Northeast National Park Trip
Flume Gorge, New Hampshire
We flew from the Greenville Spartanburg Airport (GSP) to Baltimore and then to Manchester, NH. At the GSP gate for our flight we ran into our friend Lou Ann who was taking the same flight to Baltimore. Once in Manchester we picked up our rental car and drove to Flume Gorge and hiked up and around the gorge. After exploring we drove to our hotel in Conway, NH.
Mount Washington (New Hampshire)
We drove the 7.5 mile road up to Mount Washington which is the highest peak in the northeast (6,288 feet). The first 4 miles were ok but it was a really narrow 2 lane road with lots of twists and turns. But the last 3.5 miles were terrifying as the clouds rolled in and dropped visibility to about 10 feet. Tammie and I have joked about dying together in a plane crash. The thought of rolling off the side of a mountain wasn't nearly as funny. We made it to the top and had fun trying not to walk off the side of the mountain. Besides clouds, the temperature at the peak dropped 20 degrees to about 35 and the wind was howling between 50 and 60 mph. After another terrifying drive back down the mountain, the rest of the day was much calmer as we drove into Maine on our way to our next national park.
The video below shows the clouds moving in just before we reached the halfway point to the top of the mountain. 10 minutes later while driving the clouds covered the road and visibility was extremely limited the rest of the way up the mountain.
Acadia National Park
Acadia National Park became our 56th National Park that we have visited together. We took a 2 hour carriage tour to see the stone bridges on the carriage roads built by Rockefeller in the 1920 and 30s.
We drove up Cadillac Mountain and hiked around the summit.
We also hiked to Sand Beach and Thunder Hole along the Atlantic Coast.
We ended our day in Bay Harbor eating Lobster Mac and Cheese and Lobster Poutine. Just 7 National Parks left to go.
Travel From Acadia to Boston
While travelling from Acadia to Boston we stopped in Portland, Maine. Specifically, we visited the Old Port section of Portland. After a fun afternoon we tried to also stop in Salem, Massachusetts. However, there were no parking spaces within miles of the tourist attractions. It seems visiting Salem during the month of October on a Saturday evening is not a good idea. We did get to see thousands of people dressed as witches as we hunted in vain for a parking place.
Boston Freedom Trail
We began our day on the Freedom Trail by parking in an underground parking lot underneath the Boston Common. The Boston Common is a public park in downtown Boston. It is the oldest city park in the United States. It covers 50 acres and is bound by five major Boston streets.
Freedom Trail day in Boston. Highlights included the Massachusetts State House, Park Street Church, Granary Burying Ground, King’s Chapel, Boston Latin School Site, Old South Meeting House, Old State House, Boston Massacre Site, Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere House, the Old North Church (one if by land and two if by sea), and Copp’s Hill. It was a lot of walking but well worth it to visit those sites.
We completed the day on the Freedom Trail by driving over to a parking lot near the USS Constitution, the USS Cassin Young, and the Bunker Hill Monument. The highlight of the day was boarding the USS Constitution and Museum. We decided to just drive by the Bunker Hill Monument.
Lexington and Concord/Battle Road Trail
Our final day was dedicated to American history. We visited Lexington and Concord and walked portions of the Battle Road Trail. And speaking of history, we got to spend an hour with one of our former students (Class of 2009) and her beautiful daughter. We got to our motel in time to play pool and finished our trip by having a lobster roll for dinner. We caught a very early flight home the next morning.
Family Time
Birthday Celebration
At the end of the month the entire family celebrated my wife’s birthday. Our daughter and our three grandchildren spent the day with us. Because we will be gone the entire month of November, we took the opportunity for the whole family to help us decorate the house for Christmas a month early.
Homecoming Date
Our oldest grandson had a date to high school homecoming and asked to borrow my 2009 Pontiac Solstice convertible. The years have certainly flown by fast.
