Day 41 of #BoxsterRoadTrip and it is raining and dreary.
So, we decided today would truly be a day of rest. No traveling, no sightseeing, no stress. Just relaxing and doing pretty much nothing!
And tomorrow the sun is supposed to be shining and . . .
The journey WILL continue . . .
Day 40 of #BoxsterRoadTrip and we reached Boston!
This blog is posted a day late because, when we arrived on Friday night, the Boston traffic stressed us out so much, we just had to take a night off from blogging. So, it is a little late.
We left the lovely Airbnb “Colonial House in Quiet River Town” and headed south to Boston. The first stop was at a Starbuck’s (of course). The weather was cool but sunny, so we put the top down and continued on. The colors are finally starting to make Jo happy!
As we continued south, the colors continued to improve.
Jo’s cousin, Mabel, recommended that we stop for lunch at Billy’s Chowder House in Wells, Maine (just south of Kennebunkport, the summer home of former President George H W Bush). Another lobster for Jo! Mabel’s suggestion was spot on.
We continued on, crossed into New Hampshire and then into Massachusetts. We stopped in Salem for a few groceries and then onto Boston. After leaving Salem, the driving got a little bit stressful – it was Friday night, heavy traffic and unfamiliar territory. We finally pulled into Marriott’s Custom House around 8:00 pm, where we will be staying for a week. A little “down time”, a chance to do laundry and, of course, do some sightseeing and eat more lobster!
Even though we are staying in one place for a week . . .
The journey continues. . .
Day 39 of #BoxsterRoadTrip takes us from New Hampshire to Maine.
We left the lovely Eaton, New Hampshire and the Inn at Crystal Lake (a beautiful lake, as you can see by the photos) and we headed east to Maine. We were surprised when, after what seemed like only a few minutes, we saw the “State Line Maine” sign. We were now entering the state that would take us to our most eastern part of this journey. And to our 24th state (we are halfway there, as far as number of states go).
As we travelled east, we passed a number of lakes, and we took loads of photos. However, Jo is still disappointed in the foliage – she says it is not yet at peak. But we were not disappointed when we crossed the Penobscot Narrows Bridge. It is spectacular. We crossed it twice – late morning and then late afternoon. Both times were pretty awesome!
The objective today was to go to Acadia National Park, which was every bit as beautiful as we were told it would be. We drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain where the views were amazing and then we took the loop road around the park. And it was such a perfect day, we did this “topless”! Not bad for October in Maine.
We ended the day with dinner at Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound which is the first of many lobster dinners Jo intends to have before leaving New England!
Tomorrow we head south and . . .
The journey continues . . .
Day 38 of #BoxsterRoadTrip has us in three states – Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire!
We left Great Barrington, Massachusetts after one heck of a rain storm (including some hail) last night. Roads were still wet and the sky was grey and menacing, so we didn’t get very many photos in the early day. By 10:30 am we were crossing the state line into Vermont and on our way to Grafton to sample some Grafton Village Cheese. On the way, the GPS guided Jo to a road that said “Winding Gravel Road for Next 9 Miles”. Jo said “No way” and Steve said “Oh, just do it”. So another gravel road on our travels. I swear, the Boxster is beginning to think it is a Cayenne!
On a side note, I am disappointed that the foliage is still not at peak color (or even close). There is a little color, but so far, not much.
We left Vermont and crossed into New Hampshire. On our way to our destination of Eaton, we passed a little cottage in the woods! Can you imagine having a home like this in the middle of the forest?
Along the way, we did enjoy some fantastic scenery (but not much fall color). Nonetheless, we traveled on to Eaton, NH, where we are staying at the Inn at Crystal Lake and Palmer House Pub. This establishment is both a lovely and quaint B&B and also a Pub / Restaurant, which we plan to avail ourselves of shortly.
Tomorrow we travel to Maine.
The journey continues . . .
Day 37 of #BoxsterRoadTrip has us staying put and just doing some sightseeing in and around Great Barrington, Massachusetts.
We felt like we needed a day of not driving, so we took a very short trip to Chesterwood, the original country home of Daniel Chester French, who is best known for the Lincoln Statue in the Lincoln Memorial. Rather than blab about what we saw, I’ll just show you.
Our “break” is now over and tomorrow . . .
The journey continues . . .
Day 36 of #BoxsterRoadTrip took Jo on a trip down Memory Lane from Schenectady, New York to Pittsfield, Massachusetts (and on to Great Barrington, MA).
We started the day with Starbucks to get our hearts started and then a trip from Schenectady to the Hancock Shaker Village. The visit was special for a number of reasons. First, the Shaker Village is fascinating because of it’s simplicity and beauty. The buildings are amazingly well built and the furniture (for which the Shaker’s are known) is classic. Also, if you don’t know about the Shaker religion, it is a very interesting faith to learn about (and almost extinct).
Then there is the famous Shaker Round Barn. A visit to this village should be on everyone’s bucket list.
But the Hancock Shaker Village holds a special place for Jo because her maternal Grandmother (Irene Dallmeyer) worked for the Shakers during the Great Depression, tending their apple orchard. She did the work in exchange for 50% of the crop. She used those apples to make (hard) apple cider, which she would then sell to help to support her family. It was special to see the apple orchard that Grandma tended.
After leaving the Hancock Shaker Village, we drove to Pontoosuc Lake and then by the house where Jo’s Dad grew up. The woman who currently owns the home came out to ask why we were taking pictures of her home and then told us that Jean (across the street) remembers Jo’s Grandmother Leah. Amazing! And another great memory to tuck away.
The last stop was to visit Jo’s cousin Mabel, who lives next door to the house where Jo’s Mom grew up. Mabel has done a magnificent job of putting together the family genealogy and she has graciously shared her work with Jo. We had a great visit with Mabel, went next door and took pictures of the house where Jo’s Mom grew up (this time no one caught us!). We then headed to Great Barrington, where we are spending two nights at a Marriott Fairfield Inn (our first hotel stay on this trip). Tomorrow we will sleep late (yeah) and it will be a lazy day. Even so . . .
The journey continues . . .
Day 35 of #BoxsterRoadTrip took us from Geneva, New York to Schenectady, New York.
Today was a day of history, both in the traditional sense of history and also in tracing some of Jo’s history. We started by driving from Geneva to Seneca Falls, where we toured the Women’s Rights National Historic Park. We toured the museum, watched a film on Women’s Rights and visited the Wesleyan Chapel, where the movement first began. It was fascinating and a little bit intimidating to be in the same space as the great women who started the movement for equality.
We left Seneca Falls and Jo was in need of a Starbuck’s. Good luck with that one! We settled on a Dunkin Doughnuts coffee, which was wet and hot and kept Jo happy for a while. We decided to drive south along Cayuga Lake, the longest of the Finger Lakes. The scenery was wonderful.
At one point we wanted to stop in a state park and take a photo, but we were told we would have to pay $7.50 for the privilege. So we backtracked and found Taughannock Falls, a beautiful waterfall, which turned out to be a much better picture and free, to boot!
We continued on and the scenery along the way was beautiful and the road was straight and fairly empty. A nice Sunday drive in the country!
And while we were driving a Porsche Boxster, others were driving their horse and buggy! We are amazed at how many Amish communities we have come across in our journey. I guess I was under the misconception that the Amish were mostly in Pennsyvania and Iowa. Boy, was I ever wrong!
And we came across more barn quilts, this one was especially pretty.
Steve had to stop and get a picture of this “fire station”, because it is an “Engine and Hose Company”.
The day ended with a trip down memory lane for Jo. It started when we drove by the house that she grew up in (from age 4 to 13). This was followed by a drive by her old high school (Mohonasen). After this we drove to the Airbnb where we are staying (Casa LaValley) and this is where it really got weird. Turns out the hostess is the sister of one of Jo’s childhood friends, Pinky. It truly is a small world.
We went to dinner and on the way back, had to take this photo in Dad’s memory. Daddy, this one is for you!
The journey continues . . .
Day 34 of #BoxsterRoadTrip and we have left Canada and headed back to the USA!
We left Hamilton, Ontario after another beautiful view from the balcony of the Airbnb where we stayed and we headed off to Geneva NY. We did get on the Canadian equivalent of an Interstate (is that an Interprovince?) and took that to the border crossing where we sat and sat and sat. Another display of organized chaos! Or is it dis-organized chaos? We finally made it through and headed down the long (and less stressful) US-20.
All in all, it was a rather uneventful day, except of the rainstorm that started once we got inside Starbucks (with our umbrellas still in the car, of course). A little wetter, we continued on and the sun came out after 30 minutes or so. From that point on, it was beautiful.
We stopped for lunch at the Village of Leroy, NY, where we learned that this area also has barn quilts. I have included some of the barn quilt photos so you can see how different each one is.
This evening we are staying at an Airbnb called “Historic Victorian 1 central Geneva“. We joined the host and hostess for dinner at a cute restaurant in town called the Beef & Brew, which was a perfect end to a nice day. Tomorrow . . .
The journey continues . . .
Day 33 of #BoxsterRoadTrip and we had one thing on the agenda and that was to see the falls!
Jo woke up early to a spectacular view of Hamilton, Ontario from the living room of the Airbnb “Cozy upscale condo near city core“. Not a bad way to start the day; and it even got better from there!
After a late breakfast, we decided to take the back roads from Hamilton to Niagara Falls (Canadian side). That was a little bit of a mistake. At one point we got detoured by a police barricade (with no hint as to where to go to get around it). Then we encountered road repair after road repair. But the weather was beautiful and we were, thankfully, in no hurry. It took us about 90 minutes, but we finally reached Niagara, parked the car, and wandered down to the sidewalk that overlooks the falls. The picture on the right was our first view of the falls. OMG!!!! There are just no photos that can truly capture the magnificence of Niagara Falls! But we did take loads of photos, a few of which you can see below.
We took the Hornblower Niagara Cruise (it turned out to be about 15 minutes) for $20.00 each. Best forty bucks we’ve ever spent. The photos above were taken from the boat, as were those to the right.
After this spectacular, awe-inspiring cruise (and after drying out a bit) we went to lunch at the Sheraton Fallsview Restaurant, where we could continue oohing and aahing as we had enjoyed both lunch and the view (this time staying dry). The last photo was taken from the Fallsview Restaurant.
Just as we got back to our car, it started to rain. Now how is that for timing?
Tomorrow we head back to the USA and . . .
The journey continues . . .
Day 32 of #BoxsterRoadTrip has us traveling from Frankenmuth, Michigan to Hamilton, Ontario.
And that is about all we did – travel. It was foggy and not a good day for photos. However, we did stop for gas before crossing the border and I took this photo just for my good friend, Sue, to bring back memories of our youth! So, SueBee, this one is for you!
Tonight we are staying at an Airbnb called “Cozy upscale condo near city core “. It is a real cute 31st floor condo and we have it all to ourselves for two nights. How sweet is that?
Tomorrow is Niagara Falls, so we should have some photos for you.
The journey continues . . .
Day 31 of #BoxsterRoadTrip took us from Richmond, Indiana to Frankenmuth, Michigan.
We left the lovely and homey Airbnb called “Blue Chestnut Room in Garden Manor” and our gracious hosts Janine and Colin after a fantastic breakfast and wonderful conversation. We could have spent more time with these very nice folks and highly recommend their Airbnb accommodation if you are ever in Richmond, IN.
It was very foggy when we left and we decided it was even more prudent to keep off of the interstates and take the US highways. So we headed north on US-127, driving extra carefully. Jo was driving and remarked to Steve that, even though there weren’t many trucks on the 2-lane US highway, they were driving way too fast, given the weather conditions. Not ten minutes after that observation, we were detoured off of the highway because one 18-wheeler t-boned a second 18-wheeler. Notice, in the photo, the sign that says “Cross Traffic Does Not Stop”.
After the detour, we continued on our way (now in Ohio) and came upon a truck carrying ONE blade from one of those big windmills you see along many highways. When you see them off in the distance, it is hard to get an idea how big they are. But when we came upon this extra long truck, we had to snap this photo. All I can say is WOW!
We continued on our way and ultimately crossed into Michigan on our way to Frankenmuth and “The World’s Largest Christmas Store“! While it is certainly a huge store, with loads of decorations, we were disappointed that they did not have very many fairies. There were maybe three or four fairy decorations and they were marginal, at best. So there were not purchases made at the Christmas store.
However, late in the afternoon, we went into the town of Frankenmuth and found the cheese store. Yep, we bought more cheese. Our little ice chest is getting pretty full and we had better start having cheese and biscuits (crackers, for the Americans) soon! The town of Frankenmuth is cute and we had a German dinner at the Bavarian Inn (good food, good beer), followed by a drive over their wooden bridge. And that was a nice end to a long day.
Tonight we are staying at a B&B called Bender Haus.
Tomorrow we head north and leave the US for Canada (again). This time, Ontario.
The journey continues . . .
