Northern New Hampshire

Today, I'm in the gorgeous White Mountains of New Hampshire with a fun-filled day planned ahead! I'm heading out to go moose hunting! I was disappointed that I didn't see any in Yellowstone last year, so I'm going to try it again here.

But first, lunch with another RV sister! I met my friend Liz and her sister-in-law in Sugar Hill for lunch at the infamous Polly's Pancake Parlor!



This an amazing place. The same family has owned it down through the generations since 1938 and make their our homemade pancake mixtures and maple products. We all got the pancake sampler with your choice of six 3" cakes of Plain, Buckwheat, Whole Wheat, Cornmeal or Oatmeal Buttermilk and you could choose to add Blueberries, Walnuts, Coconut or Chocolate Chips to any of them and your waiter would make them to order hot off the griddle, 3 at a time! They also serve NH smoked meats and a potatoe cake special that day!

What a feast! Had to eat a pancake before I could get a picture! ;)



We had a real nice visit over lunch and it's always great to see Liz. Was nice meeting her sil too! Thank you for joining us! Thanks again Liz, and I'll see ya back in Texas this winter! :)

Sugar Hill is beautiful little hamlet with gorgous views.



The girls told me to go visit the cute little post office in town, so off I went. And it was adorable! :)



And I also passed by this sweet little white clap board Episcopal Church so typical in New England.



Now then, there is an area called "Moose Alley" on scenic Rt 3 heading into Canada. So with camera in hand, off I went in search of the elusive moose! Now I understand the best time to spot them is at dawn and dusk. Well, that just isn't going to happen. I don't care to get up before the sun when I'm on vacation nor do I care to drive at night and risk the chance of wearing one as a hood ornament! ;) And I have read it is possible to see them during the day in this area.

When I arrived at Moose Alley, I read this sign!



I'm all excited with anticipation now! So I'm thinking maybe I should have my bear spray handy just in case one tries to charge me while I'm photographing it. If it can shoot 30 feet and works on a bear, it should surely work on a moose!

And it's a gorgeous drive through a lot of pine forests



and beautiful mountain lakes



and streams :)



Then I arrived at the last turn around before the Canadian border. And no moose. But that's Ok, I still have all the way back for another chance!

Finally, I arrived at the other end of Moose Alley, and still hadn't seen any other this one.



I guess that will have to do for today. LOL

Bar Harbor, ME

Enjoying my last coastal views of the summer in Bar Harbor. The weather has been less than cooperative, but at least it's not raining today. But the fog is so thick it's hard to get good photos.

A view of the harbor right from my RV Park :)



I took a ride through old town Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. Here was my view from the top of Cadillac Mountain!



Now here's what it is supposed to look like! LOL

But all was not lost. It's still a beautiful area to visit.





My final fresh lobster meal of the summer at a local lobster shack where they actually steam them in big kettles outdoors. The current market price here for fresh maine lobster is $4.50 - $4.99. So I don't know why its so expensive in restaurants!



Love those lobster rolls!



Maine is also well known for it's wild blueberries. And they are everywhere! You can pick and eat your fill or buy them at roadside stands. They are small, but flavorful!



Now, I need my mountain fix before heading back to Texas! We're off to the White Mountains in NH, The Green Mountains in VT and the Adirondaks in NY. And, we have more sisters to visit along the way! :)

Historic Boston

We stayed at the Boston/Cape Cod KOA this week, which is centrally located to all the areas we wanted to visit. Within an hour, you can be on the Cape, visit RI and tour Boston.

I had never been to Boston before, have never been on a subway and it's not someplace I would go by myself let alone drive in the city. I am grateful to Kathy, she lead the way to the Freedom Trail!

We drove to the T subway station and parked there for the day. It's an impressive system. Fast and efficient!





We started at the Boston Common and Statehouse and boarded an on/off trolley to visit the historic sites on the Freedom Trail.



The architecture is just amazing here. It's hard for me to comprehend how it was all accomplished back in the early days of our nation without all the tools and equipment we are accustomed to today.







The Old North Church is still in use today. In 1775, two lanterns were hung in the steeple as a signal to warn Paul Revere the British were coming by sea. "One if by land, two if by sea". He was then able to warn his fellow "Son's of Liberty" John Hancock and Samuel Adams.



The pews were interesting. I had never seen any layed out in a cube fashion before.





The Boston Harbor



USS Constitution



We worked up an appetite taking in all the sights and history of this great old city. So off we went to the Union Oyster House for more great seafood! It's the oldest restaurant in the US. And the food was delicious! ;)





And for dessert? A piece of the original recipe Boston Cream Pie! ;)

Tomorrow, I'm losing my travel partner. Thank you Kathy for such an awesome time! See ya back in Texas! :)

Newport, RI

The weather was not cooperating today, so instead of doing a walking tour of Boston, we took a driving tour of Newport, RI. A beautiful coastal port and popular summer destination with yachts in the harbor and old mansions to tour.

We toured the Vanderbilt Marble Mansion but photos were not allowed inside. It was a gorgeous combination of marble, wood and gold gilding throughout with heavenly murals painted on the ceilings.



We came across a unique topiary garden. Complete with sculptured shrubs and beautiful flowers.

A walkway through the garden



Colorful gardens of a variation of flowers



My favorites



Snowball bushes are very prevalent here in the northeast.



and multiple manicured scupltures, like this nice chair to rest in :)



a duck



an elephant



and some bears



And no day would be complete without some good sustenance ;) A little surf and turf at the Barking Crab!

Martha's Vineyard

We took a ferry from Wood's Hole, MA over to Martha's Vineyard for the day.



While waiting for our trolley tour of the island, we decided to try the infamous lobster roll and and some New England clam chowder overlooking the harbor. And it was so good, I forgot to take a picture before we ate! lol



Following lunch, we took a narrated tour of the beautiful island. The guide pointed out homes and lanes of the rich and famous. We went through old, small, quaint towns along the way.

We stopped at Gay Head Cliffs mid way for a coffee break and to take in the scenic beauty.







As you can tell by the dark clouds in the sky, we fought rain on and off for several days. Wish it would go to Texas instead!

Cape Cod Lighthouse

Next stop, was a visit to tour the Cape Cod Lighthouse.



You can actually go up into the top of this one via a narrow spiral staircase of only 69 steps! I figured I could do this one with no problem after climbing the Pilgrim Monument ;)



There have been different types of lenses used over the years. This is an example of one of them. Each lighthouse has it's own signal that is indicated on a navigational map for sailers.



The views from the top were beautiful, but the photos through glass didn't turn out so great. But I for one was grateful to be back on solid ground again ;)

Provincetown Pilgrimage

I met up with a special guest in Rhode Island to tour the Cape. Yep, another Texas Ramblin Rose sister all the way up here! :) Tuesday, Kathy and I took off for Provincetown. It's a such a fun place with a lot of history and great food! ;)

We visited the shops along Commercial ST like all good tourists do ;) And we also found the Portuguese Bakery! And look what we had for brunch! ;)



Then off we went to "view" the Pilgrim Monument. I have a great appreciation for our forefathers and it's only right to pay respect to a monument dedicated to those first settlers that signed the Mayflower Compact here. And I could have done that just fine from the ground. And as most of you know, I have an aversion to most forms of exercise other than walking ;)



However, Kathy shamed me into going to the top of this 252 ft structure with no elevator, and I caved. So off we went, trudging up 116 stairs and huffing and puffing over 60 additional landings!

And, I have to admit, the views from the top were awesome!

A view of the coast



and the Wharf



After all that, we were way hungry for some good seafood! ;) The Lobster Pot just happens to be my favorite restaurant here :)

Kathy went with the big guns, she got the whole thing and was raring to dig in with cracker in hand! LOL



True to form, I on the other hand got the Lazy Man's Lobster with stuffing ;) Already out of the shell! hahaha!!!



And it was all good!