Girtha’s first major trip didn’t exactly start out smoothly. As mentioned in “Girtha Tours the Northeast – Part 1” (https://fthattreadmill.com/2024/04/18/girtha-tours-the-northeast-part-1/) , some electrical problems got us off to a rough start, but after relaxing with family in upstate New York, we were off to new states and adventures.

The first new state for the kids to visit was Vermont, which was just a few miles up the road and across the border from Rouses Point, NY. We had picked two stops to visit in the Granite State, but unfortunately had to cross one off the list before we even got going; the Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory Tour. They were closed on weekends, a fact we should have realized before leaving home, but alas… the first trip is going to have some hiccups and here was another. The second planned stop seemed like an obvious choice for the granite state; a granite quarry. Thankfully “Rock of Ages” was open. This particular quarry was an easy choice between the great reviews and the fact we had just seen Def Leppard about two months prior. Since we wanted to maintain some flexibility in scheduling, we hadn’t decided where to stay yet so that became A1 priority considering we weren’t visiting Rock of Ages until the following morning. We checked nearby camping spots and found two campgrounds with similar reviews, so we picked the one closer to our destination, ***** Lake Campground (name protected in the interest of giving them the benefit of the doubt). Seemed perfect… a few reviews talked about being family friendly plus they had a lake (duh!) for swimming and fishing. Cool! Except that, as we approached, we started questioning our choice.

I didn’t realize on the map that we first had to drive through a mobile home park to get into the campground. As we made our way through the hood, we saw more than one gang of 5 to 10-year olds doing their best gangster impressions and giving us the eye. “You sure this is the right place, Dad”? I was beginning to hope not. Once inside, our feelings didn’t change. Approaching the main building to check in, I was asked by someone that was clearly under the influence and apparently hadn’t showered in days if I had a couple bucks to spare. “Sorry bud, don’t travel with cash.” After check-in and as we drove to our campsite, it became obvious that either most campers couldn’t read or we were in the midst of a rebellion as signs that read “No Alcohol Permitted” and “No Washing RVs” were being ignored. Clearly, there were quite a few long-timers here, most of which looked like the guy that asked me for money on the way in.

Oh well. We just need to eat, sleep, and shower, and we’ll be outta here. We proceeded to attempt leveling our RV, but that was a challenge considering we were on very uneven ground (no asphalt or concrete) but they did have a couple of seemingly random patches of gravel to jack up on. I got it close enough for government work, connected utilities, and decided some sandwiches for dinner would be best for both expediency and to maintain separation from the riffraff. I almost forgot to mention our neighbors decided this campground was a great place to have a party and there were quite a few cars parked around their campsite and on the gravel road. Thankfully, the curfew was respected and the partying shut down about 11PM, and we were able to get a good night’s sleep. The morning was less eventful and quieter, save for the drone of multiple campers again washing their RVs. We got through what would become our normal routine of showering, washing dishes, disconnecting utilities, and jacks up by checkout with a whole minute to spare!

Just a mile or two up the road was Rock of Ages where we encountered our first Girtha size issue, parking. After pulling in and slowly making our way into the parking lot, we saw a bus drop off area, but no parking for said busses. Making our way around to the back of the building while continually monitoring for an exit strategy, we happened upon a parking lot in the back that was nearly empty. It also had an attached employee lot that we could later use to back into for a three-point turn to get out. Yay! After signing up for a tour of the quarry, we encountered our second Girtha sized issue. The tour is intended for each attendee to use their own personal vehicle and caravan to several stops throughout the quarry. Nope, not gonna do that in a 36-foot RV! We lucked out and our tour guide offered to take us in her personal vehicle, saving this planned stop from also being crossed off our list. Cocoa, our four-legged friend, had to stay with Girtha though, so we cranked up the A/C, locked up, and left her to rest. A couple of hours later, we had learned quite a bit about the quarry operations and taken some great pictures. We also checked out their prototype granite bowling alley (an idea they had to abandon since granite destroys balls or something like that) and grabbed a few free granite samples as souvenirs.

The next planned stop on our trip was the Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves in New Hampshire, about an hour and a half up the road. Using RoadTrippers, we didn’t see any camping areas of interest on the path there, so decided we would stay local and get a reasonably early start. This time though, we would try our luck at a different option, the highly rated “Lazy Lions”. They advertised a preference for no children and a quick call confirmed that two respectful and polite teens were welcome. As we drove in, it was refreshingly peaceful, well manicured, and mostly empty, which would typically be a big concern considering how packed the competing campground was just up the road. I walked into the office and was greeted by a burning weed aroma and flamboyant “Hello!”. Alright, I think we’re good! The guy running the place, who we later saw tending to the grounds, was perfectly polite and welcoming. He sold us a couple bundles of wood and made sure we had everything we needed before directing us to what he considered one of the best spots in the campground. A peaceful night around a fire was a perfect end and contrast to the prior night’s accommodations.

After our typical morning routine and an hour and a half drive, The Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves proved to be a great adventure. Too bad we again had to leave Cocoa behind to chill in our air conditioned home on wheels since they’ve apparently had issues with pets not being able to complete the mission at hand. Thousands of steps up and down over hundreds of feet in elevation awaited us, so it’s not a mission for those of questionable fitness. Cave brings to mind the word cavernous, which does NOT accurately describe what we found. In fact, a few of the “caves” had gauges set up to determine if your body girth would clear the narrow crawl spaces inside. The kids and I enjoyed crawling through while the misses decided to enjoy taking pictures while avoiding certain panic attack from her claustrophobia.

Sticking around New Hampshire for the night, we had a planned visit to the Hobo Railroad in Lincoln the following morning. We lucked out in that the Hobo Railroad has camping on-site, making our morning commute a short and sweet trip down the hill. Their accommodations were a little tight and the sound of dogs barking in the distance seemed to never stop, but overall was a decent place to sleep for the night. After jacks up the following morning and driving down the hill to the railroad welcome station, Cocoa had a chance to really stretch her legs and run like a hound possessed on the open grounds before she again relaxed and napped for a couple of hours while we continued our sightseeing adventures. The Hobo Railroad brought us through some beautiful New England wooded scenery following the Pemigewasset river on a leisurely and historic trip that dates back to the 1800s. While we enjoyed this leg of the trip, the anxiety was building for our upcoming visit to Maine. Again, no camping stops had been planned and we had a long stretch of drive ahead.

Once we hit the road that afternoon, we started another frantic search for camping accommodations. Our first stop in Bangor to see Stephen King’s former home set our path, but guessing where you’ll end up in 7 hours while navigating Girtha and hopefully beating sunset is far from an exact science. Girtha doesn’t play like a car, and everything from rest stops, finding a restaurant and reasonably close parking, or simply driving straight down the highway can throw random curve balls like a sudden low bridge ahead sign or downpour with windshield wipers that randomly decide not to operate. Yup, that was a thing! After reserving a spot at a campground near Bangor where we thought we would be by dusk, hours later I ended up sheepishly calling to cancel that reservation, explaining that we wouldn’t make it. This seems to be a regular thing as they seemed to not be too upset (unlike a hotel), but this set us on a scramble to find something different, even more last minute since it was almost dusk. We lucked out and found our favorite spot of the whole trip, Pumpkin Patch in Hermon, Maine. It was nothing fancy but was out in the country so it was very quiet, had plenty of space between flat and level gravel campsites, a receptionist that stayed an extra 20 minutes to get us checked in and help us find our site in the dark, laundry and game rooms, great wifi, and a fenced area for our pet to run. It was one of those campgrounds where everyone was friendly, had a happy dog, and did I mention it was VERY quiet?! As much as we wanted to stay longer (we literally considered sticking around an extra day and doing nothing just to hang out there), we were only 15 minutes from Bangor, Maine and our next stop.

The next morning we took some great photos outside Stephen King’s former home, grabbed some local pizza, and headed off to Bar Harbor, Maine for some adventures in the historic town. Bar Harbor is on Mount Desert Island along the southern edge of the state, which is also home to Acadia National Park, another planned destination for our trip. They did not disappoint. The island is loaded with low bridges and tight, windy roads, but thankfully an awesome and free transit system allowed us to leave Girtha at our campground and take campground shuttles to and from the local transit hub, and then hop a bus to many of the sites on the island. The first day, we focused on Bar Harbor. Bar Harbor is a very walkable quaint town with tons of shops, restaurants, and a unique feature of a public piano located in Village Green, a small park in the middle of town. Despite some anxiety, Cocoa was able to join us on the busses and walking around the town, even in the stores! All things considered, she may have preferred to have been left behind in Girtha. Too bad, hound… suck it up! While we took in the sights, Cocoa did her best to convince herself that nobody was there to murder her. She probably enjoyed the seaside stroll the most of our Bar Harbor activities, trotting along the shore and staring down some ducks, possibly with the goal of chasing them away but she maintained her good behavior. She was treated for her good behavior and dedication to family bonding with some dinner and live music at the Bar Harbor Beerworks. We probably enjoyed it too.

The second day on Mount Desert Island brought a return to nature as we spent the day in Acadia National Park and the surrounding sites, focusing on the shoreline. We enjoyed exploring Thunder Hole (the kids and I found the name hilarious), Jordan Pond gave us a chance to see some fish and frogs along the shore, and the views from Cadillac Mountain were pretty amazing. When we visited Sand Beach, Cocoa and I spent some time exploring the surrounding hills since dogs weren’t permitted on the beach, but the kids and wifey got to walk along the beach and take some nice pics. Sadly the day was coming to an end, but we first made a brief stop in Bar Harbor to play the piano again before leaving.

The next day, we had my wife’s highlight of the trip planned; the Lizzy Borden House. By now, we had gotten used to the idea of checking ahead for parking and driving Girtha through any towns, and lucked out that although the Lizzy Borden House is in a small town, I spoke with the local police who gave us permission to park on the street assuming spots were available, which they were. We were invited to take part in a podcast being recorded that day, “A Murder Most Foul” (which we’ve yet to listen to), before touring the grounds. There were plenty of hair-raising moments during the story-telling portions of our guided tour, and once again, when it was over, we found ourselves wanting to stay longer. Eventually, I was able to drag the family from the gift shop and reunite with Cocoa as Girtha set her sights southbound toward Rhode Island. Have you noticed that most of this trip (other than the initial electrical and minor lack of planning issues) was drama-free?

Although we considered a couple of options for stops in Rhode Island, the time crunch had us opting to cheat a little and call a refueling stop of gas for Girtha and food for us sufficient for “visiting” the state. We had a stop in Massachusetts that we placed at higher priority and we were quickly running out of time, so we hopped off the exit for Providence to find a fueling station. While I filled up the gas tank, the kids made up a sign that read “Welcome to Rhode Island” so we could take a selfie documenting our stop. After the fuel up, taking our photo, and allowing Cocoa to tend to nature, we fired Girtha up and started to head out of the driveway.

“BEEP, BEEP, BEEP”! What the &ck? Looking around, I couldn’t figure out what was beeping at me. I stopped in the middle of the driveway and looked around for clues before realizing the auto-leveling system light next to the words “Jacks Down” was flashing, which made no sense since we hadn’t used the leveling system since the night before and we certainly didn’t try to level while fueling! I set the e-brake, turned the leveling system on manual, and held the “Raise Jacks” button. Hearing the sound of the leveling system Just then, I noticed a large pool of red fluid pouring out from under Girtha. NOOOOOO!!!! Shit! That looks like transmission fluid! Shit! Shit! Shit! Bloody f*cking hell! Ignoring the beeps that were still coming from the leveling system, I put Girtha in reverse and heard some clunking along with what I can only describe as a spinning noise. Had Girtha blown her transmission at less than 20k miles? How am I going to get a new transmission in the middle of Rhode Island? We’ll be stuck in a hotel for at least a week or two! This would be at least $5000, and that’s assuming I could find anyone locally to tow and repair it, otherwise it could easily be thousands more!

After backing into a parking spot, I went inside to apologize and explain that I had no idea what was wrong, but that I dropped transmission fluid all over the parking lot and asked if they had any oil-dry or kitty litter I could use to cover it. The cashier just shrugged and said don’t worry about it; she’ll tell the manager later. Add that to the list of things one should carry in an RV. After racing through different possibilities in my mind of what could be wrong, I calmed down enough to realize I didn’t have nearly enough information to even guess. Back outside, I crawled under Girtha to check the engine and transmission and got really happy since there was no fluid near those most critical items, but there was fluid near the front driver’s side wheel. Then I found the culprit; a rubber hose, about 1/2-inch in diameter was hanging from the chassis near the leveling jack, obviously blown apart, with a couple drops of red fluid underneath. Sure enough, screwed into the leveling jack was the threaded fitting that was supposed to connect the failed hose.

After some help from Duck, Duck, Go (our favorite non-tracking search engine in case you missed the commercials), I realized this isn’t all that rare with older leveling systems, and we could disable the alarm sensor to get us back on the road, so long as the jack itself was in fact retracted (which it was!). What about the strange noises I heard when we were backing up? Although it sounded like it could have been a transmission or other mechanical problem, a clear mind had me realize it was just the sounds coming from the backup camera and through the radio because we were in reverse! So now what do we do? We could “safely” drive as-is, assuming we check the leveling jacks occasionally to confirm they’re staying up or we could pack it in early, knowing we miss out on our Massachusetts stop, the Dr. Suess Museum. Following that roller-coaster of emotions, we quickly rationalized packing it in early and heading home. The truth is, after a week and a half away from home, we were all looking forward to a night in our own beds. Especially the kids, who were roughing it on the original 4-inch thick poly foam mattresses that came with Girtha. We didn’t need this stop to cross Massachusetts off our list of Northeast states since we had visited Salem about a year earlier, nor did we need to stop in Connecticut since we visit relatives there occasionally.

Yes, we were all ready for home, and even though we were only about 5 hours away, this part of the drive seemed to drone on for much longer. About 8 o’clock that night we had made it, a couple of days earlier than planned, and a bittersweet end to our first tour in Girtha it was. We all slept in the next morning, and enjoyed a lazy day on the couch, sipping coffee, and then beer later in the day, reminiscing about the great adventure we had just finished.

It was obviously time to start planning our Southeast US trip.