Finally, some relief from all the heat and humidity. Four nights here in upper Michigan. We stayed at a campground maintained by US Forestry Service. Sites were large, wooded and private.

Quick walk to the lake which was crystal clear and refreshing.

All of us (excluding Maggie) went swimming everyday and enjoyed the water tremendously. We took some bike rides on nearby trails and enjoyed the change of pace.

This is the most remote part of the US that we have been in so far. Lots of interconnected dirt roads lead you through the national forest. Very few other vehicles seen on the roads. Lots of trails, lakes and wildlife and not much else.

We travelled 45 minutes north to small town of Munisung which is the gateway to Pictured Rocks National Park. We took a guided boat tour of the National Park and were awed by the natural beauty of the rock formations and torquise blue waters of Lake Superior.

A great few days spent in upper Michigan. Would consider coming back here again to explore the blue waters of the great lakes a bit more. We were all astonished by their color and clarity.

Three nights here on the outskirts of Detroit. Campground had a creek and several ponds.

It was still hot and muggy, but Marcos was able to keep cool by swimming and catching frogs.

Lots of kids at this campground, and nice people, however, we felt the campground could have been kept in better condition. From here, onto upper Michigan.

Originally this stop was supposed to be at Shenango Recreation Area in Pennsylvania. However, about a week before our scheduled arrival we received an email informing us that the area was closed due to flooding and was not expected to reopen until after our expected arrival date. We cancelled the reservation and were able to book a few sites on military bases in Ohio.

The first site was at Youngstown Airbase for three nights. It was a pretty sleepy base with little to offer. Clean site, clean bathrooms and free laundry so no complaints.

The next three nights we stayed at Camp Perry on Erie Lake. The base was right on the lake with a nice beach and fishing pier.

The base was also close to Cedar Point Amusement Park and we went there for a day. Marcos went on his first big rollercoasters and loved every minute.

It was hot and humid in Ohio and we were ready to leave. Headed north into Michigan in hopes of finding some cooler temps.

5 nights on Seneca Lake in Romulus, NY. Campground was clean and well kept. Only electric hook up at this site. Our site was quite small but backed up to a field where the kids played. Marcos had a great time making friends and playing with them all week!

We were also able to spend some more time with family. Jon’s parents came by one day and then my family the next.

Of course, the Finger Lakes region is bursting with wineries and breweries so we stopped by a few of those.

One vineyard had a cherry festival and we were able to go cherry picking which was a blast.

In other news, NY roads proved yet again to be rough on the bumper. It ripped again and the bikes were left barely hanging on. This time, we had the old bumper removed and a new, heavy duty 3/16″ galvanized steel one installed. Hopefully, no further bumper issues (fingers crossed)

3 nights in Vermont at a very peaceful campground with a brook running through it. Marcos enjoying swimming in its chilly waters.

We spent some time exploring the nearby village of Manchester Center which had much shopping to enjoy.

Also enjoyed trips to some farms where we were able to interact with the animals and watch cheese being made.

Jon said he enjoyed Vermont the most so far and could picture us living there. We will see!

We stayed 7 nights in Acadia at Schoodic Woods campground in Winter Harbor, Maine.

The campground was immaculately maintained and sites were large and private. The park Rangers gave nightly talks at the nearby amphitheater and were helpful on hiking/biking trails suitable for all of us.

Marcos was able to become a Junior Park Ranger, so everyone better leave no trace behind!

The only negative about the campground was no public showers. And with only electric hook up we were very limited with our use of water in the camper. We went into town once for laundry and showers, but managed otherwise.

We spent a lot of time hiking, biking and tide pooling.

The weather was in general was great. Some rainy, cool days but the majority sunny and warmish. We enjoyed exploring the area immensely.

The coastline in Maine is simply breathtaking and one can only feel enamored by its beauty.

We highly recommend this area to everyone. The people were friendly and kind. The small fishing towns unspoiled by commercialism. The outdoor activities numerous and rewarding. The seafood – terrific. Goodbye for now Maine, we are off to Vermont for a few days, but plan to return again to soak in your peaceful, wild beauty.

We stayed 5 nights in Cape Cod, on the Joint Military Base in Bourne. Mix of cold, rainy days and warm, sunny days. On our first day we explored Woods Hole, visited the oldest aquarium in the US and had some good chowder at nearby Captain Kidd restaurant.

We also explored nearby Falmouth and picked up a package from the UPS. Interesting travel info we discovered; you can have packages delivered to any UPS store for a nominal charge. What were we having delivered you ask? Well, just another camper part! On this stop, we discovered our tongue jack got royally jacked up during the ride over and a new one was ordered to replace. Of course, we are confident that this part would have been covered under our camper warranty, however, having anyone answer the service phone at Camping World or return a phone call for service seems like an impossible dream. That being said, Camping World gets two thumbs down and we would NEVER reccomend anyone to buy a camper from them! Thankfully, dad was able to overnight us a new jack and rescue us from a potentially bad future situation. Thanks Dad, Amazon Prime and UPS.

Back on the bright side, we had a delightful whale watching experience with Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises. Our guide was an experienced marine biologist who identified the whales and offered insightful information on whale biology. We were able to see two fin backs and four humpbacks (one of which was only 5 months old). A truly awesome and humbling experience.

We of course had some great meals on the Cape. We have never seen so many ice cream shops in such a small area before and of course had to grab some fish and chips!

On our final day we drove up to Provincetown and took the long way back on route 28 passing through the lovely New England towns of Orleans, Chatham and Dennis Port.

Now off to Acadia National Park!

Hopefully nothing else broken on camper when we arrive this time!

Three day stop (June 9, 2019 – June 12) to visit with some of Jon’s family in the Southern Tier of New York. We stayed at Jon’s parents’ home and had a great time catching up with them. We got to see Jamy and Kyle’s new home in Binghamton and went to dinner and a baseball game in downtown Binghamton with some of our family. Lots of laughs and fun had by all!

Also a quick stop at local brewery for some tasty brews. @ Beer Tree Brew Co. in Port Crane

And, a little hiccup with travel trailer. Apparently, our camper bumper was not designed to carry the load of our bikes. We nearly ripped it off on our way to NY!

Fortunately, Rick had a very generous friend who was able to repair it and make it stronger than ever.

Now onto Cape Cod. Let’s hope she holds for the long haul this next year!

Two days in Trout Pond, June 7, 2019 through June 9. This is a park managed by US Forestry department and located within the Shenandoah National Park.

We stayed on site 1 with full hookup. Site was large, clean and private. Bathrooms were clean but men’s bathroom contained racial slurs.

Sites were quick walk to pond which was clean and had beautiful green water, surrounded by mountains. A nice trail encircled the pond, with convenient fishing spots alone the path. Jon was able to catch a small bass and others golden trout. Pond also had a manmade beach with nice white sand. Marcos enjoyed swimming, playing with other kids and catching salamanders.

This place was in the middle of nowhere! One radio station, no TV stations, no internet or phone service and 20 minutes to nearest store & gas station.

Two days here in Rock Creek. June 5, 2019 through June 7. Nice, cool weather to help us settle into camping after all the hot days in CHS.

The park had nice large, private sites tucked into a “cloud forest” with nearby creek and hiking trails of varying lengths and difficulties. There was a fresh water pool created by park for enjoyment on hot days, but was much too cold for us to consider.

Sites had electric hook up, but no water or sewer hookups. Would reccomend site 24 for future bookings due to levelness of site and proximity to water spigot and bathrooms. Only negative here was dirty bathrooms crawling with too many insects.