New Hampshire & Vermont Adventures

June 26, 2018 exploRVistas 29 Comments

June 16-23, 2016 – New Hampshire and Vermont

At the end of our last post, we alluded to the fact that our upcoming time in New Hampshire was “more of an adventure than we bargained for”. As we were headed to our campground in Shelburne, NH, we stopped to fuel up along the way. Not too long after that, our truck started sputtering and losing power. I knew I had put diesel fuel in it, as I always check that first. To boot, I was in a semi lane and my receipt says I bought diesel. Anyway, we pulled over into another station and weighed our options. While I checked the air filter for obstructions, Diana called a garage. It was Saturday afternoon, and she just happened to get a diesel mechanic on the line. He suspected water in the line and suggested I put some Heet water-dispersing additive in the tank, which I did. I also drained the water separator and found water in the fuel. Long story short, it helped for a bit. A few miles from the campground, it acted up again, so we decided a visit to a Ford garage was in order. We originally had planned to leave Shelburne on Monday to meet Diana’s cousin and family in Rutland, Vermont on Friday, so we knew our plans would have to be adjusted. Many thanks to the wonderful couple who own Timberland Campground for being so accommodating! More on the truck in a bit…

Now that we had some time, we set out to visit a few of the local sites! Our original plans were to visit Mt Washington, so that was the first thing in our queue. We had visited this peak 30-some years ago on a cold, cloudy and windy day, so we really wanted to see it on a nice day. June 17 was picture perfect, so we hopped into Edsel 2 and headed to the Mount Washington Auto Road. When we arrived, the attendant said to me “Move your leg”. Is this the Hokey-Pokey? No, he wanted to look at the shift lever to see if our vehicle had a low gear, a requirement for this climb and descent. Turns out that they have a long list of vehicles not allowed on this road, including dually pickups, so all of our fellow fifth wheelers take note. Our long box crew cab pickup…while not a dually…would have been too long. There are even weight limits on how much a vehicle can carry. From their website:

“The weight limits below are referring to passenger and luggage weight, not the weight of your vehicle. These are approximate numbers used as guidelines.

Full size car or wagon: 900lbs
Dodge Caravan, Plymouth Voyager prior to 1996: 600lbs (272 kg)
Dodge Caravan, Plymouth Voyager 1996 and newer: 900lbs (408 kg)
All other mini-vans: 900lbs (408 kg)
3/4 or 1/2 ton van, pickup or SUV: 900lbs (408 kg)
One-ton van or pickup: 1050lbs (476 kg)”

Makes you wonder why they singled those pre-1996 Chrysler minivans out… 🙂

So up we went. The route is a narrow, twisty road with an average 12% grade that was first opened to traffic in August of 1861. You read that date right…1861. Since not much has been done to the road since then, we weren’t able to dislodge our fingernails from the steering wheel and armrests long enough to take photos of it. 😉 Once at the top, we put the Nikon to work!

Panoramic view from the summit of Mt. Washington, NH

Look at that view! The black line snaking below the summit is the Cog Railway, which is an alternate way to get to the top.

Mt. Washington Cog Railway

While we were at the summit, this locomotive and car came up to the top. And what about those two hikers in the lower right corner?

Two hikers on the Appalachian Trail on Mt Washington, NH

They are on the Appalachian Trail, which crosses Mt. Washington.

Jim and Diana at the summit of Mt. Washington.

Look at us…we made it to the summit! It was a tough climb from the parking lot. 🙂

Well worn benchmark at the top of Mt Washington, NH.

The benchmark is well-worn, as many folks have made their way to this point.

For those who don’t know, Mt. Washington has a weather station at the top. The peak is known to have some nasty weather extremes, and it is a testing ground for many outdoor products.

Sign explaining the highest wind speed observed by man.

It was at this building that the highest wind ever observed by man was recorded: a whopping 231 miles per hour! A higher wind was recorded by automated equipment since then in the southern hemisphere, but there weren’t any people present when it occurred.

Building on Mt Washington where the highest wind speed witnesses by man was recorded.

As you can see, they have chains over the building to keep it from blowing away.

Unlike our first visit, June 17, 2018 had very little wind and missed the record for the warmest day for that date by two degrees.

Besides Mt. Washington, we checked out a few other places in the area that were recommended to us by Laurie at Timberland. One that really stood out was Glen Ellis Falls.

Upper falls on the Ellis River

The trail starts a few miles south of the Mt. Washington Auto Road and heads under NH-16 via a tunnel. It isn’t long before cascades start to appear in the river, similar to the one shown above. As the trail winds lower and lower into the canyon, we soon came upon Glen Ellis Falls.

Glen Ellis Falls on the Ellis River, just north of Jackson, NH.

They were absolutely beautiful! We then continued down the road a ways to Jackson to see a recommended covered bridge.

Jackson, NH covered bridge, built in 1876.

As well maintained as it was, we were certain it was fairly new. We were surprised to see that it was built in 1876! There wasn’t a weight limit posted on it either.

On Tuesday, we got the truck back from the Ford garage in New Berlin. Verdict was that they drained a quarter tank of fuel to get rid of the water. They also replaced the fuel filters. It ran well on the way back to the campground. The next day, we hooked up and headed out. About 45 minutes into our drive, it started missing again. We ended up limping into a campground just east of St. Johnsbury, Vermont…short of our intended destination. They had an open site, so we set up and headed to Twin State Ford. At this point, we were at a total loss as to what was wrong. Jordan in the service department told us they would get on it the next day. Once again, we had time on our hands! What to do when you are given a basket of lemons????

Lemonade

Make lemonade! We drove around town to see what there was to do.

St. Johnsbury Welcome Center in the old train depot.

Diana found the St. Johnsbury Welcome Center, which is located in this beautiful train depot. The depot still has the cool old benches, along with the antique communication equipment used to deal with the trains in the past. The man working the counter, Richard, loaded us up on all sorts of unique things to see and do. First thing we did was to head across the street to Anthony’s Diner to get one of their delicious burgers.

The next day, we headed to Dog Mountain. This is a very special place, founded by artist Stephen Huneck and his wife. It is acres of off-leash trails for people to bring their dogs.

Chapel at Dog Mountain, near St Johnsbury, VT

There also is a Dog Chapel, for people to reflect and remember their deceased furry friends.

Dog Chapel sign, near St Johnsbury, VT

The sign points out, in so many words, that it is non-denominational.

Dog Chapel interior, near St Johnsbury, VT

The chapel is filled with messages and pictures of peoples dogs, along with some of Huneck’s artwork.

Stained glass windows in Dog Chapel, near St Johnsbury, VT

The stained glass windows were all dog-themed, of course. 🙂

Gallery at Dog Mountain, near St Johnsbury, VT

Huneck’s studio and gift shop was full of his work, also. Diana was familiar with his children’s books, so she was excited to see the place that inspires him. Dog Mountain was a very enjoyable place to hang out for a bit!

Next up was the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum.

Public library and art gallery in St Johnsbury, VT

What is that, you ask? Well, besides being a pretty old building, it is a public library and art gallery. It was donated to the city in 1871 by Horace Fairbanks, heir to the Fairbanks Scale fortune. Those scales are still made today.

Interior of library in St Johnsbury, VT

While the art gallery was closed for renovation, the building was a work of art itself!

The last place we visited that day was the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium.

Museum and planetarium in St Johnsbury, VT

This building was also donated by the Fairbanks family, along with many of the objects in it. Our Museum of the Rockies membership and it’s ASTC reciprocal agreement gave us free admission. We paid extra to see the planetarium, as it just happened to be the solstice! Our presenter, Bobby, was a hoot. Imagine giving the late Robin Williams the controls to the star machine and you get the picture. 🙂

The next day, our truck was ready. They found a technical service bulletin on it that pointed to a programming issue, so they reprogrammed the computer. They also did several other things that they had discovered, unrelated to the engine problems. We decided to stay one more night and give the truck a good test run without the trailer attached. About 20 miles away was the town of Cabot, Vt…home to Cabot Creamery.

Cabot Creamery, Cabot, VT

Nothing like a test drive combined with cheese sampling! We had a very enjoyable visit, picking up some cheese, preserves and cool t-shirts to boot! We are happy to report that the truck did just fine.

On the 23rd…a day late, we headed to Rutland to meet up with Philip and Marlene, and their children Miles and Leah. Before heading to their place, we set up our rig at a Harvest Hosts location, Autumn Mountain Winery and Cabins. Philip and Marlene own Same Sun of Vermont, a design and installation company that deals in residential and commercial solar-electric systems. They took us to show us their office in downtown Rutland in their Chevy Bolt. Talk about a fast car…it does 0 to 60 in 6.3 seconds! Their offices were beautiful, and they have a huge list of satisfied customers. 🙂 We went to dinner afterwards and got caught up on each other’s lives.

Philip and Marlene

Thank you Philip and Marlene for a wonderful evening!

Oh, and the truck ran like a champ all the way to Rutland. 🙂

Next up, we head over to New York State and the Adirondack Mountains. Be sure to see our next post for what we find over there. Until then safe and happy travels to all!

Maine, National Parks

Acadia 2018 – Week Two

June 21, 2018 exploRVistas 16 Comments

June 9-13, 2018 – Acadia National Park, Maine

Our second week at Acadia brought us more beautiful weather, so we made sure to take advantage of it. Quite honestly, we had no idea what to expect for early June when we booked our reservations earlier this year. We were pleasantly surprised, to say the least!

On June 9, we headed to Gorham Mountain. This trail is the first in a series of trails leading to the peaks in the southeastern part of the park.

Z15

We didn’t have to climb very far for the views to open up. This view looks south towards Otter Point.

Z16

Diana spotted this beautiful buck as he crossed the trail ahead of us.

And here is the summit!

Z17

Back in the 1990’s, we continued on to the next peak (Champlain Mountain) from this point with our golden retrievers, Kate and Dakota. In between, we dropped down to a small mountain lake called The Bowl where they enjoyed swimming. Then we retraced our steps back to the car. That was a full day! While this day wasn’t near as long, it was still a challenging climb. On our way back down, we met an ornithologist who works in the park. We were able to interview him right on the trail to fulfill our junior ranger requirements! His favorite thing in Acadia? Birds. 🙂

On June 10, we thought we would give ourselves a little break, so we went to the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor. This is actually a second location for them, with the first being within Acadia National Park boundaries. Founded in 1926 by Dr. Robert Abbe, a prominent New York physician, this affiliate of the Smithsonian Institute showcases the Native American people of the region.

The area is unique in that several tribes banded together in order to better deal with the incoming European settlers. They called themselves Wabanaki. It is interesting that their tribal boundaries don’t coincide with the international boundaries, so that presents a whole host of challenges even to this day.

One of the things we found fascinating was their collection of root clubs. These were carved from the lower portion of small trees.

And while they are intricate and quite beautiful, one has to think how much it would hurt to get a clunk on the head from one of these!

From Abbe Museum, we went to Thuya Gardens in Northeast Harbor. To get there, we had to climb Asticou Terraces, a 200 foot high path sculpted into the side of Juniper Hill.

zzz1

From the top, a commanding view of Northeast Harbor can be seen. It is considered a pleasure harbor, even though there are a number of lobster boats here.

zzzz

Set back from the terraces is Thuya Lodge, the summer home of Joseph H. Curtis. He was a Boston-based landscape architect. He designed the terraces after finishing the home in 1916. The interior is much the way it was when he died in 1928, including the furnishings. The gardens that now sit behind the home were actually an apple orchard he had planted. His friend Charles Savage completed the gardens at a later date.

zzzzz

This is the lone surviving apple tree from the Curtis orchard.

zzz2

Not a lot was currently in bloom, but the space was peaceful and green.

zz10

Definitely a nice place to spend a little time.

Next, we visited one of Savage’s other creations, Asticou Gardens.

zz6

It sits down at road level, not far from the Asticou Terraces.

zz7

There was a lot more in bloom down there!

June 11 started out rainy, so after taking care of paperwork at home, we went down to the Bar Harbor waterfront and ate dinner at Geddy’s. We noticed that they had some gluten free offerings on their sign out front, so that was what attracted us. Imagine my surprise when the waiter told us that all their fryers and breading were gluten-free (made with rice and other flours instead of wheat, barley and rye), as it was just easier for them to do that than to have to be careful about cross contamination.

zz5

That is the first deep fried fish I’ve had since 2011…and it was outstanding! Washed down with an Omission GF lager, of course! Note: We came back later in the week to try their pizza. Pat’s…another pizza joint in town… is better and FAR cheaper.

June 12 brought us another new Acadia experience. All the years we’ve been coming here, we had no idea that the park has a bona fide waterfall. We set out on John D. Rockefeller’s carriage roads to find it.

This is the bridge that spans the creek below the falls.

Climbing down into the creekbed, you are able to see how Rockefeller had the arch built off-perpendicular to the roadway.

His reasoning was so that the arch itself framed the cascade. While it wasn’t flowing much, it still was beautiful.

Instead of retracing our steps down the carriage road, we opted to take the trail that runs along the creek bed.

Z11

Plenty of tree roots, rocks, ferns, pine needles and the forest scent that we love so much. We did not see another soul on this trail. 🙂

When we returned to the car, we drove to the Abbe Museum location that is in the park. Our admission for both locations was covered by our North American Reciprocal Museum membership.

Z12

This is one of only two independent trail-side museums in the national parks. The other is at Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park. This location opened in 1928.

On June 13, we decided to go see Thunder Hole, the chasm that rumbles and sprays seawater everywhere when conditions are right. We knew there was a strong southerly wind, so there was a chance we would be in luck. For reference, Thunder Hole is on the southeast shore of Mount Desert Island.

Z13

This is so typical of what most tourists think of Acadia. Buses pull up bringing throngs of people off of the cruise ships to see a few attractions. Conditions weren’t right, so Thunder Hole was quiet…yet these folks all were waiting for something to happen. I could see off in the distance across the bay that waves were breaking on Schoodic Peninsula’s southwest shore. So off we went for Otter Point, just to the south of Thunder Hole.

zz2

As we’ve so often found, a short distance can bring solitude at Acadia. Those buses are about a quarter mile back around to the left. 🙂

Z14

The farther west we walked, the bigger the surf was.

zz1

This trail is called Ocean Path, and it has quite a few elevation changes.

zzzzzz

And there is what we came for! We love to see that water splashing up off the Maine coast. 🙂

That wraps up our time heading up the Eastern Seaboard. Next up, we head inland towards New Hampshire. That turns into more of an adventure than we bargained for, so be sure to stop by for our next installment to see what happened. Until then, safe and happy travels!

Maine, National Parks

Acadia 2018 – Week One

June 17, 2018 exploRVistas 23 Comments

June 1-8, 2018 – Acadia National Park, Maine

If there is one place in the United States that speaks louder to us than all the others, Acadia National Park is it. This was our tenth visit here since 1986. Even after two weeks of exploring the park, we found it difficult to leave. In our February 2015 post, Acadia National Park – Throwback Thursday, I stated “Diana and I chuckle when we meet people who tell us that they spent the day there and ‘saw everything there was to see’. We have yet to become bored with Acadia, and we discover another layer each time we go.” We are happy to report that we still were able to uncover even more of Acadia’s layers. With this being our longest visit to date, we are going to divide our stay into two posts.

As is most often the case for us, our base was at Mt. Desert Narrows Camping Resort. Located on Thomas Bay, it gives an incredible view of the areas twelve foot tides.

z22

This photo was taken from our campsite at low tide. The entire bay empties out for several hours…

z21

…only to have the water return a few hours later. 🙂

After picking up our park literature and Junior Ranger books, we started reacquainting ourselves with the park. On June 2nd, we drove up to the summit of Cadillac Mountain.

z10

This peak sits at 1530 feet above sea level, and offers tremendous views of the area. We climbed this mountain back in the 1990’s with our dogs, Katie and Dakota.

The benchmark for the true peak is not the Summit Trail where they send the tourists. It is actually up the hill behind the gift shop on the South Ridge Trail.

From there, we drove down to Jordan Pond House, a restaurant within the park boundaries. This is the place where the elite used to come for afternoon tea and popovers on the expansive lawn.

z19

To our surprise, the ‘lawn’ was in the middle of a major restoration! Oh well…maybe next time. They actually are slated to have the project completed by the end of June.

Behind Jordan Pond House is a trail head that leads down to Jordan Stream. Taking that short trail is probably the best example of how easy it is to find solitude in this well used park. As you walk down through the pines, the sound of the people at the restaurant fades away quickly. After crossing one of the park’s motor-free carriage roads, the human voices are replaced with the sounds of the stream.

z20

We’ve taken this trail multiple times, always with that same result. On a sidenote, that bridge is the beginning of the hike up Penobscot Mountain, the path we took on our 25th wedding anniversary in 2007. 🙂

On June 3, we returned to one of our favorite climbs, South Bubble Mountain.

z11

This is the first trail we did at the park back in 1986. This vista looks south over Jordan Pond, a body of water we have kayaked several times. It was a tad nippy for us to put them on the lake this time.

z12

Along the east side of the mountaintop is Bubble Rock, a glacial erratic that was deposited here at the end of the last ice age. While it looks like it is going to fall, it is actually quite stable. The rock it is made of came from strata nearly 40 miles to the north.

As always, South Bubble summit brings a smile to our faces! One note on this trail: The park has improved the mid-section of this path since our last visit. If you were here in the past, you will find this hike a lot easier than it used to be.

On June 4, we drove the remainder of the Park Loop Road.

z18

Sand Beach had plenty of people on it, despite being on the frigid waters of the North Atlantic. The beach is actually made up of fine pieces of granite and is the only ocean beach in this area of Maine. This spot is usually the place to be on a hot August day.

z13

While we were standing there, one of the cruise ships that frequent Bar Harbor could be seen leaving the port.

Further up the road, we stopped at the Precipice Trail. It is currently closed because a pair of Peregrine falcons are attempting to nest there, as is quite often the case. That challenging trail along the cliffs of Champlain Mountain was laid out by Rudolph Brunnow at the beginning of the 20th century.

z17

Brunnow was a well-to-do Princeton professor back then He built this ‘cottage’ below the trail for his English fiancee, who was coming to America to marry him. She unfortunately never saw it, as she booked passage to the United States on the Titanic in 1912.

June 6 took us to the western side of Mount Desert Island, commonly known as the ‘quiet side’. Most of the parks activity is found on the east side of the island, so its nice to see the little fishing villages over here. We did some shopping in Southwest Harbor, a quaint town on a working harbor.

z15

This is also where Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse is located. This is a tough photograph to get, as that spruce tree to the right of the light has grown quite a bit over the years.

On the way back, we stopped at Atlantic Brewing Company. Since the last time we were here in 2010, they’ve partnered with Mainely Meat BBQ. We were stuffed by the time we left!

The next day, we took on a new-to-us hike. This was a relatively easy walk on a carriage road along the west side of Eagle Lake, followed by a rock scramble up the side of Conner’s Nubble. A quick word about the carriage roads: John D. Rockefeller donated and supervised the construction of over 50 miles of these paths on Mount Desert Island.

z14

His roads are beautiful. They are open to hikers, horses and non-motorized bikes.

These sign posts can be found at path intersections. The numbers on the bottom of the posts correspond with the numbers found on the carriage road map.

The path up to the top of Conner’s Nubble was one of the toughest we had seen in the park. It didn’t seem to be heavily traveled, so maintaining it must not be a priority.

But check out this view above the trees! That is Eagle Lake, looking north. Our car is parked at the far end, for reference.

z23

Retracing our steps, we passed under one of the beautiful stone bridges that grace the carriage roads.

On June 8, we did another trail we had never done before; Great Head.

This is a fairly easy path that runs along the backbone of Great Head, just to the east of Sand Beach. There are some nice coastal views from the summit, including this one over the rock called Old Soaker.

z16

This is also one of the best places to see Egg Rock Lighthouse, short of being on a boat. Schoodic Peninsula can be seen in the distance.

These smiles are beginning to become a theme here! No doubt about it, the trails at Acadia make us very happy. 🙂

From there, we drove up to the top of Cadillac Mountain again to catch a sunset. While sunrises are popular from up here (its the first place to see the sun in the U.S. each morning), we prefer the other end of the day.

As usual, the sunset from Blue Hill Overlook was beautiful. If you ever come for a sunset here, come early (to get a parking spot), dress warm, and stay a half hour after the sun actually sets. If there are wispy clouds, the entire sky lights up at that point.

That’s our first week at Acadia National Park! Be sure to check in next time when we discover several other new places undiscovered on previous visits. Until then, safe and happy travels!

Harvest Hosts, Maine, New Hampshire

Northward into Maine

June 13, 2018 exploRVistas 21 Comments

May 29-30, 2018 – Brentwood, NH

May 31, 2018 – Fairfield, ME

Pulling up stakes in Cape Cod and heading northward into Maine, we made a couple of noteworthy stops. The first one was in Brentwood, New Hampshire at a Boondockers Welcome location, Winterwood Farm.

Our hosts provided us with a level site next to their barn for two nights, complete with 30 amp electric. Per the rules of the organization, we won’t reveal their names on social media or this blog. We will say that they were wonderful hosts!

After getting to know them a bit, we headed off to the town of Exeter, New Hampshire. We had dinner reservations, as it was my sweetie’s birthday!

We had a window seat at a place called Hemmingway’s. It was yummy!

From there we headed to Stone Church in the town of New Preston, an 1824 former church turned pub. We were looking for live music, and it turns out our host was playing banjo in a jam session that night.

What a great time! We stuck around for several songs, then headed home for the night.

The next day, we explored the area a bit. Diana’s long-time friend Debi has a brother who is part owner of North Country Hard Cider, which was located nearby in the town of Rollinsford. Unfortunately they were closed that day, but we were able to purchase some of North Country’s Original Press at a local convenience store. They definitely have a great product!

We also visited Flag Hill Distillery and Winery in the village of Lee that day. While we found their wine to be a bit sweet for our tastes, their bourbon was amazing and their rye whiskey was even better! We bought a bottle of the rye. 🙂

We had a fantastic stay at Winterwood Farm. If you are a Boondockers Welcome member, be sure to look them up. They are wonderful hosts!

The next day, we headed into Maine. We came to the Pine Tree State once every three years, from 1986 through 2010. That streak was sidetracked while we were responsible for Diana’s mom, so we missed 2013 and 2016. Crossing the border was like coming home. Our destination for the night was a Harvest Host location, Misty Acres Alpaca Farm in Sidney.

What an amazing place! Charlie greeted us and gave us a choice of places to park. We chose the big barn, giving us a chance to fill our water tank and grab enough electric to keep our battery charged.

Not only that, we had a nice view of the pasture!

The alpacas were adorable!

They aren’t fond of being petted, but they are very curious. 🙂

Diana took the opportunity to bottle feed one of the little ones. It had yet to be named; she put her vote in for the name Cocoa.

This tiny white one is named Miracle. She was prematurely born on a very cold spring evening. Fortunately Charlie found her when he fed the herd, as she would have froze by morning. He and his wife Connie took her in the house and gave her warm baths and nursed her back to health. She is doing really well!

They also have a store filled with alpaca clothing.

We brought home a pair of socks, a scarf, and a few shoe inserts. I’m here to tell you that the inserts are like a dream in my slippers!

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay with Charlie and Connie! They welcomed us back, and we will definitely take them up on that!

Next up: We come home to Acadia, after an eight year hiatus. Be sure to stay tuned for what will be multiple posts on this beautiful slice of heaven. Until then, safe and happy travels!

Note: Be sure to take a look at our header menu for our new page Modifications and Repairs. This is the place that deals with anything of that nature in our travels thus far. As new issues crop up, we will share them with you on that page.

Massachusetts, National Parks, TerraTrike

Captivating Cape Cod

June 10, 2018 exploRVistas 22 Comments

May 24-28, 2018 – Cape Cod, Massachusetts

If you ever find yourself running north through Bishop, California on US-395, just past the Upper Crust Pizza Parlor, you will see a sign for US-Route 6. That is the western terminus of one of the longest highways in the United States. The eastern end is the subject of this post: Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Far different from the desert landscape out west, this forested peninsula juts into the Atlantic Ocean, only to curl back towards the Massachusetts mainland it came from. It somewhat looks like the left arm of the Notre Dame fighting leprechaun. 🙂

Cape Cod was our next stop after our stay in Rhode Island. We allowed ourselves five days to explore the area, which was a nice amount of time to get a feel for this unique place. Our base camp was in Eastham, about halfway up the forearm, so to speak. We stayed at Atlantic Oaks RV Resort, which was conveniently located on the Cape Cod Rail Trail, a 22-mile long asphalt path between South Dennis and Wellfleet.

z13

As you can see by our truck, we were inundated with pollen. 🙂 That has been the downside of following the blooming dogwood trees all the way up the coast. The weather has been decent, though!

And check out that beautiful bike path. This was one of the best marked trails we had ever been on, with motion sensors at many of the road crossings to alert the drivers. When it crossed busy Route 6, it was either by dedicated bridge or tunnel. Plenty of pretty views along the way. We rode portions of this route three separate times, as the weather allowed.

Any chance for us to get out on the trikes is sure to put smiles on our faces!

The area is also home to Cape Cod National Seashore. This park covers 40 miles of Atlantic coastline, and is just above 43,000 acres in size. It was created in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy. When not on the rail trail, we could be found in the park!

This is the view from the visitor center. While this looks like an inland lake, it is actually a salt water pond that is subject to the ocean tides. It is aptly named Salt Pond, and it is smack in the middle of the Cape.

With the miles of coastline comes a multitude of lighthouses. This is Nauset Light, which was fairly close to our campground.

And near that were the relocated Three Sisters lights. These were originally fixed light beacons, built long before the lenses rotated. Ships could tell where they were by the fact that there were three of them lit. When the National Park Service restored them, they only rebuilt one lantern room.

Farther up the coast is the Highland Lighthouse. This 1857 structure was moved 400 feet back from the sea in 1996. International Chimney Corporation of Buffalo was the contractor responsible for the work, three years prior to their similar accomplishment at Cape Hatteras.

We also visited the Edward Penniman House, which was the home of a very successful whaling captain.

z11

Our guide, a former builder from New Jersey, has been giving tours of the home for over twenty years. While the home itself lacked furniture and was in need of repair, he was able to tell the story of the family that lived here. It was nice to see such a dedicated volunteer. 🙂

We also visited the Old Harbor Life Saving Museum. This structure is at the north end of Cape Cod. The plywood on the windows covers blown out windows from winter storms earlier in the year. As are many of the structures along this coast, this building was in danger of falling into the sea. It was moved here from further down the shore by barge in 1977. This museum is maintained exactly as it would have been when it was a lifesaving station, right down to the living quarters. We wanted to see this place, as we are going to be volunteering in a similar building in Michigan later this summer.

Our tour guide gave us a very detailed description of what occurred at this facility.

z10

Room by room, David explained at length the day-to-day life at this remote outpost. The men who worked here never had a chance to become bored, as they were constantly practicing for a possible shipwreck rescue.

z12

He inspired us for our upcoming experience, and we will using some of what he taught us in our tours. We’ll just have to be careful not to call a harbor a hah-bah. 🙂

That wraps up our enjoyable stay on Cape Cod! We had a great time exploring this special place. Next up, we make a couple of nice stops in New Hampshire and Maine as we move north towards Acadia National Park. Be sure to stay tuned for that. Until then, safe travels to all!

Take note that we have added a Disclosure and Privacy Policy page immediately below our header, to bring us in compliance with GDPR. Many thanks to Gaelyn at Geogypsy for alerting us to the need for it, Ingrid at Live Laugh RV for help in setting it up and Nina at Wheelingit for a wealth of information on the subject.

Connecticut, Rhode Island

Connecticut and Rhode Island

June 5, 2018 exploRVistas 16 Comments

May 18-22, 2018 – Connecticut & Rhode Island

After spending a week in the Empire State, we continued our journey northeastward along the coast. The pace slowed considerably as we rolled into Connecticut, and even more so as we entered Rhode Island. We also met up with some friends, which made our time there even better. 🙂

Our first stop was Bethlehem, Connecticut to see a dear friend from our college days. We stayed at a very nice Harvest Hosts location, March Farm, but we were in such a hurry to meet up with Paul we failed to get a photo. Their spiced peaches were yummy!

z13

Paul was my best man, a fellow Zamboni driver at the ice arena at Western Michigan University, and one of the first people I met in my freshman year. Diana and him were good friends throughout that time also. We met up for dinner at the White Horse Pub in New Preston and caught up on each others lives. Before too long, we were laughing and reminiscing about all the fun things we did back when we were in college. A very enjoyable evening, indeed. 🙂

The next day we drove to Guilford, CT to check out that area for a bit.

We stayed at a Harvest Hosts location called Bishop’s Orchards. This was actually their retail side of their operation, located directly on US-1. Still, it was plenty quiet for us. They had a store that was fabulous, with everything from specialty meats and cheeses to wine, produce, and ice cream.

They also had llamas, goats, pigs, and other assorted farm animals. It rained like crazy the full day we were there, so we didn’t do much exploring. We did go out to dinner, just to get out of the rig for a bit. There was a wedding going on at their venue next door that wrapped up early in the evening. We felt bad for them, as it just poured the entire day.

On Sunday, May 20, we headed for Rhode Island. We quickly passed through this tiny state on I-95 back in 2007, so we didn’t know much about it. This time, we made plans to go to dinner with our friends Jerry and Linda from our park in Florida, as this area is their home.

z15

Our campsite at Fisherman’s Memorial State Park was huge! We quickly got everything set up before our friends came by to pick us up. We went a few miles east to Galilee to a little seafood joint called Champlin’s. It was delicious!

z16

The restaurant overlooked Galilee Salt Pond Harbor, and was just north of Salty Brine State Beach. Jerry explained to us that the little park was named after a local TV and radio personality he remembered as a kid.

zzzzz — © New England Historical Society

Salty Brine’s afternoon TV show, Salty’s Shack, ran for more than 50 years. It featured Popeye, Little Rascals and the Three Stooges films and cartoons. In the morning, he would read off the school closings on WPRO-AM. Two towns in western Rhode Island, Foster and Gloucester, typically received more snow than other parts of the state. With his New England accent, Salty would lump them together and shorten them to “No school Fosta Glosta!” He reminded us of our own Michigan weatherman when we were growing up, Sonny Eliot.

z12

It was great to see Linda and Jerry again! We look forward to hanging out with them in Florida, come November. 🙂

On May 21 and 22, we explored the area around Narragansett a bit.

z11

Coming into town Narragansett Pier, the road goes under this historic building known as The Towers. Once connected to a large resort, this 19th century structure has survived multiple fires, nor’easters, and hurricanes. The Coast Guard House restaurant sits between it and the water.

z10

We sat at their bar and enjoyed an afternoon cocktail and the view. While there, we noticed a lighthouse blinking across the bay, so we drove over to check it out.

This is Beavervail Point Lighthouse State Park, located at the southern tip of Beavertail State Park. This light station was built way back in 1856. This is actually the third tower to be built here, the first having been constructed in 1749. We spent the afternoon enjoying the sunshine in the adjacent park.

We also visited Point Judith Lighthouse. This was the subject of one of my favorite Steven Dempsey photographs, The Wind and the Moon. The first tower was constructed here in 1810, with this one being built in 1857.

z14

Its light shines over Point Judith Harbor of Refuge and the Atlantic Ocean.

We really enjoyed our time in Connecticut and Rhode Island. These two tiny states are filled with acre upon acre of beauty. With their location being so close to Boston and New York, one would not expect the peace and tranquility we found here. We will definitely be back!

Next up, we head further northeast to Cape Cod for a week-long stay. Be sure to stay tuned for that. Until then, safe travels to all!

Fulltime RVing, National Historic Sites, New York, Work camping

Fun in the Hudson River Valley

June 1, 2018 exploRVistas 24 Comments

May 12, 13, 15 & 16, 2018 – Hudson River Valley, NY

As we stated a couple of posts back, our base for seeing New York City was Newburgh, New York. Located about an hour-plus north of NYC by rail, this charming area nestled in the Hudson River Valley is as if you are in a totally different world. The rolling hills are dotted with small farms and little towns, in contrast to the metropolis to the south. With us being in the vicinity for the better part of a week, we decided to explore and see what hidden gems we might find!

Saturday, May 12 was a cold, drizzly sort of day, we decided it would be a good opportunity to do some grocery shopping. On the way to the store, Diana did a little Google search and informed me that Angry Orchard Hard Cider was located near there in the town of Walden, and that they had live music that afternoon. Seeing that this cider is available across the nation, I had always assumed Angry Orchard to be a fictional place. Apparently, this wasn’t the case. I made a quick U-turn and we headed to the cidery. Groceries can wait until later!

z11

This very real place is filled with gnarly-looking apple trees. According to the company, the angriest trees produce the best cider.

It is here that they have what is known as their Innovation Cider House. This is where they offer new flavors and blends to their guests, before sending it out to the masses.

Everyone of drinking age is given a free flight of three different ciders, and the bar offers several other flavors for sale. As you can see in the photo above, the complimentary pours are a decent size! Diana also tried their Rose. I had a pint of their Maple Wooden Sleeper, which is aged in bourbon barrels. It has a somewhat dryness to it, with hints of maple, vanilla and bourbon. At 12% ABV…double their normal offering…it also earns the name ‘sleeper’!

They had a duo that afternoon, which made for a great atmosphere! We were sitting at community tables with several locals, which was a lot of fun.

They have a self-guided tour that ends with this showcase of the awards they’ve won. Most were from the Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition. Hmmmmm…..never heard of that, but it might be worth checking out sometime!

Sunday, May 13 was another rainy day, so we decided to head across the river to Hyde Park. We had visited this town back in 2007 to see Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s home and Eleanor Roosevelt’s cottage, Valkill. Both were amazing and are recommended by us, if you are in the area. This time, we visited FDR’s neighbor, the Vanderbilt mansion.

z10

Frederick and Louise Vanderbilt had this estate built in the late 1890’s as a summer escape from the heat of New York City. These are the people who owned the New York Central railroad and are responsible for the beautiful Grand Central Terminal we love so much. When Frederick passed in the 1930’s, he willed the mansion to his niece. After unsuccessfully trying to sell it, FDR convinced her to donate it to the National Park Service. It has been in their care since 1940.

z14

This is the dining room. The table actually looked small in this room, but our guide explained that the couple only entertained a few guests at a time.

z12

This is Louise’s bedroom. Lots of gold leaf adorning the walls.

z13

This is the man cave, so to speak. I’m sure there were plenty of cigars smoked in this room!

Tours are offered at $10 each. Although it doesn’t state it in their literature or on their website, NPS Interagency Annual Passholders are admitted at no charge. We didn’t check, but that is probably the same at the Roosevelt sites, so be sure to ask.

On Tuesday May 15, we decided to check out the nearby town of New Paltz with our friend Kathy. We met her while working at Amazon in 2016 and we’ve been fortunate to see her twice between then and now. Check out her new blog called Wonder Woman Wandering. After checking out a few stores, we grabbed a drink at a local watering hole. While there, everyone’s phones went crazy as there was a tornado warning. We looked at the radar and it appeared we were OK where we were, but we decided to head back to camp, just in case. Later that evening, a nasty storm hit. While it was bad by us, it was much worse just to our south. Huge trees were toppled everywhere and a couple of people were killed when they fell on them.

The next day, the three of us decided to do some more exploring. On a stop at Walgreens to pick up a prescription, we saw this:

z15

I guess this is why it’s a good idea to have a backup generator. All of their dairy coolers had lost power in the storm.

We headed to Minnewaska State Park on a quest to do a little hiking.

This is Awosting Falls from above. We continued down the trail to see what they looked like from below.

Very pretty! These falls are located on the Peters Kill River, which was flowing rapidly with the recent rains.

Diana and Kathy spotted this interesting boulder across the river with trees growing over it. 🙂

We then drove up to Lake Minnewaska to see what that looked like.

Kathy read a sign that told how the quartz that underlies the lake prevents the acidity from being filtered out. As a result, this body of water doesn’t have any fish. It is a picturesque scene, nonetheless.

On the way back, we made a stop at Kelder’s Farm in Kerhonkson.

z16

Kathy had spotted this garden gnome in Roadside America, as the largest in the world when it was made in 2006, and said “Now THAT’S a selfie moment!” By golly, I believe she is right!

To cap the day, we stopped at Tuthilltown Distillery to sample what they had to offer. They had some excellent bourbon, but their prices reflected their small size. We did enjoy the tasting, though!

That wraps up our time in New York and the Hudson River Valley for the time being. Next up, we visit with friends in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Be sure to stay tuned for that. Until then, safe travels to all!