Once
I was able to pry myself away from beautiful Maine, I plugged in my GPS and hit the road for a terrific road trip through New England. And, am I ever glad that I did. What a beautiful part of the world and a great time of the year to see it.
Phase 1: Maine to Vermont. It's a scenic drive from Maine to Vermont, as you can see below!
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| Creepy graveyards |
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| Scenic views |
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| Sign of the times |
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| Covered bridges |
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| State hopping!! |
I enjoyed a couple days in Burlington, Vermont too catching up with Sean, Tamara and family.
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| Sampling Vermont cheeses at the Farmer's Market with Tamara |
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| Enjoying the fall sun on Church Street |
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Ominous skies over
Lake Champlain |
On to Boston from Vermont.
I was SO lucky to meet up with Dave and Claire and to go, thanks to Dave's generosity, for a sunset sail on Boston Harbor right after I got in! Dave met us with beer, cider, wine, cheese, crackers, salami, homemade molasses cookies and a warm coat! What a guy! It was a terrific evening!
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| Setting sail! |
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| Boston skyline and Captain Dave! |
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| Snacks, cider and sunset! |
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| Yep, I'm as happy as I look! |
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| A great post-sail, Italian meal in the North End |
From Boston to Salem. Thought it would be a good idea at the time! Wasn't expecting Salem to be so 'touristy', but it was an interesting place to check out.
Next stop, New Jersey! Another interesting drive. Tried to take pictures at all the state marker but Connecticut was all I could do. The one to New York was on a busy interstate and by the time I took the picture, it had already passed. And the one to New Jersey was in the middle of the George Washington Bridge which was just outside of New York City and I was doing way too much white-knuckled driving at that point to take the picture!
The drive through northern New Jersey near New York City is not in any way, shape or form pretty or relaxing. It is industralized, busy and smells. I was happy to drive out of it and discover that "south Jersey" is nothing like it's northern counterpart. Ocean City, New Jersey is on an island, complete with a board walk, ocean views and temperate climate. It was nice to be in shorts again!
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| Ocean City boardwalk |
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| A visit with Sandy: well worth the trip!! |
One last, toll-filled drive back to Washington, DC completed my road trip. I dropped off the car at the Washington Hilton, the hotel where Reagan was shot (always with the landmarks)!! One last day doing a big walk through miles of beautiful 'forest bathing' green space in Washington, walking to Georgetown for lunch, and then back home again, was a perfect ending to an awesome trip to New England. And leaving just before Hurricane Sandy or "Frankinstorm" hit seemed like a good idea as well!!
Great times and great friends have made great memories of this part of the adventure. I am so glad that I included New England as part of my year and would recommend it to anyone who is considering it. It's a beautiful part of the world, well worth the effort to get there!
This has been incredible. I am on such a roll! Looking forward, as ever, to see what else is out there!
