Pictures L to R: Mt. Washington, NH; Moose sign...we never did see one; Vermont Countryside; Lake Champlain Ferry; Storm over Lake Champlain; Henry on the Playground
6 July 2009 Hanover, ME to Wilmington, NY 194 miles
Two things we’ve noticed about New England…summer time is THE time for road maintenance, but I imagine with all the snow they get, it is necessary; and ice cream…it seems that nearly every town we drive through has at least one, if not two, small “homemade” ice cream stands. However, with all the rain, ice cream just doesn’t sound as good as it does when it is nice and warm. Bruce and Cookie from Massachusetts did mention that New Englanders do love their ice cream…and donuts. There also seems to be a Dunkin’ Donuts on every corner, much like there are Starbucks in California.
Two things we’ve noticed about New England…summer time is THE time for road maintenance, but I imagine with all the snow they get, it is necessary; and ice cream…it seems that nearly every town we drive through has at least one, if not two, small “homemade” ice cream stands. However, with all the rain, ice cream just doesn’t sound as good as it does when it is nice and warm. Bruce and Cookie from Massachusetts did mention that New Englanders do love their ice cream…and donuts. There also seems to be a Dunkin’ Donuts on every corner, much like there are Starbucks in California.
We woke to sunshine early, but within the hour it was clouding over…again. Our drive was pretty uneventful, but the scenery was beautiful as we made our way back into New Hampshire. The sun came out, and it was beautiful for pretty much the rest of the day.
We stopped to change places, so I could practice my driving . Dave keeps telling me to relax, but I find myself gripping the steering wheel so tight, my arms start aching. We passed Mt. Washington, which Dave (with all the trivia stuffed in his brain) mentioned is the highest peak in the northeastern US, and has the highest recorded wind speed (231 MPH) and the most severe weather on the planet! Back to the road..This area is mountainous and curvy, and the roads we are on often follow a river...these felt like rolling hills, but were actually the mountains--but we were only at about 680 feet elevation...which is so different from California. Anyway… I drove through most of New Hampshire until I spied a maple syrup barn up the road. I quickly pulled into the driveway, and we were soon inside Christie’s sampling a variety of maple syrup and maple goodies—we even bought some to send home, and then continued on into Vermont.
We stopped in Montpelier, VT, the capitol of Vermont for lunch…Dave tried deep-fried guacamole and it wasn't to his liking...more details to follow...so we left in search of one of those ever present ice cream stands…wouldn’t you believe it…we didn’t find a single one the rest of the day!
We made it to Burlington, VT, and got in line to cross Lake Champlain on the ferry. While we waited for the ferry, we watched as the clouds gathered over the lake. By the time we were out of the harbor there were white caps on the lake, and it was soon raining…the rain and very light hail continued for the entire trip, finally slowing down some once we were in New York, but it is supposed to continue later tonight. We found a clean, quaint, roadside motel called Grandview Motel in Wilmington, NY, just east of Lake Placid. Henry enjoyed playing on the “kids only” playground.
Goodness, on your way from Montpelier to Burlington, VT you could have stopped at the Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory! Lots of good ice cream to sample there in Waterbury, VT.
ReplyDeleteThose Maine "lobstas" you had look like a junior size for tourists! What no 2 1/2 pounders? :-)
Peggy and Dave:
ReplyDeleteMy cousin in Minneapolis says there are two seasons for Minnesota -- Winter and Road Repair! I guess other parts of the states have the same seasons.
Marlys