Greetings from Maine!

We reached Maine last Sunday after an exciting drive up the east coast. A few storms conspired against us and we arrived a day later than originally planned but we enjoyed the trip and loved watching the scenery change as we headed north. Our encounters with the people around us changed too. In Orlando people are generally in vacation mode which means they're there to relax and have fun, not to make friends. As we traveled north, though, we started getting into towns where people have lived most of their lives. Before we were out of Florida we stopped at a gas station to fill up and while my husband was pumping gas a stranger stopped to wish us well on our journey. They had seen the trailer and our Washington plates and just wanted to be friendly. How nice is that?  Generally at the gas stations we've been to everyone just avoids eye contact and goes about their business. I love that this person made an effort to brighten our day!

We drove through 13 states in five days so I'm going to try to keep this as short as possible and just give you the basics. Otherwise this post could be very, very long. We spent the first night in Savannah, Georgia, and enjoyed driving around. We boarded the dogs at a local doggy-daycare to keep them out of the heat and headed to Tybee Island, which is a barrier island just outside of Savannah. All around the area we admired the Spanish moss and old homes. The kids remarked that the feel of old Savannah reminded them of New Orleans.

We wandered around downtown a bit and saw some of the local landmarks.

A friend who lives there suggested the Olde Pink House for lunch, which ended up being a fantastic recommendation! The restaurant is located in a historic mansion where some of the planning for the American Revolution took place.  The house features some gorgeous rooms and we were encouraged to walk around and explore them. Here are a few pictures to give you an idea. I'm sorry to say that I didn't get a good picture of the front of the house, but you can find pictures in the links I posted.

According to the person who showed me the house, Thomas Jefferson had a hand in the design and it was owned by the Habersham family. They also told me it was the location of the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. You can learn about it here and here. The restaurant serves southern fare and we enjoyed every bite of our shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes, and blue crab beignets. We also ordered Cheerwine which is a popular southern cherry soft drink.

If you are a fan of hers, this is Paula Deen's restaurant, The Lady and Sons.

We also visited the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts here in the United States. It was fun being able to visit with my daughter and represent the Girl Scouts of Western Washington.

This is the RV park we stayed at.

The next day we drove through South and North Carolina.

We spent the second night near Kitty Hawk, in Kill Devil Hills, which is where the Wright Brothers Memorial is. The weather was significantly colder than what we had been experiencing in Georgia.

On the third day we had to jump out of bed quickly and hit the road to avoid thunderstorms that were moving in. The rain caught up with us and followed us for most of the day but we still drove through six states!

Before we left North Carolina we passed a high school that had a tiny graveyard in the front. Then we started seeing more tiny graveyards next to houses. Most likely, the area was all farmland at one point and these were family plots. Over the years the land was repurposed for other things, like schools. It was interesting and something we're not used to seeing. The graveyards we saw were about this size.

In Virginia we drove over (and under!) the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. This is a verrrrry long bridge that goes both over and under the Chesapeake Bay. You can drive right under the boats!

See how the bridge suddenly disappears and the reappears?

The style of houses and "feel" of the landscape began to change as we drove through.

Hello Maryland!

Our dog, Jasper, was not a fan of the weather.

We didn't see the sign for Delaware, so this is a picture of the flag.

We learned there was a snow storm headed for Maine, so we decided to arrive a day later to avoid it. Since we had some extra time on our hands, we picked up another state by driving through New Jersey!

That night was spent in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, which we had only heard about but had never visited. We reached snow and it was pretty cold, but the trailer was nice and cozy. We missed the sign for Pennsylvania too. Apparently it sneaks up on you as you cross the bridge from New Jersey. Here's a sign for Philadelphia instead.

In Pennsylvania we noticed that the towns became smaller and more crowded when we reached them. The buildings were much older and you could feel this history in the air.

We stayed at Otter Lake, which was a great little campground!

On the way out the next morning, we were greeted by wild turkeys. We've seen the show "When Turkeys Attack" around Thanksgiving, but these guys were content just strutting their stuff at the side of the road.

Hello New York!

A sign of the times....

In Massachusetts we reached the edge of the winter storm.

This is what the weather was like.

Another example of east coast hospitality came when we called to reserve a spot at Pine Acres Campground in Massachusetts for the night. Most RV parks this far north don't open until the middle of May but they said they had a spot for us and even had it plowed and ready when we got there. We tried to pay at the office but it was closed. Then a ranger came by our trailer and told us that we could stay there for the night free of charge! Such generosity!

The lake by the office was still frozen

Sunday morning we drove through Massachusetts and New Hampshire, reaching Maine in only a few hours.

After unloading our gear and getting the dogs settled, we headed to Roberts Maine Grill and Market to celebrate our arrival. Of course I ordered my first lobster roll and it was AMAZING! The roll was buttery and lightly toasted, the lobster was fresh and perfectly cooked and mixed with a light sauce... Oh! And the sides! This place specializes in Maine fare and you can order beets, squash, potatoes and more as a side instead of the standard fries. That may sound boring but believe me, they are seasoned to perfection and expertly cooked. I can't wait to go back!

I wish I could tell you more about the things we've discovered here in Maine, but unfortunately we haven't left the house much this week. Over the course of the drive up a virus slowly started taking us down one-by-one until we were all sick. This thing has been hanging on all week. We go from hot to cold, to exhausted, to congested, to feeling decent... only for the cycle to start over again.

Today was particularly bittersweet. My husband and oldest son had to make the tough call to not join their fellow Boy Scouts at Florida Seabase. This is the high-adventure camp in the Florida Keys that we've invested so much time and money preparing for. My guys knew they didn't feel well enough to spend a week on a boat, and definitely didn't want to expose their friends to this illness. So instead we'll be spending our time taking it easy here in Maine. We're hoping to feel well enough for a drive this weekend and explore a little.

As much as we're sad they can't go, we still have so much to be thankful for, so we wholeheartedly wish our friends at Seabase a safe and wonderful adventure! We'll be looking forward to all the pictures and stories, guys!

Have a great week and stay well!

- Jen