The First 24 Hours...

In a word, the first 24 hours have been a success! A bunch of our Islesboro pals came down to the ferry line in late morning to wish us a good trip on what was a glorious autumn day - crisp and sunny. As the ferry departed, we had views of beautiful Islesboro behind us and mainland America ahead of us, beckoning us with the promise of all we are going to see over the coming months.

We hit the highway, headed south for a few hours, stopping very close to the NH border in Eliot, Maine. We pulled into a campground just after 5 in the afternoon - our first campground experience and a new culture to get used to. The travel gods were on our side – the campground is located on the shore of the Piscataqua River and we were able to get a site on the river’s edge in a secluded spot. The pretty waterview and sounds of birds made a perfect, storybook setting, reminiscent of our Islesboro location.

Of course, we’re on a steep learning curve and there were a few glitches. When we hooked up our water hose to the spigot, it wasn’t quite tight enough and Bob got a face-full of spray. Later in the kitchen, I opened our dish cabinet and the mugs tumbled out (they had gotten jostled around while we were driving.) And when we turned on both the refrigerator and coffee maker we blew the circuit breaker of the campground’s antiquated electric system and Bob had to help the owners find the right circuit to reset!

Balancing all this was the excitement of starting our new life on the road. We shared a bottle of champagne (Ferrari brand, a souvenir we brought home from Siena), at our kitchenette table -- in celebration of our first day of the Mia trip and also our 22^nd wedding anniversary. Later, a good night’s sleep. We were tired!

The morning found us in our second state, New Hampshire! And after picking up our tow dolly, my Integra is part of the big rig, now about 45 feet long in total. Yikes!

Thanks to all of you for your bon voyage wishes, along with love from both of us. Patty