Tuxbury Pond Early Halloween Celebration - 2021/09/25

This week we're in Massachusetts/New Hampshire at the Tuxbury Pond camping resort. It's a very popular resort with the seasonal campers who have been here since April. But, because of the weather, this place closes from October 15th - April. People can either leave their RVs here, or drive them out to go somewhere else. Because it's such a community here, they like to do an early Halloween celebration in September. One of the other campers told us that we are here for the very best weekend of the year, and that it's the whole reason they come here!

The kids have wanted to be Minecraft characters for Halloween for a while now. This gave them a chance to dress up early! Ian is a Creeper with dynamite, and Alli has dressed as Alex with a pickaxe. 

The Flowers Explore - Currier and Ives Scenic Byway - 2021/09/24

You've heard of Currier and Ives in the popular Christmas song "Sleigh Ride" about how "It'll nearly be like a picture print by Currier and Ives. These wonderful things are the things we remember all through our lives."

Nathanial Currier and James Merritt Ives were American printmakers from 1834-1895 who were self described as "Publishers of Cheap and Popular Prints." The firm generated black and white lithographs which were then hand colored. They made 2-3 new images each week for 64 years! There's at least 7500 unique prints that are known!

Their scenic landscapes, especially the winter ones, were especially popular. 

The Flowers Explore - Atlantic Ocean Picnic and Drive - 2021/09/22

Just a quick one today. Despite all their travels, Rich and Chi have never been to the Atlantic Ocean! 

Our campsite is less than 10 miles from the beach, so we've got to fix that today! 

Saturday Morning Cereals - Monster Mash Cereal

It's almost Halloween, which means that our favorite Monster Cereal is back!

And this year, it's not just Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and Boo Berry. The Frute Brute and Yummy Mummy are also making an appearance. After decades apart, all five of them are teaming back up to bring us a Monster Mash cereal! Monster Cereals started in 1971, so this year they are celebrating their 50th anniversary!

General Mills has labeled this as a Reunion Tour. The five monsters had broken up, but they're all coming back together for the 50th to sing The Monster Mash together. 

The Flowers Explore - Tuxbury Pond RV Resort - 2021/09/21-28

Today is a travel day! Goodbye Narrows Too! We had a great time exploring Acadia National Park from here! Our next destination is Tuxbury Pond a little south from here. 

There's a bit of a drive today. We're out by the Atlantic Ocean and there isn't a direct path to get to where we're going. We're going to have to drive North to go South. 

Oakhurst Dairy Flavored Milk taste test - Maine

When we go new places, I like to see if there's anything special to the area that we can try out for a taste test. Such was the case for today. Oakhurst Dairy was founded by the Bennett family in 1921. They've been bringing milk to the people of Maine for the last 100 years! 

And so today, we're going to try 5 different flavors of milk!

A celebration of Maine Blueberries - Blueberry inspired dinner - 2021/09/20

After having the blueberry pizza, Theresa was feeling a bit unsatisfied. If we're really going to celebrate Maine blueberries, we need to do it the right way, with things that are supposed to be blueberry flavored. 

That's why today we're making breakfast for dinner and having lots of blueberry treats!

The Flowers Explore - Jordan Pond in Acadia National Park - 2021/09/19

I find myself with too many stories and not enough days to share them. When you're playing a sport and you've got a lot to do in a short amount of time, you start doing 2-a-days. So, for the time being, I'll be posting 2 stories every day. One at 10am and the next one at 4pm. 

Earlier this morning we were exploring the island of Acadia. We stopped around 2pm to head back to the RV to grab an early dinner. Now we're headed back to a place we've been trying to hike since we got here. Jordan Pond! It's one of the most popular places in the park!

The Flowers Explore - Acadia National Park - 2021/09/19

It's been a fun week at Acadia, but we've only got a day left. It's time to go out and explore some of the places we haven't covered yet. Plus the kids need to finish up their Junior Ranger Program and earn their badge. Let's get started!

The Flowers Explore - Witch Hole and Eagle Lake Maine - Half Marathon Hike - 2021/09/17

Good morning! This week we're in Acadia National Park and there's a ton of biking and hiking trails! We're a little behind in our 500 mile challenge this year, so the focus for the week is going to be catching up on some of those miles. 

Pizza at Home - Toll House Massachusetts Cookie Pizza

Another Massachusetts pizza? We love dessert pizza and Massachusetts just has some great things to take inspiration from! Yes they're known for Boston Baked Beans. The Fluffernutter was invented here as well. But perhaps the biggest thing to come out of Massachusetts, the thing that has become the standard for what someone thinks about when you mention a cookie, is the Toll House Chocolate Chip cookie. 

Photo from historicnewengland.org

The Toll House Inn, located in Whitman Massachusetts, was built in 1930. Ruth Wakefield cooked the food for the inn, but was really known for her desserts. In 1938, with her butter drop-cookie recipe, she chopped up a Nestle semi-sweet chocolate bar and added it to the cookie batter. The chocolate didn't melt and spread through the cookie, but stayed in a chip! The world's first Chocolate Chip Cookie was born!

She contacted Nestle and they agreed to print her recipe on the package of semi-sweet chocolate bars, and she would get a lifetime supply of chocolate!

The Flowers Explore - Bar Island Maine - 2021/09/16

We're in Maine and our campground is super close to Acadia National Park! We've got to go explore it! 

One of the really cool features of this Maine sea town is Bar Island! If you time it right, you can walk on the sea floor right over to this island! 

The Flowers Explore - Narrows Too RV Park in Maine - 2021/09/14-21

Today is a travel day, and we're headed to a state that no one in this family has been to. We're off to the very top of the North East United States! Maine!

Wow, we've been to a lot of different stops on our trip so far. 

Contoocook Creamery at Bohanan Farms - Chocolate, Strawberry, and Coffee Flavored Milk - 2021/09/12

Near our Sandy Beach campground is a dairy farm that has had some rave reviews for their flavored milks. We've got to see what all the fuss is about. 

Contoocook Creamery at Bohanan Farms has been operating since 1907 and their fifth generation of farmers are working there. 

They offer three different Flavored Milk options. Chocolate, Coffee, and Strawberry. 

Their milks are sold in local stores, and even in schools, but why not make a special trip out to the farm and get it directly from them!

Beech Hill Farms Ice Cream New Hampshire

There's so many tasty places to visit while we're in New Hampshire! Today we're stopping by a "Don't Miss" ice cream stand according to Yankee Magazine. 

Beech Hill Farm and Ice Cream Barn is celebrating 250 Years of operation! Nine generations of the Kimball family have been working this farm!

Snickers Taste Test Comparison - 11 different flavors compared

It's no secret that Alli loves Snickers. They are her favorite candy bar ever. For a little while I've been collecting different kinds of Snickers bars whenever I see them. Now it's finally time to have the taste test!

Alli - This is going to be good! This is going to be good!

We'll be trying seven eleven different kinds of Snickers. The standard Snickers, Snickers Hazelnut, Snickers Almond, Snickers Crunchy Peanut Butter, Snickers Peanut Brownie, Snickers White, and of course the Snickers Ice Cream Bar. Yum! Alli is excited to get this party started. Let's dive in!

(Update: Now with Snickers Creamy Peanut Butter, Snickers Creamy Almond Butter, Snickers Dark Chocolate Almond Brownie, Snickers Peanut Brownie Ice Cream Bar.)

Londonderry Rail Trail New Hampshire - Marathon Bike Ride - 2021/09/11

If we're going to hit our goal of 500 biking miles in one year, some of the rides we do are going to have to be long ones. Back when we were in California, it was easy enough to go out on the weekends and ride through the neighborhoods to get some miles. Being on the road, finding those long stretches of open road or trails has been a little more difficult. 

When Theresa found the Londonderry Rail Trail online, it looked like the perfect opportunity to make up a few of our lost miles.

The Rails to Trail initiative is trying to take old abandoned railway trails and redevelop them into biking and walking trails. They're even trying to connect the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic Coast with the Great American Rail Trail! 

Pizza at Home - Fluffernutter Pizza from Massachusetts

I already did a Pizza Night for Massachusetts, but why not another? 

The Fluffernutter sandwich was invented in Melrose Massachusetts in the early 1900s. Peanut Butter and Marshmallow Fluff are a delicious combination, so I bet it'll be good on a pizza too! 

Couture's Maple Shop - Maple Sugar and Maple Syrup taste test

A few weeks ago, Theresa, the kids, and I were fortunate enough to visit Jake and Pauline Couture and their Maple Sugar Farm. They showed us their Sugar House where they boil maple sap to get maple syrup. Attached to their house, just off Vermont Route 100, is the Couture's Maple Shop with a whole bunch of different products they make in their kitchen and sell in their shop. 

I love maple flavor and I'm pretty sure I know who I got that from. My mother! Any time we're getting donuts, her favorite is maple, and anything maple is sure to be delicious. I was super happy that my mother was here so we could do this Maple Sampling taste test together! 

The Flowers Explore - Couture Farms Dairy Farm - 2021/09/09

We're visiting with new friends today. This is Jake and Pauline Couture! They own a Maple Farm in Vermont that's just 5 miles south of the Canadian border! But it's not just the maple farm, they also have a dairy farm! Back in the 70s, they bought 2 cows, and they haven't bought another cow since! 

Now the cow herd is up to 150, including the cows that are milked and the cows raised for beef. They were even voted the Vermont Dairy Farm of the Year!

The Flowers Explore - Couture Maple Shop and Sugar Shack - 2021/09/09

Sometimes you just meet the nicest people randomly. Such was the case for us when we met Jake and Pauline Couture. I was trying to back my RV into our campground site and was having difficulty getting it lined up between the trees. Jake came over and gave me some help. To say thank you, I made a loaf of Rustic Bread and brought it over to their camper. We chatted for a while and Pauline asked us if we'd like to try some maple syrup. Then Pauline and Jake invited us up to their farm where they make Real Vermont Maple Syrup! How could we say no to that? 

The Flowers Explore - Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory, Vermont - 2021/09/07

It's been a full day exploring Vermont, but there's one more place that has to be on our list. The Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory!

The Flowers Explore - Shelburne Farms, Vermont - 2021/09/07

Earlier today we visited the Cold Hollow Cider Mill. Now we're heading further West to a working dairy and cheese farm. We're headed to Shelburne Farms in Vermont!

The Flowers Explore - Cold Hollow Cider Mill, Vermont - 2021/09/07

We're in New Hampshire this week, but right next door is Vermont. We've got to make a stop over there! Theresa and I were here back in 2008 for a long weekend to look at Fall Foliage. That was before kids, but we always knew we'd be coming back eventually. 

Pizza at Home - Massachusetts Boston Baked Bean Pizza

This week we're in Massachusetts! What is Massachusetts famous for with food? Well Boston is known as Beantown, so why not try to make a Boston Baked Bean pizza this week? 

The Flowers Explore - Sandy Beach Campground New Hampshire - 2021/09/05-14

Welcome to Sandy Beach Campground in New Hampshire! Today is a travel day and we're going to get in a bunch of new states today!

We're going from New York up to New Hampshire. About a 4:30 hour drive. 

2021 Apple Taste Test with apples from Saunderskill Farms in New York

Yesterday we got a whole lot of apples from the Saunderskill Farms Apple Orchard. Having a whole lot of anything around here means that we're going to have a taste test with them! Let's figure out which ones we like the best! 

There's 11 different varieties that we get to taste today! I wonder what's going to be our favorite? 

1. Fall Gala

2. Fuji

3. Empire

4. Pioneer Mac

5. Crimson Crisp

6. Macoun

7. Red Mac

8. Honeycrisp

9. Linda Mac

10. Cortland

11. Gala

The Flowers Explore - Saunderskill Farms Apple Orchard in New York - 2021/09/04

We're in New York at Rondout Campground, which happens to be right next to Saunderskill Farms. It's a Saturday so we expect it to be busy, but we're going for it anyway! It's literally half a mile down the road. If it wasn't a busy road, we would have walked!

The Flowers Explore - Rondout Campground New York - 2021/09/03-05

Another travel day, but this one wasn't so fun. Normally we are traveling on a Tuesday. The roads aren't too busy. The camping sites aren't busy. I don't have to worry about moving the RV around so much. But this is a holiday weekend and we're driving on a Friday. Well let's get moving. 

It's time to finally leave Pennsylvania and start heading north to hunt for Fall Foliage leaves as they change colors. Let's go to New York!

Skittles Yogurt - Original, Wild Berry, and Smoothies taste test comparison

Wait! Skittles is making yogurt now? 

As we were walking through a local grocery store in Hershey Pennsylvania, Ian happened to spot something new when we were going down the yogurt aisle. 

Ian - Daddy! Skittles!
Alli - Can we buy it Daddy? And do a taste test? 

After confirming that they had all 3 of the flavors of Skittles yogurt, I agreed. Who knew the harder part would actually be finding the Skittles to try them with. We drove to 4 stores just to find that bag of Wild Berry Skittles. 

The Flowers Explore - Appalachian RV Resort - 2021/08/31-09/03

It's another travel day! Our next RV site is the Appalachian Camping Resort in Shartlesville. It's also in Pennsylvania, so there's not going to be any new states added to the map today. Over the past few weeks, we've spent a lot of time in Pennsylvania! This is just going to be a short stay though of only 3 nights as we try to maneuver our way up North to see Fall Foliage.

Pizza at Home - Maine Blueberry Pizza

Pizza Day is here! We're in Maine which is famous for its Lobster! We're right by the ocean and there's so many food shacks selling lobster, but I don't care for seafood. What else is Maine famous for? Blueberries! Tonight I'm going to make a blueberry pizza!

The Flowers Explore - Hershey Pennsylvania Thousand Trails RV Pt2 - 2021/08/24-31

Time to continue the rest of our stay at Hershey Thousand Trails! 

Any time the pool looked free, the kids wanted to stop by. Makes sense because in a few weeks it's going to get cold and the pools aren't going to be so enticing. Both kids piled on top of Ethan and he'd swim underwater with both of them holding on. 

The Flowers Explore - Hershey's Chocolate World - Make Your Own Candy Bar

Today we're doing something awesome that the kids have been really looking forward to. We are going to be making our very own chocolate bar! They've been talking about all the different things they will add to their chocolate bar like cookies, candy, and other things. 

And it's not just us! We've got Rita, Ethan, and Aubrey here! Let's get started!

Pennsylvania Dutch Birch Beer and Polar Pop Birch Beer taste test comparison

While walking through a local grocery store (not Walmart) Theresa noticed a brand of soda she'd never seen before. Birch Beer? What's Birch Beer? I haven't even heard of it before. That sounds like it should be a taste test!

They only had Diet Birch Beer at the grocery store we were at. I couldn't find the regular version anywhere. I did find a clear version though which I saw is called White Birch Beer.