Voyage 2021: Chapter 2

6 Aug 2021, Heading East, 42 51.606 N/ 073 46.02 W

We had a short hop to the Cracker Barrel in Clifton Park NY. We never 'boondocked' before, but the 'Barrel' manager said there would be no problem to 'camp' in their parking lot. We even had good TV reception. At 0700 the next day, we met Collin and Jamie at the 'camp site'. We headed for the restaurant and had 4 hearty breakfasts. We had time to chat and find out how they were doing in the TDY (temporary duty) assignment. When we finished, we all headed our own ways; Collin to bed and RV Jule III to the McConchie campground, just a half hour away.

11 Aug 2021, Somes Sound View Campground, 44 20.31 N/ 068 19.368 W

McConchie is a very nice campground; clean, level sites, and some nice walking paths. People and RVers were friendly. Still in the country! We checked out and pointed the RV towards the NE. The drive to Somes Sound was an adventure; mountainous but good roads, except for a few bridges. One bridge was as debilitated and rust laden as a sunken ship. We believe two of the lanes (out of 4) were closed due to a weakened superstructure. We saw a degree of decay (i.e., rust and cracking concrete on numerous overpasses also). Somes Sound is one of Jule III's favorite cruising destinations in the Northeast. We anchored about a mile north of our campsite a couple of years ago on our way back from Nova Scotia. It is so nice to be back and see familiar places.

This campground is centered around an old granite quarry that has been deactivated many moons ago. It has crystal clear water, no algae, and a peaceful glow. Our campsite is a two minute walk to the edge of the quarry. The area is hilly and Ann still has difficulties with hills. Still we had many walks together though they had to be planned in advance.

As we we were walking the walk, we found vintage drilling equipment that may have been used in the early 20th century. This area is full of beauty, history, and the Somes. The picture below is a snapshot of a rustic campsite on the edge of the Sound. Bob walked to the Somes Sound at the campground and the John M. Williams Boat Yard just south of of us. As we left the campsite we wanted to check out Somesville (where we almost got sideswiped) and Abel & Co. Boat Yard. In previous years, we spent many pleasant walks in Somesville while we were anchored at the nearby harbor. Upon leaving Somesville, we drove to Abel & Co. to view the facilities for our sail next year. The facility appeared to meet our needs for a month stay and possibly storage on the hard for next year. Sadly, Abel was not interested in entertaining anything for 2022. It seems to be a custom at many of the marinas/boat yards in the Mt. Desert area. Sad.