Moochdocking in Maine

 I've been moochdocking (parking in someone's driveway and taking advantage of showers and such) once again in Maine.  Actually, Susan and Carlisle said they would feel much more comfortable (with neighbors) if I just stayed in the house.  So, I'm getting a little spoiled with a big comfy bed (without the length restrictions in the van - I am always touching my feet to something when I sleep) and a regular toilet that I don't have to think about how to use properly (TMI for now).  I arrived on Thursday and will be leaving tomorrow (Sunday).  Susan and Carlisle could not have been any more welcoming and generous.  I have thoroughly enjoyed my stay here.  It has been foggy and smokey, so the views haven't been great, but c'est la vie!  I've still enjoyed walking and hiking around here and seeing, hearing, and smelling the ocean.

Susan took me on a tour of Rockland and all the art galleries and then we went to dinner in Camden.  Rockland, Rockport, and Camden are all super cute towns.

Zoe is such a trooper at 12.5 years old!  She will just go and go.  Hopefully I won't see any limping tomorrow, but so far so good.  It is my job to keep her safe.  I think less strenuous hikes would be better, but I have to admit that I really liked the feel of my leg muscles working on the up and on the down.  There were lots of stairs and I like the feel of that effort.  I have such a hard time leaving Zoe behind (she looks so sad and earnest sitting in the seat looking for me), but if I want to do more strenuous hikes, I might have to.  Then again, I won't leave her for too long.  It's such a balance!  

Because I've been doing so much moochdocking, I don't feel like I'm living the "vanlife".  I'm just traveling from friend/family to another, with some stops along the way.  I haven't used either of my showers (yes, I have two!) yet.  I really need to test out the indoor shower since the curtain is held up my magnets.  I need to make sure that they are really strong enough to hold up with curtain while I'm showering.  I haven't tried the shower yet because the smell of the shower material was so strong, so I'm trying to air it out.  I think the odor is dissipating, so I'm going to run out of excuses.  In reality, it is cumbersome to shower in there, but that's what I'll have to deal with, so I better get used to it.  Of course, I really don't plan on using it very much.  It will be so interesting to see how it all changes as I travel different parts of the country (and without stopovers at friends houses!  The water tank is 30 gallons, but because of the setup, I don't think I could have more than 25 gallons in there.  Maybe I can alter the design at some point and get a full 30 gallons.  

From here I'm planning on heading towards Lake/mountain areas in Maine, which was a suggestion by Susan.  That's what is so cool about this life - following suggestions/whimsical ideas.  I hadn't thought about Susan and Carlisle being in Maine until Lisa mentioned it.  I'm so glad she did and put me in contact with them.  I basically grew up with Lisa, Susan, and Carlisle, and Jack and Eric, Lisa's brothers.  So it really feels natural to visit them here in Maine.  Lisa has mentioned her visits here many times and now I get to experience the glory of this place.  Also, some things just don't pan out.  I was expecting to connect with an old coworker here in Maine, but it just wasn't to be.  It shows that we can't live on expectations and we can revel in the unexpected!  I like that - did someone else coin it, or can I?  😉

We both enjoy the extra space to stretch out.  Well, she's in a ball, but I'm less apt to kick her...

foggy morning in Owls Head, ME

Zoe, just went over and sat down next to Carlisle.  She likes him!

A clearer morning

Hike in Camden Hills State park.  Smokey!

a bit of color

I wasn't going to go to the peak because Zoe was really slowing down, but it looked pretty flat, so we did it.  What a waste of another mile - no view whatsoever!  Zoe did great on the way down.  She did great on the way up too, but she was definitely feeling it towards the top!

NH to Maine

 After leaving VT, I stayed at another HH in North Conway, NH, called Cathedral Ledge Distillery.  Nice level parking spot!  I really like and appreciate Harvest Hosts, but I think I need to vet out the locations a bit better and maybe not stay at so many alcohol related places.  I suppose I don't have to drink, but I do tend to want to try what they are offering.  So, I might try to do more farms via HH and Boondockers Welcome in the future.  

From Newport, I passed through Franconia Notch (didn't know I would go there) and then the Kancamangus Highway to North Conway.  I would like to spend more time in both places and do some more hiking.  Beautiful drives.  There isn't much for color yet.  I wonder if it will be a good year or not.  Some say yes, but many places I've seen look like the leaves are just turning brown.  

Sabbaday Falls.  This was a short trek and quite spectacular!

Parking at Cathedral Ledges Distillery

I'm very happy with most aspects in the van, but some of the workmanship is questionable.  I'm a bit surprised and bummed about this.  I had a hinge that came out of a cabinet door in the van, so we went to Lowe's to get some glue and some other miscellaneous items.  Unfortunately, this isn't the first issue, but nothing too severe yet...  😕  Some drawer slides were way too wimpy and not fastened properly, but Bruce looked at it and put some shims in between the rails and the walls and screwed the rails to that.  Thank you, Bruce!!!  It is surprising to me that the builder didn't do that, especially since one of the drawers is really large and thus one would expect it would be quite heavy.  Another latch has broken and I think a screw hole is stripped on another hinge.  All fixable and I guess that's life in a van.  My stainless steel (?) sink is rusting already in two corners, but I certainly can't blame the builder for this as I selected the sink.  

After Lowe's, Zoe and I did a hike at a great spot in North Conway.  It's for hiking w/ dogs, biking, x-c skiing in the winter.  I would be there all the time in the snow.  I really liked North Conway and it's proximity to the mountains and the Maine coast. 

After the walk and shopping, we went onto Maine to visit with my cousin Polly and husband Charlie and dog Penny.  This has been really enjoyable hanging out with them at their beautiful home.  It's not often that I get to spend quality time with one of my cousins, so this was special.  Charlie is a great cook, so he's been feeding us well.  

Fresh local lobster and muscles.  YUM!

Hike on Mt Cutler

Sunning herself at a rest stop on the trail.

Polly did some more tour guiding and took me and Zoe into Portland for some sight seeing.  We walked around the East end, enjoyed the views and some Gelato.  We also stopped at Meowy Jane, which was a first for me.

Zoe enjoying Gelato!

Polly enjoying Gelato!  😀

Wow, that's one big cruise ship!  In spite of this, the town didn't seem to overcrowded.

Look at these private yachts.  All three and the smallest one in the right foreground has a decent sized sailboat and motor boat on the top deck!  The other two yachts are just outrageous!

Just too cute the way she lays down in the brush (and sun of course!)

My last evening here.  😞 We hoped for an evening boat ride, but the battery said Nope!  Zoe appeared disappointed too!  

Tomorrow I am heading up the coast and will be visiting some old neighbors from Hastings.  Fun!  

More time in VT - thru 9/22

A few last photos from my stay at my past neighbors, Ken and Laurie, in VT.

Blake, another Boondockers Welcome pup at Ken and Laurie's.  

My first and only meal cooked in the van.  I've been getting by with nuts, hummus, veggies, cheese, and crackers and some eating out.  I hope I'll figure out the whole cooking thing.  

Not a bad place to cook my first meal!

Zoe and Mona.  They do so well together!

After leaving Ferrisburgh, I went to Montpelier and got to hang out with Beth.  I parked in her driveway and unfortunately have no photos.  I had to go to Montpelier to get a new title since I messed up the original when I signed it over to the new owners and NYS would not register it.  So, I spent 2 hours at the DMV getting the new title, then got to hang out with Beth.  We went to the Barr Hill place (Caledonia Spirits) and had some Bees Knees.  YUM!  Just love that drink.  The next day was pretty rainy, so we hung out at Beth's.  She went to work, but got to visit when she came home.  Then I moved onto Morse Farm (another HH stay).  This wasn't ideal due to the dirt driveway and the rain that just didn't want to stop.  As you can see below, it was gorgeous the next day!

Zoe at Morse Farm

From Montpelier, I went to stay with Deb in Tunbridge.  What a treat to get to spend a couple days with Deb is her little slice of paradise.  Deb had asked if my van would make it up to her place, so I was pretty nervous, but went and managed to make it up the steep gravel driveway with a sharp bend.  I was very happy to reach her place until I looked around and wasn't sure how I was going to turn around without messing up her lawn and/or getting stuck.  There was a nice level spot that I managed to back into with no problem with some guidance by Deb.  Once the van was there, I was able to relax and enjoy myself!  And I soooo enjoyed myself.  Zoe loved it too!  What is not to love.  So quiet and so dark to see the stars.  

Not a bad spot!

Nap time after dinner

Deb and Zoe.  Zoe did NOT want to leave!!!

 But alas, we did leave.  Deb had here grand kids coming to help close up camp and though she kindly offered for me to stay through the weekend, I thought she'd enjoy having her grandkids to herself, so I moved along.  

1st VT bucket list item was to finally get to the Dog Chapel at Dog Mountain.  What a special place with such amazing tributes to so many beloved dogs.  

Unfortunately I didn't have any photos of past dogs of Zoe to leave behind.

Zoe and I enjoyed a great walk on the trails.  It's so wonderful to be able to have her off leash without breaking the rules!  

Then onto my next bucket list item in VT - Lake Willoughby.  We did the South loop trail and thoroughly enjoyed it, aside from the nudists.  Interesting that it was only men who were nude.  I have to say that I'm not comfortable walking among nude men, nor probably women either.  One man was standing right on the trail leaning against a tree.  No idea why other than to make people feel uncomfortable...  I considered leaving, but decided to not be such a prude and enjoy the walk anyway, which we did.

Such clear water!

My HH stay at Dirt Church Brewing company in East Haven, VT, which had some good beer and good (frozen) pizza.  

Woke to this across the road.  I actually really like cemeteries and thankfully they don't creep me out.  

Then I decided to go to Newport, which was out of the way, but what the heck.  We drove up there and enjoyed a walk around town along with a walk on the beach and then another on the bike path.  When I first got there I parked in a lot that I ultimately decided was a bad idea.  It wasn't crowded at the time, but if I ended up with cars all around me, I wasn't sure I'd be able to get out without hitting some cars, so I moved and found a spot on the street.  I'm sure with time I'll get more comfortable, but for now I'm just finding the easier parking spots.  

I had a panic while walking along the lake in town.  I let Zoe drink quite a bit of water out of the lake and then after walking away, I saw a sign saying there was Blue Green Algae (Cyanobacteria) in the lake and to keep pets out of the water.  I didn't see anything that looked like it, but was still panicking since she drank a lot!  Apparently I'd see effects within 15 - 30 min, so I was relieved as time went on.  While we were on the bike path later, I could see that there was in fact pea soup looking stuff in the lake over there.  Had I seen that in town, I definitely wouldn't have let Zoe drink from it.  Thankfully she was fine!!!

Lake Memphremagog

From the bike path