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Lobsta – Maine style!

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More than 25 years ago my family discovered a wonderful little spot hidden on a quiet inlet in the pretty town of Kittery, in southern Maine. We’d been visiting the beach in Ogunquit for many years and would often drive the local backroads. One day we happened across a small pier in Kittery that led to a dock with a tempting sign: “Chauncey Creek, Lobsters.”

Lobster sounded mighty good, so we headed down the wooden gangway onto the floating dock where a few picnic tables were scattered about, overlooking the pine-shaded briney inlet. Lobster traps were piled along the sides, the fragrance from the open kitchen was somewhat like that of a warm aquarium, and the ten or so people at the tables were busy cracking, butter-dipping, and savoring their boiled lobsters. We joined them that day and so began a long-standing annual tradition.

Today, not much has changed… you still have to pretty much know the back road in. There are a few more picnic tables on the dock, each year painted in fresh, bright colors. Most of the dock is open air; a covered shelter holds about 8-10 tables for those summer storms. You bring your own side dishes, desserts, and wine or beer (or the making for whatever drinks you like to enjoy. You can get fries at Chauncey’s now, and even tuna sandwiches for those who aren’t into lobsters… but personally I ignore all of that.

My mother has always baked a chocolate roll for our desserts there, and we almost always bring along a cucumber and tomato salad, and lots of good, crusty bread. Together, we go into the little room with the live lobster holding tanks, reverentially look them over with awe and wonder (trying to discreetly wipe the drool off our faces), point to the one with our name on it and go back to our table… and wait.

Meanwhile, the lobsters are taken “to the back” and yes, boiled in large pots of Atlantic sea water. A sad fate if you stop to really think about it, but one that I can somehow always manage to “move past” emotionally.

Out come the friendly staff bearing cardboard trays, plastic bibs with a big red lobster picture, the necessary nutcrackers, fork picks, and lots of napkins. Oh and the melted butter. We talk, have a drink and behave in a (mostly) patient and civilized manner for about 15-20 minutes. Then back come the friendly staff, trays piled high with bright red pound-and-a-halfers — and yes, those are what I consider the perfect personal-sized crustacean of the lobster variety.

Chauncey Creek has never let me down. I know that on this tiny dock in a picturesque Maine village, surrounded by a watery inlet bordered by pines, bobbing trap buoys just off the dock, with the perfume of steaming brine in the air — and my family around me — I will lose track of time and worries for a perfectly delicious couple of hours.

I am also happy to report that now three generations of my family make the annual pilgrimage to Chauncey’s. And oh… if you want to do as the local do, here “down east Maine”… order a LOBSTA.

For the record, Chauncey’s is located 16 Chauncey Creek Road, Kittery Point, Maine. Phone 207-439-1030.

World’s Biggest Egg awaits in Winlock, Washington

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Do you enjoy eggs for breakfast? Do you really, really enjoy eggs? Then point your RV toward Winlock, Wash., where you can visit, up close and personal, the world’s largest egg. It’s on a pedestal way above your head, so you can only look.

You can probably figure this out by yourself, but I will tell you anyway: the egg is fake. It’s made of concrete and weighs a bundle — about 1,200 pounds, which means don’t stand beneath it in case the once-every-100-year earthquake shakes things up.

Until the 1950s, Winlock was America’s second largest egg-laying town next to Mentone, Indiana, which today has a big egg of its own and claims it’s the biggest one in the world. Who knows? But our vote is for the Winlock egg for the simple reason that how the heck could there ever be a bigger egg?

To see this impressively large orb, exit Interstate 5 at exit 63 (in the south part of the state) and drive just a few minutes west to Winlock. You can’t miss the egg. It’s “Extra Large!”

And if you happen to be in the area the third week in June, then lucky you! You are just in time to attend the famous Winlock Egg Festival!

Triple Caramel Crunch- yum, yum!


Triple Caramel Crunch was the flavor of the day when we toured Ben and Jerry’s in Waterbury, VT. What a fun tour! There were cow puns galore and a short but humorous “moovie” of how the company got started. We could see the workers and machines processing one of the two flavors of the day. And, of course, got our sample cup.

 

You can either purchase a regular ticket for the tour at $3/adult or $2/senior or the $20 package which includes tour, tshirt and a coupon for a free pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. Kids are slightly less and tours are free for those 12 and under.

 

Of course there is the gift shop and a place to purchase cones and shakes made from the other flavors. George had Creamy Broulee (delicious) and I had Coffee, Coffee, Buzz, Buzz. When we later visited the flavor graveyard, we found one for Coffee, Coffee. Apparently it has been resurrected!

 

To read about how to find a job working at Ben and Jerry’s and other Vermont attractions, go to “Vermont Possibilities” at the Working on the RV Road Blog.

 

The tour is lots of fun so if you are in Vermont, be sure to add that to your itinerary. Jaimie

Salt water taffy shopping on the Oregon Coast

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Depoe Bay, Ore. is located right along majestic U.S. 101 on the Pacific Coast and is famous for whale watching and shopping for salt water taffy. The Depoe Bay Candy Shoppe sells 60 different varieties — great for the sweet tooth, and probably for a dentist’s business, too (sticky stuff!). Here’s a short video I did in between visiting the tiny town’s many trinket shops. — Chuck Woodbury

Junk Yard Dogs Won’t Hurt You!

RVers headed north out of Junction City, Oregon on Highway 99 will be delighted to dine at Junk Yard Dogs. Owner Craig Zumwalt serves up a great sausage deal at Junk Yard Dogs. Here a couple of hungry and hard working brothers Scott (left) and Jacob Corliss (right) wait for their order. They love the food here and rightly so, check out this chili dog. Junk Yard Dogs is located on Highway 99 and Lingo Lane. Jim Twamley

Hiking the Grand Staircase

The reward at the end of the trail along Calf Creek is a stunning 126′ water fall. Much of the almost two million acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah is largely wilderness and not easily accessible, but this hike is right off scenic Highway 12, 15 miles east of Escalante. Day users pay $2 ($1 for Golden Age or Access).

The trail is six miles round trip so we packed a lunch. The trail is moderate, with some ups and downs as it follows the creek. A trail guide, available at the trailhead, points out historical and cultural features like a huge pictograph on a canyon wall and graneries hidden in cliffs for storage. What made the trail a little harder was the loose, sandy soil in many places, which makes for harder hiking, and the fact that about two-thirds of the trail is directly in the sun. The last third has more shade and you are rewarded with lovely trees, mist and cool at the falls itself. You can fish for brown trout and wade in the pool or simply enjoy the cool before heading back.

While there is a small campground at Calf Creek, it is limited to smaller RVs – 25′ maximum. An alternative is to camp in Escalante, which has one private campground. Plus just west of town is a state park. You can also pick up a few groceries and buy an expresso coffee in town. In fact, the best thing to do is leave your RV in Escalante and drive the 16 miles to Calf Creek. Parking is very limited and the turn onto Highway 12 with an RV is tough if you are headed east from there.

Globe mallow was in bloom with the trees leafing out- wonderful contrast to the red rock of this area. Southeast Utah always amazes me. It is high desert but down in the canyons is another world. Cottonwoods, willows and other water-loving plants thrive. From a high vantage point above the canyons, you can see a ribbon of green wherever a stream flows.

If you’re following Highway 12, the hike to lower Calf Creek is a way to stretch your legs plus see riparian Utah up close and personal. Jaimie

Zion National Park by shuttle

I last visited Zion National Park in 1993. Since then, they have closed the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive to private vehicles (except up as far as the lodge and campground if you are staying there). We were thinking having to ride a shuttle would diminsh the experience. We wouldn’t be able to see everything we wanted easily or we’d be stuck waiting for a shuttle along the route.

 

It turned out that the free shuttle improved our experience. The only vehicles on the road were shuttles, which, during mid-day, ran every 7-10 minutes apart, plus a few bicycles. There was always room and we only waited for 7 or 8 minutes once, when we just missed a shuttle pulling out. If you ride up and back without getting off, the round trip takes about 90 minutes. The drivers tell you what’s along the route, though you can sign up for one shuttle with a ranger aboard, which takes 2 hours. The ranger-narrated shuttle tour left at 9 a.m., so check for times and availability as soon as you arrive at the visitor center.

 

At Zion you are at the bottom of a canyon with steep walls- a different perspective than a park like the Grand Canyon where you are at the top looking down. We got off at nearly every stop. You can access several hikes from shuttle stops. We did the half-mile round trip up to Weeping Rock and back, plus the two-mile Riverside walk along the Virgin River canyon. Both were handicapped accessible. You can do challenging hikes like the one to Angels Landing as well. The lodge, one of the stops, has a coffee shop, cafe, restaurant and gift shop.

 

Parking is available at the visitor center, but that often fills up by 10 a.m. Another free shuttle runs through the town of Springdale with several stops and more parking to take to you the park entrance. From May 20 to September 8, shuttles run from 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. More information on shuttle schedules can be found here.

 

We came in from the east on Highway 9. It is a gorgeous drive, however, it is best if you leave your RV at a campground and drive your tow or toad vehicle in. You need to drive through two tunnels with height and width restrictions. Vehicles with a combined length of move than 50′ are prohibited. RVs less than 40′ long (single vehicle) can enter but will have to pay a $15 escort fee. In fact, with our dually truck, we had to pay the $15 because it exceeds the width limits. If you have an oversized vehicle, the tunnel is closed to traffic coming the other way while you go through. Large RVs can come in from the south on Highway 9 through Springdale to reach the park.

 

If you’d like to spend more time there, you could work for one of the concessionaires. Click here to read more about jobs at Zion at the Working on the RV Road blog. Or here for information on volunteering at a national park.

 

This is one of the top natural national parks and a visit is often combined to other national parks in the area like Bryce Canyon, the north rim of the Grand Canyon, plus other Utah parks. If you haven’t been yet, put it on your list! Jaimie

The ‘House On The Rock’ Treasure Chest Goes On And On And On

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In the 1940’s Alex Jordan, a eccentric collector and dreamer with a wild imagination, purchased a 60-foot chimney rock in the beautiful Wyoming
Valley of Spring Green, Wisconsin.
He painstakingly began to build a weekend retreat – all supplies were carried up by hand. But because people kept asking to see what he was building, he began to charge 50 cents for the tour. He called his house foundation ‘Deer Shelter Rock’ and his structure slowly transformed into an architectural wonder. The House is so much more than a static museum.
Over the years Alex’s original 14 rooms expanded to numerous buildings and collections that seem endless – esthetic beautiful floral garden displays highlighted each area. It officially opened to the public in 1961.
Our first visit in 1987 was simply mind-boggling but every time we returned the displays have grown and become more extensive. The collections include rare and unique treasures from around the world.
In 1988 Alex sold ‘The House’ to his partner and friend, Art Donaldson – Art shared Alex’s enthusiasm although Alex stayed on staff until his death a year later. Art has made every effort to continue and expand Alex’s dream.
Huge extensive collections include items such as Cannons, Dolls, Circus angels and the amazing Carousel, one of a kind Organs, Circus room; Streets and Music of Yesterday, a huge Christmas collection during the season and, and and; the listings seem endless. Of course no one should miss the original 14 rooms plus the infinity room.

The House is undergoing major renovations and expansion during the next 3-years but it continues to remain open. This complex has grown so large in size that it may be advantageous for visitors to choose a shorter single tour; however a combined extensive three-tours-in-one is also available. John and I visit this one of a kind ‘Gem’ every few years to appreciate the changes, but we split up and meet several hours later. He isn’t interested in the doll room and/or similar items and I had too much to see to spend time appreciating the extensive gun collection.

The House on the Rock expansion now includes an inn, resort, golf course, restaurants and mega garden displays inside and out. Various campgrounds are located nearby
For more details please check out the official website of the House on the Rock

Visit The Grand Central Station Of The Underground Railroad

Here is a side trip worth taking. The Levi Coffin house was built in 1839 in Newport (now Fountain City) by the coffin family. Levi was a Quaker businessman who moved from North Carolina to Indiana in 1826 because he and his wife Catharine opposed slavery. This house was built with hiding places to conceal people who were escaping slavery.

Levi sold goods that were “free-labor” meaning that they were not produced using slave labor. After living in this house and assisting more than 2000 slaves to freedom, they moved to Cincinnati and aided another 1300 to freedom. All the people the Coffins helped were never re-captured. From Richmond, Indiana, take highway 27 north to Fountain City. The house is on highway 27 in the center of town. There is no designated RV parking at this historic site, but you can park on the street in front of the house for 30 minutes. The house tours are only open to the public from June 1 through August 31. Admission is $2.00 for adults and $1.00 for children.

On the way, be sure to stop at the Amish deli and bakery, “Fountain Acres Foods” which will be on your right hand side just before you get to Fountain City. Here you will find wonderful baked goods and an interesting view of Amish culture.
You may want to pick up a shoo-fly pie or some of those mouth watering chocolate chip cookies, in fact I recommend you buy several packages because they go fast! Jim Twamley

Travel back in time to 1905

The butler admitted the small group of us to the “cottage” where we were greeted by Mr and Mrs. Bourn, dressed to the nines. Mrs. Bourn asked if we had come by train since we weren’t dusty! We’d been warned that the people in this house were living in 1905 and we’d have to step back into their time.

The “cottage,” of Cottswald design, was a 4600 square foot house the Bourns resided in for two or three weeks each year when they visited their property, the Empire Mine. It was the largest and richest of the California gold mines, producing more than $35,000,000 in gold between 1850 and 1956.

Once gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill in 1848, 49ers poured over the hills of the Sierra Nevadas. The Empire began as a claim on Ophir Hill, one mile southeast of Grass Valley. Through a succession of owners and purchases, the claim grew. More than 300 miles of tunnels honeycombed the claim to a depth of just short of two miles. Its most prosperous time was under W. B. Bourn, Jr., owner, and George Starr, superintendent.

The mine is now a California State Historic Park and worth a visit. The grounds near the cottage are lovely. Tall, old-growth Ponderosa dot the lawns, fragrent rose bushes line the walks. Besides the living history tour of the cottage, you can tour the gardens and the mineyards. Check the schedule and hours; tours vary by day and season. You can wander around the mine yard by yourself. Blacksmiths were working in that shop during our visit. On some occasions you can buy a “pasty” for lunch. These are the meat pies that miners took with them down into the mine for their meals. And you can take numerous walking trails to explore the park. In the works is an underground tour to actually experience the same environment, sights, and sounds as those experienced by working miners.

Besides chatting with Mr and Mrs. Bourn and George Starr, the superintendent,about the latest discovery in the mine plus the wonders of electricity in the cottage, the maid led us through the library and into the province of Katie, the live-in housekeeper/cook. We saw her splendid stove, fired by wood that cost $26- $10 more than the plain style of the day.

It you are in the mood to step back into time and to experience this vital part of California’s history, put the Empire Mine State Historic Park on your list. Leave your RV where you are camping, though, and drive your toad or towed vehicle. Bring a picnic lunch and your walking shoes and enjoy the day! Jaimie

Corvette Heaven Is Located In Kentucky!

The National Corvette Museum is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky with easy access off of I-65. There is plenty of RV parking in the front of the museum. This museum, dedicated to the Chevy Corvette, is housed in a 68,000 square foot superstructure featuring an 11 story-high Skydome. It’s open seven days a week, 8am to 5pm Central Time (closed on Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day and New Year’s Day. Prices are $8.00 adult, $4.50 youth 6-16, Children are free. Family rate (same household) $20.00. If you like Corvettes this is the place to go! I especially enjoyed the Corvette juke box. This did not come as standard equipment.Don’t forget to pick up a Corvette souvenir at the gift shop on your way out. Check out this cherry ride! This is what I call “Pleasant Under Glass”.Oh, by the way this Museum is about to expand to incorporate more displays and space for Corvette Clubs to meet and display their rides.

You can take a virtual tour of the museum here:
National Corvette Museum

The ‘Precious Moments Complex’ Is Second To None

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Our first visit to this incredible place in the early 90’s is deeply etched into our memory. We discovered it by accident, but it has become one of our most ‘moving’ stops during our 22 years of Fulltime travels. The complex has expanded since our impressive first visit – now it even includes Cubby Bear’s Campground.

Artist, Samuael J Butcher was inspired by Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel in Rome. He designed, created and constructed the Precious Moments Chapel as his way of sharing the joy of his faith with the world; it has become his crowning work. If memory serves me well this picture includes many real life physically challenged children that visited the Chapel during the early days.

The Chapel is so much more than just a building, it has touched the lives of those who enter its doors with a sense of peace, hope, and promise since it opened in 1989.

Peruse the website for a moving experience and if your travels take you near Carthage, Missouri, be sure to explore this one of a kind stopping spot.
Click here for more info about this unforgetable place. Click here for info about Precious Moments Cubby Bear’s campground.