Day 30: New places in NY
Location: near Montezuma, NY
Miles Driven: 318
Total Miles: 5,631
Woke up early to a rainy day in Burlington, and it was a little bit of a bummer since the plan was to take the hour-long ferry ride from Burlington, VT to Fort Kent, NY across the enormous Lake Champlain, and I was hopeful for some clear skies during the ride.
Made my way to the port and paid the $17 fee to get my car across. I was early, so after lining up my car I took a nap, and sure enough I awoke to my car being the only one remaining in the original queue. I gave the clerk my ticket and was the last one onboard.
the mazda onboard the ferry
The ship departed promptly at 8:50AM and we got moving on some calm waters. I didn’t think we were going very fast, but once I went downstairs to the galley area and looked out a porthole, I realized how fast we were actually moving.
The ride was really pleasant. I think I’ve only taken one ferry before, and that was just me on and my feet (no car) going from Cape May, NJ to Rehoboth Beach, DE, and I had little memory of that outside of falling asleep on a bench. I liked how passengers are free to walk around the ship and enjoy the sights. There were no sightings of Champ, but it was still memorable.
Shores of NY in the distance
Skies clearing up on the NY side
Closer now, and more clear
Looking back towards Vermont (left, in distance). NY on right
Standing with my home state behind me
All I had in store for NY was to drive through the Adirondacks and see how far I could make it while heading west. I wasn’t sure of any attractions along the way, so I consulted my “Off the Beaten Path” book that highlights some of the lesser-known things found in each state. One attraction just a few miles away from port was a place called Ausable Chasm, the “Grand Canyon of the East.”
Ausable Chasm
I wouldn’t exactly describe it as Grand Canyon-esque, but it was still an interesting gorge to walk through. I had no idea about this place, and I grew up in NY. It was around $16 to get admission to do a self-guided hike, and I was initially reluctant, but after the hike I was happy I decided to go for it. Cool place.
It was probably about an hour and half I spent walking amongst the different sections of the chasm. When done, and sweaty as hell, I grabbed a quick bite and got back in the car to continue west.
The drive through the Adirondack mountains was quite scenic.
The drive took me through Lake Placid – home of the 1980 Winter Olympics and the “Miracle on Ice.” Very nice-looking town.
Olympic Center
I continued on and eventually found my way to the northern stretch of I-81, near Watertown. Worked my way south to the Syracuse area, then linked up with I-90W towards Rochester. Turned out to be great timing, as the sun was coming down just as I was getting onto I-90.
Drove on some local roads for a little bit, and got to check out some farm country in the Finger Lakes region.
To take this photo, I rested the camera on the top of my car, and it ended up creating a cool reflection of the scene, like water
Tomorrow will be another big day of driving, as I plan to get to Ohio at some point in the afternoon. Depending on the weather, I may be able to check out some outdoor attractions down that way. NY is a huge state to drive through, but it’s hard to beat the views.
joe
Milestone reached
Before you read this, be sure to get caught up with the last few items I’ve written. There’s been several posts in the past 48 hours.
At this point, I suppose it’s safe to say the “first phase” of my trip is complete. This was the map I initially drew up as a rough plan for my trip, and the blue line shows my starting point in Acworth, GA, taking me all the way up to Maine.
The initial plan. Diamond in GA is the starting point
From there, following the red line, you can see the route turns West (aka the second phase of the trip). I started that part today. So here’s a map I drew showing the route I took (following interstates and highways as best as I could freehand) from the starting point, May 30, through June 26.
The journey so far. Southeast, East Coast, and Northeast explored
You may have noticed I’ve covered over 5,000 miles at this point, 29 days into the trip. As a point of comparison, back in my 2005 roadtrip, I did a big loop around the country and covered about 12,000 miles in the same amount of time. That was a definite whirlwind, so I’m glad this time I got to take my time coming up North, seeing friends and family along the way.
As I travel further West, the number of friends and family I know decreases a fair amount, so I imagine I’ll be covering more ground in that portion of the trip (red arrow in first map above), in a shorter amount of time.
Thanks for following me along so far. Everyone’s words of support have meant a lot. Hope you stay tuned – there is a lot more of the US and Canada to see yet!
joe
Day 29
Location: Burlington, VT
Miles Driven: 209
Total Miles: 5,313
Took care of laundry and some other business at Colleen’s in the morning, then hit the road shortly before 1PM and made my way Northwest. The plan was to get to Burlington, VT by the end of the day. On paper, it was a five hour drive, but I spent a lot of time on state highways that, though scenic, moved fairly slow. I’m glad I had the chance to take this route as New Hampshire and Vermont are both incredibly scenic states. I got to drive through the White Mountains of New Hampshire and learned why Vermont is called the “Green Mountain State.” I was debating taking time out to do some hiking, but I wanted to get to Burlington before it was too late, so I passed. Worked out, as for parts of the way it was raining.
A New Hampshirian lake
Great scenery on the drive along Hwy 302
Coming up on the White Mountains
Vermont countryside
So thanks to my friend John for bringing up the ferry options available at Lake Champlain, which is on the Northern border of NY and VT. I had no idea Lake Champlain was so huge until I took a detailed look at the map. One could drive around north or south, but it would be quite a detour, and I’ve heard the ferry trip is a nice ride (and not too expensive) so I’ll do that tomorrow morning and be back in my home state of NY; however, it will be unfamiliar territory for me, as I don’t think I’ve ever been that far north in the state. All the more reason to explore it.
joe
Days 27 and 28
Location: Portland, ME
Miles Driven: 175
Total Miles: 5,104
In Bar Harbor, I was having a spotty connection on my phone – phone calls were not going through, and I was having difficulty getting on the Internet. I was curious as to when the sun was rising so I could be on top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park in time to catch it. I think I mentioned that it is one of the first places the sun hits in the US. Fortunately, I could sign onto my MSN account on my phone, I IM’d my buddy Nick in Taiwan, and asked him to look up the sunrise time. Thanks to Nick, I learned that the sun would rise on Friday around 4:17AM (about 6 hours away). My plan was to hike up the mountain in time to catch the sunrise, and that would require starting the hike around 2AM. So I shut my eyes for a few hours, and around 1:30AM I began to make my way to the park.
I was bummed initially as I could not find any trailheads for getting up the mountain, so I ended up just taking the park road to the parking lot at the summit. In hindsight this turned out to be a very good thing, as it was damn cold near the top. It must’ve been in the 40s with the strong winds blowing. If I had hiked, I would not have been prepared for the cold at all, nor would I have had my tripod to set up for some sunrise shots.
I got a little rest in the car, and then before you knew it the parking lot was filling up. Around 3:30AM you can see a distant glow in the horizon, so I got out of my car to find a spot to watch from. It was cold, but there was a cool atmosphere on the summit with everyone excited to see these first few rays of the sun. Once the sun came up from the horizon, it seemed to rise incredibly fast, and before I knew it the day was bright.
I was thinking I should try to post the photos showing the transition from early early morning to the sun appearing, but that could take a little bit. So I made a little slideshow showing the progression. Apropos, the music is from the soundtrack to the film “Sunshine” (one of my favorite movies). The track is entitled “Capa’s Last Transmission Home”. Catching this sunrise was an unforgettable experience.
The crowds were dispersing, and after it was bright again I went to the car, removed my extra layers as I was already getting warm, and caught a little more sleep. Woke up around 9AM to do some hiking. Hiking down the mountain was easy, coming back up was a little strenuous, but enjoyable.
I had a recommendation from my friend Frances, along with one of my roadtrip books, to check out a restaurant on the other side of the park called “Thurston’s Lobster Pound.” I made my way over there to grab lunch, and I was not disappointed. I wasn’t hungry enough for a whole lobster (which was pretty cheap), but I ordered a lobster roll and it really hit the spot.
Never had a lobster roll before. Tasty
After lunch, the plan was to make my way to southwest towards Portland, Maine, where my friend Colleen lives. I’ve known Colleen for ages having gone to confirmation class with her, and she offered to put me up for the weekend. Had a great time lounging about not doing too much, met some of her friends, and ate some great food (and also witnessed the US World Cup loss to the “injury”-prone Ghana team). I also got some tips on places in Michigan to check out from her friends Jeff and Jen. Thanks guys. The fun night ended and I got some sleep as my break here will end and the roadtrip continues.
The plan is to stick around in Portland until Sunday, and from there the journey turns West for the next several weeks. And as I type it is Sunday morning, and I’m fixin to leave here and work my way through New Hampshire and Vermont.
Some shots from the weekend are below. Thanks so much, Colleen, for hosting me. Portland, ME (the kids call it the “other Portland”) is a great place.
Colleen and me
Belting out songs with Jen on the SingStar game
Leaving Portland soon. So long, East coast.
joe
Day 26: A break in the clouds
Location: Bar Harbor, ME
Miles Driven: ~110
Total Miles: 4,929
So before I went to bed at the Peacock House, Sue told me breakfast is served at 8:30AM. Late that night I realized I wasn’t sure what time zone I was in. My phone was on Atlantic Time, but the alarm clock in the room was on Eastern Time. Most people, I think, would side with the alarm clock that’s a part of the bed and breakfast, but I got a bit nervous and, at the risk of missing breakfast, I set my alarm for 7am Atlantic Time. Sure enough I saw Sue at 6am EST time, and she confirmed EST was the right time zone. Caught a few more zzzs, then got ready to eat.
Delicious breakfast made by Dennis. Not sure what you call it - French toast bowl?
Over breakfast I got to meet Dennis, Sue’s husband and co-proprietor/chef of the b&b. I also got to know the other guests staying in the house, and learned about some of the local attractions from them and Sue. This is exactly one of the best parts of being out on the road – getting to meet new people and learn about the places they visited.
Dennis and Sue (and the Captain), the nice owners of The Peacock House Bed & Breakfast
If you are ever on the east coast of Maine and need a nice place to stay, I can’t recommend this place more. Check out their site here.
Hannah and Marsha. These two told me about some places to visit across the border. Good luck to Hannah as soon she'll head to Paris Island to become a Marine
Chris and Jennifer. This well-traveled duo consists of two very skilled photographers. I'm anxious for when Chris gets the photo website up
Thanks to all of these kind folks for recommendations on things to do that day. My initial plan was just to head south to Acadia National Park that morning, but after talking with everyone, I lined up good amount of activities through the afternoon before I would make a drive of any big length.
First stop – the West Quoddy Head lighthouse on the easternmost part of the U.S.
Another foggy day, but a nice day
So I found the origin of that fog horn I was hearing the last night before I went to sleep. There’s a small building right next to this lighthouse that houses the horn. It’s loud, but it’s a strangely soothing sound.
Did some walking around the inside of the lighthouse which is a mini-museum with some art exhibits, and came across this sign:
So now I've been to the Easternmost point of the US, The Southernmost (two previous trips), and I'll try to catch the Westernmost and Northernmost later on this trip
Ran into Chris and Jennifer at the lighthouse, and ended up taking a stroll along the water.
The next item on the agenda was to visit Franklin Roosevelt’s summer home on Campobello Island in New Brunswick, Canada. It wasn’t a far drive at all, and I made it through Customs without incident.
Border crossing
I didn’t even know FDR had a summer home, let alone one in Canada, so I checked out the visitor’s center to learn more. Thanks to my friends at the b&b for recommending the free film – it was well done and explained why the Roosevelts had a place here. The visitor center was also great at explaining American/Canadian relations from early colonial days to modern times. Fun fact: US trades more with Canada than all of the countries of the EU combined.
The visitor center was right next to the summer home, so I spent some time wandering the grounds and exploring the inside of the home (gorgeous, by the way).
Plaque outside the visitor center
FDR's summer home
FDR's Presidential chair from the Oval Office
After some sightseeing, I left the grounds and made my way North towards the East Quoddy Head lighthouse. I was informed earlier that, when the tide is out, I can walk across the ocean floor and make my way to the island of rocks that the lighthouse sits on, and around 3:30PM would be the time the path would be clear. I got there around 2:45, took a nap, and then started the mini-trek towards the lighthouse.
The lighthouse in the distance
You had to make your way across one small island first, then cross the seabed one more time to get to the lighthouse.
Tide's out, but those ladders still are slippery
A little closer
Wonder what it looks like when the tide is in?
Finally made it over! It was a fun time – not often you can walk across the ocean floor.
Hiked my way back to the car, grabbed some fried shrimp at a local restaurant (happened to catch Chris and Jennifer again as they were headed out), and then headed back towards the US. Not sure if I was randomly selected, or if it was all the junk in my car, but I had my car searched at Customs. Fortunately no problems, and then got onto Hwy1 to head Southwest towards Acadia National Park. Arrived at the Schoodic Peninsula potion of Acadia a few hours later.
For years I had wanted to visit Acadia, and now I was finally here. And what timing – finally, the clouds of the past several days were breaking, and I could actually tell where the Sun was. How lucky I was to arrive here just as the sky was clearing up.
Acadia is absolutely beautiful. I made a few loops around the Schoodic peninsula portion of the park that night.
I decided I’d hang out by the Schoodic Point area for a while and just enjoy watching the waves hit the rocks. The sun was coming down, and I figured it would be a good way to end the day.
I think that bird was looking for some food from me
Sun begins to set
Great end to a great day
I drove to nearby Bar Harbor, Maine, to get some sleep for a few hours. My goal was to catch the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain, where it is said that some of the first light of the sun hits the U.S. Thanks to Nick for finding the sunrise time for me – 4:17AM. Early day, for sure, but it’ll be worth it.
joe
Trip route – Summer 2010
Joe's Roadtrip 
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