Day 15: Falling into Fall

Today's journey would take us far into the Appalachian Mountains as we made our journey from North Conway to Ludlow. While we would spend most of the day in New Hampshire today, by day's end we would add another state, ending up in Vermont. We had been warned again to layer the clothing as we would be going up and down the mountains and that we did...

Leaving the hotel, we went up Sugar Hill Road. On this less busy mountain road we made several stops to look across at the Presidential ranges from the other direction, and again Mt Washington could be seen all the way to the top.

There were a couple of lovely spots here as we stopped by the side of the road. We went to a place called "the Flume" and while we were not allowed to walk all the way up because there was not time on the tour, we did get to wander around near the visitor centre seeing more lovely colour. Our final stop in this area was at a bridge, named for one of the revolutionary generals. Here we got another lovely look at some colour and Liz decided to play in the fall leaves. The photos are not so good, but the idea was fun!

Michael had told us that today we would be grazing, and that there was no set lunch and morning tea stops. So that meant that when we arrived in Bath New Hampshire, a tiny little town, it was time to buy a sandwich to graze on as it would be our last opportunity for a while. So we went into the America's oldest continuously operated General Store, which has existed since the late 1700's. They had organised sandwiches for purchase outside so that the bus people could get their sandwiches more easily... having said that, as there were three other buses also in Bath at one stage, I don't think that there were actually any non-bus tourists. Still, it was a lovely little place, and with sandwiches and drinks in hand we headed down to the river to the Covered Bridge. Chris is really taken with these. We rode under one in the mini bus on our day in the Amish country, but this one was something else. It had a dedicated part for pedestrians to walk on and only one car was allowed across the bridge at at time. We saw several cross in the time we were there. Next we went up to the Congregational Church. Now that was an experience. Some of our fellow tourists were there playing the pump organ!! It is a beautiful old wooden church with pressed metal walls and pressed metal ceilings. They had a little women's stall at the front and we bought a piece of Pumpkin Pie which became the envy of many on the bus. The little old lady at the church said that they had had a Turkey Dinner at the Church the previous night and the Pumpkin Pie and Apple Pie that they had cut into segments and packaged, were the left overs from the previous night. I think that is about as authentic as you get. 

Back on the bus and time for a little nap as we wound our way down the Connecticut River valley, New Hampshire side on our way to Hanover for a stop in the Ivy League town that is home to Dartmouth University. Michael reckons that the fees at Dartmouth are "cheap" as Ivy League colleges go, starting at about $45,000 per annum! Ouch! At any rate, Hanover is a pretty little town, it is really a College town, and you can tell that the demographic is young. It would be a lovely place to go to uni in though I think. The buildings are beautiful and the village green is very pretty.

Another bus ride took us across the Connecticut River and into another US state, this time the Green mountain state of Vermont. It appears as though for a time Vermont was actually an independent country rather than a part of the Union, because the New Yorkers were hostile to the fact that the Vermont people would not pay them tax on the land after the American Revolution. All was eventually forgiven in the 1790's but it shows the lack of unity in the United States in those early days. Our afternoon  stop was at the Billings Farm which is a working recreation of an 1890's farm started by the Billings and Rockefeller families... There is that name again. We toured the farmhouse which was actually the home of the farm manager. On its lower level it had a state of the art butter churn that could make about 50 pounds of butter at a time and it was powered by water. Amazing for all those years ago. But what was even more surprising than that was that in the bathroom there was an indoor toilet and a heated bath! Guess it is a good example of money being able to buy an awful lot. We then went through a display of farming techniques and a display of every imaginable type of pumpkin.

The town of Woodstock  was only a short walk from the farm and so, rather than wait for the bus, quite a few of the party walked down into the town, past beautiful gift shops, to discover another covered bridge and then to sit in the autumn sun in the park and really experience FALL.. all around us the autumn leaves were literally drifting slowly to the ground. In a few days this magical display of colour will be gone for another year.  We even saw acorns up close, falling to the ground and Shirley showed us a photo she had taken of a chipmunk eating an acorn.... Chip and Dale eat your heart out. 

WE climbed higher into the mountains after Woodstock before descending just a little to Ludlow. Just out of Ludlow is out accommodation for the night , the Jackson Gore Inn's Okemo Mountain Resort. Now when I say mountain resort, I MEAN mountain resort. There is a ski lift almost right outside our room and it is a massive hotel which obviously does exceptionally well in the ski season. A little like staying in Perisher on steroids.  Tonight we shared a buffet dinner with our travelling companions before heading back up here to finish off the blog. So hopefully tonight good readers, you are reading today's news as we have finally caught up.

Day 14: Bar Harbor to North Conway ( All that way to a Westfield??)

The morning was looking ominous as large grey storm clouds gathered near the hotel at Bar Harbor. Maybe our run of good weather was coming to an end, but we stayed optimistic as we hit the road for North Conway, inland in New Hampshire and up in the mountains, so we were all layered clothes wise for a potentially cool day. Not much exciting happened in the early part of the day as we cruised to our first pit stop on the side of the road at a McDonalds or Dunkin Donuts. We chose Dunkin' and headed across the road, only to be astounded that a semi trailer driver stopped to allow us to cross and on the way back another car driver did the same. Astonishing.

The day became sunnier and sunnier as we went along, no sign of the storms on the coast that had threatened in the morning. There was a bit of snoozing as we drove thru many lovely little towns and past riots of golden colour in the trees. Our lunch stop was Rumford, a quaint little village with only a few streets and again a common cemetery with graves dating back to the American Revolutionary War. We shared lunch today in a new "cafe" with George and Elwynne before a brisk walk back to the bus via some lovely trees in the churchyard.

Another photo opportunity was had at the hydro station at Bangor in Maine where there is a monstrous statue of the famed lumberjack Paul Bunyan... The statue is kitsch and ugly,  reminiscent of our big sheep, prawn, lobster etc, but the view from the hydro dam was very pretty and worth the photo stop.

 But the best photo stop of the day had to be at the base of the toll road up to Mt Washington, the highest mountain in Maine. We had been warned that we would not be able to see the top because it is usually under cloud, but on this blue skied afternoon it was beautiful.. the range of mountains is known as the Presidential range as it has mountains named for Washington, Jefferson and others. Well worth a photo stop and a great opportunity to stretch the legs before heading into North Conway, and our accommodation at the North Conway Grand hotel, literally on the same property as the Settlers Green Factory Outlet Mall. All that way to a Westfield hey team???

Upon arrival at the hotel we were offered a chance to hear a speaker from Raven Interactive which is a company that provides educative talks on the region and the process of seasonal change for the plants and the animals.  We learned about deciduous trees and were interested to learn that the  reason they shed their leaves is to preserve their fluid supply throughout the icy winter, because, effectively the area is rendered desert during the winter months. We also learned that the beautiful reds and yellows of the leaves are always there, but they are simply hidden by the chlorophyll. As the length of days shortens, the tree knows to shut off the supply of chlorophyll at the leaf join and hence the green disappears and the vibrant autumnal tones appear before drying and falling to the ground. We also learned about a rabbit that is brown during the summer and completely grows a white winter coat for warmth and camouflage.  The other thing that we did was get up close and personal with a Moose. No not a real moose, although we have been looking for one of those for the last two days, with no success. No, there is a moose and bear display in the lobby of the hotel so just for fun we decided to pose!

So then it was off exploring. There was no dinner provided tonight so we were on our own and Chris and I were keen to do a little bit of shopping... we had a browse, bought some shoes for Chris and Mum and then went to dinner at Applebee's diner at the end of the complex.  We also found some lovely seasonal displays featuring pumpkins, but by far the cutest one was the minion Pumpkins seen here. A spot more shopping and browsing and then it was back to the hotel for packing and sleep. Ah sleep,  love sleep!

Day 13 Awesomely Amazing Arcadia

Not sure that there are enough superlatives to come close to describing the beauty and the grandeur that is Arcadia National Park. it would be beautiful at any time, but at present with the riot of yellow orange and gold unfolding before our eyes, it is a truly special place indeed. So into the Park where we made several stops and each one had more and more beauty. 

First off it was the Bar Harbor Women's' Association cross sectional garden. The women of the community have a garden section that labels and displays all the plants from the National Park and they are displayed in sections such as "The Bog" where we saw Cranberries growing, to the mid forest and finally the Mountain Forest. We learned a lot about the difference between fir and spruce and were better able to identify exactly what the sugar maple looks like up close.

Our next stop was by Sandy Beach which is as the name suggests a beautiful yellow sand beach and from there you get a really good view of Precipice Point. While it was clear and all, the grey skies meant that the scenery lacked a certain contrast, and because they have had little rain in the area of recent weeks, the pond or backwater at the rear of the berm did not have enough water to take the artistic reflection shot... Still in all a very pretty and peaceful place and of course Chris had to run down and put his fingers in the Atlantic Ocean. I think he had our fellow tourists a bit worried that he was going for a dip!

There were several stops at pretty groves to photograph the "colour" as it has come to be called. One spot we stopped at was a pond where we saw a beaver lodge and dam, and here the reflection of the trees into the pond was nothing short of spectacular. Following this we drove high up Cadillac Mountain. Unfortunately the top of Cadillac was shrouded in fog and cloud so there was no view at all, but a little way down the side we had a couple of lovely stops, one at Eagle Lake, a glacial cirque that appears to be in the shape of an eagle's wing. Chris was in heaven having ticked Arcadia off his bucket list.

At around lunchtime the bus drove down into Bar Harbor and dropped us off for some lunch, sightseeing and shopping. It is a pretty little town, one Main Street and three side streets in total. We were advised to check out the Episcopalian Church and, if we got the chance, to compare it to the Catholic Church across the road. It appears that the wealthy went to the Episcopalian Church and the maids and servants were more likely to have gone to the Catholic Church. St Saviour's, the Episcopalian Church is exquisite. It had a darkish interior, lacking natural light, but the natural light that enters comes through stained glass windows, again made by Tiffany, and they are excellent examples of how stained glass was used to teach the key events in the scripture. The rose window at the end of the church has 12 small faces included around the image of the resurrected Jesus. These 12 faces represent the Grandchildren of the person who bequeathed the window. The things you find out from the locals. We then went across to the Catholic Church, and while it was very lovely it was very plain inside. Painted white walls were lit by less complex but still beautiful stained glass telling the key stories of Jesus' life and the altar was very plain and had a black curtain behind it, something we have not seen before in a  Catholic Church.

Church crawl over it was down to the town to find somewhere for lunch and do a spot of shopping. We went to a traditional American Drugstore that had a bar in it and ordered a Chicken Salad Sandwich and a Milk Shake... Nope. They do not make milk shakes, they make Frapps (which are milkshakes). And with the Chicken Salad sandwich I was expecting lettuce and tomato... but Nope again. it was chicken finely minced and mashed up with mayonnaise and maybe bacon and celery and it was served with a packet of potato chips and a pickle! Another cultural experience ticked off.

The bus took us back to the hotel for a very short rest before we had to hop back on the bus and go back to Arcadia National Park for our Carriage Ride. The park has a series of carriage roads which were build by the Rockefeller family during the 1920s and 1930s. They have 12 foot thick granite bases and are strictly for carriages and horses only. Our tour group went on 4 different buggies ( we were in one that seated 14) pulled by two huge Clydesdale horses, Doc and Duke. Our guide Rhonda told us dozens of interesting things, both about the horses and the park as we rode along the road. We learned that the Rockefeller family managed to buy up large sections of land to try to beat the lumber merchants to it so that the land could be preserved for future generations. They are certainly a philanthropic family. We asked her how long the foliage had been "turned" for and she said about 9 or 10 days... when asked how long it would last,  she replied, well only another 3 or 4 days. Wow... how lucky have we been to see such amazing sights.  

Buggy ride over it was back onto the bus and off to dinner at the Jordan Pond restaurant. Jordan Pond is another glacial cirque, but unfortunately by the time we arrived it was nightfall and the visibility was poor, so we went upstairs for dinner which again was just yummy... this time Clam Chowder, Crumbed Scallops for Liz and Steak for Chris and Blueberries and ice cream for dessert.  Back to the hotel to pack and blog and reflect on the absolute beauty we had experienced today. 

Day 12. Day One on a Globus Bus. Boston to Bar Harbor

Bag pick up at 6.45 and down to breakfast ready for bus boarding at 7.50... sounds like a Globus Bus tour to me. We gathered in the lobby with our fellow travellers and Michael ushered us onto the bus following the prescribed seating plan. We were introduced  to our driver Kevin and went on a quick look see at some of the major sights of Boston that we had seen while out and about yesterday. Out on the road and the first thing that greeted us was Autumn colour.  Michael had been warning us not to get our hopes up too high, that it would be what it is and so on and yet there is was, along the side of the road, setting up the expectation that this would be a good tour for fall leaves. We were very optimistic.

Our first stop of the morning was just at a roadside fill station and the only coffee available was STARBUCKS eeewwwwww. That is not coffee, but a pumpkin spiced latte would have to do. The only highlight here was a funny looking moose statue in the car park and Chris posed for a funny photo. Back on the bus for a bit of dozing and collecting US states. We had left Massachusetts, passed right through the minuscule New Hampshire and having a peak at a little "village" called Bath along the way. I don't think the Brits have anything to worry about... the real thing is somewhat more spectacular. We were then en-route to our lunch stop at Portland, a quaint sea port and the second largest township in Maine. Now this gets us thinking that towns in Maine are not very big. But it was quaint. Lots of cute shops and we went for a walk for a bit after our "Five Guys" custom made burger lunch. It was so busy down by the wharf where we were dropped off and picked up because there were three massive cruise ships in port. Felt a bit like a day in Ephesus really.

On the way out of Portland we went to see Kennebec Port and then on to Walker Point. That would be Walker as in George "Walker" Bush. Their summer home is there literally out on a point and when the US flag and the Texas flag are flying you know that George Dubbleya is in residence. So there was the flag and dozens of people staked out along the side of the road, waiting for a glimpse of the Bush family. Felt a bit like paparazzi taking the shots. 

Camden was the little township in Maine where we had afternoon tea. I had really wished that we had had internet access so I could check in with a pic for Anne-Marie, because it was nothing like her Camden, although we did find the Creme De la Creme equivalent, called the Crappy Bakery. Don't think it would work as a name in Australia really. A short wander through the streets of Camden and it was back on the bus for our first night at the Bluenose Inn in Bar Harbor. On the way in we heard an educational video on lobster farming, because tonight we would go to a lobster bake for dinner.

There was a brief time in the hotel room and then back on the bus for the short trip to a restaurant called Bar Harbor Lobster Bake. Here we were presented with an entree of steamed Mussels, A whole lobster, with corn, potato, coleslaw and bread and had the entertainment of learning how to master the art of eating a lobster. It was hugely messy, water squirting in all directions and much laughter but we both conquered the lobster and finished off with some blueberry cake and coffee,  before heading back to the hotel to blog and bed. What a day!

Day 11: Of Trolley Cars, Tea Parties and Terrific Sights

Overcast skies greeted us at the start of Day 11, but we were promised a warm summery day and so we dressed for the warmth, perhaps somewhat mistakenly. Breakfast was in the hotel this morning because it is an extension to our Globus Tour which begins tonight. So out we went in front of the Sheraton where we waited for the Trolley Bus... and waited... and waited. So much for them coming every 15 minutes. We even ducked back inside to collect a jacket and the queue had only got bigger. So we decided to walk up to the tram stop and catch the underground tram Downtown. The map chart for the Boston underground is not as good as Philadelphia and New York so we were a little confused momentarily, but we found that the Arlington stop would put us out near the Boston Garden, straight across the way from Boston Common and that sounded like as good a place as any to start. 

What a delightful green space in the middle of the city. While we didn't find it out until later in the day while on the trolly bus, Boston Common was originally the shoreline of Boston and the area that starts with Boston Gardens was part of a swampy backwater known as the Boston Back Bay.. the area which today houses some very expensive real estate along with our hotel. Hard to believe, and yet what foresight the 18th century Bostonians had when they created this beautiful garden. We were greeted by some very friendly Bostonian squirrels... hundreds of which live in the park. We walked past the Swan Lake, where the pair of Swans, Romeo and Juliet live, and where the Swan Boats (paddle boats) sail all through the summer months.  We also saw the statue of of George Washington on horseback at the entranceway. Over the bridge and we crossed the road and entered the Boston Common, which is literally a huge open space park. 

In the Common there is a plaque that commemorates the first Open Air Mass said by Pope John Paul II in the USA. When you think about the scale of Papal Masses at Randwick it certainly puts the Common in size perspective and here it is right in the middle of Boston. We wandered through the common, chatting with the squirrels ( and no Sarah we have not adopted any!), and saw the war memorial, the first glimpses of fall foliage on some of the trees, before making our way to the frog pond and out to catch the trolley bus, which could not fit parties of 4 but could fit us because we were only a 2! We were only on the trolley for one stop, but it was a long stop as we made our way down through the Old Town, past the renowned  Old Meeting House where the Tea Party plan was hatched and then down to the harbour to the Boston Tea Party Experience. Here we were greeted by characters from the tea-party, were given our feather disguises and became patriots on the fateful night in December 1773 where tonnes of tea were tossed into Boston Harbour. We were taken aboard the Eleanor, one of the Tea Party ships, where Chris tossed the tea into the harbour and then we saw some animated footage of potential exchanges between key characters and even Samuel Adams and King George, before seeing Paul Revere's ride and the start of the American Revolution in Lexington April 1775. It was a very interesting and informative display and we finished by drinking tea in Abigail's Tea Rooms, sampling the Boohee tea and other tea varieties.   Back on the trolley, there was time for more exploring. 

We caught the trolley bus back up town via stops 1-4 and ended up back near the old town where we went in search of Kings Church and the Irish Immigrant Potato Famine monument. Kings Church is one of the oldest continuously used churches in North America. The pews in the church are all closed in, designed to be owned by families and surrounded to help keep out the cold and to enable families to keep an eye on their children.  Today, anyone can sit in them at any service, and the church indicates the Reformation influence on the Episcopalian church in the USA, given the fairly austere nature of this church in comparison to Trinity Church which we saw a little later. But before Trinity, it was a walk through the theatre district and back to the common to board the trolley for a trip past that bar, "where everybody knows your name" the Cheers bar on Newberry Street.  

When the trolley came to stop 8 we made an impulse decision to get off at the square at the Trinity Episcopalian church. This is literally half a block from the end point of the Boston Marathon where the bombing took place, but that was not the attraction. The attraction was the spectacular church that drew our attention. The exterior is heavily carved in a style reminiscent of Westminster Abbey.. the evangelists are all there along with significant women saints such as Mary Magdelene and Martha of Bethany. There is also relief carving of significant scripture stories such as Jesus baptism, calming the storm, the last supper and many others. Inside the church is breathtaking. It is an eclectic mix of just about every artistic style you could name. Parts of it have gold leaf frescoed iconography, which reminds me of monasteries such as Hosias Lucas in Greece. Each kneeler in the church is padded and covered with a hand embroidered tapestry with a message from scripture. The bronze cross suspended across the sanctuary appears to hover in space, but by far the most dramatic part of the church is the stained glass designed by none other than Tiffany. It is exquisite and in the afternoon sunlight it sparkled, especially the "laminated" glass of the resurrected Christ on the back wall. The church is overall very dark, but simply beautiful and we are so glad that we stumbled upon it and learned something of its history. It is regarded in America as one of the top 10 pieces of religious architecture so that is fairly high praise. 

We made our way back to the hotel, with just a little drama as the trolley we were on had a malfunction at the stop prior to ours and we needed to swap onto another trolley. It was time to check out our paperwork and prepare to go to the meet and greet for the tour. We met a few fellow travellers including a few Aussies who were travelling and then we headed down to the Prudential centre next door to find something for dinner. The Cheesecake Factory was there and so we had a meal with Jim and Carole from Seatle Washington.... Americans are really big on this where you come from thing. Then it was time to finalise the packing and fall into bed before beginning our Fall Foliage adventure tomorrow.