Postcards From a Wandering Minstrel | Mark Lindsay

Mark Twain's Home

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 11:31:28 -0400

Our next stop (Tuesday, October 12) was at Mark Twain's home in Hartford, CT. We arrived very early so that "The Ark" would have a parking spot in the lot (and so that we wouldn't hold up traffic while we got a shot of OUR home in front of the OTHER Mark's home.) We were wondering what Mark Twain would have said about our very different Earthbound RV!

We really enjoyed touring the home, servant's quarters, and museum, and we spent almost half the day there. Very few areas were roped off, and we really felt like we'd been invited into the private environs of Samuel Clemens.

It was thrilling to visit his billiard/writing room on the top floor where he created some of his greatest works. I was trying hard to capture as much of the creative vibe swirling around as I could!

Mark Twain is one of my favorite writers, and if you read the quote to the right, maybe you can understand why. I guess I'd better start planning my Around the Equator Music Tour!

More Acadia

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 10:18:43 -0400

We ended up staying a total of 9 days at Acadia. On Saturday (October 9), we drove over to another part of the island to Southwest Harbor and enjoyed their Oktoberfest celebration. It featured 22 microbreweries and local food and crafts. My favorite, hands down, was Sebago Brewing Company. I tried both the Frye's Leap IPA and the Local Harvest Ale. The flavor on each was complex and wonderful, and I'd go out of my way to try any of their brews.

We had bratwurst with pepper and onions while at the event, but we also brought home some smoked beef brisket to add to our previous night's kielbasa and bean chili. Deb also picked up some spices and herbs from a local company. They were extremely aromatic and show the value of looking for smaller producers with fresher ingredients.

On Sunday, we discovered a farmer's market in Bar Harbor and picked up some unusual sausage, bok choy, tender salad turnips, fresh cider (which we later heated with mulled spices), cranberries, and a few other…

Acadia National Park

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:43:43 -0400

We waited an extra day to leave Mohegan until the remnants of Tropical storm Nicole blew by, and then it was off to Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor, Maine. After making a stop at Camping World in Chichester, NH for a collapsible aluminum ladder (so I could make sure the solar panels were cleared of falling leaves every morning), we arrived at our campsite late Saturday. Deb had been a nervous wreck driving all 30 feet of "The Ark" through the crowded town, but she did great....and it was sure nice to be in the quiet forest.

Wow! We were lucky enough to get a pull-through site, saving us the hassle of backing in and maneuvering. It has a fire ring so we can have some campfires during the cool evenings.

The leaves are just starting to change, and we've been enjoying seeing how much more color each day brings.

The park has so much to enjoy, it's hard to choose where to start. So far, we've walked on the Carriage Roads that wind throughout the park (thanks to John D. Rockefeller), hiked…

Mohegan Sun

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:41:57 -0400

After the Big E, I had a few days off before a solo gig in North Dakota, followed by a Happy Together show in Los Angeles. Deb and I had seen that The Band Perry (with their wonderful Country/Celtic hit "If I Die Young" were going to be appearing in Connecticut at the Mohegan Sun Casino, and we thought it would be fun to see them.

So, we headed up to their RV area to spend the week, and it was a really pleasant surprise. It's situated on a bluff overlooking the Thames River, beautiful woods, and the reportedly haunted old Insane Asylum. With the great security at the location (not to mention a casino shuttle every 20 minutes), I felt okay leaving Deb to hold down the fort while I was gone.

After I returned from California, we went to see the band at the Wolf Den...except that they had cancelled "due to illness." What's the matter with kids today? ;)

We also explored the local area, and were really impressed with the City Hall of nearby Norwich. It looked like a movie set!

Introducing Arkadia

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:38:40 -0400

On September 10, 2010, in furtherance of our plan for new adventures, we welcomed "Arkadia" into the world. She emerged from her buildout location in Marion, Indiana...the product of a visionary recreational vehicle pioneer, Dave Hoefer, and his company, Earthbound RV.

The next day, we took official possession of her in Richmond, Indiana, at Tom Raper RVs, where we did our walk-through and "here's how it all works" seminar. In addition to learning how RV systems work in general, we'd had Earthbound add solar panels so that we could be more flexible in our travels and be off the grid as often as possible.

After spending the weekend in Richmond fine-tuning the solar system, we took off on our maiden voyage for a fast trip to the Big E, arriving the day before Mark was performing for five days. We were lucky enough to park backstage so that Mark could use "The Ark" as a place to chill between shows...without thinking that the cats might not enjoy loud music all day. As you can see, they…