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 . . .
Day 30 of our #BoxsterRoadTrip takes us from Bardstown, KY to Richmond, IN.
We started our day with a drive through rural Kentucky. Today had another first for Steve – seeing fields of tobacco and then seeing the drying sheds. There is not nearly as much tobacco as there once was (thank goodness), but it is still a viable crop in the south.
One interesting thing we have noticed in Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio has been something called Barn Quilts. This is something that is truly rural America and it is fun (and interesting) to see all the different designs and colors.
And speaking of barns, the question of the day is “Why are most barns painted red?”. We began to wonder about this and, of course, we had to “google it”. Turns out “Barns are Painted Red Because of the Physics of Dying Stars“. Or, to put it another way, because red ochre (FE2O3) is plentiful and cheap. So, it was originally a matter of economics (and today is probably more a matter of tradition).
After leaving Kentucky, we drove through Ohio (Steve got to drive across the bridge this time) and ended up in Indiana, where we encountered a little road work, which took us on a detour through rural Indiana, before arriving in Richmond.
Today was another sunny day, in the high 70’s. It is hard to believe this is really autumn. And tomorrow is supposed to be more great weather!
This evening we are staying at a lovely Airbnb called “Blue Chestnut Room in Garden Manor“. The hostess and host are delightful people. Another Airbnb gem!
The journey continues . . .
Day 29 of #BoxsterRoadTrip is being brought to you by Steve!
Okay, I, Steve, have been given responsibility for today’s journalistic article.
So, this is the start of our fifth week on the road having covered 6,250 miles and 15 states so far, and with 12 days left to Boston. Today is an Interstate day as there isn’t really an easy back roads way to get from here to there, so we do what we have to do – sit back and take it (the Interstate, that is). Of course the border between Illinois and Indiana is a river, the Wabash, which means a bridge – and Jo is on driving duty! But she doesn’t get off that lightly. The route into Kentucky takes us across the Ohio River (and a bridge!), but at 70 MPH she’ll make it before her driving shift ends.
Larry, the Innkeeper at Sidwell & Friends, sent us off this morning with mugs full of great coffee, so Steve didn’t need to set up search patterns for Starbucks in either Illinois, Indiana or Kentucky! Phew. However, Jo has started her “Are we there yet?” routine, so maybe we do need to find her more coffee!
Fuel consumption (miles per gallon) continues to go up as the car is getting heavier due to the weight of the bugs attached to the front end.
You will notice the lack of photos for today’s trip as they have been kind of blurred due to the speed we seemed to be maintaining! It appears that everyone heard we were going to travel the Interstate today because there seems to be very little traffic. Our side is virtually deserted. Maybe it is Monday or maybe everyone is just keeping clear of the crazy Californians!
As a sidebar, a suggestion for the Department of Transportation: there should be signs on the Interstates and US Highways to tell you that there is a time zone change ahead. This would make more sense than some of the signs you see along the way and be a lot more useful! Anyway, turns out we lost an hour about 65 miles back. Hope no one ran into it!
Jo commented around noon that she had not packed enough summer clothes. She didn’t say whether that meant more clothes in total or less winter ones; but it is 85 degrees outside and it is the end of September! We may be going shopping.
Interstate highways turn out to be even more monotonous than fields of corn and soy beans. Another reason for no photos of the journey. However, we did finally stop in Bardstown (known as the Bourbon capital of the world) to see if we could verify this claim. Had a wonderful tour of the 1792 Distillery, complete with tasting. We missed the annual Bourbon Festival by just a week! Oh, darn!
After the distillery, we stopped at the Basilica of St Joseph Proto-Cathedral for a tour of the first cathedral west of the Alleghenies.
Tonight we are snuggling down at Red Rose Inn in Bardstown after a light supper at the local tavern.
(Editorial notes by Jo)
The journey continues . . .
Day 28 of #BoxsterRoadTrip took us from Nauvoo IL to Mount Vernon IL by way of Missouri.
Today was a day of rivers, corn, soybeans, more corn, more soybeans and Mark Twain!
We left Nauvoo and headed south, along the Mississippi River on our way to Hannibal, Missouri to visit the boyhood home of Mark Twain. Steve had developed an optical nerve migraine, which was miraculously cured when we stopped at Starbuck’s for a coffee. So he didn’t get out of his turn at diriving!
We reached Hannibal around 11:00 and meandered around the town, visited the Mark Twain Museum, and learned a little bit about the author of such greats as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. For instance, I did not know that Mark Twain also wrote A Connecticutt Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. It was another sunny day and a great day for sightseeing.
After leaving Hannibal, we took backroads to Mount Vernon, Illinois, taking our own sweet time, crossing the Illinois River (another river!) and seeing lots more corn and soy bean fields. It is amazing how much of this county is covered with those two crops!
Tonight we are staying at the Sidwell Friends Bed and Breakfast in Mt Vernon, Illinois. This B&B is going to be a very tough act to follow – it is absolutely gorgeous! We will take photos in the morning (when the sun comes up and we are a little more “with it”) and I’ll post a few in tomorrow’s blog. For tomorrow . . .
The journey continues . . .
Day 27 of #BoxsterRoadTrip finds us in FIVE states!
We left Plattsmouth, Nebraska very early (6:30 am) and watched the sunrise as we drove south to Kansas. We wish we could have had the time to go to Kansas City, but not on this trip. We left Kansas and headed to Missouri, stopping at a restaurant called Toot Toot in Bethany, MO. Then we started across Missouri.
Missouri had long straight roads followed by more long straight roads. Jo had to give Steve a break driving because it was making him a little drowsy. First thing she did was run over a snake. That woke her up!
And then Steve woke up when we came across the camels! First, it was a Dromedary Camel! And then we saw the Bactrian Camel. We had to double back for photos, just to document that we weren’t losing our minds! Yep. ‘Em are camels!
We crossed back into Iowa (that was a surprise!) on our way to Illinois, just before we crossed the mighty Mississippi River. We followed the river north until we reached Nauvoo, Illinois.
Tonight we are staying at a historic (and lovely) B&B called The Nauvoo Grand. We have a beautiful room with a view and, even better, a deep tub to soak away the aches from 406 miles of driving!
The journey continues . . .
Day 26 of #BoxsterRoadTrip took us from Swisher, Iowa to Plattsmouth, Nebraska.
We left our friends Amy & Al in Swisher, IA at 8:30 am and headed to the Amana Colonies. We wandered around the East Amana and took a tour of the woolen mill. If there would have been any room in the Porsche I might have bought something, but space is at a premium!
We left Amana and headed for Madison County, of the famous Bridges of Madison County movie and the birthplace of John Wayne. We stopped for lunch at the Northside Café, which was featured in the movie and then went on to John Wayne’s house. After than, we headed for the bridges. We managed to drive by four of them (Imes, Holliwell, Cutler-Donahue, Rosewell) before time ran short and we had to boogie on down the road to Plattsmouth, Nebraska.
Imes Bridge
Holliwell Bridge
Cutler-Donahue Bridge
Rosewell Bridge
We arrived at the lovely Airbnb “County Living at it’s Finest” at 6:30 pm and our lovely hosts, Herb & Joyce, fed us dinner, complete with Margaritas! That is true Midwestern hospitality!
We are up early tomorrow for, as I keep saying . . .
The journey continues . . .
Day 25 of #BoxsterRoadTrip was a day of sightseeing in the Cedar Rapids / Iowa City area.
The day started with a beautiful Iowa sunrise. Then, after breakfast, it was off to the Devonian Fossil Gorge, an area created essentially by flooding (and this area has certainly seen more than its share of floods)! As the linked website says “Imagine walking on a 375 million year old ocean floor!”. Makes me feel like a youngster!
After the gorge, we headed to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch, IA. Neither of us had ever been to a Presidential Library and this one was fascinating. For example, I never knew Herbert Hoover was a Quaker. I never knew that Herbert Hoover was the first president from west of the Mississippi. We could have spent more time here but we did hit the highlights and it makes me want to read about the man and learn even more.
After lunch, we headed to the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, IA. “Is this heaven? No, it’s Iowa.” And with the corn high, the sun out, the temperature in the 80’s, it was a perfect day to walk the bases and imagine you were there when the baseball greats walked out of the corn fields. It is a beautiful spot and we had a great time.
The day ended with a lovely dinner with Amy & Al, their son, daughter-in-law and granddaughters. And a dinner of pulled pork, cole slaw, potato salad and (of course) Iowa corn!
A perfect day, relaxing, sightseeing, visiting and getting ready to travel, for tomorrow . . .
The journey continues . . .
Day 24 of #BoxsterRoadTrip found us traveling west from Wisconsin Dells, WI to Swisher, IA.
When we left the Dells, it was rather cool but clear. We started with the top up but by late morning, we had put the top down and were enjoying a warm autumn day as we crossed into Illinois. Our first stop was in a lovely little town called Galena where, it seems, they sell dolls heads by the bowl full. I know, a little sick, but Halloween is not too far off. 😉
As we were leaving Galena, IL, we discovered this had been the home of Ulysses S Grant prior to the civil war.
We left Galena and were soon crossing the mighty Mississippi and next thing we knew, we were in Iowa and it was raining. The top went back up. Then it was pretty much a straight shot into Cedar Rapids and then on to Swisher, where we are staying with our good friends Amy and Al (and dog Ember) for a couple of nights. A lovely dinner, lots of visiting and we are both ready to call it a day. Tomorrow will be a day of visiting and doing a little sightseeing. And then on Friday . . .
The journey continues . . .
Day 23 of #BoxsterRoadtrip was a lazy day. Because tomorrow we start driving WEST. Yep, that seems backward, but in order to visit every state, we have to do a little zigzagging.
We started the day late, after a sleep in and a lazy breakfast. Our first stop was downtown Wisconsin Dells to take the River Walk. It is a shame this is such a short walk as it is the prettiest part of Wisconsin Dells. The Dells is really aimed at families with children, with lots of “theme parks” and inexpensive restaurants. But for a couple of old fuddy duddies, it is really not the place. Nonetheless, it was a good spot to take a laundry break and a few days with only short day trips. Our next major stop is Boston, so tomorrow starts the next major leg of the journey. To date, we have traveled a little over 5,000 miles.
Our second stop was at a farmer’s market to buy some fruit and veggies for dinner tonight. A nice salad, some wine and fresh raspberries will make a perfect light meal. The farmer’s market was fun and I would have loved to buy a lot more, but we only have one meal left before it is off to Cedar Rapids, IA.
We stopped for gas and then back to the condo to watch TV (something we haven’t done much of for the last 3 weeks), do a little reading and repack. For tomorrow . . .
The journey continues . . .
Day 22 of #BoxsterRoadTrip finds us doing a few more “day trips”.
We started the day with a trip to Carr Valley Cheese Company in La Valle, WI. This is a small, family run, cheese factory with a specialty of cheddars (although they do also make other cheeses). The lovely lady who waited on us was from Livermore, CA which is just up the road from us! Small world. The cheeses here were lovely and we even got a tour of the cheese making floor.
We left La Valle and headed to Plain, WI where we stopped at Cedar Grove Cheese Factory. Another small cheese making company who specialize in cheese made without artificial growth hormones (rBGH), animal enzymes, or genetically modified ingredients (GMOs). Another fabulous experience and lovely cheeses. And another delightful lady who helped us and educated us more on cheese making.
After two doses of cheese, we decided some wine would be in order, so we headed to Wollersheim Winery in Prairie du Sac, WI. This was very interesting, because the original founder of this winery was a Hungarian nobleman named Agoston Haraszthy who selected this site for vineyards in the 1840s. However, in 1849, Haraszthy decided to follow the gold rush west to California, where he eventually became known as the founder of the California wine industry.
This was an easy, laid back, day (except for a few detours which sent us around in a few circles). But the sun was out and the top was down, so we didn’t complain (except for Steve, but I just ignore him).
The journey continues . . .
