Moorings Ocean Front RV Resort - 09-26-15 to 09-30-15

MOORINGS OCEAN FRONT RV RESORT located in Belfast, Maine and situated on Penobscot Bay. With less than fifty sites, it's one of the most scenic campgrounds I've been in.

Penobscot Bay facing east southeast

 I left Croton's RV Park at 8:15 am and arrived at 4:30 pm driving a distance of 395 miles. My three stops included one for lunch, the second for drowsiness and a cup of coffee, and the third to fill Winnie with diesel at $2.49/gal.  I almost made the trip on one tank. On this trip I averaged 19 miles per gallon. Thank you, Winnie--and for the cup of coffee I was able to make right in the coach so as not to waste time leaving and returning to the Interstate.

Knew it would be chilly but
this was below and beyond.

The first noticeable phenomenon was the huge contrast between low and high tides. With the pending lunar eclipse coinciding with the Full/Blood/Harvest moon, humans were treated to something very special and the contrast was exaggerated. Yesterday's low tide was described by one regular as the furthest retreat of water they had ever seen. Today's high tide will be 13 feet.

A very, very low tide

Another treat I enjoyed my first night here was meeting up with my cousin John and wife, Barbara. Their summer cottage, facing Belfast Bay is in Northport, ME, a fifteen minute ride. Arriving at 4:30, I was set up, changed, and freshened up to travel 35 minutes into Rockport and dinner at The Shepard's Pie with two other couples: Joe & Paula and Rob & Joy. longtime friends. Check out the menu. My $16.00 organic hamburger, shiitake, pickles, strong cheese, purple mustard, and fries should tell the tale. The place was packed, noisy, the food good, and with a bit of a strain I got to speak with and get to know my new friends.

The following night, Saturday, John picked me up for some light fare at their cottage with the same group of friends attending. A new extension and expanded kitchen was in its final completion and beautiful.

John showing old vs. new

                                                           Barbara ready to try out the new range.

Paula & Joe 

 
Joy & Rob

Is that a photobomb????

Cuz John & Chas

While sitting outside (bundled) and munching the goodies,
eagle eye Joe spots the Super Moon rising in the east.

An amazing sight: Moonrise

Unfortunately, my cameras don't
do the spectacle justice.

At the end of that treat, John drove me home and I, with others in the campground, braved the chilly temperatures for the event .

Croton RV 09-15-15 to 09-26-15

SPECIAL THANKS EDITION

I've completed another two-week stay here at Croton's RV park and purposely neglected giving a daily accounting of my experiences. There were no new travels, adventures, or significant happenings. It was, as they say, the "same ol, same ol."  RV'ers came and went.  The few that stopped by and said hello, or expressed an interest in Winnie were always offered a peek inside thus earning a spot on 'the wall.' The photos on the wall now number 65 and I look forward to meeting new folks in my future travels.

Yet the RV experiences I enjoy the most are those spent with friends and usually go unmentioned. Prior to their cross-country trip to Colorado, Vicki & George have wined and dined me at their "home." Good food, good wine, and good company. That unbeatable combination may sometimes include a trip into town to Samurai where sushi and KJ are enjoyed by at least two out of the three present. 

Another frequent host/hostess are Kathy & Ray. Because our camping experiences go back 35 years, we enjoy a special relationship. Kathy's cooking/baking talents provide consistently mouth-watering and delicious meals as seen in photos below of my last meal at Croton.

Tomato, mozzarella, and basil salad

Pesto basil stuffed chicken with fruit glaze.
Grilled asparagus and steamed miniature
potatoes not shown.

The main subject of this blog post, however, is to publicly thank Ray for making this two week stay unique and enjoyable.  Besides the daily, early morning get together for our cup of coffee about 7:30 am or so, he has been a valuable resource for the little things that have annoyed me about Winnie. With years of RV experience, he just happened to have what I need to remedy a situation: 1) like slide in tabs for my awning that will allow me to hang my glowing spheres properly...more aesthetically; 2) replacing my 30 amp plug that seemed damaged due to a power surge. 

30 amp replacement plug

Tabs allow spheres to dangle
from awning; a must see at
night.

To prevent a recurrence of such electrical mishaps, I purchased an "electrical management system;

Electrical management
system

3) And finally, due to a faulty design of the rail/gutter above the entrance door, water from rain or the AC would drip onto my steps. Handy-Dandy Ray had the ladder necessary to climb up and jerry-rig a possible solution for this problem...like plugging up the gutter with duct tape. Of course it hasn't rained nor have I needed the AC so it remains a 'we shall see' situation.

So much has been squeezed into my two week stay at Croton. Dinners with 2 other couples; helping a friend with her laptop, and shopping for my upcoming trip to Maine; all accompanied by beautiful, clear, crisp and sunny days and cool nights. But, to reiterate, the best times were those early morning coffee sessions with Ray where anything and everything was discussed. 

Thank you, Ray.

Next stop, Belfast, Maine, and a visit with cousins, John and Barbara.

Visitors

Folks that I have had the pleasure of greeting as they visited Winnie and Me (Pets included)

Not in order of appearance
New additions at beginning

Claudette & Michelle
Florida & New York

Henry
Houston, TX

Cheryl Ann
Durango, CO

Randy
Buchanan, NY/Tampa, FL

Frank
Croton-on-Hudson, NY

Gabrielle, Mike & Kiki
Croton-on-Hudson, NY

Bailey
Poughkeepsie, NY

Cooper
Wake Forest, NC

Dina
Cortlandt Manor, NY

Diane
Peekskill, NY

Kathy & John
Peekskill, NY

Ed & Diane
Peekskill, NY

Bob & Barbara
Peekskill, NY

Diane
Katonah, NY

Kathy Ray Vicki & George
Clermont, FL

Trish & Craig
Croton-on-Hudson, NY & Celebration, FL

Georgia
Croton-on-Hudson, NY & Celebration, FL

JayCee & Pete
Croton-on-Hudson, NY

Marybeth
Poughkeepsie, NY

Grandson Aaron
San Jose, CA

Granddaughter Beca & Brian
Poughkeepsie & Fishkill , NY

Granddaughter Sara
Poughkeepsie, NY

Savannah & Summer
Wake Forest, NC

Barbara & John
Medfield, MA

Angie
Medfield, MA

Margaret & Tom
Vermont

Julia (Jasmine not shown)
Vermont

Mom (96 yrs old)
Fishkill, NY

Amy & Evan

Croton-on-Hudson, NY

Maryanne

Bradenton, FL & Brewster, NY

Tony

Bradenton, FL & Brewster, NY

Tom

Buchanan, NY

Kathy

Buchanan, NY

Andy

Verplanck, NY

Nicole

Verplanck, NY

Jim

Croton-on-Hudson, NY

Lisa & Maurizio

White Plains, NY

Roger & Wendy

Bluffton, SC

Sean

Cortlandt Manor, NY

Valerie & Phil

Montrose, NY

Tina & Harley
Croton-on-Hudson, NY

Jim & Missie
Boynton Beach, FL

Pat Van Cura
Del Ray Beach , FL

Kori & Scott
Boynton Beach, FL

Cheri & David
Boynton Beach, NY

Shannon

Boynton Beach, NY

Derek

Boynton Beach, NY

Norma

Boca Raton, FL

Gary
Michigan

Al
Ohio

Joe
Erie, PA

Mya

Port Orange, FL

Bob & Mary
Putnam Valley, NY

Pat & Marty
Cortlandt Manor, NY

Wayne
Phoenicia, NY

Debbie & Rodney
Athens, Texas

Kevin & Chris
Yorktown Heights, NY

Liz & Shawn
New Hampshire