After leaving Arizona City we headed North to Alaska! We are currently staying in a cabin in Cooper Landing where we have volunteered once again for the great state of Alaska. This time we’re at the state boat ramp/day use area. Our duties are to keep the area clean and to log in some of the visitors that stop by. One of the perks of this job is that we get to stay in a log cabin, and in my opinion, in one of the most beautiful places in Alaska.

Cooper Landing straddles the Sterling Highway at the north end of Kenai Lake, and although it has only 357 residents, in the summer it swells with anglers enjoying the famed Kenai River salmon fishery. It's about 100 miles south of Anchorage, at the confluence of Kenai Lake and Kenai River. The town was first settled in the 19th century by gold and mineral prospectors, and has become a popular Summer tourist destination thanks to its scenic wilderness location and proximity to the world-class salmon fishery of the Kenai River and Russian River. This is an amazing place for fishing, hiking and wildlife! It's understandable why this area is known as Alaska's Playground. I'm sure John and I will have a wonderful time here this summer but I'm not too sure about the winter.... I guess I forgot to mention that we signed up for a year! 

Winter in Alaska, blog coming soon......

Today we left Quail Run RV Resort in Arizona City. Our adventure here has been an awesome one! We've experienced so much and met some wonderful people. Volunteering for the Activity Department was definitely a blast. We've had a lot of fun this winter and have experienced so much. We've done things that we would normally not do like karaoke! We've got to experience dances, potlucks, fashion shows, bingo, and the Senior Olympics to name a few. We also learned a few cool dances! Not only did we get to do all these things but we also met some wonderful people and thats what we're going to miss the most. God has blessed us so much by putting these precious new friends in our life! Each and every one of them have a special place in our heart and will deeply be missed. The hardest part of leaving for sure.... I do hope one day that we can see each and every one of them again.

Not only did we get to experience the fun things at the resort but we got to explore Arizona a little bit too! We went to Tombstone a couple of times, hiked Picacho Peak, seen indian petroglyphs, explored an old stagecoach route, and took quite a few motorcycle rides in the desert. We got to see snow on Mount Lemmon, and the worlds smallest museum in Tortilla Flats. We visited Sabino Canyon and Saguaro National Park and got to spend the day with John's brother Mark and our sister inlaw Tracy in Box Canyon on a razor they rented! We have had so much fun! I can't even begin to remember everything we did.

Our experience here has been amazing and we will cherish the memories forever. Thank you to everybody that made this such an amazing experience. We love you all...

Check out the photos on the photo tab!

Today John and I decided to take a little hike so we left the camper about 7:30 to beat the Arizona heat and headed to the Casa Grande Mountain. This mountain is only 4 miles away and offers quite a few trails to chose from. The highpoint of the Casa Grande mountain range is 2,350 feet and of course that was our destination along with walking the whole ridge. The majority of the park lands are rocky, steep, and rugged so the hiking is quite strenuous. With our water bottles full and our sunscreen on, we grabbed our walking sticks and started our hike.

Of course there's a couple of things a person should know before hiking in the desert, a couple things are just common sense, like bring plenty of water, make sure to wear sunscreen and don't hike at the hottest time of the day and of course know where you're going. We were prepared in all these aspects but what we wasn't prepared for was the Teddy Bear Cholla Cactus! 

First, let's clarify what plant I'm talking about. The teddy bear cholla is a somewhat large cactus, standing up to eight feet tall, but more typically between four feet to five and a half feet tall. It has an almost tree-like branching structure, and it is quite thoroughly covered with long, thin spines. The teddy bear cholla's spines are somewhat longer and much thinner than those of related species, and they cover the branches and trunk much more densely. This creates a fuzzy, almost cuddly appearance which gives the plant its common name. But you don't want to cuddle this teddy bear! When you get within a couple of feet, in case you didn't know already, you can see that the fuzzy coating is actually made of long, thin, wickedly sharp spines. This is what we weren't prepared for!

As we were hiking, minding our own business, wham, something slammed into the side of my right ankle. Sparks of pain shot up my leg. Immediately I lost all interest in the hike and decided to see what was happening to my leg.

A bud branch of a teddy bear cholla was stuck to my ankle! The spines had passed through my socks and were deep in my skin! I took my walking stick and tried to push this prickly plant off my ankle. It didn't help much, because now some of the other spines were stuck in my leg! And the bud was still there ready to stick more spines into me if I continued to harass it. 

The situation wasn't  improving at all! I panicked and started screaming for John who kindly took a few moments to quit laughing so he could help me. When I saw him take his knife out of his pocket I briefly thought that amputation may be less painful but instead he strategically took the knife and got it in between the spines to force them off, along with some of my flesh. After getting the bud out of my ankle he began pulling the spines out of my leg. There were probably nearly thirty of them. Most of them were just barely stuck into the skin, but a dozen or so had penetrated more than an inch, and at least one was more than an inch and a half into my flesh. After many long minutes and a lot of screams the process was finally complete!

Although my ankle looked like a hundred needles had pierced it there was surprisingly little blood in all this. The spines are as fine as sewing needles, and even though the entire teddy bear assault was very painful, each individual spine created a tiny, clean wound that closed up immediately as John withdrew the spine. I suppose it's somewhat like acupuncture without the "acu" part. Only a few of the spines drew blood, being followed by a single drop of blood as John pulled it out.

How had that bud branch stapled itself to my ankle? I was watching where I was walking. I really believe that it jumped off the ground just to attack me when it saw me pass. It is called the jumping cactus for a reason! 

So there I was, miles from our truck, surrounded by menacing monsters disguised as harmless teddy bears! All I wanted was the safety of the truck. Now I knew that their outstretched fuzzy arms were just a diversion. I felt like I was in real danger. 

From that instant I decided that I will walk with great caution whenever there are teddy bear chollas in sight. And in Arizona, there are always teddy bear chollas in sight! I will not trust them and I will always keep my eyes on them! 

After walking over 8 miles and living through my traumatic encounter with the Cholla we decided that we desperately needed to re-fuel our bodies so we stopped at The Golden Corral and busted the buffet.

Before John and I left Ohio we decided to get rid of the one big motorcycle in exchange for two smaller ones so we both could ride. Can you imagine how much fun we're going to have riding motorcycles in the Arizona Desert? (I'll tell you more about my motorcycle in another blog, it deserves it's own blog.) But anyways.....

Today we decided to take our first long distant motorcycle ride to Saguaro National Park. Saguaro National Park is located in southern Arizona on the outskirts of Tucson. The park is named for the large saguaro cactus, native to its desert environment. The giant saguaro is the universal symbol of the American west. These majestic plants, found only in a small portion of the United States, are protected by Saguaro National Park. Let's talk about the comical saguaro tree! The saguaro tree is the largest cactus in North America. They may look like loving characters from a child’s storybook, but these are some serious trees. They can weigh up to nearly 5,000 pounds and live up to 200 years old. It was fun looking at all the different styles. I don't know if I liked the perfect-looking two-armed saguaro, or the saguaro with many wrangled arms reaching out in all directions. Their differences made them fun to look at and definitely fun to photograph. This park is a relatively lush desert, with its summer midday temperatures of more than 100 degrees, and it sure felt like it today! It's also home to other succulent cacti (chollas, prickly pears, bisnaga) and paloverdes, mesquite trees, and ocotillos. The animal life includes peccaries, kangaroo rats, Gila monsters, desert tortoises, rattlesnakes, and quail. Who would of thought that a desert could produce so much life? 

Our first trip ended up being about 150 miles round trip in the 97 degree heat! It was HOT! Thank goodness there was a Chinese buffet on our way home to restore our energy or we would have been totally zapped! 

After a quick detour in Ohio to visit friends and family we finally made it to Arizona. We're staying at Quail Run RV Resort for approximately 6 months, where we're obligated to give 15 hours of work a week. John will be doing 8 hours of maintenance a week and I will give 7 hours a week doing photography for their Facebook page or whatever else the activity department requires. I know it sounds rough, but somebody has to do it. 

Quail Run RV Resort is a 55 and older resort and is located in Arizona City. It's approximately halfway between Phoenix and Tucson. This resort has so much to offer, from weekend bands and dances to karaoke night, Not to mention the amenities like shuffleboard, pickle ball, billiards, miniature golf and a swimming pool where you can swim or do some water aerobics that are offered. The list goes on and on! Check out their website below. 

Nothing says Maine like a visit to one of our iconic lighthouses. Some of the best lighthouses are in Maine. They are, after all, the Lighthouse State. 

Carved by glaciers, Maine’s craggy coastline was once perilous under foggy conditions and turbulent seas. Yankee ingenuity helped solve this issue beginning in 1794 by providing towers of light and hope to aid sailors in navigating the difficult waters. Guiding vessels to navigable water channels and marking the shrouded mouths of rivers, Maine lighthouses saved countless lives and helped to develop a unique and heroic way of life for their keepers. Today we got to experience one of these historic lighthouses, in fact, it's the most photographed lighthouse in America! 

Cape Neddick Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Cape Neddick, York, Maine. In 1874 Congress appropriated $15,000 to build a light station at the "Nubble" and in 1879 construction began. Cape Neddick Light Station was dedicated by the U.S. Lighthouse Service and put into use in 1879. It is still in use today.

Plans had been in the works to build a lighthouse on the site since 1837. The tower is lined with brick and sheathed with cast iron. It stands 41 feet tall but the light is 88 feet above sea level because of the additional height of the steep rocky islet on which it sits. Unusually, the stanchions of the walkway railing around the lantern room are decorated with 4-inch brass replicas of the lighthouse itself.

The Cape Neddick Lighthouse stands on Nubble Island about 100 yards off Cape Neddick Point. It is commonly known as Nubble Light or simply The Nubble. Cape Neddick Point is at the north end of Long Sands Beach in the village of York Beach.

Nubble Light is a famous American icon and a classic example of a lighthouse. The Voyager spacecraft, which carries photographs of Earth’s most prominent man-made structures and natural features, should it fall into the hands of intelligent extraterrestrials, includes a photo of Nubble Light with images of the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal.

Although the origin of the little lighthouse adornments is unknown, there are many other stories about the Nubble Light. Among them is the story of the keeper and his wife who, in 1912, decided to take advantage of the booming tourist business at the York beaches. They developed a lively business ferrying tourists across to the island and giving tours. The trade grew so lively that the light was neglected and the keeper fired.  Another keeper lived on the island with his 19-pound cat who was an attraction in himself, especially when he reputedly swam across the channel to visit mainland friends. It is not always summer, though, and another story lends balance to lighthouse living. The Nubble is such a windy spot that in the winter, the temperature dropped so low that the flow of lamp oil to the incandescent oil vapor lamp was impeded. The problem was solved in 1938 when the lamp was electrified. That same year, the outhouse was closed, and the keeper and his family also received indoor plumbing.

Today we decided to take a motorcycle ride on the Schoodic Scenic Byway.
The Schoodic Scenic Byway travels through the eastern seaboard, including the "quiet" side of Acadia National Park. The landscape remains unspoiled, revealing a part of Maine where lobstering and clamming are still a tradition. The mountains, coastal islands, historic buildings, and  the lighthouse were enchanting.

​Schoodic Point, located at the southern tip of Schoodic Peninsula in Winter Harbor, provides one of the best places to view pounding surf during rough seas as well as stunning views of Cadillac Mountain to the West. It is also one of the best places to view diabase dikes. These are large veins of dark basalt that forced their way through the older granite along the Schoodic shoreline. Both the older granite, and the much darker basalt, are igneous rocks that were formed from the cooling of magma during past volcanic activity. The contrast between these two can easily be seen throughout the peninsula. We also noticed the thousands of boulders on the shoreline as well. It was a great motorcycle trip!

After spending the day at Schoodic we decided to try lunch at The Pickled Wrinkle. Great choice. We were very happy with our selections, all but one, a pickled wrinkle! What is a pickled wrinkle? 

All I can say is DISGUSTING! I wish I would have read this sign before I stuck it in my mouth! The haddock basket and the mushroom swiss burger were good and definitely hit the spot. The last stop at the dairy bar ended the day with a smile.
When the trip was over we drove over 175 miles! It was a great day!

On our way to our campground in Maine we stopped at our great friends, Dan and Sharon Cassidy's campground outside of Augusta, Maine. We were in for a great treat! Not only was it a treat to see them and hang out with them but they had a surprise dinner for us, lobster rolls! They were waiting for us to share this experience with them. Now thats true friendship considering they've been in Maine for 3 weeks and they waited on us. They're the best!
Before Dan and Sharon were so generous to share their lobster roll, I had never heard of them before.
If you ask those Americans who are aware of “the lobster roll” — which would leave out large swatches of population in the middle of the country, including me — the image that comes to their minds is pretty uniform: a griddled hot dog bun heaped with a cold lobster salad, made with chunks of fresh-cooked lobster swaddled in mayonnaise or just drizzled with butter. These Americans would likely go on to identify Maine as the epicenter of the lobster roll, and the place one would go to today on a lobster roll hunt.
There’s something about eating a lobster roll that almost feels wrong. As lobster is one of the most gourmet and expensive food items out there, piling it up on bread and eating it with your hands almost feels like cheating — the right way to eat a lobster is in a fancy restaurant, with a bib, a shell-cracker, and a little pot of clarified butter, right? Well up in Maine, they’ll tell you that the right way to eat a lobster is in a roll. I must say that I agree with them!
John and I had a wonderful time and we want to, once again, thank Dan and Sharon for a terrific experience. We love you two and we can't wait to experience more adventures with you! The lobster roll was awesome but your company was beyond that!

Yep, we're in the state of Maine! How do you go from alligators to lobsters this quickly? Well let me tell you. 
After leaving our adventure at Big Cypress, which included, but not limited to, swamp buggy certification, python handling, swamp walks, alligators, snakes, torturous mosquitos, and the eradication of Brazilian Peppers, we decided to go back to Ohio for awhile. After all that excitement we needed a break!
The story gets better...
My husband decided that he wanted to walk the Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Trail (A.T.) is a roughly 2,200 mile long trail from Georgia to Maine, following the Appalachian Mountains through 14 states.
Most thru-hikes on the A.T. take between four and seven months to complete, with most hikers starting in March or April. They then hike North from Springer Mountain, GA (NOBO), south from Katahdin Mountain, ME (SOBO), or some unique combination of both (Flipflop). John decided to Flipflop, which means to start in the middle. He started at Harpers Ferry, WV and headed towards Maine. 

Why would anybody want to do this? Good question! This was something that he has read about for years and wanted to try, a bucket list thing. As for me, no thank you! My plans were to stay in Ohio while he was gone. I must say, I love hiking, but not for 2200 miles! He was on his own on this one. I'll take my warm, dry bed, hot showers and normal food any day of the week! Can you imagine walking that far? Me either!
On April 18, John started walking and walking and walking....
On Tuesday, May 3, after walking 250 miles, and going through three states, John decided to put the hiking poles up and come home due to a knee injury. I picked him up in Pennsylvania and we headed back to Ohio. (If you want to check out his adventures on the trail I'll add a link at the bottom of the blog). Anyways, we got back to Ohio and decided to find a work camper job for the summer and that's how we got here, Outside of Bangor, Maine at a private campground. Why Maine? A new adventure! Not only are we close to Mt. Katahdin which is the end of the Appalachian Trail, but we're near Acadia National Park. We're also not too far from the White Mountains and Boston, Massachusetts. There's a lot of exploring to do around here! I think we'll have a fun summer.
The campground we volunteered for is called Pleasant Hill Campground in Hermon, Maine. It's only about four miles west of Bangor. Bangor is a nice size city that offers all that a person needs to live, especially a Tim Hortons. I think we'll be happy here. Check out the links below. By the way, the campground is awesome and the owner makes you feel like family. He takes pride in his campground and it definitely shows! A great place to stay!

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Here's a bit of interesting trivia for you. What's the Difference Between Alligators and Crocodiles?

Crocodiles and alligators are both reptiles from the same order of animals, named Crocodylia. There are however a number of important differences which set these apex predators apart.

1. An alligator's snout is a bit larger than the crocodile's. Its snout is longer, wider, and more U-shaped. Due to this, an alligator is also able to crush things much better than crocodiles. 

​2. A crocodile's upper jaw line and teeth are almost the same width so the teeth are shown all in the jaw line. They also have much bigger nostrils.

3. An alligator has a wider upper jaw, so when its mouth is closed the teeth in the lower jaw fit into sockets of the upper jaw.

4. Alligators have a darker coat than the crocodile. Crocodiles normally have lighter coats, while gators usually have darker, black coats.

5. Crocodiles have a jagged fringe on their hind legs and feet, alligators do not. Alligators have webbed feet, crocodiles do not.

6. Another way of telling the difference between an alligator and a crocodile is to look at their teeth. An alligator's teeth are more "dull" than a crocodile's, whereas an alligator's teeth are much more bright than a crocodile's, which are normally much sharper (not to mention how their teeth may become blunt as they age due to their large bite force). I do not recommend getting close to their teeth!

7. Differences in behavior are also apparent. Most people regard crocodiles as more aggressive than alligators.

8. There habitat is different too. Alligators prefer freshwater while crocodiles can better tolerate brackish water because they have functioning salt glands on their tongue. This allows crocodiles to easily filter out salt. While alligators also have these structures, they appear to have lost the ability to use them for excreting significant amounts of salt and hence preferring to stay in freshwater areas.

Do you think you can tell the difference now? 

After reading about their differences are you curious to know how they are similar, besides their appearance?

Both are earth animals and pretty much share the same diet. With their sharp teeth, they could probably bite your arm off. They usually feast on monkeys, fish, turtles, and other animals. Like a snake itself they have the ability to eat their meal whole.

They both have an amazing swimming speed of 20 miles per hour and can also run up to 11 mph. Also, they can hold their breath underwater for almost 1 hour.

Last but not least, they both have powerful senses that help them track down their meal.

​Are you ready for your quiz now? Which is which below?