Annapolis to Buffalo to Little Current - June 1-24, 2017

Towing the sailboat behind the RV around Washington, DC proved challenging but thankfully the traffic was much less than normal as we were travelling on a Sunday morning.

Our friends, Roger and Gail, thru-hikers on the AT, crossed this bridge a couple months before we drove under it.

We had an eventful evening in Breezewood when our carbon monoxide alarm sounded, alerting us to the fumes from neighboring trucks parked next to us.  A hurried move to a Walmart down the road created a peaceful evening out of the minor chaos.  Our next night was in a pretty KOA near Mercer, PA where we enjoyed a swim and lounging evening in their warm, sunny pool.  The next couple nights were almost perfect as we enjoyed the scenery and sunsets over Lake Erie at Evangola State Park, NY.

Our campsite in Evangola State Park

Lake Erie Sunset at Evangola State Park

The weather was perfect as our hostess, Mary, took us on a great tour of the Buffalo, NY waterfront.

Mary and Karen pose at Canalside in Buffalo

 
As we continued our trip north, we felt as if we were driving a submarine, the rains around Toronto were so heavy.  They thinned a bit as we made our way to Parry Sound, then on to Little Current, Ontario.  In Parry Sound we visited the Bobby Orr Hall of Fame.  In Little Current we found wonderful people, a nice municipal marina and a place for both the RV and Irish Rover as we made plans to cruise the gorgeous waters of Lake Huron's fabled North Channel.

Irish Rover and the RV in Little Current

Although the sun came out for these photos, we never saw temperatures above 70F and often walked through the drizzle and chill of this northern clime.

Spider Bay Marina, Little Current, ON

Irish Rover at Sunset in Little Current

Little Current Sunset

As the days wore on, we decided it was just too chilly and wet for these two warm water sailors to venture upon the clear, cold, fresh channels of the North Channel.  We enjoyed our last couple days at the campground in Sheguiandah, near Little Current and made plans to head for the warmer fresh water seas of Lake Erie.

Our campsite at Batman's, Shenguiandah, ON

Our campsite at Batman's, Shenguiandah, ON

Campsite sunset, Sheguiandah

For a change in travel experiences, we chose the ferry route south from Manitoulin Island.  It proved a fun, relaxing way to move the RV and Irish Rover across from South Baymouth to Tobermory.

Our transport southbound

We were on our way to warmer, drier weather!

RV and Irish Rover to Chesapeake and Great Lakes, May - September, 2017 (Click thru the "Newer Posts" at Bottom)

Titusville, FL to Annapolis, MD - May 15 - June 1, 2017

Karen and I departed Monday morning, driving all day northward until we reached a truck stop in South Carolina.  We decided to spend the night after topping the fuel tank and took off the next morning headed for our campsite at Jordan Lake Campground in North Carolina.

Our little RV and boat shrink even smaller compared to our neighbors in the truck stop

Here's what we look like if you get a bit closer

The campground at Jordan Lake was quiet, secluded and beautiful.

Nice pull-through campsite, all to ourselves

We enjoyed a couple walks around the campground, then the next day we hiked through the woods, covering about 4 miles.  Karen's cousins, Chip, Paula and Kathy joined us for a fun reunion dinner on Thursday evening.  Friday morning we departed for another driving day with our destination being Cedarville State Park, Brandywine, MD.

A back-in site, this one was a bit trickier than Jordan Lake

Although the campground weekend was full for the weekend, we had it all to ourselves from Sunday noon until we left on Thursday.  We took several hikes through the woods and got our water heater and trailer jack repaired.

Beaver dam seen on one of our walks in Cedarville State Park

No room for us in the State Park over the Memorial Day Weekend, so we moved our rig to a county/regional park, Louise Cosca Park in Clinton, MD.  It was also close to Upper Marlboro, MD where we attended Karen's high school reunion.

We watched these two guys for several minutes while on a walk in Cosca Park

In between walks through the tall trees and around the pond (called Lake Cosca) Karen and Murph enjoyed an evening at Karen's high school reunion in Upper Marlboro, MD.

Karen and I launched Irish Rover on Wednesday, May 31 but it took all afternoon as we also had numerous gear and provisioning tasks for our first cruise aboard our new-to-me sailboat.

Irish Rover and Karen as we prepare to depart Sandy Point State Park for Annapolis, MD.

The weather proved very cool and wet as the rain and chill pursued us all the way from Sandy Point into Annapolis Harbor and Spa Creek, where we set the anchor.  So many beautiful sailboats in Annapolis and we caught this Herreshoff in a brief video, visible on Google.

Herreshoff under sail

We enjoyed catching up with friends, noshing great crab cakes, and immersing ourselves in the sailors' walking port of Annapolis.  On Saturday we picked up Karen's grandson at Truxton Park and the three of us sailed out of the harbor to enjoy the start of the Annapolis to Newport sailboat race on the Chesapeake Bay.

Racers maneuvering for the start of the Annapolis to Newport race.

As the rain and cold continued,  we decided to haul Irish Rover and return to RV living at Cosca Park.

The turtles lined up on the sunken tree sunning themselves at Lake Cosca.

A larger turtle captured this log for himself.

While our visits with friends made the trip to Annapolis worthwhile, the dreary weather made us look forward to our departure for new and different venues on our northbound trip.