migration north - part 1

It's that time of year again - time for us to get out of the heat and head up to Maine!

Here are some of the highlights from the first half of this year's trip.

How could we pass up stopping at a place called Duke's - especially when it has a dog run!

Our big stop for the first half was something we've been wanting to do since we started taking the RV back and forth between Texas and Maine - the Jack Daniel's Distillery!  We did the Angel's tour which took us through all the buildings and we really got to learn all about the process of making Tennessee Whiskey.  We got to see every step of the process.  It probably sounds strange but it smelled so good in there!

This is where they make the charcoal that they filter the alcohol through to make it Tennessee whiskey.

The reason it's in the middle of nowhere is all because of this spring - apparently it's the perfect water for making whiskey.

Did you know Jack died of a broken toe?  Well, technically he died of blood poisoning but it was all because he kicked this safe and broke his toe!  Crazy, right?

Here we are with Jack.

Also, did you know that they make all their own barrels - and only use them ONCE?!?!

After the tour we got to do a tasting of 5 of their higher end whiskeys.  Whiskey is not my drink but it was really interesting to taste how different they can become when they essentially have followed the same exact process and recipe - all except where the barrels are placed for storage.

We also spent a little time walking around the square of Lynchburg, Tennessee.  Highlights included grilled cheese on crack at a little BBQ joint, the Jack Daniel's souvenir shop and Jack Daniels fudge.

Oh and how could I forgot how excited Sean was that there wasn't a pin in Bangor yet - so he got the honors!

We highly recommend the tour if you happen to get to that area!

migration north - day 9

today was our last day of the trip
we made one stop in rangley, maine
where nothing was really open yet
which was fine as we were anxious to get to camp

migration north - day 8

today we headed to littleton, new hampshire
via the back roads of vermont
i like to say that today we ate our way through vermont
first stop was ben & jerry's
the tour wasn't that great
but the taste test of a new flavor at the end made up for it
and because i haven't shown duke in a while
here he is doing what he does best

i was sad to see this in the ice cream graveyard :(

next stop was cabot cheese
i highly recommend this tour!
plus being able to taste all the cheeses made it even better
cuz i love cheese!
when we left cabot we made a wrong turn
which when you're driving a 30 foot rv
doesn't make it very easy to correct

so we ended up down a lot of narrow, dirt roads

before we finally reached the "highway"

our campsite welcomed us with this

perhaps we are headed to maine too early this year!

migration north - day 6

today we decided to head straight to our campsite
in gardners, pennsylvania
so we could enjoy being in one place for a little while
it was so cold we had to stay inside
but could only get 3 channels
so we watched reruns of
all in the family
the jeffersons
and good times
my how times have changed!

migration north - day 5

today we went under a mountain
as far as the empire state building is tall
to see a waterfall

no one knows where it comes from

but the story of how it was discovered was amazing

and to get to the falls required some tight quarts

these were the ruby falls in chattanooga, tennessee

oh and the trip to get there was interested
as it required some really windy roads
a low bridge and an interesting parking place
of which this picture doesn't do it justice

our stop for the night was fort chiswell, virginia
were we enjoyed pizzas on the picnic table
with the aroma of manure

migration north - day 3

today we headed to slidel, louisiana
to feed the dangerous, man-eating alligators...
marshmallows!

since all our activities to date
required duke to stay at the rv alone
we took him for a walk through the french quarter
after our swamp tour

this included all the tourist stuff
like hurricanes

and beignets

and crawfish

migration north - day 2

day 2 found us staying put in new orleans
cuz it was jazz fest weekend!

since the bourbon street adventure went on far too late
we actually laid low to recover a little

those of you that know me
know i have very eclectic taste in music
which made jazz fest perfect for me
cuz i could listen to pearl jam, mystikal, maxwell, van morrison and boz scaggs
all in one place!
the problem with jazz fest...
there were far too many people for my taste! :)

in case you were wondering - boz scaggs was my favorite!

migration north - day 1

for our migration north this year
we decided to take a little more time
and actually get to see stuff
that's why you'll notice that this is far from a straight shot
like our first stop being new orleans
this was sean's first trip to new orleans

it's awesome to have friends that invite you to join them
on a balcony on bourbon street

it was hilarious to see how the passersby went downhill quickly
as the night progressed

sean's comments on bourbon street
"i'm so glad i never came here when i was in my 20s"
"it smells of stale, watered down beer"