OHIO TO KANSAS

Travelled east to west across Ohio, we saw several Amish buggies as we lunched in Baltic, their lifestyles fascinate me.

The usual nail bitting drive around Cincinnati and across the Indiana farmlands into the prairies of Illinois (a new state for us to add to our ever growing map).

We had a slight disaster with our aerial on the trailer. Now, naming no names, but a certain person always winds it down when we have finished watching TV. So there we were happily driving along when I saw this placard for "Lawless for Sheriff" so Roy stopped so I could get a photo, as I walked back I spotted the aerial still up! We found a safe place to stop to get the ladder out so Roy could see the damage.
We had broken off a strut which must have happened going under a low bridge as we left the site. Needless to say the air was blue but I had to laugh as Roy said sheepishly "Well at least I didn't take the air con unit off like Terry" (Sorry Terry, but it was funny!) and for those who dont know Terry he is a great friend who travels  like us and of course we swap stories. That evening my amazing husband fixed the aerial for free.

GREAT NAME FOR A SHERIFF

DIDN'T KNOW HE WAS STILL ALIVE!

Many of the state parks have great hiking trails which we have used each morning before breakfast doing our Nordic walking, when we are travelling each day its good to have a 45 minute walk. I was a bit cautious one day as we set off to gun shots and shouting nearby, its hunting season and they don't seem to have any special rules, it just says on the trailhead that there is hunting in these woods! Great! I find it very difficult to condone hunting nowadays and I really didn't want to see any dead animal, luckily they went the other way.

 We stopped at Carlyle Lake in Illinois, the largest lake in the state and got a great site on a Corps of Engineers campground at the lake's edge for $8 including electric. Next morning we saw hundreds of double crested cormorants fly over the lake, lasted at least ten minutes, we have never seen so many before in one group, quite amazing!

never too old to play on the swings!

Into Missouri, through the grid locked city of St Louis which gave me a chance to photograph the 613ft Gateway Arch, the nations tallest man-made national monument which symbolizes the city's role as the "Gateway to the West"

ST LOUIS AND GATEWAY TO THE WEST NEAR MISSISSIPPI RIVER

We spent a pleasant couple of days lazing about and hiking at the Lake of the Ozarks State park
 with a superb site at the edge of the water.

Kansas at last - this was supposed to be our last state to visit but as we had a change of plan we still have three left when we return next year.

Lake of the Ozarks campsite

sign on the site!

bug on the table

Wizard of Oz state

SOUTHBOUND

Autumn colours in Rhode Island and Connecticut were not as spectacular so our advice to anyone thinking of a holiday in New England to see the fall would be to come last week of September and first week in October and stick to Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Farewell New England you have been absolutely stunning.

We moved into New York State and drove west across the Catskill mountains where autumn colours were pretty in parts but many trees were already bare.
Into Pennsylvania where we spent a couple of nights at Leonard Harrison state park.Called the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, Pine Creek Gorge was once a major travel route for native Americans, over a 1000ft deep which we walked down and up on our 6 mile hike.

Pine Creek Gorge - the mini Grand Canyon!

Roy in heaven having a cooked breakfast

fuzzy caterpillar

Westwards into Ohio.

PILGRIMS, WAMPANOAG & CAPE COD

We visited our namesake town of York in Maine, a summer holiday resort, full of very rich peoples houses.
We had a lovely afternoon seeing lighthouses, boats and hundreds of Monarch butterflies flying south. And only in America can you visit Rochester, Dover, York and Portmouth in an afternoon.

Heading south into Massachusetts, we detoured to Cape Ann to see if we could spot any whales, none but a pretty area just like our English villages,  we passed the famous Salem - didn't see any witches, then through the centre of Boston on the interstate - a nightmare, the world and his wife was out this Columbus Day!
Our plan to stop at Scusset Beach state reservation failed as they only open weekends now its out of season, so found a trailerpark near Sandwich for a couple of days to explore.

Wampanoag homesite

Wampanoag house

cosy inside the Wampanoag house

not keen on the outside cooking!

Our first day took us to Plymouth and the Plimoth Plantation - a great place showing two very different ways of life. We went round Wampanoag Homesite, a re-creation of the homesite of Hobbamock - a Pokonoket man who lived in Patuxet/Plymouth Colony in the 1620s. Hobbamock and his extended family lived across the brook on the south side  of the Pilgrims’ fortified town.
 Staffed by Native people in costume who spoke from a modern perspective.

 

 


Then to the 17th century English Village which brings Plimoth Colony to life. Seven years have passed since the arrival of the Pilgrims aboard Mayflower and the young town is a farming and maritime community. They depicted the year 1627 as it was well  documented, the staff here were costumed role players portraying actual residents of Plymouth colony in 1627. The role players expressed 17th- century viewpoints so it was as if we had travelled back in time. They always stayed in character and it was weird talking with them. 

17th century Plymouth colony

Good Morrow to you

not quite sure what they were making but it wasn't going well

The man with the gun baffled Roy,he couldn't understand a word he said

We then went to the harbour to see Mayflower 11, the replica which sailed from England in 1957 and also saw the Plymouth Rock, quite over rated - this lump of rock with 1620 engraved on it, but you've gotta get the photo! 

not the most exciting photo!

 

Mayflower 11

 Our second day we spent touring Cape Cod and Cape Cod National Seashore. We drove the full length of the island exploring beautiful beaches, the Atlantic ocean, salt marshes and many lighthouses.

Sandy Neck light on Cape Cod

Roy playing King Canute with the Atlantic ocean

me chasing the gull who was waitng for leftovers from our lunch

Nauset light on Cape Cod

Three Sisters lights

site of Marconi's South Wellfleet Wireless station

Cape Cod lighthouse ( Highland light)

Herring Cove on Cape Cod

Race Point light

Herring Cove

Moved south west across Rhode Island (America's smallest state) in an hour and a half and into Connecticut, our last New England state.

BEAUTIFUL NEW ENGLAND FALL

leaf kicking!

Confetti fallen leaves

the old way of tapping trees

inside the sugarworks - guess which is Roy?

Mmmmm Maple syrup

Tapping the sugar maple tree the modern way

The Sugar house

Before leaving Vermont we visited Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks, the oldest maple family in Vermont.
We discovered the early spring is "sugarin' time". did you know that on average, it takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup?
They drill one tap hole in each of their maple trees which gives ten gallon of sap in an average season. Four maple trees, each 40 - 200 years old
are needed to make one gallon of pure maple syrup in an entire season.
To get a good sap run, it needs to freeze at night and thaw in the daytime. Wind direction is also important. Sap runs best when the wind's
from the west - sap runs least when the wind's from the east. (sounds a bit like sailing!)
Tasters of the four grades of syrup were gorgeous and we succumbed to buying a pint of the dark amber to bring home - hope it doesn't leak!

Hancock overlook in White Mts

Lily Pond

Sugar Hill scenic overlook

Back on a National Forest campsite on the Kancamagus Highway we had a superb day doing a circular drive round the White Moutains National Forest.
Sunshine, beautiful views, pretty falls, a train and  we "found" the tourists that have been absent up to now.
We finished our drive by visiting the Franconia Notch State Park and walking the two mile tour of the Flume Gorge and two pretty covered bridges. 

Sabbaday Falls

Sabbaday Falls & Roy

Willey House Pond

Back to rain for a couple of days, went covered bridge hunting then just before we left the beautiful White Mountains we hiked Mt. Potash in the sun, had a tricky start as the gentle brook we had to cross had turned into a raging torrent with all the rain. We joined up with two couples, the men said they
would help me over - and they did - no shilly shallying, they sort of frogmarched me over. Roy tried a different way and lost his footing - Oops! one wet boot!

Pemigewasset River covered bridge

The Flume Gorge

Avalanche Falls at the Flume Gorge

Silver Cascade

Conway scenic railroad

Sentinel Pine Covered Bridge & me

Sentinel Pine Covered Bridge

This weekend is Columbus Day weekend, the last bash for campers and they say that 600,000 are expected to visit the White Mountains, time to head for the New Hampshire coast.

Albany covered bridge

Mt Potash hike

Mt Potash hike