We stopped at Pine Point Beach, just south of Portland, for a long walk and so Lois could soak up some sun. As soon as Christy saw the water, she knew immediately where she wanted to go. Not wanting a wet, sandy dog in the Ham, I had to grab her leash with both hands and dig my feet into the sand to stop her. It felt so good to be at the ocean again!

Our campground tonight is close to Popham State Park in Phippsburg, MA. We got there late, so we walked the dogs around the campground and had dinner. Our campground served lobster every night for $10.95 a pound, which we found out later is a ridiculously low price. Carol couldn’t look her dinner in it’s eyes, so she got the seafood chowder, as did Lois. I’m allergic to shellfish, so I made my own dinner.

With the name Popham, the Flying Hams had to visit. We were very disappointed to find out that dogs were not allowed on the beach because it was shorebird’s nesting season. The dogs were left in the Ham and we went to the beach. Lois sat in the sun as Carol and I took a long walk. It was a beautiful beach that curved in and out. There was a large island of rocks about quarter of a mile out from the shore. As Carol and I were returning back, it appeared that people were walking on water towards the island. It was low tide and a sandbar was forming out to the island. As Carol returned to Lois, I walked almost to the island until my short legs couldn’t keep my shorts dry. After the sea parted, I remembered seeing an old bearded man walking away with a wooden staff. Everything made sense then.

Back at the campground, Christy, the adventure dog, and I took a very long hike. We climbed up to an overlook, down to a lake and jumped up and down on boulders. She has me so well trained.

We were surprised to find that we were having a hard time finding a campsite. A fellow RV’er told us to try a campground on the south, quiet side of Arcadia. Carol found us a site a half mile from the popular Bass Harbor lighthouse. After setting up camp, Carol, the girls and I took a walk to the lighthouse.

Thursday, Sept. 3

We arrived at the visitors center at Acadia National Park about 10:30. It was insanely busy. To drive the Park Loop down the coast, we had to drive under three low bridges. The lowest one was only 11′ 8″. The Ham is 11′ 4″. On paper, it should work, but I was concerned – it’s a one-way road and you can’t turn around!

The Loop was everything we had hoped it would be. It was a beautiful, sunny day with temperatures in the low 70’s. I somehow was able to find parking on the two-lane road at each vista. When the yellow 11′ 8″ Clearance sign appeared, I started to panic. Thank goodness, it was an arched bridge with plenty of clearance in the middle – whew! Acadia was our main destination, so it was now time to start home. 

Click on this link to view more Acadia pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/z7LktvzqGBCoUHAf7

Friday, Sept. 24

Rain was moving in today so we drove towards Portland, MA. Instead of driving the interstate, we took U.S. 1 through all the small coastal towns to Portland. It took us longer, but we got to see more of America. We were surprised to find that every bed & breakfast, motel and inn had no vacancies. The harbors were picturesque, the big old houses were impressive, the shops were busy and the traffic was crazy. 

We had been RVing in Maine for about a week and Carol hadn’t gotten her lobster roll. Everywhere we went around Acadia was charging at least $30.00. As we were leaving coastal Rockland, MA, we saw this blue trailer and a crowd of people. There was plenty of room to maneuver the Ham, so we pulled in. Boy, were we glad that we did! Carol loved the lobster roll ($14.95). Lois loved her perfect fish and chips. And I got almost as much bacon on my club as chicken. It was a great lunch and Carol finally got her lobster roll.

Saturday, Sept. 25

We spent the night at a church parking lot in Biddeford, ME. with five other RVs. We had a nice, quiet stay, then made a donate to a food fundraiser going on in the parking lot the next morning.

Sunday, Sept. 26

Our next overnight trip took us to a berry farm in Glastonbury, CT. We parked in a field with peaches trees, blueberry bushes, pear trees and sunflowers. Across the street was the apple orchard, more berry bushes, gift shop, barns and restaurant. It was a perfect afternoon, so we sat outside and walked the dogs around the property. We find such great places to stay like this, for free, by using our Harvest Host membership. Please don’t ask us how much we spent on food there!

Monday, Sept 27

Take me to the Promised Land. So that’s what we did – Promised Land State Park in PA. As we were pulling in, a ranger told us to be aware of the bears – they had recently become very active in the campgrounds. Carol quickly ran to the Ham and locked the doors.

Tuesday, Sept. 28

This morning, Christy and I took our second hike. As we were returning to the Ham, something caused Christy to stop and start sniffing. Out in front of us, I spotted a bear crossing the road. We froze! What seemed like an eternity, it finally made it to the other side and scampered out into the woods. Luckily, I was able to get of a good picture.

Wednesday, Sept. 29

Our last overnight before returning home is a winery in PA. They only allow one RV on the property each night, so we had the place to ourselves. A beautiful mountain-top view, a vineyard to hike in, an outdoor stage to perform on and a huge, manicured lawn to run the dogs. After some wine tasting, we bought a few bottles that tasted like grape juice, then enjoyed the amenities.

Click on this link to view my last drone video. https://photos.app.goo.gl/1PNZZk4VPofurn3c6