Late Monday afternoon we had a lovely drive from Lac Meguntic National Park in Quebec to Maine, crossing the border at Woburn Gorge , picking up the familiar Maine Route 27 that took us south through Eustis and Kingfield, past our camp road in Belgrade Lakes, and on to Tuttle Road and October Farm. It was a crisp, clear day- a good day to return home after 81 days on the road!
Our house looked great, thanks to the care and attention given it by our friend Sheila Condon. We are unpacking slowly and still savoring the delights of our great adventure. There were so many highlights. In fact most days felt like we were on to something new and special. We saw so much of our country. We were able to see all of the places we had on our list when we started: Monticello, the new Slavery Museum in Montgomery, the World War II Museum in New Orleans, Arches in Utah, Bandon Dunes in Oregon, Couer D'Alene in Idaho, Yellowstone National Park (just before the massive flooding that has closed much of it), to name a few.
But more than places, connected with family and friends near and far. Some we had seen recently, but many we hadn't seen for several years like friends from our years in Alexandria who met us for lunch in Manassas; Virginia, Dennis and Diane Blair, whom we visited in their new community in Durham; or Rod and Pam Rempt in Big Sky, whom we hadn't seen for at least ten years and who gave us the tour of a lifetime at Yellowstone. We also were able to start our trip staying with Sally's brother, John and wife, Wendy, in Oneonta, New York, join a Rhodes Class Reunion in Charlottesville to kick off the trip in early April, and end our trip with a wonderful stay with Sally's brother, Mike, and wife, Isabel in Laval, Canada. New places are great, but friends are forever. We cherished the rekindling of all these relationships.
We want to thank all of you who read our blog and offered advice and encouragement. In particular, thank you to Nicky Piaget and Bud Powell from Cumberland for recommending the app we used to plot our route. Thank you also to Diana Allen who created and delicately embroidered a tea towel for our travels. If you look closely you will see all the details of our Airstream, called "SilverStreak"lovingly reproduced.
We have a special country with much to be proud of. From sea to shining sea is not an exaggeration. Mostly the Americans we met were friendly and helpful. A concern from the trip is the rural poverty that we witnessed in several states, particularly eastern Oklahoma and eastern Oregon. The main streets of small towns in rural America are not economically healthy places. One feature we noted at RV campgrounds across the country was the number of people living there permanently or semi permanently. We need to do a better job at providing affordable housing.
With that caveat, it must be said this is a trip we would do again in a heartbeat- and we will. Perhaps not quite as long, perhaps more focused on a particular area, say Montana or Utah, but back on the road we will go. Ron, Sally, Silverstreak and our indomitable VW Touareg Turbo diesel. Happy Trails...
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