Category: Archives (Page 1 of 7)

Cape Cod, Plymouth and Salem

 

July 9, 2024

 

Our friends who have spent their lives exploring the world always stop at the visitor center in a new location, so that is precisely what we did on arriving in Cape Cod from Martha’s Vineyard. 

A very kind snowbird named Glenn from Englewood, Florida spent almost a half hour sharing his favorite spots on Cape Cod.  By the time he finished, we were well past lunch, so we took his advice and went to Captain Parker’s Pub in nearby Hyannis for chowder.  His recipe has won the chowder contest on Cape Cod so many times he retired to Champion Status, so he went to Boston and won their chowder contest many times.  Yep, it was the best we’ve ever had.  It had just the right taste and texture, the size of clams and potatoes, and was made in small batches all day to be extra fresh. 

We stopped at the JFK Hyannis Museum, which chronicled the Kennedy family’s ties to Cape Cod.  There was one room about Bobby and a hallway upstairs about JFK Jr., but all the rest was on JFK.   It is always sobering when such promising lives are cut short.  Outside, we overheard a younger person telling friends, “I heard he was driving around in his convertible, and someone shot him.  How sad.” Ignorance of history beyond unfathomable.

We stopped by an Amazon locker to pick up packages and drove up the cape to Dunes Edge, our campground near Provincetown.  This campground is in the steep dunes area, but we got a “fairly” level site for the next week while we explored Cape Cod.

We took the Sunday Jazz Train, which I had booked previously, and then upgraded to the club car with the band. 

We enjoyed a lovely lunch feeling quite elegant with the live music and view of the Cape Cod Canal.  The drummer let Larry play during our ride and told him he had an excellent beat. 

Another day, we explored some of the beaches and lighthouses at Cape Cod National Seashore.  Of course, we had to go to the Nauset Lighthouse, which is THE iconic lighthouse on the Cape Cod Potato Chips bag! 

We chatted with a ranger at the Salt Pond Visitor Center before watching several movies about park geology and history before we walked the Nauset Marsh Trail and took the shuttle out to Coast Guard Beach.

This beach ranks in the top 10 beaches in the US, so even though it was before noon on a Monday, it was already dotted with beachgoers.

We are still surprised by the warning signs for great white sharks at all the beachheads and the advice not to swim with the seals.

After a quick lunch at the Marconi Station Site, we visited the Highland Light and Museum.

Erosions of the cliffs necessitated relocating the lighthouse, and there was an engaging video to watch before climbing to the top.  The view from the top was spellbinding, and I kept looking for whales while Larry peppered the volunteer with questions.

We booked a whale-watching tour early one afternoon, which allowed us to bike around Provincetown in the morning.

Sea Salt Tours has a 35-foot boat named Ragamuffin with six passengers and took us out to the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

The Bank is the feeding ground for whales, especially during the spring and summer months.  Our little boat proved quite agile and fast, so we could spend time observing the seals off of Race Point on the way and maneuver quickly to whales.

We saw at least several humpback whales feeding, and on the return trip, we spotted a fin whale—over 80 feet long with a fin like a surfboard and a body like a torpedo.

Back on land, we got a treat at the Portuguese Bakery and then biked to the Pilgrims Monument and First Landing Site.

Though Plymouth claims the Pilgrims, they first landed on Cape Cod, explored the area for six weeks, and signed the Mayflower Compact in the harbor before going to an abandoned village in Plymouth.  Provincetown erected a tall granite pillar on its tallest dune to remind Plymouth who was first.

We drove down the Cape to Harwich one morning to tour an organic cranberry bog farm.  The tour lasted almost 90 minutes and followed what happens in a cranberry bog through each season.  The actual flooded bog and harvesting last about 48 hours from start to finish, and then a big truck with a vacuum hose sucks up all the cranberries in under an hour.  There are few independent bogs any longer as more giant corporations do most of the growing and keep prices low, crowding out the smaller farms.  As with any farming, there are many perils and abundant government oversight. 

We thought this road sign was humorous

We chose nearby Sesuit Harbor Cafe for lunch as they are renowned for their lobster rolls, so of course, the parking lot was full even before lunch.  The line moved quickly, and soon, we were sitting with our lobster roll and tuna sashimi.  Classic Cape Cod lobster rolls are cold with mayonnaise as the binder and may or may not have celery added.  They were delicious, of course, but we prefer the ones from Mystic that are warm with garlic butter. 

That evening, we returned to Provincetown for a sunset tour with Art’s Dune Tours.  Our guide, Johansson, narrated the whole two hours, and we learned a good deal about the beach shacks and dunes in general, which were wider, taller, and more numerous than I’d anticipated.  Fortunately, this area belongs to the National Park Service, which controls access to preserve the dunes and vegetation. 

We watched the sunset from Herring Cove, and Larry snapped some nice photos.

As we were back after dark, our bike ride home across a busy road took some caution. We were on Cape Cod on July 4, and Larry grilled some excellent BBQ boneless beef ribs for lunch.  Though there were fireworks that night, the evening rain shower and subsequent sunset were spectacular, too!

The refrigerator spooked us a little by getting too warm, and Larry figured out, with just minimal tools, that he needed to replace a failing relay for the DC heating element.  We’ll use propane or AC until Larry can get a new relay. 

On Friday, July 5, we left Cape Cod and drove to Plymouth, parking downtown close to Plymouth Rock and Mayflower II.  I affectionately deemed it “Plymouth Pebble” as it is much smaller than it used to be due to previous generations chipping away souvenirs.  It is well protected now with a sturdy monument! 

We toured Mayflower II, which we had seen undergoing restoration in Mystic Seaport in 2019.  The United Kingdom built the Mayflower II reproduction in 1958 as a gift for the WWII Alliance.  It is generally faithful to the original, which was likely sold from scrap after it ended its life as a cargo ship in 1624.  Our docents told us that the builders raised the ceilings in the cargo hold 8 inches since this ship would be a living museum with tours.  The original Pilgrims spent all their time below deck as the sailors were not used to passengers and barely tolerated them.  It was unbelievable that 102 pilgrims and their livestock were crammed into such a small space.  They were tough! 

Afterward, we walked around the waterfront and historical area, looking at the Pilgrim Mother statue, the Massasoit Statue, the 1749 Court House Museum, and the William Bradford Statue. 

We spent two nights at the Wompatuck State Park and returned to Plymouth the next day to tour the Plymouth Patuxet Museum.  The pilgrims took over the village of Patuxet after not finding suitable land on Cape Cod.  Located in an area with good water, land, and fishing, the village had been abandoned after an epidemic in the Wampanoag native Americans.  The Museum was a re-creation of the 1627 Village with knowledgeable and engaging period actors who interacted with us as they attended to their daily lives.

We spent several hours at the Museum before picking up the refrigerator relay at an Amazon Locker, which Larry had installed back at the campground.  Success—the DC heating element for the refrigerator works again! 

On our way to Salem, we stopped in Quincy for a coffee at the Original Dunkin’ Donuts. 

In Salem, we had a gorgeous site on the water at Winter Island Campground, which afforded us a little breeze in this ninety-degree heat wave.  It had an electric hookup, too, so we could run the much-needed air conditioner. 

On our full day in Salem, we walked the two miles into town to the Visitor Center to pick up the first trolley for the narrated tour of Salem with its maritime history and, of course, the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. 

We walked home past the Bewitched Statue, the Salem Maritime Historic District, and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s House of Seven Gables. 

On Tuesday, July 9, we left Massachusetts, stopped at a Walmart in New Hampshire to stock up (no sales tax in this state!), and started our adventure in Maine!

Next, we go fishing….I mean catching!

 

My thoughts exactly

 

L. L. Bean, Freeport Maine

 

July 12, 2024

 

We had so much fun with two L.L. Bean Outdoor Discover Programs in Freeport, Maine, that we thought they deserved a post dedicated to them! I had no idea that L.L. Bean had expert-led experiences, but I quickly booked them once I knew.

Our first stop in Freeport, Maine, was at the L.L. Bean store, where we spent some time just looking at all their gear.

We purchased our one-day fishing licenses for a nominal fee before going to our campground at Wolfe’s Neck Campground for the next two nights.

The campground is part of a larger Smith Center for Education Research that works on sustainable agriculture, such as pasture rotation and non-plowing of fields, which is very interesting. They also have a small dairy herd, who walks across the campground morning and evening to the milking parlor.

On Wednesday morning, we walked 1.2 miles to the L.L. Bean Flying Point Paddling Center for our Cascade Bay Kayak Tour with Maine Audubon.

We kayaked to Pettigree Island, where we beached the kayaks and found a juvenile bald eagle perched on a log less than 50 yards away!

Andy, our Audubon birding guide, shared that the adults were likely nearby, and we saw them flying overhead to check us out (only adults have white heads)

Andy could identify birds we saw, often knowing who they were by sound even before we could see them.

We kayaked around and between Sow and Pig Islands before returning to the floating dock. The tide here changes by 8 to 10 feet, so the long dock, which wasn’t floating several hours before, was fully floating on our return. We walked back to the campground, did laundry, and Larry grilled us a delicious steak dinner. On Thursday, we got up early, had breakfast, and drove 40+ minutes to Miller Park in Lisbon, Maine, for our full-day Androscoggin River Fishing Trip with L.L. Bean. We met our outstanding guide, Chris, and shuttled upriver to launch the boat. Larry almost immediately caught a smallmouth bass, setting the tone for the day.

This is my first fish,  a cute little sunfish who made me laugh after Larry’s bass.

Together, we caught 45 to 50 fish, including smallmouth bass, sunfish with lovely peach bellies, and some fish called “fall.”

Larry caught so many fish that he switched over to try fly fishing, where, under Chris’ excellent tutelage, he caught three fish!

I caught a 17”, 2.75# smallmouth who fought so hard I thought I’d hooked the bottom!

All of the fish were hungry feeders who put up a good fight, and Chris knew which lures to use and how to move them to attract their attention.

Honestly, it was so much fun to catch a fish and see it at the side of the boat that after the first 20 or so fish, we stopped taking photos and let the line loose so that when the fish danced in the water they were usually able to slip from the barbless hooks. We did have to land some who swallowed the lure!

The Androscoggin River has received a massive pollution cleanup, but the mercury and heavy metals trapped in the silt mean that the fish are catch-and-release with the recommendation of eating only three fish — a year!! The fish seem fat, healthy, and full of fight, anyway! In one day, we both caught more fish than probably in our entire lifetime.

We fished all day until, quite literally, the cows came home!

Sorry, I couldn’t resist that one 😂

Next, we eddy out of the “Maine” visitor corridor to a quiet fishing village.

 

You can bet as we travel that we’ll be looking to see if we are near any L.L. Bean Discovery Outdoor program locations.  We found them at http://llbeanoutdoors.com

 

 

Stonington, Maine

 

July 19, 2024

 

When Larry suggested a return trip to Maine this summer, he mentioned finding a quiet spot on the coast. Stonington is just that, a small lobster village that is still primarily a quiet lobster village with some tourism but (thankfully) not discovered by the summer hordes.

On our way, we stopped at the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum at Bowdoin College. Both Arctic explorers were college graduates, and the museum has a wealth of artifacts, mounts, and photos from the expeditions of the early 1900’s.

We had planned to spend only a little while, but stayed almost two hours because of all there was to see and learn. Afterward, we grocery shopped and fueled up for the next week as there won’t be many opportunities on Deer Island. We had a lobster roll at LDI Lobster Dock and Dine as a late lunch/dinner, and we can report these were probably the best we’ve had.

Connecticut style, warm with butter, is better than Cape Cod style, served cold with mayonnaise, and here in Maine, we had a hybrid, which is warm lobster with a teensy bit of mayo, no celery, served warm on a brioche roll grilled in garlic butter. Mind blown. I’m not saying I’ll ever make a lobster roll, but if I ever make another grilled cheese sandwich, I’ll grill it in garlic butter!!

We pulled into Greenlaw’s Campground near Stonington at the bottom of Penobscot Bay, where our centrally located site only needed one trax to level. Larry assembled the bikes, so we were ready for a week of exploring!

We biked into town that weekend to check out the Lobster Boat Races, a Maine version of drag racing, and while we were there, we purchased tickets for the Isle au Haut ferry later in the week and biked to nearby Ames Pond.

Back at the docks, Larry spoke with a lobsterman who said that some boats are for racing only and others are working lobster boats.

We left before the big races to have lunch and leave for Castine in the late afternoon for our bioluminescence kayak tour. It was Bastille Day, and several events were occurring that we thought might make parking challenging to find. We drove past a street dinner on Court Street, where everyone dressed in their whitest whites and sat at tables arranged down the street.

We found our parking spot in the Town Dock parking lot and made dinner before joining our tour.

The kayak tour in Castine Bay and our experience with the bioluminescence was very different from Florida. In Florida, the bioluminescent organisms were much smaller and glowed so that you could see the outline of fish who swam by crabs and the foam on the waves. In Castine Bay, the organisms were small and discrete and seemed to sparkle when disturbed. Unfortunately, on our evening, the bioluminescent organisms were playing hide and seek, so we paddled around the bay in the dark until we finally found them and didn’t have much time to enjoy them before returning to the dock.

We finished well after midnight and considered spending the night at the boat launch as we wouldn’t return to the campground until 2 am. At least a dozen deer kept us wide awake on the drive home, some standing in the middle of the road daring us to bother them, and others loitering roadside looking undecided as to whether they should run out in front of us! The next morning, we slept in and took the day off until we biked a few miles to Burnt Cove for an evening crab and lobster boil. The setting was quintessential Maine, dockside in a picturesque cove, with delicious crab and lobster fresh off the boat!

On Tuesday, we were at the ferry landing at 6:20 am to load our bikes onto the ferry and head out in the fog to Isle au Haut (haut is pronounced “hoe”).

We were the only passengers other than some locals hired to look at moving some houses on the Island. Larry especially had a nice chat with them about their travels—they’d hiked rim to rim on the Grand Canyon—which confirmed our beliefs to work hard, play hard, and buy good gear for your adventurous life. On the Island, we first biked to the ranger station, where we ate the breakfast burritos I’d packed.

We chatted with the friendly ranger before biking to the Robinson lighthouse and then Duck Harbor Trail to Deep Cove.

It was a solid two-mile hike to a quiet cove, though not as scenic as we would see later.

 

We stopped by Shark Point Beach along the road before parking our bikes and taking the Ebens Head Trail to Eben Head. Eben Head was a neat hike to a rock outcropping with a panoramic coastline view. We saw a seal checking out lobster traps and the lobstermen making their rounds of the traps.

Larry even captured a lobster being returned to the sea!

As we biked and hiked, we found blueberries and raspberries for snacks!

We took the Goat trail to Western Head, where we ate a Mountain House dehydrated meal we’d made ahead. This trail also took us to Barred Harbor, Squeaker Cove, and (a different) Deep Cove. There were tons of roots, rocky beaches, panoramic views, ripe berries, and tons of roots and rocky beaches. It was a trail to remember and well named, as you needed to be a goat to navigate it well!

Afterward, we completed biking the 12-mile perimeter of the Island, bought a magnet at Shore Shop Gifts, and caught the 4:30 ferry home. It was a different return trip, with a boat full of day hikers and a large family on bikes. We’d seen only four people the whole day, so we had no idea where these folks were! The Island’s magic that day was in the southern part of Acadia National Park—in its solitude, remoteness, wildness, and feeling of isolation (perhaps heightened by the fog). I guess that speaks volumes about who we are.

This island looks different from the morning trip!

Back at camp, we showered, had a snack, and fell into bed, where we slept almost 11 hours, perhaps from all the activity compounded by sleep deprivation earlier in the week. We changed sites, as there was an electrical issue at our site, and we like the new one even better tucked into the woods.

In the late afternoon, we dressed up for a rare and memorable treat! We drove to Aragosta at Goose Cove, a small resort restaurant a few miles away, for an 8-course tasting menu, each with small portions but fabulous taste combinations of locally sourced land and sea dishes. We enjoyed each other’s company and discussed where we’ve been and our plans for the future. As one of our friends would say, “wonderful, wonderful!”

On our last full day on the Island, we biked back down to the docks, where we met Zach from Stonington Paddle for a four-hour paddle.

We paddled first to Green Island and The Preserve, where we walked a trail. He identified plants and birds and discussed the granite quarrying around the area.

Ghost pipe-never seen these before

We strolled past a quarry pit where locals often swim before paddling to Little Camp Island, where we beached the kayaks to roam about.

This seal was checking us out

We rock-scrambled and hunted for blueberries and raspberries, and Zach tried to find clams—clear skies and mostly calm winds made for a perfect trip to end our time exploring Stonington.

Back at camp, Larry disassembled and stowed the bikes while I did laundry before Larry grilled a steak dinner for us to enjoy. On Friday, we left Stonington and headed down east, stopping at the Wooden Boat School, and Larry watched some classes in progress for a while.

We walked to the dock and agreed that this area had an undeniably perfect vibe.

Next, we spend a week in Acadia National Park!

 

Isle au Haut is currently seeking residents according to this article:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/06/13/lifestyle/tiny-maine-island-recruiting-new-residents/

 

Schoodic Woods and Roosevelt Campobello International Peace Park

 

July 28, 2024

 

We had camped in all the campgrounds in Acadia National Park in the fall of 2019 and knew then that we wanted to return and spend more time in Schoodic Woods. This newest of the campgrounds is not on the Desert Island part of Acadia, so it is less crowded, and the sites are roomy and wooded (no showers, but not a problem for us). On Friday, July 19, we checked in at the ranger station and discussed our plans before setting up at our campsite. The ranger had only a few suggestions to add to our itinerary.

Larry assembled the bikes, and we were off on the bike trail to nearby Frazer Point for sunset before attending an evening ranger program.

On Saturday morning, we rode the bikes down to Schoodic Point, where we went to the Rockefeller welcome center and learned the history of the Navy radio counter-intelligence. Rockefeller gave Schoodic Point to the Navy to get them off his beloved Desert Island, and after they left, they turned it over to the National Park Service for all of us to enjoy. We biked to the Point for the view before returning home for lunch.

Midafternoon, we caught the free island shuttle from the campground to Blueberry Hill, where we hiked 6 miles up Anvil to Buck Mountain and then back to the campground. The first two miles up to Buck Mountain were neat with rock scrambling, blueberries, and vistas of the water and mountains.

After that, some areas were just root-y and rocky, making it a hike for exercise, not views. The forest was often mossy and dark, so it seemed a little magical in the early evening when we finished.

Sunday was an unusual day. We left before 6:30 am to drive over an hour to the central part of Acadia for Mass at St Peter’s in SW Harbor. We’d been here in 2019 and adore this little church’s simplicity. The church doesn’t have stained glass windows but sits in the woods with big windows facing the forest, so you feel like you are worshipping in the great outdoors.

Afterward, we drove over to the Common Good Soup Kitchen for popovers. We had been there in 2019 as well and enjoyed the popovers and oatmeal they serve to fund their year-long soup kitchen. We always make a nice donation and sit awhile to enjoy the Common Good Band—a bunch of lively senior musicians who play ukulele, guitar, bass, fiddle, and violin and sing reasonably well.

Last time, we invited an older gentleman to sit with us, and he turned out to be one of the founders, full of stories about the charity. We had thoroughly enjoyed our visit with him and wondered if he might still be around. This is where it gets interesting. We talked to one of the volunteers, described who we were looking for, and they directed us inside for information on him. And yes, the photo did look like the person we sat with, but—he died in 2017. We returned to the volunteer and hinted that we had been here in 2019 and he passed in 2017, but they just nodded and said, thanks for sharing. We weren’t sure if they were just busy or didn’t hear us correctly, so we didn’t want to be weird and press the issue. We left wondering what or whose company we enjoyed in 2019. Our travels have taught us that the world is larger than we know.

Monday found us again leaving camp before 6:30 am to drive back to Desert Island and park at Jordan Pond. We walked two miles to the Acadia Stables and took a one-hour carriage ride around Day Mountain.

Our driver was a young lady leaving for a year-long folk culture study in Norway this fall. We thought it was a unique and exciting choice, especially for a lifelong Maine resident. Our horses, Turbo and Detroit, were 4-year-old Percherons, and they took us on a very peaceful ride along the carriage roads. Rockefeller built these roads specifically for horses and oversaw their construction closely so the design blended seamlessly into the nature around them. Also, the grade is much lower for horses. We had a very relaxing and memorable journey before catching the #4 bus to Jordan Pond, where we had 11:15 reservations. It was a picture-perfect day, so we sat outside on a table at the edge of the lawn in front of Jordan Pond.

We split one popover as they’re famous for them, and it was delicious—crispy without overdone and soft on the inside. We also split a house salad and an excellent Brie/lobster grilled cheese sandwich with blueberry crisp and vanilla ice cream for dessert.

It was a quintessential and fabulous Acadia National Park experience!

Back at camp, Larry worked on getting us cell coverage for Canada, and it turns out that Consumer Cellular now has an option for that, so we didn’t have to switch carriers like we did last year.

We had an evening sail with Sail Acadia the following day, with the owner single-handing the sails. The wind was light for our three-hour trip, so we also motor sailed. The captain told us about the parts of the island we passed, who lived where, and when, as many famous folks and celebrities have and do reside here in their summer homes.

We visited the Bunker Ledge monument, constructed in Thomas Jefferson’s time, to mark the reef. This pyramidal structure has faithfully served its purpose and remained unchanged across time and a changing world. Very Cool!

Another day, we drove in the fog to Milbridge for a lobster tour. Sadly, the fog was very thick, with a record low tide for the month, so it was eventually apparent that the experience would not be.

We did laundry in town and then prepped for our USA departure by using our produce, meat, and eggs, locating the Parcs Canada passes and our passports, and stowing the bikes.

On Friday, we journeyed to Canada, and we made several stops on the way. Our first detour was to Sandy River Beach, where we were supposed to find beach glass, but instead, we found a low tide to walk across a small island. The tide was coming in fast, so we took a photo and beat it back to shore.

We made another detour to Jasper Beach for the sound of the waves on the rocks, which was probably less remarkable than expected as it was low tide.

Our last stop was Cutler Coastal Trail, where we set a brisk pace on a rocky and rooty trail (is there anything else in this part of the world?) to a cliffside overlook.

We crossed uneventfully into Canada, where the border agent asked if we brought anything. What an odd question—we have everything we need for this adventure with us! But there was no contraband, so we said no and passed through.

At Herring Cove Provincial Park, we switched from a woodsy, unlevel site to a level spot in the field for the next two nights.

Saturday, 7.27, was an adventure-filled day! We drove to East Quoddy Lighthouse about two hours before low tide and were able to cross for a tour of the Lighthouse.

The crossing involves three ladders, a bridge, and walking across the sea floor that is 23 feet underwater at height tide. The tide moves in and out at 5 feet per hour, so you must be smart about timing your visit. There is abundant kelp and sea grass on all the rocky, which makes passage quite slippery. We had fun, and the view from the Lighthouse was great!

We then drove to the Roosevelt Campobello International Peace Park, where FDR had a summer “cottage” and also came down with polio there. As we entered the parking lot, a volunteer asked us if we were there for “the event,” Not knowing what the event was, we answered “yes” anyway. He replied that parking might be a problem and that if we couldn’t find a spot, there was overflow parking 1/4 mile away. Of course, Larry slid us into a nice place at the end, no problem! It was the 60th-anniversary celebration of the Park, attended by the United States governor, Senator and US Representative, Passamaquoddy Tribal Leaders, Provincial Premier, and even Roosevelt’s granddaughter.

Sam Waterston, of the TV show “Law and Order,” was there since he did the voice for the park movie. He was kind enough to take a photo with him.

After the speeches, we toured the visitor center and museum before joining the free buffet lunch for all attendees. We toured Roosevelt’s Cottage and the Hubbard Cottage, which had a spectacular oval window overlooking Friars’ Bay.

Yes, that is FDR’s fedora!

And, Eleanor’s desk

This window is spectacular!

We also went to Mulholland Point Lighthouse and drove the carriage road to Liberty Point for photos to round out the day.

On Sunday, we returned to the USA and visited Quoddy Head State Park in Maine. The visitor center wasn’t open yet, so Larry got some photos of the Lighthouse in the morning light before we walked the coastal trail to Green Point.

The fog rolled into the coast on our hike but did not affect our stroll along the arctic bog where there were abundant pitcher plants, one even with a bug in it!

After a stop at the lighthouse museum, we drove to Calais, Maine, for our last night in the US for almost a month. We filled the LP tanks, did laundry, received a few packages, and ensured we were again ready to cross into Canada.

Next, inching our way to a long visit to Prince Edward Island

Assateague and Chincoteague

 

June 3, 2024

We slept in on Thursday before driving the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel into Maryland. We are thankful to have an EZ Pass accepted for tolls in many states.

At the Chincoteague Refuge, we visited the lighthouse and drove Beach Road out to Tom’s Cove before walking the Woodland Trail to a pony overlook.

We could see the ponies from across the marsh, but a Sitka elk bounded away feet from us on the trail.

The Wildlife Loop drive was open to cars in the late afternoon, so we circumnavigated the scenic Snow Goose Pond, which had lovely views (but no ponies). We camped for two nights in an idyllic site at Pocomoke State Park, with a return trip to Chincoteague for a private pony boat tour with Chincoteague Island Adventures.

Captain Randy Birch is a native “teaguer” with tons of local knowledge and stories about the island. He knew where the ponies frequent and could get us close to a small band.

We headed to Assateague National Park and Seashore on Saturday, where horses were everywhere, including under the sign!

At the Visitor Center, we watched a movie on the history of the island and another about the horses themselves. On the Assateague and Chincoteague Islands, all the horses have round bellies from all the salt they consume with the marsh grasses, meaning they drink a lot of fresh water. The herds on the Islands are kept separate and managed very differently. The Chincoteague “ponies” are owned by the Chincoteague Fire Department and are rounded up yearly by the famous pony swim. Sales of ponies after the swim manage the island population. Assateague horses belong to the National Park Service, which does not handle them other than to dart them annually with a contraceptive to control their numbers. While the horses are wild, they have learned that people = food, so they can be destructive in searching campsites. Our campsite was just behind the dunes on the beach, and the horses did visit us there—we keep a clean campsite, so there is nothing for them to eat!

Larry assembled our bikes, and then we biked to the park’s south end, the Old Ferry Landing and Bayside Campground, where we hiked the marsh and forest trails.

Not stopping!

We were at a lifesaving station exhibit across the parking lot from the campground area and heard our car alarm start to go off. A group of children had been playing basketball and bounced the ball rather soundly against the truck grille, which set off the alarm. Though that kept them from playing ball near the truck for the next few days, they enjoyed using our picnic table and biking through our site. Welcome to summer camping! 😬

On Sunday, we biked back to the mainland for two programs at the Visitor Center.

Larry got his Junior Ranger badge before a talk on horses, and then we enjoyed the touch tank, where another ranger let us hold whelks, clams, and crabs.

Summer and winter ranges of the Assateague horses

On the way back across the bridge, we saw some rangers patiently herding some horses away from the bridge and wondered if any had ever crossed over to the mainland.

We participated in two more ranger programs in the afternoon, clamming and crabbing.

Larry was quite successful finding clams, and we each caught a crab, which isn’t easy as the wily crustaceans in that area are well-versed in avoiding capture.

We asked the rangers about horses crossing the bridge, and they told us that it is rare but can happen if the horses are frightened by people or traffic and choose the bridge as an escape route. Our stay on Assateague ended with a perfect sunset!

Next…did we really drive a truck camper through downtown New York City during a Friday rush hour 🤔

 

 

 

Trivia?

Chinky the Banker Pony by Sanford Tousey, published in 1941, “might” have a similar storyline to Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry, published in 1947.

Islanders are grateful for the tourism generated by Marguerite Henry’s book series.

Cape Henlopen, Cape May, and New York City

 

June 9, 2024

 

This week’s ultimate destination was the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, but we took a meandering route to get there. We spent several days on Cape Henlopen in Delaware, where Larry unloaded the bikes for us to explore the area. There is a network of hiking and biking trails in and near this park, so we spent several hours biking around Cape Henlopen Loop and Walking Dunes Trail.

Another day, we biked the 16-mile round trip on the wide and hard-packed gravel Gordon Pond Trail to Rehoboth Beach. The boardwalk wasn’t too busy and struck us as a tamer version of Venice Beach in California.

We also explored the Fort Miles Historic area, where we had fun walking around the artillery and buildings, though the museum and nature center were closed during our visit.

Found this fierce little guy on the path, too.

Larry started going through his two bags of “concentrates” from Crater of Diamonds, which would make anyone cross-eyed as they closely examine each small rock!

On Thursday, June 6, we were first in line for the ferry from Lewes to Cape May.

It was a clear day with some wind but not enough for rough seas on the 1-hour crossing.

We had deviled crab cakes, scallops, onion rings, and clams fresh from the sea for lunch at Rick’s Seafood in Cape May!

Our campsite at Brendan T Byrnes was pretty rustic for a State Forest. Still, it was a good overnight when Larry finished sorting through the Crater of Diamond concentrates and was reasonably sure he found a little diamond!

He called the park, who said that we would have to return in person to check it out and get a certificate—so maybe we’ll have to go back and do some more digging, too.

Since Larry has relatives buried in Middle Village, New York City, we went to the cemetery and took flowers to pay our respects. We underestimated both the time it would take and the Friday traffic in New York City. Our various navigation apps and devices tried to route us in the best possible way, though we ended up on side streets with either pop-up restaurants or parked cars, leaving only a narrow passageway.

Larry did an excellent job driving in the crazy traffic, and we actually leaned into the experience, stopping on the fly at street vendors for a hot dog and then sliced mangoes with chili lime sauce.

We eventually got to our campground right off the Hudson River within view of the Statue of Liberty. The Liberty Harbor RV Park is a parking lot, but the amenities were clean, and we felt secure. We had two quiet nights there, which we didn’t expect in the big city.

Look who we can see!

On Saturday, we took a 20-minute walk to the Liberty Cruise Terminal and boarded our ferry under a bright blue sky.

The Empty Sky Memorial whose steel walls point to Ground Zero are inscribed with 9/11 victim names.

We skipped Ellis Island and went to the Statue of Liberty first.

We had purchased tickets to the pedestal, which gave us a great view of the harbor.

When you are under Lady Liberty, you can see her robes and a part of the torch.

Behind my head in the harbor are people on a wave runner tour—how did I not know about this?!

There is a small museum in the Statue and a more extensive museum on the Island where Larry got his Junior Ranger badge.

This is the original beacon flame.

The blue dot is us, and the aqua target is our campground!

We split a pastrami hamburger and a pineapple mango smoothie for lunch before reboarding the ferry for Ellis Island.

Ellis Island was a much more extensive visit than we had imagined, and we spent several hours there watching movies and exploring several floors of exhibits.

A photo of Slovak mother and her children

The collections and displays of how the Island looked during its time as an immigrant entry point were captivating. Much of the building is as it originally was, well built and old, even to the bathroom sinks. Thinking of all the hopes and dreams of those whose feet walked the same floors and steps as ours was sobering. Since Larry’s parents were sponsored by family already established in New York City, they did not come through Ellis Island. We ferried home inspired by the independence and determination of those who traveled here and the patriotism embodied in Lady Liberty.

 

 

 

Quotes about liberty from the museum under her feet:

Just so you know

And then there were two.

We are brokenhearted.

For five years, two people and one really cool cat have been together all the time, a three-piece puzzle that fits together perfectly to make a whole adventure team. Now, the cat piece has gone to heaven’s puzzle box, and both the devastated people pieces are lost. 💔

We miss him riding with us in the cab to our adventures, sleeping on Larry’s chest or under the covers between us, announcing himself when he wanted to go outside or get our attention, and most of all, his unconditional acceptance and love. There is that ONE pet who is a once-in-a-lifetime companion, and for us, his name is Pumpernickel.

Sunbathe on God’s lap until we meet again.

Some of Pumpernickel’s photo memories

Connecticut

June 20, 2024

We spent almost two weeks in Connecticut, revisiting places from 2019 and adding new experiences. After Lady Liberty, we stopped to see some friends related to Larry’s mother, who had been instrumental in her family coming to America. We visited the Mark Twain House in Hartford, where a costumed actor playing Mark’s minister friend showed us the house as if we were potential 1903 buyers. The home inside (no photos allowed) and out is gorgeous as Mark’s wealthy wife had Louis Tiffany do the interior.

We camped at West Thompson Lake Army Corp of Engineers Park, an excellent springboard to visit Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts. This outdoor history museum is a preserved 1830s-era town with homes, workshops, barns, gardens, fields, a small town, and a farm. Costumed period actors talked to us about blacksmithing, tin making, farm life, the workings of a carding mill, and so much else. We had an obligatory “Joe Frogger” molasses spice cookie at Miner Grant Store and Bakeshop, went back to the Ute midday for lunch and then spent several more hours walking around the grounds.

When our daughters were young, every night Larry would read one of The Boxcar Children’s book series to them, and the author, Gertrude Chandler Warner, was born near our campground in Putnam, Connecticut. The Museum honoring her work isn’t open this summer while they work on stabilizing the boxcar, but we stopped by anyway and found it very cute! Putnam itself has a wholesome small-town atmosphere just as portrayed in the Boxcar Children books.

Although we did some chores at the campground, we hiked nearby trails and sat by the campfire.

On Friday, June 14, we drove into Mystic, Connecticut, and our very first stop was at Abbott’s for a lobster roll. Abbott’s is where we had our first lobster roll in 2019, and the repeat this year was worth the wait—warm buttery lobster on a toasted bun 😍.

We stopped at the CVS in town to pick up some prescriptions and met some locals who suggested we go to the nearby monastery on Enders Island, which required passing through a private development. When we drove up to the security gate, you could see the guard puffing up to deny this lowly pickup camper access, but when we said we were going to Enders Island, he visibly deflated and reluctantly let us by. Insider’s tip—the code is Enders Island 😉, and the monastery, grounds, stained glass, and art exhibits are worth the effort, though the guard gate was hilarious.

In 2019, we had so much fun in Mystic that we decided to stay for a week this time, using the same campground now named Sun Outdoors Mystic.

It was great to have more time to explore the area beyond Mystic. We visited the Submarine Museum in nearby New London, where the first nuclear-powered submarine, The Nautilus, was moored on permanent exhibit. Although it was Children’s Day, we arrived early and avoided most crowds.

We also toured the Custom House Museum, which provided customs from the era of tall ships. Thankfully, the building was saved from demolition so that you can see the concrete spiral staircase, arches, and maritime artifacts.

Mystic is a very bikeable town, so we biked into town several times. (Of course, you always have to be careful. While we were there, famous chef Gordon Ramsay posted that he had just been treated in New London for a serious bike accident!) We biked to Mystic Seaport Museum, where we liked the old ships and shipyards. Last time we were here, the Mayflower II was being refitted, and we’ll stand on her decks later this summer in Plymouth. This year, we stood on the Susan Constant in Jamestown, and she is due into Mystic for a multi-year refit at the end of this week! Our favorite part is always where the craftsmanship  happens, so we enjoyed the cooperage where barrels and casks were made and the forge. Larry impressed the gentleman at the chandlery with his knowledge of sextants and chatted with the workers replacing the caulking on a deck about their technique with oakum and hot tar.

We stayed so long that we had a very late lunch at Captain Daniel’s Packers Inn. We split a huge and delicious serving of their famous fish and chips.

Yes! This is one order!

On another day, we biked into Mystic Seaport, returning to the Museum for a shipyard tour before going into town for a sail. At the shipyard, we learned that the biggest enemy of the wooden ships is the shipworm, and being moored in one location invites these destructive pests to get to work.

We then had a two-hour “sail” in the afternoon aboard the Argia, a replica of a 19th-century aff topsail schooner (built in 1986). The wind was light, so we had to motor sail a bit, but it was cooler out on the water—this heat and humidity are what we came north to escape! The crew shared some islands’ history and showed us where we could see Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New York from the water. We sailed past Abbott’s, too.

It was a bit of a drive from Mystic to Newport, Rhode Island, but we did take a day trip to see the mansions. We arrived early one morning and parked on Narragansett to do Cliffwalks. We had the beautiful 2.5-mile trail to ourselves along scenic northeast coastal beauty with the mansions as a backdrop.

At the end of the walk, we took the free trolley back to the truck and then parked at The Breakers. This palatial Gilded Age summer home of the Vanderbilts was stunning, with extensive craftsmanship and artwork. Every detail in every room, space, and structure was exquisite in its artistry. The self-guided audio tour worked well, so we could walk around at our own pace. Although these mansions were ridiculed in their time for their excesses, I’d like to think that skilled artisans who created all this beauty appreciated the wealth that funded their work.

After touring this mansion, we relocated to the Marble House parking lot for lunch. The Marble House was not as ornate or lavish but impressive in that it was made entirely of marble of different colors and origins in each room.

Larry sweetly got us a brownie and soda at the Chinese Tea House to sustain us for our last tour of the day at Rosecliffe.

We found Rosecliffe the least interesting, perhaps because it was always a party house and never a real “home.”

Mystic has been a lovely revisit, and next, we’re looking forward to adding our last state to the map!

 

“Down East” and “Up Island”

These terms never made sense to me until the Chandler at Mystic Seaport Museum explained them. The ancient Greeks divided our Earth along its height from the North Pole to the South Pole by longitude lines, starting at 0 in the Prime Meridian at Greenwich, England, and moving west with increasing numbers. For example, a location to the East of Mystic, CT, would have a lower number of longitude so that you would travel “down” to get there. A location west of Mystic would have a higher longitude so that you would travel “up” to get there. Long ago, Mariners communicated directions by longitude, so the western part of an island would be “Up” island, and the eastern part of a coastline would be “down east.” Now I understand why Northeastern Maine is “down east” (and hopefully you do too).

This understanding will also help when we get to Martha’s Vineyard.

Rhode Island & Martha’s Vineyard

 

June 28, 2024

 

On Friday, June 21, we drove to Fishermens Memorial State Park in Narragansett, Rhode Island, where we’ll camp for the next two nights. With this stay, we completed having spent at least a night in all 50 states—it only took us five years! Fishermens Memorial is a short bike ride to the ferry landing to Block Island and is very popular as it was one of the harder campsites to book for this summer. We’ve never camped under one of the giant wind turbines, and although it didn’t disturb our sleep, there is an assortment of mechanical groans and clanks when it is moving that let you know you are under a wind farm. On Saturday, we were ready to go quite early, with our bikes each carrying two batteries, packed snacks, rain jackets, sunblock, sunglasses, extra hats, and camelbacks full of electrolyte water. It was a foggy ride to the ferry landing, where we discovered our bikes were too heavy to lift onto the deck of the fast ferry.

We quickly switched to the 8 am regular ferry, which put us onto Block Island at 9 am.

After landing, we headed to the Southeast Lighthouse, then Mohegan Bluffs.

It was still a little foggy across the water, but we could see the bluffs and hike down to the overlook.

We biked to Vaill Beach and Dories Cove Beach, where Larry chatted with an artist painting the scene.

Along our 30-mile bike ride for the day, we looked for the elusive glass orbs hidden near trails and greenways every year. Although we weren’t successful, the scavenger hunt appeal was fun, and we observed many other visitors getting out of their vehicles and searching. After biking to the Coast Guard Station at the Great Salt Pond Channel, we went to lunch at The Oar, where they accidentally served us the wrong sushi before giving us the correct sushi roll and a delicious blackened salmon salad.

After lunch, we biked to the North Light, parked at Settler’s Rock, and walked a mile to the lighthouse.

It was a seagull nesting area, so there were plenty of parents with half-grown chicks too big for the nest but not yet able to fly or fend for themselves, which was an obvious source of concern for the parents trying to keep them safe and nurturing them to adulthood (did I describe teenagers?). Not wanting to contribute to their anxiety, we trekked back down the beach, where we saw a group of 20 or so seals out in the water. We biked south to the Clayhead Trail and took it to the beach—I’ve coined a new term, “hotitated,” for hot and irritated, as the heat and humidity on the island this time of year are oppressive. The flowers thrive on it!

We caught the midafternoon ferry back to the mainland, and Larry disassembled and stowed the bikes before rain poured down.

On Sunday, we drove to Providence and scored the cheapest diesel fuel for $2.94! We arrived at the Woods Hole ferry to Martha’s Vineyard well before our departure, and although I had been worried about our length and height, the lad at the ticket booth just gave us our tickets without a second glance. Getting ferry tickets to and from Martha’s Vineyard was another one of my challenges this spring, and it is delightful to have those plans work out so well!

We arrived at Martha’s Vineyard two hours before we could check into our campground, so we toured the island museum to learn some local history.

The author for the Clifford books lived on the island

Our stay was for six nights, and we stayed busy every day! For the first day, we booked a van tour of the island for a good overview of geology, history, and ideas for our itinerary.

On the advice of our tour guide, we had lunch at Offshore Ale, where we sat next to one of the original chefs from the Black Dog Tavern, and he told us what to eat there.

We found nearby Back Door Donuts, where I’d come with our oldest daughter in 2017 when I helped her with a marathon, and it was fun to go back and get a colossal apple fritter in her honor.

Ok, not the healthiest dessert, so we walked 3+ miles back to a bus depot where we could pick up a shuttle to our campground. Our exercise allowed us to get pictures of some homes and even visit the Flying Horses Carousel, which was moved here from Coney Island and is the oldest in the USA.

Honestly, all of Martha’s Vineyard smells like flowers!

We left by 8 am for East Chop Lighthouse the following day and then biked southeast to Chappaquiddick on the Bike Trails. It was early, so we had little company on the trails to Edgartown and not much on the short ferry to Chappaquiddick.

We biked this island with the intent to go to the Cape Page Lighthouse, but after the Dike Bridge, the soft sand was far too deep for even our fat tire bikes. We took a photo on the bridge and later realized that this was where Mary Jo Kopechne died in a car crash with Senator Ted Kennedy in 1969.

We backtracked to the peaceful Mytoi Japanese Garden before biking to Wasque (pronounced waskway).

There was a trail between the beach accesses where we saw an osprey nest with two juveniles and met a friendly local for a chat.

Our experience is that people on Martha’s Vineyard are amiable and polite (even drivers!). On the main island in Edgartown, Larry visited with a painter from Cape Cod, who was busy capturing the view of the harbor.

Our route home took us to Morning Glory Farm, where we had a healthy lunch of Kale Salad and Mushroom Cheese turnover.

We logged 40 miles on the bikes when we returned to our campsite.

The next day, we left before 7 am to bike to Aquinnah Cliffs by way of Middle Road to Lobsterville Beach, then to the Cliffs. The route was off the main roads for the most part, and as it was early, the most traffic we saw was a baby bird on the edge of the road. Larry stopped to set it back in the grass, and one of the parents rewarded his kindness by dive-bombing him while the little fledgling made a fuss! Even these guys seemed surprised to see us.

Of course, we had the Cliffs almost to ourselves.

The lighthouse alternates red and white flash

On the route back, we took the Moshup Trail, where we startled a deer who undecidedly darted in several directions before dashing just in front of Larry.

On Middle Road, we stopped at the Mermaid Farm and Dairy for a coffee-flavored drinkable yogurt called a “Lassie.”

It was refreshingly cold and tangy to fuel us back to the campsite for the rest of the 42-mile day. At Chilmark, Larry helped an older woman with a flat bike tire before a stop at the Field Gallery.

The next morning, we had a 7:30 am appointment to do laundry at the campground, so we accomplished that chore. Then, we walked 2+ miles into town for breakfast at the Black Dog Tavern.

We saw our friendly chef from earlier in the week, and we each had one of the delicious entrees named after him. Didn’t we earn these?

We walked around Vineyard Heaven, buying a cute outfit for our grandchildren at the Black Dog Shop, where the lady put her hand on our heads and gave us a quiet blessing as grandparents.

After shopping, we walked back to the campground and prepared for our departure the next day.

We were at the Vineyard Haven Ferry landing at 7:15 on Friday morning, and this time, we did the passage staying below deck in the truck as we had a beautiful view out the front. Martha’s Vineyard, especially outside the main towns, is a lovely place to visit!

Next, we spend a week on Cape Cod, which isn’t long enough to acquire a Massachusetts accent.

 

“To stand at the edge of the sea, to sense the ebb and flow of the tides, to feel the breath of a mist moving over a great salt marsh, to watch the flight of shore birds…to see the running of the old eels and young shad to the sea, is to have knowledge of things that are nearly as eternal as any earthly life can be.”    -Rachel Carson