Wandering Wahls

Our next stop in Maine was Bar Harbor or “Bah Hahbah” as the locals call it. This harbor town is just next to Acadia National Park. We had heard that it was crowded and touristy, and that the park would be packed with visitors. (With three million visitors a year, this is the second most-visited national park.) We were pleasantly surprised. Bar Harbor offers free shuttles from the campground to the town and various places in the park, keeping the area as “car free” as possible. We even loaded our bikes on the shuttle. Acadia was so beautiful. We hiked from spruce-fir forests over huge granite boulders and on to rocky cliffs. We swam in 52-degree water (well some of us did!). We rode bikes on the old carriage roads built in the late 1800s by John Rockefeller. We saw Peregrine falcons nesting on the sides of the cliffs. The dramatic Acadia coast was just spectacular. The finger-like projections of land were sculpted by glacial ice. Did you know Maine has more coastline than California?

Oh, and we ate more pies — every day. Around 7 p.m., the “Pie Lady” would circle around the campground ringing a bell while her husband drove slowly behind. In the back of their station wagon were warm fresh pies of all kinds. Theirs were the best crust of any pie we had yet tried in Maine, and she said it was her husband that bakes the crust. “After 22 years, he doesn’t miss.” Now that’s teamwork. Wahl favorites: Dutch apple and tollhouse.

Thanks to our friends at MOAA, we had great tips on where to go in Maine. This was, perhaps, the state have been looking forward to seeing more than any other, since we had never been there and heard so many good things about it. I’m happy to say, Maine exceeded all our expectations — in natural beauty, lovely people, and divine cuisine.

Our first stop was Booth Bay Harbor. This is the “quintessential Maine” we were told about. This small village has a long history of lobstering. We hopped on a boat with Dan-Dan the Lobster Man, and spent a couple of hours on the bay learning about the lobster industry and hoisting up lobster traps. The kids loved it. “Heave ho, heave ho, this is the way Dan makes his dough!” we chanted as we pulled up the traps. All this lobstering made us hungry, and it just so happens that Dan-Dan the Lobster Man owns a fabulous restaurant serving fresh seafood, and of course, lobster. What a deal — 1 ¼ lb fresh steamed lobster, cole slaw, and rolls for $14.99. (I’ll have to admit, though, that getting the good stuff from the lobster is a lot of work, and then there was that green stuff, which Dan said was good to eat.)

Who knew that Maine had such great food! Booth Bay Harbor was abounding with restaurants, lobster shacks, and homemade pies. (Prices in this not-so-touristy town were very reasonable.) We made it a point to try every kind of pie we could find: blueberry, strawberry, apple, and whoopee! The Wahls voted whoopee and blueberry as the winners.

No wonder my New England friends talk so highly of their vacations on “the Cape.” Cape Cod was a little stretch of paradise after our bustling visits to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and New York City. With the Cape Cod National Seashore and many bike trails, the “Cahd” is a great place to holiday with family.

The beach was easily accessible via the bike paths, so we rode our bikes to enjoy the sun (something that has been lacking recently), the sand, and swim in cold, cold water (well, the kids did at least — they’re used to cold water after swimming in lakes fed by the Alps).

As we eat our way across America, Cape Cod also offered some delicious delights. We found a small market where we bought fresh fish to grill and some littleneck clams for appetizers. To top off the meals, just down the bike path from us was the best homemade ice cream we’ve had to date — and cheap! The Wahl choices there were peanut butter cup and blueberry yogurt with white and dark chocolate chips (known as a “purple cow” to the locals). How is it that a little shack on Cape Cod has the most tremendous ice cream in the States?!

This is a little late, but we wanted to post about what a spectacular show we saw on our first July 4 back in the USA! It wasn’t the fireworks, the parade, or the cookout that gave me that inspiring feeling that I’m grateful for my freedom. It was seeing humpback whales breaching in Cape Cod Bay. We took the early whale-watching cruise, as kids go free on the first trip of the day. The naturalist on board gave us a great education on whales, and we were thrilled to see some fins and sprays. But near the end of the trip was when they really put on a show. Two humpbacks were spotted doing their ritual “fin slapping,” a method they use to remove the barnacles from their fins. Shortly after, the whales were jumping completely out of the water, breaching on both sides of the boat. The louder we cheered the more they performed! Once the two whales breached simultaneously and another time did a complete twist as theybreached. My 7-year old said it was his best July 4 ever, and I couldn’t help feeling a swelling in my throat. These beautiful creatures of the sea were leaping for us — and on America’s birthday. I am so grateful to live in a nation where we are free to enjoy all of God’s beauty. I think the whales are also.

The same 7-year old yawned as we saw our last glimpse of a whale on the way back to port. “Oh, it’s only a fin.” I’m afraid whale watching will never be the same for them again.

As a prelim to this entry, I want to bring up how we were approached by the TV show “Wife Swap” with the lure of $20,000 to be on the show. After watching one episode and its focus on the confrontation and embarrassment of the families, we knew we didn’t want to on this show.

The reason I bring this up is that Discovery Studios contacted us as a result of our USA Today article. As we exchanged e-mails and phone messages trying to hook up, I had great ideas about Wahls Across America and a travel TV show — we could show off the National Parks or do “1,000 Places to See in America Before You Die” (Does one die immediately after seeing all 1,000 places, or is there a time lag?). Then I thought of the possible sponsors: REI for equipment, The North Face for clothing, USAA for online banking and finances, Verizon for on-the-road Internet access, Apple for laptops and cell phones — the list went on like it was Christmas time.

Then we talked to the producer. He asked all of the right questions about where we stopped, what we did, how we chose a stop, etc. Then he asked if we’d ever experienced conflict. I was honest and told him it was rare and nothing extensive beyond which child brushes their teeth first. I then went into what I thought was a funny story about the “Wife Swap” offer and our reaction to the conflict they emphasize. My heart dropped when he replied, “Well, honestly, that’s what we’re looking for. We need a hook and that is what the shows are about today.” (I’m paraphrasing.) He said he’d check out our videos on the website ( http://web.me.com/wahlsacrossamerica/WAhls_Across_America/Welcome_-_new_photos.html ) and get back with me. I’m still waiting. Maybe he meant his people would get with my people — then again, I don’t have any “people.”

Maybe some other network will find the benefit of sponsoring us for a travel show.

We’ve visited over 40 national parks on this trip and have become ardent supporters of the National Park system. Our kids do the Junior Ranger programs (we do the Senior Ranger programs), they pick up trash, they play, we camp — the list goes on. Actually, one of the biggest surprises we’ve had from this trip has been how wonderful and diverse our National Park System is (we’ve learned about civil rights, government, the Indian Wars, birds, and much more).

Our latest park, Acadia National Park on Desert Island in Maine (The locals pronounce it like “dessert”; I never could get an answer on that), presented us with a new experience. We climbed Mt. Cadillac and were enjoying the view and solitude from the top. We didn’t mind the hum of voices or cars in the parking lot, but one sound stood out. The couple in the photo was 100 yards in front of us using their cell phone as a speakerphone. If there is a list of etiquette rules for national parks, not using a cell phone in this manner should be at the top of the list. The couple was shouting into the phone, (“MOM, WE’RE AT THE TOP OF MT. CADILLAC — NO, WE’RE NOT ON OUR CAR, THE MOUNTAIN!”) and must have felt compelled to have the speaker volume turned up. I didn’t really need to know how mom was, what the weather was doing at home, or why the youngest sister never calls.

But the view was great, the sun out, and lobster rolls were waiting.

If you remember reading in an earlier post, we have had trouble with the inconsistent ID requirements at military bases where we’ve stayed. Air Force bases apparently don’t issue stickers anymore, but the Navy and Army do. As a result of too many turnarounds from the front gate to the visitor center for a pass, we obtained ID stickers for the car and the RV (we’re towing a car — a “toad” in the parlance of the full timing RV community). We ended up being a retired Air Force family with an Army ID sticker form Ft. Lewis.

This arrangement ended when we had to have our car’s windshield replaced in Arkansas. We went our merry way and were able to get through most bases with the RV’s ID sticker while towing a car with no ID sticker. However, this caused problems at bases when we took the car off the tow and explored whatever area we were visiting.

We recently arrived at the naval base in Newport, R.I., and unhooked the car before entering. Well, the car was denied entry because of it had no ID sticker.The RV was fine, but we had to drive the car what seemed the width of Rhode Island to get to the gate where passes were issued and finally got an ID sticker for the car. Now we’re a retired Air Force family with an Army ID sticker on the RV and a Navy ID sticker on the car — talk about a service-challenged family.

One last note on the security procedures though. The inconsistencies we’ve seen around the country from military bases, to national parks, to Smithsonian museums, to the Capitol are curious. It would seem that our government has enough experts to deem one specific policy as the most secure and the most effective for all public places.This would sure help lines move faster.

Heck, the Senate and the House can’t even agree—– they have different security procedures when you enter the two sides of the Capitol! How odd is that? Talk about petty fiefdoms. If the two sides can’t agree on something like security for entering their respective sides of the Capitol, how do they agree on governing the country? All right, lets pretend I didn’t ask that.

This last leg has been great for seeing old friends and remarkable for the friendships we’ve reestablished. In D.C., we met up with Paula and Rich Douglas. She was an Air Force nurse serving with Mary Claire in England and Las Vegas. She and Rich became friends with us in Vegas, but since then, other than Christmas cards, we’ve lost touch.

The same goes with seeing John Riordan in D.C. We missed seeing his family. We met them when we lived in D.C. and both families were at a local park. We went from conversation to being friends. Again, though, with all of our travels, we lost touch.

Finally, in D.C., we stayed with special friends we haven’t seen in years. Bill and Danielle Franco are special because Danielle was Mary Claire’s best friend from high school. Also, they lived in D.C. when I moved there prior to knowing Mary Claire, and I became very good friends with them (I would double date with Bill and Danielle so they could give me review of my date choice). Most of all, they introduced MC and me when the Air Force sent Mary Claire to Georgetown University to get her master’s degree in midwifery.

For those of you in the military, you know what I mean when I say that seeing these friends, after all these years, was like seeing them yesterday — we stepped right back into laughs, stories, and a glass of wine (or two). We talked of old times, current loves, and career ideas for me (Both John and Rich teach and develop organizational leadership courses).

Finally, though, we had the greatest friendship connection. We had lunch with an old working compatriot of mine, Bob Spoth and his family. Now, bear with me on this. If you read about our stop in San Antonio, you’ll remember we met up with very good friends, Dan and Mary Dirnberger. We got together with the couple while in Germany quite often, and Mary Claire delivered their youngest child. As we chatted one day, Mary told us her maiden name — Spoth. You can see where this leads; she was Bob’s sister. What a small world. In D.C., we met with the Spoths and, Bob had his mom come over. It was neat to tie all this together as well as meet the grandmother of one of Mary Claire’s deliveries.

Meetings like these, as well as seeing other friends along the way, make our RV trip one lovely journey.

We parked the RV at West Point, NY (what a beautiful campus and base), and took the train along America’s version of the Rhine down to New York City. We used the last of my Marriott points (earned from my days in the corporate world before marrying into the military world) and stayed for three nights at the Times Square Fairfield/Marriott. The location was great, but the block was not so good — let’s just say the video rental places wasn’t renting out Disney movies.

The stay was a nice getaway from the RV, although the RV was actually bigger than our room (though with 22 floors, the hotel was much higher in elevation). We met up with one of my old friends, Tony Gerrato, who graciously gave us tickets to the Mets/Cardinals game. The game was a blast for the kids, mostly for the food.

We also went to see Mary Poppins on Broadway. The play was funny and very entertaining. The lead actors had excellent voices. But the most fun was watching our youngest, Sam. He was very much into the movie, pointing out — quite vocally — when the play’s plot strayed from the movie. He was so entertained by the love action, it was as much fun to watch him as it was the play.

Further stops included the top of the Empire State Building (not worth the price), the former location of the World Trade Centers and St. Paul’s Church (for their memorial to 9/11), and the national park monuments, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (well worth the price). It was inspiring to visit these last spots and think of how our trip has brought us so far, even to where my wife’s and my ancestors came into the country.

A very nice visit was had by all. As Sam would say, “This is the lifetime.”