Let's Make Tracks!

Officially on Saturday October 26th, Dave & I hit the open road at high noon. Ironically, the first direction we took was north to Belfast to tank up on fuel as the gas prices were 20 cents a gallon cheaper when compared to the Camden - Rockland area of Maine. We said goodbye to both our daughters, Meg & Cat, as well as our grandkids. Within an hour of our journey south, we knew our time to get to our southern destination was at it's limit. We received a text from our son-in-law, Matt, that it was now snowing very lightly up in Belfast where Meg and he were working that day.

We stopped in Rockland and Thomaston to see friends we hadn't seen in a while and stayed longer than planned, proving once again that old saying, "Goodbyes - even if only for a season or two are a hard thing to do."

By now it was 2pm. Even though we were "officially under way" for 2 hours, we realized that we would be running out of daylight before we reached our first stopping point in Massachusetts. Emotions, tensions, and thoughts ran the gamut over the next four hours. We made good time, even when factoring in a stop at a service area in Kennebunk. It was nice to stretch and have a little something to eat - considering we had totally forgotten to eat lunch!

Even though the sun was out in southern Maine, it was still windy. One thing we noticed with the Nomad, was how the wind affects driving it and the extra attention required when doing so. "Just getting used to driving something a lot bigger", we both commented. However, we were about to head down the Interstate, when we noticed another motorhome as well as a few 18 wheelers parked near us. Suddenly, we looked rather small...

Along the way, we paused & paid our tolls (with the route we planned we're trying to avoid those in spades), and a little red lady bug flew into sight - our 1st hitchhiker. Jill caught him (or her) and expelled the bug from the cab. Farther down the road, a 2nd hitchhiker made its presence known to David - unfortunately, it was squashed against a side window. A 3rd (and yes the last one - we checked) hitchhiker, this time an orange pumpkin bug, was released to the open road via rolling down the window. Dave & I said, "if these are the only problems we have while RV'ing, we'll take it!"

In Massachusetts, several on-ramps became treacherous as cars don't like to yield as they're supposed to; especially to a slower-moving RV. Most of the time we could move over a lane, but one time we could not. We couldn't brake either, due to traffic behind us, so it almost became a game of chicken between the Nomad and a Lexus. The driver of the other vehicle finally looked up and noticed us (!!!) as well as all the traffic behind us. At the last minute the Lexus drove into the break-down lane. Didn't brake or slow down, mind you, just merged along side us. As a last token of appreciation, she made sure we knew she was mad at us... as well as all the other traffic in her way. Oh well - peoples is peoples.

The only "challenging weather" we had was driving into a beautiful sunset. Gorgeous scenery, but a little too bright! We

also realized that we have a harder time driving at night, especially in strange territory. While we were familiar with the area where we were stopping for the night, all the landmarks we knew had either changed or were gone since the last time we were here almost 20 years ago. We decided to take Route 12 into Fitchburg, Massachusetts, since it was the flattest & straightest route. Believe it or not, Fitchburg is the 2nd hilliest city in the U.S., only behind San Francisco. While flat & straight, Route 12 turned out to be the bumpiest part of this first leg of the journey and the only time anything fell out of any cabinets.

We had a great turkey dinner with Jill's mother and step-father and a short visit as we were both physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. We had a space heater as well as some flashlights so we could spend our first night in the Nomad. Since we left two months after our initially planned departure date (August 31st) and some nights the temperatures were dipping below freezing, the RV is still winterized in the water & propane departments. If the RV had water on board, there was a good chance it would've froze. When we arrive in warmer climates, we'll be utilizing those systems.

When we finally relaxed on the queen bed in the Nomad, Jill let the all the stress of the day go. She cries when she's stressed, and it took her almost an hour and a half to unwind in order to go to sleep. Sometimes unwinding can be so hard to do. We both finally got into a deep restful sleep wrapped in each others arms - something we truly missed while residing at our oldest daughters' home.

Morning came way too soon, yet we woke to a spectacular sunrise and quiet surroundings. Jill's mom & step-father went out for breakfast, while we got creative making coffee, toast, and egg sandwiches in the RV as we could only use one appliance at a time. While this is not our idea of cooking over an open fire, Jill wanted to stay warm and exceptions had to be made. Nothing is as we expected - which is still okay. We joined Mom at 10am for a 2nd cup of coffee as our first ones tasted a little funky. We substituted strawberry banana yogurt for our usual vanilla flavored milk. We started making a small list of some of the small necessities we "forgot".

We shared our youngest daughters' crock-pot chicken pot pie for lunch which was delicious and satisfying for all. Then it was a hike up the road about a mile & a half to meet some of my mom's friends at an old farm as well as to see an old high school chum. We had an awesome time! I am especially grateful to my friends' dog, Molly. She's a high-spirited dachshund, who ran out to the road & blocked our way. It was a good thing because we had a rough idea where they lived, but didn't know the exact house. When Molly's owner came out to retrieve the dog, we asked where a particular house was. He answered, "You're at that house". Cool!


We leave Tuesday the 29th for the next leg on our journey. Our next prolonged stopping point will be in Pennsylvania to visit with Dave's sister and her family. We'll be off the grid until the end of this week, but the weather looks like it's going to warm up here in the East, and not much rain in sight until Friday. Warmer... and no rain. Sounds good to us.

Until next time,
The Happy Campers,
Jill & Dave