Scary On

We are logging in from Old Orchard Beach, Maine and tonight is the last night out of our trip. We fly back to Houston tomorrow.

It was a road day and we spent most of the time on road today admiring scenic beauty all around. The day started out with a wonderful breakfast served by our hosts at the Applebutter Inn. Scrumptious baked apples, whole grain pancakes, apple butter, vermont maple syrup! Yum!

We left Woodstock around 10am and headed towards Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire. You might think we had seen all possible fall colors yesterday but this morning we fell in love with New England’s famed fall foliage all over again. The beauty is just breathtaking! We stopped along the Quechee Gorge before heading into New Hampshire. We decided to take the scenic drive offered by the Castle in the Clouds and enjoy fall foliage. And it was beautiful. The trees were just showcasing their peak colors. The reflections of the colors on the lake was just amazing.

From there our plans were simply to reach our final destination Old Orchard Beach in coastal Maine driving through the famed Kancamagus Highway (Rte 112). And what a ride it was! The foliage was the best at lower elevations and we did find mostly bare trees atop the Rte 112. We did stop at a few pullout points along the route but it wasn’t just the best we had seen.

Our drive today took us through small town, USA established in the late 1870’s with its 25 mph speed limits, volunteer fire stations, antique stores, rundown gas stations, a country store, a few homes, inns/bed&breakfasts, the must-have farm equipment store! We were in rural USA and believe there was not even a Golden Arch in those areas! Boy! It was comforting the see the first Starbucks in days at Portland, Maine! No we are not Starbucks regular customers, it has been months since we stepped inside one.. but just the sight of the familiar chain restaurants and stores are comforting after days in small town, USA!

We are done with the leaves and spending the night at Atlantic Birches Inn at Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Our plans for morrow are to drive through coastal Maine and reach Boston to catch our flight home….Cya in Houston!

Day two of our trip and after breakfast we decided to change our plans and head towards Provincetown before heading to Vermont. Provincetown, the tip of Cape Cod is mostly a protected reserve. Marshes, fingers of water, tidal flats and sand dunes dot the landscape and the town itself is filled with holidaymakers walking along the narrow, crowded roads. Bed and breakfasts and art galleries are found in abundance here. A good drive and we were glad we did it.

And from there we started our 4 hour journey towards Brattleboro, Vermont. As we drove towards Vermont on I-91 we could see reds and yellows along with the greens. We had previously read that along Route 100 (off I-91) the fall colors were at the peak and we planned to head out to Route 100. And of course no roadtrip will be complete without getting lost! We got lost and went to the nearest gas station and it seems that most tourists get lost there. They knew exactly what we would ask and had mini-map handouts ready for lost souls like us.

Back on track, we were off the freeway and into rural Vermont, with white clapboard houses, farms and bales of hay, the village square with the courthouses and churches, winding rivers accompanying us, mountains towering all around and trees changing colors. We drove through the small towns of Newfane, Townshend, Jamaica, Ludlow, Weston, Plymouth, Bridgewater before reaching our destination for the night – Woodstock.

It is tough to put into words or use any other media to express the beauty that lay in front of us. We were lucky to be in the area when the colors were at their peak. Yes it is just some leaves turning colors and falling down, but it is a sight to be seen and treasured for ever. The whole area was a riot of colors and every direction was a beauty by itself. Nature at its best.

Yes of course we did see a few of Vermont’s famed covered bridges! and no photos for the day as we cannot find the USB cord to transfer the photos!

Tonight we are at another historic and charming bed and breakfast, Applebutter Inn!
Our plan for tomorrow is to drive through the scenic and beautiful Kancamagus Highway, New Hampshire into southern coastal Maine. And that would be our last destination before we head back to H-town!

More from the road morrow if we get wi-fi access!