The famous Portland Head Lighthouse in Portland, Maine - gorgeous!
We walked out onto the rocks to see the Spring Point Lighthouse - it's a short one! This is our wonderful host with The Hubs. I posted earlier about their wonderful hospitality.
Boots, anyone? L.L. Bean in Freeport, Maine. We felt like the whole town was kind of an outlet mall, but we did eat a delicious lunch at an Inn and the drive up there was pretty (we took a scenic route) with the fall leaves and lovely homes.
One of only a few pics of New Hampshire - I wasn't feeling well so slept through most of that state! We drove several hours through some rural towns and The Hubs got pretty worried at one point because we were getting low on gas and hadn't seen a gas station for a long time! We were saved with only 20 miles left in the gas tank.
The Vermont Country Store in Rockingham, Vermont (one of three locations in Vermont)was something I definitely wanted to see. I had gotten their catalog some 30 years ago and had ordered things from them occasionally. They have a lot of old-fashioned things other stores don't sell. It was a fun stop and we did end up making a few purchases.
Photo-op by the Vermont Country store
In the middle of the woods of Brattleboro there is this lookout tower they call the Retreat tower. It was built in the 1800's by patients of the Insane Asylum nearby. The history of the hospital is interesting - back then they were known for their new treatment which included treating patients as productive people who could work and enjoy nature. Unfortunately the tower is locked up due to several unknown people/patients that jumped to their death. There are no roads up to the tower, you have to hike to it, and it's hard to see until you are right upon it. Also, there is a small cemetery on the grounds near the trails.
So many covered bridges up here and this one has been turned into a picnic spot! We got our lunch from a delicious local deli - Vermont Country Deli - then came over here to eat one day.
We learned about making maple sugar at the Robb Family Farm and bought lots of maple goodies too! We had been wondering what "those ropes" around the trees were...
The maple syrup cooker and purifier
Downtown Brattleboro has lots of shops and restaurants and is a good afternoon stroll! This mural says something about Carter's Little Liver Pills, which is something my mother used to say!
Before we left we stopped by an Apple farm and also a cheese making factory! So much good stuff to eat around here! Right by the apple farm was the Rudyard Kipling house. The author lived there for a few years after he got married. The house is now part of the Landmark Trust and you can actually stay in it!
Wheeling, West Virginia! We were only in WV a short time, but we made time for a lunch stop at the Soup Shack in an historic old market place. Definitely needed some TLC but had some great history there.
The Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky was an interesting thing to see! It is the largest timber structure in the world and they used information from the Bible and shipbuilding practices of that day to make this amazing boat. They had many ideas inside of the ark to show how food and water could have been stored, where animals and waste could have been managed, etc. Of course, I believe even without all these devices God was going to take care of them in a supernatural way. Overall, I felt it was expensive to only spend 2 hours there. They had speakers and singing groups scheduled throughout the day but we couldn't stay that long. We tried to watch a short film called "Interview with Noah," but it was just too cheesy. We left. Some of the the exhibits were closed for the season as well. My review would be that it is great for those who know nothing about the biblical story, but it was also very preachy. Just kind of strange to me in some ways.
Our daughter was working in Kentucky at the time we drove through, so we stopped by to see her!
So after that we had a night in Tennessee, but it was nothing but a stay. We were anxious to be home after driving so much and so many one night stays. It was great though, we only paid for two nights of the entire trip because we used hotel points, plus we stayed with friends in Maine. This trip was a unique time for The Hubs in between jobs and a time to be away from responsibilities of church and home. It was a time for us to have fun together and worry less. It was a great road trip and way to see so much of the country. My only regret is not getting to see more of Maine and Vermont! Next time...
No comments:
Post a Comment