Year 10 Bonus Day 12

Bonus Material:

We fly out Tuesday morning so today was a free day. We chose to spend it with the wealthy in Newport, RI. We slept in for once and sauntered down for breakfast at 8:30. Typically we have made a good start on our day by 8:30.
We got ourselves together and said goodbye to our fancy pancy room and headed to Easton beach to take the 3.5 mile cliff walk. If ever in Newport, RI I highly recommend doing this walk. Its on the cliff between the ocean and Bellevue Avenue where all the mansions are. The Great Gatsby was filmed in one, the grandson of Ford lives in one, the Vanderbuilts, etc. Its really mind blowing how big these places are and imagine what in the world they need with all the space. We got super lucky at the end of the 3.5 miles when a golf cart pulled up with a sign that said "free rides" on it. We jumped in and the driver gave us an impromptu free tour on the way back. He was born and raised in the area and delivered newspapers to all the big houses. We passed Judge Judy's home and many others.
Last stop was another lobster roll and a walk on the beach. Good end to the trip pretending to be wealthy.

Year 10 Day 11

DONE! We've done it. We drove into the last of the 50, Rhode Island, in the afternoon of day 11 officially completing the 50 states trip.

Our day started up in Maine though. I will say this about Maine, its pretty but not as pretty as Vermont or New Hampshire. And of all the places we have been on this trip, the locals were the least friendly, even compared to New York. Im not sure if they just thought that tourist season was over and they were hoping for peace and quiet, but boy were people rude. I never did see those loons either.
Kennebunkport is a beautiful town but very very wealthy and overly crowded, first stop on the list today was Salem Massachusetts. I didnt think that drivers / people could get any worse, but if you want to really experience the rude eastern drivers, head on up to Massachusetts. I hear they are called Massholes and they definitely live up to the name. Before I get started on how awesome of a place Salem is, let me just say there are far too many people on the east coast. I think that's why everyone is so rude and rushed all the time. You cannot I repeat cannot go anywhere without traffic and full parking lots and cars and noise and yuck. There is a reason the saying is "west is best".

So back to Salem. This is the coolest town. The downtown where everything is has vegan restaurants, pride flags, people playing music. Super cool vibe. Mixed among all of those things is the buildings and places related to the witch trials. We happened to be visiting on the 327th anniversary of the last hangings. On the exact day. We visited the Witch house which is one of the only structures left standing that is directly tied to the witch trials. The Corwins lived in the house where it all started when their children began acting "weirdly" and were determined to be "possessed by a witch". The rest is history. We also visited the witch dungeon where the "witches" were held awaiting execution. Most were hanged, but one man who was deemed a warlock was pressed to death, yes pressed with boulders on his chest. It took 2 days. The cemetery was full of weird juju.

The traffic going around Boston was insane. Dirty dirty city. The worst of the trip. Trash and graffiti everywhere and Massholes. We had to drive in two UNDER WATER tunnels. Not cool.

Our next stop was pilgrim rock. This one is on the list of neat and Im glad I saw that but not sure what all the hype is about. They built a huge Greek looking memorial structure over this rock down on the beach. You stand above it and look down. Its surrounded by metal grates. And it says here is the pilgrim rock. On the hill above is a bronze Native American statue. So many cars and buses there was no where to park. We illegally parked, ran over took a look and left.

That left us Rhode Island. We are in Newport at the Hotel Viking which is by far the fanciest place I have ever stayed. Our hotel room has a spiral staircase INSIDE our room that takes you to an upper floor still in our room where the sleeping area is. The downstairs is the living room. We went big big for our last night. Dinner was arranged by the hotel staff at 22 Bowen, a steakhouse where you are afraid of the bill coming. We figured a celebration was in order for our last night of our last trip!

We head to the hotel at the airport tomorrow night and then fly home Tuesday. That leaves us all day tomorrow to walk around with the wealthy and pretend we are big shots. We plan to take a walk down the Newport Cliff Walk which has the ocean on one side and the Gilded Age Mansions on the other.

The votes are as follows for the BEST state of all 50:
Mom - Alaska
Chris - Alaska
Me - Alaska
Becca - Hawaii followed very closely by Alaska

If you wonder where to go, Id suggest Alaska. Dont take a cruise or a bus tour; you will be disappointed. Jump in a car, get out on the small roads and small towns. See the beauty that is there in the tundra, at the ocean or at the magnificent Denali National Park. In fact do that in any state, even if your choice is Kansas although we will be forever marking that one as done.

Its been an amazing ride touring America. Weve built some incredible memories that will last a lifetime. I hope you have all enjoyed the ride with us.

Jenny, Becca, Chris and Karen. The 50 state travelers. :-)

Year 10 Day 10

Maine reminds me quite a bit of Minnesota. There is an abundance of water in both large and small quantities. I think I heard a loon way off in the distance this morning from the hotel, but I cant be sure. Probably just wishful thinking. Some day I will sit at a remote lake and watch loons swim around and talk to each other. Thats currently #1 on the bucket list.

We had a shrew of a lady at the first breakfast place we tried to go to so we left to try another, it was closed. Not a lot of choices in upstate Maine so our next best bet was a gas station. A couple of muffins and a pop tart later we headed back south.

Our first stop was in Bangor at Stephen Kings House. Yep, you can just drive right up to the front of his house and get out and walk up to his gate. Its in a super nice neighborhood with really big fancy Victorian houses. His gate has a spider web design and it totally looks like a house he would live in. Next we headed to Bar Harbor for some lobster! Bar Harbor is a very cute town but is very very busy with Acadia National Park at its doorstep. I cant imagine what it might be like when its actually season. Here is my complaint about the east coast. The shore is covered by private residences and hotels. You cant see it, get to it or enjoy it like you can the west coast. Its all buttoned up by the wealthy. Sad really.
Since Acadia had a line to get in which by the way is wrong, there should not be a line to get into nature, we took a route around the tip of the area down by the water. Another weird east coast thing...theres no waves. Weird place. Kennebunkport was our final destination today. Can you say MONEY? There's a lot of money in this town. Some of the biggest houses we have seen yet.
We took a walk through the Rachel Carson Preserve. She was born in 1907 and is considered as one of the founders of the environmental movement around the world. Another great woman leader in our country! We finished the day at a very nice dinner. Hard to believe that tomorrow we will finish. All 50 states will be done. CRAZY!

Year 10 Day 9

We need more days. Well, it would be nice to have more days, but we all miss home so we're torn. We drove basically across the middle of Vermont today and then across New Hampshire. Vermont is the 2nd least populated state of all 50 coming in only behind Wyoming. Id like to spend much more time in Vermont and even New Hampshire. The green mountain state and the white mountain state. So many trails calling my name and so many small scenic roads to explore. We always note those states that we would like to come back to and this is definitely the one on top of my list. Its a hard decision between Vermont and Alaska.

My timing was off today so things didnt go as typically planned. I cant really even explain how much planning goes into each of these trips; I guess its bound to happen. We left Vermont too early to hit any maple syrup farms. They wouldnt have been harvesting any sap now as they do that in the spring, but still it would have been cool to see the trees and the taps. Maybe next time. Our first stop was in the Groton state forest at a small lake tucked into the hills. We took a short walk and marveled at the colors in the trees. Leaf peepers as they are called here. Discovered a new hiking trail called the cross Vermont trail. Just like it sounds, it goes across Vermont from side to side. Adding that one to the list. Big EXCITING hit here was that we saw a moose! It wandered out on the side of the road and was just starting across as we came around a corner. Those things are like horses with really long legs! Thats one of the things we were counting on up here, check.

Next we stopped at a covered bridge just over the border in NH. Giving that a neat. Its a covered bridge right next to the new bridge. Very cool construction, but not the coolest thing we've ever seen. Further into NH was the Flume Gorge. This one was well worth the stop. Mildly weird that they charge you $16 a person to hike but hoping the money went to something useful for preservation. A 2 mile hike along the creek takes you into the gorge where they have installed wooden walkways that hang off the granite rocks over the creek. Its cool, breezy, wet and really quite pretty. A few too many people around to really classify as a hike, but a really pretty stop. 

Maine wasnt far so we turned north and headed up to Mooshead lake. On our way we passed Mexico...weird so close to Canada, but there it was. Maine is as pretty as Vermont and New Hampshire, just a bit more flat with small rolling hills. Plenty of small roads running through small towns dotted with white farmhouses and green pastures here as well. Here's where more of my timing issues popped up. I hoped to be at the side of the lake for a bit before sunset to look for / hear loons. Got into town too late and once we got dinner done the sun was down. No loons. Small bit of hope that maybe I hear them tomorrow before we leave Maine. Somewhere inbetween we got a look at the worlds largest Indian. Its in a gas station parking lot and is filled with hornet nests. Its supposed to honor the native americans that settled this area. Pretty sure thats not the best way to honor a group of people but ok.

Year 10 Day 8

VERMONT!!! I absolutely LOVE VERMONT! But let me back up to the start of the day.

There wasnt much on the itinerary today, just needed to cover some miles to get farther north east. But im not the kind of traveler that likes to take the straightest route to get where I am going. We drove through the Adirondacks in far upper state NY. The trees really showed up in this area. The hills were covered in reds, yellows, purples and oranges. We were told a couple of days ago that the best time isnt to wait for all the trees to be completely colored but to come when the leaves are mixed among the green and I think I completely agree. Its really beautiful to see summer and fall colliding across the landscape. The pictures will never do it justice. We stopped at a lake along the way and took a small walk to stretch our legs and look at the colors.

The big stop was ahead in Waterbury, VT. But let me get back to how much I LOVE VERMONT! Highways are clean, there's rolling hills of green fields full of alfalfa and corn and old farm houses dotted between the colorful hills; some of which were established in the early 1700's. Oh to get my hands on a fixer upper here! There's friendly people, small towns, large mountains in the distance, trails begging me to hike. There's bike lanes and solar panels and everything is clean and cared for. I could most certainly live here.

We headed up a hill to the Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory to take a tour. We had a really corny tour guide with terrible jokes about cows, but we did get free ice cream at the end. It was worth suffering through the jokes. My brain kept thinking...hummm I work for a manufacturing company...I could live in Vermont...but I havent convinced Becca.

We got a sweet hotel upgrade tonight into a suite with a couch and everything. Its weird how you start to really miss things like couches when you travel. It feels like we have so much more to cover and so little time. I think I could have spent the 12 days just in Vermont, but it will definitely go on the list of places I NEED to come back to.

Year 10 Day 7

Follow up from the stargazing of last night.
We laid in a field in the middle of the woods on the cold ground as the sun went down below the horizon. Deer ate at the meadows edge and stars started to appear a little at a time. By the time we were huddled together and shivering in the pitch black, the milky way was in full view above us from horizon to horizon. Satellites zoomed past and planes chased each other across the sky. Shooting stars burned bright as they passed the atmosphere. Magical. Even if you cant come to one of these places, take some time at least once to go somewhere where there is no light pollution for the city and lay with your back against the earth and watch the sky. The best comment of the night came from Becca. "Mom, this is the weirdest thing we have ever done on any of our trips." It'll be a memorable one I'm thinking. ;-)


We woke this morning to dense fog and a chilly 38 degrees. The trees were wrapped in fog and mist which made for a beautiful drive north toward New York and Niagara Falls. The temps came up and the sun peaked out just as we were arriving at the falls.
I will say this about the falls. WOW! They are really a show of natures power. Its fascinating to see that amount of water coming down a river and just drop off. You can see the mist about a mile out from arrival. I will also say that I think its been a bit ruined by the hand of man as most things are. There isnt a direction to look at the stunning display of nature without a giant building or concrete this or that in the way. In my opinion it really does take away from the natural awe of it all. That being said, I am glad we saw it. Its obviously one of those things that a person should see in their lifetime, but its sad to see the commercialization of it all. We walked the trail and looked at the all the viewpoints and headed out. I like to imagine what it might have looked like 100 or 200 or more years ago.
Heading east we set our sites on Rochester and the Susan B Anthony House. Susan B Anthony was an integral part of the woman's suffrage movement and the abolition movement. Her story is fascinating. She was strong, independent and committed to bringing the rights of the American white male to women and African Americans. She fought to get women the right to own their own property, hold their own money, enter into agreements on their own and of course vote! We had an absolutely adorable elderly woman lead us around the house for an hour showing us the home and telling us her story. One of the best historical tours we've been to on our trips. So powerful. She lived until she was 86, just 14 years short of the historic 19th amendment giving women the right to vote nation wide.
Did you know New Zealand was the first country in the world to allow women to vote in the late 1800's? And one of the last was Switzerland in 1970!
Our last stop was about an hour farther east in Seneca Falls, NY at the Women's Rights Historical Park. Another good stop with lots of history on the women's rights movements, but not nearly as cool as our tour at the house.
Tonight we had to do laundry in the hotel, another first on these trips, but tomorrow we will be clean and ready to finish the second half of the last trip. Its sneaking up fast!