We left the North Pole Campground and went back to Syracuse for a couple of weeks before setting out for Acadia National Park in Maine. Adam, Jacqui and Kaden were supposed to be going as well, but unfortunately something arose at Jacqui’s job and they were unable to leave town. It was a fairly grueling drive with heavy traffic, extremely short on ramps on the highways and tons of tolls which added up to about $26! We spent one overnight in a Walmart parking lot, and arrived at the Blackwoods Campground just before check-in time the following day. They did not allow us to check in early, and we had to go back outside the entrance and wait for about an hour. Even though we went back in exactly at check-in time, there was a long line and wait. The campground was quite large and very nice. The sites were close together with some foliage in between, but not enough for privacy. There were clean restrooms with flush toilets and sinks, but no soap or paper towels. The setting was very pretty, and we enjoyed nightly walks around the campground after dinner.
Much of our time was spent in the Jeep exploring the area and there was plenty to see, from beautiful quaint homes in woodsy settings to the rocky shoreline. We drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain a couple of times and thought about trying to get there for a sunrise, but preferred to sleep in a little instead. There are some days of the year when the summit of Cadillac Mountain is the first land in the U.S. to see the sunrise, but this was not at the time we were there.
Following the installation of the solar panels we took a couple of test runs up to Hopkins Prairie, during late winter and early spring. The trailer was situated in partial shade both times and the batteries charged up properly each morning. We also did part of a Jeep trail for a couple of hours on our first visit, and got to see a Sherman’s Fox Squirrel, which is a special treat!
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| Turkey vulture |
With a few shorter trips under our belt, we were ready to take the camper on a longer journey to Syracuse. We made a gas stop in South Carolina, and, still getting used to towing a camper, Ken made the turn around the gas island a little too tight. The camper ever so lightly bumped into the metal guard, and the camper axle snapped!
Let me start by saying that I’m long overdue for a post, so once again I have to fill in some gaps before things are current here. Having said that, I am excited to be back at it, so let’s get going!
For starters, we’ve decided that we’re tired of being wet. Anyone who has done much camping in the rain knows exactly what I’m talking about! So, we decided to get a camper!
