Cunningham Falls State Park

  Headed out of PA on October 24, Cunningham Falls State Park, Thurmont, Maryland being our destination. Cunningham Falls is located in the Cotoctin Mountains and home to the largest cascading waterfall in Maryland.. I again have to gush over the beauty of the trees on our route, This has been a spectacular Autumn in my view. 

On our way we stopped off at Catoctin Mountain Orchards Farm Market and what goodies we did find. A luscious light apple cider made from Honey Crisp Apples; Elk, Cheddar, Burgundy Sausage, oh was that good and went perfect with the Beer Cheddar Cheese we picked up; Pumpkin Butter; Golden Cauliflower, several homemade goodies, tasty plums and crisp local apples. Oh My!!

Our yummy finds at the Farm Market

Heading up the mountain to our campsite was a bit white knuckling, up, up, up with lots of curving roadway. Finally, made it, Phew, yeah we have to go back down come Monday! Oh Boy. The William Houck Area Campground was well-maintained typical state park, lots of trees with well spaced sites. The sites in our section have electric but no individual water hookups. Fortunately for us, the spigot was reachable by our hose making it easy to fill our fresh water tank when needed. The park has several sections, some more primitive, none with full hookups. Clean tiled bathhouse with lots of hot water, yeah I like that. The camp-hosts Hugh and Susan were a great couple and made a point of greeting each new arrival, helping where ever needed. The during the high season the park is host to many activities and nature talks, has a large lake for swimming, fishing, just plain enjoying; as well as a campstore.

There is another campground just down the road, The Manor Area, that has an aviary and is home to the historic Catoctin Iron Furnace. We didn't get to either of those on this trip, perhaps next time. 

We did get in some great mountain hiking, oh it felt so good to be out there. The trail to the Falls was rocky with both ankle twisters and giant outcrops. While we enjoyed to view of the falls, we understand that to see it in the Spring after the winter thaw can be breathtaking.

From there we hiked over to the lake and just sat to take in the beauty.

 Down the road to the Cactoctin Trail brought us back up the mountain and to our campsite for a muscle building, spirit filling day, then a well deserved rest!  

While hiking up to the higher campground section one day, we were gifted with the close up flight of a Red Tailed Hawk, couldn't have been but 10 - 15 feet away and would drop into the trees awaiting us getting closer just to take flight again. Did this several times before we couldn't follow further. 

I'll just fill the rest of this post with some photos of the beautiful scenery but believe me the camera does not do it justice.

Next stop into Virginia.

A Beautiful Disappointment

We left New York, October 22, for a quick two night stay in Hickory Run State Park, White Haven, PA. Once again the ride was scenic, the mountains of trees all in Autumnal beauty. The weather not so nice as we hit many pockets of rain showers, to take a break we decided to get off the road for a short spell and grab a bit to eat. We usually just pull into a rest area and make a sandwich, eating either in the RV or if possible outside. This time we found a restaurant and treated ourselves to lunch.

  Once we got to the campground we found a lot of construction going on. Now, mind you, we knew going in, the upper areas were closed and there would be limited amenities due to the building of a new Visitor Center. What we didn't know was there were to be no amenities and very limited facilities. Fortunately we are self-contained and did have electric and water hookups. Bathhouses were closed; dump stations, closed; three quarters of the park, closed. The only thing open was the section of campground we were in, which held maybe 15 – 25 RV sites, several tenting sites and 4 cabins. There were pit toilets in our section and that was it!      Fortunately, it was only a two night stay and the surroundings were beautiful. We wouldn't have minded as much if we knew just how much was to be closed ahead of time. Well if this is the worst we deal we are still so ahead of the game! C'est LeVie.

  We did manage to get in several nice walks through a very quiet, might I say deserted, state park. I think even all the animals left LOL Peaceful, definitely. There were about 8 other RVs there but didn't see many of the occupants out and about, I have a feeling several of them were part of the construction crew. We did meet an amateur astronomer there to take photos of the dark sky. His new hobby since retiring, that was interesting.

Not much else to say except this is all part of the adventure and they can't all be winners. I will add that I'd like to come back when all the construction is done as it is a beautiful park and would love to explore it more.

Onward to Cunningham Falls State Park in Maryland.

So no decided to do this another day!

Our Stay in Vermont

   Oct 10 - 15 found us at Maple Grove Campground in Fairfax, Vermont. Twas a beautiful ride up through New York State and across just miles from the Canadian border. The foliage of the trees was spectacular not only during the ride but our whole stay there. Even the locals commented how vibrant the colors. Simply beautiful, every where you looked, the oranges, yellows, the reds, and the contrast to the rich green of the Evergreens, well nature pulled all the stops during our visit. The weather was notable as well. Temperatures in the high 60's right into the the low 70's during the day. Nights got chilly but we just threw another blanket on the bed and were fine.
 


 Maple Grove Campground was another win. Small, only about 30 sites terraced on the hill. Mike the owner/manager was very personable: fun, helpful and kept the park well maintained. Another great stop over place if you are planning to be out and about a lot, not many amenities but everything you need. Camp Store, clean bathhouses, relatively level sites, great laundry room with big table for folding and several shelves of books, magazines, and dvds  for borrowing or swapping. We had fun just walking around and playing horseshoes. 

  We went to Vermont to spend time with Paul's Godson Eric, his wife, Miranda and their darling little boy Emmett. Such a lovely couple, we laughed and chatted the whole time together. Emmett, of course stole our hearts, eighteen months of pure joy. They took us to a local Farmer's Market where so much could be had. From Vegis, meats, cheeses, breads, preserves to handcrafted items galore. Lot of fun walking around picking up this and that, part of me couldn't help wishing my place was a bit bigger, there was that much I could have bought. See the money I save by having bought an RV, heheheh. Miranda cooked us several yummy meals using mostly local foods and so tasty. Sunday we headed for the hills and Emmett got to experience his first hike! Gad, I feel special being there for that. He did so well, couldn't believe how long he walked before those little legs tired out and he got to ride on daddy's back. Beautiful park nearby their house with several trails up the hills and through the woods. The trails are used for snowshoeing and skiing in the snowy months.

  Had a delightful, serendipitous experience. Paul and I went for a walk down the road by the campground, traffic was a bit busy for our tastes so turned up a small side road. I must exclaim once again how beautiful the trees and vines. We got to the top of the hill and were just wandering around trying to see if there were any trails, noticing a couple of houses and a business of some sort. On the way we did notice plastic tubing wrapping around the trees and wonder what that was for, came up with several ideas when we hit upon Maple Tree tapping. Of Course. So anyway, this car comes up along side us and we were thinking Uh-Oh are we on private property? But no, he asked if we were there for the tour of his "Sugar Shack"? Umm no, but we could be. He laughed and said he was showing a couple of others the maple syrup process and we were more than welcome to tag along. Yep, count us in!

 Ernie Flanders and his brother retired five years ago to develop Flanders Bros of Vermont. Syrup making had been a family undertaking for 5 generations, so was naturally they wanted to expand and open it open to the public. Their "Sugar House" is a post and beam structure hand built from the trees on their property, and milled on-site. What a beautiful building. They still make the syrup by heating with wood but now instead of on the stove, pot method they have more modern equipment. We learned about the process and got to sample several of their products. Oh my I was in heaven! Each we tasted was yummier then the next. My favorite? Their Wood Fired Bourbon Barrel Syrup that is aged 4-6 months in wooden barrels from Woodford Reserve Distillery. And yes, you can taste the subtle flavor of the bourbon. Even got to pick some apples from the trees outside the building. What a fun, educational way to spend the morning.  When we got back to the campground we had the perfect lunch: Pancakes with fresh apples and Maple Syrup! ummm.

Goes to show when you open yourself up to life, life opens up to you.

See you at the next stop!

On Our Way!

We are on our way! Started our new life adventure October 8, heading for Arrowhead Marina & Campground. Always amazes me the difference in traffic as leaving New Jersey. Once we got into New York State it thinned out quite notably. New Jersey has a lot to offer but it is just too congested at any time of day, and when in a RV, man, do you experience it at a different level. Once again we get to experience the convenience of a home on wheels come lunch time and necessity stops. There's a rightness to being able to pull over at a service center or rest stop, make a couple of sandwiches and have a relaxing lunch.

Have to add I love our new Garmin GPS, not only can you plug in the dimensions of your RV and a route will be determined based on those keeping you from roads, tunnels, bridges not suitable, but, I get to watch a mini motorhome going along on a purple road, hehehe.

Arrowhead Marina & Campground was a great two day stopover.

Quiet without a lot of amenities but everything you need. Nicely spaced sites, well maintained, friendly staff and clean bathhouse with good hot water. It is located in Glenville, NY, section of Schenectady, right on the Mohawk River. making it a perfect stopover spot while heading up the New York Thruway. Beautiful, the park had Adirondack Chairs and picnic table for our use. Lunch and coffee overlooking the river yeah this is the life.

Took our Ebikes out for a spin, oh I like these. You can pedal away and then when you need just a burst of extra power to get up that hill, turn the throttle and YES! I can tell we are going to appreciate them. They go up to 20 mph and you can get 20 to 40 miles per charge depending on how much you rely on the battery. I like that you can just pedal getting some good exercise in.

Also took a nice long walk and wound up in a lovely park on the other side of the river. Entertaining note, It's Woolly Bear Caterpillar time and we must have seen a dozen black and brown ones as well as a number of beige to orange ones. Spent our time coming back across the bridge removing many from the concrete divider and pulling them back fin the grass/brush areas. Our good deed for the day!

Little side note: If one can forecast the winter by the coloration of Woolly Caterpillars then New York in for a Warm, Mild, Severe, Cold winter LOL. Those bands of color were all sizes.

Great start to our new life journey.