From Sea to Shining Sea

We've arrived at the beautiful coast of Maine and have fallen in love with yet another area of this big country of ours. As I write this, I'm in the best library we've found so far. No fees and no time limit. All the other libraries required one or the other, so the previous blogs were done in an hour. Today, I have all the time in the world and Clint's taking a nap with the kitties in the camper, so here goes!

We spent some time at Saratoga Springs, New York, birth of America's horse racing. We toured the museum and learned how to place a bet at the track, why some horses become the winners they are, and saw some unique racing-inspired art. Mary Ann, it seems like this would be the perfect place for you to retire! I also thought of my Grandpa McCarthy who went to Tijuana to bet on the ponies during the Depression. We stayed in an Elks Lodge camping area in Saratoga Springs and were treated to drinks and lively conversation by its members. What a lovely group of people.

From there, we continued north to the Adirondacks where we spent an afternoon at Lake Placid, home of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympic games. Fortunately for us, the Swiss ski jump team members were there practicing at the Lake Placid venues. We rode an elevator to the top of the 150 meter ski jump and took movies and photos of them jumping from the 90 meter jump next to us. The ski jump has a hard plastic surface that is kept wet through a hose system. Then the skiers land on astroturf on their uphill landing. These young men and women are fearless! We also got a kick out of the freestyle ski jumpers as they did loops and twirls in the air, then landed in a swimming pool. Nothing like trying to swim with skis on!

Many years ago, like 32 years ago, when I was previously in New England, I climbed up and down the walls of Ausable Chasm and remember so clearly its shiny, granite surfaces and the rushing water below me. It was a real highlight of my trip. This time, I wasn't up to climbing in and out of the chasm, so Clint and I had to be content with a photo from above. But the chasm is very near Lake Champlain across which we rode a ferry to get to Burlington, Vermont. It was in Burlington that we felt we might want to get service done on the truck. So, we headed for the Ford dealership and were out of there in 45 minutes. Then, it was on to Sears to get new batteries for the camper. That afternoon, we discovered Shelburne Museum just south of Burlington. I think this museum will go down as a highlight of this trip. It was founded in the 1940s by a wealthy woman (Electra Havermeyer Webb) who wanted to preserve Americana and she did so--building by building. The 45-acre grounds include a round, red barn in which one can find restored carousel creatures--horses and the more exotic tigers, bears, deer, etc. She also saved the "Ticonderoga" side-wheel luxury steamer that had plied the waters of Lake Champlain and had it brought from the lake to its final resting place on the museum grounds. According to the video, this was no small engineering feat! On the grounds one can also find a horseshoe-shaped barn in which are hundreds of carriages and sleighs. There's a general store completely stocked with everything from a rainbow of silk thread to cough syrups filled with codeine to ice skates. There's a building originally built by Shakers and now filled with antique tools and housewares. And, filled with memories from our youth, a 1950s home, complete with plastic shower curtain and window curtain with large swans...you know what I mean?! And a stone home where we learned how linen is made from flax, and a typical New England clapboard house filled with ceramics, glassware, and quilts. And the piece de resistance, a collection of Mary Cassatt drawings and paintings. Electra's mother was a close, personal friend of Mary Cassatt, so we were able to see that special exhibit. Needless to say, we saw only a portion of the museum one day and returned to spend a good portion of the next. But those who sell tickets to the museum understand the breadth and depth of their collection and two days' admission is included in one fee.

So, it was on to lighter fare: Ben & Jerry's factory tour! Well...not lighter on the waistline! From there, we headed north to Stowe, Vermont, where the Von Trapp Family of Sound of Music fame landed upon their arrival in America. The views from their lodge are amazing...especially at this time of year. And thanks to our friend, Lori from Coronado, who hopes to retire part-time to New Hampshire, we stopped at LaBrioche in Montpelier for a breakfast treat made by the students/apprentices at the New England Culinary Institute. Boy, was that a great stop! Lori also encouraged us to go to the Cabot Cheese factory since we were so close. Now we're in love with Cabot cheese and Tillamook just won't do anymore! It was in Cabot that we discovered that there was an Apple Pie Festival going on in that little bitty town. Well...we could hardly go down the road without stopping. The young men were turning the crank on the cider press and the juice just poured from it. That cider was so yummy! So, we asked the men standing around what would become of the apple pith leftover from the squeezing. Nothing goes to waste among farmers as his chickens would be fed well (sans seeds), then the garden would get some more of the pith. We checked out the crafts, had a piece of apple pie, then were on our way to the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

We stayed in Conway where our water hoses connecting to the campground's water system froze during the night! We were warm and toasty inside our camper, though. So, we figured it might be time to head to the coast where it wouldn't be quite so cold. All through New England, I'd gotten the same feeling in my neck that I had in Yellowstone...caused, I think, by the constant swivel of my head while squinting into the forest looking for wildlife. For all the squinting, I saw only one moose--and a female at that. I was really hoping for a Bullwinkle-- especially since Maine probably has more lakes than Minnesota, but they call them "ponds." Maybe yet to come. Throughout our autumn travels, we've been treated to "scarecrow" people in some towns, "ghost" people in others, but the "pumpkin" people in Jackson, New Hampshire, were the best yet. John, Paul, George, and Ringo never looked so good! HA The autumn colors on this trip have been phenomenal. Clint was even moved to use the phrase, "color palette" when referring to the range of color on the hillsides. Theresa, aren't you proud of him?! And that crow on top of the granite is for you, too! Speaking of cemeteries...we've seen a lot of them since we're traveling on two-lane back roads. Granite is a big industry in Vermont and New Hampshire so the memorials there are amazing!

Acadia National Park allows vistas to forever across all the islands dotting the coast of Maine. Bar Harbor is a beautiful town, but too exclusive for "campers" as we were continually directed by signage to only park where RVs were allowed, but there was no signage directing us where we could park. So, we gave up. On this trip, we have seen mansions along any waterfront where we've gone--lake, river, ocean. And the mansions through Bar Harbor were the most ostentatious yet. But we fell in love with Belfast, Maine, a red brick, sea farer's town with a flat-iron building for sale right downtown. Wouldn't that make a nice coffee shop/bookstore for Clint and me to run? Well...maybe for me to run! I don't think I could talk that Chism into working again! HA

So, know we're having a great time and are able to pick up our e-mail once a week. Let us know that you're doing well.