Stowe, Vermont

When I first decided to work in New England for the summer I was really hopeful that they would need me to extend through the fall so I could get the chance to see the fall leaves change colors.  Growing up in Florida, it is not exactly something that I got to witness and while I have traveled to places to see all the beautiful color spotted trees, I have never seen the process of the trees changing colors.  Of course, after making the decision to come up here and hope to see the leaves showing off before winter I had an amazing opportunity arise to go to Iceland in the beginning of October (more about that to come in another post) which was also suppose to be prime leaf peeping season.  So I booked a weekend up in Stowe, Vermont for the last weekend in September with hopes of see radiant reds and yellows before the leaves abandoned their trees for the winter.

I left early Saturday morning and resisted the urge to stop at Dunkin Donuts on my way out of town which seems to have become my road trip ritual but knew I would be indulging in the fall delights along the way including my first stop just outside of Stowe at the Cold Hollow Cider Mill for apple cider donuts and hot apple cider.  The second my car door swung open the heavenly scent of cider donuts filled the air and the crisp fall air felt brisk and comfortable.  I poked around the shop for a bit  but didn't find anything that I could live without before taking my spot in line to pick out my donuts and cider.  The Cold Hollow Cider Mill has tables with swings attached outside and I was able to enjoy my donuts while swinging like a kid.  Great start to the weekend!

I made my way into Stowe and drove around for a bit to get my bearings before stopping for lunch at the Blue Donkey for a burger and sat myself outside to enjoy the view.  From there I traveled to Moss Glen Falls and after a short hike I could here the thundering of the falls before I could see it.  Cascading down the hill in tiers instead of a straight fall it was worth the short hike to get there.  Once the some of the crowds left the area it was quite peaceful to listen to the water falling.

My next stop for the day before checking into my hotel was to try to find a covered bridge.  Emily's Bridge was one that was listed and you could still drive through it if you wanted to although I didn't.  One of my favorite movies is an old Chevy Chase movie from the '80s called Funny Farm and I always quote the line "That's not a bridge, that's termites holding hands!" whenever I see an old wooden covered bridge.  This one was in good shape though and was fun to walk through and around.  I later did more research and learned it is called Emily's Bridge because it is supposedly haunted by a little girl named Emily.  Kind of happy that I read that AFTER I walked around and explored the bridge.

I stopped at a brewery for dinner and bellied up to the bar to test out the beer as well.  I ordered the truffled mac and cheese for dinner and when the bartender asked if I wanted bacon on that... Ummm, do bears have ears?  Yes.  Bacon makes everything better.  I got to watch part of the Gator game and then a couple from Britain ended up sitting next to me.  They had been to the U.S. 8x and were traveling around New England for 2 weeks and we had a great time laughing and comparing cultural differences.  My Gators won and it was a fun night!

Sunday morning, I had to die for Kentucky Bourbon Caramel Crepes at the café at the hotel (have you noticed a food theme yet??) to fuel me up for the day.  I drove up to the Trapp Family Lodge (yes, those Trapps) where the theme driving in is "A little bit Austria, a lot Vermont."  I had no idea when I planned the trip that the Trapp family of The Sound of Music fame had settled in the area when they had to leave Europe.  The story goes that they chose the area because it reminded them of Austria and they frequently had guests from making friends around the world while performing.  Eventually they opened the lodge to the public and there are all kinds of activities you can do on the property.  It was really worth the stop even though I only looked around and looked at the pictures hanging in the lodge.

From the lodge I decided to drive over to take the gondola to the top of the mountain and have lunch at the restaurant up there.  There are lots of trails that I could have hiked on and even a zipline on the top of the mountain but my quick weekend away did not allow much time for that.  The view of the valley below with pops of red and yellow from the trees changing colors made for a great companion view to a delicious lunch.

My last stop on the way out of town was the Ben and Jerry's Factory.  I couldn't go all that way without at least a quick stop.  I decided to take the tour with an entertaining video of how it all got started and then getting to peek into the factory itself.  Our guide was entertaining and explained a lot about the ice cream making process.  Of course, the highlight was the free sample at the end!

The drive back home was beautiful winding along the highway.  The were so many times that I said wow to myself especially when the light hit the leaves just right.  I really wish I could have stopped to take a picture but instead I get to carry the mental picture with me instead.

Ogunquit, Maine

I think I've fallen in love... there is so much beauty in the United States and I have had the privilege of visiting quite a bit of it but Maine is up there high in my favorites.  At least in the summertime.  I'm not sure these southern bones would survive a winter although I am sure it would be pretty spectacular as well.

Maine's slogan when you enter the state is "Vacationland" and I think that is a perfect word for it especially in the summer.  I have traveled up to Maine several times since I have been on the North Shore with it being just slightly over an hour from Salem, Mass it makes an easy day trip.   Ogunquit, Maine is just an hour and fifteen minutes from here and on the recommendation of a friend, I spent a day exploring the little town.

I booked a trip on a sailboat because there is no better way to explore a coast line than from the ocean itself.  The Gift is a nice sailboat and I sat by and chatted with a lovely couple who had been coming to Ogunquit every summer for 20+ years.  They raised their families with fond memories of the town and it was fun to get their perspective and advice for places to see.  Our sail was about an hour and a half long and it was so peaceful listening to the wind in the sails and the gentle lapping of the water against the boat while dreaming of the stately homes along the shoreline.

I don't know what it is about the water that always creates quite an appetite but as soon as the sail was over I headed straight for the lobster roll!  There was a little stand with no seating right next to the footbridge serving lobster rolls with huge chunks of lobster meat and you can choose if you want mayo, plain or butter... I went with butter and it has been, hands down, my favorite lobster roll since I got here. I took my little basket to a nearby picnic table with a view of Perkin's Cove and watched boats come in and out and the little drawbridge on the foot path be raised as the taller boats sailed in and out.  It was a perfect setting for lunch!

Perkin's Cove is where the boat left from but is also a great spot if you are looking for restaurants and shops to visit.  I strolled in and out of the shops looking at the little treasures.  There was an entire shop dedicated to jewelry made of sea glass that had some unique and intriguing pieces.  I bought a few things at Maine-ly Drizzle, a fun store of specialty olive oils and flavored balsamic vinegars.  I've been enjoying a vanilla balsamic vinegar drizzled over strawberries for a healthy dessert since then!

The couple I sat next to said to make sure I take the Margin Pathway along the ocean and leading past some fancy homes and hotels with views of the town and the rocky coast.  The path led from Perkin's Cove to the main section of town and down to the beach.  There are benches along the way that I occupied for bits of time to just sit and enjoy the view along the way.  People would bring chairs and set them on the rocks farther out enjoying their own impromptu parties with friends.  While shopping in town, I couldn't pass up a pair of earrings that have a little bit of Ogunquit sand in them as a sweet memory of my time here.

On my way home I made a stop at the Stonewall Kitchen flagship store.  I had actually made a quick stop there in the morning on the way into town but since I had a reservation for sailing I couldn't spend much time and had to make a second stop on my way home.  Stonewall Kitchen makes all kinds of specialty jams, jellies, mustards, salsas and such.  It reminds me of Harry and David but had a lot more options to choose from and the best part of going in the morning was there were lots of tasting options too!  It is definitely worth a stop if you are in the area.  The Maple Champagne Mustard has been classing up my ham and cheese lunches the last few weeks and I have been really enjoying the extra addition!

Acadia National Park- the national park tour continues!

I was lucky enough to visit Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park 16 years ago on an epic road trip with my parents between my Senior 1 and Senior 2 year of college (I may have taken a little extra time to make it through school) where we took their fifth wheel up the east coast to Maine with multiple stops along the way.  I already had some amazing memories and unforgettable stories about the area but I was eager to go back and see it again.  The funny thing is with a second trip under my belt, I am still eager to go back and see it again!

On my current contract, I had to work one obligatory weekend and then could take one day off the week before and one day off the week after so I took my day off the week before on a Monday and made it into a 3 day weekend.  Now with 3 full days off it made it worth the 4.5 hour drive to get to the park.  I requested the help of my best friend since preschool, Jen, to help with suggestions of things to do since she use to live there and she came up with some awesome recommendations.

First stop on my arrival was the welcome center to purchase a park pass, I opted for the annual national parks pass because I seem to be going to a lot of them and it is really a bargain at $80 for all the beautiful places that it gets you into.  Plus it is so nice to be able to just show the pass and your ID and move on.  Some of the parks even have a separate entrance for pass holders so you can bypass the crowds.  My second stop of the day was to Jordan Pond, one of the recommendations from Jen to try the popovers and jam.  And, of course, I felt the need to throw in a lobster roll to because it was lunch time after all.  Those popovers (and the blueberry lemonade- yum!) were so good that I made a second stop to the restaurant before I left on Monday!  Sitting with a beautiful view of the lake and mountains around me and flowers just outside the window was a memory that will be with me for a long time.  I chose to sit inside because it was the time of year that the bees were extra active and I didn't feel like getting stung was a memory that I needed and the view was still amazing from inside.

View from the deck by the restaurant

Jordan Pond with the Bubbles in the background

After gorging myself on the delicious popovers and lobster roll, I decided I needed a bit of a walk before clambering back into the car.  I walked part of the way around Jordan pond, stopping a taking pictures along the way so I'm not sure it was actually exercise with the frequent stops but I enjoyed it.  I made a stop on Cadillac Mountain as well.  Perhaps one of the most famous points of the park, it is the first place that the sunrise can be seen on the coast of the continental United States.  I made a trip back to the spot on Monday to see the sunrise as well but seeing it in the daytime also gives you a great feeling like you are on top of the world and can feel the expansiveness of the nature around you.

Cadillac Mountain

Dinner that evening was a fried fish sandwich and a beer at the Thirsty Whale in Bar Harbor curtesy of another recommendation from Jen.  I'm normally not a fried fish fan but the batter was so light and didn't distract from the fish at all... it was delicious!

Sunday started with the loop drive and a very foggy start to the day at the beach.  I loved how the fog sat just off the shore making it look like the waves were coming out of the fog.  I walked around a bit taking pictures and just enjoying the morning before moving onto the next stop, Thunder Hole.  I'm not sure that I made it to Thunder Hole at the best time.  It is a cave that makes a loud crashing sound when the waves push the water through the hole with great force.  I stood and watched with many others for a good 10-15 minutes before getting a decent crash of waves then wandered around on nearby rocks that were still a good, safe distances from the strong waves.

Foggy beach

Thunder Hole

Beautiful views

The afternoon brought a drive out to the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse.  It is a fairly famously photographed lighthouse with beautiful rocks leading up to it.  The lighthouse itself is still active and run by the Coastguard so you cannot tour it but you can wander around up to the fences and down onto the rocks to get a better look at it.  One unique thing about this lighthouse over the many others that dot the coastline is that the light is red.

There are so many beautiful vistas on Mount Desert Island that I kept pulling over and taking pictures of water, birds, boats, trees and flowers.  My final destination in the park for the day was to Echo lake for a little hike.  I parked in the parking lot and headed to the trail only to find out later that I parked in the wrong parking lot and picked a little harder hike than I had anticipated but all the stairs and rocks led to an incredible view of the lake below and were well worth it.  Plus all the calories burned made the lobster roll that I indulged in at Upper Deck for dinner that much better!  It had all the makings of an amazing dinner from a view to remember, one of the best lobster rolls I've had so far on my New England adventures, and a salad with a blueberry dressing that actually made me want to eat more salad.  They were really busy and the service was a little slow but with a view like this, who cares!  Take your time 'cause I'm just going to stare out these windows for a little while.

View from the top of my hike

Dinner view at Upper Deck

I arrived back at my hotel just in time for s'mores!  The hotel would light the fire pit every night and provided sticks and little individual packets to make s'mores.  It was such a sweet little touch that I really enjoyed and after a long, busy day, it was so fun to sit in a big adirondack chair by a fire pit and work on my marshmallow roasting skills.

Monday it was up super early for the sunrise on Cadillac Mountain and a final stop at the Jordan Pond House again before having to head back home to reality.

Isle of Shoals

I finally made it to New Hampshire for a little sight seeing!  This was my first time in the state and while only a small part of it touches the sea, I was able to check out a bit of the coast.  The Isle of Shoals is made up of a few small islands that were home to cod fisherman through the 1700s-mid-1800s and now consist of a few summer homes.  The Maine-New Hampshire state border cuts right through the middle of the islands but I visited Star Island which is on the New Hampshire side.  The Oceanic Hotel is located on the island that is about a 6 mile boat ride from the mainland.  I lucked out with a beautiful, sun shining, low to mid 70s, perfect weather day.  The tour left out of Portsmouth, New Hampshire and drifted past a couple of lighthouses and other historical sights on its way out to the islands.  I even saw a seal pop his head up out of the water near the boat and swim by.

Once we reached the island we had about an hour to explore.  There were guided tours that explained some of the history which I joined for part of the tour but realized I wouldn't have enough time to explore on my own if I stayed for the whole thing.  There were gorgeous views and the water was sparkling and clear from every angle.  There was a seagull nesting ground as well and I was surprised to realize that all the time that I have spent near the water in my life that I do not think I have ever seen a seagull chick!  All in all it was a great, relaxing day to a new place and a new experience.

The Oceanic Hotel from the water

The boat that brought us to the island

Seagull chick