Day 59: 23 Aug, 2011 - Boston, MA to San Francisco, CA

'Our Great Big Fat Road Trip' has officially ended; what started with a bang, much excitement and anticipation of what lay ahead finished with little more than a sizzle, unless you count the earthquake that was felt in Boston around 2pm as we sat at Boston's Logan International Airport waiting for our 3pm flight to San Francisco, California.

We arrived back after 8pm but with the 3-hour time difference, our kids were feeling it, such that Nadia slept soundly outside Domestic arrivals as we waited for Marco to arrive with the rental car. 

Nadia catching some zzzs

Our travels took us from California on the west coast of the USA through Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and New York. We had a sojourn to Toronto in Canada before heading back into New York State and onwards to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine before completing our journey in Boston, Massachusetts.

18 States, two countries (if you count our side trip) and 59 days later we were back in California. While it seemed like a long time to be travelling, the reality is that we wished we had more time!! We were envious of the few families we met in RV Parks who were on their road trips of a lifetime taking some 1-2 years to see all lower 48 States. Now THAT is a serious road trip.

We did it!

An interesting and crazy busy week is on the horizon; we are staying at Uncle Tommy's in Palo Alto, have a whirlwind round of doctors, dentists and other visits coming up...but most importantly a farewell picnic to organize with our California friends who have been our 'family' for almost 8 years. 

It is one last hurrah before we embark on our next big adventure...life in Aotearoa / New Zealand.

Day 58: Farewell to 'Slowly But Shirley'

Talk about a late night - the packing and repacking continued well into the night and we emptied many belongings into Geoff's garage - several of which we hoped would fetch some holiday $$ for his kids on Craigslist.  

We departed promptly at 8am; Vanessa and kids dropped off at Dedham to catch a commuter train into downtown Boston for a day at the Boston Children's Museum while Marco rendezvoused with the RV buyer.

We said our goodbyes to 'Slowly but Shirley' at the train station; not sure if the children fully realized that would be our last ride in her but the train was a welcome distraction and we waved goodbye.

Bye bye 'Slowly but Shirley'

The train ride turned out to quite uneventful, there were many stops and it was a slow ride into the City. Once there we caught a taxi to the Museum.

Pedal Power

This was the epitome of children's museums in the USA; the Exploratorium in San Francisco is awesome, the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose is amazing BUT this was mind blowing...three levels of things to see, do, touch and experience...simply not enough hours in the day to fully explore or complete the suggested 100 things to do...so we played, we ate, we bought stuff and then we played some more.

Nadia in the Bobcat

Busy building

No surprises - it's an airplane!

Eventually we dragged our exhausted selves out of the Museum to wait for Marco...all had gone well with the sale and he had a big fat cheque to bank and with that, our RV-ing had officially come to an end.

Goodbye to Slowly but Shirley, Hillary the Hippo, Bella...our coast to coast ride of a life time. We sure had fun and will miss you!!

Squeezed into a mid-size rental we followed part of the Freedom Trail north to our hotel for the night in Saugus; it was clean, cheap and close to the airport. 

Dinner was a little nugget - a neighboring grill that specialized in Brazilian steak. 

Day 57: 21 Aug, 2011 - Off to Cape Cod, MA

Missy and boys left early to catch up with friends in Connecticut and Geoff offered us the use of their family car to drive to Cape Cod...a destination long on our wish list but one we had decided to forego as we needed to be accessible for prospective buyers. The phones did not exactly ring hot, so we decided to accept the one offer on the table (to huge sighs of relief) and jumped at the opportunity to sightsee.    

Cape Cod is located at the eastern tip of Massachusetts; just as the southernmost tip of Florida is majestic from a distance - so too is Cape Cod. Check out this satellite picture: 

Notably famous as the home of one of America's enduring dynasties in Joe and Rose Kennedy, it is infamous for P-town or Provincetown, the east coast destination of choice for the rainbow brethren. 

From Little Attleboro, we drove across  Bourne Bridge at Cape Cod Canal and made our way to Herring Cove at the tip. We passed sandy beach after sandy beach and were tempted to stop several times but kept on until we arrived. In our haste to leave, we forgot to take our National Park Pass so after the trek coast to coast, we had to pay to enter Cape Cod National Seashore.

We thoroughly enjoyed the beach and waves - the kids befriending other children to search for shells as we sun baked. In the distance we could see ferries making their way to and from Boston. Pure bliss and more so because we MADE IT! Yay!!

West Coast meets East Coast 

Race Point Beach

As the wind changed direction we decided to head to Race Point Beach near the Municipal Airport with a quick stop at Province Lands Visitor Center. We missed the Visitor Center by a few minutes and continued on to the beach. An unexpected surprise for Matteo was to see small aircraft making their approach over our car. The beach itself was nicer but our stay was short as the kids gave us the 'we're hungry' call. Next stop Provincetown for dinner...or so we thought.




This place was CRAZY - the streets were packed with tourists such that our top speed was less than 10 mph. Semi-naked bodies cavorted in front of the car, loud music blasted from many directions and the kids eyes were as wide as saucers as they took it all in. Funny but not really kid-friendly sights. We stopped at a shop to purchase the obligatory fridge magnet and made for Little Attleboro 2 hours away, with dinner reduced to a roadside diner.

Provincetown Flags

We made it back to Geoff's after Subway sandwiches en route and once kids were in bed, continued to clean and pack the RV - after all we would farewell our beloved Shirley the following day.

       

Day 56: Wompatuck State Park, MA to Little Attleboro, MA

Woke up in the State Park and back to our usual RV diet of cereal, fruit and milk.

We didn't stay for long as we needed to meet potential buyers for the RV. Off to the neighboring township of East Weymouth, MA we spent time on Craigslist and other RV websites...as well as waiting for potential buyers who'd arranged to meet us.

This day grew into one of frustration as firstly we found our Craigslist ads had been 'ghosted' meaning that while the post was active, it was not visible to anyone. Secondly, the folks who'd arranged to look at the RV did not show up. Argh.

Time to get creative and find someone local whose IP address we could use to post ads onto Craigslist locally. We ran through all the contacts we had and came up with two people; both long shots but worth a crack. Four degrees of separation later we connected with Geoff (our good friend Graeme's brother) and found ourselves driving to Little Attleboro, MA, an hour's drive south west and north of Providence, MA. In the neighbourhood really!!

Who knew that we'd connect with a St. Stephen's (Tipene) Old Boy and his family?! We pulled up and within 5 mins the kids were awake and making new friends with Geoff's boys. Marco worked his magic on the laptop and we had new ads posted within minutes...now to play the selling game...

Happy Campers - Nathan, Luke & Nicholas

Missy and Geoff were great; our kids settled in like part of the furniture and before long we were eating pizza, drinking beer, discovering all the treats at the local store and planning to stay over!!

Sweet Dreams!

Day 55: 19 Aug, 2011 - Boston, MA here we come!

One of the saddest days of our adventure - saying goodbye to this little piece of paradise in South Gouldsboro, Maine and to Kristi who opened her home to us and all this area has to offer. We had the most memorable time and won't forget this beautiful place anytime soon.

After breakfast the kids put the final few stars on our Map of the USA charting our travels and we also joined the dots from California to Maine...to Boston...not sure when our next chance would be to finalize but no real surprises from here on in.

Map of our travels

After a teary farewell and with heavy hearts, we hit the road - no looking back - time to get into selling mode. 

First stop, Brunswick Maine, ~135 miles south towards Portland for a potential purchaser walk through. We'd advertised the RV for sale on Craigslist and Facebook but had no real bites...this one seemed promising.

Interestingly we were very close to Durham - where we'd met with Matty only several days earlier. We arrived and met the potential buyer so the kids and I left the guys to it and headed for the farmer's market and to find a bank...we'd driven across the country with a bag full of coins - remnants of the kids' piggy banks that we didn't put on the container to NZ.  We found a bank and exchanged the coins for $109!! Nice.

After an hour or so, Marco found us in the park where we had lunch. The good news was that he received and offer, the bad news is that it was well below our asking price. 

Something for us to ponder as we pretty much retraced our journey from New York a week earlier and drove from Maine, through New Hampshire towards Boston, Massachusetts and south east to Wompatuck State Park for the night.

View Larger Map

We drove through some beautiful neighborhoods before arriving at the State Park at 7pm...past dinner time but we were able to rustle up a pasta meal while the kids played in the nearby surrounds. The mosquitoes were out in full force so the kids didn't stray too far.

Only 4 more official nights on our adventure and we don't have a buyer locked in. We were starting to get a little stressed.

Day 54: Last full day in Maine

We awoke to another day in paradise but the realization had set in that 8 weeks of our 'Great Big Fat Road Trip'  was quickly coming to an end. We had to prepare our trusty 'Slowly but Shirley' for sale, and with that, apart from a decent clean, start the process of deciding what to give away, sell or pack for our return to California and onwards to our new life and adventure in New Zealand.



View Larger Map

Crab Catching

Our day was interspersed with some fun -  we had a Skype date with Melissa and Mason in California, kids enjoyed some more seaside exploration and mining for sea glass, crab catching (Matteo went on to catch over 20)...and that was just the morning session.

More Sea Glass Discovery

After lunch, Grandpa Brad took the boys to a nearby pond for a swim while Marco and I started on the job of cleaning, packing and more cleaning and more packing. Nadia wasn't going to miss out on the action and did her part hosing down the RV.

Nadia cleaning the RV

Dinner Finale

For our last dinner, we headed to Chippers Restaurant in neighboring Hancock.

Ness had to indulge in, yes...more lobster...this time lobster tails sandwiched between crab cakes. Oh la la!

We rolled out after a wonderful meal and back at Grammy's settled in to a couple of movies until bedtime.

For us, it was more cleaning and still more packing. Such is life.

Day 53: 17 Aug, 2011 - To Fish or not to Fish?

Up at 6am for 6.30am departure, we dressed in the dark and put the kids into Grammy's vehicle in their PJs so that we could get on the road.

We made good time and arrived for our 7.30am departure only to find after paying, a family of ten headed by an obnoxious tourist demand to join at the last minute which took the boat way over capacity...we decided we needed a new plan and a safe one so took a refund. Interestingly, only one other customer choose to do likewise. Gutted but hey, if push came to shove we were happy to walk away with our safety intact and knowing wouldn't have to put up with obnoxious tourist's antics on the boat. As for Vagabond Deep Sea Fishing, while we read some great reviews, it was a shame that customer safety did not come first.

Bass Harbor

So to a new plan...pancakes at Sips before driving to Bass Harbor on the southwestern tip of Mount Desert Island. We discovered the lighthouse and a small path down to the rocks looking back to it. Some amazing sights and awesome views to the neighboring islands.

Bass Harbor Lighthouse 

From the lighthouse we drove up the western part of island to Acadia National Park Visitor Ctr. Who knew it serves 7000 people daily!! We watched the Park movie, and made a beeline for lunch at Sandy Beach. THIS was the find of the day - a sandy beach packed with people along an otherwise rocky coastline. Bugger that we weren't equipped with togs, towels etc., but we made the best of it - kids we happy to play on the beach and we got the obligatory family beach photo.

Sandy Beach

After a short stint at the beach, we headed back to back to George B. Dorr Museum at the College of the Atlantic for the Touch Tank Talk. This turned out to be a lot of fun as the kids got to touch and play with the sea creatures. One of the funniest moments was when the Ranger asked Nadia if she wanted to touch a shell and she said 'no, I'd like the star fish'.

Nadia and her starfish friend

After the session we drove up Cadillac Mountain Summit - this time we had much better weather and views of the surrounds. We timed it right for more pics...before making the slow trek home with two exhausted children.

Vista from Cadillac Mountain Summit 

En route we picked up crabmeat and salmon = another devine dinner! Grandpa Brad also made some authentic lobster rolls, ala Maine style and these were absolutely delicious.

Day 52: Schoodic Peninsula, ME

The rain finally arrived and there was plenty of it!

Kids spent the morning inside getting cabin fever so we braved the elements and went for a drive through Winter Harbor to see a few of the bygone era Rusticator homes and more of the Schoodic Peninsula, of which a part is Acadia National Park.

First stop was the Raven's Nest trail. A short walk from the road we came upon some majestic cliffs and rocky out crops of the Maine coastline. Rugged and steep, these looked beautiful in the constant rain...so long as we didn't get too close to the edge.

Raven's Nest Trail

Next stop was to see some the much talked about Rusticator homes on this majestic Peninsula. Many of the 'cottages' were very extravagant and palatial - and to think some of these were built back in mid 1800's. Such grandeur!

A highlight for us today was to see the Atlantic ocean and swells is rolling in from England into the Gulf of Maine.

We stayed in for dinner and enjoyed BBQ steak. So relaxing - we are loving our time here. Tomorrow another adventure awaits - a fishing trip!

Day 51: 15 Aug, 2011 - Loving Maine!

Nadia, Grammy & bird feeder

Woke up to another tranquil morning. Rain was forecast so we planned activities around the house; riding bikes, go carting, zip lining, tyre swing action and playing in the tree house...kept the little people busy...however, the rain didn't put in an appearance. 

Tree house

Later that afternoon, two activities that were a hit with everyone was sea glass exploration at low tide - in front of Grammy's and the much anticipated expedition to the frog pond at the  back of the property...

Off to catch frogs

We set off with kids' new nets in tow and after a short walk through brush we arrived at the pond and the frog hunt began in earnest. One can just imagine the cacophony of sounds as all four children made many discoveries...plenty of wild blueberries, blackberries and raspberries among them as well as several false sightings of frogs. Said frogs however remained elusive...until Ness went to the far side and came across a small frog...and with Nadia's net, we captured the little guy. Yay! 

The prize!

Kids took turns holding the frog before releasing it back to the safety of the pond. We all declared it a great success and headed back the long way through winding trails and along the coastline. 

Summer berries

More coastline wanderings

Dinner tonight was a magnificent lobster feast. We had salad bought fresh from a local farmer and Grandpa Brad cooked the lobsters...all 10 of them! And what a meal to remember...

Maine's finest!

Day 50: In an around Bar Harbor, ME

Day 2 in Maine and the morning got off to a great start - after a casual breakfast of cereal and blueberries Grandpa Brad and the boys went to the local Five and Dime store at Winter Harbor in search of some cheap thrills - they were not disappointed and returned with several goodies - predictably Matteo had an airplane:-) 

We prepared a cut lunch and then headed convoy style to Acadia National Park.  

Acadia National Park is some 49,000 acres and was the first National Park east of the Mississippi River. Originally named Lafayette National Park in 1919, it was renamed to Acadia in 1929.


View Larger Map

Along the drive from South Gouldsboro to Bar Harbor, we took a slight detour to Hancock County - Bar Harbor Airport to return a rental car...What we witnessed was a rare treat for Matteo - a tarmac lined with luxury private jets whose clientele frequent this part of Maine during summer months.  

From there we had lunch at a roadside park, which unbeknownst to us was part of Acadia...and then onto Beech Mountain for a hike (some 839 feet). A great little adventure, the boys ran ahead and little Miss Nadia held her own...just as she had on many of our prior hikes in Zion, Bryce and Grand Canyon...this was no different. She definitely has a good little engine. 

Beech Mountain Summit with Skye and Zachary

Grammy Kristi & Nadia

From the summit and observation tower we had great views of the southern part of Mount Desert Island and surrounding islands - awesome sights which we enjoyed along with some snacks.

We then made our way to Cadillac Mountain Summit - one of the first (if not THE first) peaks to see the sun rise in Continental USA - hoping for good weather for photos. Along the way we  caught several glimpses of the Carriage Road system developed by John D. Rockefeller Jnr. during 1915-1933 timeframe. Used in summer as cycling and hiking trails, they are also used in Winter for cross-country skiing. This is pretty impressive given that the trails were developed many years earlier.

Cadillac Mountain Summit - Looking to South Gouldsboro

The summit itself was very chilly - cloud, fog and mist arrived at the same time as us:-( While everyone went to see the sights, Ness stayed behind with an exhausted Nadia who earned her much need nap.  

We had dinner in the bustling tourist town of Bar Harbor. Our party of 8 was quite famished so dinner was a no nonsense affair before making the long and winding drive back to Grammy's with exhausted but happy children. 

Day 49: 13 Aug, 2011 - South Gouldsboro, ME - Our new paradise!

Rear window view

Woke up to the most stunning views - the tide somewhat was out so we could see the rocks covered in their sea kelp-like carpet from the shore and beyond that, ALL that this part of the world has to offer; views back to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park...which we would explore in due course.

Side window views - spectacular!

We enjoyed a lazy breakfast whilst admiring the amazing views, marveling at the tranquility and then admiring the views once again. The kids were excited to see Grammy Kristi and there was a constant buzz about everything from lobstering to fishing to blueberries (world famous Maine food icons) and the many activities she and Mason would do during his summer visits (we missed him by a month).

A picture tells a thousand words...or more

What to do - we were spoiled for choice but the clear winner on this day was kayaking...we just had to get on the water - after all it IS everywhere! Down at the Lobster hut, we met the neighbors; Grandpa Brad and grandsons Zachary and Skye. 

The best camping spot - EVER!

All aboard, Marco and Matteo in one kayak and Ness and Nadia in the other - our route took us from Stave Island Harbor through to Summer Harbor and Jordan Harbor and made a loop around Jordan island, Ironbound island and Yellow island. It was great to be on the water and Grammy's promise that we would not be disappointed rang true.  

Nadia - Up for the challenge!

Returning back to Camp Lobster Hut

Back on land, the kids love affair with nature continued as discoveries included finding crabs and meeting a friendly cricket - seriously this cricket was happy to be passed around...with copious amounts of oohs, aahs and giggles. Nice.

Matteo and his new friend

And then to more discovery in the back yard; a tree house, tyre swing, zip line...this is paradise...along with new nets from Grammy for catching frogs!

We had lunch at the house and then went sea glass exploring on the coastline in front of Grammy's house.

For dinner we went in search of Lobster rolls (another Maine food icon) and got to enjoy these with blueberry pie (baked fresh) and ice cream. Yummo!

We had a magical first day and cannot wait to see what the rest of our time in Maine holds.   

Day 48: Bon Voyage NYC...Next Stop South Gouldsboro, Maine

Sadly our time in NYC has run it's course...we've had a blast but time is marching on and we still have many sights to see. Next stop, Maine.

But first...we couldn't get our trusty RV to kick into life...our battery was dead. The culprit was from charging our many technology toys...and with a powered site!! Marco was lucky to find another RVer with jumper cables...ours had been mistakenly packed into the container already en route to NZ. Of course, we only realized this fact when we needed the cables. LOL.

Our route north took us through Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire then a final push to South Gouldsboro in Maine or some ~475 miles.


View US Road Trip East in a larger map

Like our mammoth drive from Ely, MN to Niagara Falls, NY, this trip was short on stops and big on long haul driving. Our one highlight though was catching up with Marco's friend Matty in Durham, Maine. Matty spent some time in Sydney, Australia a few years ago, he also made the hop across the ditch to join our wedding festivities in New Zealand and has since headed back to his home State of Maine. And this short visit did not disappoint. The kids loved Matty's house, the swings and slide in the back yard and 'uncle Matty' himself.

With Matty somewhere in Durham, ME

We started our final leg for Grammy Kristi's early evening and with dinner on the road we finally arrived at 11pm. Being pitch black we pulled up on Kristi's lawn...a stone's throw from the water's edge. So, so pleased to finally be here. Kristi is mom to one of our dear friend's and ex-neighbour Melissa. We have been really fortunate to meet Kristi and our kids fondly call her 'Grammy'. After an invite of 7 years standing, we were able to make good on it and visit in summer!

Kids were already in their PJs and quickly converted from car seats to beds. For us, it was time to check out our new surroundings from the lobster hut and listen to the water lapping against the rocks...bliss.

Lobster hut looking towards the Atlantic ocean - taken close to midnight!

Lobster boats in the bay - taken at midnight

Cannot wait to see what this already magic place has in store for us in the morning...good night!!

Day 47: 11 Aug, 2011 - Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, West Village

Early shift as we had tickets for the 9am sailing to Liberty Island and needed to check in at 8.30 to pass through security. We made our ferry at 7.45 am from Liberty Marina and then walked to the Statue Cruise check-in at Battery Park in Manhattan.

Statue of Liberty

An added bonus of the early sailing is that we had short queues and before we knew it were headed to Liberty Island. From the top deck, we had great views of Manhattan Island, Brooklyn, Governor's Island, Staten Island and New Jersey. Shortly after arriving we went in search of the Information Center to get the now familiar Junior Ranger Activity Booklets for the kids. From there, we joined a Ranger talk about the history of the Statue of Liberty; a brief introduction about those individuals who made it possible from the designers, sculptors, engineers to the fund raising efforts to build the pedestal and the authoring of the poem. Eventually we walked the perimeter and had an early lunch at the base of the Pedestal in the shade of the large trees.

Over a long lunch, the kids completed their Junior Ranger booklets - Nadia being more enthusiastic than Matteo which would eventually see her earn her first badge!! Yay!!

Into the Pedestal we saw the torch exhibit and then passed through the museum before walking up 156 stairs to the top of the Pedestal and awesome 360 degree views.

Family pic from the Pedestal (Ellis Is, City of New Jersey and New York City in background)

Our final stop on Liberty Island was the Ranger Station to see the kids receive their badges. Nice work!

Nadia and Matteo receive their Junior Ranger badges!

Across to Ellis Island - such rich history and our visit there did not do it justice. Of the ~12 million who passed through this facility, their descendants now number plus 100 million globally. We watched the documentary and had a short walk around...to learn that some 5000 people were processed daily - hard to imagine - along with the 6 second check-ups that often made the difference between entry or being sent back to one's home country.

Main Receiving Hall, Ellis Island

NYPD's Finest

Took the ferry along with other weary sightseers and made for Battery Park and the splash pad before seeking pizza at Two Boots to go West in West Village. As timing would have it, we walked right into a hive of police activity; police cars and motorcycles with lights flashing, roads blocked, Police Officers managing traffic and pedestrian flow...but why?

Inside looking out...

After over hearing local buzz we learned that President Obama was also in the West Village attending a fund raiser hosted by Harvey Weinstein (Movie Mogul and co-Founder of Miramax Studios) and Anna Wintour (of American Vogue Editor-in-Chief fame)...after many photos and no real sign of a motorcade except for buses allocated to the Press, Marco and I both agreed we caught a glimpse of the man himself as the last bus pulled out, some 10-15 minutes after the other cars...and then it was back to our neglected pizza...in the company of 5 Secret Service / Presidential minders...who looked far from 'secret' in their dark navy blue suits sporting lapel badges and ear pieces. LOL.

 And so that ended our visit to The Big Apple. We headed back to Liberty Marina and RV Park for the last time before preparing to leave the following day.

Day 46: Loving NYC - Staten Island, Battery Park and Apollo Theater, Harlem.

Ferry Terminal

Day 3 in the Big Apple started with a relaxing breakfast before we made a cut lunch and headed by ferry across to Pier 11 and on to Staten Island.

Staten Island Ferry

The terminal was extremely busy - good busy - with folks milling about until the ferry arrived and we could board...we found a seat on board and as luck would have a $20 bill as we left. This time we decided not to mention it to Matteo - he was still euphoric about his CAD$10 find.

Postcards 9/11 Memorial on Staten Island

On Staten Island we headed to 'Postcards', the Island's 9/11 memorial erected in memory of the plus 270 Staten Island residents who perished in the twin towers tragedy. The monument itself was very cool. See for yourself.




After lunch we headed back to Battery Park for some  quiet time and/or nap for Nadia if lady luck was on our side. She wasn't:-)


We decided to check off a bucket list item for Ness - Apollo Theater in Harlem...we caught the subway and were treated to some youths break dancing onboard the train...to Zapp of all things - straight from Ness childhood memories! Snapped a few happy snaps of names of many famous African American artists; Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder...



And then back to camp for an early night in after lots of walking around this great city.

Dinner was our trademark BBQ feast. Awesome.