Pine Grove Campground in Medway, Maine is beautiful, but not without issues for big rigs. The site they gave us was pretty level, but when we set the jacks, they immediately began sinking on one side. How we’ll get the pads out of the 1 ½’ hole we now have is beyond me . . . .
There were also some electrical issues, but that seems worked out enough for 3 days – thanks to my resident electrician! 😊
So we’re listing to one side. Not a problem if you walk like a sailor . . . Seriously, though, it’s not too bad. The time I notice it most is when I first get up in the morning. We just have to watch the frig and pantry doors don’t slam shut.
They have free use of their canoes, so after dinner we took one out onto the slow-moving river that’s right by our campsite.
View from inside the RV.
No one reserved the site beside us do to a scheduling snafoo by the previous owners. God’s work even in the small things! It’s one reason why we love Him!
As we drifted back, we kept hearing this ‘quacking’ sound along the shore in front of us, but couldn’t see anything. Then, suddenly, there it was! A bald eagle! We watched it fly up from near the shoreline and land in a tree. Then, after a couple of minutes, it took off, soaring right past us! Sorry, no pictures, but it was incredibly majestic! No wonder the founding fathers chose it!
A day of rest was on the agenda for our first full day. Our bodies worked extra hard the past 10 days, so we needed it!
Jeff, the campground owner since August, 2016, told us about a newly designated National Monument up the road. (also August, 2016)
There are no statues or anything, so it got us wondering – – “What’s the difference between a National Monument and a National Park?” If you’re interested and have had your morning coffee (or whatever wakes your brain up), here ya go!
(BTW, Blaine and I neither one drink coffee. We just have to wait for our brain cells to kick in. 😊)
To laypeople, the distinction between lands designated as national parks and national monuments can appear finite. The primary difference lies in the reason for preserving the land: National parks are protected due to their scenic, inspirational, education, and recreational value. National monuments have objects of historical, cultural, and/or scientific interest, so their content is quite varied. For example, national monuments protect wilderness areas (such as Muir Woods), fossil sites, military forts, ruins (such as the Gila Cliff Dwellings), and buildings (such as Ford’s Theatre, where President Lincoln was assassinated).
On the bureaucratic bent, the National Parks Service oversees all parks and some monuments. However, the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Defense, and Bureau of Land Management may also supervise monuments, depending on the location of the lands and the reason for their protection. Some of these agencies are better than others at providing visitor information. Congress designates national parks; in general, presidential proclamations establish national monuments.
In this case, size matters. Although some national parks are quite small—the smallest is Pennsylvania’s Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial at 0.02 acres—the minimum size today is 1,000 hectares. By requiring nearly 2,500 acres, the NPS ensures national parks have sufficient area for recreation and natural diversity. The largest national park is the 13.2-million-acre Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska. National monuments are generally smaller, and the designation requires only one item of interest (not a variety, as parks do).
~ taken from outsideonline.com
No. I don’t know how to get rid of the underlines and spell check notations. It’s because I didn’t feel like re-typing it and just copied and pasted. I got rid of them on my original. Don’t know why they transferred over.
This is the kind of stuff I used to leave for my co-worker, Doris every Thursday. Feel sorry for her now, don’t you?
I’m starting to have trouble remembering what day of the week it is . . . . Hats off to you more seasoned retirees who have appointments to keep! We just need to know when it’s Sunday and when it’s time to check out of our campground. 😊