Great time with Pat & Ken in Terre Haute

Pat and Ken have a nice piece of property just south of Terre Haute, Indiana. They had electricity and water and a level spot for us to park just a short walk from their back door. It was a great place to stay and visit. Lots of good conversation, great food, and a little wine. One day we took a Sunday drive to see the covered bridges nearby. There were 39 of them in just one county. My favorite was a pretty red one next to a dam, waterfall, and grist mill. The drive itself was so pretty through farms, forests, and creeks. Along the way we had fun telling stories and catching up on each others lives.

Pat had an appointment at St Mary of the Woods, so John and I tagged along. St Mary's is a college and also the Motherhouse of the Sisters of Providence. The campus is beautiful with huge old trees and a wonderful old church with intricate stained glass windows. We walked the grounds while Pat had her appointment. On the way home we drove along the Wabash River which is the border between Indiana and Illinois. Very relaxing and a great catch up with family.

Another Surprise.... Indiana

Our first stop in Indiana was Brookville Lake just across the Ohio border. Rolling hills, forests, large lakes and pretty vistas were a surprise in the Midwest. John and I both come from Nebraska families and thought the Midwest was only wheat, corn fields, and dairy farms. Lots of those but also pretty areas. Like our state campground which was almost empty. It had 50 miles of hiking and biking paths hear the lake. We spent one day on a great bike ride and another on a fun hike along an Indian mound from 10 B.C. and then down to the lake.

Our favorite day was our visit to Metamora and the Whitewater Canal State Historic Site. We found the old canal and towpath. What a surprise that they still have an old canal boat and draft horses and they give tours every hour. So fun to watch those monster horses pull the boat up the canal as we rode our bikes on the towpath next to them. There was an old aqueduct that carried the canal water over a creek valley. It looked like a traditional covered bridge painted red but it was a bridge for a waterway not a roadway. The town of Metamora died when the railroad replaced the canal and is now a cute tourist town. The town is full of original mid 1800 buildings including the cutest little bank that couldn't be 900 square feet. Great place to explore on a sunny day.

Ohio, the home of really warm and friendly people

Our next stop is just outside Cleveland and Akron, Ohio in a little town called Streetsboro. We are staying at a KOA with lots of seasonal campers. Very pretty place, clean, lots of kids activities but expensive ($45/night). The people here warm and friendly. Almost everwhere we go, someone stops to chat or recommend something interesting to see of do, especially if they see our Washington license plates.

Our main reason for visiting is to see Cuyahoga Valley National Park. My first impression was of a small, quiet national park with not much to see and do but after further investigation, we thoroughly enjoyed this park. The main draw is the Ohio and Erie canal tow path which has been reclaimed as a hiking and biking path. It is almost 30 miles long and travels along the Cuyahoga River, through the Valley, beside farms, streams, forests and the old canal and its locks. We were there on a warm and somewhat humid day and the ride through the trees was cool. We stopped at a farm market for lunch. So much fun with old rock and roll music, hotdogs, lemonade, roasted corn, and beautiful produce. After our ride and lunch we headed up the scenic byway to the Canal visitor center and then the drive along the scenic gorge. We even ran into a wedding party taking pictures. A great day! Today we are running errands and doing chores but tomorrow we plan to hit the bike trail again. This time we will ride farther, then load our bikes onto the scenic train and ride the train back to our car. There are still lots of hikes and waterfalls to explore too.

Niagara Falls both New York and Ontario-Amazing!

Niagara Falls needs no description.... just amazing. We were surprised by how much we liked it and how beautiful it is. A little commercial in parts but all fun. Maid of the Mist was a highlight as was the Cave of the Winds (picture with people in yellow slickers). They even have people dressed in period costumes; one was Annie the first woman over the falls in a barrel, the other was a monk who was an earlier settler in the area. We were so fortunate to find a New York State Park close by. Four Mile Creek state park was right on Lake Ontario with huge sites, lovely trees for shade, great views of the sunsets over the lake, and a restful place after busy days sightseeing at Niagara Falls. Wonderful place!

The Berkshires and the Boston Symphony Orchestra

John said he could live in the Berkshires if it weren't for the east coast weather. And they are lovely. Rolling hills covered in trees. Hiking and biking paths. Villages from the 1700s around every corner. And the Arts. The Berkshires are the summer home for the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood and also has dance, theatre and art museums. We spent two fun afternoons on their great bike path. One day at the Norman Rockwell Museum and grounds. But our favorite was sitting on the grass one evening at Tanglewood and listening to the orchestra along with the guest artist, a spanish guitarist. All this on a warm night with a full moon. Fantastic!

Newport, Rhode Island - how the other half lives

Ever since Kathy went to a wedding in Newport and told me how fantastic it was, I have wanted to go there. Along the way we ran into others who raved about the place. And we weren't disappointed.

In honor of LeAnne and Benny, we had to go to the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The Eisenhower summer white house (yellow house) was in a beautiful setting overlooking the bay. The 'cottages' of the Vanderbilts and their contemporaries in the guilded age were fun to tour even though it seemed obscene. The cliff walk with views of the rocky shore was exhilarating. Lunch on the wharf looking at the huge sailboats (some from the Americas Cup) was warm, yummy and a great place to people watch. I could have spent at least a couple more days but we only had the one day.

Mystic Connecticut is a fun place

Spent the day in Mystic yesterday and had a great time. Saw Mystic Pizza (ala Julia Roberts movie) but decided it was too hot and humid to go there since no A/C. Went to the very cute Old Mystic Village shopping area and checked out the tourist info and the shops. They told us about a great boat tour right by the cool cantilever bridge that goes over the Mystic River. Another fun and well informed guide with lots of stories. The tour goes up the river by Gravel Road which is the original waterfront road of lovely old homes. One was called the "spite house" because the owner had a grudge against his neighbor so he built his house into the road to block the view. On the other side of the river is Mystic Seaport which is a living museum (sort of like Williamburg) of an old Victorian seaport village. We floated by lots of cool old schooners and smaller sailboats. A huge old whaling ship was in dry dock and our guide said it was the only one of its kind left. The museum is restoring it and spending millions. It was originally made from live oak which is now protected and can't be harvested so the museum goes to hurricane shipwrecks and salvages the live oak. So nice to spend an hour on the water with nice breezes. After our tour we had lunch upstairs at the S & P Oyster Co which had more great views of the water.

From there we took the long way back to our campground and drove the scenic ocean road from Mystic to Stonington (established in 17??) and on to the state seashore in Rhode Island just over the state line. Then on back to camp. Long but very fun day.

Portland Maine is almost as pretty as home

Portland is almost as pretty as home but I am prejudiced. Our first stop was the Portland Head Light and park. Great views from the bank of the islands, ocean, lighthouse and rocky shoreline. They have a nice path along the edge to get more views and a little exercise. We continued along the coast to Two Lights State Park where surprisingly there are two lighthouses ;-)) Then on to Old Orchard Beach which has a wonderful pier out into the ocean and feels like an old Coney Island type of place. From there we took the scenic route down to Kennebunkport and the beach. Surprised to see surfers there.

The next day we went downtown to the Old Port District which is charming. Wandered around the waterfront and out onto the piers before taking a narrated trolley tour of the city. Our guide was an ex New York taxi driver and lots of fun. Lots to see, especially at the Western Promenade where all the old mansions are overlooking a pond and the ocean. Spent some time at the Portland Head Light again and got some more pictures. Had a terrific lunch at DeMillos Restaurant which is an old ferry that is permanently moored at the pier and has amazing views. Two HUGE private boats came into the guest dock right in front of us. One was a 90 or so foot sailboat with a crew of at least 6 people in uniform. The owner got off in his suit and tie with the family. Definitely a different life. But I like ours better.

Acadia! the end of our journey east and the highlight

We have been looking forward to Acadia National Park since we started this east coast trip. It is the end of our journey east and definitely the highlight. Interesting that the highlight before Acadia was Dry Tortugas National Park at the very most south eastern point of the US. Now we are at the most north eastern point and amazed by the beauty again.

Acadia is one superlative after another. Scenic drives everywhere. The natural beauty of rocky coastlines, crashing waves on granite headlands. Islands, lighthouses, ponds, lakes and quiet woods. We have had gentle walks, challenging hikes, quiet bike rides on old carriage roads with stone bridges and mostly awe inspiring scenery. From the top of Cadillac Mountain to a barren island with lighthouse 11 miles out in the Atlantic Ocean.

There is also fascinating history here. At the turn of the century the President of Princeton sent an emissary to research the area who wrote about the beauty and the unspoiled nature. Then came the Rockefellers and other weathly people of the time (Ford, Pulitzer, Dorr, the Western Union founder, etc). They spent long hours in nature and to their credit were determined to preserve the island and its beauty. They built "cottages", huge mansions along the shoreline and carriage roads to enjoy the peace and quiet without the rude noises of the automobiles of the day. The carriage roads wind through the woods along the ponds and over beautiful arched stone bridges.

We enjoyed a day at the village of Bar Harbor with the shore path and wonderful restaurants and shops. In the afternoon we took the Lighthouse and National Park boat tour on a sunny 80 degree blue sky day. Saw eagles, cormorants, osprey, seals and it wasn't a nature cruise. The guide was a lighthouse historian with wonderful stories of the days of lighthouses and mansions.

We spend a day at the Schoodic Peninsula with an incredibly challenging 3 mile hike to the Schoodic Head. lAnother wonderful day at the 'quiet' side of the island with the natural seawall as our picnic spot and hikes to the Bass Harbor Lighthouse and the Ships Harbor.

As luck would have it, Larry and Paige (see my Boothbay post) were in Acadia for 4 of the days we were here and we had a chance to have them to dinner here (Timberland Acres RV Park) and are going to their campground (Smugglers Den) tonight for another night of too good food and too much wine!

We had five fantastic days of blue sky and sunny weather to explore Acadia and Mount Desert Island. The last two days are a bit foggy with evening thunderstorms for a little added excitement. It will be hard to leave.

Boothbay ME, beautiful place, slowwww wifi

I'm behind in my blogging because our last two parks have had terrible wifi. Thank goodness the spectacular scenery made up for it! Honestly, there is so much to see here and the weather has been so great that I haven't wanted to take time to write.

The drive from the White Mts of NH to Maine was scenic the whole way. Across HW 2 there was a pretty little rest area with a cascading waterfall that made a nice stop and leg stretch. Maine Highway 1 winds along the coast from Brunswick, through Bath and the scenic old town of Wiscasset. You get lots of time to see the old homes and buildings in Wiscasset as you wait in traffic to cross the bridge. But the views are so lovely you don't really mind.

The Shore Hills CG in Boothbay is very nice; lots of room and close to cute little Boothbay Harbor and the local sights. We had a fun surprise when we arrived. After we pulled in the woman next door was brushing her two darling aussie shepards (minis) so we said hi and walked over to see the dogs. After a little conversation, we figured out that we had met them near Black Canyon of the Gunnison last spring in Colorado! What a remarkable coincidence that a couple from Florida and a couple from Washington state would meet in Colorado and then again in Maine. Can't even calculate those odds. Anyway Larry and Paige are great fun and we ended up having a couple great evenings with them at a harborside restaurant and at the lobster pound at the wharf in Boothbay. Really fun to connect on the road like that.

Our favorite time here other than with Larry and Paige was the Maine Coastal Botanical Garden. The garden started in 1996 and it is surprising how lovely it is in such a short time. The Children's Garden was very fun and I was wishing I had Izzy with us. Lots of bridges and treehouses; boats, ponds and playrooms to keep a little one busy while you walked through the blooming gardens. There were huge boulders shaped like whales and dragons and a maze to walk. My favorite area was the Meditation Garden. It was set along an inlet in the woods with a path up the hill to benches where you can sit and gaze on the huge boulder basin. The artist polishes the basin depression so that it was reflected in the water from above. All over the garden was granite from various parts of Maine, my favorite being the pink granite from Acadia.

From the gardens we took the scenic drive (heck every drive in Maine is scenic!) to the Pemaquit Lighthouse at the end of a long peninsular near Penobscott Bay. The granite shoreline had long ledges of various heights that were like huge steps for a giant. It was fun to hop the rocks to find the best place to and sit and gaze at the waves crashing on the rocks. The day was clear and hot so it was perfect to be beside the sea with the breeze to keep you cool. Cute little museum in the light keepers cottage. The sailors valentines were fascinating. They were octagonal platters with decorations of shells and other sea items sandwiched between two pieces of glass. The sailors made them for their sweethearts at home with souvenirs picked up on their voyages. Another terrific day.