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Thought I’d Skip Gardening This Spring…

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We’d been thinking and planning for a long time to make the trek west in our van—all the way to California and then north to Canada. And before we knew it, the time for thinking was over. We left home on a Monday, which seems to be our favorite day to launch ourselves into new adventures.

It felt strange to leave home during gardening season. The decision to skip vegetable gardening this spring/summer was not made easily. But I’m only one person with one “wild and precious life.” So before we left, I walked around the yard to view all the perennials in their various stages of splendor. The strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries were flowering. The apple trees were producing tiny bumps of would-be apples. The salvia, peonies, roses, azalea, chives, and butterfly bushes were flowering. The hydrangea, hibiscus, irises, daisies, balloon flowers, thistle, and black-eyed Susans were in their early stages. They’ll all look much different by the time we get back.

That first night, we camped at Letchworth State Park, nicknamed ‘Grand Canyon of the East’, in western New York. We checked out the Mt. Morris Dam before settling in at our campsite. The water at the dam was low. But according to a very knowledgeable and excited park employee, that’s normal.

We spent the following morning chasing waterfalls, rainbows, and birds along the Genesee River.

On the recommendation of a friend (thanks, Becky!), we stopped in the Glen Iris Inn to peek at the uniquely handsome staircase inside, before leaving the park. The Inn was an old farmhouse that William P. Letchworth had renovated as a country retreat. The bells hanging from the staircase were apparently brought back from Switzerland where Letchworth found that each had a unique tone to identify the cow wearing it.

Also that day, as on our last long road trip (October 2023), we learned of the death of another friend who’d been ill for a while. We’re sad to have to miss her funeral, but grateful for the visits we had with her recently.

That night we parked at the Gsellman Family Farm, a Harvest Hosts site in Ohio. Several full-sized goats, along with young (goat) kids, shared the space with us. When it started raining, they decided our van made a great shelter and we could hear them knocking around under us. Before we left in the morning, to make sure no goats were harmed in the process of exiting, Mark had to shoo them out with a broom.

After a pit stop at the local Walmart, we set our sights on more waterfalls, heading toward nearby Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Mark went for a run and I took a more leisurely (birding) pace along the Brandywine Falls trail.

After lunch, set our GPS for Beverly Shores, Indiana. The drive was a rainy one as we gained an hour, passing from Eastern to Central time. We arrived at the Dunewood Campground in Indiana Dunes National Park in time for supper.

In the morning, we left the campground and drove north about a mile to the shore of Lake Michigan. The water was choppy and the view expansive. You could have convinced me I was standing on an east coast beach looking out at the Atlantic Ocean.

Just down the street we pulled into the Great Marsh Trail parking lot. Mark went for a run along the Calumet Trail while I wandered down the Great Marsh Trail. Despite some noisy restoration work being done, the birds were active. I even spotted a few migrating Sandhill Cranes. [Disclaimer: I exchanged lenses on my two camera bodies before this trip. I’m still learning how to adjust the settings and the focus area on my D7500, so the bird photos are less than sharp.]

After lunch we left the shores of Lake Michigan and headed northwest toward Galena, Illinois. We’d reserved another Harvest Hosts site at yet another goat farm. At Hoof It Goat Treks we had a grassy spread by a dirt road all to ourselves (no goats) and fell asleep listening to a Barred Owl hooting in the woods behind us. The earliest goat hike was scheduled for 10am the next morning, so we opted out and headed to the local Walmart before 6:30am to use their facilities and have breakfast in their parking lot.

We spent the morning in downtown Galena. What a charming place! We passed by the home that was gifted to Ulysses S. Grant upon his triumphant return to Galena after the Civil War. The wide open Depot Park and River Trail, along with old brick homes lining Main Street gave it it’s charm. The list of birds we saw along the trail made me happy: Cliff Swallow, Red-winged Blackbird, Yellow Warbler, American Redstart, Rough-winged Swallow, (Baltimore?) Oriole, Starling, Killdeer. After a run/walk along the trail, we stopped at Otto’s for lunch. It came highly recommended and did not disappoint. Mark even ordered a couple of their homemade blueberry pop-tarts togo.

From Galena, we headed for Decorah, Iowa, home to Toppling Goliath, one of Mark’s favorite breweries. On the way, we found the Basilica of St. Francis Xavier in Dyersville. The interior was beautiful! And, totally unrelated, we learned that Dyersville is where Field of Dreams, the movie starring Kevin Costner, was filmed. We declined the opportunity to actually see the baseball field from the film, though.

That evening, we had dinner at Toppling Goliath where Mark enjoyed a flight of some of his favorites. We stayed overnight at Pulpit Rock Campground, as we did three years ago when we first drove home from Boulder, Colorado, with our brand new van. The campground was way more crowded this time, with families and large groups and kids on bikes everywhere! I guess that’s what happens when you book a site at a family-friendly place on Memorial Day weekend.

We had an appointment at Titan Vans in Boulder, Colorado, the following week, so we booked a couple of campground stays in Nebraska. Along the way we found Ada Hayden Heritage Park in Ames, Iowa. It had hiking, biking, and running trails around a large central double-llake. Mark went for a run while I walked around half of the double-lake, over a bridge in the middle. My most exciting bird find was a crowded Purple Martin nesting box.

We spent that night at the first of two campgrounds in Nebraska. Between the rain, the failed attempts to find a place near the highway for running/walking, another time zone change, and a slight malfunction of our gray-water outlet, Nebraska didn’t hold much for us.

Colorado was a different story. But a story for another time.

Birds, Bears, Beer…and Another Wilmington

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Last week, Mark and I managed to squeeze in a five day van trip to Vermont by way of New Hampshire. Originally, the plan was to visit just Vermont. But we heard that a couple of former members of Town Meeting band were playing with their new band, Medium Bear, at The Range in Mason, New Hampshire, on Saturday evening. It sounded like the perfect way to kick off our trip. Medium Bear was actually opening for another band, so we knew they’d be on fairly early. We headed north about midday, stopping first for a walk around Andres Institute of Art Sculpture Park in Brookline, New Hampshire. What a treasure!

Founded in 1998 on Big Bear Mountain in Brookline, the Institute installs large sculptures all over the mountain. They host symposiums for visiting artists and are constantly adding to their collection. We hiked the steep paths for over an hour and saw only a fraction of the art. Along the way, we met Master Sculptor John Weidman at the Studio/workshop. He gave us a brief history and a fascinating overview of the Institute.

After that we headed to The Range. As the name suggests, it’s driving range, but it’s also a concert and event venue. Good food and a great spot to enjoy a show.

We left The Range before dark to check in at our Boondockers site in Jaffery, where we’d spend the night. We passed a beautiful little stone church right around the corner from the private driveway we’d be parking in for the night and decided we’d walk there in the morning for mass. But it was pouring the next day, and one of us forgot to pack a rain jacket, so we drove there instead.

After mass, we drove to Brattleboro, Vermont, arriving just as the rain was beginning to let up. We ate lunch in Brattleboro, browsed in a few stores, including a breathtakingly expensive art gallery, and bought a unique, handmade rocking chair. We couldn’t fit the chair into the van, so the store owner graciously volunteered to deliver it to our home himself.

From Brattleboro, we made our way to Wilmington, Vermont. Being from Wilmington, Mass., we’ve made it our side-mission to visit all the other Wilmingtons in the country. You can read in previous posts about some of the others we’ve already visited. Along the way we found Molly Stark State Park and stopped for a hike.

We drove for another hour after that, passing Hogback Mountain Country Store, which we’ve visited before and a brewery across the street from it that we hadn’t seen before. We only stopped long enough for a few pics.

We arrived in Proctorsville, Vermont, at a friend’s house, just before dinnertime. I’ve been watching them build their own home in stages via Facebook and Instagram posts and was looking forward to seeing it in person. We got a tour of the gardens and their former tiny house, as well as the new house, before sharing a meal and settling in for the night parked in their driveway. Thanks, Tricia and Jay!

The next morning, our plan was to visit two places in Weston and then find a place to hike. The Vermont Country Store was our first stop. Cute country store full of throw-back toys, candy, sundries, and anything else you can think of. I bought myself a sunhat and a souvenir canvas bag. Then, we walked along a short trail behind the property where I found a warbler I’d never seen before: a chestnut-sided warbler. I could hear a red-eyed vireo in the trees as well, but it remained elusive, much to my disappointment.

Our second stop in Weston was the Weston Priory. Of course, our timing is often a bit off, and the monks of the Priory were on retreat. The place was beautiful, but completely empty of people.

From Weston, we drove northwest toward Lake Bomoseen. We had reservations at the Lake Bomoseen KOA (Kampgrounds of America). Along the way, we saw signs for the Clarendon Gorge Appalachian Trailhead. We had to stop, of course.

The Lake Bomoseen KOA was a bit rustic, but it was nice to hook up the van to water and sewer, take showers and do some laundry. The laundry was a challenge, though. None of the dryers would work and we had to leave the wet laundry overnight until the staff opened up the front office in the morning. A visit to our campsite from what looked like an adolescent bear, plus a sighting of a brown creeper (bird), took our minds off our trouble for a while.

In the morning, the KOA staff helped us get our laundry dried and we were back on the road before 10 AM. We headed for Shelburne Farms, just south of Burlington, Vermont. It was a gorgeous sunny day. We walked a four-mile loop around the farm and finished up at their store, buying some tasty aged cheddar and blue cheese.

After Shelburne Farms, we checked in at our Harvest Hosts spot, Sam Mazza’s Farm Market in Colchester. Then we drove to Burlington for dinner at The Farmhouse Tap & Grill. There’s always something interesting on their menu! We stopped in at Foam Brewers after dinner, getting back to our van with about three minutes to spare on the meter. We only stopped at Burlington Beer Company to take a few pics. So many breweries, so little time!

It was just us and the goats at Sam Mazza’s overnight. In the morning we did a little shopping in the market before checking out the trail around Colchester Pond nearby. It turned out to be a great place for birds. Mark completed the loop around the pond while I did a lot of slow walking and searching for birds. Perfect for each of us!

We left the pond before lunch and drove mostly east toward Stowe, arriving at The Alchemist Brewery in time for lunch. Our final destination before heading due south toward home was Hill Farmstead in Greensboro Bend.

We left Hill Farmstead around 3:30 PM and managed to get home before dark—always a plus when we have time to unpack the van before the end of the day. Another trip in the books and already looking forward to the next one…

Homeward Bound

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We left home in mid-March, and you can read about the first part of our trip by clicking here and here. As we approached the last full week of March, we turned our van around and headed north.

Before we left Florida, we found ourselves in St. Augustine again. The first time through we climbed the lighthouse steps and visited the rookery at the Alligator Farm. This time we drove to the historic downtown.

First stop, Castillo de San Marcos. We took the free version of the tour. In other words, we walked around the grounds outside.

Next stop, the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche. What beautiful grounds, church, and chapel. And what a great image of Mary as a nursing mother!

In the afternoon, we drove over the distinctly beautiful Dames Point Bridge in Jacksonville, before entering Georgia.

In Georgia, we found an interesting community park in Richmond Hill for a walk/run. At J. F. Gregory Park we discovered sprawling grassy fields, a large pavilion hosting an artisan fair with live music, and miles of biking and walking trails. My camera battery ran out of juice, so I wasn’t able to take pictures of any of the birds I saw along the way, but that gave me a chance to just walk and enjoy.

We stopped in Savannah around suppertime, ate at a small, very average burger place, walked around a little and then left. The next day was basically a driving day from the campground in Yamassee, South Carolina, to the another in Lumberton, North Carolina. We broke up the drive with stops at Buc-cee’s and South of the Border in South Carolina. And I actually ran into a friend from home in the middle of the restroom line at Buc-cee’s! I think if we’d planned to purposely meet there we’d never have found each other in the crowded chaos of that popular rest stop. So weird!

At the Lumberton KOA, there was a nice 1.3-mile nature trail beside the campground that made for a peaceful walk after supper. And a great place for a walk/run in the morning.

By this time, we were thinking more about home than about having any other adventures. But a quick Google search of interesting stops along I95 listed a whirligig park in Wilson, North Carolina, that sounded intriguing. So we drove to Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park for a peek. Unfortunately, the nearby whirligig museum and store was closed for the day. But, fortunately, we discovered a great little brewery across the way.

From North Carolina, we headed to The Veil Brewing Company in Richmond, Virginia, one of Mark’s favorite breweries. We found that they’d moved to a new location and offered food from their Noko Ribi kitchen. I left Mark to enjoy the food and drink while I made my own dinner in the van, parked down the street and around the corner.

We stayed in Richmond that night and left early the next morning in search of a place to walk/run. It was the morning after the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore and we didn’t know what kind of traffic we might hit driving past the area. Our RV GPS took us on an unexpected route through DC. We ended up in bumper to bumper traffic without a lot of gas. It was a bit hairy, but we got through it and made it to a gas station.

We drove all the way to our next scheduled campground in Clarksboro, New Jersey — the same one we’d stayed at at the beginning of our trip — arriving in early afternoon. There, we walked/ran along the street in front of the KOA.

Since it was still early, there was time to do laundry and make plans to visit a local brewery for dinner. Unfortunately, the parking lot at Death of the Fox Brewing Company was packed. No room for an over-sized van. We found out the next morning that we’d tried to visit on their open mic night. Oh, well. Luckily, they’re not only a brewery, but a coffee roastery, too. So, we stopped there in the morning on our way out of town for a cup of tea, an espresso, a couple of cans of beer, and some merch.

On this (our last) day, we drove about four hours to Albany, New York, to another of Mark’s favorite breweries, Fidens. After an enjoyable dinner, (best sweet potato fries ever!), a couple of beers, and the purchase of some cans to bring home, it was my turn to drive the final few hours home.

With another adventure under our belts, we were home in time for a quiet Easter weekend. Plenty of time to dream of the next trip. 🙂

Autumn Road Trip: Are We Home Yet?

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Yes, we are. But there’s so much more of our adventure left to share. If you want to catch up on previous posts you can start with Autumn Road Trip: Part I. Otherwise, hold on to your hat as we fly through the second half of our trip.

We stayed in Page, Arizona, for a second night after our day trip to Zion National Park. The next morning was the day of the annular eclipse. We didn’t have any special eclipse glasses, so we missed out. The only photo I got was taken by aiming my camera in the direction of the sun while the sky dimmed. Mark took his morning run on the top of the mesa next to the KOA.

The first part of our afternoon was spent at Glen Canyon dam in Page.

Then we headed south to Horseshoe Bend to be amazed by yet another natural land formation!

From Horseshoe Bend, we headed farther south to Flagstaff, AZ, where we stayed overnight at a another KOA. The next morning we found a great place to run/hike just next door. I chose to hike Fatmans loop, which sounded like it would be easy. It turned out to be a bit of a challenge. But I learned what an alligator tree is. And I saw my first acorn woodpecker.

We couldn’t resist stopping in Winslow, AZ, since we were in the area. And, of course, we had to duck into the local brewing company to have dinner with . . . the locals.

We had plans to head to Texas, but wanted to spend some time in Taos and Santa Fe first. So, we stopped back at our friends’ house in Albuquerque for the night. They were thrilled to see us again! At least that’s what they said. 🙂

The next day we drove north to Taos and checked out some of the art galleries. After all, as the signs say, Taos is art! We also toured the Taos Pueblo, continuously inhabited for over one thousand years and designated as a World Heritage Site and a National Historic Landmark.

We then stopped by San Francisco de Asis church in Taos at the end of our day.

After a night at the KOA in Santa Fe, we drove into downtown Santa Fe for some shopping and sightseeing. First stop, The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.

And a short walk from there brought us to the Loretto Chapel, home of the mysterious spiral staircase. Interesting stories swirl around this gravity-defying structure of very curious origin.

The rest of the afternoon, which wasn’t nearly long enough, we browsed the shops of Santa Fe. Then we hit the road to drive straight south to San Antonio, New Mexico, to park overnight in a big dirt lot disguised as an RV park. Sparse, but adequate. (We were told to watch out for wild boars if we went outside at night to use the facilities.) It was there I saw my first Gambel’s quail. Cute and so funny to watch!

Our friends, Liz & Dan, had recommended Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in San Antonio as a great birding spot. And it was the perfect time of year to catch a glimpse of the migrating sandhill cranes. So, we got up very early the next morning and arrived before it officially opened. And we saw cranes (among other wildlife)!

The Bosque turned out to be a great adventure — even if Mark had to keep an eye out for mountain lions during his morning run!

We were ready to head to Texas to visit friends in Waxahachie. But guess what city lay in our path on the way? Roswell, New Mexico. Of course, we had to stop. We stayed at a lovely little RV Park in Roswell, took a morning walk/run at a park down the street, and then had time to stop at the National UFO Research Center & Museum.

We crossed into Texas that afternoon, but Texas is a big state! We had reservations at an RV park that didn’t look all that inviting, so we checked in to the Holiday Inn down the street instead. It was the one and only night we spent in a hotel during the entire trip. And it turned out to be a good decision, since we were able to virtually attend our good friend’s funeral the next morning in the comfort of a hotel room with reliable wifi.

That afternoon, we drove a few hours along a long, flat road lined with ranches, wind turbines, and empty landscapes to Abilene, Texas.

When we arrived at our campsite by mid-afternoon, the ninety-one degree full-sun site drove us to take refuge at a local mall for a few hours. The next day we made it to Waxahachie, just south of Dallas. Our hosts, Brett & Judy, graciously insisted that we come inside and make ourselves comfortable in their guest room.

They took us out to an Autumn festival in Ennis. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many different kinds of pumpkins in one place! And we ended the day with a visit to Buc-ee’s — a famous gas station/everything-under-the-sun market I’d never heard of and had no idea that I’d been missing!

The next day, they recommended a nice park nearby for a morning walk/run.

In the afternoon, they took us down to The Stock Yards in Fort Worth to see the Longhorns.

Once we left Waxahachie, our only plan on the way home was to stop at Mammoth Caves National Park in Kentucky. So, we went to the map and outlined our route home. Both Memphis and Nashville were in our path. Since Nashville deserves a trip of its own, we aimed to spend a little time in Memphis. But our first night, we stayed at a KOA in Texarkana. And we found a nice park nearby for an afternoon walk/run, as well as for a repeat visit the next morning.

A day later, we found ourselves in Memphis debating the merits of a visit to Graceland. I wanted to go mostly because I didn’t NOT want to go. I’d always been curious about it. But not curious enough to tack on another $100 just to visit Elvis’s mansion. Yikes! So we went to Graceland. A lot of hype, history, and merchandise, but I must confess I thoroughly enjoyed the up close and personal view of all that bling!

From Memphis, we headed to Nashville and Bearded Iris Brewing for dinner — smashburgers from a food truck.

The next day, a light rain fell as we crossed into Kentucky. Perfect weather for exploring cold, dark caves. Only a few pictures of the caves follow since it was, well, dark in there.

After the caves, we set our sights and our hearts toward home, although the next morning we drove back along Mammoth Cave Road to find a walking/running trail. We actually found a race in progress, but stayed out of their way — mostly.

That night, we stayed at a KOA in Argillite, Kentucky. Being the Saturday before Halloween, we unwittingly camped right in the middle of trick-or-treating. We were unprepared, unfortunately. But it was fun to watch.

Drizzle and fog escorted us into West Virginia the next day and within a couple of days we were in Maryland. We found a great place for a walk/run along the Western Maryland Rail Trail.

We made it to Pennsylvania that afternoon and had dinner at Fegley’s Brew Works in Allentown.

The next morning, we hiked/ran at Trexler Nature Preserve and Environmental Center nearby. It was windy and freezing! So, after a short hike I took refuge in the van while Mark finished his run. (Check out the funny sign we saw when exiting the KOA.)

After lunch, we headed through New Jersey to New York. Our last planned stop was Fidens Brewing in Albany. We intended to park overnight at a nearby Cracker Barrel and drive home in the morning. But, you know how it is when you can taste home. After an early dinner at Fidens . . .

. . . we got back on the road for another three hours and pulled into our own driveway, thirty-six days and eighteen states later.

There’s nothing like living on the road. And there’s nothing like coming home. The van is resting in our driveway now while we enjoy the holidays — and plan for our next adventure!

Homeward Bound

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As with most road trips, once we start heading homeward, our sense of adventure wanes slightly. But we still try to break up the trip home with a few activities, mostly focused on stretching our legs between long hours of driving.

We left Wilmington, NC, on Wednesday morning, aiming for Dismal Swamp State Park in Camden County, NC. The name itself made us want to check it out. We found a boardwalk loop and other walking trails along a canal. As usual, we heard more birds than we actually saw. A foursome of deer surprised us on one of the trails. Or maybe we surprised them.

The park was on the North Carolina/ Virginia border, so we crossed into Virginia soon after leaving there. Wednesday night, we parked overnight at Chesapeake Golf Club in Chesapeake, Virginia, as part of our Harvest Hosts membership. Their restaurant was closed, so we took a ride downtown to eat supper. Then, we had the parking lot at the golf club to ourselves for the night.

Golfers started arriving early on Thursday morning, so we drove to a nearby Walmart parking lot to make our breakfast in the van. Then, we were off to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel before the traffic got too heavy. It was 79 degrees out, as it had been for days, but the wind was gusting. The bay waters were choppy, but strangely we didn’t feel the gusts while driving across the bridge. The bridge-tunnel spans about seventeen miles. It was an experience, for sure. I unexpectedly found myself a little motion-nauseous by the end. Here are a few pics taken as we crossed.

Just over the bridge, we found the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge. We needed to get out and stretch our legs anyway. As you can see, you never know what you’ll find at one of these places…

After that adventure, we made ourselves lunch in the van and got back on the road. We left Virginia for Maryland, made a pit stop somewhere in Maryland or Delaware where Mark made a new friend. Yes, that’s a pedal-powered car!

The temperature dropped from almost eighty to the mid-sixties as we traveled north. We arrived at Fordham & Dominion Brewing in Dover, Delaware, late Thursday afternoon. Just in time for Mark to sample their beer, share some Treehouse with a few people, and order barbecue from a food truck, before the trivia night crowd packed the place.

We retreated to the van where I joined my chorus rehearsal via Zoom. At 10 p.m. we heard faint music which we slowly realized sounded like Taps and was probably coming from the Air Force base nearby. Felt like we were being sent off to sleep in style. We spent the night parked at the brewery as the temps dropped into the forties.

Friday morning, after hitting yet another Walmart parking lot, we drove to Blackbird State Forest in Smyrna, Delaware, for a little exercise despite the cold wind.

From Delaware, we drove up to Poughkeepsie, New York, to stay at a Holiday Inn for our final night. The temperature had dropped into the thirties by the time we arrived and promised to drop into the teens overnight. We left the heat on in the van all night to keep everything from freezing. In the morning, we blew as much water out of the lines as we could before we left the hotel parking lot. Light snow fell as we finished up and pulled out onto the road.

The snow got heavier for a while, but then tapered and stopped completely as we entered Massachusetts via the Pike. We were glad to leave the flurries behind because we knew our driveway at home was already covered in snow and ice from the recent storm. And we’d heard reports that another storm would be coming in a few days. To our surprise, we arrived home to find that some nice neighbor had cleared a spot for us in our driveway.

At the end of another adventure, lest you think it was all fun and games, let me remind you that no road trip is flawless. Life doesn’t work that way. But that’s OK. We may have had a glass jar full of homemade maple-rosemary nuts come flying from an overhead cabinet and smash on the floor, and a leaky cooler that soaked my camera bag and sheet music and ruined my Peterson’s bird book. But it’s all part of the adventure. Hope you enjoyed it. We did. 🙂

Yet Another Wilmington…

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If you’ve been keeping up, we left Wilmington, MA, last week on our way to North Carolina to visit our friends, Cathy & Don. You can read the previous blog entry here.

We camped for two nights at Andrew Jackson State Park in Lancaster, South Carolina, and spent some time at Anne Springs Close Greenway on the way back to Charlotte. I forgot to mention at the end of the previous post that we stopped by Middle James Brewing in Pineville, NC, after hiking at the Greenway on Sunday.

On Monday morning, a week from the day we left home, we awoke to our final day in Charlotte. Cathy & Don were on grandparent duty, so we all drove over to Little Sugar Creek Greenway and walked for a couple of hours. Mark squeezed in a run while we were there.

The weather was beautiful and so was nature all around us.

Monday afternoon, Cathy & Don took us on a brewery walk not far from their neighborhood. We visited Legion Brewing,

Burial Beer Company,

And the favorite, Resident Culture Brewing.

Monday night, we enjoyed a home-cooked meal with Cathy & Don, their daughter, Kelly, and her husband, Mike. And on Tuesday morning we said our good-byes. Time with good friends goes by too fast.

On the way to the fourth Wilmington of our trip, we saw an amazing sight. A huge, I mean HUGE, flock of white birds, probably Snow Geese, flew over the highway, looking like a murmuration of starlings. It was impossible to get a clear photo, as we were driving about sixty mph, but here’s what we saw:

It was mesmerizing! And a little distracting for the driver. 🙂

We continued on to Wilmington, North Carolina, where we stayed overnight at the KOA there.

Our journey south was over now and the rest of the trip would be directed north, toward home.

The Last Leg

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In A Few Birds, Brews, and Friendly Visits, we traveled from Iowa, through Illinois, to Indiana. From Indiana, we entered Ohio.

Columbus, OH, was our target destination — the home of Hoof Hearted (say that out loud a few times) Brewery & Kitchen. Mark had been there before. This time, he sampled Permanent Marker Pen Disguises and Steel Toed Aqua Socks. Yes, those are actual beer names. And he bought a four pack of the Steel Toed Aqua Socks for his sister.

That night, we stayed at the Logan/ Hocking Hills KOA in Logan, OH. The owners were super nice and even upgraded our site to one with a patio. 🙂 Beautiful view of the hills. And we had a surprise visitor: a cedar waxwing in the tree above our patio.

Jamie and Andy recommended that we visit Hocking Hills State Park. A few of our fellow KOA campers also mentioned Old Man’s Cave to us, so we checked it out (in the rain).

We couldn’t find an available campground or Harvest Hosts site that night, so we stayed in a cheap (somewhat sketchy) hotel in Altoona, PA. The next day we were off to Equilibrium Brewery and Tap Room in Middletown, NY.

Our Harvest Hosts site, The Castle Fun Center in Chester, NY, that evening proved to be less fun by night with the constant highway traffic, poor wi-fi, and gently sloping parking lot. However, I did find a family of geese for entertainment.

The next morning felt less like a cross-country road trip and more like just driving home. We headed up the Taconic Highway in NY, then hooked up with Interstate 90 East. Before we knew it, we were back in Massachusetts!

Back in MA, we pulled off the Pike and travelled north to Holyoke for a hike at Mount Tom State Park. Not too many birds to see, but a beautiful butterfly greeted us. And the view wasn’t bad either. We could actually hear cows mooing down below as we took in the view.

We took a detour to Tree House Brewing Company in Deerfield that night where Mark enjoyed some of his favorite brews, while I enjoyed the decor.

We treated ourselves to a nice hotel room in Northampton, MA, and in the morning, dropped by our youngest daughter’s place around the corner to say hi!

Back on the Mass Pike (90 East), we stopped at Tree House Brewing Company’s Charlton location to pick up a beer order for Mark’s siblings who own Knotty Pine Design & Consignment in Hudson, MA. We delivered the beer to Hudson and headed for home.

In case anyone thinks this road trip sounded ideal, please know that I neglected to mention the struggle to regulate the temperature in the van overnight, the frequent Walmart visits for all the things we realized we needed along the way, the oatmeal that boiled over on the induction cooktop right down the front of the fridge to the floor, the prescription driving glasses resting comfortably at the bottom of a marsh somewhere, and the overhead van cabinet that’s coming loose from the wall, among other things. Just thought it appropriate to interject a dose of reality.

All in all, we had quite the adventure. And can’t wait to do it again!

P.S. The line from one of my favorite John Denver songs played in my head. (Ok, I sang it out loud.) Hey, it’s good to be back home again…

Biking, Birding, and Brews: A Vermont Vacation…

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IMG_0181On Sunday morning, with our bikes secured to the roof of the Subaru XV, a bit of luggage and two empty hundred-quart Coleman coolers in the back, we pulled out of our driveway and headed north. We had reservations at Smart Suites in South Burlington and a semblance of a plan: to do some biking and some bird-watching, and to investigate the local craft beer scene. Those who know me well might be confused about that last part. But keep in mind that a good marriage is built on mutual respect, which means a good vacation includes compromise. Let’s just say that my husband has a built-in designated driver! And I come in pretty handy when there’s a one-case-per-person limit. For my part, I got to choose our accommodations: amenities and a good deal beat a room with a view.

After pulling over at a covered bridge on Route 9 in Southern Vermont
DSC_0550to eat a lunch freshly prepared at the Vermont Country Deli, we arrived at our first destination: Southern Vermont Museum of Natural History in Marlboro, Vermont.
DSC_0566A small place with big name. Here, we got an up close view of a lot of dead birds. But it was fascinating…really! The museum houses the collection of a man named Luman Ranger Nelson, who was able to preserve more than two hundred bird specimens of the northeastern United States in the early 1900s ( a time when humans beings were still in denial about our ability to render a species extinct). A few live, rescued birds also reside at the museum. My favorite were a pair of tiny screech owls. 🙂

Outside, we took in the tri-state, hundred-mile view…

…then headed north to Burlington.

IMG_0197On Sunday evening, Church Street in downtown Burlington provided window-shopping, a stroll (under an umbrella), and dinner. The Farm House Tap & Grill became our new favorite! (We ended up there three nights in a row.) My husband enjoyed his first taste of Hill Farmstead’s Conduct of Life. (That’s a beer — for those who have no more of a clue than I do!).

Monday morning saw our first beer run of the week. A delivery of Heady Topper from The Alchemist brewing company was set to arrive at Route 7 Liquors in South Burlington between 10 and 11 a.m. We showed up early and got in line.

Our reward: two cases of Heady Topper!

Lots of ice needed to keep things cold for the week!

The drizzle of Monday morning let up enough for us to get in a bike ride along the shores of Lake Champlain…

At lunchtime, we checked out the Fiddlehead Brewing Company in Shelburne, bought a couple of growlers, and a wood-fired pizza at Folino’s next door….

then headed to the Switchback Tap Room in Burlington for a quick beer flight.

The rain moved back in, so we decided to hit the Roxy Cinema in Burlington for a movie before dinner.

Tuesday morning, we made our first attempt at bird watching along the Intervale trail. Unfortunately, it rained on our birding parade…
DSC_0634and we had plans to pick up two more cases of Heady Topper at the Winooski Beverage Company.

So, we waited in line outside and the truck arrived incognito. A few minutes later, they unlocked the doors and snaked us in an orderly fashion through the store and around to the back to pick up our one-case-per-person!

Afterwards, we made one more attempt at the Intervale trail, but it was already late morning. There was evidence of wildlife, but no bird sightings. 😦

No woodpeckers, just holes…
…and a tiny butterfly.

A quick stop at the hotel to shower and pack a lunch, then we ran into Burlington for one more case of Heady Topper (are you counting??) at City Market…
DSC_0647…then off to the Shelburne Museum. The main attraction for me here was an exhibit called “Walter Wick: Games, Gizmos and Toys in the Attic.” Remember the I Spy books? They were Wick’s creation. My kids loved them and the photos impressed me. Unfortunately, no photography was allowed in the exhibit. We found several other interesting exhibits there, as well: paintings, photography, historic buildings, and quilts, among others.

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Wednesday morning, the City Market in Burlington was expecting a delivery of Lawson’s Sip of Sunshine. No lines and hardly a wait!

DSC_0685After that, we headed back to the Shelburne Museum, since admission pays for a two-day pass and a headache on my part had cut Tuesday’s visit short. This time, we explored the inside of the Ticonderoga.

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It was late afternoon when we stopped at Shelburne Farms, just down the road. I had originally wanted to take a tour and see the cheese-making in progress, but it was too late in the day. So, we shopped: three-year aged cheddar (soooo good!) and a birthday gift for one of my daughters. My husband rode his bike from the farm back to the hotel…that was all the biking we ended up doing for the week.

Thursday morning brought sunshine for our second birding attempt. Back in Winooski, we started at Salmon Hole. The plan was to start there and then drive up to the Ethan Allen homestead trails. We ended up spending three hours at Salmon Hole instead! The following photos are not the best quality, but they were indispensable in helping me to identify some of the birds we saw…

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We also caught glimpses of a cardinal, Canada geese, some type of plover, a slew of black birds, and a crow.

On Thursday, we had a dinner invitation from friends, Tom and Patty, who live in Stowe, VT. Our plan was to drive through Waterbury and Stowe to Greensboro, about an hour north of Stowe. There, we hoped to find Hill Farmstead Brewery. And we did… miles off the paved roads, up on a hill. The place was hopping!

Dinner at Tom and Patty’s was great! My husband brought a few non-Vermont beers to share: Trillium Vicinity, Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin, and Trillium Pot & Kettle oatmeal porter for desert. He also shared one of the growlers we bought at Fiddlehead Brewing Company.

The view of the mountains from their front deck was amazing! I even got to do a bit of bird-watching while my husband shared his beer finds with them. A large bird hid in the tall grass of their sloping side yard. They thought it was a wild turkey and I couldn’t tell, even with binoculars. So, I took a few photos. The bird was well-hidden and I couldn’t  see it when I came down the slope onto even ground with it. Here’s the very fuzzy glimpse I got…I’m thinking ruffed grouse?? Any other guesses?
DSC_0871Friday morning we packed up and checked out of our hotel. We planned to drive south, down Route 7, all the way to the top western corner of Massachusetts, where our youngest would be graduating from college on Saturday. Along the way, we had to stop at Robert Frost’s former house in Shaftsbury, VT.

No photos were allowed to be taken inside. But the highlight for me was seeing the original scratching of “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening” framed in the room where he wrote it. 🙂

Robert Frost lived here in Shaftsbury, Vt, in the 1920s…
The only birch planted by R. Frost still standing…

Friday night, we landed in North Adams, MA, at the Porches Inn at MASS MoCA. All in all, it was a full week and fun Vermont vacation!