Waypoint

On my way from Acadia to NYC to pick up Pip, I stopped in Providence, RI to visit with Sam.  Turns out Sam works for the current RI governor and has all hours access to the State Capital.  Private tour? Yes please.

This is the main rotunda, which is the 4th largest unsupported marble dome in the world (thanks Sam).  Quite different to see one of these buildings without any other gawkers.  You also get to do this like sit in the state senator's chairs.  Not so sure thats allowed, but there was no one there to tell me no!

Mount Dessert Island

Apparently I showed up to Acadia National Park just a bit too early for the fall colors.  I won't complain though, because the weather was perfect for camping.  It was also perfect for hiking.  Many of the trails on Mount Dessert Island (where the bulk of Acadia Nat. Park is located) head out to the water where you can climb out on the boulders as far as you dare.  It turns out I am more daring than most, but not the most daring.  It's better to be just behind that guy.  He fell off into the water.  Hilarious.  I laughed as I helped him back up.

For my evening meal I decided to have my first steamed Maine Lobster.  Found a locals place that looked like an old lighthouse covered with beer paraphernalia. When I walked in the owner was sitting at a table in the center on the dining room watching Sister Wives on the big screen.  So immediately I think, great, laid back kind of place.  This is good because I have no idea how to eat a lobster.  I ended up sitting with Bob at that center table, having a lobster cracking tutorial and catching up on some seriously creepy reality tv.  End result, I love lobster.  Bob was cool, too.

Bar Harbour is one of the small towns that shares Mount Dessert Island with the park.  Cute little town, right on the water.  This photo is actually taken from a small island in the harbor area at low tide.  When the tide goes out, you can actually walk across the harbor on dry land.  Mother Nature is a crazy lady.

Driving can be fun...

This has been the prettiest leg of my journey so far.  Traveling on smaller roads makes it much easier to stop when you see something interesting.

For example:

I even took a ferry across Lake Champlain to Burlington.  I didn't think I'd like Burlington, but then this rainbow appeared as the ferry pulled up.  Decided I'll have to put it on the list for my next trip.  Pretty town.

Mirror Lake (NOT Lake Placid)

 I had to drive almost all the way to Canada to finally see some fall color, but man was it worth the trip. There were reds and purples that I've never seen on a tree before.  

I also climbed my very first mountain!  The peak of Whiteface Mountain, home of the 1980 olympic ski runs, is 4, 867 ft high.  Ok, so I didn't climb the entire way.  There's actually a road that goes almost all the way to the summit and then you can hike the last 1/5th of a mile to the top.  Sounds like a cakewalk, right?  Not so much.  By hike, they really mean balance precariously as you jump from boulder to boulder without proper handrails 4,600 feet up.

Above: .20 miles of mountain goat action

Below: See? I really did make it!  Check out the colors in the background.

I did manage to put my feet in the real Lake Placid.  

Should have skipped that experience. It was freezing!

Wild Horses...

My second beachfront lodging experience was tented.  Ricky and I braved the East Coast wind in a sandy campground right on the dunes of Assateague Island.  I could hear the waves crashing as I was going to sleep.  In the morning the voice of the Atlantic was joined by a rain shower.  I will admit, I laid around listening to the harmonies for much too long before truly waking up.  When one is warm and dry, the rain is a lovely thing.

Things that I now know about Ricky + Rooftop Tent:
        I can set it up in the dark
        It is waterproof :)
        Wind gusts of 65 mph are no problem (I never even woke up)

Also, it is a crowd pleaser!  Everyone in the campground with us was so fascinated by the idea of sleeping on top of your car.  My Campground host wanted all the details, and I even gave a few tours.  When it was time to fold up the tent and head out, I had an audience to watch the show.

Assateague Island is known for it's herds of wild horses.  Judging by the piles in the campground, they spend their evenings scrounging through human items.  By the time I pried myself from bed this was the only horse left in the campground area.  Looks docile enough, but apparently they regularly charge people so I stayed well away.

Nags Head

I think I was meant to live by the sea.  Someplace with a beach. Someplace that I can wake up every morning and see this out my back door:

The only thing better than watching the sun rise from my very own personal deck chair was watching a few of the surfers trying their hand at photography.  As you can see below, getting just the right angle on a sunrise shot requires sand crunches.  Reminds me of Daddy shooting Seniors. But with longer, blonder hair.

My home by the sea was this lovely little motel, the Sea Foam.  Other than the sign it doesn't look like much, but it came with a dose of hospitality that was much appreciated.  Most of the guests were there for the season, so watching the sun rise was almost like a family gathering.  

Elsewhere on the Outer banks there are other activities to participate in.  The Bodie Island Lighthouse is currently owned by the National Parks Service.  I had hoped to get a closer look at it, but the second I stepped out of the parking lot I was attacked by mosquitoes.  And I don't mean like a couple of bites, I'm talking a whole giant swarm of mosquitoes.  I had to run around in circles swatting and waving to get them to dissipate.  Other park visitors seemed worried (more about me than the mosquitoes I think).

Life is like a box of chocolates...

But I can't find the iconic Forest Gump bus bench.

Things that I did find in Savannah:

1. A John Wesley Church that looks suspiciously like my own home town Methodist church.

2. A fascinating waterfront with multi-tiered buildings supported with a maze of brick access points. Complete with crime cameras.  If you look closely in this picture, there are two visible.  And unlike the ones in New Orleans, these appeared to actually work!

3. A place to park Ricky for our first night out under the stars together!  

Note:  The woody surroundings make him look much cleaner than he actually is...

The In-Between

In case anyone still wondered, it has become quite apparent that I did not inherit the photographers gene. I spent the better part of the past two weeks in sunny, beautiful Florida, but are there photos to document the experience? Of course not.

I first visited cousin Mandy and family in Fort Meyers, FL.  There were dogs and kids and a shelly beach.  Oh, and one quite entertaining evening at the La Playa Resort bar.  Have you ever walked away from your table at the bar, gone night swimming in the gulf, and returned to your drink?  I have.  And I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Then it was off to Miami for some Suarez action.  That is one busy family. I swear I hardly saw a one of them until Friday night, right about the time the Sugar Bar opens up.  And then they let the good times roll.  Felt like I was in my own little slice of New Orleans for a few hours.  There was also Miami Beach, snorkeling in Key Largo, Bill Bags State Park and some amazing cuban food.  Love me some old clothes.

On top of Old Smokey...

And I do mean all the way up on top.  The hike from the trailhead to the lovely needle projection is only .6 miles long, but it is not an easy road.  Once you get to the top, the view makes the trek completely worthwhile. 

On my way back down towards civilization I was befriended by the Amish family you see there by the needle.  The little girls were quite fascinated by pretty much everything, especially when my cell phone rang.  

Everywhere you look in the Great Smokey Mountains there is something beautiful to catch the eye.  It's the views that you have to work for that stick with you the most.