We had reservations at Bar Harbor Campground and we stopped our motorhomes in a large gravel area near the registration office and went inside to register. A very rude woman behind the desk ordered us to move our motorhomes and announced we had to pay by cash - no checks or credit cards. We drove to their camping area and found all sites to be so unlevel we would need to raise the motorhomes' wheels off the ground. Norm and Rich jumped in Rich's Honda and went scouting for another campground while Linda and Diane stayed behind watching for the "wicked witch of registration." Just north of Bar Harbor at Trenton we found Narrows Too Camping Resort with a most friendly and helpful staff that accepted any form of payment. They held nice two large sites for us and we flew by the office of Bar Harbor Campground so fast the wicked witch never knew what happened.

After getting settled there was only one thing to do - eat some Maine lobster, the best lobster in the world. Next door to the campground we found Down East Lobster Company. We selected fresh lobsters ($4.79 a pound), corn on the cob, cole slaw and a biscuit. For $3 an order they dropped the lobsters and corn in large boiling vats and a few minutes later we were eating.

Acadia National Park is one of the five national parks east of the Mississippi River. We began our visit with a stop at the Visitor Center where we saw a movie about Acadia and studied plaques, pictures and the layout of the park. The 20-mile Park Loop Road circles the main part of the park connecting the seashore, lakes and mountains. We slowly drove the loop and stopped many times for scenic views, short walks and pictures. We decided to take a hike and the half mile trail to Bubble Rock was listed as both easy and moderate - a trail that even us old grandparents could conquer. The mountain trail began with a moderate walk that turned into a strenuous walk that turned into rock climbing. We kept pressing forward and upward and finally reached the summit and a beautiful view. We attempted to push Bubble Rock off its perch to no avail and then we hiked and climbed rocks to the bottom. Linda and Diane are not rock climbers but they still had lots of fun.



There is a steep, winding and scenic road to the peak of Cadillac Mountain. At "only" 1532 feet it is the highest coastal mountain north of South America. The view of Bar Harbor below was breathtaking. After a day of driving, sightseeing and hiking we were starving so we drove down to Bar Harbor and took advantage of early bird specials at Maine Street Lobster. Norm ordered the Lobster Feast and Rich, Diane and Linda ordered other specialties - all delicious. Bar Harbor is a tourist town the likes of which we usually avoid, but we enjoyed walking around town, looking in stores and eating ice cream.

In Yarmouth, Maine we boondocked one night in DeLorme's parking lot. As you may know DeLorme makes maps, computer mapping systems and GPS (Global Positioning Systems) systems. In early July we bought their latest and greatest hardware and software only to learn two months later they came out with new versions. Since we had been traveling in Canada we were unable to use their products so we had "new" one year old products. Linda talked to a woman at DeLorme and she gave her the newest 2004 versions free even though their latest versions cost more than we paid for last year's versions. DeLorme is now on our "Good Guys" list. Since L.L. Bean was just down the road we stopped there again and bought more clothing. (In July we spent several hundred dollars at L.L. Bean on our trip north.)

Our next stop was Rondout Valley Camping Resort in Accord, New York. It is a very nice campground with many activities and we arrived in time for a big Blue Grass Musical Festival. But it rained most of the weekend and we were not able to enjoy the outdoor festival. Rich and Diane used to live in that area and we were able to meet some of their family and friends. After traveling with the Emonds 72 consecutive days and 130 days in the last year we bid them farewell. (We'll meet them again in Florida later this year.)

Refrigerator

As we reported before our refrigerator sprang a leak on a bumpy road in Newfoundland and lost the ammonia coolant. It took 33 days to get it fixed and here is our story in short version - you don't want to hear the long version. We immediately ate the thawed food and started buying a bag of ice daily to keep a few items cool. Norm called Central RV in Halifax, Nova Scotia because they are a Newmar dealer and we planned to be there two weeks later. The man who answered the phone said they could fix the refrigerator and to come on in so we made an appointment. Later Rich Emond called the same dealer to order a part and they had no report of our appointment. Norm called back and talked to the service manager who said they do not repair refrigerators and he did not know who gave the incorrect information, but told us to come in and he would call a man who did refrigerator repairs for them. When we arrived a technician took a quick look at the refrigerator, make a couple of phone calls and announced they could not fix it.

Our next call was to Dometic, the manufacturer of the fridge, for suggested places to get it repaired near Elkhart, Indiana. We first called Bill's Appliance Repair and they could not schedule us in. Next was All-Brand RV who does not work on refrigerators. Finally, All-Season RV Appliance Parts and Repair said they could replace the coolant unit so we made an appointment. Then All-Season called back and said they could not get a replacement coolant unit so we called Dometic again and learned all refrigerators and parts are manufactured in Sweden. Their last shipment to the states was left on a dock and corroded. They expected the next shipment to reach the states within a month. We next called Tom Stinnett RV in Clarksville, Indiana where we bought the motorhome and they said they could order the part in a month.

Then out of the blue All-Season in Elkhart called and said they received a coolant unit but didn't know where it came from. We drove from New York to Elkhart, Indiana and had the refrigerator repaired. The coolant unit was $841, the electric heating unit was $47 and labor was $150, plus sales tax. While there we had them replace the latch and spring assembly in our patio awning that unfurled while driving in Prince Edward Island over two months before. The part was $75 plus $50 labor and tax.

After living 33 days without a refrigerator it felt like a luxury to have it working again. From Elkhart we drove to Nappanee, Indiana and boondocked at the Newmar plant. While there we went grocery shopping and stocked the refrigerator and freezer again.

Traveling south through Indiana we stopped in Kokomo and visited Norm's sister and her husband, Gloria and Don Martin. Then we rolled into Louisville Metro KOA in Clarksville, Indiana for a month of medical appointments, family visits and some much needed R&R.