09/23/23- The day has finally come for our trip to New England. We planned this trip originally last year in April but cancelled due to important events. It works out as we want to see the Fall foliage anyway.
We pack our car and leave around 8pm. The drive to should take almost 10 hours straight through and thought leaving at night would save time on traffic and expense on a hotel. We thought of stopping in New Jersey as a halfway breakpoint, but the pouring rain changed those plans real quick. Perhaps we’ll revisit that idea on the way back.
Thanks to our transponder, we’re able to fly by the toll booths with ease.
09/24/23- Shortly after 2am (after crossing into Connecticut), we pull into a rest area to sleep. The seat was very uncomfortable, so unsure I really got much at all, but the rest will be needed later today.
It takes another 4 hours before we get to our first destination of Portland, Maine. Our Airbnb hasn’t contacted us yet for early check-in, so we go there ourselves and are pleasantly surprised the place is all ready. It’s a spacious Victorian home with multiple rooms and has everything we need for the next several days. Unfortunately, we don’t spend much time as we’re ready to hit the ground running, so we throw our stuff inside, change clothes and drive 16 minutes to the downtown Portland area.
Sunday is free parking at the meters day, and since it’s cloudy out we thought hitting up the Victorian Manson would be the place to start. Built before the Civil War, this was the home of Ruggles Morse (a wealthy hotelier who owned several upscale hotels in the 1800s). No expense was spared in building this Brownstone masterpiece as each room and floor is decked out as it once was in its heyday.
We noticed there were no photos to be taken on their website, but they allow us to with no problem as long as there isn’t a flash. This just got so much better. The tour lasts an hour, taking us in each room (including upstairs) explaining the significance of each. We thoroughly enjoy our time and highly recommend for anyone coming to Maine.
Walking back to our car, we retrieve our jackets as the chill sets in, and walk about 14 minutes toward the Old Port area. The old buildings give off a unique feel, as we’re transported back in time, soaking up the moments with each step around the wharf.
After souvenir shopping, we settle on the Portland Lobster Company for a very nice, sit down, full lobster meal and it’s very, very good. We definitely got some stares as we played with the lobster for the first five minutes before eating it, and it was quite the experience of breaking it open to find what's what. Luckily we had a guide to assist. We then scope out the area for a bit before driving back to our Airbnb for the night.
Side note: Found out the tolls cost us $60 to get here from Virginia. I mean, is it really necessary to charge $17 to cross the GW Bridge. Seriously!
09/25/23- Got some much needed sleep to make up for the drive up here. I feel refreshed, coffee’d up and ready to get the day started.
I peak at the weather as it shows partly cloudy skies around noon, so we allow ourselves plenty of time to settle before heading out to the lighthouses. It takes 26 minutes to arrive at the Two Lights Lighthouses, which we park farther down at On The Rocks restaurant to get a nice view from a distance. The light house is not accessible to the public so this is the next best thing with free parking.
What a way to start as the blue skies are out with the waves crashing over the rocks providing a perfect setting. The wind is also light enough to not feel too cold while close to the water.
Next up is Portland Head Light. The parking fee is $5 for 2 hours, which seems plenty of time to explore, and the view of the lighthouse is quite awesome. This is what I imagined when coming to Portland. I waste no time in jumping over the fence and climb down to the shoreline to get some pictures, much to my wife’s amusement. As I come back, she tells me several people were talking about how cool I looked jumping from boulder to boulder trying to find the perfect spot.
We walk the path to get a close up view and find a small museum (which we didn’t go into due to it being very overcrowded) and a small gift shop. However, it’s on the other side of the lighthouse where we find the best view (one that we almost missed as we thought about heading back toward the car).
On our way out we see an abandoned mansion and park nearby to explore. The Goddard Mansion was completed in 1858 for a wealthy lumber businessman and later used as military housing for married enlisted men in 1898. It’s in ruins today so not much to see other than a view of the outside.
We then drive about 10 minutes to Spring Point Ledge. There isn’t any parking, other than for staff, and figure since it’s after 4pm that it won’t be an issue. Luckily the lighthouse isn’t too far away, but we do have to trek over a long road of rocks to get to the base. It takes some maneuvering but we make it without slipping or falling.
Feeling hungry, we get some sub sandwiches and take them to Breakwater Lighthouse at Bug Light Park. Again parking is free with a pleasant stroll around, although we do put on our jackets this time as the wind is picking up. We get our photos and wait another half hour for the sun to set hoping for an iconic shot. Unfortunately, the cloud cover is a bit much, but am able to get a decent sunset view over the city.
What an excellent and fun filled time. We laughed, we loved and held each other’s hand seemingly all day. The only issue we had was noticing a rattling sound under our car which concerns me a bit. Will have to contact a Toyota dealership tomorrow to check it out, and get an oil change while I’m at it.
09/26/23- 7am rolls around and I call up Toyota to schedule a car appointment for the oil change. I get there just before noon and am told it may take an hour and a half, so I take a walk around the area. Goodwill isn’t much and Kohl’s is… well Kohl’s, but it does kill most of the time needed. By the time I return about 1:15pm the service guy tells me they are backed up and are just now getting to it. Ugh!
An hour later, my car is ready (oiled up and rotated) and luckily the rattle noise was just a loose heat shield. What a relief! It’s now 2:30pm and the weather couldn’t be any clearer, so I pick up Sharece from the Airbnb and head for town.
We park by the Custom House ($5 for 2 hours metered) and go to the top of the garage to get some great views of the city. We wanted to go to the Observatory but find that it’s closed over the next few days, so this will have to do for now. It’s free and had 360 degree views of the coast line and buildings so not too shabby.
Next up, we walk 15 minutes to the Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Museum. Built around 1807, it’s the oldest surviving structure on the Portland Peninsula, and was the boyhood home of poet Henry Wadsworth-Longfellow. The place is unique in that it has about 98% original furnishings still in it on display.
We re-park our car near the East Promenade of Portland and enjoy the park and water views for a spell before driving back in town to eat. We find a place with a canal view called J’s Oyster and are very impressed with the Shrimp scampi with white sauce. Although the clam chowder we aren’t much fans of, it’s still a perfect way to end the day.
Before driving back to our hotel, we go to the top of the Custom House parking garage one last time to capture some sunset shots. Overall, we both enjoyed our time in Portland very much. Time now to plan for the next few days and be thankful that our car is still in one piece.
09/27/23- With Portland crossed off the list, it’s now time to venture to New Hampshire. Our Airbnb gives us an extra hour before check-out and we promptly leave at 11am for the hour and fifteen minute drive down the tree-lined back roads.
We arrive at the Holiday Inn in North Conway shortly after noon but our room isn’t ready yet. Knowing this was a possibility, we take this time to explore the area and set our GPS for Albany Covered Bridge. On the way, we pull over for some photos of the rock layered creek that lines the windy road. The view is very impressive as the water shoots down the babbling brook. Sharece does slip on one of the rocks, but she appears fine for now. We’ll see how that turns out later.
Ten more minutes down the road and we get to the bridge. First built in 1858, it’s a wooden structure expanding over the creek that fits in nicely with the surrounding fall-colored trees. We do have to wait for the bridge to clear as a tour group comes rolling through for a spell, but it quiets down and we’re free to take the scenery in.
Our next stop is Sabbaday Falls. There’s plenty of parking when we arrive and it’s a small hike to get to, but so worth it. The weather has also cooperated nicely with clear, blue skies and 71 degrees. We couldn’t ask for a more perfect day as the contrast in colors is exactly what we were hoping for.
The time is now close to 3pm as we travel the thirty minutes back to our hotel. Upon checking in I notice they have a hot tub, which will be a nice reprieve later tonight, but first we have one more destination in mind to go to.
We hit up a distillery down the road for a flight of tastings. We try Vodka, Whiskey, Bourbon and a very interesting Maple that’s great by itself. Definitely have to buy a few bottles of this! Then we look around at a souvenir shop, but are not impressed, so we drive back to the hotel for the night. Not before getting a full pizza and enjoying it at the hot tub.
What a fantastic day to roam around, especially since we didn’t have any of this in our initial plans. It’s always good to have flexibility while on a trip and this is the reason why, as you never know what you may run into.
09/28/23- We get our buffet breakfast and leave the hotel before 11am. We stop at Wal-Mart for some Dramamine for Sharece (due to the elevation and windy roads we’ll be on shortly), find a souvenir store and drive about thirty minutes to the base of Mount Washington. There’s fog rolling in, despite it being a partial sunny day, so our hopes of nice visibility is waning, but we pay the $55 toll price to drive to the top regardless.
The trees are much more colorful here with bouts of red, yellow and orange splashed between the green, and the road is barely enough to fit two cars on. Somehow, our little Prius makes it up the path in about 25 minutes. Actually more like 35 minutes with the several stops we take.
At the top, our concerns were confirmed as we’re only able to see about 2 miles through the fog, but it’s still a nice experience regardless. There’s a train with passengers boarding that we’re able to see, a small museum and a Mount Washington Summit sign (6,288 feet) that entertains us before we travel back down the mountain.
It’s another hour before we arrive at our new hotel (Carroll Motel and Cottages), which is in a pretty remote place in New Hampshire. There’s really nothing to do around here for entertainment, so we use this time to rest up and reflect on the halfway point of this trip.
09/29/23- This motel is not the best but it did its job. We check out at 10:30am and hit the road for the hour and a half drive to Montpelier, Vermont.
The day is very cloudy, which makes me happy for the great weather we’ve had so far on this trip. It would be great if we could enjoy more of the fall foliage during our drive with a bright blue sky, but can’t win all the time I guess. The good news is we arrive at the State Capital around noon with not very many people around.
We park our car at the meter and view the stunning grounds leading up to the Capital Building. The colorful leaves and lush flowers really do bring out the best look, and we don’t have to wait long for any people to clear the way either.
Once inside, we opt to explore on our own, using their handheld devices, and can’t believe how small this building really is. The Representatives and Senate rooms are upstairs and empty for us to take all the random photos we want, but it is weird to tour around a working building (I wonder how much they really detest tourist every single day).
We return to our car just as the time expires and drive around the block for souvenirs. We contemplate what else to do and search for a winery nearby but it appears to be closed. A few months back, a major flood hit Montpelier and tore up the town quite a bit. There’s much construction going on now and wonder how much of it is due to the damage.
Not far away, we drive to the main Ben & Jerry’s factory in hopes of catching a tour, but as we arrive we find the next slot would be 3 hours away, which is much too late for us to stay around. With this in mind, we decide to keep driving to our next hotel in Cooperstown, New York.
09/30/23- Baseball is here as our day begins with the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. We arrive after 11am, pay for parking ($5.25 for 2 hours) and upon entering are greeted with the plaques of every player in the HOF on the first floor wing. Wow, what a collection of all-time greats gathered in one room.
I waste no time in finding my Astros players as well as Babe Ruth and others as it’s definitely a sight to see whether you’re a baseball fan or not.
On the second floor, we watch a 17 minute video in a theatre setting (which is quite moving) and proceed to view the history of this great pastime all the way from the mid 1860s. I look over at Sharece and she’s enamored with the memorabilia more than I am, which is saying something.
There’s a special wing for the women who played professional baseball in the 1940s during World War II and I was able to see the name of my great aunt, Margaret Danhauser, as part of the Racine Belles. What an awesome moment for me and something I’ll never forget.
Two hours in and I have to go back out to feed the parking meter. Well worth it as there’s much to see. The third floor goes over all-time records and championships won over the years. Seeing the exhibit on the Astros 2022 win is quite entertaining and glad I’m able to see it before it goes away when this year’s champion is crowed.
Overall, we love this place and so glad we’re able to see it in person. The surrounding town is also quite interesting as well with its charm buildings and lake nearby. Cooperstown may be a bit of a pilgrimage, but if you’re a baseball fan it’s worth the trip.
We drive another two and a half hours to get to our Airbnb in Finger Lakers, New York, but not before stopping along the way dinner and shopping for a New York shirt. We did have an issue at our Airbnb with a strong weed smell in the hallway, but our hosts took care of the problem right away.
10/02/23- Was able to sleep in before our wine tasting tour of Finger Lakes. It was a bit challenging to get a full night’s rest due to the extreme weed smell in the hallway that seeped into our room. Didn’t realize the area we’re in is a ghetto.
We venture out to explore the Seneca Lake wine region area covering 6 different wineries. After getting a better night’s sleep, we wake up and repeat buying a total of 16 bottles in our journey, sampling everything from a deep red Cabernet Franc to really sweet Ice Wine. We end the day with a gorgeous view of the sunset over the lake while sipping wine.
There’s something to just sitting back, enjoying wines you never thought you’d like and watching the day unfold as it may. Every region we’ve been to has its own charm and finding out what that is makes the journey so worth the while.
Tomorrow morning we check out and venture our way back home, which is bittersweet. We really have enjoyed our time but can’t wait to sleep in our own bed soon.
10/03/23- Checking out of our Airbnb around 11am, we set our sights on one last thing in the Finger Lakes area – Glen Falls State Park. Located at the bottom of Seneca Lake, it takes us 45 minutes to drive the distance and find the main parking area.
We opt to check out the souvenir shop first and are disappointed that none say Finger Lakes, so we find another down the road (which works), drive another 5 miles to get food before settling in for the small hike.
The trail is quite muddy, and we don’t have the right shoe attire with us, so we opt to simply take photos of the cavern, waterfall and bridge before calling it a day.
What a neat experience to travel around Northeast USA in the fall. The foliage did not disappoint and thankfully the weather held up beautifully for us to enjoy.
END OF BLOG
