Sunset on Mt Washington

We had a very exciting trip up and down Mt. Washington. It rained and the clouds went down to ground level. We really appreciated the professional drivers who got us up and down safely.

We were blessed with a concert by a singing group. The sang a-capella and sang old religious songs and some African songs. They, too, came to see the sunset.

Since we didn't get to see the sunset, Ginger created one from an earlier picture on top of Mt Washington, for the benefit of the group.

Glenn Allan Falls

Today we drove to Berlin, NH to see leaves and to go to Super Walmart. On the way we stopped at Glenn Allan Falls. The water comes down from Mt Washington and to drop in the picture is 64 feet.

The fall leaves are just beginning to turn even though today's high was over 90F. Ginger has been rained on (by fall leaves) on the Safari Ride for a couple weeks.

Tomorrow night we are being treated by the park to a sunset on the top of Mt. Washington. Rain is scheduled but not supposed to come until late in the evening. Hopefully we will be able to add some pretty sunset pictures to the blog.

We have 2 more weekends to work. The last weekend will extend through Monday, Columbus Day. We will head out that Wednesday, going down the Blue Ridge Parkway and then into Pensacola to watch grandson, Josh, march with the band at a football game.

Stay well, healthy and in touch with God.

Maritime Provinces

We left Story Land Monday morning in the rain and arrived at New Brunswick’s St. John that evening. Due to the rain and the cold we opted for a motel. While there, we saw “Reversing Falls.” It was between the river and the Bay of Fundy. The tide comes in and out there and the falls actually reverse their direction. Never seen that before. The next day, Tuesday, we went to see Hopewell Rocks. There is a 48-foot difference between high and low tide. Unfortunately, we could not be there at low tide but it was most interesting and picturesque anyway, even in the rain.

We crossed the extremely long bridge to Prince Edward Island, in the rain, and opted for yet another night in a motel. We checked out Charlottetown, their quaint homes and beautiful gardens. Wednesday morning, Ginger peaked through the blinds of the motel and was delighted to fine no rain. We finished our drive through Prince Edward Island and caught a ferry to Nova Scotia.

Waiting for the ferry were several horse trailers (with their precious cargo) and their harness carriages tied on the backs of the trailers. They were going to NS for a race.

The ferry ride was a long 6 hours, even with jet engins running at 55 MPH. The wind was strong and the motion was great, giving Ginger a difficult time.

During the ferry ride we noticed a Canada version of a Coast Guard Cutter chasing the ferry along with two rafts. It seems the Canadian police were doing a security rehearsal. The rafts took turns coming up to the ferry, tossing up a ladder and each of 8 men climbing up the ladder to board the ferry. Then the raft would leave and come back for the men to climb back down. They repeated this rehearsal for at least 10 times per raft. While Ginger was videotaping, the raft separated from the ferry while one of the men was climbing down. He went swing wildly, hanging on tightly, while those below him grabbed for the ladder and the pilot of the raft tried to bring the raft back in line. All turned out well. It showed they did need the practice.

We got to a Nova Scotia KOA campground (in the sun) and decided to upgrade to a cabin. Then off, before dark, to see Peggy’s Cove. Definitely a highlight of the trip. That night, we decided to change our itinerary and take the CAT home. Richard was tired of driving and we didn’t want to retrace our steps. With a 14% sales tax on everything and .20 per liter gas tax we decided we’d come out ahead to pay the ferry price, save time and gas and have a day at home to rest before returning to work. The ferry ride was quite rough due to the high winds and also long, 6 hours. We really enjoyed our trip but are glad to be “home.”

Cinderella

We had a lot of rain and thunderstorms on our two days of so we caught up on errands. We did go into the park on Friday to video "Farm Follies," a very cute and funny show for the grandchildren to see. We have transferred it to DVD. While in the park, we visited Cinderella in her castle and took a picture of "Grandpa" with Cinderella. We also saw her glass slipper. Labor Day will be our last day for full time. After that it is weekends only and only until 5 PM.

Enjoy the photos. The next update will be after we get back fromour trip to Nova Scotia. That will be in about 2 weeks. Stay healthy and happy. God is so gracious to us.

Clark's Trading Post

This week's trip was to Clark's Trading Post. It began as a roadside attraction in 1928 as an Eskimo Sled Dog Ranch. In 1930 they introduced the black bear and have performed bear shows ever since. The bear show was entertaining as bear shows go.

The had several museums. One was antique fire wagons, another, antique games (we sure felt old in that one), antique machines including typewriters (we've sure come a long way on that line) and a few others.

The highlight was a steam engine train along one of New Hampshire's scenic rivers. The entertainment portion of that for the children was encounters with "wolf man." That trip is recorded on DVD and we haven't had time to clip out a still photo.

We checked out Lost River Gorge and decided against the climb up and down 1000 steps.

We have 8 more days of full time work and then go to part time.

Flume Gorge and Canyon Mountain

Once again God blessed us with a beautiful day off for sight-seeing. The weather couldn't be better. We went to Flume Gorge and hiked up and down hills and a multiple of stairs. It was so worth the climb. We were first greeted with "Table Rock" and soon view the long stream of falling water running over the granite rocks. At the top we were well rewarded for our climb with several big and full water falls. We met someone on the climb that came in May but the Flume was closed due to too much water.

Many steps, bridges and bends following up to the bigger falls.

On the way down, Richard opted for the van ride while Ginger walked up and down for the photo opts. This covered bridge is the most photographed one in N.H., built in 1886.

She also met up with a big granite boulder.

After enjoying the Flume Gorge we proceeded to Canyon Mountain. The gondola can hold 80 people in the summer time but only 60 in the winter. We only had around 40 so there was a lot of room for everyone to enjoy the views.

We have 2 more weeks of full time work the go to weekends only. The week after Labor Day we plan to car camp in Nova Scotia.

Stay tuned for next week's adventures.

Five Hour Scenic Train Trip

What a beautiful day. The weather couldn't be better for sight-seeing. We went to North Conway and cashed in our passes for a free five hour scenic train trip through the mountains.

We passed curves, sometimes thinking we'd pass ourselves.

We viewed mountain vistas,

waterfalls,

flowing rivers,

dry riverbeds and so much more.

Some had a little trouble not seeing the inside of eyelids due to the rhythm of the train.

We even caught a little wildlife. The train noise scared off bigger forms.

Five Hour Train Ride

It's Too Hot

Our 2 days off were off the charts in heat. So glad not to be working in the heat. It will be cooler tomorrow when we start our new work week. It was so hot we mostly stayed home. We did drive to Best Buys in Auburn, ME to return Richard's computer. They are going to try to get the insurance company declare it a lemon and give us a new one. It's the 5th trip for the same problem.

Since I don't have anything new this week I thought I'd share some pictures of Story Land (where we are working). It is an excellent park for young families - so much nicer than Disneyland. Hope you enjoy them. We will take a side trip next week so be sure to "tune in."















Cinderella"s Castle. People can ride a pumpkin coach up the hill to see and talk to Cinderella. It is a highlight for little girls.

Pirate Ship, tours the lake going around the island. Finds treasures. There is a play ground with water guns where the children can shoot at the ship. Of course, it's a great hit with the little boys (and a lot of the girls).








An audio story of the "Three Little Pigs" There is a farm section with animals which go with stories, ie. Mary's Little Lamb, etc. The pigs are exchanged as the grow bigger.



One of the 2 RV sections. Ours is the class C in the front with our "new" red Saturn wagon. We still own the Saturn View but it is too heavy to tow behind our Class C. It was fine when we had our big diesel pusher. We have the wagon because we plan to do car camping in Nova Scotia in September when we go to weekends only in the park.

Temperatures will return to "normal" (whatever that is) tomorrow as our work week starts. Tune in next week.

Full week

This has been a full week. Our 2 days off were packed. Monday night the park took us to a private antique wagon museum . The host said it was a hobby gone out of control. He opens the museum by his invitation only. He owns several hundred antique wagons and sleds. Of course, we were impressed with the antique "RV's".

Thursday morning, bright and early, we went to the station for Mount Washington van auto road tour. The day was hot and sunny. The tour was beautiful and interesting. It was so nice at the top at 10 am we didn't even need long sleeves (very unusual).

Thursday afternoon we went to Wildcat Mountain and rode the ski lift to the top. After Mount Washington it was a little anti-climatic but enjoyed, nevertheless.

Friday saw us up early to ride the Cog up to the top of Mount Washington for our second time. Our second coupon for a free ride expired after that day. Ginger was able to get a few other pictures not taken on the first trip. The most interesting one is on the way down where the riding car is separated and a little distance from the engine.

Laundry and other chores called us home. That evening we celebrated our 43 anniversary with a delicious stuffed lobster dinner (Our anniversary is the 31, but that's a work day.).

More next week.

Santa Village

Today we had a few hours before the rain came so we went to Santa Village. The highlight was enjoying the Christmas music played throughout the park. We were surprised to find a large nativity scene. It had a cross in the center of a pond in front of it and a chapel beside it. The park was beautifully landscaped so we enjoyed many beautiful flowers. It seems this area is full of a lot of theme parks concentrating on the young families.

Since we both like fresh made pastries we visited their bakery. While sitting on their deck, enjoying the view and the pastries, we had a visitor.

Tonight the work campers are having a pot luck. We've invited the international students who will be bringing dishes native to their respective countries.

More next week.

The Clog

I can finally type a little though my right arm is still in a cast. We finally had a day off without having any medical appointments. We went to Mt Washington and road the Clog train up to the top. The charcoal based steam engine was built in the 1800's. It runs on 3 tracks. The middle track is for the clog, a wheal with teeth to grab and pull up. The ride began at 2700 feet and climb to the top of Mt Washington at 6288 feet. Going down takes no power but a lot of breaking. The weather could not have been better. On one side of the mountain we were above the cloud and on the other you could see forever. The temperature was even pleasant.