June 5th - Day 3 - Driving Hell

We left the PVP Campground at 7:00 a.m. with the thought that we would have an easier day of driving, could get to the campground early, and maybe grill something. We couldn't have been more wrong. We got into Connecticut and all driving hell broke loose.

MISTAKE #1:

Following the GPS I turned to get on a Connecticut Parkway. Immediately upon starting down the cloverleaf I saw a sign that said "Passenger Vehicles Only All Others Pull Over". I pulled over to the side of the cloverleaf and was looking at a sign in front of me that said words to the effect that "If you are not a passenger vehicle you cannot proceed.  Call 911 for help." Just then a gentleman in a uniform pulled over in a vehicle with flashers on. He came to the truck and said that he was the Fire Chief and he saw us get on and knew we were in trouble. He said to call 911 and they will send an escort to get us off the highway. I thanked him, he left, and I called 911. The 911 dispatcher transferred me to another department. The lady told me I had obviously ignored the prior signs and that I was following a passenger car GPS which didn't account for the low overpasses ahead. She said we could continue to the other side of the overpass we just got off and get back on I-287. We could then take it to I-95. I did as she said. We got back onto I-287 quite easily but then had multiple "arguments" about which direction to proceed on I-287 to get to I-95. I wanted to proceed East. Kelly was looking at her phone and sure we needed to backtrack to pick up I-95. After turning around at least two times, and driving through downtown city streets in White Haven, we both knew we needed to turn around again and head East to I-95. It gets worse.

BIG MISTAKE #2:

We were driving toward I-95 and Kelly found that I-91 was a short cut and that we could get to it by way of Connecticut Highway 15. The entry sign on to Highway 15 clearly said "No Commercial Vehicles". It didn't say "Passenger Vehicles Only" so we thought it meant no semis. We got on. It was soon very obvious that we made a MAJOR mistake. We proceeded for several miles noting the low overpasses. It was 28 miles to the turn off at I-91. I approached one overpass that said "12 foot 10 inches". Our camper is 13 feet tall. The overpass was arched and my hope was that the 12 foot 10 inches was measured on the right side of the arch. I was able to move into the middle of both lanes and held my breath as we went under it at 50 mph. We cleared and I began sweating as each overpass approached. Traffic slowed to a stop due to construction and two fellows in the passing lane rolled down their windows and said "You can't be on here, you have to get off, the overpasses get lower ahead."  I thanked them both and as soon as I got past the construction area I pulled off into a little town and immediately into a gas station and went in to ask for help.

As luck would have it, two lights up we could turn right and proceed for about three miles to I-91. I double checked with the attendant and two different customers that there weren't any low overpasses on that route. They all assured me there were not so off we went. In three miles we were on I-91 headed to I-95 for Maine. I was shaking thinking of what could have happened if we came to an overpass that we couldn't go under. There was no crossing the median, etc. It would have been a DISASTER I don't even want to think about anymore.

I will tell you that today was the most harrowing day of driving in my entire life. By the time we got back on the Interstate headed out of Connecticut my neck was cramped and my mouth so dry I couldn't swallow. We pulled off and while I was getting fuel Kellen and Kelly walked next door to Wendy's and got us some lunch which we ate on the road. We had lost close to two hours with all the low clearance issues and needed to eat something to get our mind off it.

We had reservations at Blueberry Pond Campground in Pownal, Maine. I don't know how Kelly found it but this place ubt it was the perfect cap to the day. It as off the highway about five miles. Three of those miles were blacktop road and then BOOM the road turned to dirt (I guess there is gravel in there as well but not much). We then had two miles of dirt road until we reached the campground. Here is a picture of our site. The owner is really nice but it is almost like "Deliverance" territory out here.

After we checked in he told us it was going to start raining soon. He also told us that we needed to drive 4.5 miles to Freeport, which is the home of  L. L. Bean. I told him I wanted to get diesel as well. He told me there was a station there.  We unhooked the truck and off we went.

We drove by the filling station he told us about but gas only. We drove through the town and couldn't find any station that sold diesel. Kelly called one and was told that the closest diesel was in the town of Yarmouth, six miles away. We headed there. I couldn't believe a tourist town could have four filling stations and none sold diesel. We got the tank filled in Yarmouth and headed back. We stopped in Freeport and had a nice meal at "Lobster Cooker".  Here is a picture of the place.  Too cool to sit outside.

We then headed over to L. L. Bean so Kellen could see it. Kelly and I had been there before although it has been greatly expanded since then. We didn't shop but Kelly got a pin for her collection. Here we are in front of the big boot out front.

We weren't back at the campsite long when the rain started. We will head out early tomorrow for New Brunswick, Canada. It has to be less stressful than today.