The farther North we traveled, the more vivid and vibrant the fall colors became.  My camera does not really do them justice, but when the sun hits them in just the right way, the indescribable colors emerge:  vivid reds, glistening golds, muted browns and a full spectrum of greens that are contrasted by the gray, white, black and sand rocks, boulders and tree trunks. I hope that all of you will get to see this once in your lifetime. Everywhere you look there are hills filled with trees that form a patchwork tapestry of beauty – so our word for the day is SPECTRUM; not only for the obvious array of color, but also for the diversity of people that we are meeting, the places that we are going and the experiences we are sharing.

Logging trucks passed us on the road as we go through a myriad of small towns with names like Pleasant River.  Motorcyclists sped by us, a contrast of scale for sure – but they were not hindered by our size as they zipped and darted around and in front of us. Clapboard houses painted in muted yellow, blues and white, most displaying an American flag, banner and/or a Fall display or Halloween scene, gave us a taste of Americana.  Every few miles, we saw rivers, streams and lakes all around us – some as calm as ice and others babbling and churning over rocks and fallen trees.  Leaves floated down around us and swirled on the road in front of us, like fairies in a wonderland.

As we neared the coast, the trees lessened in number and the population density increased somewhat, though still rather small in comparison to an urban center.  We wanted to make camp before dark, so we decided to buy fresh, live lobsters and cook them in our RV.  Though slightly space-challenged, we accomplished our quest and cracked the first crustacean just as the sunset was waning.  Watching the sunset and eating a lobster dinner – perfection!

The word of the day is Perseverance.

Discussing our plans over a breakfast of coffee and bagels (I spread some of the chevre that we got at the goat farm yesterday- delicious) – we decided to go to New Hampshire instead of St. Albans, VT.  We traveled quite a significant distance to get the bridge which traversed Lake Champlain, only to find that the bridge was still under construction and hence, closed.  Not to be daunted, we headed for the “free” ferry in hopes that they would accommodate a vehicle as large as ours…thankfully, they did.  As warned by both my brothers, we kept a wary eye out for “Champy” (akin to the Scottish Nessie) and thankfully was spared the sea serpent’s wrath…

Our next challenge came at the campsite with our first campfire of the trip.  Wet wood is not the best medium for success, but Dad gave it his all, including splitting kindling with a small pocket knife and using 2 USA Today’s and a local Sunday newspaper to fuel the fire.  But alas, lots of smoke and no flames…Next we both blew on the fire and fanned it with cardboard, trying to coax the embers to catch – nada.  I took off to the laundry room to collect lint from the dryers as a fuel source (note that the camp store is now closed so we can’t buy lighter fluid, but it has already gone onto the list for the next shopping stop!) – lint is an old boy-scout trick, so I was sure it would work.  Meanwhile, Dad patiently fanned and blew, stoked and stirred with his walking stick…and by the time I returned, he had flames!  I rushed to wad up my lint ball and toss it into the fray- to which another plume of flame arose!  Dad graciously credited me with getting the fire to start, but we both knew that it was his perseverance and calm persistance that did the trick.  We finally could sit back in our camp chairs and enjoy the full moon, the dancing flames and the glowing embers flickering in the night…

I must mention that while in the laundry room, I came across some additional inspirational words that I would like to send along to my pregnant daughter and son-in-law.  Found on a poster about the area’s annual Lupine Flower Festival in June:  “Hope is the Seed; Joy is the Flower” may those words bless you with a healthy and beautiful child.

Tomorrow our destination is Bar Harbor, Maine in the Acadia National Park system.  The campground is harbor-side, so we are looking forward to the coastal view and “Lobstah”.