Saturday, Oct. 5 - Portland tour

Today we headed for the "other" Portland - Portland, Maine.  We took a side trip to Cape Elizabeth, a headland a few miles south of Portland.  At Fort Williams Park we toured the Portland Head Light, one of the oldest lighthouses in continuous use in the country. Commissioned by George Washington in 1791.  Pictures below---

We did some shopping in the harbor area of Portland, and enjoyed a late lunch at DiMillo's Restaurant.  DiMillo's is a family-owned restaurant on a converted car ferry floating at Long Wharf.  We had a delightful lunch overlooking the boat basin and enjoyed watching the boats sail by in the harbor.  We also saw Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's childhood home.  It is open in conjunction with the Maine Historical Society Museum and Library.  In a Portland neighborhood we drove around one of the main headlands overlooking the harbor.  Nancy commented that the houses were gorgeous and I agreed that they were grand.  In the back of my mind I was saying, "I am sure glad I don't have to paint these 4 story mansions."  Luckily, we left our checkbook at home. 

Then it was back to Freeport for some more shopping. The town of Freeport is essentially a giant mall, with the flagship L.L. Bean store at its center ( I think two Cabala stores would fit in this behemoth).  People come from as far away as Canada and Oregon to shop here.  We had dinner at Gritty McDuff's Brew Pub and Restaurant.  It's fun to visit the micro-breweries in this area, and taste the different types of beer.  

This is a popular tourist stop for people on cruise ships. 6 bus loads in 40 minutes while we were there.

A very picturesque light house.  Lobster pot buoys were about 150' from the rocks on the left side of the picture.

I took this picture looking away from the light house.  Lots of rocks and shoals just under water.  Not fun for the early ships. 

Friday Oct. 4 Heading to Bailey Island and Freeport

After leaving the lodge, we headed to the coast of Maine.
More back roads and colorful leaves.  As we dropped out of the White Mountains into the lower altitudes towards the coast, more leaves were on the trees and the colors turned back to the deep oranges and reds.  The shore pines started to become more abundant as we drove closer to the ocean.  I was still able to make a few good images. I will know more when I can work on the photos at home.

This is our dinner place.

The Lobster House is just behind the red building.  On the other side of the spit of land were hundreds of lobster traps in the channel.

The absolute highlight of the day was our trip to Bailey Island.  Our friends, Bruce and Sharon, suggested that we go to Cook's Lobster House. I had 3 1/2 lb. lobster for about half of what I would have paid for a 2 pounder in Boston.

Check Maine lobster off our bucket list.  I guess that would be my wheelbarrow list for this fellow.

The coast is so convoluted that this picture seems to be the norm in many spots.

You can also find long coarse sand beaches.

 Bare rocks run down to the water - inhospitable to much vegetation.

Thursday, Oct. 3 - New Hampshire

We got off to a sweet start today.  First we drove to Waterbury, VT, where one of Ben & Jerry's ice cream factories is located.  The tour was fun, interesting, and delicious.

 Next we went to the state capital, Montpelier.  After a quick tour, we went to Morse Farm Maple Sugar Works.  Another sweet treat!

Then the real driving began - we traveled on highway 32 through Woodsville and Littleton to the White Mountain National Forest.  This is the highest mountain range in New England, with Mt. Washington towering at over 6000 feet.  The scenery was beautiful, and the day was picture perfect.

We settled in North Conway for the night, in a bed & breakfast close to the ski resort area.

We did visit a graveyard and found some old friends, see if you remember anyone of them..

 I am not sure anyone has registered these on Find-A-Grave.  Be the first.

 

Wednesday, Oct. 2 - Fort Ticonderoga

We left our hotel early this morning to drive up the west side of Vermont toward Burlington.  The scenery was beautiful, so we traveled mostly on highway 7 and the adjacent country roads to get the best view of the foliage.

Photo by Nancy

 At the village of Hampton we crossed into New York state and followed the through small villages and on back roads to Fort Ticonderoga.

Inside the reconstructed fort.

View from the front ramparts of the fort.

Our guided tour at Fort Ticonderoga was the highlight of today, well worth the time.



After our visit, we boarded the cable ferry operating on  Lake Champlain and returned to VT.  We drove north on highway 7 again to Burlington, where we spent the night.

The ferry is just like the one crossing the Willamette at the Canby crossing.

We had an excellent dinner had at The Ice House restaurant.  The weather is unseasonably warm for this time of year, so we ate on the outside deck that overlooks the lake and watched the sun set.

Tuesday, Oct. 1 -Three States in one day - CT,MA & VT

Today we drove across two states (CT and MA) and into a third (VT).  Know that sounds like a long way, but our route was only about 170 miles.  It does take all day, though, with many stops and slow traffic.

After a quick stop at another cemetery in East Haddam, CT, we headed north through Hartford to Springfield.  We had planned to stop at the Springfield Armory National Historic Site, but it was closed due to the government partial shut-down.

We chose to travel on the side roads, so took highway 7 on the western edge of MA.  We enjoyed lunch at the Barrington Brewery in Great Barrington, and visited Stockbridge to see the Norman Rockwell Museum. This museum sits on over 30 acres and has beautiful views of the autumn countryside. 

Norman Rockwell's studio

We also drove through Lennox, Pittsfield, and Williamstown.  These are revolutionary war sites, as well as being charming New England towns.

One of numerous panoramas along the roads we traveled today

Monday, Sept. 30 - Hitting the Books - Autumn Colors

Today was research day.  After breakfast we headed to the New London Library, and spent a few hours in their genealogy room.  We both found ancestors who lived in this area in the mid- to late-1700s. 

This afternoon we drove to the Old Hebron Cemetery to locate a few more ancestors.  The drive was beautiful, as the pictures show.  We followed a two-lane highway through several small towns filled with well-kept colonial style houses, each with an autumn wreath on the front door.  Every small town had a central green, now the location for a pick-up soccer game and weekly farmers' market.

Fall colors are starting to show.  Heading north to find more.

Horse Pond     @  41.46177,-72.248877

Horse Pond   @ 41.461241,-72.248788

Horse Pond   @ 41.46177,-72.248877

Sunday, Sept. 29 - Norwich, Connecticut

Today we went to search for our ancestors in Norwich, Connecticut.  Both sides of our families (Lanes & Smiths) came from this area, so it was the perfect place to start.  We went first to the Founders Cemetery. This spot was dedicated to the founders of Norwich as their final resting place.  The cemetery is marked with a granite memorial, since there are no grave markers.

Leffingwell House - One of  Nancy's ancestors

Nancy can trace her roots back to Thomas Leffingwell, a lieutenant during the Revolutionary War.  He owned an inn in Norwich which is now a museum.  We met Richard, the archivist, and he gave us a tour of the building.  We were also able to visit the Old Burying Ground, a cemetery where Thomas and his family are buried.  We also found another branch of the family, the Huntingtons.

Christopher Huntington - another branch of her family

Back in Groton, we went to the Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park.  On this site Benedict Arnold and the British forces defeated the American troops.  This was the last victory for the British in the Revolutionary War.  The monument there is in memory of the soldiers who fought in that battle.  More Information below.

The Monument looks just like Bunker Hill and the Washington Monuments

Looking back towards New London on the right and Groton on the left

Yes - that is a house perched on the rock, with a pier to tie up a boat.

More the you wanted to know ~
Arnold, a general in the Continental Army, decided to change sides in 1779, and opened secret negotiations with the British. In July 1780, he was offered, continued to pursue and was awarded command of West Point. Arnold's scheme was to surrender the fort to the British and turn over the arms and ammunition.  After he plans were discovered he fled to England and returned in command of a British unit to capture New London and Groton in 1781, He defeated the troops at Ft. Griswold, killed and wounded many troops after the officer surrendered in what was later called the Fort Griswold massacre.  His troops were ordered to burn both towns to the ground.   Last week they burned his effigy in New London, then brought his leg over to Groton.  The leg was wounded while he was fighting for the Colonies.  Memories go way back here.

Saturday, Sept 28 Long road to Mystic

Today was a travel day, with some rubber-necking and sightseeing. We drove from Hyannis, Mass, to Mystic, Conn.   We decided to drive some back roads, but they were well kept, tree lined, divided four lane alleys that usually kept your eyes forward.  The real sights were to drive around the small towns. They brought the flavor of the area. 

3 lanes of traffic lined with trees for mile and miles

 After breakfast we left Hyannis, driving west on highway 6a.  Our first stop was in Sandwich at the Glass Museum.  We saw a demonstration of hand-blowing glass, walked through several rooms displaying examples of Sandwich glass, and learned about the history of the area.


It was a beautiful day for a drive, so we headed for Newport, Rhode Island.  We toured the town, full of 70-room "beach cottages" built by millionaires in the late 1800's. After crossing Pell Bridge, we breezed through Rhode Island (it's only 37 miles wide!) and ended our day in Mystic, Connecticut.

The tourist town of Mystic is so vibrant!  We ate at Mystic Pizza - yes, that's where the Julia Roberts movie was filmed - and enjoyed a delicious dinner.  The weather has been beautiful, with very cool nights.  We're looking forward to being able to see the leaves turning color when we head north.

Sept 27 Cape Cod

I'll fill in a few blanks tomorrow.  The wi-fi is really slow, except in the bar.  Talk about a con, but the beer tastes good.

Plymouth Harbor

Mayflower II

Pavilion were Plymouth Rock is located.

Plymouth Rock - In times past they use to have a hammer and chisel close to the rock.

Wet feet in the Atlantic - WOW - one more check on the bucket list

Look how tall Nancy is.

A great dinner in a very eclectic place

Sept 26 Museum of Fine Arts - Boston

After breakfast in Quincy Market, we burrowed down to the subway for a trip up the Green line  E route to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.  Nancy and I parted ways and followed of different interests.  The collection of paintings  featured the renown artists of their day showing many colonist and revolutionary's.  The gallery's  were large and the museum provided thousands of square feet on three floors to exhibit a wide variety of art.  I wandered around looking at: photographic prints, fine art, per-Columbian artifacts, the work of silver smiths, native American pieces and many other exhibits.  Nancy went for the jewelry, furniture, European artist and the gift shop.  The Museum was joy for the eyes, inspiration for the soul and history for the mind.

Nancy on the 2nd floor landing.  I am standing next to a 30 glass sculpture.

We topped our last night in Boston at Legal Seafood with two delicious meals and shared a mouth watering chocolate lava cake with a side of ice cream surrounding a macaroon.  A walk down to the  wharf to look over the harbor and see the city lights of  downtown.