USA 2024
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont
Self-Drive
We left Pinelands, Cape Town, South Africa at 15.30
Thursday 9th May bound for the airport. We arrived at Falmouth, Cape Cod at
22.30 SA time on Friday 10th. Very comfortable flight to Heathrow with British
Airways. Then a seamless transfer from Terminal 5 to Terminal 3. No transit
visa is required if one has a USA visa. Despite assurances on this I was still
a tad skeptical! Then a very good flight to Boston with American Airlines. Our
stewardess was lovely and we were offered more food than we could eat! We both
turned down the last offering. Even a chocolate ice cream just out of the blue!
Boston airport was painless although the queue for
immigration took ages. Then we had to upgrade the hire car as we have too much
luggage. The trip to Cape Cod should only be about 1.5 hrs but took ages
because of bumper-to-bumper traffic out of Boston. We can't get used to using
miles instead of kilometres. And the temperature in Fahrenheit not Centigrade.
At least the GPS I bought from Amazon with USA maps preloaded seems to be
working well. As most of you know, we lost our trusted Tom Tom
"Betsy" in May 2023 at Frankfurt airport. "Betsy" had seen
us take many trips overseas in all sorts of weird and wonderful places. Then to
some shopping and the cashier at Walmart did not know what long life milk was.
"Long life milk" - what on earth is that? She was astounded. It's a
South Africa staple. For me anyway. 2% Long Life Milk! In another store we
asked a guy if they sell beer. "No" was the answer. We got chatting
and he remembered Windhoek Draught from his visit years ago in Cape Town. It's
out favourite back home. For now, it's Budweiser seeing as we are USA.
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| Falmouth Cape Cod Massachusetts |
The wind is a little chilly right now but we hope
for the best tomorrow. This town is ideal for long walks. After a good night's sleep,
we should be ready to roll with our cameras.
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| The Knob |
Today we drove around and discovered The Knob near Quissett Harbour. This land of 12 acres was donated by Cornelia L Carey. The walk to The Knob is peaceful with lovely views of Buzzards Bay and Quissett Harbour. Swimming in warmer weather would be ideal here. Later a drive towards East Falmouth - the homes on Cape Cod are amazing. Very cloudy today -temp was around 13 degrees C with a chilly breeze late afternoon. Our GPS is doing well - we have named it Ben!
Today we visited Spohr Gardens - a 6-acre Cape Cod
Garden located on Oyster Pond. Margaret and Charles Spohr donated this area as
they had no children. The gardens started in 1950's and the many anchors
collected shows Charles passion for collecting since a young boy. We then also
did a beautiful woodland walk, birdsong and nature surround us. We also saw a
woodpecker!
"Charlie’s collection includes anchors circa 1760, 1850, and his most prized, a 1760 English anchor intended for use on the H.M.S. Bounty. It was found to be faulty and left ashore for repairs. It measures 14 feet long, has 8 ft. arms, and weighs 2, 475 lbs. How he acquired this beauty is unknown. He also inherited a collection of large anchors from a fellow engineer who worked for the Baldt Anchor Company in Wilmington, DE. Thirteen historic anchors now rest atop the retaining wall along Oyster pond. Most of these are labeled with the ship and time period of their use"
Next, we headed to Highfield Hall and BeebeWoods.
This area is huge and is very popular with the locals. It has a story path with
drawings and a musical area where we could pretend to know a tune or two! The
locals are very friendly. A totally enjoyable morning! Now for lunch of Bacon
Mac and Cheese bites, egg salad and delicious Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad.
Yummy!
13th May 2024 Monday
Today we enjoyed blue skies! It was a Cape Cod Canal Day first. This canal is the widest sea level canal in the world. On the Bourne side we walked all the way to the Cape Cod Railway bridge and we were so lucky to see this lowered for the train crossing. Once the train had gone thru the bridge was lifted up again. Incredible to watch and a very lucky sighting. The heaviest use was during the war years 1940 to 1945. Today the train carries trash from Cape Cod to Rochester. We also saw a replica of the Aptucxet Trading Post from 1627. Closed on Mondays!
We then headed to Sandwich where we saw the end of the Cape Cod Canal. Too far to walk - it would be a breeze for a Two Oceans Runner! Sandwich is the oldest town in Cape Cod with a history dating back to 1637. The buildings are incredible and the oldest we saw was from 1698 Bassett House. There may be older of course. The Sandwich Glass Museum was also closed. We have found the drivers and walkers so very friendly and polite. Everybody greats and cars stop for us tourists with cameras around our necks! We are also driving a car with New York plates - not yet sure if that is good or bad! The Speed Limits keep changing and vary from. 25 to 55 mph. "Ben" is continually shouting at James "You are exceeding the speed limit" But other cars are passing so it's rather frustrating.
Tuesday 14th May 2024
Wednesday 15th May 2024
Rain was forecast today but we ventured to Chatham.
This town has a number of "Vacation Rental" signs outside and it
seems that the town is gearing up for summer. Currently rather deserted on this
cloudy day. The Fish Pier had some boat action. We walked Main Street and the
stopped at the USA Coastguard Station. The dunes below looked interesting for a
walk but the raindrops stopped play! Cape Cod is a very large area and it is
impossible to visit all the towns. Drivers are very polite; the roads go every
which way and we find the tree lined roads quite claustrophobic given that we
are used to the wide-open spaces of SA. Clam Chowder is on the menu tonight as
it's rather chilly right now.
PS Thanks to Inn Season Resorts - Captain's
Quarters for a very comfortable stay in Falmouth, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Sea
views from all our windows and a huge balcony that we never used due to the
cold wind! The gas fireplace in the bedroom was good though.
Friday 17th May 2024
A long drive today from Falmouth, Cape Cod to
Eastern Slope Inn, North Conway, New Hampshire. The first part was relaxing but
slow at 55mph max. Although 99% of cars pass us, we are wary of speeding fines.
Then going past Boston took forever and was busy. Next was 95N - 3 to 4 lanes
and speed limit up to 65 at times. Trees, trees everywhere - it's amazing the
thousands of trees. Single lanes again as we headed to Conway. "Ben"
took us the wrong road but we got here eventually. We have a lovely SC suite
with 2 beds and 2 bathrooms! Yeah! Exploring can wait until tomorrow.
We found an amazing supermarket "Market
Basket" Wow - the variety is simply astonishing!
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Cloudy with intermittent rain today. We decided to
drive the iconic Kancamagus Highway between North Conway and Lincoln. This is approx.
35 miles of White Mountain State Forest on all sides with many hiking trails
and, best of all, waterfalls! We stopped at Lower Falls, Rocky Gorge and
Sabbaday Falls. We had a short walk along the river and I inadvertently stepped
on a frog. It seems he was possibly a Pickerel frog. What a great sighting -
hopefully he is ok after being disturbed! The Sabbaday Falls were so named
because of the sabbath day. As winter was approaching, the team making a road from Albany Intervale to Waterville decided to hide their tools and leave for home on Sunday. Their thoughts were to return the following spring. Although they never did return, their name for the falls has continued to this day. The noise of the Falls is incredible. Despite many
signs to beware of "Moose Crossing" we have not seen any! A lovely
day, despite the intermittent rain.
Sunday 19th May 2024
This afternoon we did a train ride from North
Conway to Bartlett and back again. Unfortunately, the train windows were not
clean so not great for photos. Relaxing 1 hr return trip but lots of trees
along the journey. As usual, in both Cape Cod and New Hampshire! It is amazing
for us to see houses right in the forest - one wonders if these are full time
residents. Once we were back in the hotel 3 Police vehicles, 2 Fire trucks and
an ambulance went screaming past. Hope it's nothing too serious but they have
not yet returned.
A great ride today on the Mt.Washinton Cog Wheel Railway. It takes 45 mins to get up to the summit (6288) and this has been happening since 1869! The gradient is crazy! Weather at the summit was chilly but not too cold. The highest wind ever was recorded here at 231mph. 12th April 1934. The buildings are chained into the rock. Those who monitor the weather station are up there year-round. The Appalachian trail goes past here - hikers apparently can only pass this section during summer due to adverse weather conditions most of the time. This is certainly a must do if in this area of New Hampshire. There are also road races up this mountain and a lecturer from Penn did this about 30 times! He is apparently still alive at 104! George Etzweiler. There is also a car race for those with a death wish up the Auto Road! The current title holder is Travis Pastrana- 5mins 28.67 secs. Cars take about 30 mins! I am still trying to persuade James to do this by car!
We also passed the very beautiful Mount Washington Hotel completed in 1902. This became a designated Historic Landmark in 1986. In the olden days these hotels used to host families for the entire summer with approx. 57 trains arriving daily.
All in all, a very interesting day.
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The town centre is cute but we have not yet figured out shopping hours in USA. Many shops only appear to open on weekends. There were typewriters in the window of a computer shop. Really? But the shop was closed so we couldn't ask if these were antique or brand new!
Next, we headed to Franconia where we could see the
200 yr. old Iron Furnace on the bank of the Gale River. It was built with local
granite. Driving up Sugar Hill we spotted Polly's Pancake Parlor. We both love
pancakes so we stopped. However, USA pancakes are what we would call flapjacks
back in SA. Tiny little round things. Oh well, they filled a hole! At 20% tip (added automatically) this spoilt the experience.
Our last stop for the day was a historical site in
Crawford Notch. Situated between 2 mountain ranges with the Saco River flowing
thru, Samuel Willey moved here with his wife, 5 children and 2 hired men in
1825. They operated as an inn for Travellers. On August 28th 1826 one of the
worst storms ever to hit this valley occurred. The Saco River rose 20 ft
overnight. The house was found intact however the parents, 2 children, the 2
hired men were found crushed in the wreckage of the landslide. The other 3
children were never found. An addition was built into the existing house and
that operated as an inn until it burned down in 1898. Today the Saco River was
a gentle trickle but one could imagine the torrent of water rushing down the
mountain slopes. A sad story to end the day.
There are
365 islands in the lake, 274 of these are habitable. The smallest island is
called Becky's and it is only 10feet wide.
The largest
2 islands are Long Island (accessible via a bridge) and Bear Island.
Indian
Folklore claims the name as "Smile of the Great Spirit" and the story
is fascinating. Too long to describe here.
The cruise
was great and they even have a special beer called "Mount" beer. My
turkey and bacon sandwich was delicious and only 10% tip asked for compared to
the 20% added to our pancakes (flapjacks!) yesterday. Why staff can't be paid a
decent wage is beyond my understanding. Those "pancakes" were never
worth an extra 20% despite the interesting history of the place.
Summer
homes must cost a bomb on the islands in Lake Winnipesaukee - apparently, the
highest price recorded stands at 12.3 million USD. Oh well, we can but dream!
All in all,
a beautiful cruise on the historic M/S Mount Washington on this huge and
amazing lake.
The ship
was not very full today - apparently, they can take 1000 people at full
capacity. That would not be much fun!
There are 7
lakes in the region - Newfound Lake, Lake Opechee, Ossipee Lake, Squam Lake,
Lake Sunapee, Lake Winnisquam plus Lake Winnipesaukee that we went on.
Thursday 23rd May 2024
Today was both nerve-racking and exhilarating. We can now claim to have driven up Mt Washington. This road opened in 1861 and is the oldest man-made tourist attraction in USA. The narrow, winding road is only 7.6 miles long but, oh boy, driving up in the fog to the top was rather hair-raising. Thankfully, James could follow the yellow middle line as there are no protective barriers. I love the yellow lines in the middle of the roads - so easy to see. With some sheer drops, this is not for the faint-hearted. The speed limit is 15mph for normal people. Some crazy guys have ridden this route in just over 5 minutes! Obviously closed to all other traffic at the time.
In 1880 a Stage Coach, driven by a drunk driver,
overturned and 1 passenger was killed. During 1984 brake failure led to another
fatality.
Mt Washington boasts the worst weather in the
world. There is fog cover 60% of the time. And we were in it. A record low
temperature was -43degrees C. Highest wind speed was 231mph (372kph)
Mt Washington rests almost exactly midpoint between
the Equator and the North Pole. Cold air from the North clashing with tropical
air from the south appears to cause this crazy weather here. At 6288 feet above
sea level, Mt Washington is the tallest mountain for approx. 1000 Miles. The
weather researchers go out every hour in all weathers. Often even at 15 to 20
mins if the weather is bad. Living up there is not for sissies - the buildings
have to be anchored into the rock to keep them from talking off in high winds.
It was so foggy with rain and high winds that we
didn't get out at the summit today. We had seen that on our cogwheel train
ride.
We were sad to leave Cape Cod and now we are sad to leave North Conway and the White Mountains.
Roll on Green Mountains tomorrow.
(There was a scam artist parked on the road - tried
to scam me - one always has to be wide awake!)
An interesting 1st day in Vermont. We visited the
Simon Pearce shop in Quechee (pronounced kee chee like lychee!)
Simon grew up in Ireland and started working at age 16. He worked all over Europe learning as he went along. In 1971 he opened in Kilkenny, Ireland (been there!) And now he has 12 stores in USA and over 400 retailers’ country wide. An impressive "good luck" story.
Next was a magical mystery tour to find Sugarbush
Farm but we got there eventually.
Jeff and Ralph Luce tap over 9000 maple trees to get 40 gallons of sap to make just 1 gallon of Pure Vermont Maple Syrup. Established in 1945 the Luce family still owns this farm. It was an interesting walk amongst the Maple trees where there are sap lines going from tree to tree. They also make 13 varieties of cheese. Can't wait to taste the one we bought!
There is a legend of how an Indian woman, going for
water, saw the sap running out of a Maple tree. She decided this
"water" was closer than going to the river so she took some and
cooked her meat in this Maple sap! It turned out sweet and thick. Bet the men
were not impressed.
The Maple trees should be at least 40 yrs. old
before they are tapped. The Maple season is about 6 weeks long and starts late
Feb or early March. As the snow may be several feet deep, snowshoes are worn to
get into the forest. These days up to 100 trees are connected by tubing and the
sap runs down the hill to be collected at the bottom.
Next up was a walk along Quechee Gorge. The Gorge
is deep at 165 feet and the cascading waters of the Ottauquechee river are way
below. It is the deepest gorge in Vermont. The river below is the Ottauquechee River that is popular for kayaking. There are hiking trails along the gorge and we walked as far as Dewey's Pond.
Memorial Day in USA today and it’s been raining.
Later we took a drive to the Price Chopper supermarket in Windsor. We took a
long way round and found the longest 2 Span covered bridge in USA on the border
between New Hampshire and Windsor, Vermont. This bridge spans the Connecticut
River. Love these covered bridges that have stood the test of time.
Today we did a 5.5Hr drive on Route 100 Vermont.
This iconic drive is also known as "Vermont's Main Street" or
"Skiers Highway". The speed limit varies between 25mph and 50 mph
Everybody overtakes us so it seems there is total
disregard for speed limits. This route runs nearly the entire length of Vermont
and is 216.6 miles long from south to north. It is the state's longest numbered
highway. It meanders along the Green Mountains and passes many New England
villages. We drove thru Ludlow, Killington, Pittsfield, Granville, Warren and
Waitsfield. There are a number of ski areas along the route - Mount Snow,
Okemo, Sugarbush. On the way back we took the highway Route 89.
Photos are not great as mainly taken thru the
windscreen! We cannot get over the trillions of trees in all the 3 states we
have travelled so far. Cape Cod (Massachusetts) New Hampshire and Vermont.
Maybe Vermont takes 1st prize - the trees are incredible along the routes and
Green Mountains. The official motto of Vermont is "Freedom and
Unity". This was adopted in 1788. However, perhaps this road, Route 100 is
prettier in the fall when the leaves are glorious and full of colour. Just a
personal observation.
We have now travelled partially thru 3 of the 6
"New England" states. They are Massachusetts, New Hampshire and
Vermont. The others are Maine, Rhode Island and Connecticut. These states are
so called as they were populated mostly by English settlers. The street names
are all so cute and English!
Wednesday
29th May 2024
The next
owners of the property were the Billings family who started a farm with
purebred Jersey cows. Mary French, Billings grand-daughter married Laurance
Rockefeller and they carried on the conservation first started so long ago by
George Marsh. All 3 families were conservationists. The Rockefellers donated
their stunning family home and extensive grounds and this became Vermont’s 1st
National Park. We watched a film on the history of these 3 families and their
passion for conservation from way back when.
Anybody who
has travelled in Vermont can see how the trees are now all over the Green
Mountains and valleys. As a local told us today "we live in the mountains
of Vermont - they are all around us" Personally, I now have great
admiration for these pioneer Conservationists. Their efforts are visible
everywhere!
On the way
back to our villa we stopped at a "No Name" Covered bridge. This was
closed at one end and appeared to lead to a farm. On the river bank we saw a
gravestone for Maisey, the Moose! So, despite the many signs saying "Moose
Crossing" and never spotting any, the gravestone does suggest that there
was a friendly Moose in that area!
Our afternoon excursion was to try and hike to the summit of Mount Ascutney. The drive up is quite tame compared to Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. The elevation is 3144 feet above sea level. The mountain formed over 100 million years ago and is not geologically related to the surrounding hills but stands alone and is closer geologically to the White Mountains of New Hampshire rather than the Green Mountains in Vermont. For those interested in geology this mountain is known as a "monadnock" Greek to me but there you learn something new every day!
We tried both paths to the summit but did not manage to get over the bigger boulders. Knees that don't like to bend anymore are the bane of my life. But we did get pretty far up before sadly turning back. So, steps achieved for the day! Mt. Ascutney is considered one of the premier Hang-Gliding sites in New England. These folk have to hike, with their equipment, up to the West Peak.
An educational plus a fun day!
What more could one ask for.
Another country drive in Vermont today. We headed
to Weston to visit the Vermont Country Store. The store was re-opened in 1940
by a descendant of the original owner. It's huge, it's quirky, it's quaint and
even a large group of bikers were browsing inside. There is even a village
green with the bandstand. A fun place to visit. There is another store in
Rockingham - apparently slightly smaller. At one stage 10 to 15 yrs. ago there
were around 250 General Stores in Vermont. Now down to around 95. Sign of the
times, sadly.
These country roads are beautiful but don't be in a hurry to go anywhere. Unfortunately, the roads are narrow and never anywhere to stop for those "never to be seen" again photos. We passed a fisherman in the middle of the river, presumably fly fishing, a Sherriff sitting in his car and the many American flags flying all over.
As usual, there is so much more to see in Vermont
but time has run out again. The Fire Stations all appear to be Volunteer run -
I suppose not enough fires to keep on permanent staff. Given the trillions of
trees I would freak out living in these mountains!
Tomorrow we are back in Massachusetts in the Berkshires. Having said that we do still have to drive south in Vermont so maybe we will still have something to see on the way....
Friday 31st May 2024
Sadly, today we said goodbye to our stunning
accommodation in Ascutney- Brownsville, Vermont. We drove thru Vermont, then we
hit New York State. The area we drove thru appeared less affluent or perhaps
more geared to farming. We did stop at Creative Custom Woodcraft as their
outdoor display of chairs was simply crazy. The colours are bright and bold and
there were hundreds to choose from! We enjoyed a chat with Jason who still has
Cape Town on his bucket list. He has travelled to Kenya but not SA as yet. He
lives in NY State but travels to Vermont for church as the border is very
close. People from Vermont stay in Vermont according to Jason as they very
seldom cross into New York State unless heading off the airport!!
After driving thru New York State with bad roads
and not much to see, we eventually turned onto the Mass Turnpike and back into
Massachusetts.
Our accommodation this time is only a 1bed Duplex
but the bedroom upstairs is huge! And we have 2 bathrooms. And always a
dishwasher! The "Berkshires" await tomorrow.
The grocery store close by (3miles) is called Big
Y. Huge and with an incredible selection.
The original store was called "Y" Cash
Market as it was situated where 3 roads met in the shape of a Y in Chicopee,
MA. This was founded in 1936 by brothers Paul and Gerald D ‘Amour. The name was
changed to Big Y Supermarkets. Today this family-owned operation goes back 80
years and now has stores in 75 locations with over 12,000 employees. Certainly,
an American dream and success story.
1st June 2024
We found a pamphlet advertising the Hancock Shaker
Village. Deciding that this could be interesting (but knowing nothing about the
Shakers) off we went.
Ann Lee was born in Manchester, UK in 1736. She fled to USA together with 8 other women. They settled in Upstate New York at first.
This was the start of the Shaker community
The museum is currently celebrating the 250th
Anniversary of the Shakers arrival in America
The Hancock Shaker village began in the late
1780's. This religious sect were all celibate so they drew more members by
taking in, and caring for, orphans, widows or widowers with children or other
members of society.
They lived together in the 1830 Brick building,
housing over 100 in separate, communal dormitory type rooms. The Privy outside
had 6 seats - that takes communal living to an uncomfortable level! Everyone
had a task to do and these tasks were based on their strengths.
The Shakers invented a number of things such as metal pen nibs, the circular saw and a prototype washing machine. They also made various types of chairs, other woodwork and also metal work. They were tolerant of modern technology and believed in education for both girls and boys. Both sexes were given the same education which was unheard of in the 1700 and 1800's.
The Shakers composed 1000's of songs, dances &
hymns. In 1813 they published a hymnal containing only lyrics. This tradition
still lives on with Arnold Hadd (Google for more info)
By the late 1800's the "modern" world
started pulling members away. So much so that by 1900 there were less than 1000
members. By 1936 only 92. Today there are only 2 members (Arnold Hadd and June
Carpenter) They currently live in Sabbathday Lake, Maine. Apparently, Brother
Arnold still does Podcasts.
This village has been preserved since 1960 and is
listed on the National Historic Register.
The museum offers many different activities
throughout the summer. We were invited to join the "Goat Yoga" class!
This takes place 1st June to 7th September and the goats roam freely amongst
the yoga folk! That's certainly a new one for me! We did politely decline!
Certainly, an interesting slice of American history
that we knew nothing about.
Out outing today was to the Becket Land Trust
Historic Quarry. This was originally called the Chester-Hudson Quarry. The
granite mined here was used in many USA states. It was operational from the
1860's to the 1940's. Apparently, mis-management and lack of funds for
improvement led to the closure of mine. Many of the mine implements were just
abandoned and can still be seen as rusted relics.
When it was muted that the area should be developed a group of concerned citizens decided to club together and they bought 300 acres in order to preserve the site.
Besides the 1mile hike to the Quarry there are also
numerous trails in the forest.
Parking was 10USD.
Sadly, there were litter bugs who left their trash
to annoy other hikers. Graffiti as well. Swimming is not allowed in the Quarry
Lake yet we saw 2 towels on the boulders.
The forest is beautiful and we spotted a tiny mouse
on our way down. Cuteness!
We found it fascinating to see the old equipment,
the sturdy cables, an old generator, railway lines etc. Relics of a bygone era.
Afternoon
walk around our Holiday Inn Oak n Spruce in South Lee, Massachusetts. This
complex is huge, like most of them have been in USA. We have been blessed with
great accommodation in all. On our river walk we spotted this wild bunny and a
squirrel who refused to pose. So cute.
Today we had 2
very interesting outings.
First Berkshire Botanical Gardens in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
The stone sculptures in the garden are by Peter Rockwell.
We are nearing
the end of our USA adventure.
The Black flies
are SOOO annoying
Supermarkets are
amazing - so much variety.
All the states
that we have travelled have been so interesting.
Vermont for the
it's peace and tranquilly
The Berkshires
for the art, history and beautiful villages.
The safety for
hiking in all the above states.
This mountain is
part of the Taconic range.
The Appalachian
Trail route opened in 1929 and crosses this peak.
By 1913 17
trails had been completed. Today there are over 70 hiking trails in this
forest.
The Veterans
Memorial on the summit was completed in 1932 at a cost of 200,000 USD.
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It's been a
wonderful USA experience.
Long flight and
then back to work on Monday 10th June 2024.
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| Sadly, we just missed seeing bears twice while in USA |
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| Norman Rockwell |
