As we awoke and ate breakfast this morning Tom declared “we had the right concept – just inadequate implementation.”  What he meant was that if we could find a way to hold the lever up on the tow bar, we could keep it from collapsing and continue to use the existing tow bar until the replacement arrived from Amazon on Sunday.

In addition to wrapping it up with duct tape, Scott insisted in adding up with two bungee cords for redundancy.  He reasoned that this constant pressure would keep the bouncing of the towbar from “wiggling out” the taped up pin.

While we are likely to never know whose technique – or the combination – worked for the two plus hour drive in the rain from Salisbury MA to Bridgton, ME.  We arrived safely at the Lakeside Pines – the most expensive campground ever for OWGRV at $100 / night despite the fact that it only has 20 Amp electrical service and they attempt to prevent you from running air conditioning or heating.  But it is a nice waterside campsite – and we plan to stay here for 3 days to prevent having to get up and move repeatedly and reconnect the jeep.

It rained all day. We ate lunch at the slowest rest stop Burger King ever – despite the fact that the place was not very full.  After connecting the camper in the pouring rain, we headed to Hallowell ME to visit Scott’s Cousin Sue Wallace.

We had a great time catching up, meeting Sue’s cat Inez, and her three foster kittens.  They were very affectionate – particularly the gray and white female who told Scott she would love to join OWGRV.  But that was against the Cat Foster rules.

Dinner consisted of lobster rolls – the lobster from Sue’s “lobster guy.”  This was supplemented by “red snapper” hot dogs.   According to Google’s AI:

Red snapper hot dogs are a Maine delicacy known for their bright red color from food dye and their natural lamb casing that makes a satisfying “snap” when bitten. Made from a blend of pork and beef, these hot dogs have a unique, vibrant flavor profile and are a beloved food item at barbecues and family gatherings in the Pine Tree State

We had apple pie made from apples supplied by Sue’s “Apple guy.”  It was a great visit cut too short by our need to drive another hour and a half back to the camper.