America - Part 5 (Maine - NY)

America – Part 5:

New England: We crossed back into the state of Maine in America coming from Saint John in New Brunswick, Canada. The border crossing was easy enough even though we were asked to step inside to complete some paperwork. Driving along tree lined roads we finally made it to the small town of Millinocket where we stopped for information and groceries. Baxter State Park is known for moose sightings and we were eager to see a few as they’ve eluded us up to that point.

Big Moose Inn (Northern Maine): We were over the moon to see that the clouds had at last cleared after many days of rain. What we didn’t know was that the rain clouds would be replaced by clouds of black flies and mosquitoes – I’m not sure which was worse. We found a nice camping spot at the Big Moose Inn located amidst the trees next to a lake. Before even contemplating setting up our tent we had to douse ourselves with bug repellent to ward off the nasty critters. They also seemed to like driving in our Jeep as every time we opened a door or window there were hordes of them flying in. Very soon our windshield was littered on the inside with the squashed bodies of the fallen ones. For dinner Gillian cooked sausages and mash with onion gravy after which we went on a DIY “moose cruise” to see if we could spot any.

When they are around they are actually difficult to miss being such massive animals. Inadvertently we stopped next to a minivan with an ad on the side saying “Moose Tours”. Bingo! We found the paying guests down a little path snapping away at two moose grazing in the water. With so many bugs around the moose had fled to the safety of the water which made it easy to spot them. Moose are comical looking animals with two big ears, long snouts and very long legs which look out of proportion with the rest of their bodies. Every year the males drop their racks (antlers) which then grow at a phenomenal rate of an inch a day! In the end there was no reason to follow the Moose Tour as we spotted 7 moose by ourselves. I still think that the plural version of moose should be meese.

While camping at the Big Moose Inn we spent a fair bit of our time in the safety of their pub. Not that I needed an excuse but it was nice getting away from the clouds of pesky bugs. They even served a beer on tap which was aptly called Black Fly and another called Loose Moose. The next day we went for a hike part way up Mount Kathadin in Baxter State Park. We decided to take a detour first via a lake which turned out to be a good thing as we saw another two moose grazing in the water. Gillian’s 75-300mm lens came in handy taking photos of them and I lay flat on a rock to steady the lens. The moose are noisy grazers and we could clearly hear the splashing of water every time they dunked their heads underwater and lifted it up again. Our hike up the mountain turned out to be boulder hopping from one rock to another rather than walking and proved to be fairly challenging. The view at the top was worth all the effort as we could see the tip of the mountain reflected in the crystal clear lake (unlike at Lake Louise!). I counted the amount of black flies I killed and it exceeded 100 by the end of our hike!

Back at camp we retired yet again to the safety of the pub to watch the ice hockey final - the Canucks vs the Bruins. It was quite funny as we were two token Canucks supporters sitting in a Bruins bar. We were unfortunately very quiet that evening as the Bruins absolutely thrashed the Canucks. The next day turned out to be beautiful so we decided to go for a paddle on the lake in one of the Inn’s canoes. The canoe glided over the water while we listened to the haunting yet peaceful calls of the loons. We were happy to see yet another moose grazing when we entered a small bay. He had no intention of joining us canoeing and quickly legged it out of the water when we got too close. We were both very impressed with our stay in the Baxter State Park EVEN with all the bugs. Seeing all the moose was great and made for a memorable stay. 

Bar Harbor (Acadia National Park): From Baxter State Park we drove to Bar Harbor and booked into a motel near town. From there we went to explore the town and found a small restaurant for a lobster lunch. We were given plastic bibs with a lobster on the front which was really funny. Our lunch consisted of clam chowder for starters, lobster as main followed by a blueberry pie with ice cream for dessert – nice! I liked the town of Bar Harbor as even though it had many touristy shops it had lots of charm with a beautiful setting next to the ocean. The next day we drove through Acadia National Park along the “Scenic Route” next to the ocean. I could see why it is such a popular route as it had it all: sandy beaches, rugged coastline, tree lined mountains and deep blue oceans. Halfway into the route we stopped for a lunch of fish and chips after which we drove up the mountain for a nice view over the park.

Next up we decided to stretch out legs by visiting the Asticou Gardens which also offered a nice view over the harbor from the top. It was getting a little cloudy so we decided to retire back to our hotel room, which was a good thing as fairly soon it started raining. Fortunately there was a little overhang in front of our motel room which gave Gillian a dry spot for cooking our pasta dinner. The next morning we discovered it was still raining so we decided to have a lazy day just catching up on photos, emails and our blogs. It is funny how quickly all those little jobs can creep up on you in just a few days! We only left the room later that afternoon to drive into town for an ice cream and a beer. After all the seafood we had at during our time on the east coast, I was feeling like steak so decided to buy one for dinner. At least it stopped raining for a while, giving me the opportunity to light up our motel’s BBQ. Our rib-eye steak served with sweet corn was a winner even if I have to say so myself.       

Mount Washington (White Mountains): We drove from Bar Harbor down south towards Mount Washington and as it was a Sunday we counted literally hundreds of motorbikes, mostly Harleys, going on their breakfast runs. We found a camping spot not too far from the Cog Train where we stayed for the night. We had to cancel our idea of chicken stir-fry for dinner as the nearest shop only sold very limited food items. A ham and cheese omelet served with baked beans was a good alternative instead. There are two ways of getting to the top of Mount Washington: the hard way climbing or the lazy way taking the Cog Train. As we’ve done a lot of hiking and the Cog Train came highly recommended we decided on the latter. Taking the train was a great experience as it slowly climbed the mountain – at times as steep as 37 degrees! We were glad we read the book about taking warm clothing along as at the top it was freezing cold with strong winds blasting into our faces. There were clouds blowing over the summit and we only stayed outside for long enough to take a few pictures of the lovely view over the valley below.

Back inside we warmed up with a cup of steaming hot chocolate while visiting their museum and gift shops. It was interesting learning about the weather at the top of the summit as it is classed as tundra with the highest recorded wind there being 231 miles per hour! We were very fortunate to have had a clear day at the top with only a few clouds which came and went with the blowing gales. Back down at the bottom it was a hot day and we had to strip off our layers of thermals and fleeces. They had a small museum there with many interesting artifacts although their black bear exhibit was the best. There were three black bears positioned in various poses with a sign saying: “Don’t feed the bears, they are already stuffed” which was quite amusing! From there we made our way to meet up with family friends in New England. 

  

New England: We were invited to stay with Ruth and George who are old friends of my family. They had a lovely house in the woods and, being avid bird watchers, had many bird feeders hanging from a rope strung between two trees. They knew all the names of the various species we saw and pointed out purple finches, robins, hummingbirds and many more. Apparently they also have a few bears that visit their garden every now and then although we didn't get to see any of them. There was also a woodchuck, aka ground hog, living under their deck which came out to sun itself in the mornings. It was funny watching his head bobbing as it slowly fell asleep in the warm morning sun. Their very furry cat also watched the woodchuck through the window while twitching its tail. I found the cheeky cat one morning all snuggled up inside the dryer on top of our clean washing. He needed lifting out as he was definitely not going anywhere voluntarily.

The next day we went for a short hike up a mountain and Ruth introduced us to Geocaching which is, to put it simple, treasure hunting for grown-ups. There is a website where one can search for GPS coordinates for a specific area. We took her GPS along and searched for the hidden “treasures” while going up the mountain. We could only locate one even after searching high and low. It was great fun though and I can see that kids would especially love to do something like that. After our hike we went for a swim in one of the nearby popular lakes while trying to get a bit of a tan. We returned to a different spot at the same lake later that evening for a pizza dinner. It was the first day of school holidays for the kids so there was a whole horde of them having fun in the water. Ruth was hoping to have a quiet dinner and to see the loons with their new babies although that was definitely not to be with all the noisy kids around! 

Salem: As Salem was on our way to Boston we decided to go witch hunting. Unfortunately it started raining just as we left Ruth and George’s and continued to do so for the whole day. I found it difficult driving in Salem as many streets were one-way and many not clearly marked. We eventually found a parking spot and went to visit the Witch House. It was interesting reading about the Witch Trails which happened back in 1692 and how everything got blown out of proportion by others trying to save their own skin. Apparently many of the victims did have fits, although nobody really knows why it happened. Some speculate that it could have been the stress caused by the Indian attacks at the time or because of a fungi found in the rye bread they ate.

We stayed away from any rye bread and had a very average seafood lunch instead at a restaurant called Finz – it was recommended by the book but didn’t impress. From there we visited many of the crazy tourist shops selling all kinds of potions and witchy things. I really don’t know how they all survive as there was so many of them - I hardly noticed anyone buying anything although it might have been because of the rain. Next up we visited the oldest candy store (Ye Olde Pepper Candy Company) in town and after that the House of the Seven Gables. We also took a picture of the old ship called “Friendship of Salem”. Salem was an interesting place although I became quickly bored with all the tacky tourist shops. I was glad however that we did stop there as it was interesting learning more about the Witch Trails.   

Boston: We were invited to stay with Chris and Jess while in Boston. We met them in Iceland way back when I started my around the world trip. They share their house with a lovely dog called Bear who is probably not known for his intellect and who likes to chase his own tail. As we’ve been wearing the same clothing for most of our trip we were pretty bored with what we’ve had and decided to go shopping. Many shops had sales and it was difficult getting Gillian out of them especially the Cup Cake Shop where we stopped for a quick coffee. After our shopping spree we visited the Christian Science Museum although I still can’t see how Christianity and science can go hand in hand. What was interesting though was their very large world map displayed in a glass globe. We walked along a glass bridge to the middle while looking at all the illuminated continents. What was very fascinating was the acoustics created in the globe. While standing on opposite sides Gillian could hear me whisper and standing in the middle created a surround sound effect – very cool!

That night Chris and Jess took us out to experience a Southern Barbeque at a place called Red Bones. Other than many flavors of ribs they also served dishes such as catfingers (breaded deep fried catfish), deep fried pickles, pulled chicken or pork, collard greens, potlikkers (veggie broth), candied yams, corn fritters and much more! We had an absolute meat fest that evening all washed down with a few pints of beer. Red Bones serve a silly number of beers on tap which one could choose from by spinning a wheel with an arrow. There was way too much food for us to eat and we left the restaurant feeling like stuffed sausages and a large doggy bag. It was also nice to see Jay and her partner Jenny who made a quick stop off at the restaurant although they couldn’t hang around as they had a concert to go to.

The next day we went into the city to tick off a few more touristy things. Our first stop was at the holocaust monuments which are big square glass towers that fill up with steam coming through vents from the bottom. The towers were decorated with the numbers of each prisoner while short stories on plaques reminded us of the horrors of that had happened. Next up was a walk along the Freedom Trail clearly marked with red bricks (or a red stripe) along the pavement. Wandering along the trail we saw the city’s oldest buildings as well as many statues and graveyards. It was a really nice walk and I enjoyed reading about the history of the city. From there we went to see the much talked about Chihuly glass exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts. We first saw his work while in Las Vegas and were blown away by his ceiling display in the Bellagio. To say the least, his work is stunning and I was left scratching my head wondering just how he had created all the various shapes and colors of their glass ornaments. I can highly recommend his exhibition to anyone visiting Boston!

I’ve always been a “point and shooter” when it came to photography although after using Gillian’s digital SLR I was converted. I manage to get a good deal on Craigslist and bought a Canon Rebel XS with 18-55mm and 75-300mm zoom, UV filter and bag for only $450! I also bought a 50mm lens to try and do some portrait photos in future. As my time with Gillian was coming to an end we decided to spoil ourselves and visited a fancy seafood restaurant in downtown. She was travelling back to London while I have decided to continue travelling. Even though it was very sad, it was the best thing to do as she really missed her family. Dinner that evening was memorable as their food was to die for. Gillian had the sea bass with lobster ravioli while I had wahoo with chorizo, grilled veggies and potatoes. Their melt in the middle chocolate pudding was the highlight of the evening and even though we “shared” it, I only manage to steal three spoonfuls from Gillian who guarded it with her life!   

   

Boston has a lot of history by American standards and I loved the architecture. The city had a nice vibe and there are many things to do and places to see. I really liked our visit there even though it rained every day we were there. Chris and Jess were amazing hosts while Bear provided the entertainment. The poor mutt got stung by a bee while at doggie daycare and he felt very sorry for himself. If I have to choose between my favorite cities in America it would definitely be a difficult decision between San Francisco and Boston. Both cities are lovely in their own way although I just might have to veer towards San Francisco because of better weather in general. I would like to visit Boston again if I ever have the chance in future.  

Finger Lakes: We escaped the rain in Boston by driving to the Finger Lakes in New York state. It was a fairly long drive and I was tired when we finally arrived at our campsite at Taughannock State Park next to Lake Cayuga. We shared our campsite with many birds and small chipmunks which almost seemed to glide over the ground while they ran. They really DO look like they are “beat boxing” while sitting upright and rubbing their mouths – it reminded me of this youtube clip: Chipmunk. Gillian cooked a chicken curry that evening which was very tasty and it wasn’t long before I retired to my camping mat.

Ithaca: Since I was a child my parents have told me about their stay in America when my dad studied at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. When I discovered that we were actually going to drive through their old home town I couldn’t resist going to see where he studied. Ithaca is a beautiful town with nice houses - some very expensive and la-di-dah. Because of all the students there are many trendy coffee shops and other nice bars, restaurants and cafes. Cornell University itself has a few impressive structures and we had a good time just wandering around soaking up the atmosphere. I of course took a fair few photos to see if my dad remembers the place. Unfortunately we couldn’t find their old flat as I didn’t have their full address, but Cornell University made for a nice visit. 

We spent the next day wine and cider tasting at some of the many vineyards in the area. There were many vineyards to choose from so we decided in the end to do tasting at one wine, one cider and one at a goat’s cheese farm. The vineyard was called Americana and it is apparently popular for reasons unknown to me – it surely can’t be because of their wines. It seems to me that many Americans like their wines sweet as their most popular wines were far too sweet for our taste. Next up was the goat’s cheese at the Lively Run Dairy farm where we got to sample around 6 different types of cheese. As the blue cheese was too mild we bought their creamy goats cheese with fresh herbs for our soon to be picnic.

Our waitress at Beltwether was glad to meet two customers who actually showed any interest in their products and were asking questions. It seems like the normal procedure is walk in, slurp-slurp and walk out. We tried 6: Lord Scudamore, Legacy, Heritage Vintage, Heritage New, King Baldwin and No. 4 – our favorite, sods law, was the most expensive one, Lord Scudamore. We bought a bottle for our picnic which we drank while sitting outside in the warm sunshine next to a lake. While in Ithaca we bought a baguette and pâté which went nicely with our goats cheese and Lord Scudamore cider. Also having lunch with us was a pair of mallards and many bright orange koi fish feeding in the shallow reeds. To try and work off our full bellies we went for a hike to the Taughannock Falls which was pretty impressive.

As it was such a nice day we decided to cook our dinner next to Lake Cayuga as there were many picnic tables in the vicinity. It was a nice experience standing chopping vegetables while people around us were having fun either fishing, swimming, sailing or sunbathing. I was tempted to get my fishing rod out but I didn’t have a license and didn’t want to tempt fate especially with an expensive rod. Dinner that evening was a lamb stew with lots of veggies and potatoes which we ate while the sun turned the clouds into various colors – a nice evening indeed! I could easily have camped there for longer although Gillian had her flight booked back to England so we had to leave to get to Toronto. 

Niagara: I really did not like our visit to the Niagara Falls. The falls were surrounded by tacky Las Vegas-style shops which had no charm whatsoever. We were greeted by aggressive and overly competitive parking attendants who swore at each other from across the street which put me on edge. Furthermore, finding a parking spot for our Jeep was a nightmare which didn’t make for a good first impression of the place. Their free souvenir which came with a map for our $5 parking fee was a business card fridge magnet which we gave away at the first opportunity. At least the falls were nice and we took a fair few photos before hotfooting, or shall I say fleeing, out of there as quickly as possible - I couldn’t wait to get out of the tourist trap!  At least the Canadian border was right across the bridge so we made our escape and we didn’t even contemplate visiting the falls from the Canadian side!

On crossing the bridge over the Niagara River we ended our visit to the USA. I will remember the east side of America for its architecture, mountains, lakes, leggy moose, seafood, especially lobsters and clam chowders as well as their rugged coastline with iconic lighthouses and of course trees, trees and even more trees. Another thing that was memorable, for all the wrong reasons though, were the thousands of bugs determined to suck out every last drop of our blood. Compared to the west coast, the weather was not as good and all the rain definitely put a slight damper on our enjoyment levels. Even so we had a great experience while on the east side and met yet again many friendly people who made our trip enjoyable

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