New England Trip 2004

After months of planning - which I enjoyed tremendously - Jo and I set out on a road trip to and around New England. We left the Friday after Labor Day, trying to avoid the summer crowds and also the "leaf peepers" New England attracts every fall ... and we succeeded. I think the only time we ran into a crowd was in front of a restaurant in Camden Maine, and that was because we were very late getting there and people were willing to wait for the great food!

With all the hurricanes this year, I was concerned that we might hit some bad weather, but we lucked out - the weather was perfect, with bright sunshine, fair weather clouds, and cool temperatures. The only time we hit bad weather was on the second Saturday, on the last leg of the trip.

Saturday - We drove from Taunton, Mass (where we were staying) to Cape Cod, crossing the Sagamore Bridge and following Rt. 6 to the end, Provincetown. There, we took a tour of the sand dunes near P-Town, covering both some of the beach along the National Seashore as well as driving through the dunes themselves. Art's Sand Dune Tours - they do a good job. We also walked a fair ways out a long breakwater. We then drove back up to Taunton and met up with some of my family, including the newest member, five-month old great niece Emma.

Sunday - Departed Taunton for Maine, going through/under Boston on I-93 (a.k.a, the Big Dig). The tunnel itself wasn't all that impressive to me (perhaps a sign of good design?), but the bridge! WOW. A very striking bridge (the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge).

We stopped a few times once we got into Maine, and Jo discovered her latest obsession - lighthouses. We visited the Cape Neddick ("Nubble") Light, and it's easy to see why it's Maine's most photographed lighthouse. We continued north along the coast of Maine, stopping at Boothbay Harbor to check out the Marshall Point Light. They have a neat little museum there, and it was while we were looking over the collection that we discovered that this was the lighthouse used in the movie Forrest Gump, during Forrest's coast-to-coast run.

Monday - We spent the day in the area to the south of Camden, and we were really busy. We drove to Rockland and visited the Rockland Breakwater Light. The lighthouse itself was okay, but the real fun for me was the walk to get to the lighthouse - it sits at the end of a breakwater 7/8 of a mile long. Fortunately the rocks on this breakwater were surprisingly level and that made the walk a bit easier, which was a good thing, since once we got out there, we had to walk back! After Rockland, we set out for the Owl’s Head Light State Park and, of course, Owl's Head Light.

After a fair amount of walking and some excellent fresh air, Jo & I headed back to the hotel for a brief rest ... and then we hit the road again for New Harbor. We had a reservation for a 90-minute cruise of some of the islands off the coast of Maine - some sightseeing and also some seal watching. It was really beautiful and Hardy Boat Tours did a fine job - great narration, wonderful views, yummy hot apple cider, and yes, we saw many seals and even a bald eagle, although we didn't get close enough for any really good pictures. Jo & I immediately started talking about getting back there someday to take a puffin or whale cruise.

Tuesday - This was another travel day, going from Camden to Bar Harbor, but we made a number of stops along the way, including a visit to Deer Isle and - son-of-a-gun - another lighthouse! It was the Bass Harbor Head Light on Mt. Desert Island.

Wednesday - We spent the day exploring Mt. Desert Island, especially Acadia National Park. It was my second visit to Acadia, and I saw & appreciated so much more this second time around, including: Bubble Pond, Cadillac Mountain, Jordan Pond, and Sand Beach. There's a 27-mile, one-way road that loops through the park, and I think we covered most of that distance. Acadia is also an excellent park for hikers and bikers. In the afternoon, we treated ourselves to afternoon tea and popovers at Jordan Pond House located in the park. Yum!

Thursday - We departed Bar Harbor for Jackson, New Hampshire. This gave us a chance to go through a part of Maine we had never seen before - the western part, from Bangor to the ME/NH border, as well as to see the White Mountains. Just prior to leaving Maine, we made a slight detour to the north to visit Grafton Notch State Park and a very nice little waterfall, Screw Auger Falls.

When we reached Jackson we saw, and then walked through, our first covered bridge. We walked around Jackson for a bit, and then headed for the Wentworth and a delicious five-course meal - very YUM! When I was planning this trip, I picked the Wentworth not only for its location in the White Mountains but also because the room came with a 5-course dinner for two as well as a full breakfast the next morning. It was a very good deal, and Jo and I did an excellent job in getting our money's worth! {grin}

Friday - We started to head back home, but slowly, seeing a few more sights in New Hampshire before heading south. We started the day by heading to the northwestern part of New Hampshire, to Littleton. I knew Jo would enjoy three stores in particular: the Native American shop, the book store, and the candy store. I was right ... especially about the candy store! We then headed south and then south east to Keene, New Hampshire, just to see what it looked like, and then - for the first time since Sunday - sought out the interstate and headed south through Massachusetts to northern Connecticut. We stayed overnight in East Windsor, got up very early the next morning, and had an interesting, white-knuckle drive through the remnants of Hurricane Ivan as we made our way home.

The trip was an unqualified success. We saw so many really beautiful sights, we got to do some "fun" things like the sand dune tour and the Maine islands tour, we stayed in some very nice hotels, and we ate very well! And the best part ... after 2300 miles, 5 different hotels, many different restaurants, and just each other for company for just about the whole trip ... Jo and I are still talking to each other! Now THAT'S a successful trip!! {smile} The Related Links below include our favorites from this trip.