Today we enjoyed Franconia Notch State Park. We drove through it in the rain on our way here but today we got to see it in sunlit splendor. Basically I-93 goes through a narrow pass/gap/notch in the White Mountains, with single lanes and a 45 MPH speed limit which took a special act of Congress to authorize, and the park covers the notch and the surrounding mountains. Simply beautiful, just look at the pictures. We also considered visiting Mt Washington but the 90 minutes to go 50 miles deterred us.

COVID has made some wacky changes. I get the general closing of buildings, but I don’t get the general closing of bathrooms but then a porta potty is provided instead. Is the thought people will linger if they have flush toilets and porcelain but will be as fast as possible with a stinky pit of you know what and plastic? Or you have to book a time and pay online but there is still an attendant who can’t book or take money, just verify your booking. I’m able to do all kinds of shopping and pay with cash, but touching money will strike state employees dead.

We have been on the lookout for Moose in Maine and New Hampshire, we’ve seen plenty of signs saying Moose Crossing next x miles, but we haven’t seen one yet to the great disappointment of my better half. We have seen plenty of turkeys: Lone tukeys, a clump of turkeys, a rafter of turkeys (yes, that is what a “flock” of turkeys is called).

Since we first entered New York there have been plenty of Massachusetts plates in the Northeast. They seem to be the Michigan of the Northeast. When we drive around the Midwest, there are always Michigan plates, so when I see one I always say “is there anyone left in Michigan?” Boy, am I a lot of fun to be in a car with. I’d say the same about Massachusetts, only it doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.

I admit I like New Hampshire’s motto: Live free or die. I say it several times a day up here, and I’ll be sad when we leave and I won’t get much opportunity to say it.

And on that bombshell I’ll end the post.

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Day of rest: Run, Relax, Church (YouTube ), Sunday School (Zoom), Lunch, a walk around downtown Littleton, bought 1&1/2 pounds of fudge, visited St. Johnsbury Vermont (47 states for me, 48 for MBH), then back to Bethlehem for a quiet night of fudge eating.

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Today we have been under the remnants of Hurricane Laura all day long – the drive to Logan so that Erin could fly back to Charlotte, and our return to New Hampshire where we had lunch at Jerry’s Deli in Manchester, drove around Lake Winnipesaukee, drove through the Franconia Notch and ended up in Oh Little Town of Bethlehem. Oh how I love driving in the rain.

Sadly, the pictures are very thin today. I wanted to get a picture of how empty Logan was, but I was busy saying goodbye to Erin. The lake and its environs were very picturesque, but we had few chances to pull over where you could see the lake and by the time I figured out we could I had missed the chance. There were a couple of pretty little towns but it was too cold today to spend much time outside.

We have seen some intriguing road names on this trip, most of which I have forgotten, and today we came across Ta Da Dump which apparently has a (trash) transfer station. In Pennsylvania we came across Church Alley Rd, which near as I can tell was the entrance to a church parking lot. And somewhere along the way we passed under a bridge marked “Mountain Road” which could be a name or a description.

Tomorrow is another day!

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Today began like every other day – I opened my eyes and looked at my watch to see if I should get up or try to back to sleep. And then I got up and went for a run (I cut out all the boring stuff in between, which normally I try to do but am not always successful at).

And then it was like no other day. We loaded up and headed to Portland where we got on a boat – we’ve had many great boat rides on vacation – and headed to Peaks island.

They modified boarding for COVID according to another rider. The passengers used to line up and they took your ticket; but now they just have a bucket to drop your ticket in so no one has to touch it. Instead of waiting and walking onboard in a well spaced line there is just a tight mass all wanting a good seat, but their staff doesn’t have to touch your unclean ticket.

After a brief consultation with a convenient map on the island, remember the whole point was the boat ride itself so we didn’t know a thing about Peaks Island (we literally sailed into the unknown), we walked by the nature preserve across to the ocean side to clamber around on the rocks and admire the view. Then we took the longer way back, around the coast admiring the view even more. Lunch even had an ocean view – we were just lucky the island was as pretty as it was, although Erin thought the garbage transfer station conveniently located in the nature preserve lacked charm.

After the boat ride back to Portland we drove to Fort Williams and the Portland Head Light AKA an old lighthouse. And then it was back to Yarmouth where we crossed over to Cousins Island and Sandy Point Beach where the tide was coming in and the beach was visibly shrinking. The Airbnb owner has a page with the tide schedule and a hand written note at the bottom that the Sandy Point Bridge is awesome at low tide, but really it’s the beach when the tide is coming in.

That was the end of novelty and normalcy returned in the form of laundry. I don’t have to turn my underwear inside out anymore – ok that’s a joke. We’re good for another week, which means we will have to launder again or go commando.

And on that bombshell we’ll end today’s ramble.

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Today was mainly a travel day, as we took a different route to lower Maine by way of Belfast, Palermo, and China on our way to Yarmouth. We also crossed a couple of rivers whose names had over twelve letters and were unpronounceable. Or maybe the highway sign guy was having a little fun. Or drunk. Or both.

We had a great lunch at Cushnoc Brewey (I don’t name them, I just eat & drink at them) – a pizza with butternut squash sauce, shaved brussel sprouts, and bacon. Yummy standalone, even better on a pizza. The weather was cool today, so a coffee stout put a little needed fire in the belly. And I mean that more literally than figuratively, but not completely literally.

We stopped off at the Maine Cabin Masters store where we saw Ashley. I failed MBH by not taking a single picture – not the store, not Ashley, not of Ashley & MBH together. We did buy one of those wool dryer balls, so it wasn’t a total failure. Close though, too close.

Another trip to a Hannaford, Maine’s grocery store, to restock our nearly empty breakfast supplies, but this time no line to get in. And then we did the Royal River walk, which was pretty much like it sounds, and the source of today’s pictures. A nice, easy, relaxing day.

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Another full day at Acadia. We wanted to hike The Bubbles (don’t ask). We drove to the parking lot – there may have been a pause or two at scenic overlooks. It was full. The overflow lot was also full. We turn around with ease at the entrance to the Jordan Pond parking lot. We go to and enjoy Cadillac mountain which even the NPS warns you is the most crowded spot in the park (with good reason IMHO) and there are plenty of parking spots and it doesn’t feel too crowded. We go back to The Bubbles with the intent to turn around at the overflow lot if full and head to Eagle Lake. Main lot is full, and the overflow lot is so full somebody parked blocking the drive thru lane, so no way to turn around. So down to the Jordan Pond lot which is now jammed packed making turning around slow, but faster than the line of cars waiting to get out would make you think. We never did get a chance to hike The Bubbles, but we got in Eagle Lake and Pemetic Mountain plus we walked through the Bubbles parking lot on the way back from Pemetic, just like we got to cross the park loop road in a spot on a carriage road trail we’d slowed down for four times that morning. It was that kind of day.

Some people tell us they’ve never seen the park this crowded, others say it’s always this crowded in August. A lady who works at the cabins claimed it’s not crowded this year so finding parking isn’t a problem – not sure what park she’s visiting, or maybe it’s a matter of when. Still it’s a friendly crowd and we’ve nodded to people headed in the other direction and chatted with a few along the way.

And so we said goodbye to Acadia as tomorrow we pull up stakes again and head somewhere new.

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Today we weren’t just adjacent to Acadia, we went in to Acadia. And out, And almost immediately back in again, and then later back out, and then by a couple of entrances, and then through. (Possibly there was even a bit more in and out and next to, but it’s hard to remember.) Because that’s the kind of park it is.

We hiked the Beehive, and by we I mean I made it about a third of the way, TBH about half way, and Erin all the way to the top. And back. I turned around when it was like here is where you start scrambling up the rock face, TBH when it was like here you hang on to some iron loops to climb the rock face. Then we ate lunch on the beach, in part because it was right across the street from the beehive so we didn’t have to drive and find another parking spot, and partly hey it’s the BEACH, where else would you sit and eat and enjoy the day?

We continued on the loop road stopping where our fancy and the views led us, until we stopped at Jordan Pond to hike around it. We considered tackling The Bubbles (hey I don’t name them, I just hike them – or not, as the case may be) while we were right there, but a combination of factors made us say tomorrow. That’s an odd thing in life, when you feel like you have a tomorrow you start emptying today to fill up tomorrow. The trail on the east side is nice, with a nice firm crushed rock makeup, but then you round the top thru some wetlands with a couple of bridges, then a rock scramble for a while (overheard as we passed a family where mom had taken her little girl’s hand “mom, you’re pushing me in the water”), then a board walk, then a bog walk (that’s what the sign said, but it felt like they put down spagnum moss over forest moss for a very spongy feel), and the crushed rock again for a hop, skip, and jump back to the beginning.

We got in a nice drive around the island, not as in all the way around the whole island, including stretches through where the wealthy and not wealthy live, before arriving back in Bar Harbor where we easily parked and ate because we learned from last nights fiasco. Ahh, the joys of a second chance. At a rough estimate 1/3 of the license plates are New York and 1/3 New Jersey. The accents are thick, including the foreign ones.

Now MBH and I are just hoping we can climb out of bed tomorrow.

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We have arrived at one of the original destinations of the trip, Acadia National Park.

Quebec City was the other, but it lies on the other side of a closed border, so it was replaced. Erin and I added two more states, Maine and New Hampshire to the list of states we’ve been to. Once I collect Vermont, I’ll be done with the Northeast.

Today was mostly travel with a morning visit to Portsmouth and a lunch stop in Falmouth – I wasn’t sure we were going to find an open restaurant there. We made it to Mount Desert Island, cool breeze in our hair, in time to get settled in the cabin we had to switch to a few days ago before the rain hit. Once it rolled through it was off to Bar Harbor and dinner, which came off the menu when we saw how crowded the town is (as in hard to find a parking spot and people waiting at every restaurant). So it was off to a grocery store and it too had a long line to get in (blankety blank coronavirus) but we persevered and eventually dined back at the cabin.

We motored thru the 2,000 mile mark today. We have gone so far I no longer recognize the names of most stores here. They do things a little differently with highway exits too. Starting in New York, but ever since the exits are numbered sequentially instead of by the mile marker, so I can’t estimated distance to go to our next exit, I have to rely on the smartphone and you know how much I love that.

Given my age, my coffee intake, etc etc I have to pee twice as often as the rest of the family combined. I remember when as a teenager my father would stop for coffee, then 15 minutes later a potty break, then 15 minutes later coffee, ad infinitum. Some trips I didn’t think we’d ever arrive. I’m not near that bad, but I did ponder buying Depends when we stopped for lunch.

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I started the day with a run. Yes, that’s how sick and twisted I am, I go for runs on vacation. Lexington was great because it was flat, Albany started (and ended) with a hill that was longer and steeper than I thought so it was killer both up and down, this morning I was just slow which I’m going to blame on last night’s large Mexican dinner. And I still do my wind sprints, or as a neutral observer would describe them, dynamic lurches.

We rambled around Salem today, and then went for a scenic drive. They made it very clear, for miles, that there was no parking for rubberneckers, only residents. A nice Sunday afternoon and everyone was out. We really had not experienced how crowded the area is until today. Not to put a fine point on it, I don’t care for crowded.

The theme for this trip has been the very slow driver with his arm hanging out the window, one of whom we’ve encountered every day until today. Today’s was just slow all the time.

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Today the sun goes down on the first week and, in my mind at least, the first act of the vacation play. Act two will be our week with Erin, and Act III will be back to just the two of us for the thrilling conclusion. Act 4 will be our return to home and hopefully the recongealation of my brain which is turning quite mushy under the relentless assault of novelty.

Anyhoo we left New York behind and picked Erin up at Logan and then spent a hot afternoon in downtown Boston, mainly walking the Freedom Trail once we could find it. We wandered about Boston Commons looking for a sign, but not until we overheard a park ranger tell a fellow tourist to follow the red brick path did we use the proper sense and direct our gaze downward. All was revealed.

I have to reiterate how surprised I am by all of the empty countryside we have driven through in the Northeast. I thought it was just one big crowded mess. Now I know it’s a big crowded mess surrounded by plenty of empty countryside.

I managed to snag a half Irish breakfast (everything that comes with a full Irish breakfast, only 1/2 of the quantity) for lunch served by an actual Irishmen so I’m happy, although the lack of mushrooms kept me from being ecstatic. It’s the little things in life that make a big difference. Still, four kinds of meat! FOUR KINDS!!!

And on that happy note – plus no cancellations so every night a bed is present and accounted for – we conclude week 1.

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