I just can't keep my camera away from Jimmy's dock at sunset time!
It was a great day before and after sunset too. A warm, sunny day great for getting out on the water ..
And after sunset Jim and I paddled our kayaks down to watch the Harvey Cedars fireworks over the bay. They were some of the best fireworks I've ever seen! And the bay was calm oh so paddleable!
Our second article in print! The FMCA's September issue of Family Motor Coaching magazine includes "Free Computer Tools for Travelers" by Chris Guld. It's not the cover article like our first one was back in March - but it's in there. In order to read the article on FMCA's website, you need to be a member and have a password. Of course, if you have a motorhome - you should be a member! It's only $45 for a year, so go ahead and join.
I have also posted a companion piece on our other blog - WiFiSavvy: Free Computer Tools for Travelers. This is a list of links to all the software mentioned ... that's something you can't do in print!
The place we're staying overlooks Barnegat Bay and we're facing west. We always get beautiful sunsets, but last night's was jaw-dropping spectacular.
The view from inside the house.
Our parking spot:
We did it again! We got into town (Long Beach Island, New Jersey where Jim grew up) the day before a big Guld Family Reunion. We didn't know about it until we got a phone call Saturday morning. We were already on the road and headed here. I really think we are charmed. This also happened four years ago, when we first came here to visit during our RV travels.
Here's the gang:
And,here we are at our favorite parking spot! We plan to hang out here a couple weeks. Wouldn't you?
I kid you not! Jim and I pedaled 25 miles yesterday. In the mountains! Here in the Poconos of Pennsylvania.
Ok, so it was all downhill. So what?
Is that cool or what? A rafting and bicycling outfitter runs a shuttle to take you and your bike up to the top of the trail. You ride for 25 miles and the bus is waiting at the bottom to take you back to where you parked. It took us about 3.5 hours.
I LIKE it! We did have to peddle, it was only barely downhill. The trail follows the Lehigh River through Lehigh Gorge State Park, and the river drops 600 feet over those 25 miles. And, even though lots of people were on the shuttle, once we started on the trail everyone spread out.
If you click on the sign picture above, that will take you to the original in our Picasa Web Album, then you can magnify it in order to read about the 29 locks that used to exist here in a canal next to the river so that boats could get back upriver.
We did get plenty of exercise, but the gentle downhill also made for a relaxing day. As you can see from this guy on a recumbent bike. He said, "All I need is a remote and a beer!"
There were plenty of opportunities to stop, rest, and watch the river go by.
and even a beautiful waterfall along the way.
As always, more photos on our Picasa Web Album ... clicking on any photo above will take you there.
We're here in the Poconos area of Pennsylvania - it's an Outdoor World park called Timothy Lakes. Or, it *was* an Outdoor World. Not too long ago Thousand TRails bought them out. Now Equity Lifestyles (ELS) bought Thousand Trails. It's tough to keep track.
Got here on Friday, just in time to present a couple of seminars to a few - very few - guests. I think we need a better advance team! We're also scheduled to present again next Saturday, maybe we'll be able to drum up a few more!
I'm using this week to get some serious website development done. Here I am in my work outfit (bathrobe) after my long commute to work (about 10 feet from bed.)
About 3 o'clock it's time to take a break. What do we do? Chat around the water cooler? Get a snack at the cafeteria? Oooh - how about a walk? Ok, says Jim, I know where we can go ...
Bushkill Falls - about 10 minutes away.
What a life!
Got some good exercise too.
Lots more photos on the web album. Just click on any of the pictures above, then you can browse forward and backward.
Since the FMCA rally brought us to Minnesota (another white space on our map at the time) we saw our chance to do New England this summer! New York - check, Masachussetts - check, Maine - check, New Hampshire - check, Vermont - check. Then, last week we made sure to spend one night in Rhode Island, even though it was only 20 miles to our next stop in Connecticut! You see, we've always understood that the LAW is: in order to put a state on your map, you must spend the night in that state in your RV.
So, until we decide to go to Alaska, we're done with checking off states. Uh-oh, look at that white spot for North Dakota. But, you know - we *were* there. It was even an FMCA rally where we gave a Wi-Fi seminar for Coach Connect. But, they flew us there, our motorhome was left in Florida and we stayed at a motel when we went to the rally in Minot.
So, whaddaya think, can North Dakota count? Or will you send the map police after us?
I just love the name ... 'Mystic.' I was hoping for some magical references to it's origin, but no such luck. According to Wikipedia,
The name comes from the Mohegan-Montauk-Narragansett language "missi-tuck", which describes a large (missi) river (tuck), more specifically a river whose waters are driven into waves by either tides or winds.[1],
It sure is a pretty place.
It's also right next door to the Groton (New London) Naval Submarine base. Home to a submarine museum and the Nautilus.
The Nautilus was the first nuclear-powered submarine. This is really good 'guy-stuff!' Jim was a happy camper as we toured thru the sub.
I enjoyed chatting with the sailor whose job it was to greet the tourist.
He told us that there were 17 active nuclear subs at dock here right now. Yikes! So, that's why those warning sirens I saw earlier are here. We also visited the submarine museum, which included this photo taken of the submarine tender, the USS Howard Gilmore. If we could look more closely, we might see Jim's Dad in this photo - since he was in the Navy stationed at Key West during this time!
After the sub base, we went on to Mystic Seaport. They have wonderful exhibits to explain all about ship-building and take you back to the 1800s. It was very well-done. With a recreation of the street scenes as they may have been back then.
And, a lighthouse with it's own show of musician/actors.
And, of course, the Charles Morgan, the last wooden whale ship in the world.
We cut our visit a little short when the weather turned ugly, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot.
On July 1, we launched our Geeks on Tour membership program. I thought you might like an update on how it's going.
It's going well! We are very excited now to have 115 paid members. And, they're saying things like:
"Just finished watching the Picasa and Blogger videos. Now I have slide shows in my blog!"
"Your videos are excellent & answered all my questions"
"Even though I am a pretty savvy web user, I learned A LOT from your videos"
"Your video about using search in Windows Vista helped a lot"
Each member paid $29. For that, they receive one year of full access to all the videos on GeeksOnTour.com plus access to the Members Q&A Forum. And we receive our first month in a looong time that we haven't needed to 'borrow' from savings to make ends meet! I call that a Win/Win arrangement.
If you don't know about our videos, there are plenty of free samples that you can view. To browse the list of all the videos, take a look at the menu at the left of our website under "Computer Tutorial Videos" - you'll see all the categories there. You can also sign up for our free newsletter. You don't need to become a paying member, or even a newsletter subscriber, to view all the free stuff on our website - lots of articles about Wi-Fi, lots of seminar handouts and all the past issues of the newsletter are available in the newsletter archive.
For those of you who do find enough value in our videos to join, THANK YOU, and we promise some new videos soon! It's hard to describe the joy we feel in knowing that our work is appreciated. Not to mention the joy in believing that we'll be able to maintain our lifestyle this way!
If you want to become a member, you can join here. The introductory price of $29 for one year is valid until August 31. On September 1, it will go up to $39.
Back to our travels: We added Vermont to our map after staying here last night (see our map of current travels - upper right of the blog) and we're on to Rhode Island today (state #46!). We'll have to come back to experience Vermont, but the drive was beautiful.
Just when I thought I was full up with scenery, just couldn't take any more ... along comes this forest stream that sets my heart a fluttering! There is something so special about the deep forest, almost mystical. And the crystal clear water of a mountain stream flowing and sparkling over the round river rocks. Life becomes a dream and all is right with the world.
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| From Geeks on Tour... |
The waterfall - Sabbaday Falls - along the Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire's White Mountains, was icing on the cake.
I just loved the walk thru the woods. There are lots more photos on the web album, just click on any of these to take you there, then use the next and previous buttons at the top of each photo to see more.
Yesterday was a memorable day. We left the motorhome at the campground in North Conway, New Hampshire, and took the car for a day trip. Jim used to come up this way every fall when he lived in New Jersey. He has fond memories of Mt. Washington and the Kancamagus highway. He wanted me to see it ... well, alright - if I must. :-)
Driving your car up the steep road to the summit of Mt. Washington is one of those things that needs to be on everyone's list. It's privately owned, so there is a fee of $20 for car and driver, then $7 for each passenger. It's well worth it.
The mountain is 6,288 feet high, which doesn't sound like much to western standards, but the experience was comparable to my memory of going up 14,000ft+ Pike's Peak in Colorado. It is the 3d highest point in the east, according to Wikipedia, It is known for it's horrible weather and high winds. We were very lucky to have a calm day and lots of spaces thru the clouds. You start the drive in a dense forest.
But it quickly gets too windy and cold for the big trees. They get smaller and smaller as you go up.
Then disappear altogether along the 12% grade road.
Some people hike it. I would love to have that experience, but walking up would be quite a challenge. Someday, I'd like to come back ... take the cog railway up, and hike down!
Here we are!
Wow - hard to believe, but this is true:
And, why is it that going down seems so much steeper?!
Odie and I both thanked Jim for showing us these sights yesterday. This will be our only day in New Hampshire (this time around anyway) but it goes down as one of the very best!
Remember to click on any photo above and browse thru more!
