Minimalist Camping, Part 3

So I was figuring out what to write tonight and thought I would post my final blog about our camping trip. The whole trip came about due to a Cirque du Solei show my brother wanted to see, so one of our days we spent the day in Hartford.

We went up early in order to visit the Mark Twain house. The house was fascinating with all of its architectural details on both the outside and inside. I am intrigued by Twain's desire to "keep up with the Jones-es"--no expense was spared, and in fact, I guess the house went way over budget when it was built. According to the PBS documentary I watched on him, he really thought that a lavish house and being wealthy could keep his family from harm. What a sad awakening for him it must've been when tragedy struck and he lost all of his money. A good reminder that our hope and trust should not be in earthly possessions.

Built in 1874, Twain let the architect have his way, with the stipulation that it be a red house. We had expected to be able to roam the house at our own pace, but they only did house tours. It was neat hearing the descriptions as we were going through--we certainly learned more than if we had roamed by ourselves.




As we were getting ready to leave and head over for the Cirque show, we started looking at one of the exhibits they had in the museum: the Hartford circus fire that took place during the 40s. This wasn't the most encouraging thing to read about as we were presently headed over to watch a circus show. But thankfully all went well....






The infamous Cirque du Solei tent, an impressive set up which houses an even more impressive show.








The next day we took one more trip down to the beach and then started our trek back home. All in all a great trip, with only a few minor misadventures. :-)

Minimalist Camping, Part 2

So we arrived Wednesday the 30th and the next day we spent at the state park. That morning we walked the trail that goes along the beach. It was somewhere in the vicinity of 1-2 miles and it was neat to see how the coast changed as we walked.





As we walked even the landscape changed slightly as different sections of the beach boasted different plants. The middle portion of the walk had pines--it was a bit strange to see sand and small pine trees in the same setting. I believe this flower is called a beach rose. It was new to me.










The east end of the beach was very rocky and reminiscent of the Maine coast.

This is one of my favorite photos from the trip. Still on the east end of the beach.

After spending the morning walking along the beach and exploring the hiking trails, we had lunch and then crashed for part of the afternoon. (Insert nap mentioned in the previous post.)

For our minimalist camping dinner, we went to a local place called the Clam Castle. I wish I had taken a picture of the food. It was fantastic! I tried my first lobster roll (awesome!), had clam strips, onion rings and clam chowder. (Disclaimer: I did not eat all of that by myself.) If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend it!

Minimalist Camping

With TomTom leading the way, my brother and I drove to Hammonasset Beach State Park in Connecticut to camp for a few days before the fourth of July. Upon arriving at our campsite we were greeted by a nicely mowed, large campsite right across from the bathrooms. Not exactly roughing it, as the light from the Coke machine shown through our tent each night. Anyways...the one strange thing was that there was no spot for a fire and no remnants of a campfire. Turns out people either bring in their own fire pit or rent one. We were rather surprised as this is quite different from the normal practice in our neck of the woods. Being the flexible sort of folks that we are, we made due with what we had: an electric Coleman lantern, complete with a yellow night light setting. It was perfect--no mess, no smoke, no fighting over who would put out the fire--quite enjoyable in many ways. This wasn't a planned part of our minimalist camping experience, but it worked out well as we weren't planning on cooking. We decided to eat breakfast and lunch out of the cooler and then go out for dinner. I certainly had no intention of working my first week of vacation.

So we settled right down our first night there and were sleeping peacefully until we were both heard squeaking and scratching above our heads at 3:00 in the morning. Thinking it was a pair of squirrels my brother offered to go take a look (good thing because I had no intention of getting up). A moment later I hear, "you better stay there." It was three large skunks scratching at our heads. Not what I wanted to hear. Skunks that didn't smell or spray thankfully, as we would've been in trouble.
They did eventually go away after my brother worried them with the flashlight. Needless to say, the next day I indulged in an afternoon nap.

Maine: The Return (Part 2)

We stopped in a Wal-Mart in Maine and to our surprise we were greeted by a rack sporting not one, but three new Mt. Dew flavors. Excitement ran high as I was stocked for the ride home.






Notice the wonderful color coordination between my sister's arm and her Mt. Dew can.















I noticed on the back of one of the labels that it said there would be another new flavor released this summer as well. So...4 new Mt. Dew flavors in one summer. I'm not sure if I can handle the excitement. The only problem is that they don't have the new flavors in a diet variety. So...sugar carbs galore.

The Honey Dew coffee is Dan's. It is a brand we found in Massachusetts on our way back. What you can't see in this picture is how early in the morning it was. The Mt. Dew got opened at 8:30, due to my lack of coffee. But unfortunately it didn't really help my extreme fatigue that I was starting to feel that morning. I do believe that was the result of something else: a tick.

But you'll have to wait in suspense for that story because I'm too tired to add it right now. Have a goodnight!

Maine: The Return

So after reading my last post you might be thinking that I could use a break from reality. Thankfully that opportunity was provided in the form of my brother needing a ride to Maine for the summer. Funds were secured and my sister, brother-in-law, and myself spent the weekend taking my brother and his "stuff" up to Maine. Provided we didn't spend a whole week camping this year, "stuff" is a slight understatement of everything that traveled to Maine in the Subaru (see last year's picture below).

Thankfully all appropriate people and items were disposed of accordingly and the return trip was made in the lap of luxury with an almost empty backseat.

Sanity was maintained throughout the trip by a variety of beverages and smart remarks. Last year's beverage of choice was diet Mt. Dew:


While Mt. Dew still proved to be the overall beverage of choice, the trip started with a Dunkin Donuts stop:



Note this year's trip upgrade included a handy GPS (not mine) which was helpful in finding more Dunkin Donuts to stop at. (We were able to hold off until Massachusetts to make our second stop.)

Upgrades for future Maine trips were discussed at length throughout the drive up. Suggestions included a GPS that includes downloadable wise cracks, gives whether forecasts, allows one to check his e-mail and watch movies, a camouflage RV and a jumbo jet. Thankfully my brother is not planning on going back to Maine for a few years in order to give us time to make the appropriate upgrades.







I should make a note hear that at the second caffeination stop of the trip I did not, I repeat, did not purchase a caffeinated beverage. That is my Gatorade in the photo at the right.

Well, I realize that you are waiting in suspense for the rest of the details of our fabulous trip, but as the hour is getting late for the old lady school marm that I am, I must wait till tomorrow to share with you the beverage excitement that awaited us in Maine.

I also realize that I did not do our first Maine trip justice as far as blogging goes, so I will have to do better this time. So...adieu for now...and more later.