York, PA to Harrisonburg, VA via Mt. Vernon

We awoke to rain and flood warnings in York and Lancaster County of Pennsylvania.  We wanted an early start to be at Mount Vernon as close as possible to the 9am opening.  Driving was difficult with heavy traffic and lousy visibility and it took 3 hours to drive 110 miles.

The route took me through Baltimore and due to accidents, we ended up going through downtown Baltimore.  We drove by Camden Yard and the Ravens stadium.  We eventually made it through Washington, D.C. and down to Alexandria, VA.

There was a nice crowd at Mount Vernon.  We had our boots and rain gear and made it just fine, but we felt for so many which were totally unprepared.  It is hard to be prepared if you flew into town or came in on a bus.

Mount Vernon is a place of history.  The home is at a beautiful location overlooking the Potomac River, but the home was built a long time ago and shows the time period it was constructed.  The home is constructed from pine boards which are grooved in the pattern of stone and painted. Sand is added while the paint is still wet.

George Washington's home looking from the Potomac River.  It is a beautiful view and the State of Maryland has protected 80 square miles across the river to prevent any development to spoil the view.

 

The side of the home in which visitors would have been received arriving by carriage.  Washington's log book showed that he had over 600 overnight guests in one year.  Mt. Vernon was one of four farms owned by Washington.  Martha was a widow at the age of 26 when they married and she had a farm of 11,000 acres also.  Washington had 300 slaves at the farm's height of production.  He freed all of his slaves in his will at his death.

This lady was in character as Martha Curtis Washington and was brilliant.  She entertained questions from the audience and responded with quotes from George Washington.  She scolded a group of young girls who came into the room and walked in front of some seated adults.  She told the girls they would have to hold their questions until the adults were finished with all questions.  "You must mind your manners."

The tomb.  George and Martha are actually behind the brick to the right.  There are a large number of family members entombed here.  Washington drew the plans for the structure, but died before it was completed.  It was finished 30 years later and when all were moved and entombed, the family threw the key in the Potomac River.

We left at 3:30 and had plans to drive well down into Virginia, but weather and traffic made that impossible.  The Beltway around D.C. is 6 lanes and Miss Garmin told me to exit left and the actual exit was to the right (across 6 lanes of rush hour traffic).  Didn't happen and so we took the scenic tour around the city until I finally made my way off thanks to some sympathetic drivers.

We are in northern Virginia for the night.  Tomorrow we plan to drive on toward home and possibly stop off in Cookeville for the night.

This will be my last post.  We have had a good trip (in spite of Acadia being closed) and seen many wonderful sights.  I have enjoyed sharing my thoughts and a sampling of photographs which I have made.  Most of all we have had a safe trip to this point with only three days of rain out of the seventeen days we have been on the road.

Good Night!

Cooperstown, NY to York, PA

We got up early to fog as we were staying in a hotel on Otsego Lake.  We drove the 8 miles to Cooperstown and ate breakfast at the town pier overlooking the lake (all we could see was fog).  From there, we walked a couple of blocks to the Baseball Hall of Fame and waited for opening.

The front entry of the Baseball Hall of Fame (HOF) on Main Street in Cooperstown, NY

Main St. in Cooperstown.  The hall is located in Cooperstown as this was the home of Doubleday, who is credited with inventing baseball.

Waiting on the doors to open

I have looked forward to the HOF for a long time and never really thought that I would have an opportunity to see this shrine.  I felt a great deal of emotion as I saw old film of baseball players which my dad and I talked about when I was growing up.  Probably very few of you know that I was named after a baseball player.  I was named after Mickey Vernon who was a first baseman for the Washington Senators and had the distinction of playing in four decades.  He still holds the major league record for double plays by a first baseman.  My dad would have loved the Hall.

It was a wonderful building.  The exhibits were laid out well and was not cluttered.  We spent four hours and could easily have stayed longer, but I saw the old players exhibits and all of the Reds players.  I was surprised by the Pete Rose exhibits.  I grew up a Rose fan, but feel that if he is banned from the hall then he should not be represented.

For Eric--Ozzie

For Kade-A 5 gallon bucket of David Sunflower seed

Along with Johnny Bench, Tony Perez was one of my all time favorite players

Another shot of Main Street looking the opposite direction with the HOF on the right

This shot and the one below are of Otsego Lake.  This is a beautiful  9 mile long natural lake and was referred to in the novels of James Fenimore Cooper as Glimmerglass.

 

The view from out the restaurant window (after the fog lifted).

We left Cooperstown and was planning to drive 300 miles to somewhere between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., but ran into rain by Scranton, PA and was in a deluge by getting through Harrisburg, PA.  We hit Harrisburg at rush hour and combined with the weather we lost too much time.  It took 1 1/2 hours just to drive through this city.  We managed to get to York, PA and the visibility was so bad driving that we have stopped for the night.  More rain is predicted for tomorrow.

We heard on the radio that although Mt. Vernon is open the parking lots are controlled by the federal government and are closed.  I called Mt. Vernon and they assure me that their lots are open.

Is spite of the rain it was a great day!

Weston to Cooperstown



We were up early for breakfast at our B&B.  There was a heavy frost and it was 31 degrees.  The temperature rebounded nicely up to 68 or so.  It was bright and sunny all day. 

 

Dining room of "The Inn at Weston"

  

The backyard of the inn

 

There is a Vermont Country Store in Weston and they advertise that they have everything.  I believe that is true after being in the store.

 

 

 

 We left Weston and drove south on Hwy 100 to Manchester, stopped in an art gallery and looked at a $60,000 painting.  Keep going!  We stopped in Manchester Center at the Orvis mother store.  They have some unusual items like the oar bed below.

 

 

On the south side of Manchester is the home of Robert Todd Lincoln who was the oldest son of Abraham Lincoln and only child to survive to be an adult.  He was Secretary of War under Taft and later became CEO of the Pullman company which built luxury railroad cars.  He became very wealthy and built the home below at the age of 62.  He lived there for 7 months out of the year.  It is beautiful, but not extravagant.  He believed in keeping things simple although he built a large home.

The Lincoln family died out after a couple of generations and the home was given to the Science church which was unable to maintain.  A foundation bought and restored the home and 450 acre farm.  The home is known as Hildene.

 

 

Front approach to Hildene

 

Vew from the back of Hildene

 

Lincoln's Franklin car which was build nearby in Syracuse, NY.  It had an air cooled engine.

 

The back side of Hildene and the gardens.  Just behind the photographer is the drop off into the valley shown above.

 

Hildene is still a working farm.  Their specialty is making goat cheese and selling to the public.

 

We drove on down through a number of communities on Hwy 100A including Arlington and Shaftsbury.  We came to Bennington and went to the Bennington Museum and stumbled upon a gallery filled with the paintings by Grandma Moses.  She was a resident of this area.  We had a meal in the beautifully restored railroad depot in Bennington before leaving Vermont and driving into New York. 

The "Bennington Station" restaurant in the old railroad depot.

We drove through Albany as it was getting dark and then the additional 50 miles to Otsego Lake.  We are 8 miles from Cooperstown and plan to be there tomorrow morning. Again a night with limited cell service, but I do have internet and a TV.   While New Hampshire was mobile homes and run-down residences, Vermont was the opposite.  Vermont is pristine with everything in place.  I was prepared to see fields of dairy cattle, but only saw a total of eight beef cows in our trip across the state.  Again the people were very nice, friendly, and interesting conversationalists.

After leaving Cooperstown tomorrow, we plan to drive as far south toward Alexandria, Virginia as possible.

Until next time!

White River Junction to Weston

Today had a lot packed into a short period of travel.  We left White River Junction on the Vermont/New Hampshire border and traveled four miles to Quechee Gorge.  We spent the next several hours in the gorge and the nearby  quaint little community.

At the bottom of the Quechee Gorge looking back toward the highway bridge which is 165' up

Looking down stream from the bridge.  The first photo was taken at the point where the water is last seen in the distance.  The river makes a turn to the left and this is where I was standing.

The Dewey hydro plant and dam just upstream from the bridge

We first hiked to the bottom of Quechee Gorge and then back out.  It was a short trail, but very steep on the way back up.  We were then back in the car for a 2 mile drive into the center of the community to the covered bridge, dam, and Simon Pearce restaurant and glass blowing industry.  His business is housed in the hydro-electric building and a generator is still running in the basement of the building.  We watched the craftsmen blow and shape magnificent works of art from glass.  We would have loved to have brought home on of the glass pumpkins, but the cost was prohibitive.  We started to leave and had gotten into the car when we decided to eat lunch in the restaurant.  We were afraid of not having enough time to do all the things we wanted, but the opportunity to eat in this beautiful venue will probably never come along again.  We were seated looking out over the dam with the water pouring over.  This area was devastated in August of 2011 by Hurricane Irene.  In fact the water level was only 3' under where we were sitting at the time of the flood.

The dam in Quechee.  You can see the restaurant from Simon Pearce extending out over the water on the right hand side of the photo.  The water was 3' under this projection in the flood of 2011.  This is where we had lunch today.  Best meal we have had since leaving the Kaltenbaughs in Nescopeck, PA.

Some of the glass pumpkins created in the glass blowing area in the basement.

The view of the dam from inside the restaurant

We left Quechee and traveled to the Taftsville covered bridge.  Again there is a dam producing hydro-electric power just above the bridge.  This was a beautiful bridge.  We took the road north to the Sugarbush Farm which makes maple syrup and sells cheese.  This was formerly a dairy and sells the cheese made by the company to whom they sold their milk.  There were four varieties of maple syrup and this depends on the stage in which the sap is collected.  There is a very short window of sap collection.  The day must be warm and have freezing temperature at night.  This allows the sap to come up part way, but not all the way to the leaves.  It takes 40 gallon of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup.  The process is similar to cooking off molasses and we talked with the family about the process.  This area may receive ten feet or more of snow during the winter and the sap is collected using horses pulling a sleigh with a collection barrel mounted.  It is a different way of life.  Super friendly folks on the farm.

The Taftsville covered bridge near Woodstock, VT

We left and took the back road into Woodstock, Vermont going by the Billings-Rockefeller farm and museum.  The museum was closed due to the government shutdown.  Another casualty.  We traveled into Woodstock and saw another covered bridge.  Beautiful old building and we tried some maple walnut ice cream.  Very good, but it doesn't surpass good ole strawberry.

Church in Woodstock, VT.  I am convinced this steeple is leaning.

The Woodstock Pharmacy.  This one has an ad for Kodak cameras and film.  Most of the building were built in the 1800's.

Nice little basement ice cream shop on Main Street in Woodstock.

From Woodstock we make a 20 mile drive to Plymouth Notch.  What a gorgeous drive!  We drove along a river which was flowing swiftly over rocks with the sun shinning and the maple trees strutting their glory.


Plymouth Notch was the home of Calvin Coolidge who was president of the United States in the late 1920's.  A Republican and a seemly down-to-earth individual.  The furniture is all authentic and the actual pieces from his home.  The bed upon which he was born is on display.  The Bible used for his swearing-in is on the table with the kerosene lamp which was used as the only light that night is on the parlor table.  Coolidge was the Vice-President for Warren Harding.  Harding took pneumonia and died.  Word reached Coolidge at 2am when he was in Plymouth for a short vacation.  There were no phones or electricity and Coolidge's father awakened him.  John Coolidge was a local justice of the peace or judge and he swore Calvin into office.  Calvin went back to bed, but got up the next day and returned to Washington.  The Supreme Court couldn't decide if the swearing in was legal so they did it again.  John Coolidge was asked why he thought he could perform the swearing-in and he replied, "Nobody told me I couldn't."  The state of Vermont recongnizes the John Coolidge swearing, but I'm not sure about others.  Plymouth Notch is a magnificent place.

The home of John Coolidge.  Calvin moved to this home when he was four.  He lived previously just across the street.  This is the home where he was sworn in as President of the United States.  When he became president, he had an addition built on with indoor plumbing and electricity.  His father did not want any part of this new stuff.

The Bible and lamp on the parlor table used in the swearing in by Calvin's father just after 2:30 in the morning.

Main street in Plymouth Notch.  The workshop and church are on the right.  The family home is on the left behind the maple tree.  In the distance just past the church is the small home where Calvin was born.

Inside the church.  The flag marks the second pew as the one used by Calvin Coolidge and his family.

While president, Calvin's 16 year old son wore a blister on his heel playing tennis at the White House.  This became infected and he died.  Calvin became despondent and he came back to Plymouth Notch to heal.  He established a "second White House" in the dance hall over the post office. Fourteen secret service agents were in town.  They slept in tents around the area.  The post office clerk was paid on commission and normally made $50 per month.  While Coolidge was in town her salary jumped to $1500 per month.  He did chores on the farm including using a pitch fork to move hay.  Can you imagine our president using a pitch fork to do chores?

We drove on down to Weston to stay at "The Inn at Weston" which is a bed and breakfast.  We have never stayed in B&B and it is a unique experience.  There is no cell service available.  The internet comes and goes and so I am writing at 11pm trying to write down my thoughts.  There is the promise of a great breakfast in the morning.  The only restaurant in town is the one at the Inn and so we were compelled to eat there tonight.  There was live music and white table clothes.  Connie kept wanting the piano player to play "Great Balls of Fire" and it might have livened up the folks a little.  No TV in the room and it is a little strange to sit in the parlor with people you don't know (and have trouble understanding) and watch the community TV.

It has been a nice day with beautiful weather, nice sights, interesting and friendly people, and continued safe travel.  We are now a little over 2,100 miles.

Tomorrow we plan to make our way on down through Vermont to Bennington and then turn west and travel through Albany, NY on our way to Cooperstown.

White Mountains to White River Junction, Vermont

Raining today-makes the colors even more saturated and beautiful!

We backtracked this morning and went back to Bridgton & Fryeburg, Maine to see some of the downtown buildings and churches.  Messy driving, but beautiful.  There are lakes scattered all over this region of Maine.  The roads are terrible and most businesses do not have pavement.  The roads are uneven, probably from the frozen roadbed.  The soil is sandy when it is not granite.  It would be hard to build a solid roadbed.

Haven't seen this in a while!

Main Street in Bridgton, Maine

Most of the churches have tall steeples.  This one is in Bridgton.

Drainage at the end of Highland Lake in Bridgton.  Highland Lake is a 1,334 acre lake with clear water.

The spillway from Highland Lake

We returned to Conway and stopped in town at a small bakery across from the fire department and laundry.  We then went to the nearby Saco and Swift River covered bridges.  Beautiful water, rocks, and leaves throughout.

Don't see these around home!

Fire Department in Conway, NH

Laundromat in Conway, NH

Saco River covered bridge in Conway, NH

View from the Saco River Bridge

The truss structure of the Saco bridge

Another shot downstream.  You can see the new replacement bridge in the background.

Swift River covered bridge in Conway, NH

Stone home at the north end of the Swift River bridge

We then took the Kancamagus Highway.  The road was built in the late 1950's and is named after an Indian chief who lived over 300 years ago and attempted to keep peace between the settlers and the Indians.  He eventually gave up and moved his people after the British kept creating problems.

The Kancamagus-the clouds were hanging low in the air

Of course this is US Forestry land so we were unable to buy a permit to park and use the parking areas and restrooms.  Doesn't matter since the restrooms are boarded up.

Tell me why Obama closes the World War II memorial which operates solely with private funds and keeps his private golf course open stating "it is a private club and does not use government funds".

We made stops at the Albany covered bridge, lower falls, and Sabbaday Falls.  Gorgeous scenery all along the way.  It rained steady at times and drizzle otherwise.

The Albany covered bridge on the Kancamagus

Surprisingly, a number of covered bridges have burned.  Picnickers tend to set their grills up in the cover of the bridge or throw down a cigarette when taking shelter under the bridge.

Look at the multiple colors in only one leaf

Bathroom doors screwed shut on the Kancamagus

Taken at lower falls on the Kancamagus

The last cascade of Lower Falls

Sabbaday Falls looking down from the top

We made the 35 miles across he Kancamagus by 4pm and went to the Flume Gorge just before they closed the ticket booth.  The ladies strongly recommended that we not go through due to the darkness and to a line of storms which was approaching.  The walk through takes 2 hours.  Too bad to be so close, but I don't want to drive in total darkness across moose country.

We left and drove south toward Plymouth, New Hampshire and then turned west across 2 lane roads which make Weakley Creek Road look like a super highway.  Mobile homes and poorly maintained wooden frame homes seem to be the norm.  Most people seem to be loggers in this area.  We made in to Canaan, NH and met the storm front with driving rain.  We pulled off the road for a while in an area where there were four churches.  Noticed that there were weather vanes on the steeples.

Church in Caanan, NH.  Notice the weather vane on top of the steeple

We made it safely to Lebanon, NH and crossed the Connecticut River into White River Junction, Vermont to spend the night.

A couple of observations-we miss refills of our drink glass and the glass is just a tiny toy glass.  We also have realized that businesses will only have a unisex bathroom with one toilet.  No wonder they don't offer refills.  We miss good cooking.  They could take a lesson from some good southern ladies.

We've been asked all day if we are retired.  We have battled the tour buses of seniors and tonight the only room available is a hearing impaired room with a fold down seat in the roll-in shower which keeps falling.  BUT THE SCENERY IS INCREDIBLE and Connie says the men on the tour buses are charming and I accuse them of trying to pick her up.

Tomorrow we plan to go across Highway 4 into Quechee and Woodstock, VT before traveling toward Plymouth, VT and the boyhood home of Calvin Coolidge.