I have always said that when I retired, I was going to go see the fall foliage in New England. I have
been looking forward to this trip for years. Well, I was finally able to go and I must say it was so wonderful...far better than I had hoped. The people that I traveled with were amazing...so friendly and inclusive. I was worried about going alone, but I shouldn't have. I made some wonder new friends.
I planned this trip to be a cruise with Ann, but her health wouldn't allow her to come, so I changed the trip from a cruise to a train tour. It ended up being a great decision. I traveled with Great Train Escapes, part on train and part on bus with our tour guide, Tyson, with us the entire way.
Day 1--Boston to Kennebunkport, Maine
After a morning of touring historic Boston, we headed to the seaside community of Kennebunkport. The weather was cold and drizzly, but it was so fun to see the Atlantic Ocean. We stopped at the Nubble Lighthouse before we arrived at our hotel, the Ocean Woods Resort, for the night. It
was only a half a mile from the beach, so I walked down to get my feet in the sand.
Day 2-- Kennebunkport to North Conway, New HampshireWe spent the day exploring the White Mountain National Forest--a land filled with beautiful streams, waterfalls, and of course, color. The highlight of the day had to be our trip up Mt. Washington on the cog railway. The weather was cold and dreary at the base of the 
mountain, and by the time we got to the top, we were in a sleet storm! They say that Mt. Washington has the worse weather in the world, and I think I believe it. The ground was slippery with ice, the winds were blowing 75 MPH and the temperature was 4* wind chill! BUURRRR!! But it was awesome. An hour later, when we reached the bottom again, it was sunny and beautiful. It actually was gorgeous the entire rest of the trip. That night, the Attitash Grand Summit Hotel was our home. It was a big, beautiful ski resort with ski runs ending at the back door.
Day 3--Conway to Stowe, VermontOur day began with a ride on the Conway Scenic Railroad. We saw amazing scenery; rivers, streams, steep ravines, and gorgeous color as well as crossing the "Frankenstein Trestle". It was a great way to see the New England countryside.
That night we stayed at the Stowehof Inn, a fantastic place. Every room in the entire inn is decorated differently. When I walked into my room, I actually squealed. I had the "princess"
room with a canopy bed, a step up dressing room and bathroom, and an awesome view from my veranda!
The other fun fact about the Stowehof is that it is the inn in the movie "The Four Seasons" with Alan Alda and Carol Burnett. I actually had breakfast at the same table that they ate at in the movie, and the moose head that he throws in the fire is still hanging over the fireplace.
Day 4--Stowe to Mystic Seaport, Connecticut
Today, we traveled through three states on the Amtrak,
Vermonter. We had a guide on board telling us all about the history of the area. He also pointed out all of the devastation caused by Hurricane Irene. It was truly humbling to see all of the damage "mother nature" can cause.
We arrived in Mystic just in time for dinner on our own. Many went out, but I opted to walk across the street to a grocery store, (this was the first time all week that we stayed in a town) bought some microwave popcorn, and watched "The Four Seasons" on my iPhone in bed, munching on popcorn!
Day 5--Mystic to Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Mystic Seaport is a
living history museum consisting of a village, ships and 17 acres of exhibits depicting coastal life in New England in the 19th century. We were able to spend several hours there and it wasn't enough. Lots of fun things to do and see.
From Mystic Seaport, we traveled to Newport, Rhode Island, playground for the rich. We toured "The Breakers", the "summer cottage" of the Vanderbuilts. I have never seen anything so opulent. I mean, who needs 28 bathrooms and 40 servants...and for only 2 months of the year!
And then we were off to Cape Cod and a lobster bake. Only, I don't like lobster, so I had steak!
We stayed at the Red Jacket Beach Resort, only a few steps from the sand and water. I was in heaven. Early the next morning, I went out for the sun rise and a walk along the beach. I found some beautiful shells and an interesting rock for my waterfall collection. I hated to say goodbye to that place. Another day there, just relaxing on the beach, would have been lovely.
Day 6--Cape Cod to Boston
Our last full day-We took a harbor cruise and saw the Kennedy compound from a distance. And then we boarded our fourth train, the Cape Cod Central, for a delicious lunch in a vintage dining car as we traveled along beautiful hills, the Cape Cod canal, and cranberry bogs. Lunch, a three course meal served on linen tablecloths and china, was very fun, how the rich ate long ago. Again, the scenery was wonderful, especially the very interesting cranberry bogs. Our timing was perfect, they were just harvesting, so we got to see the bogs full of water and the cranberrys floating, ready to be gathered.
As you can see, fall foliage was only a small part of my trip. I can't say enough about the fun time I had, and all of the wonderful people I met. I'm really looking forward to my next adventure...I wonder were it will be!
Halloween this year found mom and me at Amy and Todd's for the traditional dinner of chili, corn bread and pumpkin pie. Then mom and I manned the door to hand out candy while the others went out to collect their treats. It was a very fun night.
Todd, Kathy and family had a fun night at their house. I'm not sure, but I think the chili and corn bread were eaten on an earlier evening, but I do know that the kids were very successful in getting their Halloween bags filled.
This isn't really a memory, but I got a new computer and we can't seem to get my scanned pictures off of the old one and my scanner is having problems being reinstalled. So, this is a picture of Santa from my recent trip. We stopped at the Yankee Candle Flagship store and had an hour or so to explore. While trying to find my way out of this huge store, I stumbled across the jolly old guy making ornaments for the tree. He was awesome. I love this picture.
Ann and I met in the dorms our first year at Colorado State College. I was a junior and she was a freshman. We agreed to share an apartment the next year, and a great friendship was started.
was only a half a mile from the beach, so I walked down to get my feet in the sand.
mountain, and by the time we got to the top, we were in a sleet storm! They say that Mt. Washington has the worse weather in the world, and I think I believe it. The ground was slippery with ice, the winds were blowing 75 MPH and the temperature was 4* wind chill! BUURRRR!! But it was awesome. An hour later, when we reached the bottom again, it was sunny and beautiful. It actually was gorgeous the entire rest of the trip. That night, the Attitash Grand Summit Hotel was our home. It was a big, beautiful ski resort with ski runs ending at the back door.
That night we stayed at the Stowehof Inn, a fantastic place. Every room in the entire inn is decorated differently. When I walked into my room, I actually squealed. I had the "princess"
