Day 16 July 29th

Day 16 July 29th
Out of Saint Johns and heading toward Nova Scotia along Highway 1 and the TransCanada Highway. These are 4-lane roads. About 250 miles of mostly hilly roads. Surface isn’t too bad. Sure is better than I-80 in Wyoming and Nebraska.











Crossed into Nova Scotia about 3PM and stopped at their welcome center. Picked up some maps and interesting sites to see. We originally scheduled 3 days up here, however, after talking with the gal in the visitor’s center, we changed our mind to five full days. We’ll see if we have to extend it.











The rest of the trip today was pretty much uneventful. Our exit (4B) wasn’t – the GPS saved the day again. Safe and sound at the KOA. Night all.

Day 15 - In and Around Saint Johns

Day 15 – Time to see what we can see in Saint Johns.

Our first visit is to the Reversing Falls. A great site to see and experience. You can learn more about the “Reversing Falls” by going to: http://www.new-brunswick.net/Saint_John/reversingfalls/reversing.html











Anyhow, we got there when the tide was going out. Took some pictures, saw a movie about it, took some more pictures, visited the gift shop, and took some more pictures.









Since we had some time before dead low tide, it was decided that we should go down town Saint Johns and see some sites. One of the places we went was to the Central Market. This place was designed like an upside-down ship. Fruits and vegatables on both ends and crafts in the middle section.













Of course, we had to do some shopping. We did find one real crafter. Made his stuff from red clay that is found in the area. Quite unique crafts. Funny character.








After our trip around Saint Johns, we wound our way back to the Reversing Falls. We arrived at slack tide (dead low tide). Water was NOT moving either direction. We noticed, for the first time, a rock sticking out of the water near the far side.











We decided to eat at the restrurant just beside the falls. A great dinner and also gave some time for the tide to turn. After a delightful dinner, the tide had indeed turned and was rushing up the river. Yes, it had reversed the flow of the river. We were told that this reversing ran all the way to an upstream dam. DAMN



Found our way back to the campground and prepared for an early start.

Day 14 July 27th

Day 14—Off to Saint Johns , New Brunswick. There is a reversing falls there, so we just have to check it out. Found a campground with room so we made early reservations. We had an adventure just finding it. The directions were poor and the person on the phone was not much better.

Finally found it.

It required a ferry boat ride to get there. We have check into taking the trailer on ferry boats. Would you believe cubic money per foot. This ferry is cable driven and is run by the Provincial Maritime. Also we lost and hour in a new time zone. We are on Atlantic time.













The campground had been flooded on May 1 2008. Lots of rain and the flood gates were opened to control the flooding upstream. We had a great spot up on top of the hill. Had to try the hill twice! ! ! Spinning the tires the first time. Only got 1/3 of the way up. Got a little running start and made it just fine.

Day 13

Met Jim (Amber's step-dad)and Aletha (Amber's mom) and off we were on a day of sightseeing.

Day 13---Met Jim and Aletha and off we were on a day of sightseeing. First onto the ferry to Peak Island. The weather was great. Sunny and a bit of a breeze.

There were lots of remnants of the civil war forts and gun bunkers. Protection of the harbor and shoreline was paramount. Then a bit of shopping and off to a lighthouse. One of many along the shore. They are still active today. A treat was in store.













Judy got to meet a Lobster up close and personal. He wasn’t her type, so all we did was take the picture.













The light house was open for tours. I have never been in a lighthouse before. There were cooking quarters on the first floor ,sleeping on the second and third floors and the light on top. The tenders of the lights boated to work. Fine in the summer, cold and harsh in the winter.























Next to a great lunch on the boat docks and off to another spectacular lighthouse. This one was not open.



















The shore line was beautiful. Took lots of pictures. Last, but not least, a scoop of ice cream to top off the day. We said good by to Jim and Aletha with many thanks for a wonderful day. They should be tour guides.

Day 12

Day 12—Off to Vermont Teddy Bear and the anticipation was great.

Mrs. Childress was just so happy and so was I . The bible was huge and I had figured it was about 100 years old. When I opened the cover it had myGreat Grandfathers name plate in it in gold leaf. I just cried. What a treasure. She was so happy also. We also got the bag with the letters and pictures. She thinks there still may be other pictures there. She is going to look and mail them to me. She said they are your families items not mine. I just could not bear to discard them. What are the chances of something like this happening in a life time. She had saved these for over 40 years, hoping that someone would come. Tears and hugs and off we went to continue our trip.

Of course, Judy could not help but buy something at the store.

We took the scenic route across Vermont and New Hampshire. Soooo pretty. We ended up in Portland , Maine. We arranged to meet Ambers’ family the next day.

Day 11

Day 11—Lots of rain last night and a misty overcast day today. Off to Vergennes city hall. The people were great there. They have all the records in a vault , a very small one at that. They showed us how to track the items. One book has the names and the book and page that the actual record is in. Then we could use their copier . No charge for any of this. We started with my grandmother and traced back from there. The record said the mother had other children. Wow, I never knew of other children except her sister Ruth.We found 4 other siblings. Then we traced her parents and grandparents. What a surprise to find them there also. People of earlier generations were born, lived and died in the same general area. It made it easier to trace for us. We also looked up the property recordd and found out that the property belonged to my grandmothers’ mothers’ father. One of the ladies in the office had been there 30 years. She knew the family that bought the family house from my great Aunts’ estate. She suggested that I might knock on the door and ask to see the house and ask questions about my aunt..


We did just that. Mr. Childress was very kind when I told him my grandmother was born there and my aunt was the last resident, Ruth Eagan. He knew about her. He shared that the house was empty for three years before they bought it and all the furniture was in it. Then he showed us a picture of the house in the 40’s he framed and then brought out a plastic bag with letters and pictures. They found them in the house and had saved them over 40 years as they could not bear to throw them away. There was letters from my great uncle sent home from France during WWI, and pictures of family members. I recognized one that was my grandmother and great aunt ruth. I was blown away. He said that if his wife was home she would probably give them to me . I told him I understood as they were in their house. We took some pictures outside of the creek that we had a picnic on when I was 15.

We thanked him very much and went to the library to find more info. We hoped to find newspaper info on the family or house. We found very little. The archive room was locked as it was appt. only. They had microfish of newspapers there. The person was on vacation that took care of that, so a no go on that.

So, off we went back to the campground. On the way we saw Vermont Teddy Bear. A must stop, of course. As we got out, my cell phone rang and it was Mrs. Childress. She was thrilled that someone had finally cared about the Eagan family. She wanted us to have the letters and then she told me there was a family bible there also that she had saved, hoping that someone might come there. Imagine my total shock and surprise. She asked where we were, when I told her she laughed. I work there she said. We arranged to meet in the morning there.

Day 10 (July 23rd)

Day started with rain. Then went to mist and overcast. Took some pictures, not sure of the quality.

Fuel was low and we were on a turnpike. Trying to find diesel turned out to be a huge problem in a strange area, near and in Albany, NY. Asked advice at a toll booth and they gave us the name of a place that had been closed for several months. Next directions were confusing as we were on small roads near the port authority. Fuel levels are now down to 7 miles. Found a new station with diesel and the tanks were down and might not be on for 2 hours. Fred is sweating big time by now. We are down to 4 miles of fuel left. Finally found a dumpy station with a big truck lot that sold diesel. Fuel was just short of $5 per gal. After filling up, we hoped the rest of the day would be uneventful.

When we got into Vermont, we were rewarded with the most picturesque sights. We drove historic route US7. Everyone living on that road had great pride in the heritage of the area. The churches we passed were mostly built in the 1700's. It was neat. Finally in a campground just north of our destination. Hope to get the blog up to date tonight.

Oh, yeh, forgot to tell you that we drove is a misty rain today. Started raining pretty hard after we got the trailer set up. Just heard on the news that this area so far has received almost two inches of rain with more to come. Glad we're not camping on the river tonight.


That's all for tonight, folks.

Day 9

Noticed that we had a funky tire on the trailer so we will add air on the first fuel fill up.

We did that and as we were driving we decided to change routes. Pulled into truck plaza and noticed a big chunk out of that tire. Fred changed the tire and we were back on the road. (We did have a good laugh when we took the cover off the spare - a bird nest fell out.) We had not used the spare since the Alaska trip. It was on OK spare but not the best. We decided to find a tire store while it was early and put two new matching tires on the trailer. We have tandem wheels so that is a great help.

We called the Good Sam help list in our Woodall's book and got a lovely couple who know where we could go. They offered to meet us on the exit ramp and drive us to the store. They did just that and even called ahead to tell the service center we were coming. It was so very kind. They stayed with us while the service was been done and we talked like we had known each other a long time. They are Atlanta Braves fans and had been to Turner Field. What a small world.

We were back on the road in two hours and bid our Good Samaritans from Taylor, NY good by. We will surely not foget their genuine kindness. Needless to say we did not get as far as planned. Found a nice KOA and called it a night.

Day 8

Sitting still by the slow running river is a "Super Site" with a deck was a great day. Laundry to do and historic info to research and Fred working on the scroll saw.

Weather great, what else could you ask for. Housekeeping chores done. Time to get on the road tomorrow.

Called Vergennes, VT city clerk and they had my grondmother's birth certificate there. They do not charge for copies used in genealory searches. We decided to go there in person and see if we could find other family as it seems that her mother was from there also.

Day 7

Day 7—packed up the trailer, ready to roll when we return from church. We met our new friend at the steps and walked in to see a charming old church that had been kept up. It was actually a pioneer church originally built of wood. After a fire, it was rebuilt of brick in 1906. there was a full pipe organ still fully functionally built in 1906.

Fred was in heaven. He loves pipe organs. The sermon was good and the people friendly. They also had fully functioning single octave bells that were played by pulling handles that operated the clappers, as the bells are now stationery. We were invited to have lunch after the service and we accepted. After a great meal at a local restaurant and good conversation, it was time to give hugs and say good by.

Plans were to see friends from one of our shows. They lived in east, west Virginia. By the time we got near, they were still deep in the construction process of building a garage. We talked and chose not to have them stop just to say hi, as all their sons were there working too. So we continued east. Ran into the rain and it continued for 2 hours. Went to 2 campgrounds that were not satisfactory.

Decided to head for the nearest KOA. They are always great. So around 7 pm we arrived. We thought we were lost, as it was a ways off the freeway ,down small roads. It is beautiful here, right on a river. Oh yes, has a laundry too. Clean clothes are nice.

Day 6

Day 6—Off to PHS for a tour. Inside was torn up for renovations but the principal gave a great talk about the realities of todays’ world and how things have changed. He was however going back to basic principals of kindness and courtesy. They give awards for random acts of kindness. The academic scores are extremely high. In fact , ESPN came to Pburg.last night to judge them for the “TITLE CITY” award.

We found Fred’s picture in the trophy case for the band achievements.

Back to Marietta for the first Sweet Corn festival. We each ate 2 freshly roasted, dipped in melted butter, ears..Butter ear to ear. Mmmmmgood.





Time to dress for the dinner at the Country club. They had some people there that were not at the BBQ. So the name tags came in handy again. There were some old pictures there and we found Fred in the 25th reunion one. Good music and good food and singing the alma mater. It was suprising how many knew it. A few more pictures and it was time to say goodby. Everyone decided to try a 55th reunion.

Day 5

Day5—Rode around Pburg. Looked for places Fred use to live and the old Rig and Reel. Had a picnic in city park and went to the cemetary , saw the hill Tom Hathaway and Fred use to sled down. Then off to Fenton Glass Factory. Fred use sell newspapers to them to raise money for the boy scouts.






Found the Mr. Bee Potato chip warehouse.
No tours but did buy 3lb. box for $7.00.

Drove back to Marrietta, Ohio looking for a WI-FI. Saw an amazing church steeple so stopped to take a picture. As I got out of the truck, I saw a sweet elderly lady trying to carry groceries. They were way to heavy for her, so I asked if I could help and she accepted. I carried them to her porch and we started talking. I told her we were visiting from Duluth, ga, and stopped to take a picture of the church. Much to my surprise, she knew where Duluth was as a family member went there for a wedding and her niece was a lawyer with an office in Buford. She told us that her church was the oldest west of the Ohio river and we should take a picture. As we started to leave her porch, she invited us to visit the church on Sunday so we could see the inside. We decided to do just that.

Back to the trailer and change for the bar-b-que.Bar –B-Q was fun. Everyone was looking at name tags to try and jog their memories. Fred met some old girlfriends and a few buddies from school. Food was good and music from their high school days..

Day 4 continued

Next, back to the courthouse for more info then to the blennerhesset museum. Then back to Marietta for another riverboat cruise on the Ohio River…Not much to see just very relaxing. The boat cruised around an island in the middle of the Ohio River. Then off to the courthouse on the Ohio side to get birth certificates for his grandmother and mom. Both were born in Belpre, Ohio, just across the river from per. Got one there, the other we have to go to the health department to get. Strange…. We are having fun chasing down the leads. Fred is surprised how easy it has been.Back to base, dinner, and blogging.

Day 4

Drove into Pburg, went to Ft. Borman Park. It is a high knoll right at the convergence of the Little Kannah and the Ohio River. It served as a lookout post during the civil war. There were no battles fought in Pburg. But it served as a depot to ferry soldiers by rail and water. The view of the city is amazing. Pburg has flood gates surrounding the city. The water rose up the flood walls as recent as 2004. There are locks on the Ohio River now to control flooding and navigation. There are still tugs pushing cargo on the river every day.

Day 3

Drove into Pburg. Took the paddlewheel to Blenerhessett Island. Fred use to camp on the island when he was in sea scouts. There was a base on the Ohio side of the river and they would swim to the island. They also had a small inboard boat that they used for the supplies.

The old mansion was not on the island at the time as it had burned to the ground. Now there is a replica of what they think it looked like. Seemed weird to Fred. Took a short buggy ride around the part of the island that is national park land. The rest is owned by Dupont.


Back to Pburg and the oil and gas museum. We knew that dad Wilson gave some items to the museum so we went searching. We found his picture in one of the rig and reel exhibits (front row right). Very cool. We went into the library section and found other interesting things. Next we were off to the new courthouse to find birth and death records for Fred’s mom and dad and grandparents. They were really helpful. Got some, so will come back tomorrow, for more.

Tom and BJ called and invited us to dinner at their house. Picked up a plant for our hosts and went to their new house. Fred and Tom have been friends since 7th grade. We had a lovely time just catching up and remembering old stuff.

Day 2

Finally realize we are on vacation. We woke up in the camper with no house beside it. Made it to Marietta, Ohio. It is across the river from pberg and Vienna, where all the events will take place later in the week.

Did stop at a place called Tamarack. It boasted it was the best of wva. Cool architecture and grounds. Inside the round building was a great collection of arts and crafts made by the best craftsman in WV. Very interesting.


We drove a road that we drove many times in years past, the west va turnpike. Although it is now route 77, the road is still as bad as it was then. A washboard. It made us think of the roads in Alaska with the frost heaves. Took some pictures of signs and rivers for posterity. Plan on sight seeing around Pburg tomorrow.

July 14,2008 Day 1

After much adieu, we were finally on the road at 3:30 pm. Delivered a map in Dillard then decided to try a new koa for us in east Asheville. A pull thru site made it easy. No unhooking. Went to sleep with our favorite sound—a train. You see most campgrounds are near train tracks. It drives other campers nuts. Oh yes, a glitch. We forgot our passports. Called Nancy and had her 2 day them to Fred’s school chum in pberg.

Trip Scheduled

Well, we have finally settled on an "outta here" date for our trip. Monday, July 14th.

Taking out sweet time to West Virginia for Fred's 50th Class Reunion. 50 years ! ! ! !

More later.