Sept. 16 - Day 11 - Sussex Murals and Hopewell Rocks

Day 10

Our objective today was to visit the rock formations in Hopewell, NB. http://www.thehopewellrocks.ca/ We completed our objective, but along the way we visited Sussex, NB http://www.sussexdowntown.com/

Sussex bills itself as the Mural Capital of Atlantic Canada. A number of the buildings in this quaint little village have had beautiful murals painted on the exterior walls of its buildings. These murals depict events import to the history of Sussex. The artwork is very professional and a pleasure to view as one walks about town.







As we drove to Hopewell Rocks, we passed through Fundy National Park. http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/nb/fundy/index_e.asp The scenery through this large park is remarkable, particularly as you descend into the village of Alma. http://www.fundyweb.com/fundy/alma.html



The visit to The Hopewell Rocks was equally satisfying as viewing the murals in Sussex. http://www.reggie.net/photo.php?albid=125&ph=1151565
However, this time Mother Nature, not man, was the artist. Due to the extreme high and low tides in the Fundy Basin, the rocks can be viewed by watercraft during high tide, then at low tide, you can actually walk on the ocean floor at view and touch the rock formations.





We decided to spend the evening in Moncton, NB http://www.gomoncton.com/
at Camper’s City Campground. http://www.killamleisureliving.com/cc-ld/ Though located in a very urban area, Camper’s City is a well run and maintained facility.

Tomorrow we cross the Confederation Bridge from New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island.

Sept. 15 - Day 10 - St. Andrews by the sea

Day 9

We left Pumpkin Patch Campground http://www.pumpkinpatchrv.com/ in Maine for St. Andrews, NB http://www.standrewsnb.ca/ this morning at 8:30 AM. We caravanned with two other couples.

Our route today was Interstate 95 to Interstate 395 to Maine Route 9 to Canadian Route 1 to Canadian Route 127.

The weather was cloudy with some drizzle, but at times it seemed to be clearing. Unsure if the weather would break in our favor, we agreed to drive to St. Andrews and make the decision to stay or leave when we arrived. We called ahead to Kiwanis Oceanfront Camping Area http://www.kiwanisoceanfrontcamping.com/ to make a reservation. As it turned out, the weather did improve and we spent the day in St. Andrews.

We passed through Canadian Customs without a problem and arrived at Kiwanis Oceanfront Camping Area about 1:00 PM.

After selecting our campsites we parked our motor coaches facing the ocean which was no more than 25 yards away. The view was fantastic. We were happy campers.



The six of us decided to ride our bikes into town for lunch. St. Andrews really is a wonderful resort town with many restaurants and boutiques. After lunch, we all went our separate ways to see the town.



Winnie and I walked the main shopping center then biked to the Jardin Kingsbrae Garden. http://www.kingsbraegarden.com/ The garden has a fully-functional one-third scale Dutch windmill.



The garden also contains a Wollemi Pine Tree. Read the information at the following link about this most unusual pine tree. http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/science/hot_science_topics/wollemi_pine



By the time we returned to the campground, the tide had gone out, providing us with the opportunity to walk, where only hours before, the ocean covered the ground. It was a nice ending to a very enjoyable day.



Tomorrow we are off to Fundy National Park. http://www.fundyweb.com/fundy/

Sept. 14 - Day 9 - Viva New Brunswick

Day 8

There are four days between the end of the Lake Winnipesaukee Rally and the start of the Prince Edward Island Shellfish Festival Rally. Since we will be driving through New Brunswick, Winnie and I decided that we would visit two points of interest along the way. We chose the resort town of St. Andrews http://www.standrewsnb.ca/ and The Bay of Fundy http://www.bayoffundytourism.com/.

Today we drove from Wolfeboro, NH to Bangor, ME with a quick stop in Freeport, ME to shop at L.L.Bean. http://www.llbean.com/ It rained most of the day, but the trip was peaceful and uneventful. Pumpkin Patch Campgound in Bangor,ME http://www.pumpkinpatchrv.com/ was a stopover on the way to Prince Edward Island for the majority of the Leap'n Lions RV Club.

Tomorrow, Monday, September 15th we will travel to St. Andrews. In St. Andrews we hope to stay at the Kiwanis Oceanfront Campground http://www.kiwanisoceanfrontcamping.com/ I say hope because we have yet to make a reservation. Our length of stay in St. Andrews will depend on the weather and local attractions.

The Town of Alma which is considered the gateway to the Fundy National Park, will be the next stop after St. Andrews. http://www.fundyweb.com/fundy/alma.html

From the Bay of Fundy we will drive directly to Prince Edward Island via the Confederation Bridge. http://www.confederationbridge.com/en/

The adventure continues….

Sept. 13 - Day 8 - All Good Things Must Come To An End

Day 7

Today is the last day of the Born Free Leap’n Lions Lake Winnipesaukee Rally. But before we pack up and leave, we have one more adventure waiting. That is a trip around Lake Winnipesaukee on the M/S Mount Washington Cruise Ship and what an adventure it was. This beautiful ship has a long and varied history that can be viewed at the following website. http://www.cruisenh.com/





In addition to a wonderful cruise from Wolfeboro, NH www.wolfeboro.net/ to Weirs Beach, NH http://www.weirsbeach.com/ we were treated to a buffet lunch on board ship. This cruise was, without a doubt, the most comforting way to conclude a great week of travel, sightseeing and camaraderie with fellow Born Free Leap’n Lions. For many, this marks the end of the Lake Winnipesaukee Rally, but for others, it is the beginning of a new adventure – The Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Rally. www.peishellfish.com/

Sept. 12 - Day 7 - On to Wolfeboro, NH

Day 6

Having had a negative experience with our existing LP Gas Detector, we ordered a replacement while at the Harbor Hill Camping Area http://www.hhcamp.com/.

The detector arrived Friday just as we were preparing to leave for Castle in the Clouds. http://www.castleintheclouds./org/index.html which was on our way to our next destination, Wolfeboro, NH http://www.wolfeboronh.us/.

The visit to the Castle in the Clouds was an unexpected treat. The view of Lake Winnipesaukee was splendid in spite of the drizzle and overcast skies. The castle itself was breathtaking in its design and construction. This is a must stop for anyone visiting the area.




Our rally point for this leg of the trip was the Wright Museum http://wrightmuseum.org/ .

The Leap’n Lions will spend two days dry camping in the rear parking lot of the Wright Museum.

At 3:00 PM the group attended an ice cream social in the Wright Museum hosted by George and Sue Boley. We then toured the museum and were surprised by the quantity and variety of items within its walls. Not only was there a large collection of equipment and materials related to World War II, but many displays depicting life in America during the war years. We could not help but reminisce about our youth as we viewed displays of Americana during the 1940’s.

That evening, a group of us went to the Wolfeboro Inn for dinner http://www.wolfeboroinn.com/dining/index.cfm . We dined in the casual area known as Wolfe’s Tavern. The original section of the Inn was built in 1812. It is an authentic New England tavern serving a wide selection of sandwiches and entrees.

Tomorrow we will be bused to the dock area for our boarding the M/S Mount Washington cruise ship for a cruise around Lake Winnipesaukee.

Sept. 11 - Day 6 - Loons, Steamboats and More Good Food

Day Five


After a hearty breakfast of coffee and muffins, 50 members of the Born Free Leap’n Lions RV Club boarded a luxury coach to visit the Loon Center and Markus Wildlife Sanctuary in Moultonborough, NH. http://www.loon.org/facilities.html





George and Sue Boley were our tour guides for this latest excursion.












After viewing a very informative and beautifully photographed film on the life cycle of loons, we visited the gift shop and toured the grounds.
While one group visited the Loon Center, a second group was transported to the Annual Lee’s Mills Steamboat Meet located only a mile away. http://www.steamboating.net/page87.html
After an hour the groups switched locations.











The Steamboat Meet was truly an adventure. Many steamboats, some over 100 years old were open for inspection and admiration. The boats ranging in size from fifteen to over thirty feet in length were as beautiful as the day they were built.














Our next stop was to the Corner House Inn in Center Sandwich, NH. http://www.cornerhouseinn.com/ According to its own literature, the inn, “Nestled between the White Mountains and Squam lakes, in the picturesque village of Center Sandwich, NH, the Corner House Inn has been serving up a slice of New England Hospitality for over 150 years”. We were treated to a great lunch complete with very tasty home made carrot and curry soup.




The final stop for our tour of the area was the Old Country Store and Museum in Moultonboro Corner, NH. http://www.nhcountrystore.com/bin/miva?Merchant2/merchant.mv+Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=TOCS
This store, in operation since 1781, displays an inventory unlike anything you would find in a contemporary mall. Take a moment to review the inventory on its website. It is fascinating.















We arrived back at the campground safe and sound after a delightful day of sightseeing in our luxury touring coach.

The day’s activities ended around a campfire singing songs and sharing stories.

Sept. 10 - Day 5 - Lake Winnipesaukee and the Hobo Railroad

Day 4


In addition to the travel and camaraderie associated with the Born Free Leap’n Lions RV Club http://www.bornfreervclub.org/ is our fascination, love and devotion to good food. This was exemplified on Wednesday when we started the day with coffee and gourmet muffins. Vast quantities of muffins and coffee were consumed in a very short period of time. There were many happy faces among the membership.

The group then created motor coach pools to transport us to the town of Meredith http://www.meredithcc.org/ to seek out bargains at the local retail outlets prior to boarding the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad http://www.hoborr.com/WINNI.HTML
for a train ride along beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee. http://www.winnipesaukee.com/

We were seated in a dining car and treated to a turkey dinner with all the fixings. Again, there were many happy faces among the membership.

We have become accustomed to good entertainment and great food. Today, the train ride and turkey dinner was no exception.



The days activities would not be compete without our usual evening gathering to dicuss and review the days' activities. This was a very good day that we will all remember for many years to come.