Day 63, June 17, End of the Ride and Reflections

We have been back since last Friday, but yesterday was to have been the end of the journey, originally. Still, we were unable to return the rented RV until yesterday; so in one way, the journey did end officially June 17.

We experienced a bit of melancholy and nostalgia, as we returned the RV to its owner, Ken Smith. If you ever want to rent an RV, I would recommend checking out Ken. He has three different sizes and models of RVs; ours was the intermediate size (30'). The vehicle was in great condition, and Ken is easy and professional to work with. Just look for him on RVShare.com.

Would we do it again? Yes, gladly. Are we likely to do it again? Probably not. There were so many things about the trip that worked for us as a couple. Some people thought we might get sick of each other, being in close quarters for so many days in a row. However, that was not the case for us. We like each other's company most of the time. This experience was like having our own, secluded world for almost sixty days, with no one to call on us, no one we had to call, nothing to do for anyone, just the two of us in conversation, travel, and adventures. Our own private world in a sense. It was wonderful.

Thinking and reflecting on the trip here are several thoughts and memories that come to mind:

People we visited:

> Doug's cousin, Angela Wiggins, (Chattanooga)

> Doug's high school classmate and lifelong friend, Bob Kaufman and his wife Jane

Shure (Philadelphia);

> Doug and Patrise's Fulton County friend and his wife, Tom and Karen Reed

(Vermont)

> Doug's Uncle Thomas Hooker (Nashua, NH). He died four days before our arrival,

but we visited his home and home city

> Doug's cousin and his wife, Billy and Donna Hooker (New York City)

> Our grandchildren David Paul and Lael in Baltimore and our great granddaughter

Royal

Best food we experienced:

> Joshua Wilton's House restaurant in Harrisonburg, VA . (Top honors!)

> Avant Garden Vegan restaurant in East Village, New York City (Delicious and very creative vegetable dishes!)

> Fresh Mint Indian restaurant, Morgantown, WVA (Excellent and a surprise)

> Montezuma Mexican restaurant, Gettysburg, PA (Viva la Cinco de Mayo!)

> Dobbin House Tavern, Gettysburg, PA (Ambeince is 18th century as are several of

the menu items.)

> The Taj Indian restaurant, Moncton, New Brunswick

> Oysters and mussels, Prince Edward Island (anywhere)

> Scallops, Digby, Nova Scotia

> Bar Harbor Inn restaurant, Bar Harbor, ME (fantastic lobster)

> Cafe Sol, Niantic, CT (great breakfast, ambience and service)

Best visual scenery that entranced us:

> Dixie Caverns, Salem, VA (fascinating cave formations)

> Natural Bridge Park, Virginia (wondrous natural beauty)

> Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park

> Shenandoah Caverns (spectacular stalagtite and stalagmite formations)

> White Brix Winery, sitting on the patio while drinking great wine

> Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick on the Northumberland Strait. Our RV was

parked overnight on the beach with a direct look at the ocean. Patrise's favorite

place on the whole trip.

> Rodd Crowbush Resort, Prince Edward Island (views of the ocean)

> Central Vermont (no bad views anywhere)

> New River Gorge, West Virginia (breathtaking views created by nature)

> Peggy's Cove, Halifax, Nova Scotia (wondrous what God and nature have wrought)

> Frenchman's Bay, Bar Harbor, ME

> Acadia National Park, (no bad views anywhere, but Park Loop Road is THE BEST!)

> Riverwalk, near Brown University, Providence, RI

Road superlatives:

> Prettiest road segments:

* US 1 and ME 3, between Bar Harbor and Orland, ME

* I-64 an I-70 in West Virginia

* TransCanada 2 (most of it)

* PEI 6 and TransCanada 2 on Prince Edward Island

> Bumpiest road segments:

* Maine state highways, between Bar Harbor and Augusta,

* West Virginia state roads from I-64 to Pipstem, WVA (OMG)

* TransCanada 2, from the U.S. border to Fredericton, NB

* I-95, much of it, from Maine down to New Jersey

> Most crowded road segment : I-95 through New York City, across the George

Washington Bridge

> Lonliest road segment: Maine 230

Interesting People Encountered Along the Way:

> Nathan Perryman, truck driver, met in a laundromat, Salem, VA

> Dennis, RV repairman at See-Mor Truck Repair, Mt. Crawford, VA

> Stephanie Pence, winery owner, Harrisonburg, VA

> Danny and Devra, fellow travelers in the Shenandoah Valley

> Jack and Cierra, tour guides, Halifax, Nova Scotia

> Gary, RV repairman, Lumberton, NC

In the end, we expect that we will take another RV trip at some time in the future. However, rather than start from Atlanta, we would probably fly to a distant location, rent an RV from a local dealer, and then take off for a two-three week trip. We're thinking our next RV trip might be to the Grand Canyon and parts of the country nearby. Stay tuned for that.

However, our next big trip plans are for a South Pacific cruise, including Australia and New Zealand. Lord willing and our health and finances hold up, that will be some time next year. So stay tuned to hear travel stories and pics from us. You never know when we will pop up and where we'll be.

Thanks following us along our journey!

Doug & Patrise

June 18, 2022