories and that’s what it’s all about!  Enjoy making memories with the one you love.

Remember to enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.  Adios amigos!

Hike up the Bubbles and around Jordan Pond

Trenton, ME
Narrows Too RV Resort

The Bubbles are two mountains that over look Jordan Pond.  They show up in many photos taken from the grounds of Jordan Pond House.  That was on our radar today.

The Bubbles overlooking Jordan Pond

I joined Nancy, Bill, Tricia and Dan for a hike up North Bubble to the summit, through the crevice (cleavage) and up South Bubble then around Jordan Pond.  We get early starts so the crowds aren’t so bad.  It’s another beautiful day!

 

Starting up the trail                    View from atop North Bubble

   

Tricia at North Bubble Summit            Dan soaking it up

We all started our decent but a certain section got a little too steep for most of us.  Dan continued on that way but the rest of us back tracked and took a different route.

 

Going down                                          A little too steep!

Going right back UP!

One of the great features on this hike is Balance Rock.  It looks like it’s barely hanging on to the side of the rock face.  Of course, everyone takes photos of folks pushing on it.  I am no exception.

Bill and Tricia push            Dan leans              and the Rock remains

We make it down to the flatter trail around Jordan Pond.  It goes all the way around the lake and offers great views.  It may be flat but the footing is still pretty dicey in sections.

 

Hiking around Jordan Pond

As we headed back to the Tahoe in the parking lot, we stopped to admire a curious onlooker.  She was actually waiting for us to go so that she could cross the trail to reach her destination.  Enjoyed her big brown eyes and it was a befitting wrap up for this varied hike.

Thanks for dropping by and enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

Bike Ride and Connors Nubble

Trenton, ME
Narrows Too RV Resort

Another great day awaits us so I join Nancy, Bill, Tricia and Dan for a bike ride on the Carriage Trails that includes a stop to hike up Connors Nubble to pick a few Maine blueberries.  They are so good!

 

Connors Nubble isn’t as high as many other peaks here but the views are still stunning.  I love the views overlooking Eagle Lake.

 

Connors Nubble                                  Overlooking Eagle Lake

I know that I have mixed up my days, hikes and bikes but I do know how much I love this place.  One bike day, Tricia, Nancy and I take a break while Bill and Dan ride all the way up to Day Mountain summit.  As we sat on the coping stones that edge the trails, a couple of the Carriage Tour wagons come by.  These are some beautiful draft horses that are well cared for.

 

 

Group Bike Ride

Trenton, ME
Narrows Too RV Resort

(The next several posts will be based on my general recollections 

so there won’t be any details.  It’s actually August 21 as I type this.)

After enjoying an active day of hiking, we all decided to pile in to Bill and Nancy’s Tahoe and ride over to Schoodic Peninsula for the day.  It was dreary and overcast but the beauty there still shown through.

 

 

We all went on a bike ride on the Carriage Trails in Acadia.  Bill and Nancy put Pam’s bike in the back of their Tahoe along with theirs.  They then put Tricia and Dan’s bike rack on the hitch.  Tricia and Dan rode with us and Pam.  We all made it to the Visitor’s Center parking lot just fine.  The toughest part of the bike ride was the first half mile because it was so steep.  We all had to push our bikes a bit to get to a more level trail.

 

Pedal Power!                                     Pam, Gin and Syl taking a break

These Carriage Trails are a great way to see Acadia.  Rockefeller worked closely with the construction crew with the design and engineering of the roads and the 17 bridges throughout the park.  He wanted to keep cars away from this beautiful land as much as possible.  We took a break at one of those bridges and admired the work first hand.

 

After the bike ride, we rode to the Loop Road and found a place along the rocks overlooking the ocean to enjoy a picnic lunch.  The views are absolutely stunning!  The photos do not do it justice!

 

 

Stunning Views!

 

Thanks for dropping by and enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

Fire Tower Hike

Trenton, ME
Narrows Too RV Resort

Acadia has some world class hiking trails.  Since it’s on a mountain, us flat-landers were in for a challenge.  What is considered moderate here would certainly be strenuous in my book!  I joined Nancy, Bill, Tricia and Dan.  Nancy had a couple of trails picked out but we ad libbed a bit.  I don’t remember where we parked or the name of the trail, but I do remember seeing a fire tower in the distance.  That was our goal (Beech Mountain).  Check it out.

 

Fire tower at the top                               We made it!

As we hiked, we found that Dan (Billy Goat) made a good trailblazer with Bill next in line.  Tricia and I would switch about often while Nancy the photographer would pull up the rear.  It worked well for us.

The views from the first rocky top really took my breath away.  Not only do words not do it justice, but pictures don’t come that close either!  I’ll just let the pictures try though.  (Click pic to enlarge)

  

Rocky steps                             Interesting rock

 

Beautiful trees everywhere!

 

Keep checking the map

 

Breathtaking views!!

 

More breathtaking views!!

 

Piece of cake Tricia                             Bill’s close to the edge

 

Views from the fire tower

Thanks for dropping by and enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary!