I decided to stay at White Birch Campground for another day and night. Camper-friendly Walmarts are hard to come by in New England and it's kind of nice and peaceful here. With some errands to run, I headed into Northampton to do some banking and check out this hot seafood tip that I'd gotten from the campground manager.

The tip was Webster's Fish Hook, a local tradition dating back to 1985 and regularly awarded all kinds of "best seafood" awards by local and national media.

It's an unassuming little building across from the Calvin Coolidge Bridge with a smaller, yet similarly themed, shop next door that serves ice cream. Once inside, it's got a charming nautical-themed decor with a walk-up counter where you place your order.

I'd had a hankering for whole belly clams since first trying them last year in Plymouth, 'cause you can't get the suckers south of Connecticut for some reason. Call it a New Englander Secret because them folks'll tell you that clam strips are just deep fried rubber bands. Go whole or go home, right? I'm with 'em. It's a texture thing, though - and if you can't do foods that go goosh, then this is probably not gonna be your new favorite.

Well, they were delightful. Like, eyes roll back into your skull and make loud noises of pleasure delightful. And in the midst of my mindless, sensory-overload binge at the sea-trough, I got to thinking about how you can't get a decent lobster roll anywhere but in New England, and I wouldn't be here that much longer, so I decided to throw in on that - but couldn't decide between hot or cold. Naturally, I went with both.

No eating around the bun because it was too damn good. I ATE THEM BOTH, lawdy-lawdy and I don't feel guilty at all. I've done well with maintaining my weight this year, so this was the big splurge. I'd reflect lovingly upon it while sweating it out on the bike next time.

Got back to the campground, took the Mavic up and caught some of the beauty of the Berkshire Mountains in Pioneer Valley. The first of several The Drone Zone segments is almost complete from all the flying done on this tour - looking forward to getting it completed and shared via Patreon soon.

Some more songwriting tonight - the fountain is really flowing now - I'm anticipating some down time off the road, so I can get my head around all of the bits and pieces that have been floating into place since Day 1.

The plan is to edit Dulcimerica tomorrow, find an upload spot, continue editing, catch up with e-mail and decide on a FREE spot for the evening. Lobster rolls ain't cheap, and when you're staying at a campground AND eating high on the hog, the dollas are starting to fly out of your wallet. Though, upon checking expense reports, my average monthly expenditure for camping fees is around $250, which isn't bad at all. I'm usually either camping free at Walmart Resort or being put up by a festival or organizer of an event. Either way, it's just another example of the gains that come with the RV lifestyle.

We won't talk about what I put in the gas tank (I'm saving that for a later blog.)

Day 78

Day 77: Interstate Tour 2018