"Today is a Good Day to Drive!" .....Van-Go

We pulled in at this fishing spot along a creek and set up for a quiet evening; it felt so good to sit in the forest among the trees. It started to rain and the leaves fell. We sat out and sang a few songs; it felt so good to sit around our little fire.

Followed the changing leaves to Ligonier....

Today is a good day to drive! We stopped at West Marine and returned our anchor windless for store credit, then at the Harley dealer to get the man who is letting us keep our boat on his lot a gift; he is going to really like this!! Spending the night at a gravel pit reminded us of Alaska; we did that just about every night up there. From Maine we crossed in to New Hampshire. What a great roadside stop. Kathy picked some fresh apples, cut them up, cooked them a bit and added them to her oatmeal. The Roadtrek looks really good!! We love these old metal bridges; this one takes us across the Connecticut River. And in to Vermont. Leaves are changing...color is peeking out everywhere. Today is a good day to drive; we made it in to New York just about sunset.

the sun set . the Supermoon  came up over a farm in up-state New York. It was full and round; we waited for the total lunar eclipse, the sun, earth and moon form a straight line.  The Earth blocks any direct sunlight from reaching the Moon.  The Sun is behind the Earth so the Sun's light casts the Earth's shadow on the moon. It began around 8pm The last time this happened was 1982 and the next time this will happen will be 2033.  It is rare because it is a confluence of three things: 1.  The moon being full and in its closest point in its orbit around the Earth (that is why is it a super moon). 2. The Earth will line up directly with the sun and the moon.  3.   Therefore the moon will completely fall in the shadow of the Earth.  Here it is over half covered by the Earth's shadow.  The Moon is called a blood moon because lot of light scatters off the Earth's atmosphere and the moon looks a coppery red color. That was around 11pm here in New York.  We did get a peek at it

Watched the solar eclipse last night. With the moon close to earth it was visible between the clouds. At the end it was a small red glow. Won't happen again like this for 33 years

Fort Knox was named after Major General Henry Knox, America's first Secretary of War and Commander of Artillery during the American Revolution.  He lived in Thomaston, ME during the final years of his life.  America's other Fort Knox in Kentucky is also named after him. Nearly one million dollars was spent to build Fort Knox.  Congressional appropriations were sporadic and construction continued for 25 years; it was never finished. The granite was quarried on Mt Waldo located about 5-miles up river from the fort.  Once they were quarried, the grainte blocks were transported down the mountain, then carried by scow to the fort's wharf.  Some of the granite was cut and finished to proper sizes on side at the fort. The most memorable features are the large Rodman cannons.  Developed by Thomas Jefferson Rodman who improved the methods for casting metal for cannon tubes; his were stronger and safer. This 15-inch Rodman was powerful, but slow to maneuver.  Twelve men were needed t

There is a bridge over the Penobscot Narrows and there is an observatory crowning one of the pillars offering a spectacular 360-view. We took the elevator to the top, the tallest public bridge observatory in the world, the first bridge observation tower in the United states going up 420 feet into the air! It is open only from May to Oct so make sure you schedule your visit. The bridge spans the Penobscot River and is 2,120 feet long.  It is known as a cable-stayed bridge.  It connects Verona Island to Prospect, ME. What a view from the top; off to the right is Cadillac Mountain, part of the Appalachian Mountain range, with an elevation 1,529 feet. Can you find the van? We watched a sailboat sail right under the bridge pulling it's little dingy behind it. Cadillac Mountain is right above the tower to the right in the distance. Knox Fort was built because during the American Revolution, and the War of 1812  Great Britain seized control of the river here and claimed the land for the c