Sunday, June 16th - York Beach, Kanishka, and whale watching

We've spent the last week camping at Salisbury State Park in Salisbury, MA, just south of the New Hampshire border.  As to what has become normal during our travels, we've had rainy and dreary weather half of the time but we are still enjoying ourselves.



Nubble Light - our tradition

Because we are so close to one of our favorite vacation spots - York Beach ME - we took a drive the other day to have lunch at Fox's next to Nubble Light.  We cannot come to Maine without stopping there.  We brought our kids here when they were little and just a couple of years ago, brought our granddaughters, Madalyn and Olyvia.  It's tradition.

And since we were at York Beach, we went looking for the old cabin we stayed in the summer of 1979 - and we found it.  Nice to know that some things remain the same.

Our vacation cottage in 1979 remains the same today.



Kanishka, Ann, Lilia and Sylvie

Yesterday, we have a wonderful visit with one of our former exchange students, Kanishka, whom we have not seen in over 20 years.  Kanishka now lives in Boston so he and his wife, Ann, made the drive up to the campground for a wonderful visit.  It was great reconnecting with him and meeting the rest of the family.  His little girls - Lilia & Sylvie - are adorable and a joy.  We look forward to meeting up with them again on future travels.  And for all our Wisconsin friends, Kanishka is - and will always be - a Packers fan, as well as a Badgers fan.

After visiting with Kanishka and Ann in the morning, we took a drive up the coast to Rye NH to go on a whale watch.  This five-hour trip takes you 20+ miles out into the Gulf of Maine to an area known as Jefferies Ledge which is a well-known feeding ground for whales.  We were not disappointed.  About ten miles off shore, we had the opportunity to spot a Minke whale, the smallest of the whale species.  That was exciting but the big excitement came when a Fin whale (second largest animal in the world - 60 to 70 feet long, 60 to 70 tons) was sited.  "Streak," as this whale was later identified by the crew, gave us a wonderful show and the last time it surfaced, was only 30 feet from the side of the boat.  What an amazing experience - and as Jim says, can now be crossed off the "bucket list."

 Streak

We will leave here tomorrow and head farther north to Bar Harbor ME and Acadia National Park.  Our life on the road continues.  We are truly blessed to be able to have this wonderful experience.