Thus began the planning for our New England adventure earlier this year. We had opened our shop, Flanders Bicycle, the year before and hadn't traveled out of country or state in a year and a half (a heartbreaking length of time for two people who get the itch anywhere from immediately - 3ish months after returning from the latest adventure). The cost of starting a business, moving to San Luis Obispo, having our second baby girl, and the necessity for Jon to work long hours six days a week made any kind of trip seem impossible.
So I planted the seed, tempting Jon with pictures of the breathtaking foliage in New Hampshire, and the sparkling coastlines of Cape Cod, as well as comments like, "We're both turning 30 this year", "We didn't go anywhere for our anniversary last year" and "It's been TOO LONG!!"
Finally I got Jon on board and away went the planning. I devised a route that would take us on a road trip through each New England state, allowing us to see countless sights and historical monuments. We decided to leave Kealani at home, knowing that she not only loves staying with her Nana and Poppa, but that taking an active 3 year old on a 12 day road trip had to be considered some form of cruelty. Leila came with us, and despite some screams on the planes (each leg, mind you), turned out to be a relatively easy going traveler for a 10 month old.
Maine
We flew into Portland, ME late on a Tuesday night, picked up our rental car, and stumbled into our hotel room, passing out almost immediately. All three of us slept in "late" the next day. (Really we were just three hours ahead, but I was still proud of Leila for making it past 8:00 am.) Off we went to explore this very northern state that I'd never, ever before had the the desire to see...
Portland Head Lighthouse
First lit in 1791, it's the oldest lighthouse in the state of Maine.
A rocky north Atlantic "beach" that we later realized was crawling with GIANT SPIDERS. No, I would not have let my tiny baby sit on those rocks if I'd known, but I DIDN'T KNOW. I legitimately thought I was seeing hundreds of crabs scuttling around. They were giant ass spiders.
Let the nightmares commence!
Lobster Shack at Two Lights, on Cape Elizabeth, ME. Those lobster rolls were delicious. They were also barely the size of my hand. And $14.99 each. Worth it.
Old Portland
I would have loved to have more time to wander around Portland. To my back in this photo is the water and a harbor. There were coffee shops all over the place, and thankfully Leila let us enjoy one.
New Hampshire
Apparently I was a stuck up California girl as early as 5th grade, because I can actually remember this thought running through my head as Miss Johnson taught us the states: "Who in the world would ever want to go to New Hampshire, let alone live there?!" (I may have been looking at Vermont at the time, because let's be real: when you live on the West Coast, you can't tell Vermont and New Hampshire apart on a map. Admit it. You can't.) After our trip, I can honestly say that the entire state of New Hampshire was in my top three places I'd want to go back to if we ever get the chance. It's breathtakingly beautiful, the foliage was the best there, and the people were kind and friendly. If Flanders ever really takes off, we may have to get a vacation cabin over there. Don't worry, Victorian mansions are about one fourth the cost of what they are over here, we can do it!
One of many covered bridges in NH. Over there these are no big deal, but I yelled, "covered bridge!!" every time we saw one. They're so cool!
Giant farmhouses among trees and at the foot of mountains.
It only took about 15 minutes to hike to this spot, and we had almost a 360 degree view of the valley below us (North Conway, NH). The trees' leaves resembled jewels, and some of them even grew straight out of the rocky mountainsides.
We couldn't believe how beautiful the weather was for our entire trip. There's something about the blue sky and fluffy white clouds in autumn that's different than "normal" blue sky. Especially as far north as New England.
Lake Winnipesaukee
No, we didn't see Bob, but I sure would love to come back here in the summer for vacation like the Marvin family.
The one rainy day during our whole 12 day trip. The wet, rocky shore of Winnipesaukee complete with fallen leaves.
A railroad through the trees.
Vermont
As I wrote before, I couldn't even keep Vermont and New Hampshire straight when I was memorizing them in school. To be honest, they transition pretty seamlessly in real life, too. The mountains, the trees, the maple syrup. I discovered I could put maple cream on just about anything and it would make that thing taste better. Kind of like bacon. Or ranch dressing. But sweeter. And better. It's easy to see why East Coasters would stay at the bed & breakfasts in Vermont for their weekend getaways. (Because Monica and Chandler are my true representation of East Coasters.)
Leila posing in the cheese/maple/wonderland of goodness shop right down the street from our hotel in Quechee Gorge, VT.
The gorge... known as Vermont's little Grand Canyon.
Enjoying the gorgeous Vermont day.
One of many amazing homes in Woodstock, VT.
Downtown Woodstock. This little village was adorable. It was only a few miles from the Gorge, right where we stayed. The neighborhood a street or two over from the main area of town was incredible. Another benefit of traveling to New England in fall is that everything is done up for Halloween! Pumpkins, witches, ghosts, everything looks perfect amidst the background of turning leaves...
Farmer Leila at a Vermont pumpkin patch.
The cemetery next to a white steepled church on a hill in Vermont.
This is the same street as the church. There were yellow leaves everywhere. It was unbelievable. Leila tried to eat them while we just wanted to kick, jump, pose and play in them.
Autumn dreamland
The beautiful Vermont landscape
Connecticut
In order to get to CT, we did pass through Massachusetts, but all we did was pass through. We drove alongside the Berkshires, an incredible mountain range covered in orange, yellow, and even some stubborn firey red maples still hanging on into late October. We'll head back to MA after Connecticut. Now, I'm sure there are plenty of awesome things in Connecticut. But at first my sole destination was Yale University. I've seen all the Gilmore Girls episodes about three times and I just had to see the Ivy League institution where Rory spent those undergrad years. Luckily a quick peek at the guidebook showed us some other great sights we should see along the way.
The most photographed covered bridges in the country, we actually saw about a dozen photographers with their major equipment there at the same time. We weren't sure if they were a photography club or there were actually that many people taking pictures with their thousands-of-dollars-worth of camera schtuff.
This bad boy is the mother of all steepled churches. Originally founded in 1721, the first building was finished in 1723, but this current one was completed in 1829 and considered one of the best examples of early 19th-century church architecture. It was used for town meetings as well as recruiting for a Continental Army formed during the Revolutionary War. It's a stunning building: stark white walls and a towering steeple poking into the blue sky. I love the steps adorned with pots of flowers. After perusing pictures, it seems these flowers are always present.
I can't even describe the majesty of this campus. It felt like we were walking through a medieval castle in Europe, not New Haven, CT. I wonder if Yale's students realize how unbelievable their school is.
Mystic was a "passing through on our way to Boston" stop for a snack and a walk, and turned out to be an adorably quaint harbor town.
Boston, MA
Boston gets its own section because we spent the most time there, and because there was so much to see and do. Even 1/3 of our New England guidebook was dedicated to Boston alone. Jon and I prefer small villages and towns to big cities, always. This hasn't stopped us from traveling to a handful of metropolises over the years, nor will it stop us in the future. Boston is an exciting, bustling, walkable city, but three days was the perfect amount of time for us to see what we wanted to see, and then be ready to move on.
Headstones in this cemetery include Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, the five victims of the Boston Massacre, John Hancock, and several of Benjamin Franklin's relatives, among many others. We learned that some of the headstones have been moved around, so these patriots may not actually rest in the burying ground. I still found myself in awe that I was looking at their headstones. So much of our country's history and the men who played enormous roles in attaining our freedom are represented here. Awesome!
Harvard is officially in Cambridge, but it's close enough to be considered Boston.
Harvard Coop (the official bookstore), in Harvard Square, Cambridge
Massachusetts
While in Boston, we took a "day trip" to Newburyport (which was only about forty-five minutes away), and hit Salem on the way back down.
I compared Newburyport to Cambria, here in CA, but with a lot more brick...
After our three night stay in Boston, we headed southeast toward Cape Cod, stopping to check out Plymouth Rock on the way. The town of Plymouth is yet another beautiful, quaint New Enland town on the water. But Plymouth Rock is quite disappointing. In my head I always imagined some enormous rock jutting from the cliffs of Massachusetts. Instead, it's a stone approximately the size of a couple of beach balls, enthroned on the beach under a tiny version of the Acropolis in Greece. Calm down, Pilgrims, your rock isn't that big a deal.
We spent our first night on the Cape in Hyannis. It's adorable harbor was under a mile from our hotel, and home to The Black Cat Tavern, a fun restaurant that bears the honor of first place in the annual clam chowder contest. I had the chowder, and while I was shocked and dismayed to find that in New England, bread bowls aren't a hot commodity like they are here on the Central Coast, the soup was the only one to come close to competing with Splash Cafe. It was heavenly.
We drove up the Cape in search of the soft sand beaches with wooden picket fences and reeds sticking out of the sand. While we didn't find any that day, we came across the Highland Lighthouse, which was the first lighthouse in our country to have a flashing light. It's been moved a significant distance back from the cliffs due to erosion.
Falmouth, and Shoreway Acres Resort Inn, where we stayed, was a quick walk over to the beach. On my run, I passed the Nobska Point Lighthouse, and this beautiful shoreline, with the reeds and fences I craved!
For the most part, Jon and I have agreed that we need to see as many places in this world as possible. We would both rather see somewhere new than repeat a place we've seen, unless it's truly spectacular. We came to the conclusion that Cape Cod, namely Falmouth, is definitely a repeat destination. Next time we'll head to Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard via a ferry boat, since we ran out of time this trip. I left part of my heart in Cape Cod, no doubt.
Rhode Island
We spent the least amount of time in the tiny state of RI. Our one night there, the last night of our road trip, was spent in Newport. It was Jon's 30th birthday, too! What an excellent way to kick off his thirties... We had a classy dinner at 22 Bowen's Wine Bar & Grille, then strolled the streets of the ritzy Newport. The weather had already begun to take a nasty turn as the winds picked up and clouds rolled in. Sandy was coming.
I can only imagine what this road looked like less than 24 hours later.
I am so happy and thankful that Jon agreed to this trip. New England was never on his list, but he allowed me to take the reins and not only choose the destination, but plan things down to the last detail. Once we were there, we made team decisions and discussed places we both would most like to see, but I'm the one to chose where we flew in, flew out, stayed, and the routes we drove. One thing that is emphasized every time we travel together is what a dynamic team we make. I wouldn't want to "do life", including take incredible trips like this one, with anyone else. I know Leila won't remember anything about this trip except the pictures we show her and the stories we tell. But I hope she and Kealani both know how much we love them, and how much we've always wanted to include them in our travels. We hope and pray they catch the itch, just like their parents.
