Adventures with my mom are some of
my favorite times. We’ve traveled to
Italy, the horn of South America and the Mediterranean together. Inviting her for an RV trip paled in
comparison but was momentous in its own right.
She arrived her spunky self, ready to go and we got right on the road.
I was determined to give her a
cross section of our life on the road and tried to find good representations of
our experiences along the way. First
stop was all I could find in a short-ish drive from Bangor. It promised a small private campground on a
beautiful lake.
Hmm – first impressions weren’t
that great. The office was closed and we
had to wait for someone to come check us in.
It was post season so all of the activities on the website had been stalled
until spring and, to top it off, they gave us a campsite that was just plain
unattractive!
Being a world traveler and a
positive person, my mom made the best of the situation and we set up our chairs
and got ready to set the campfire for the night. The campfire was much anticipated because
coming from 90+ degree New Orleans, the dropping temps in Maine were Mom’s
biggest challenge!
That’s when it rained. Hard. And
unpredicted or expected! Us spent from
our hike and Mom spent from travel, we mixed a few drinks and got cozy inside
ignoring both the less than impressive location and the weather surprise. We played a few rounds of cards and Rob
stayed busy in his usual style keeping us all entertained with his busybody
antics!
The morning dawned cold but dry. We had
fun travels toward the second chosen campground. First stop was a craft barn, a favorite “to
do” for my Mom. With crafts from local
housewives, it was loaded with lots of goodies to pick through and enjoy. Next stop was Camden, ME promising a good
brewery. We never found the brewery but
did find a nice waterfront walk and more shops to poke through.
Upon arrival, the second night’s campground
felt very similar to the previous night!
With high hopes of really special experiences, I was feeling pretty
down. We had another blah site in a blah
area in a blah campground. Ugh. Repeat night one . . . stay positive! We set up camp, put up our chairs and planned
for the fire. GUESS WHAT. Really.
0% in the forecast. RAIN!!!!
Well, the reason for picking the
campground in the first place was that they cooked lobster pounds right
there. With our campsite turning to mud
in our field location, we forged out in good spirits to make up for the circumstances. Lobster has a way of curing pretty much any
ill and in this case was no exception.
With a fun collection of well-versed
employees to guide the way, we chose two good sized lobsters and brought our
own sides and drinks to make it a meal.
We dug in and dug deeper, finding all the little special places with
more of the delicate treasured food with the help of the staff. Phew – a good meal and a few drinks topped
with a shared ice cream rescued the day!
With no reason not to get on the road
early, day 3 took us further down the coast headed for a night with Mom’s friends
of 40 years plus. With our plan to
generally stay clear of any major cities, we poked around in a couple towns on
the way. I was excited to find a nice
hike on our way where Mom and I could manage to enjoy some of the beauty of the
state without a rocky trail. Yet more
rain tried to change our plan but we put up our hoods and had a wonderful walk.
Next stop on the itinerary, Freeport
and the Maine Brewing Company. Being
that it was just striking noon when we arrived, we ordered a wood fired pizza
to accompany our chosen selections of beer.
Mean Old Tom Stout was a hit - DELISH! Thanks to our son Jacob for the recommendation!
We arrived at Marilyn and Joe’s in
the early afternoon after another stop at “just one more” brewery. With
Mom fully distracted by good friends, Rob and I hopped on the bikes and headed
for a nature preserve not far away for a great hike
including some time on a beautiful beach.
including some time on a beautiful beach.
Mom had a great night with her
friends. We reconnected in the morning planning a bit of hiking for all around the neighborhood before we took on helping Marilyn spruce up their front yard.A simple question to Rob of how to prune a plant turned into an all-out flowerbed
cleanup! With Mom and Joe looking on, Marilyn, Rob and
I got down and outright dirty! We were
treated to a delicious sandwich buffet by Marilyn before we hit the road
again.
Having already had lunch, there
was no excuse not to enjoy a cider along the way! North Country Hard Cider made a delicious
variety of unique ciders of which we tried six!
Our favorite was the Fire Starter with cinnamon and habanero to keep it
interesting!
Tonight’s destination was another
Boondockers Welcome location. This one
promising wonderful hosts in a small town right on the train tracks, I thought
Mom might like to see how this setup worked.
Not wanting to arrive too early, we took the back roads and happened
into a small town with a trio of breweries on the one corner in town! Not offering any dark beers in two, we wandered to the newer guy on the block – EP – Empty Pint. What a nice owner. And the bartender was a near replica of our own beer loving son, Jacob. We enjoyed a nice toasted coconut porter and some great, lively conversation before saving ourselves from a big parking ticket and heading for our camp for the night.
Oh my. The location was Newton Junction which I
suspect originated from the train stop there.
And yes, our designated spot was RIGHT next to the tracks! We pulled into a gravel spot in an industrial
site where our hosts ran their commercial sign installation business. There was really no town and nowhere to go –
and THIS is where I brought my mom!
But wait! Our hosts, Bev and Axel, didn’t disappoint. Waving us in as we pulled up, Bev had one of those
smiles that can light up a room! Lovely from minute one, they offered power,
water and even sewer hookup and made us feel welcome and at home. Axel was quick to show Rob around their
thriving business and Bev showed Mom and I to a small (VERY small) trail at the
back of the property.
We gathered for drinks as the
trains whipped by. As the sun began to
sink, it got seriously cold outside!
Forgetting about dinner, we talked as the sun disappeared, a fire was
lit and other boondockers joined in for toasting marshmallows. Mom got colder and colder as Rob drank more
and more and I broke up the fun to take us inside. Rob was beyond being willing to eat and Mom
was too cold to do anything but huddle under blankets! We called it a day and spent the night trying
to stay warm!
Almost despondent by now (but still
laughing at our misfortune) we gave up and drove back inland to Harold Parker
State Park where my sister and her good friend would come in the evening and take
Mom into Boston for the next couple days.
From the minute we settled into
our site, all of the craziness of the previous four days disappeared. The park was quiet Our site was private and cozy. The day was cloudy but warm enough. We took walks and sat watching the rain come
down for a quick shower before cooking up a storm, setting a table, preparing a
campfire and waiting for our guests to arrive.
and lush.
Joni and Sarah found us just as
the sun fully set and we had a wonderful reunion with great laughs, great food,
a perfect fire and wine! It was so fun
to eat dinner by candlelight next to the crackling fire. And before we knew it, they were driving away
with Mom tucked in the back seat. I
couldn’t help but feel as I reflected on our time together that our final night
wouldn’t have felt so perfect if our previous nights hadn’t been as odd. Somehow our crazy adventure was exactly what
it needed to be.
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