NEW ENGLAND

Autumn in New England - what could be better??!!  From New Brunswick we drove down the Atlantic coast to Bar Harbor, Maine, in perfect weather.  Our campground was just a few miles away from the fabulous Acadia National Park, so on our first day we took the Loop Road around the Park, including the side road up to the top of Cadillac Mountain with its panoramic view of the town and the harbor below.

Bar Harbor from Cadillac Mountain

Further along the Loop Road we stopped at Sands Beach, then continued on to Jordan's Pond where we had chowder and their famous popovers for lunch - yum! - followed by a bit of biking on the carriage trails through the Park. 

Sands Beach in Acadia Park

Bar Harbor has a very active waterfront, with cruise ships, fishing boats, private yachts, and small boats - even a sailing schooner on a beautiful day.  The three cruise ships in harbor made the downtown area a bustling place, but there are plenty of shops and restaurants for everyone!

Schooner in Bar Harbor

One of our favorite afternoons was spent kayaking on Long Pond, admiring the rustic cabins in the trees, the  loons on the lake, and the leaves turning colors on the shoreline.

Kayaking on Long Pond

One evening we had dinner at Captain Nemo's, a truly funky bar near Bass Harbor.  The food was quite good though, and we were close enough to catch the sunset at the Bass Harbor Lighthouse. 

Captain Nemo's

Sunset at Bass Harbor Lighthouse

Our next stop was the small town of Farmington, Maine, which was our headquarters for an expedition an hour north to the spectacular Sugarloaf Resort and Golf Club, set in the mountains amid gloriously colorful leaves.  The golf course itself was demonically difficult, with a large river running across a couple of holes, a green in the MIDDLE of the river, steep hills and acres of sand traps, but one of the most fun courses we've ever played, we all agreed.  Our scores, however, were atrocious . . . .

Sugarloaf Golf Course

From Farmington it was a short trip into New Hampshire to our camp in Shelbourne, just a mile or so from the Appalachian Trail.  We took a short hike to experience this renowned trail, and it was beautiful.

Fording the Creek on the Appalachian Trail

Tropical Storm Nicole was making her presence felt in the Northeast and we had one entire day of pouring rain, but the next day was perfect, the air washed clear by the rain and wind, so we took a trip up Mount Washington.  At 6,288 feet it doesn't sound very big to us Northwesterners, but it's the tallest thing around here and deserves a lot of respect for its beastly weather.  It holds the world wind record at 281 mph . . .pretty incredible!  The road to the top is 7 miles long with an average grade of 12% - really steep.  There are no shoulders and no guard rails so it's a thrilling ride, both up and down.  At the top it was very windy, and the temperature was well below freezing, so we didn't stay long.  Why didn't we hike up it, you ask?  Some of us would have, but got voted down . . . .

Fair Warning!

White-Knuckle Driving!

Foliage on Mt. Washington

On the Top

Also in New Hampshire is the famous Kangamagus Highway over the White Mountains.  We saw some stunning mountain scenery and beautiful leaves, but sadly no moose . . . We saw "Watch Out For Moose" signs everywhere, but saw no moose in New England at all - skunked!  Well, I did see one, but he was a dearly departed moose on a tarp alongside the highway, not the way I wanted to see a moose . . .

River on the Kangamagus Highway

Near our campground in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, is the small town of Danville which has a great autumn celebration complete with toe-tapping music, lots of quilts, baskets, jewelry and apple butter for sale, and yummy choices for things to munch on while you browse.   On a perfect crisp fall day we joined in the fun - shopped, ate and browsed with the best of them! 

Autumn Celebration in Danville

Danville Church

The tiny town of Peacham wins the "cemetery with the best view" award, looking out over the sweeping panorama of Vermont hills, farms and bright leaves.  Peacham dates back to the 1700's, so there are some folks who've been enjoying this view for a long time . . . .

Peacham Cemetery

Vermont has many excellent trails, so Bob and I took advantage of another perfect fall day and hiked to the top of Mount Pisgah.  We definitely earned the beautiful views we had of Lake Willoughby below and the entire Northeast Kingdom of Vermont in the distance.  That trail was steep!

Bob on Mount Pisgah

The Northeast Kingdom of Vermont

Lake Willoughby

What You See If You Look Up in Vermont

Tropical Storm Nicole wreaked havoc with the leaves, but there were still enough left to make a glorious collage of color.  

Panorama Near St. Johnsbury

 Road to Sugar Ridge

Lucky Horse!

Sugar Maples

In Massachusets we took the ferry over to the island of Martha's Vineyard, a delightfully quiet and peaceful oasis not far from bustling Boston.  The day was clear, sunny, and very windy, so we had a thrilling ferry ride with big waves sending spray flying over the people sitting on the front deck.

Ferry to Martha's Vineyard

Martha's Vineyard was the center of the whaling industry in New England in the 1800's, and judging by the beautiful and substantial homes of the ships' captains it must have been quite lucrative.  Many of these homes have been lovingly restored and  lend charm to the waterfront.

Captain's Home

Edgartown Lighthouse

We were lucky enough to be in Barnstable on Cape Cod to witness a sensational sunset, followed by a crab cake dinner at a tradional Cape Cod restaurant - fabulous!

Cape Cod Sunset

Travelling in New England we've become very interested in early American history.  We've  read David McCullough's book John Adams and have watched the PBS series of the same name, so we were anxious to visit the John Adams National Historic Site, which includes the birthplaces of John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams.  These two homes are close together, both small and simple - obviously the Adams family was not wealthy.  We then visited the "Old House", a bigger, grander dwelling with many original furnishings on display which the Adams moved into in 1788.  It was quite extraordinary to see John Adams' actual desk, and glasses, and bed, and couch, and even the wing chair in his study in which he was sitting when he died.  As we climbed the stairs we held on to the same banister that John and Abigail grasped as they climbed the stairs 240 years ago.  In the corner of the kitchen stood the big clock owned by John and Abigail, still ticking away, measuring time just as it did back then.  This detail above all struck me, making me realize how continuously the thread of time stretches across the years and how 240 years is as nothing. A rose bush and some lilacs planted by Abilgail STILL GROW in the garden . . . . but John and Abigail have gone on . . . .

Birthplace of John Adams

On our last day in New England we drove south to Newport, Rhode Island, where we toured the Vanderbilt's mansion, the Breakers, perched on the bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.  The opulence of the Breakers is almost unbelievable - it's really hard to grasp the reality of a family living in such splendor.  

The Breakers in Newport

Sailboats in Newport's Harbor

As a young lad Bob served in the US Navy on the submarine USS Diodon, and as a former submariner he was most interested in visiting New London, Connecticut, to see the first nuclear submarine Nautilus.  We all enjoyed touring the Nautilus, marvelling at the tightness of the quarters and the lack of privacy on board.  And we had fun imagining Sailor Bob in his cute uniform . . . . 

Bob on the USSNautilus

Kibo and Moshi love fall . . . they especially like it when I bring them bright leaves to play with.  They love to pounce them and chase them around in the motorhome, then chew on them for a bit before cuddling up for a nap.   

Catching a Few Z's

Kibo with his Favorite Leaf

Both Navigators Asleep at the Switch!

Now we leave New England heading for the Big Cities of New York, Philadelphia, and Washington DC.   Time for some city fun . . .