Moody Gardens Festival of Lights

Moody Gardens, Galveston, TX
Festival of Lights

During the holidays, Moody Gardens wants their share of visitors as well so they have a one mile walking trail with over 100 light displays calling it their 'Festival of Lights'. There are also hit-and-miss live characters (we saw a Nutcracker and a Chipmunk) and live music (we didn't hear any) as well as a ice skating rink and, on Friday, SNOW. Each additional activity is only $5 after the $5.95 Festival of Lights ticket.

We chose to view the Aquarium pyramid and the Festival of Lights.

Main Street Bethlehem

Main Street Bethlehem, Burnet, TX
1st two weekends in December

This was much more than we had anticipated. The First Baptist Church of Burnet hosts this event. These are 'permanent' structures to simulate what Bethlehem could of looked like when Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem to register for the census (and there was no room at the inn and Jesus was born in a stable manger). I counted about 27 (?) structures including: a well, a jail, a synagogue, an inn (with no rooms available), basket weavers, loom, tax collector, tavern, oven (free samples of "Bethlehem bread"), an open air markets with fruit and vegetable sales people, a corral with camels, another with donkeys, another with sheep, a chariot, a rope maker, jewelry maker, a candle maker, campers, geese/duck sales people, dried fruit sales people, gallows, a typical Bethlehem home, and a cave used as a stable, etc. Very in depth.

And First Baptist Church has 50 - 75 period-dressed actors going around asking if you came to town for the census, did you come far, did you hear a child is born this night, etc. Very interesting. It's free (donations accepted). The line is LONG. But worth it. At the exit, there is free cocoa and cookies for everyone as well. Impressive.
On the first two Saturdays, the Austin Train Association has a train that departs Cedar Hill for Main Street Bethlehem as well. Reservations are needed in advance as early as possible.

We really enjoyed "Main Street Bethlehem".

Bastrop State Park and Lost Pines Golf course

I almost hate to mention it because we love it so much. Spent the past week there and the weather was fabulous, golf was enjoyable, even worked some. So delightful here! Here's Buster dog drinking from a 1930 CCC water fountain:

Halloween 2010

Halloween 2010

We only had 63 Trick-or-Treaters this year. Down from 120 last year. Could it have been that the Rangers were playing Game 4 in the World Series?? How many Trick-or-Treaters did you have??

Best and Worsts of Fall Foliage Anniversary Trip

Fall Foliage Anniversary Trip
Best and Worsts

Best RV Park - Baileyton RV Park, Baileyton, TN (I-81 at exit 36)

Worst roads - Arkansas on I-40! Very uneven concrete pours made for massive jostling

Worst road construction - Pennsylvania - probably 15 construction areas and some down to one lane and most times no one working

Longest Drive Day - October 16th Day 30, 530 miles in 9.5 hours from AR to home

New Favorite Food - lobster rolls!

New Favorite microbrew - Bar Harbor Real Ale!

Favorite upper end restaurant - Jordan Pond House, Acadia National Park

Favorite restaurant - Thirsty Whale, Bar Harbor, Maine

Favorite pub - Learys Landing Irish Pub, Bar Harbor, Maine

Something new we liked: Explorer Island Shuttle sponsored by L.L. Bean. Handy!

A new concept: Buying new clothes instead of doing laundry

Favorite New Recipe: Jordan Pond House POPOVERs -
2 large Eggs
1 cup Whole milk
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon Baking soda
1 cup Flour, all-purpose (Important! Sift before measuring)

Directions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Beat the eggs at high speed with an electric mixer for 3 minutes, or until the mixture turns lemon yellow. Slow the mixer to a crawl and dribble in about 1/2 cup of milk, taking about 20 seconds to pour it in.

Into another bowl, sift the flour and measure 1 cup as exactly as you can, sift some of the flour then add salt and baking soda and sift again.

With the mixer still running on its slowest speed, add the dry ingredients to the eggs and milk. Turn the mixer off and use a rubber spatula to make sure that all of the flour has blended in with the liquid.

Set the mixer to medium speed and dribble in the remaining milk. Blend for 1 minute. Turn the mixer to its highest speed and beat for 10 minutes (or 5 minutes if you have a Kitchen-aid style mixer that uses a wire whip for beating). Extra beating can't hurt.

Filter the batter through a fine-mesh screen strainer to remove any lumps, then pour into well-buttered popover cups or custard cups. (If you must use a muffin tin, fill only the 4 corners.)

Bake at 425 degrees F. for 15 minutes. Without opening the oven, turn heat to 350 degrees F. and bake for 15 more minutes (20 minutes if your oven door has a window). Serve immediately, with fresh jam and room-temperature butter.

Overall: Impressed with the variety of hardwoods in New England. In one stand of tees there would be several different kinds of maples, oaks, conifers, evergreens all mixed in a bunch making a splendid display of fall colors.

Summary of Fall Foliage Anniversary Trip

Fall Foliage Anniversary Trip
In Summary

Total days - 30
Total miles - 4984
Total people - 3 (Doug, Laura, Buster dog)
Total $ - $86/day
Total states - 17
Total photos - 2242
Average fuel (diesel) cost - $2.99/gal

October 16th - Day 30
Thought we only had about 420 miles left but GPS says more like 535 miles! But we are going to try to get home today. Day 30.

Arkansas's trees look like they were in a drought. Brown leaves. Not that much foliage color turning yet but lots of dead brown leaves. Can see how low the Arkansas River is in this picFoliage has hardly even begun to turn in Arkansas along I-40 and I-30. The sides of the road are all brown and dried up grasses (like we'd see in Texas in the heat of the summer).

Yay! Texas.... and Texas is actually more green than the part of Arkansas we saw. For October, that's pretty amazing. We're glad to be back in the land of the flat lands where the eye can see for miles.
Home Sweet Home after 9.5 hours of driving and a fabulous 30 day vacation!

October 15th - Day 29

Left Tennessee and drove the entire state diagonally from Northeast (Baileyton, TN) to Southwest (Memphis, TN) and into West Memphis, Arkansas today. 473 miles. Longest drive day to-date.Here's our camping rig we've used on this trip: Bigfoot Truck Camper mounted on DH's F350 truck. Cozy yet easier to get around the old narrow New England roads.

The trees in TN are just starting to turn color but are more notably 'dull' in color than the New England states' hardwoods. Could be just the type of trees New England has or just the year (rain, temp, climate, etc).Soybeans not-yet-harvested near Northeast Tennessee.The trees were much greener as we neared Memphis, Tennessee.The bridge across the Mississippi River connecting TN to AR was closed down to one land wach way causing stop-and-go traffic toward the end of our drive day. Pretty sunset.

October 14th - Day 28

REST DAY. Decided to stay another day at Baileyton RV Park, Baileyton, Tennessee. It is quiet, rural with land for Buster to romp. And DH enjoys the driving range. The owners of the RV Park offered to drive DH to the golf course! The people here are very friendly and interesting to chat with.

We caught up on emails, work, family, phone calls and I knitted, read, enjoyed watching DH hit golf balls, talked to other campers.

Tonight we charcoaled rib eye steaks for dinner and later roasted marshmallows over the coals. Took forever and for anyone who knows my marshmallow roasting technique - that is a VERY long time!
A good restful day. Used the Baileyton RV Park shower house tonight (super clean and very well thought out!) and it was so great complete with shower massage! Anyone that RVs understands about turning off the water between soapings, the small sized stall, the short stall, the water pressure, the plastic fixtures, etc. After 28 days of RV showers, we can say we enjoyed the Baileyton RV Park showers! Ahhhh....the little things in life! ;-)

October 13th - Day 27

Finish the drive through VA and entered TN today. Long drive day. Blue Ridge Mountains close by Hwy 81 makes the drive very beautiful. Middle VA has some fall colors coming on but still green trees. Temps in the 70's and sunny fall day.
Stopped at Baileyton RV Park, TN with a golf driving range.

Oct0ber 12th - Day 26

Pennsylvania's fall foliage color super in the northeast. Hwy 81 goes through Scranton, PA through to Harrisburg, PA.
Entered MD, WV, and VA today. Another long drive day.

October 11th - Day 25

Leaving earlier and driving more miles each day heading home. Did take New Hampshire 9 and Vermont 9 west to Albany NY which was very scenic.
Fabulous foliage color! About 175 miles of 'scenic' driving today before we took I-88 to I-81 which we will eventually take for a very long time through PA, MD, WV, VA, and TN.NH's "green mountains" didn't have the reds (maples?) we've been seeing. There must be different kind of trees there than what we have been seeing.
Back in NY the foliage went back to being bright and colorful. In this one town, they had these moose...

October 10th - Day 24

Depart Maine for home. Have to admit - instead of doing laundry we just bought new clothes. lol. Hey, it's vacation!

Maine has much more vibrant fall foliage than when we arrived a week ago. Probably still not at peak colors but closer. Took the scenic route 1 and 3 out of Bar Harbor, Maine.

Long drive day - drove over Penebscot Narrows Bridge in Bucksport, Maine. Quite an engineering feat! The cables are inboard and you drive on the outside of them. And the cables are about a foot in diameter. Amazing.
Headed west on Hwy 9 through from the Maine Coast through Concord, NH to Albany, NY. Very quaint and scenic.

October 9th - Day 23

Atlantic Brewing Company in Town Hill. I tried 'Leaf Peeper' ale and Doug tried 'Coal Porter' beer with chocolate malt. Then "Mainely Meat" for lunch where we shared a sampler platter of sausage, pulled pork, chicken and ribs with sides of beans, coleslaw and potato salad. How they ever expected one person to eat all that is beyond me!
Headed to Bar Harbor on Island Explorer shuttle bus. Walked the 'shore path' from Main Street to Waylan Street.
Stopped at a market and got a 'whoopie pie' (voted best chocolate whoopie pie in Bar Harbor!) which was new to us. It is made with two chocolate cakes wedging a marshmallow fluff and icing mix in the middle. It was alright but I doubt we ever have it again.Went to Bar Harbor Brewing Company and did a tasting of all their microbrews: Lighthouse ale, Thunder Hole ale, Cadillac Mountain stout, and True Blue blueberry wheat ale. Must be the day for beer!

Of course, we then went to the "Irish Pub" for a Bar Harbor Real ale. Talked to some folks from Minnesota for a while. Took bus back to the RV Resort and talked to 3 ladies on a caravan with Special Military Active Retired Travel (S.M.A.R.T) club on a 33 day trip.

Walked Buster. Finally ran out of photo space on my first 2 gig card - 1800 photos taken so far. Ouch!