Shot heard around the world!

One of the cool things about our CCI rally’s is the tours.  Today we boarded a couple of chartered buses & headed to Lexington & Concord.  Where the Revolution started.

Boston in a day!

We went as a group into Boston with the rally on trolleys.  Enjoyed a planned tour of the highlights with limited stops.  So we went back the next day with some friends.  We signed up with the same trolley, but being on our own we could do what we wanted.

We started at the USS Constitution.

Since this ship is an active commissioned ship in the US Navy, it is manned by active duty Navy.  Talked to a couple of sailors.  What a cool duty assignment.  Mentioned to Hunter maybe he should join the Navy, he looked pretty good at the helm.

We then hopped on the trolley and acted like tourists.

Walked to Fenway Park & got a “beverage” from the right field bar.

Eventually we made the requisite stop at Cheers. Might have had a “beverage” here too.

Ended the day where we started.

)

Is it Plimoth or Plymouth?

We car pooled for a day going to Plimoth Plantation.  It is a 1600's replica of a colony.  There are period characters who stay and act as if they are in the 1600's.  It was very interesting.  We went to the Indian village & the English colony.

 We then had lunch on site then headed to Plymouth.  There we toured a working grist mill that is powered by the local river then finally saw "Plymouth Rock."

So this was a disappointment.  Plymouth Rock used to be 32 feet wide.  A long time ago the tourists would rent a hammer & chisel and knock off pieces of the rock.  Now it's protected in a display area and is only about 5 feet wide.  The locals call it Plymouth Pebble.

Finally, Plimoth & Plymouth are both correct.  In the 1600's people spelled things phonetically so the "Plimoth" was correct.  As colonists became more educated it was reverted to the correct Plymouth.

Tomorrow it's Lexington & Concord.  For the First Shots....

CCI Rally & Boston

Keeping with my less than 300 miles a day we spent the night between Niagara & Foxboro at another Harvest Host.  This was our first Brewery.  We stayed at Crazy Williez Brewery in Ilion, NY.  This one was a little of the tollway, and hilly.  But worth it. Its situated between a bunch of farms WAY out of town.

First we were surrounded by a flock of chickens.

The owner told me to pull up alongside the building facing either way, we opted to face the fields instead of the parking lot & street.

After we were set up we headed into the Brewery to sample the beers.  Owner was great.  After a few beers we went back outside fired up the grill and fixed dinner.  Around 8pm the locals started showing up as did two other RV's.  It was open mike night and people brought out their guitars and the music flowed along with the beer.  What an awesome night.  These Harvest Hosts are great!

Up in the morning and into Foxboro for the Rally.  I know I've been saying Boston but the RV park "Normandy Farms RV Resort" is about 35 miles south of Boston.  We checked into this top notch RV park, met up with our CCI friends and let the fun begin.

Went past the Patriots football field on our way to dinner at the Red Rooster.  Had a great meal & talked to some locals.  They recommended taking Hunter to the Go Cart / Ninja facility a mile away so we did that the next morning.  Hunter got the chance to burn some energy.

The rally started with a trolley tour of Boston.  It really gives you an idea of what to see in the town.  So the next day we went back to Boston with friends & did the things we wanted to from the trolley tour.

Started out at the USS Constitution.  An active ship in the US Navy.

OK it might not be the latest fire power, but it's manned by active duty sailors.  Then we bounced around the city.  Stopped by Cheers, some local bars, we even walked to Fenway.

 Cheers is actually at the Bull & Finch, the inside is totally different then the TV show.  But who cares we were there.

 Found a bar that is in a remodeled Police Station.

 Ended up the night back at the USS Constitution after having dinner at a local pub.  On of Paul Revere's hangouts....

Tomorrow Plymouth Plantation

Niagara Falls!

We wanted to see Niagara Falls and it was definitely on Hunters list.  We stayed at Branches of Niagara RV Campground on Grand Island, NY real close to the Falls.

After we  got settled in, it was only a 95 mile trip from the winery, we drove into Buffalo, NY.  Of course we had to get some wings at the place that is the "Home of the Original Buffalo Wing." 

After some research we went to the Anchor Bar for lunch.  It's been around since 1935 and has a great atmosphere.  Hunter & I got the wings, of course.  I'd say they were OK, not spectacular.  But they sell A LOT of wings....

We drove around Buffalo for a while then headed back to CC. 

Today is Niagara Falls day.  We drove into the park and signed up for a package that included the Maid of the Mist boat ride, free trolley tour, Aquarium passes and the "Hurricane Deck."

First of we went to see and hear the Falls.

Then we did the Maid of the Mist, its the iconic boat ride to the base of both Niagara & Horseshoe Falls.They supply the blue poncho, which is very necessary.  Of course we needed to be in front.

FYI the water is really cold & Rita DID NOT want to get wet!

After this we went to the other side of the Falls to go on the Hurricane Deck.  This is a rather long set of stairs that let you walk down to the very base of the Falls.  Then you walk up a wooden deck and actually get "into" the Falls.  WOW, what an experience.  You can SEE, HEAR & FEEL the power of the Falls.  This is a must!  There they give you a flimsy yellow poncho plus free water sandals.  (Tip: if you do this keep the blue poncho from the Maid of the Mist, is stronger)  Then you walk up alongside the falls.  Cold water is everywhere  there are spots you can get real close to the Falls & on the Hurricane Deck you can actually get into the Falls.  Here is where we had camera issues, plus communication issues, there is water everywhere.  Ponchos didn't protect much and it is LOUD!

Hunter walked into the Falls & I tried to video him without getting to wet, but I couldn't see my phone from all the mist so wound up with nothing.  Bummer.

We got out of there & our ponchos were shredded from bumping into the handrails & just moving around.  We were soaked...  But it was worth it!!

After the grand finale we decide to drive into Canada for dinner.  Crossed the border found a nice local restaurant, had a Canadian Beer with dinner and came back.

Hunter's mom, Jackie, is an avid Geocacher so to taunt her we did a quick cache, since Jackie has never done one in Canada.

Crossed the border back into the US and headed back to CC....

Next stop CCI Rally in Boston.

Moose in Michigan?

Wrapping up here and heading south.  We have a SkyMed presentation in Wapakeneta.  Trying something new.  We joined a local Moose Lodge and will now try camping at one in Flushing, MI.

I called ahead and they directed me to the rear gravel lot.  When we arrived Rita ran inside to confirm where to park.  They said we we don't mind parking on the grass they have 30 amp hook up.  So we backed up near the playground and got CC all set up.  Who doesn't like free camping, with hookups.....

We headed into the Lodge & were very warmly greeted,  Had a couple of drinks, played some five Crowns and did dinner too.  Great prices, perfect atmosphere.

The next day we drove into Flint for some sightseeing and wound up doing an "Escape Room".  We didn't escape, but we got close before we ran out of time.  We'll blame it on Hunter.  It was a lot of fun and we plan on doing it again....

Back at CC we watched a interesting sight.  The Moose Lodge was rented by a member.  It turns out that another member was killed in a motorcycle accident.  Apparently he was intoxicated and pulled out in front of  a car.  After the funeral they held a reception at the Moose.  What was odd was most of the attendees were on motorcycles and were riding around like idiots.  Wheelies, burnouts and speeding.  No helmets and plenty of beer.  It's like they forgot what killed their friend.  Oh well.

Next morning moved south to Wapakoneta, IN for a RV Rally & SkyMed presentation.  Nice KOA great group of people.  They insisted we join them in their events.  We did a tour of the Airstream factory, had dinner with them and wound up playing their games too.  Hunter made it to the semi-finals of the corn hole tournament.

One thing about travelling all over you met the most interesting people.  This couple looked familiar, plus the guy had a funny laugh.  Ho, ho, ho....

Sales went well and heading east.  Hitting another Harvest Host on our way to Niagara Falls.

Stopped at South Shore Wine Company in North East, PA.  Nice quiet winery, with a really nice cellar/store & tasting room.  Found what we liked then walked back to CC to grill some dinner,

But we did have an interesting evening.  They offered us 20 amp hook up, so we used it just to keep batteries charged.  The weather was cool so no AC or heat needed.  While Rita was cooking, she used the microwave & blew the circuit.  No biggie, but the whole coach went dead.  The inverter was dead too.  Usually when shore power goes out it converts to battery power automatically.  But not today.

Couldn't figure it out.  I did everything I could think of and wound up calling Pete Hayes, a fellow Country Coach International friend, for help.  After an extensive phone call & lots of trouble shooting we discovered how to do a hard reset on the inverter.  That got us back in business.  Spent the night with no more issues.

Woke up and did a two mile trip to Lake Eerie for the traditional rock skipping.

Next stop Niagara Falls

Thunder Bay RV & Golf Resort

So we have been off the Interstate system since Fargo, ND.  A little over 850 miles.  We have been enjoying it.  Lots of things to see that we normally zoom by on the highway.  Diesel stops are more challenging, but we're doing OK.  Keeping our daily mileage down is making it all worthwhile.

Plus travelling with Hunter, my "personal assistant" is great.  He helps me hook-up & unhook the car.  When we pull into a camp site he is doing most of the work, connecting power, water & sewer.  Plus cleaning the bugs off the front.  Covering the windshield & tires.  Plus he helps Rita inside.  Usually after its all done we play catch until my arm feels like it might fall off.  I take a beer break & we go for a short bike ride.  It's been working great.  We are all enjoying it.

I got an email from Thunder Bay RV & Golf Resort expounding on its qualities as a destination so what the heck.  I got a good rate & we moved there for a week.  It was a nice short trip.

A little confusion on park entry, but after disconnecting the car & some ground guides we got through the golfers and to the RV site.  Nice level pad facing #3 hole a par 3.  Got CC all set up and rode our bikes to the lodge for some cocktails.

The resort has a real nice golf course & offers a carriage ride through the grounds for elk watching followed by a dinner in a cabin.  Unfortunately we can't get that to match our schedule, plus its a bit pricey.

We do plan some excursions.  We drove up to Lake Huron at a harbor town called Apena.  Walked around the harbor.  The wind was blowing & the lake was high so we couldn't go all the way, but crazy Hunter decide to run it & try to dodge the crashing waves.

That's a BIG flag & it is stretched out.  The temperature is OK, just windy.

 On the drive back we stopped at the 45th Parallel.

 Our goal on this trip is to take some nice hikes.  We did two this day.  Rita took a break while Hunter & I finished the longer loop.  It was very quiet & enjoyable

 Some where along the line we have become lighthouse fans.  We did the lighthouse tour in Door County, WI and loved it so now we stop for all the ones we hear about.

 The is the new lighthouse at Presque Bay.

 It replaced the "old lighthouse" at Presque Bay.

 We eventually hit the golf course at our resort, yes we just scrambled again.  This time Rita played & thankfully we did better.  Well on the front nine.  She bailed to start dinner for the back nine & Hunter struggled a little.  Did I mention Michigan has lots of trees?????

 Rita did have a gallery on one of her tee shots.  They didn't even flinch when she bombed that drive down the middle....

We did discover a local Polish town nearby that was celebrating the "Potato Festival" and we headed there.  It is a strongly Polish community & we enjoyed a delicious Polish meal for lunch then walked the town for a while.  Ending with a tour of a local Grist Mill.  Unfortunately it was raining at the mill & my pictures didn't turn out very well.  Sorry.

After a week here moving south....