September 3rd: Headed for Burlington, VT to replace the awning on the motor home (planned after we hit a pole with it last time we were in Burlington). Kind of a rainy day, good day to travel. Saw lots of turkeys, but STILL NO MOOSE! Hello!!!!
September 4th: On to the road to Burlington and Pete's RV. Took a break in Bath, NH to check out a cool covered bridge and the oldest general store in the US. Had awesome apple cider donuts and some New Hampshire creme soda - we're all about healthy eating! Arrived at Burlington, parked in the Pete's RV lot so we would be there first thing in the AM for our appointment! Poured rain again, but that's OK - we were snug and dry.
September 5th: Awning all replaced, but the material for the new one has a bad spot in it. So new material ordered and shipped to North Beach RV at Hogan's Corner to replace it when we back to Grays Harbor. It's always something! Did a Costco run while waiting for the awning to be fixed. On the road mid-afternoon, gassed up at a real, old-fashioned gas station with a very nice owner and a mechanic on duty! Dave's Sunoco on Williston Road in South Burlington, VT - stop by to fuel up if you are ever there! Only drove as far as Berlin, VT to overnight (stayed there on our way east as well - nice big Walmart parking lot, off the beaten path and quiet). Lots of rain today, and an awesome thunder and lightening storm this evening!
September 6th: Lazy morning. Buttoned up the motorhome and then went to tour a granite quarry in Graniteville, VT, which was really cool. They had the world's only granite bowling alley, so of course Mike had to bowl a few. Took several gutter balls to get the hang of the plastic bowling ball, but then he converted a spare! Way to go, Mike!
Also checked out a meadery in Groton, VT. Really nice owners (young family with 3 small boys) and learned lots about making mead. Good mead and also excellent ice cream! Decided to stay over again at Berlin Walmart, light dinner and some TV, and then to bed.
September 7th: Happy 67th birthday, Mike! Headed for Lebanon, NH in the rain, but sunshine later in the day. Had a problem with the bedroom slide not wanting to retract - called Tiffin Service number and was able to determine one of the slide motors had somehow been unplugged, so an easy fix (Whew!). Checked out more of the area - went to another maple syrup farm/dairy. Not as nice and neat as Goodrich's that we visited on our way east, but still fun. Spotted a new product for Justin and Jenny Stiefel and HDC - you guys really need to make this with your Brown Sugar Bourbon. We would be happy to volunteer as taste testers to make sure you get it right!
Hmmm - could there be HDC Brown Sugar Bourbon Blueberry Jam? - Yum!
Treated Mike to a birthday dinner at Jesse's Steak House and Tavern in Lebanon - had the best prime rib we have ever eaten! Back to the motorhome, took Baxter for a walk, and then to bed.
September 8 - 11th: On the 8th, traveled to Dorchester, NH, where my great-grandpa Streater lived before homesteading on the Queets river. Beautiful area, and we can see why he chose the Queets - very similar, except NH has hardwoods with a few evergreens, while the Queets has evergreens with a few hardwoods. Settled in at Ames Brook Campground in Ashland, NH, which is about 20 miles from Dorchester.
Glennis and "Don-boy"
Old stone walls used for sheep fencing
More stone walls....
Dorchester Town Hall
Church at Dorchester Commons - fun to imagine Nelson and Anna and their family going here!C
Wider view of the church
Old schoolhouse - wondered if Frederick attended here?
Back with Don and Sandy on the 10th, for a big loop tour up to Mt. Washington and lots of New Hampshire scenery. A wonderful day with wonderful cousins and good conversation - we always enjoy spending special time with them, and are SO thankful for our family! Said good-bye to them at
their hotel (they are headed for Niagra Falls) and back to the campground.
Up early on the 11th and back to the "town hall" at Dorchester to see what other information we could find about the Streaters. Talked to a very helpful town clerk, and got names of other resources we can contact to get information on marriages, births, deaths, and property records. Will be exciting to see what other information we can come up with - we are hopeful to be able to pinpoint the location of Frederick's home and his father's farm, and also get other information. Unfortunately, the sources were not available for personal contact, so we will have to make do with email and possibly phone calls. Fun playing detective and hunting down leads!
The BIG discovery of the day was the cemetery where Nelson and Anna Streeter (Frederick's parents) were buried! I asked the Dorchester clerk for the location of cemetery's close to Streeter Woods Road and Streeter Mountain, and it turns out there is a cemetery less than a mile from there. We drove down a dirt road (Old Cemetery Road off of Cheever Road) right to the Cheever cemetery, pulled into a little parking area, and Mike said "well, there he is!" I looked up and there were the headstones for Nelson and Anna Streeter, right by the fence around the cemetery! We were so excited. We also found another Streeter that I think is one of Nelson's siblings, along with her husband (he is a Merrill) and her son who died at 9 months. Will be fun figuring out the relationships and adding them to the family tree!
Nelson Streeter - our great-great-grandfather!
Ann Streeter - our great-great-grandmother
Unknown how this one is related - will have to figure it out!
Not sure how this one is related.....
Inscription on the bottom of the above headstone
Infant son of Emma Streeter (strange the father is not mentioned!)
Husband of Ann Streeter
He was also a Civil War veteran
Streeter headstones in a row...
Streeter Mountain is the first ridge in the picture, not the larger one behind it....
Back to the motorhome, and ice cream for dinner.Decided to go on a "moose tour" as this was most likely our last chance to see on, and the company was advertising a 97% success rate. Called the number - they only do tours on Wednesday and Saturday this time of the year, so we were out of luck! Don-Boy had suggested we try driving about 80 mph down one of the local roads just at dusk - that might be a good way to "encounter" one! We passed on his suggestion!!
Got things packed up and ready to go in the morning, and to bed.
September 12th: On the road and down the interstate, headed for South Carolina with a stop at Hyde Park on the Hudson in New York to tour FDR's home and the presidential library there. Got messed up and missed a turn just a little out of Ashland and had to re-route to get back on track, then had a TERRIBLE time getting through Claremonth, NH! Took us 3 tries to navigate a pretty complicated set of interchanges and twisty turns through the town, but we finally made it! Finally got southbound on Interstate 91, and took a brief detour/rest stop to visit a Vermont Country Store at Rockingham, NH. Found some Rada knives (they are wonderful knives made in the USA) for the motor home kitchen, and got some black truffle cheese and some orange creamsicle fudge for a snack. Saw our first deer in New England along the side of the freeway, but STILL NO MOOSE!!
Traveled through New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. Overnight at Fishkill, NY Walmart. Wondered why so many place names ended in "kill" (yes, New Yorkers are strange, so it fits right in!). Googled the question, and discovered that "kill" is an Old Dutch indication that the town or area is located on a body of water, a river, a sound, etc. That made sense and helped me think of New Yorkers as "less weird"!) Went to the Redline Diner in Fishkill for a late dinner - had gyros and sweet potatoe fries, which were very good.
September 13th: Headed for Hyde Park and the FDR home and presidential library bright and early. What an amazing place and amazing story. The library was beautifully done, and it was so interesting to hear about FDR and how he handled his inability to walk at his home in Spring Hill. He and Eleanor were amazing people and made such an important difference to our country. We were there for 6 hours and could have spent a lot longer. Definitely a place to go back to for another visit.
Saw the last "moose" signs in New York. We are firmly convinced moose, like Sasquatches, are a myth used to entice tourists and that they really don't exist!! The people that perpetuate the myth have gone so far as to post 4x8 highway signs, painted bright yellow with flashing caution lights, warning drivers "Slow down, Moose can kill you!"!!!
Back in the motor home and south-bound towards South Carolina. Travelled through New York, Pennsylvvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia, and stopped overnight at the Walmart RV park in Martinsburg, VA. More ice cream for dinner! :)
September 14th: Rain overnight, up and on the road by 0800. Stopped at the Virginia/North Carolina line to fuel up before going into North Carolina (gas is much cheaper in VA). South bound I-84 and then onto I-77, and arrived at Casey and Sabrina's at about 1700. Joyful reunion and lots of visiting.
September 15-18: Visiting, beat the pants off the guys at Sequence, church on Sunday morning, brunch at Cracker Barrel. Did some shopping and lots of eating, enjoying Pineapple Upside Down Cake drinks made from Heritage Distilling Company (HDC) Brown Sugar Bourbon, pineapple juice and lemonade - definitely addicting! Had a wonderful Low Country Boil for dinner last night (shrimp, sausage, potatoes, onions, corn on the cob, Old Bay seasoning) -cooked up and then drained and dumped out on the table on newspaper. Fun meal! Cleaned up the motor home this morning, and spent some fun time lounging in the pool with Casey and Sabrina.
Mike and Glennis
Things we have learned:
- Moose are a figment of someone's imagination!
- Finding family roots is so much fun
- New Hampshire is very much like our area of Washington
- South Carolina is still muggy and hot!
- Spending time with family is awesome......
