McAnoy

2017-08-25 Westbound; Boblo Island Day 2

We again traveled to Boblo Island to meet up with our grandchildren. Today, right after we arrived, we went for a long walk around the decrepit, dilapidated amusement park (what is left of it…).

The most prominent feature is the tower, which used to be a ride where visitors were taken to the top, then spun around… Now it’s just a tower… but it helps in your orientation as you walk around the wild country…

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We found the old lighthouse:

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This used to be the end of the island and this lighthouse was at the entrance to the Detroit River, just off Lake Erie. But the land has been filled in, so this abandoned lighthouse sits useless in the middle of a field…

There is also a block house, used to house prisoners and defend the island in the 1830s:

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The rest of the south end of the island contains all types of abandoned buildings:

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This is the ferry terminal for the 5,000 passenger ferry from Detroit:

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The dance hall and concert venue:

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Lynda and Roisin had a chance to catch up after their long time (2 months!) apart:

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We had a lovely walk – we saw spooky black squirrels, snakes, lots of birds, and assorted other critters…

Upon our return to the hose we found that we have been joined by Kevin’s two brothers and his father… The more the merrier!

The kids played around as usual. As dusk fell, they brought out the yard lights:

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After a lovely dinner, we said our goodbyes and we returned to the Villa; an enjoyable time was had by all…

September 5, 2017 0

2017-08-24 Westbound; Boblo Island Day 1

After CanAm finished a few minor service items we headed out for a short drive to Amherstburg, ON, to Willowood RV Park. We were greeted by a bizarre sight on this August 24:

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This park is teaming with families and kids. Lots and lots of kids… We found out that this place used to be a Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park, but it was recently purchased by Sun Resorts, owner of several of our favorite RV resorts in Southern California.

Anyway, apparently Halloween is a big deal around here, but most RV parks close at the end of September. So they have devised a way to capitalize on the holiday: they celebrate it in August. Twice; this weekend, and the next. Anyway, we don’t care; we don’t much like Halloween, and we are here for another reason:

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Our daughter, Erin, and her husband, Kevin, and their three children (Roisin, 4 years; Ian, 3 years, and George X, 2 years in October) will be vacationing for a week on Boblo Island, just a few minutes from here.

Boblo Island (correct name: Bois Blanc) is an island in the Detroit River on the Canadian side of the border and is part of Amherstburg, Ontario. The island is about 2.5 miles long, 0.5 mile wide and 272 acres in size. The Detroit river is very short – it merely connects Lake Huron with Lake Erie.

The main northbound shipping channel of the Detroit River lies between Boblo Island and the Amherstburg mainland. A stone lighthouse was built in 1836 on the southern tip of Boblo island which marks the historical beginning of the Detroit River navigation channel for ships traveling upriver from Lake Erie in more modern times.

Bois Blanc means “White Woods,” a name derived from the many birch and beech trees in the area. “Boblo” is an English corruption of the French pronunciation of the name. Several islands with the same name dot the Great Lakes, and nearly all are known as “Boblo” by the local populations.

The island had strategic importance when Fort Amherstburg (now Fort Malden) was built in 1796 to guard passage along the Detroit River after Detroit was turned over to the Americans. Guns from the fort could reach the island across the navigable waters and hence secured the river.

Boblo island has a very rich history. In the early 1700s, 70 First Nation families peacefully farmed the fertile land. It was the location of the headquarters for the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh (“Shooting Star”), the leader of a large tribal confederacy (known as Tecumseh’s Confederacy), during the War of 1812. It was the location of the invasion point for 60 Canadian “Patriots” on January 8, 1838 during the Upper Canada Rebellion There are buildings on the island dating from this time.; see below… It also served as the stepping stone for numerous individuals on the Underground Railroad to Canada. One estimate puts 30,000 people as having had crossed over between 1834 and 1860.

Most famously, Boblo was the site of a large and very popular amusement park from 1898 until 1993. Huge crowds would come to Boblo via the big ferry from Detroit, which had a capacity of over 5,000 people. Big bands played in the dance hall, commissioned by Henry Ford, and other name-brand performers drew large crowds as well. But as “old fashioned” amusement parks lost out to newer, flashier entertainment venues, Boblo’s popularity faded, and the amusement park closed in 1993.

But the owners had other ideas. In 1994 the northern 1/4 of the island was subdivided into lots; streets and utilities were constructed, and houses were built. Today there are many houses, mostly with full time residents, and a few houses used mostly on weekends or during the summer. And this is where we come in.

Kevin’s sister and her husband own a lovely vacation home on the island, complete with pool, pond, and golf course. And this is where Erin, Kevin, and their family vacation every August. And they are arriving today!

So we set up the Villa in the RV park, and headed for the ferry to Boblo. It runs 3 times per hour, so if you catch it right it is a short ride to Boblo; but if you miss the ferry, it is a 20 minute wait for the next one.

We arrived on the island, found the house, and we were reunited with our kids and grandchildren:

George X, or Jorge Diez:

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Ian Philip, named after his grandfathers:

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And Roisin:

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You might notice they all have band-aids or scabs on their foreheads; their mother is hoping for the Mother of the Year award… George crashed chasing a ball a few weeks ago, Ian got his earlier today, and Roisin got whacked in the head with a golf club this afternoon…

We had a great time; swimming, “golfing”, and chasing balls…

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We brought them beach hats from Montreal:

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So we hung out for the afternoon; after dinner we made our way back to the Villa; this time the trip across the ferry took a little longer than usual; an ambulance had been called to the island. The ferry was held, and no other cars were allowed on; once the ambulance reached the island the ferry waited; 20 minutes later the ambulance came back, and the ferry took it to the mainland. By this time there were lines of waiting cars over 1/4 of a mile long… We managed to squeeze onto the ferry as the last car on; the operator needed to go check to see if my truck’s rear wheels were actually on the ferry. He told me not to back up…!

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So we returned to the Villa later than planned; when we arrived we saw that Halloween festivities were in full swing! An enjoyable time was had by all…

September 5, 2017 0

2017-08-18 Westbound; Moving on to Old Montreal

We drove from Quebec to Montreal; it was a short drive, but we did have some heavy rain. We arrived at the RV park – Camping Cle’ des Champs – a beautiful park, mainly set up for full- and mostly-timers who summer here, then flee to Florida or Arizona for the winter. The sites are huge – about 5,000 sq. ft., and most are paved with stone pavers, with a storage shed, and a screened porch, or entire screened and glassed-in rooms, containing kitchens, dining areas and lounging areas. Our site, where they park the overnighters like us, are also very nice, but not quite as luxurious as the seasonal sites:

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We enjoyed some leisure time, planned our day in Montreal tomorrow, and Happy Hours ensued:

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Since I have no other photos today, I post photos of my grandchildren who are flying out from California to see us on Boblo Island in late August… This is what they look like at midnight while changing planes in Denver…

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I don’t thing they were having an enjoyable time…

September 4, 2017 0

2017-08-10 Nor by Nor’east Caravan – More Lobster!

Today we had another day on our own; we spent the day planning the remainder of the trip and enjoyed some quiet time. We need to rest up, because tonight is: More Lobster!

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Once the caravan ends (in five days) we have about 2 months to get home; we will travel back through Canada, through New Brunswick and Ontario, stopping off to see the 1000 Islands; we will stop at CanAm RV in London, ON, then meet up with the McAnoys and see our Grandchildren on Boblo Island, located between Lake Huron and Lake Erie. After that interlude, we head north, over the top of Lake Huron and Lake Superior, through Thunder Bay, and back into the USA in Minnesota, all by September 1… After that, we’ll go through Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota, checking out all the Frank Lloyd Wright and Laura Ingalls Wilder sites we can manage.

But tonight we have a dinner at St. Ann’s Lobster Galley. This is a very nice restaurant set on a lovely lake. Once again we enjoyed time eating together; meals like this create opportunities to get to know the other caravanners and enjoy a stress-free time together.

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We had a Drivers Meeting to discuss our last travel day within the caravan; tomorrow we take a ferry from Caribou, NS to Wood Islands, Prince Edward Island…

August 31, 2017 1

2017-07-26 Nor by Nor’east Caravan – Travel day to Campobello

Today is our last day in Maine. We are moving once again, this time into New Brunswick, Canada, specifically to Campobello Island, the summer home of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

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We left the campground in Trenton about 10:00 am, and headed north on highway 1, a small, 2-lane road that leads further and further away from civilization. Finally, after about 2 ½ hours we turned east and drove through the town of Lubec, which claims to be the easternmost city in the USA. Who am I to argue?

We went through customs, with our experience being similar to crossing the border in Niagara Falls, which we did back on June 24. Once onto the island we found our campground and settled in.

Campobello Island is located at the entrance to Passamaquoddy Bay, adjacent to the entrance to Cobscook Bay, and within the Bay of Fundy. The island has no road connection to the rest of Canada; the bridge we drove over connects it to Lubec, in Maine. Reaching mainland Canada by car without crossing an international border is possible only during the summer season and requires two separate ferry trips, the first to nearby Deer Island, then from Deer Island to L’Etete.

Measuring 8.7 miles long and about 3.1 miles wide, it has an area of 15.3 sq miles; the island’s permanent population in 2011 was 925.

Campobello has always relied heavily on fishing as the mainstay of the island economy; however, the Passamaquoddy Bay region’s potential for tourism was discovered during the 1880s at about the same time as The Algonquin resort was built at nearby St. Andrews and the resort communities of Bar Harbor and Newport were beginning to develop. Campobello Island became home to a similar, although much smaller and more exclusive, development following the acquisition of some island properties by several private American investors. A luxurious resort hotel was built and the island became a popular summer colony for wealthy Canadians and Americans, many of whom built grand estates there.

Included in this group were Sara Delano and her husband James Roosevelt Sr. from New York City. Sara Delano had a number of Delano cousins living in Maine, and Campobello offered a beautiful summer retreat where their family members could easily visit. From 1883 onward, the Roosevelt family made Campobello Island their summer home. Their son Franklin D. Roosevelt would spend his summers on Campobello at the family home from the age of one until, as an adult, he “acquired” his own property — a 34-room “cottage” — which he used as a summer retreat until 1939. It is next door to Sara and James Roosevelt cottage. You might wonder why he chose to live next door to his mother? Simple: She bought the house and gave it to him.

It was at Campobello, in August 1921, that the future president fell ill and was diagnosed with polio, which resulted in his total and permanent paralysis from the waist down. Roosevelt did strive to regain use of his legs but never again stood or walked unassisted.

During the 20th century, the island’s prosperity from its wealthy visitors declined with the change in lifestyles brought on by a new mobility afforded by automobiles, airplanes, and air conditioning in large inland cities. Nonetheless, for President Roosevelt, the tranquility was exactly what he and his family cherished, and the property remained in their hands until 1952 when it was sold by Elliott Roosevelt (Franklin and Eleanor’s fourth child). Elliott decided to sell the house after his mother, Eleanor, had sold it to him. Elliott sold it to Victor Hammer and his brother Armand Hammer of Boston and they owned it up until 1963. However, they said Eleanor was always welcome to come whenever she pleased, and her last visit was in 1962 to attend the opening of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bridge connecting Campobello Island to Lubec, Maine. In 1962 the brothers tried to sell it but got no takers; (The were asking $50,000 for it, fully furnished with all the Roosevelt furniture…) they subsequently donated the cottage to the U.S. and Canadian governments in 1963 as an international park. The Roosevelt Campobello International Park is the only one of its kind because it is run by both the Canadian and American governments, the park being located in Canadian territory. The park is now equally staffed by both Americans and Canadians.

In 1960, motion-picture producer Dore Schary and director Vincent J. Donehue made the film Sunrise at Campobello, based on Schary’s Tony Award winning Broadway play of the same name. Starring Ralph Bellamy as Franklin D. Roosevelt, the film covers the years 1921 to 1924 at Campobello Island and events leading up to Roosevelt’s nomination as the Democratic Party’s candidate for president.

So now you know more about Campobello than most Americans do. (If people DO know about Roosevelt’s time here, they are always surprised to find out that it is in Canada…)

We went for a walk and found a nearby beach on the bay. The land mass you see in the background is Grand Manat Island; Nova Scotia is beyond that, across the widest part of the Bay of Fundy…

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Some folks have asked for a better picture of the Squarestream on this caravan; here it is:

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This is a 1989 32′ Airstream Land Yacht. It is aluminum skinned, but instead of rivets they used high-strength epoxy to attach the skins to the frames. It resulted in a much more rigid unit. However, they were not popular with the traditionalists, so the series was dropped a few years later.

And, as is our custom, here are pictures of our grandchildren, as they learn all about water balloons……

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August 6, 2017 0

2017-07-23 Nor by Nor’east Caravan – Maine – Travel day to Trenton, ME; Wine and Cheese; Hobby Show and Tell

We on the move again. (Have I said that before? It is part and parcel of the caravan life…) Today we move just 36 miles down the road, to Timberland Acres RV Park in Trenton, Maine. Why move just 36 miles? Searsport was great, with lots of support and activities put on by the RV park staff – meals, campfires every night, and the yada yada. But the park was a little rough around the edges, with oddly sloping sites and no sewer connections. But it was right on the water, and they provided great services. There are always trade-offs. Timberland Acres had large, beautiful pull-though RV sites, but was pretty bland otherwise – exactly opposite from Searsport.

We stopped along the way at Home Depot, where I bought some nuts:

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We pulled into our site and hooked up and set up. The Caravan was pretty much alone in this section of the park:

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We took some walks, and at 6:00 pm we had a cheese and wine party – basically happy hours, with all the food and wine provided by the caravan. After hours of wine and cheese, out leader, Trevor, asked people to tell the group about their hobbies. Somewhere along the line this turned into yarn-telling. And hilarity ensued. You might be surprised, but I had a few yarns to add to the mix…

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Late into the evening (about 8:30 pm) we retreated to the Villa and retired. An enjoyable time was had by all.

Again, this being moving day we have few pictures. However, I do have darling grandchildren, so I post pictures of some of them (and their friends):

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August 1, 2017 0

2017-07-14 Nor by Nor’east Caravan – Camping at the Topsfield Fair Grounds…

Today is moving day once again. We traveled from Plymouth to Topsfield. The trick, though, was to avoid Boston and their bridges and tunnels that prohibit propane… So it was a relatively long drive, about 125 miles, 2 1/2 – 3 hours. We are camped on the grounds of the Topsfield Fair:

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No defined camp sites, just a lot of grass:

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It was fun to be all by ourselves – just the Airstreams and the Caravanners – no one else anywhere around…

That evening we once again had a meeting to discuss the tourism opportunities in this part of the country:

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Since this day has little other opportunities for photos, I post pictures of my grandchildren; they are at the beach in California:

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And an enjoyable time was had by all…

July 22, 2017 0

2017-06-30 Hudson Valley, NY

After our visit to Watkins Glen we checked into Croton Point Park, a county park in Westchester County, adjacent to the town of Croton-on-Hudson, in the lower Hudson Valley, about 30 miles north of New York City. It is a large park on a penninsula projecting out into the Hudson River. There are beaches, sports fields, picnic areas, forests, open grasslands, plus the RV Park, tenting campgrounds, and vacation rental cabins.

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This first day in the park we settled in, did laundry, shopped for groceries, and refueled the truck. It was a relaxing and productive day.

Since nobody wants to see pictures of us doing laundry and shopping, I thought I would show you the latest pictures of our grandchildren…

George:

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Ian (and his father):

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Roisin (and her friend James):

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Tomorrow we start our house tours here in the Hudson Valley, as we visit the Rockefellers, the Roosevelts, and the Vanderbilts…

July 8, 2017 0

2017-06-25 Toronto and Grandchildren

We awoke Sunday morning to sunny skies. I stepped outside and I immediately found the source of the strange sound during last night’s storm: The fiberglass cover over one of the roof-top air conditioners was lying on the lawn next to the Airstream! Good news was that it didn’t blow away…! At least CanAm can re-install it tomorrow…

My daughter and her three children were nice enough to fly in to Toronto to see us:

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They were also seeing Toronto Family and Friends…

We took an Uber to the London train station, then took the express train to Toronto.

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We all met up at the station, then walked through the streets of Toronto. We found a playground to keep the kids occupied and we caught up on our various happenings.

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Erin, Kevin, and the kids had a lunch date with Kevin’s Toronto family, so we said our goodbyes and Lynda and I headed off to walk some more. We found the “Distillery District”. It’s an old industrial area converted to pubs, shops and restaurants. Unfortunately, we did not find a distillery. But we did find a great French Bistro to escape to when it began to rain.

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