3,801 miles, 19 Campgrounds and 53 Days in The Good Ole USA
With quarantines, face masks and political uproars we decided (on August 24th) to take our leave and visit the Northeastern US. With that in mind, we packed the Winnebago for a long haul.
Our first destination was Marietta, OH. An itch Marty needed to scratch after reading some historic novels that were based there.
We Took Our Time
After 6 days of traveling through Georgia and North Carolina we arrived at the Starlight RV Park in Marietta, OH.
A lot of history can be found in Marietta; one of the earliest settlements in the country. Sitting along the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers Marietta was an ideal location for receiving and transporting goods. Founded in 1788, it was hoped to become the nation’s capital. Apparently, the locomotive dissolved those plans.
And there were Shanty Boats that carried whole families along the banks. Whole communities lived on the rivers up into the 1930’s.
We spent several days to explore the area. One gem we ran across is Hocking Hills State Park which is located about 80 miles west of Marietta in a town called Logan, OH. The park offers multiple trails, waterfalls and spectacular rock formations.
Our next itch to scratch would be Acadia National Park in Maine. This would take 17 days of sight-seeing in Pennsylvania, New York and New Hampshire.
Pennsylvania
Oil City, PA was once headquarters for Pennzoil and Quaker State motor oil companies. Located along the Allegheny River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains makes it a nice spot for exploration.
Barker, Mexico, Clayton and Plattsburgh were towns where we spent time on our way to Maine.
From our camp in Barker, NY we visited a Light House at Fort Niagara followed by a stop at Niagara Falls.
In Mexico, NY we discovered the Erie Canalway Trail and biked along 10 miles of its 360 miles (the trail runs between Buffalo and Albany).
In Clayton and Plattsburgh, NY we discovered campgrounds in the middle of farm country with corn stalks as far as the eye can see. I spoke with a farmer there who encouraged me to pick all the corn I wanted from his plot. It was delicious!
From Plattsburgh we drove our heavy RV onto a ferry that took us to Vermont. We then drove across Vermont to Shelbourne, NH. The views were magnificent and the hikes rocky. We went to the Market Basket grocery store where they sell freshly steamed lobster and other NH delicacies.
Bar Harbor Campground in Bar Harbor Maine offers first come, first serve sites. Located close to Acadia National Park, we drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain and took in the views. Guess what else we found in Maine? Lobster! Steamed in outdoor pots at local Lobster Pounds.
Heading south toward home, our next campsite was in Kingston, NH at a campground just 5 miles from a Market Basket. You know what we did. The possibilities were endless. We filled our tiny RV freezer with them.
Next we headed for Prospect Mountain Campground in Granville, MA. It was a nice, wooded site – unusual for an independent campground. It’s located close to Springfield and Wilbraham; childhood homes for Marty. We visited each and hiked on more rocky trails.
Cherry Ridge Campground was our next destination in Honesdale, PA. We found a few trails and some old architecture along the Delaware River.
Hesston, PA was the next stay where we found a great Army Corps Campground called Seven Points. For instance, the campground has miles of hiking and biking trails. As well as a rubberized path made from recycled materials that weaves all through the camp and around Raystown Lake. We’ll go back there.
Next stop, Virginia and the Shenandoah Mountains. The weather was cold, wet and windy but the scenes were serene.
We wound our way back home staying in NC, SC and GA taking about 5 more days.
It was a great trip that soothed a few itches. Now, home in Tallahassee, we’re brewing up some new itches to scratch.
Merry Christmas to all and Happy New Year!
