Tuesday, October 7
Big V at Boston Minuteman Campground, Littleton, Massachusetts...
Big V at Boston Minuteman Campground, Littleton, Massachusetts...
We wanted an early
start from Boston Minuteman Campground this morning, but had to wait until at
least 8:00 am to get up to the front so we could take on a load of
propane. We had done well on propane
usage to this point, but it looked like it might be quite a bit cooler in
Maine, and we would need plenty of fuel to keep Big V warm at night if the
temperatures dropped for any extended time.
As soon as the propane
tank was filled, we re-positioned Big V and the car, hooked up the tow bar, and
pulled away to join the masses heading north on I-495. The drive was a bit nerve-wracking, so
Barbara spent her time keeping an eye on the traffic and trying to judge which
lane we needed to be in to keep from being shuttled off the highway and into
someplace we didn’t want to be.
Eventually, we once
again hit the intersection with I-95, and within a mile or so were passing into
New Hampshire. The highway signage for
New Hampshire was kind of funky. We
almost missed the Welcome sign because of its size and placement, but the highway department made certain that the state liquor store was well advertised. We found out later that out-of-staters flock
to New Hampshire to purchase liquor because there is no sales tax and the
prices are much lower than in Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont.
Big V was getting
thirsty, so we stopped at a TA truck stop in New Hampshire to fuel up for the
remainder of the New England trip. While
lack of sales tax didn't apply to fuel, we did get gas at a better price than
we did in New York and Massachusetts, which was a very real blessing.
After filling the tank
and taking a short break for ourselves, we made our way back to I-95 and the
New Hampshire Turnpike to continue a few more miles to the Merrimack River,
where we crossed over into Maine, and the Maine Turnpike, still a part of I-95.
Julie Stephens, a
friend we met on our first visit to Washington, DC, to be a part of the 150th
Anniversary of Taps, was driving to Portland, Maine, today to pick up her
husband, Frank, at the airport, before coming to meet us. Julie suggested we park at a small shopping
center (with a big parking lot) near the airport to wait. It was just our luck that the center
had a Burlington Coat Factory, and we needed new coats...what a stroke of good
fortune!
While we waited for
Julie and Frank, we each found a new coat, and I even found a new pair of work
boots to replace the pair that had unexpectedly fallen apart earlier in the trip. As we left the store, Barbara modeled her new
coat and scarf.
And then we went back to Big V to wait and take a selfie...
It was lunchtime when
Frank and Julie arrived to pick us up for sightseeing, so we loaded up in their
truck and headed to Portland Harbor for a meal at DeMillo's on the Water, an old ferry boat that had been converted into a classy restaurant.
We spent our lunch time enjoying delicious seafood, getting acquainted with Frank, and reacquainted with Julie.
And then we were off to see the sights around the harbor, including a portion of the Berlin Wall and a memorial to those from Maine who served in the Vietnam War...
We finished our harbor tour with a trip past the USS Maine Memorial...
Downtown, we saw a memorial to one of Maine's favorite sons, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow...
Next, Frank and Julie drove us to Fort Williams Park, the site of the Portland Head Light, the most photographed lighthouse in the world.
For the next hour or so, we marveled at the beauty of this section of the Maine coast...
After showing us around a few more parts of their home town (Frank and Julie both grew up in South Portland), we stopped at a bakery for goodies and some photo phun.
It was getting late in the afternoon and we still had a long drive ahead of us, so Frank and Julie returned us to the shopping center to get Big V, gave us directions to Bethel, Maine, and we went our separate ways for the evening.
The drive along Highway 26 from Portland to Bethel was beautiful, but an approaching storm distracted us from some of the natural beauty all around us.
We arrived in Bethel after dark, in a driving rainstorm, found the Bethel Outdoor Adventure and Campground, found our site and set Big V up as our base for several days of New England exploring.
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Wednesday, October 8
Big V at Bethel Outdoor Adventure and Campground, Bethel, Maine...
Big V at Bethel Outdoor Adventure and Campground, Bethel, Maine...
Our adventures for the day got off to a slow start. First, we had some housekeeping chores to do, and then we drove across Bethel to the local grocery store to get some food and supplies for our stay here.
Frank and Julie came by later in the morning to lead us to their wedding venue, Mountain House on Sunday River, a piece of property that has been in the family for many years and is now a much sought-after venue for outdoor and indoor weddings in the area.
The property faces the Sunday River Ski Resort over the river and across the hills.
Words are inadequate to describe the beauty of Frank and Julie's property, and photos only show slices in time...being surrounded by so much beauty was and exercise in sensory overload.
Frank and Julie took us up Sunday River Road a few miles to one of their favorite river places, Frenchman's Hole,a waterfall that, on normal days, is easily crossed. Today was not a normal day; last night's rains resulted in a swollen river and rapids that were not going to be crossed by foot this afternoon.
A few miles below Frenchman's Hole, the Sunday River flows easily and peacefully through the wooded mountains.
And there is also a small cave that lends itself well to photo phun.
We drove back to Mountain House for Frank and Julie to make some arrangements for another wedding this weekend, and then we followed them back to Bethel, stopping briefly to photograph this covered bridge beside the Sunday River.
With our adventures for the day completed, we all met at Rooster's Roadhouse for great food and more visiting.
After dinner, Julie and Frank drove to their home in Harrison while we returned to our campground and a restful evening.
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Thursday, October 9
Our goal today was to go where we'd never been. On a previous trip, many years ago, daughter Heather took Barbara, Leah, and me up I-95 from Boston into New Hampshire and Maine, but only a few miles up the Atlantic coast in Maine.
On this trip, we planned to see the interior of both states, and while we were at it, visit Vermont, the only state east of the Mississippi in which we had not traveled.
We got a relatively early start from the campground and started across western Maine on US 2, enjoying the smooth highway and beautiful scenery.
Since we started close to the western edge of Maine, it didn't take long to reach the New Hampshire state line.
As we approached Gorham, NH, we saw a country club and golf course in a beautiful setting.
A few miles down Highway 2, we spotted a turnoff leading up to Mt. Washington. Frank and Julie had told us about the area yesterday, so we thought we'd be genuine tourists and see what we could see.
If nothing else, the landscape was worth the drive.
Mt. Washington, the highest point in New Hampshire, was a beautiful and amazing sight. It is probably the equivalent of Pike's Peak in Colorado, except that its base is much closer to sea level than the Rockies of Colorado.
We considered driving up to the peak, but when we saw the cost, about $40.00 just for the two of us, we decided that we'd save that for another time. When we found a few minutes later in the visitor center that the wind chill at the top was around 2 degrees this morning, we knew we had made a wise decision in viewing the mountain from down below!
With the clock ticking on our allotted time, we drove back down the highway to Gorham. turned west on Highway 2, and continued across the state to the Connecticut River, where we crossed into Vermont.
Obviously, the stickers on the sign weren't placed by the highway department, but some avid skier must have thought highly of the state's ski regions.
We were so busy trying to figure out a destination that we didn't do much photography headed west, but we did see some places we wanted to take a second look at on our return trip this afternoon.
One of our goals for the day was to buy something that was authentic Vermont to take back home. As we approached St. Johnsbury, we saw a large barn with signs advertising "The Farmer's Daughter."
The store promised to meet all of our tourist needs. We stopped and went through the store, but didn't see anything we couldn't live without, especially at the sticker prices. We were specifically looking for maple syrup to carry home, but they were very proud of their syrup, which sold for $29 a gallon. Even if we weren't on a diet, we wouldn't pay that much!
So, we continued on into town and found The Maple Museum, part of the world's largest packer and shipper of pure maple syrup.
The museum itself wasn't all that great, but the gift store was the mother lode for our shopping needs (which included some delicious maple ice cream).
After wandering around the store and museum, we took time for some photos...
We got everything loaded in the car and then headed east, this time with our cameras at the ready. The Vermont landscape didn't disappoint us, and the relatively slow pace of traffic let us get some shots that we might otherwise have missed.
We had noticed these two abandoned buildings on a piece of property as we drove west this morning and decided they were calling out to be photographed.
And just because we could, we re-did this photo in sepia to age it a bit...
Directly across the highway was one of the largest corn fields we've ever seen, and we've seen a lot of cornfields in our days (but never with these backgrounds).
Before long we were back at the state line, crossing the Connecticut River into Lancaster, New Hampshire.
After a brief shopping stop in Lancaster, we continued east on Highway 2, enjoying the beautiful scenery.
We just had to pull off at this golf course on the outskirts of Gorham to see the north side of Mt. Washington in the distant background.
A mile or so down the road we joined other travelers at what had to be one of the most photogenic spots in the region.
On the east side of Gorham we found a McDonald's that called out for us to stop for a break and a Diet Coke to refresh us on the last leg of the journey back to Bethel.
Behind McDonald's was a beautifully wooded river that demanded that we take out our cameras...and when one hears voices like that, one really does need to pay attention!
The last few miles from Gorham to Bethel were quiet ones, as we contemplated the beautiful sights we had seen today. Boy, did God ever do some great work in this part of the country!!!
Back at Bethel, we got some laundry started. While Barbara was doing that, I did some chores around Big V, including replacing a water hose fitting that had been giving me fits. Then, we just kicked back and relaxed, getting ready for another big day tomorrow.
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Friday, October 10
Another view of Big V at Bethel Outdoor Adventure and Campground, Bethel, Maine.
Today we headed south to Harrison, Maine, to spend the day with our friends, Frank and Julie. Of course, we had the camera at the ready to record the beauty of the area.
Maine is well known for its famous communities...
When we pulled into Harrison, we stopped at the edge of Long Lake to try to get our bearings from the GPS unit.
Once we figured out where we were and where we wanted to go, we made our way to Frank and Julies "cabin," what we in Mineola would call a mansion.
Frank and Julie needed to move their pontoon boat to a marina at the south end of Long Lake, which required Frank and I to take two vehicles to Naples, about 12 miles away, then leave our car and drive Frank's truck back to Harrison on the north end of the lake to catch up with Julie and Barbara for a boat ride back down to Naples.
While Frank and I were driving back and forth, Julie and Barbara went to the landing at the north end of the lake to prepare the pontoon boat.
As soon as Frank and I returned to Harrison, we joined the girls and started our voyage to Naples, with shutters clicking all the way.
The shoreline offered many opportunities for would-be photographers...
Frank said the winters are so cold that this lake would freeze over with ice from 18 to 24 inches thick...instead of taking out their boats, the folks still around will drive their vehicles out on the lake, drill holes in the ice, and do a little fishing. That was hard to imagine on a calm, comfortable day like today.
Well, what do you know...there's even a castle up there...
Castles and condos...this place has everything!
Don't want to mess with driving? Just fly in and land on the lake...
Or motor up a river or down the lake to get here...either way, there's plenty of parking at the marina.
Once the boat was docked and Frank and Julie had made all their arrangements with the marina, we drove down the road a bit to The Galley Restaurant and Pub to try out some of their signature dishes while we recapped our visit to the area.
After eating, we returned to the cabin so Julie and I could fulfill our plans to sound Taps over the lake waters.
When the last of those 24 solemn notes had been sounded, we went back up to the cabin to say our goodbyes and take the required group photo.
Frank and Julie were wonderful hosts and made our trip to Maine much more enjoyable than if we had just come up here on our own...Taps brought us together at Arlington National Cemetery in 2012, and Taps sounded our parting, but it wasn't really "Goodbye," but "Until we meet again."
The trip back to Bethel was interesting and colorful (especially the part where I missed the turnoff and we became accidental tourists for a few miles.).
We finally found our way back to where we were supposed to be and made it safely back to Big V, where we had supper and collapsed after a most enjoyable day.
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Saturday, October 11
Frank and Julie told us a few days ago that the Sunday Mountain Ski Lodge would be hosting the North American Wife-Carrying Championship competition today. They didn't give us a lot of particulars about the competition, but with a title like that, we just had to drive back up the mountain to see what it was all about.
We were very fortunate to get to the lodge well ahead of the crowds and found a primo parking spot within easy walking distance of the lodge.
The crowds hadn't arrive when we got there, so the first thing we did was buy a lift ticket and ride to the top of the mountain to get a great view.
Back down at the lodge area, we positioned ourselves to take the best possible shots of the competition. Each couple, man and wife (and those terms are open to individual interpretations in Maine), had to negotiate a course that began at the bottom of the hill and went part way up the ski run, over a couple of log obstacles, through a mud pit, and down the hill to the finish line. At the beginning of the heat, the "wife" climbed onto the "husband's" shoulders facing backwards and leaned down so her head was at his buttocks, which made for some pretty dicey situations as the husband jumped or crawled over the log obstacles and through the mud pit). We will admit that explanations just don't do this event justice...you gotta see it to believe it!
And the prize...for starters, the winner received 5 times the wife's weight in money, and the wife's weight in beer, plus the right to travel to the World Championships in some Nordic country.
While the whole event seemed to us to be a reason for a weekend beer fest, a good time was had by all (except for the wife who was dragged through the mud pit with her head underwater). For our part, we witnessed something we'd NEVER see in Mineola, Texas, and we did get to see some great arts and crafts exhibits, and enjoy some wonderful regional foods.
After having about all the fun we could stand, we drove down the mountain and then back up Sunday Mountain Road to take a last look at Frank and Julie's wedding venue as they were preparing for today's wedding.
On the way back to Bethel, we stopped to take some photos of a lonely little cemetery along the road. There many of these cemeteries scattered throughout the state, and they seem to cry out for some kind of recognition. this one got our's today.
And with the trip down the hill and back to Bethel, our New England Fall Adventure began coming to an end. We returned to the camp ground to do a final load of wash, clean Big V, and begin packing for the next leg of the trip tomorrow. What a wonderful time we had in these beautiful places!!!
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From Big V at Bethel Outdoor Adventure and Campground, Bethel, Maine.
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams/Gramsy
