July 5 - Never say never...

...or...expect the unexpected!

Saddened, we said goodbye to Pamela and Rocky Hill Farm at 5:30 am on July 4th. Our first stop was in Weston, MA to say hello to my uncle who's just 98 years young. We had a nice time visiting and catching up before we put it back on the road headed for Harrisburg PA. Traffic was light and the total 460-mile day flew past.

We had not expected to do or see much for the remainder of our trip, but we had planned to spend a little time passing through Shenandoah NP while riding the Skyline Drive. We can't recall having done that before; certainly not in summer. Each of my trusty, handy-dandy Apple weather apps lied and told me the 5th would be clousy and completely overcast; partly cloudy was not mentioned until tomorrow. So...once again, lazy Lenny packed his trusty Canon 7D not expecting to require its services. So...all the snaps that follow are courtesy of Apple and the iPhone 7. Little did we realize what an unexpected treat we had in store.

The sun peeking through low hanging clouds made for a foto-fun day...

It turns out that the entire day was most pleasant. And, I must disclose that travel on Skyline Drive is limited to 35 MPH and is monitored heavily. So, we decided to just take our time and enjoy the 100+ miles and check out the plethora of overlooks provided by your National Park Service. For those not having been there, Shenandoah's Skyline Drive begins just below Winchester, VA. And, it is arguably the northern launch point of the Blueridge Parkway. While similar to the Parkway, Skyline feels just about 20% more intimate probably because it resides in a National Park, whereas, the Parkway does not. Skyline's speed limit = 35 MPH while Parkway's = 45 MPH. Though their similarities and differences are many, the last I'll mention is Skyline has far, far more overlooks, as might be expected (being in a NP and all).

Here's the most northern overlook of Skyline Drive. Suggests good things to come...

As you can see in the image above, the day was truly "partly" cloudy rather than overcast. Photographers, even amateurs like me, love days like this. The sky adds so much interest when dramatic clouds overlay an otherwise boring, albeit clear, blue sky.

Jethro said to tell you he really enjoyed the day...

Summertime Skyline Flora

It took us almost four (4) hours to lallygag our way through the Shenandoah NP. Both Lizzy and I were surprised how much we enjoyed the leisurely pace; maybe we're just getting older and more leisurely. It was a great way to get over leaving our awesome hosts and get ready to face the unavoidable, upcoming, Texas heat.

Don't wish to bore you, but we stopped at many of the overlooks and snapped pic after pic. Here's a few more before we reached the end of the trail at Waynesboro, VA.

Overcast?...hmmm...

...well...artistically overcast!

Clouds and Sun - dynamic duo!

Jethro's diggin' it!

Goodbye sweet Skyline Drive

Well...the good news is that the end of Skyline Drive marks the beginning of the Blueridge Parkway.

I mean, that's good news if you're up for it. Unfortunately, we face a rather huge day tomorrow, so we opted to jump off the parkway after about 30-40 miles or so. Don't get me wrong...all that gorgeous scenery is breathtaking; but after a while it becomes a little like your 4th or 5th awesome milkshake in a row. They're yummy, but even better if spread out over a longer span of time. Here, then, are our only shots of the Parkway before jumping off to make it to Roanoke, VA.

1st Blueridge Parkway overlook from the north end.

The clouds add such a nice touch. Tell them thanks from Lenny!

Oh...and a special thanks to you for riding along...

July 2 - Mount Agamenticus

Perhaps you're aware there's a heat wave plaguing the northeast. Seriously, Maine in the high 80s and low 90s plus 75% humidity can rival Texas' 100 deg and 50% humidity. Today, however, was the last day predicted in the 70s for the next 10 days...so...we decided to take a hike. Where better than Mount Agamenticus near York, ME. Certainly, this was no death defying feat, but it was a great way to get a better vantage point and see more Maine.

While the pictures that follow are not photographic masterpieces, they do tell an interesting story about Maine that has really hit home with us. Most of my life, Maine was just another US state stuck somewhere far up north and probably covered with snow most of the year. Wrong again, Lenny! Much to my chagrin, most of Maine is not as far north as most of Minnesota, and all of North Dakota, Montana, and Washington. And...it's so far east that Florida is like half way there from Dallas (longitudinally speaking). Yet another revelation is that Maine, while having very cold and snowy winters, is a warm, wonderful, wonderland for vacationers during the summer.

The photos that follow reveal how dense the flora is in "this here" part of the country. Unless you're actually "on the coast," you're probably touring in a tree tunnel. Maines' highest peak, Mount Katahdin is 5269'. So by comparison, at 692', Mt Agamenticus can hardly claim to be a mountain. After all, Mount Dallas and Mount Carrollton, TX are both over 500' above sea level. Forgive me...back to the photos and their revelations.

As you will see, and for as far as you can see, Maine is densely cloaked in lush, green trees. The air must be pretty clean up here with all the help from these forests. On a clear day, and today was not particularly clear, you can see forever 🎶 well into New Hampshire, and sometimes even Mt Washington 90 miles away. In the opposite direction, your view is of the Atlantic coast. No matter which direction you choose, you'll see miles and miles and miles of dark, green trees. It's quite different from mountain vistas in, say ... Arkansas, Kentucky or Colorado.

Remember - click the pic for larger image

Looking north into more Maine...faint peaks in the distance

No matter which way you look...trees as far as you can see

Natural rock formation along the "Big A" trail

No matter where you go...even on foot...inescapable construction

The trail that encircles the peak called, Big "A," continues about one (1) mile and is well groomed. If you happen to be hiking with an adventurous soul, like Miss Lizzy, you'll soon find yourself headed down some dense or rocky or narrow wildlife path like those that follow...

Hey...let's see where this goes...

...just follow the red dots on the trees

Fortunately, Lizzy had her cagy, cautious counterpart along, Leery Lenny to enlighten her that her chosen path lead to the bottom of the mountain while Gentle Jethro was passively perched up top! Fortunately, the adventure was rectified with but a mere heart-pounding ascent back uphill to the ridge. The next thing you know we were safely back in treacherous traffic and headed home to the Hill, ... Rocky Hill that is.

Well, folks...

...this may be our last outing before we head for home. We're taking a short breather to see if our townhome in Carrollton has melted. After a brief reminder of what Texas Julys are all about, we'll head on up to cool, colorful, Colorado.

It's great traveling' with ya'!

July 1 - A Day at the Beach

So what do Mainers do when July temperatures soar into the sweltering high 70s?
Head for the beach, of course!

One Mile Beach at Reid State Park on Georgetown Island

Fresh off our busted outing to Rockland, Rockport and Camden we were a bit nervous about heading out into "tourist land" where asphalt highways become parking lots. But hey, as they say around here:

So...this day of driving Miss Lizzy found us destined for Georgetown Island. In case you didn't know...that's the same general direction in which we headed the last time. The big difference is that our cutoff toward the Atlantic comes "before" Wiscasset and Red's Eats. As expected, the freeways were packed, but traffic was flowing along nicely. And then...and then...we came to within 1/4 mile of our destination, Reid State Park. HALT, STOP, ALTO, no movey no morey. But...we persevered...and fortunately, the traffic inched along at .5 mph putting us into the park in a mere 30 minutes. Take that, Maine!!

I must say it was no surprise why so many Mainers chose this out-of-the-way destination. Here's a couple of first glimpses...

Looking out over One Mile Beach form Half Mile Beach (gotta love pragmatic naming convention)

Looking out to sea...

Lone fisherman

Rocks and surf

At our age you gotta keep movin' in order to keep movin' so we decide to move along the beach. Just past the madding crowds we came upon a lonely gull that seemed to be hard-pressed to find a gal. What do you think? Here he is...

Lonesome gull needing a galfriend

As we passed the gull by, we chatted briefly, wished him well, and went on our way. He seemed a rather handsome fellow and appeared to be reasonably well groomed. We figgered his chances were better than average. We wandered well beyond the bulk of folks who had staked their claims as close to their cars and the beach access as possible. We sat for a spell soaking up the sun, surf and sand. After a while basking turned into burning, so we headed back. Guess what??? The lonesome gull found a gal...

Proud protector of his new beach beauty. Gull and Gal...together. You go gull!

Afterwards we tried to partake of the fare at the Five Islands Lobster Company. Unfortunately, approximately 6762 other salubrious souls sought similar satiety simultaneously. So sorry, see ya later tater.

We decided to enjoy a rather backwoods exit tour (since it was the only way out), and soon were back on Five Islands Rd and puttering along back to Rocky Hill. There were, nonetheless, several scenic moments as we headed for the highway. Here are a couple we thought picture worthy.

Sand, surf and sun...sensational

One man's neglect is another man's art. Do I hear an amen?!

We sincerely hope you enjoyed riding along. We certainly enjoyed having you!

Stay tuned...