Once back over the border into the USA we arrived into Maine - this was the first section of our trip that we have not been on at least four lane highways and it seemed strange to have the cars coming towards us. When on the highways we often can't even see the road going in the other direction as the sides of the roads have a lot of high vegetation. We are often surprised by the poor quality and condition of some of the housing - they sometimes look as though they are ready for destruction yet there will be a car parked on the grass, people about or similar. It doesn't seem to matter about the condition of the house, or the yard (often very long grass) but the American flag is proudly flown. Many houses, in the country and also the towns and cities have the flag flying. At first we thought it was to do with Independence Day on 4 July but think now it must be common place. We planned to stop overnight at what we thought was a small town but when we arrived in Bangor it was surprisingly large - we weren't the only ones camping overnight at Walmart as there were about twelve RV's. Next morning we continued on to Portland which is also in Maine. We booked into a very popular camping ground with a private lake. The camping grounds in this part of North America are often in very wooded areas and the campsites have lots of shade. We were pleased as we have now returned to the warmer weather and gone are the grey drizzly days and cold temperatures. As we drove to the camping ground I had noticed an ice creamery at one of the farms and anyone that knows Peter knows that he loves his ice cream. So during the afternoon while we checked out the local area we made a stop for ice cream. It was good but no where near as good as the ice cream from the Amish farm in Lancaster County. Of course sightseeing was the plan for the next day - first stop was the observatory museum which is America's last standing maritime signal tower. I try to plan our day by researching both the Lonely Planet guide and using the Internet when we have coverage. Although we don't take the hop on hop off tours often their brochures are helpful to give a plan for the day. Portland, as the name suggests, was a very busy port in the early days and now the original port area has been revamped and although it retains its authenticity is now mainly shops and eateries. Lovely to wander down and browse along with the crowds. One of the hardest tasks was to choose where to eat lunch as there was so much choice! In the afternoon we took the ferry boat across to Peaks Island which is one of the many islands in the harbour. The island has a permanent population as well as many holiday homes and other holiday accommodation. Golf carts seemed to be the most popular mode of transport and in this respect reminded us of Hamilton Island in Queensland. It had a lovely relaxing atmosphere and we enjoyed meandering before taking another ferry back to the mainland. Next stop was the very picturesque lighthouse and adjoining light keepers house which is now a museum and gift shop. It sits in a prominent rocky point and is still in use today. As we were late in the day we weren't able to climb the lighthouse however we were able to check out ruins of Fort William as it is in the same area. We had enjoyed going to the base ball in Durham so had bought tickets to go to see another game - this time the Portland Seadogs against the Harrisburg Senators. We found our way to the grounds (so much smaller and nowhere near as impressive as Durham, North Carolina) and settled down to watch the game. After dinner of a bad selection of fast food the game started and the clouds rolled in. To our surprise an hour into the game an announcement came over the loud speaker that we were all to vacate the stadium and take shelter in the covered area near the fast food outlets as a storm was coming. The thunder and lightning started and it poured with rain, and as it stopped everyone headed back to their seats only for the rain to start again. After about three quarters of an hour with the game still halted, and the rain continuing, we gave up and went back to the camping ground. We have no idea if the game ever recommenced or who won if it did. After a few days of visiting towns and cities it was time to head to the hills. We made our way into the White Mountain National Park area in New Hampshire to visit Franconia Notch State Park. This was about a three hour each way westward diversion on our trip to Boston. This is a very popular summer and winter holiday area - there are numerous lakes (we stopped at Lake Squam for lunch) where families were holidaying in amongst the trees on the lake edges. Of course, in winter the winter sports take over and we could see the ski lifts etc. Our destination was Flume Gorge - there is a 2 plus mile walking loop which initially follows steps and wooden platforms up the side of the river (called the Flume Path), crossing the river through a covered bridge then continuing uphill through the Flume Gorge to see the Avalanche Waterfall and then continues along the ridge to another covered bridge and eventually up and down the gravel trails back to the visitors centre. The scenery was beautiful and well worth the diversion. The interesting thing about visiting State and National Parks is that not only do they have an entrance fee into the park, they have a charge to do the various walks. This walk was $US15 each. Next stop was Boston. We have find that near large cities the camping grounds are a fair distance out of the city. We stayed in Littleton which is about 25 miles out of the city and the camping area was beautiful - you would have thought we were miles out of civilisation. The park was completely forested, and as usual had the fire-pit and outdoor table. We enjoyed socialising with our various neighbours. We had planned on taking the train into the city, but being Sunday the closest station did not have services running so had to drive nearly thirty minutes to another station. Instead we decided to take the car into the city and it was a good punt - as we arrived in the centre of the city we found a parking meter and there was no charge on a Sunday! Boston is a city of many interesting churches. It was a beautiful day and lots of people were about enjoying it. In the centre of the city there are two very large parks adjacent to one another - the public garden and the Boston Common. Standing on the edge of the Boston Common we watched a Puerto Rican march of celebration (which went on and on!), with lots of Police and services involvement and lots of blaring of sirens. We couldn't help but think about the recent bombing which occurred in the street we walked. If there were that many sirens for a parade we could only imagine the sirens on the day of the bombing. As we walked to Faneuil Hall we walked through down town Boston with all the shops open - usual shops that we are all familiar with both in NZ and Australia plus quite a few designer shops. The covered hall has been a market and meeting p,ace since 1743. It was packed with people all trying to buy food from the various outlets offering a variety of foods including the local specialty - lobster. Lobster rolls were the most popular with even a sign outside a McDonalds offering them. Bagels are available everywhere. The crowds were horrendous so we made our way down to the waterfront thinking that a harbour trip would be ideal. However nothing was available in the time we had so instead we listened to the street theatre and wandered the waterfront. A long walk back around the common and the gardens to the car so that we could go check out Harvard University. Confusion about which "Harvard Square" to go too didn't help the mood at the end of a long tiring day! We eventually found the university, however parking was at a premium so we couldn't walk into the gated square to see the actual university - disappointing! Our timing doesn't allow longer than a two night stop so we packed up yet again - I sort out anything inside that needs to be packed away for travelling and Peter the outside hoses etc. The caravan has an electric jockey wheel so that makes life a lot easier. Within about ten minutes we can be on the road again. Cape Cod (home to the original Cape Cod architectural style) is affectionately known as Kennedy Country as the Kennedy clan lived in the area. It is a very popular holiday destination, having fifteen smallish towns, lots of lovely beaches and is close to both Boston and New York and a camping site was hard to find. We were lucky enough to get a one night only booking in Nickerson State Park - our neighbours had booked six months in advance for their booking. We took the one night as it was better than nothing. The camp has over 400 sites and nearly everyone seemed to have their fire lit that night. Like all the surrounding area, it was very forested and the campsites were lovely. The peninsula is quite narrow and has lots of lakes (there were about six lakes just in the park) and access to very good beaches. We explored the area including the National Seashore, Provincetown (extremely busy seaside town), Hyannis (where JFK's museum is located), Marconi Station site where the first telegraph message was sent to England, and the unique Highland house and lighthouse. We stayed a further night in the largest town, Falmouth, so that we could take the boat out to Martha's Vineyard. We had a lovely day exploring three of the six towns on the island and getting a little feel for how the rich and affluent holiday - let me say quite differently to us. A group of military helicopters flew over while we had lunch and the talk around us was that was the president arriving - whether it is true or not we don't know but apparently they often holiday on the island. As has been the case with this trip, we moved on! Next stop was Newport, Rhode Island. Here we stayed in the only campground available near the city and by far the worst (and most expensive I have to say) of all the campgrounds we have stayed in this trip. We will not revisit Meadowlark RV Park. However, Newport itself was lovely. Newport is known for its mansions apparently built in the early 1900's by rich New Yorkers all trying to outdo their neighbours. Many are now National Historic Homes and others are still owned privately. We completed most of the "Mansion ten mile drive" and walked the majority of the cliff walk. This was really enjoyable and gave awesome views of the coastline and some of the mansions. We also visited Fort Adams which is a large coastal fortification which was in use from 1841 to the mid twentieth century. A quick (or should I say bumper to bumper) drive along the America's Cup Drive (the race was held here in 1930) and it was time to head out of town. We drove north to Pittsfield staying overnight - the only town we have stayed where we have had no internet access in the caravan. This was annoying as I was enjoying a two day bridal celebration - time difference gave me a New Zealand/Australia birthday and then a USA birthday. So with no Starbucks in the area the free internet at McDonalds became the venue for the next couple of hours. Our planned itinerary recommended we take the Taconic State Parkway and we expected this to be similar to the Blue Ridge Walkway in the Smoky Mountains with various trails and stops along the way. We were disappointed - it was a fancy name for the highway. This led us into our fifth state for this section of our travels. We had now visited Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York State. We spent a couple of hours visiting the USA Military Academy in West Point before checking into our camping ground on the outskirts of New York. It is time for a couple of days of relaxation before visiting the Big Apple.