Onto the East Coast

Well it’s time to announce that as of March 2nd we are back in Houston, and I am sadly back to the daily grind of work. We knew this year would fly by but it’s hard to believe it’s really over. We still have renters in our house, so we are still posted up in our RV in northern Houston. And while blogging isn’t my go-to activity after a long day of work, I am determined to chronicle the rest of our year off.

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We dashed across the Midwest, but we couldn’t pass up a visit to Niagara Falls on the west side of New York before shooting up to Maine for autumn.

Niagara Falls

While the Canadian side of the falls was closed to Americans during the pandemic, the American side still offered some beautiful sights.

Niagara Falls is made up of 3 falls: Horseshoe Falls (the most iconic, but best viewed from Canada), American Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls (the smallest).

We started at the American Falls, walked along Goat Island Road to Goat Island and onto Bridal Veil Falls.

We would’ve loved to renew our vows Jim-&-Pam-style on the Maid of the Mist, but the U.S. was only running one boat and still packing them pretty full. It’s a better time to be a Canadian for visiting Niagara Falls right now. On the bright side, the walking paths were nice and empty and the weather was beautiful.

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Maine

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Wells Beach and Maine Lobster

On our way up to Acadia National Park, we stopped at Wells Beach for a walk with the dogs on the black sand.

We stopped nearby at Wells Beach Lobster Pound for our first whole lobster dining experience.

We were a little skeptical about how to break down a crustacean this large since we had only really had experience with our little mud bugs from the gulf. But we eventually got the hang of it and it was delicious.

There was a spectacular view of the ocean sunset from our picnic table.

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Acadia National Park

Acadia Park Loop Road

Our first day in Acadia National Park was a bit dreary so we decided drive the 24.5-mile Park Loop Road to scope out future hiking locations and to have shelter in our truck from potential showers. First stop along the loop: Thunder Hole.

It’s not hard to guess how Thunder Hole got it’s name as the huge waves crash against the rocky cliffs with a loud boom. We sat here for a while watching the water leap into the air after meeting the resistance of the rocks.

We continued our drive along the loop occasionally stopping at overlooks, many of which we’d revisit later on in the week. Much of the Park Loop Road is shrouded by trees with not much else to see.

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Jordan Pond Full Loop Trail

Jordan Pond Full Loop Trail is 3.4 miles long and runs around Jordan Pond with nearly-constant views of the Bubble Mountains.

It was still a little early in the fall but we started getting our first glimpses of the changing leaves.

At the end of our hike we stopped at the Jordan Pond House Restaurant for their famous popovers served with butter and jam. We ate them on the lawn with views of Jordan Pond and the Bubble Mountains.

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Cadillac North Ridge Trail

Next we decided to hike up Cadillac Mountain for views of sunset. There were nice views of Bar Harbor along the way to the top.

While we did make it to the top by sunset, this would turn out to be a foolhardy hiking choice because it was a long, dark trek back down the mountain… which was not very well marked, especially by flashlight.

I obviously don’t have any pictures from the pitch-black portion of our hike. But at one point I heard something big rustling in the trees and attempted to make a break for it. I probably would’ve broken my ankle running down the mountain if Sean hadn’t stopped me and gallantly yelled into the brush to scare off the creature. Not my proudest hike. Boy, was I relieved when we finally made it back to the truck and didn’t have to be rescued on the side of the mountain by forest rangers.

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Precipice, Orange and Black and Champlain North Ridge Trail

I am afraid of heights so Sean went solo on the next hike: 2.1-mi, 1,053ft elevation gain. This one is more of a climb than a hike.

There were rickety metal rungs and rails along the side of the rocky cliff.

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Back at the campground, the dogs and I enjoyed walking around admiring the autumn leaves.

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Cadillac Mountain at Sunrise

We decided to head back to Cadillac Mountain, this time by car, for the sunrise. The mountain is pretty flat and covered by trees, and because of the way the openings are situated, the views are actually much better suited for sunrise-viewing than sunset.

The drive up the mountain was a little sketchy because you have to drive through the haze of the clouds to get to the top. But once at the top, it was totally awe-inspiring to watch the sun rise from up above the clouds. You’d half expect to see angels bouncing around atop the fluffy clouds.

We sipped our coffee and watched the sun climb higher and higher.

While I despise waking up early, watching the sunrises have easily been some of my favorite memories of our trip.

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We had already had lobster and popovers, but Maine is also known for its blueberries. So we had to get some blueberry pie too before we left, and it was so good.

It was time to continue down the east coast from Maine. We saw some of the most spectacular foliage on the drive down through Maine. The rest of the states couldn’t quite hold a candle to Maine as far as the leaves go; I think the weather hits just right.

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Massachusetts

Factory Five Racing

On the way to Cape Cod, MA, Sean (who’s quite a gearhead) called to set up a private showroom viewing at Factory Five Racing.

Factory Five makes build-it-yourself car kits.

If we ever have a garage again, there may be a car project in our future.

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Cranberry Bog

That evening I was thrilled to be staying at another Harvest Hosts location: Cape Code Cranberry Bog Tours cranberry farm. I’ve had a strange obsession with cranberry juice since I was very little and had never seen a cranberry bog before.

It was harvesting season so the cranberries were plump and plentiful but still on the plants. Our cranberry farmer host gave us a tour around the farm and told us all about the different varieties of cranberries. Some time in the next month they’d fill the bogs with water and the cranberries would float to the top to be collected.

We got to pick and eat a few. They’re pretty tart right off the plants.

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We made several other stops along the Cape Cod peninsula.

We stopped at Truro Vineyards at the tip of Cape Cod for a wine tasting by the grape vines.

The lighthouses are plentiful in Cape Cod.

We also walked along the beach in Provincetown.

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Rhode Island

In Rhode Island, we were supposed to do the Cliff Walk, but we were so impressed by our next Harvest Host spot, Leyden Farm Vineyard & Winery (and Christmas tree & dahlia farm), that we decided to buy a couple bottles of their fruity wine and enjoy the view instead.

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Connecticut

Mystic Seaport Museum

In Mystic, CT we visited the outdoor Mystic Seaport Museum. While dogs are allowed on the grounds, they aren’t allowed on the ships so we left the fur children at home for this excursion.

The curved glass of the lighthouse lens helps to project light far enough to help approaching ships know their position. It weighs between 440-600 lbs and can project a beam 15 miles away.

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Gillette Castle State Park

In East Haddam, CT we visited Gillette Castle State Park and walked the 2.2-mi loop trail. The castle was built in 1919 and while its interior is closed during the pandemic, the 184-acre estate is open for walking.

We covered a lot of ground. It’s pretty easy to zip through some of the smaller states in the east. We had to skip some sights to make our desired timing. There are so many things to see in the United States that it’s impossible to see them all in just one year. But the good news is that just means there are always more places to explore for us wanderlusts.

We started this post in the iconic Niagara Falls of New York and we’ll begin the next post back in New York in the iconic New York City. Times Square here we come.