Friday September 10th

Canada back to the U.S.A.

At the border, we stopped at the Duty Free shop. We could not resist buying a case of Molson and a case of LaBatt's for $10.88 each. Party at our house when we return.

We felt very happy to be back in the United States. We cheered when we saw our first sign in English. Burlington, Vermont was our lunch stop for the day and then I coerced Fred into stopping in Waterbury so we could tour the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream factory. (the rule has been that if one person wants to see something, we stop). When we arrived the 3:30 tour was full and we had to wait until the next tour at 4:00. What else was there to do while waiting except indulge in an ice cream cone. I had Butter Pecan Pie, a new flavor and Fred, who lucky does not care much for sweets, had vanilla.

The tour started out in the Cow Over the Moon Theatre where a short film showed how Ben & Jerry got started. Can you believe they took a correspondence ice cream course from Penn State? They started out with a small ice cream stand. Neither one of them ever had any ambition to be owners of a multi-million dollar company. What impressed me most about their business philosophy is how environmental and community minded they strive to be. Employee teams delegate where the funds designated for community support go. The company is now in the process of testing an unbleached paper container (better for the environment) for their ice cream even though it costs six cents more per package to produce.

We arrived in Killington just as it was getting dark. This timeshare is as far up on the scale as the last one was down. The best timeshares in the RCI system are Gold Crown Resorts and you only get lucky enough to trade for one when it is off-season. Since this is a ski town and everyone wants to come here in winter, we are enjoying the week in luxury. Our unit is huge with two sofas in the living room and a separate bedroom. We were like kids in a candy store in the kitchen as we discovered all the things that had been missing in St. Sauveur des Mont. A colander, a can opener, lids for the pans!

There is no grocery store in Killington so we stocked up on a few things at the mini mart. Supper consisted of salad only for me-still feeling the effects of that ice cream cone.

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Saturday September 11th

Killington, Vermont

It is a gorgeous day. The sun is shining but there is a slight chill in the air as we walk down to the tennis courts. We start out in sweatshirts but as the tennis match heats up, we shed them in favor of t-shirts and feeling the sun on our bare arms.

We have the windows open in our unit and fresh air and bright sunshine fill the room as we watch the Penn State game. As we look out the window from our seat on the sofa we see only a blanket of trees, some just starting to hint at a change of color. It looks and feels like fall.

During half-time we indulged in Fred's wonderful creation of Fettuccine with peas and white sauce plus green beans on the side. It is one of my favorite meals and best of all Fred's version is very low fat.

After the game, which Penn State did not deserve to win but somehow pulled off, we went across the street to play nine holes of golf. The Killington Golf Course is so hilly only a mountain goat can walk it. Last night at dusk we walked holes 1 & 2 plus 6 through 9 and were huffing and puffing due to the severe up and down elevation. Therefore, we wisely decided to ride today. Many of the fairways were narrow and position was important. We caught up to a father and son on 8 & 9. Robbie, the 10 year old, had a refreshing enthusiasm for the game. He was excited about every shot.

After golf, we went to Mogul's, the local sports (?) bar. Three of the TV's had racing but the Michelob Light draughts were only $1.00 and the popcorn was free.

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Sunday September 12th

Killington, Vermont

Another gorgeous day. I hope all of you are having such fabulous weather. After last week with rain every day, we are enjoying this.

Killington does not have a town area so we went to Rutland to go to the grocery store. It was expensive, probably because they know you have no where else to go. We got enough to eat in all week if we so desire plus a good supply of fruit.

Today golf was at Green Mountain National, a course that has been open for three years. It was voted the best public access course in Vermont last year and was in tip top shape. The couple we played with were from New Jersey but have a house in the area and have been vacationing here for 35 years. They had played the course many times and their input on where to hit was useful.

The course is well designed with many picturesque holes. Lakes, elevated tees, dog legs, trees and challenging greens made the course memorable. It reminded us of Toftrees, only better. A red fox greeted us on one of the holes on the back nine. It was nearing dusk and he was looking to check out the trash can. He hid at the edge of the woods and peeked out at us while we teed off.

Our after golf beer was at Charity's, a ski season bar. Fred wanted to watch the NFL highlights but from our seats at the bar the ceiling fan revolved blocking the TV on every rotation. The TV was small and far away plus the bartender was not very friendly so we left and went back to watch football and have dinner at the timeshare.

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Monday September 13th

Killington, Vermont

We packed sandwiches and headed out to the Appalachian Trail. Part of the trail passes through Killington and we thought it would be fun to hike it. Fun? We forgot we were in the mountains.

At the trail head, handmade signs directed hikers to the new Appalachian trail through the area. Evidently the trail route has been changed to keep the Appalachian trail on protected public land for all time. The trail was well marked with fresh white blazes. The trail appeared to have been cleared recently because freshly cut leaves and ferns lay on the We traversed just over five miles today but it seemed longer. Most of our hike was on the Appalachian Trail. We detoured on a blue blaze trail named Deer Leap which led us straight up to a rocky overlook where we enjoyed lunch. We thought we were on top of the mountain at the overlook and expected the trail back down to be fairly easy. However, we had to go over another mountain to get back to the car which meant another up and a steep down. On the way back to the car, we met a snake. He was green and black and seemed about 10 feet long.

I am always talking about these grand plans I have for hiking in the wilderness, about how cool it would be to do the Appalachian Trail like Steve (my friend's brother who is doing the entire trail this summer-go Steve!). I have this romantic notion of how beautiful it would be to sleep out under the stars away from all civilization. Times like today when the woods seem quiet and beckoning, I forget that sharing my sleeping bag with a snake would send me home to my warm comfortable bed before I could finish screaming.

That is about it for today. The rest is just boring stuff.

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Tuesday September 14th

Killington, Vermont

We played 18 holes on the course across the street from where we are staying. This is the same hilly mountain course that we played nine holes on last Saturday. As in a true mountain course, the terrain was permitted to dictate the layout. The elevated tees, some 50 to 100 feet high, granted sweeping views of the surrounding Green Mountains. Marsh, rocky mountain run-offs, creeks, and lots of trees provided plenty of interesting hazards to avoid. Many of the holes dog-legged and required a great drive to be in position to go for the green in two. Uphill holes required an extra club or sometimes two and if the golfer falls short of the green an uneven lie makes the chip shot a sheer challenge.

Fred lost two balls on the first two holes. Neither tee shot was bad, just a little off, but this course never forgives. Then, on #2 after dropping a ball and taking the penalty stroke, his second shot went into the creek. This was on top of the last round we played not going well for him (lots of lost balls from errant tee shots and a small temper tantrum on 18 on Sunday which I had not discussed with Fred but was mad about), so he was not in a good mood. No temper tantrums, just sullen silence. "Oh great, here we go again", I thought.

By the time we got to hole #4 which is a dog leg around a lake, I was wishing we had never come out today. Since we were playing as a two-some, I didn't have anyone else to talk to and was feeling sorry for myself that I had to play with Sulking Sam. I hit a great drive and only had 130 to get over the pond and onto the green. I guess I was a little tense. I hit my first ball into the pond, I hit my second ball into the pond, and then I let lost it. I slammed my club into the ground and starting ranting and raving about how we never have fun playing golf anymore, how I'm sick of trying to have fun all by myself, how he is never going to hit good shots all the time so he better get used to playing this way or not play at all, and on and on and on. Fred was shocked. As soon as I finished my tirade, I felt much better and immediately started to apologize. We laughed and the rest of the round proceeded smoothly-no temper tantrums, no sulking. Golf is one of the most enjoyable, yet frustrating, hobbies we have.

We had such an enjoyable time this morning that we went out and played 18 more holes in the afternoon. We wanted to play Green Mountain again, but a tournament had the course booked all afternoon. Our playing partner from Sunday, Joy, had told us that a course called Procter Pittsford was just as nice as Green Mountain at half the price plus easy to walk. She was correct on two counts-it was easy to walk and it was cheaper. As we were playing the front nine we felt sure Joy must have been on drugs when she gave us the recommendation. We could find nothing in common with Green Mountain. These fairways were full of clover and the holes standard straight up and back. Fortunately the back nine improved considerably and we assumed that those holes had been added at a later date. The difference was like a hippo and a panda. The back nine holes contained elevation changes and pretty mountain views. The course was forgiving and did not steal Fred's balls.

We stopped at McGurty's Irish Pub which is located at the Long Trail Inn. The inn is beside the Appalachian Trail and about six hikers were in the bar playing darts. We listened in amusement as they talked among themselves. They were all between the ages of 18 and 22 with scruffy beards and young attitudes about life. Everyone seemed to be named "Dude". Hiker #1 was asking Hiker #2 about a frat house he was thinking of joining in the fall. Hiker #1 was saying how he didn't like the frat because the people there were freaky. Undaunted, Hiker #2 asked, "Wow, dude, were they weird freaky or fun freaky? 'Cus I'm into fun freaky."

The discussion turned to why each was hiking the trail. They all agreed that the trail was a good place to discover answers to their questions except for one guy dressed in a wild flowered shirt. He offered this observation, "Hey dudes, I'm not finding any answers, I'm just getting better questions."

Our next stop, The Grist Mill, looked like an old mill complete with a huge paddle wheel out front. The exterior looked warm and inviting and had charmed me each time we drove by. There were a few people eating dinner in the dining room and only one other couple sitting at the bar. We grabbed seats at the bar and watched incredulous as the manager and 3 wait staff people came and went while the bartender talked on the phone with his back to the bar. After five minutes, we counted to ten and were out of there. There are plenty of places around Killington to go and we are not going to beg someone to serve us a beer. We are not unreasonable; all it would have taken was someone to say "I'll be with you in a moment". Amazing!

On our way back to our unit, we dropped in at Moguls, home of the $1.00 drafts. John, the bartender, was both personable and informative. The bar was not busy so he talked to us and filled us in on the gossip of Killington. We found out that the Green Mountain course, which was beautiful, is owned by the town. Bonds were sold to build the course and it did not cost the taxpayers a cent. Someone did a great job designing and maintaining the course.

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Wednesday September 15th

Killington, Vermont

Let's see, what should we do today? How about tennis and golf? We called Green Mountain and they had an afternoon tee time open. The views at this course are fantastic and we were anxious to play it again.

It was just the two of us with no one in front to hold us up or no one behind to push us. The weather was perfect. Many of the holes go through the woods and on my favorite hole, the green is surrounded all the way around the back with tall trees from which the mountain peaks through. It was early evening by the time we reached hole 15 and we were delighted to see the fox again. He is adorable, did not seem afraid and posed while I took his picture.

Hole #17 is a par 3 and Fred's tee shot landed just to the right of the green but to the left of the cart path. Just for fun, he hit another one which landed in the same area. We went to my tee and I landed on the green. As we pulled up to the green, we spotted the fox watching us from the edge of the woods. Fred had his pitching wedge out to chip onto the green but could not find his ball. He called me over and we searched but could not find either ball even though we had clearly seen where they landed from the tee. That sly fox stole Fred's golf balls. We couldn't believe it but it was the only explanation. He must have taken them while I was teeing off.

After the round, we talked to the bag boy and he confirmed that the fox has been known to take players balls. There are two foxes that had been born at the course. The parents had moved on but the pups had decided to stay and were not afraid of the carts or golfers.

Tonight we stopped at the Outback Pizza and Nightspot which John from Mogul's had told us about. The pizza was first-rate and is cooked in a wood burning oven. Four fireplaces provide a cozy atmosphere with seating arranged in intimate groups. The entire back side of the deck is open to the woods which is an informal backdrop to the Australian masks and bush theme. A conveyor belt above the bar is filled with glasses and rotates to the outside which during the winter supplies patrons with chilled mugs. The owner is quite creative and we could see that this would be a popular spot during ski season..

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Thursday September 16th

Killington, Vermont

The effects of Hurricane Floyd reached Vermont today in the form of cold rain-not a shower but a downpour. Since we had procrastinated all week on taking pictures, we now had the fun of taking them in the rain. We had also put off all our chores but that was a purposeful decision. We wanted to play while the sun was shining.

Since the Big Kahuna has now traveled over 20,000 miles since April, it was time for oil change #4. The closest Jiffy Lube was in Rutland so while we were there we went to the mall to get hair cuts. I miss my hair dresser from home and am always nervous about getting a cut on the road. My last cut, which I never liked, had long since gotten unruly. The stench of perm solution in the saloon almost made Fred walk out but the threat of hat head made him stay. I am happy to report everything turned out a-ok.

On the way back to Killington, we visited the Rockwell Museum where a large collection of Norman's work is displayed including all 323 Saturday Evening Post covers. Arranged in chronological order, his art stepped us through a cultural history of the United States. Notes about the models he used for his covers and his thought process behind some of the covers gave us an inside look at Rockwell. Norman Rockwell was a talented artist and illustrator.

It rained the entire day. We spent the rest of the day doing laundry and packing. I did the laundry while Fred used all the food we had left in the fridge to create a new special meal. Believe it or not, red potatoes, hard boiled eggs, fat free hot dogs, cheese and milk tastes great mixed together in a pan.

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Friday September 17th

Killington, Vermont to Bar Harbor, Maine

The Weather Channel had predicted the rain would be gone by today, but oops, they were wrong. From the time we left Killington at 10:30 in the morning until we arrived at Bar Harbor at 6:30 that evening, it rained and rained and rained. Our route was designated as scenic on the map but the only scenes we saw were swollen streams and flooded parks.

We passed through Woodstock, Vermont which seemed to be an ideal typical New England town. The required steeple was visible as we approached the town limits. Tidy clapboard houses adorned with colorful flower boxes lined both sides of the street. In the center of town, the inviting benches in the park would have been a welcoming place to relax if it had not been pouring down rain. We wanted to take some pictures, but the rain convinced us otherwise.

We were forced to retrace our route back across the Vermont/New Hampshire border because we missed the Welcome to New Hampshire sign the first time through. It was a small sign, barely visible behind the trees. Only 6 more states to go.

The Chalet Schaefer in Woodsville, New Hampshire provided lunch and our New Hampshire beer. The Smuttynose Ale, brewed in the state was my choice. I liked the name and it turned out to be a good beer. The Clam Chowder at this restaurant was delicious and tasted good on a damp day.

Even though it was slow going and sloppy we did not encounter any flooded roadways. Much of the time our path paralleled steams. Two days ago these streams would have been barely visible but now they were raging torrents of water looking for ways to swell over their sides. A community baseball diamond in Rumford, Maine was under water up to the top row of the bleachers. The scoreboard was barely visible. At a campground, the lodge looked like it was sitting on an island. Picnic tables were upended and just the top of the swing set was showing.

By the time we reached the Acadia Hotel in Bar Harbor, we desperately wanted to go for a walk. We grabbed the umbrella and headed the two blocks to town. Fred and I do not share an umbrella very well, even a large golf umbrella. When I hold it, he gets hit on the head and when he holds it, I get wet. We scurried into the closest restaurant, Rupinini, and had dinner. On the way back, we were going to stroll around town for a romantic walk in the rain but the wind was blowing sideways and nearly blew the umbrella inside out. We put it down and made a run for it to our hotel.

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Saturday September 18th

This is the time of year to be in Bar Harbor. All the stores are having end of season sales so we got some great deals on Buxton leather. Fred acquired a new wallet and I finally picked out a new purse. I don't want to carry a purse-I'm afraid I will lose it again. Maybe I should practice and carry it around empty until I can prove I am responsible.

Back at the hotel I was doing some rearranging in the Big Kahuna when I hear a voice from the porch yelling "BIG KAAHUUNA". It was Dan Brubaker and his brother Denny who had driven up to Maine to see Richmond College take on the University of Maine. Dan and Michele (his wife) go to as many of the Richmond Spiders football games as possible to watch Michele's brother Kevin who plays defense for Richmond. This weekend Heather (their daughter) was flower girl in a wedding so Michele went to the wedding while Dan and Denny made the trek to the game.

Our plan which Fred and Dan had devised by e-mail was to drive the 70 minutes from Bar Harbor to Orono with enough time to find a place to watch the Penn State game which was on at 3:30 and then head out to the Richmond game which started at 7. The timing was perfect both for the fact that the two games were not at the same time and that Richmond had scheduled to play Maine while we were here.

Dan and Denny were starving and in the mood for lobster and nothing but lobster. We walked down to the wharf and they picked their lobster out of the tank. Dan went so far as to name his before the lady put them into a rope bag and dropped them into the boiling pot of water. I like lobster but not when I see it alive first.

Dan had done his homework and had a list of bars in Bangor and Orono. We decided our best course of action would be to find a place to hang-out in Orono which is where the University of Maine is located. The game was being carried on CBS so we did not anticipate a problem. The first place we checked, Margaritta's did not open until four. Next on the list was Pat's Pizza which was just that, a pizza place. However, they had a TV which they assured us we could turn to CBS to watch the game. Since it was still before three o'clock, we went over to Brown Bear Pub which was supposed to be a microbrewery. We walked in upstairs and the place looked like it was no longer in business. Someone from next door came over and told us that the bar was in the basement. Dan and I had the Brown Bear Honey Ale which had a strong aftertaste. An alumni from the U of Maine gave us directions to the stadium and a hint on where to park. He also told us that the only "sports bar" around was the Ground Round which was located out near the Bangor airport.

By 3:20 we were back at Pat's Pizza with the TV tuned to CBS. The waitress came and the guys didn't order anything because they wanted to make sure we could get the game. I asked for a glass of water. Imagine our surprise when a nature show about snakes was still on at 3:30. Where is the Penn State game? We were in shock when Stan, a guy at the next table, explained that the local channel 5 must have pre-empted the game because the station was carrying the U of Maine game that night and showing the Penn State game would not allow them enough time to air the local news. Nothing gets in the way of the local news in Maine. We could not believe any station would be so backward to pre-empt a national football game between two teams in the top 10. And of all things-to show snakes! Now what? As a closer alternative to the Ground Round, Stan suggested the Pizza Dome thinking maybe we could get the game on a satellite channel. We bolted and I asked Stan to explain to the waitress why we left.

We buzzed over to the Pizza Dome and were overjoyed to spot a huge satellite on the building. The three of us were in the door before Denny could park the car only to see that a Scooby Doo cartoon was on TV. The person behind the counter didn't have a clue as to what channel on the satellite would be CBS and after flipping through about 100 channels we were advised to try the Ground Round.

We raced (at the speed limit, of course) over to the Ground Round which was about 10 minutes away near the Bangor airport. Denny patiently followed navigator Dan's instructions which brought us to A DEAD END! Somehow we had ended up in the airport. We concluded we got off an exit early so we headed back to 95. On the way, we noticed every building that had a satelite dish including the one on the Sears. Fred joked that he was almost desparate enough to go to Sears.

The Ground Round had five TV's and they were all tuned to sports. Dan rushed in and excitedly asked the barmaid to get the game for us. Sorry, all the TV's are taken, she said. "But two of them are on the same game", Dan replied. The manager joined in and his tone was one of exasperation. Mr. Roly Poly Manager never did give us a clear answer as to why the big screen and the TV at the bar were both on the same game. This conversation went around and around until we gave up in exasperation. IDIOT! Here we were all decked out in our Penn State gear and no place to watch the game. We exited the bar and joined Fred who was waiting at the car so he wouldn't flip out at Mr. Manager.

We went back to Pat's Pizza to eat because they had been the nicest to us. We alternated between watching Notre Dame/Michigan State and Wisconsin/Cincinnati. We couldn't even get an update on the score of the PSU game. It felt like the twilight zone. We never anticipated this kind of problem trying to see a football game on a major network.

At the game we incurred another snafu. Kevin had requested tickets for his dad and wife plus Dan and Denny. Tickets for Fred and I were under another player, James Younger, #55. U of Maine only gave Kevin two tickets which his dad had used. Our tickets were there under James but we gave them to Dan and Denny and bought two for ourselves.

It was great to meet Kevin Sr. and his wife Johanna. She had been keeping tabs on our trip through the web site and felt like she knew us. Johanna even brought us a bag of Grandma Utz's which we snacked on during the game. We sat with the parents of the players and Dan, Johanna or Kevin pointed out who belonged to who. Led by Dan, we got the crowd to join in on a Richmond Spiders chant. But even that was not enough to get the team going. Unfortunately the Spiders played poorly and lost 21-14. It wasn't a good day to watch sports for our group. I wonder if Penn State won?

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Sunday September 19th

Bar Harbor to Boothbay Harbor, Maine

Dan and Denny had breakfast included with their stay at the Yankee Lady. The proprietor and owner, June, entertained them with her quirky but interesting stories and mannerisms.

The four of us headed out to Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the Atlantic coast, and located in Acadia National Park. We walked out to the point and snapped a few photos.

Dan and Denny were psyched to play golf. After some discussion we decided it would be better to get some of the drive out of the way so we head down Route 1 and played at Goose River in Rockport.

Fred started off the round with a perfect drive that landed just around the corner of the dog leg on hole #1 which was a long 580 yards. We were in awe especially since Denny and I were short and off to the right and Dan was in the woods. The course provided some challenges but we all survived.

The Brubaker brothers followed us to Boothbay Harbor so we could check into our room before dinner. We arrived just at sunset and the harbor area where we ate was beautiful. It looked just like Maine was supposed to. The guys wanted lobster again and so did I. We found a place on the wharf to have dinner. Fred was the odd man out as he ate his pasta (Fred adds- "It had shrimp in it! It counts as seafood!") while Dan, Denny and I wore bibs and indulged in Lobster.

We showed the boys our stickers and it really hit home how close to the end we are. We are not ready for this trip to end. As Dan and Denny drove off Fred and I talked about what a blast we always have with the Brubaker boys. We were very fortunate that they were able to join us. Thanks guys!

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Monday September 20th

Boothbay Harbor, Maine

Fred and I are staying at the Howard House which is a perfect combination of the best features of a hotel and B&B. Our room with its cathedral ceiling is decorated in tasteful floral fabrics which compliment the view out the patio doors. Our private patio looked out on twenty acres of woods and stream. The guest rooms are located in a separate building just a short walk from the main house.

A lavish and colorful breakfast buffet is served in the main house. Cut-up fresh fruit tasted great with yogurt or cereal. A broccoli and egg casserole, homemade bread , three types of muffins, juices and coffee made us linger over breakfast. Our biggest decision was if should we eat in the dining room with the attractive flower painted walls or outside on the porch. The innkeeper tops the list for being friendly and accessible.

As we were strolling along the Maine coastline this morning we reflected once again on our trip and the fact that it would soon be over. Our trip has gone smoothly with only a few minor mishaps. We attribute that to the time spent on planning. Having our hotels booked in advance not only saved us money but also wear and tear on our nerves. The time has flown by. In many ways we will be glad to be back home but it will be an adjustment back to responsibilities and "the real world". One thing we realized is that Lancaster County is a good place to live. There are many towns and areas we would consider going to live for three months or six months if time and finances permitted, but we could never give up roots that are firmly planted in Lancaster.

The rocky shoreline was a perfect place to sit and contemplate. I did some writing while Fred went off to capture the scenery of Maine. A mile out into the water stood an island empty except for three tall trees and shrubbery. Other islands were visible in the foreground against the horizon. On one perched a lighthouse and keepers house. I couldn't help but compare this feeling to the Pacific coast. We felt closer to the ocean and sky here. The cloud formations were constantly changing shape and color but at the same time absolutely still.

The waves rolled in as graceful as a line of ballerinas arching their backs and dancing on their toes before folding over and sweeping to shore. Then for a brief moment everything was motionless and still before starting the dance again. As I sat pondering the meaning of life, my life in particular, I felt like the Appalachian Trail hiker we had overheard. I am not getting any answers, only more questions.