Day # 24

We are home from our spectacular trip. After our Route 66 trip we had fun with a summary of trip facts. We will do that again for New England:

Adding Maine to our map.

Trip Facts - Just for Fun:

Number of days of travel: 24

Number of miles driven: 4,626

Number of states we visited: We drove through 6 states in addition to the states we actually toured, which were Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York. 

Number of new states visited: None for me, but two for Kaylyn and Miss Marshmallow: Rhode Island and Maine. 

Cheapest gas: $3.78 in Vermont. Most expensive: $4.15 in Connecticut.

Average mpg of truck: about 13

Number of nights in campgrounds: 15 sequential nights at 9 different campgrounds

Number of nights we ran the heater in the camper: 14

Average price of campgrounds: $37.65 (Oddest discount - one campground gave us 10% off because Kaylyn is a nurse!)

Amount spent on admissions and tours: (this is a nasty one!) $839, which includes three higher priced items, the Whale Watching ($118), the all-day bus tour of Boston ($124) and the cog up Mt. Washington ($124) for the two of us.

Number of days we had no lunch! 9 days - we were busy trying to get as much done as we could!

Forms of pumpkin Kaylyn ate: pudding, pancakes, donuts, whoopie pie, muffin.

Number of bakeries we visited: 4

Favorite day: in Acadia, the day we went Whale Watching, climbed along the precipice on the Beehive Trail, then had afternoon tea at Jordan Tea House. Kaylyn's favorite place we visited on this trip was Acadia.

Favorite meal of the trip: Breakfast at Polly's Pancake Parlor in Franconia, NH

In retrospect, a few of our favorite activities were:
- the behind-the-scenes Servants' Tour at the Elms in Newport, RI;
- the demonstration on how glass is made at the Sandwich Museum on Cape Cod;
- attending Water Fire in Providence, RI;
- touring the Louisa May Alcott House and Mark Twain houses because we learned the stories of the families who lived there;
- the changing leaves in the Green Mountains of New Hampshire;
- and the grandeur of Niagara Falls.

Oddest tour: Wilson Castle in Vermont.

The most popular girl in our party: Miss Marshmallow.

The travel book Kaylyn liked the most was New England, published by the Lonely Planet.

Our Thanks:

To Greg, who stayed home and worked to pay for gas and admissions and campgrounds, and enthusiastically listened each night as we recounted our day's adventures.
To my cousin David and his wife Rebecca who so kindly hosted us for three days.
To Miss Marshmallow, who held together and gave us a warm place to cook, sit and sleep.
To our truck, who with 220,000 miles on it didn't give us a moment of trouble.
To those who followed our blog and gave us positive feedback - particularly Mr. Marshall and Diane.
To our Lord, who has orchestrated our lives in such a way that this mother and daughter could spend three weeks together, marveling at His creation, and enjoying just being together.

Day # 23

I didn’t think I would have anything to write about today. It was just a day to drive west…

We left the motel room and were soon at the border crossing into Canada. Our plan was to cross from Niagara Falls, New York to Michigan through Ontario rather than on I-90 in Ohio – a trip we have done seemingly hundreds of times, and find rather boring.

I handed the border crossing agent our passports. He asked where we were going – I told him just across to Michigan. Then he asked, “What are you carrying?” Now how in the world do I answer that question? Kaylyn and I have been traveling for three weeks and we have all manner of stuff in the truck and trailer. Does he want to hear about our travel brochures… dirty laundry… assortment of zip-lock bags (how did people ever travel before zip-lock bags?)… towels and sheets… cameras… knitting projects… chocolate supply??? I hesitated, then answered, “Food and clothing.” That was enough, he let us through. Maybe he was watching more for my response than what I actually said…

We continued on. I drove, Kaylyn fell asleep. The truck was quiet, which was a good thing. Then I perceived a very faint, low-sounding “hummm,” and associated the sound with our rig. I immediately crossed lanes and pulled off the highway. When I looked in the side mirror I saw the source of the sound. The driver’s side tire on Miss Marshmallow was flattened, and it was smoky from the heat generated by the flopping tire on the road. Apparently it went flat rather quickly and completely.  

By now Kaylyn was awake. She wanted us to change the tire ourselves. We called Greg – mindful that because we were in Canada the cell phone call was expensive – who told her that we needed to call AAA, not consider changing it ourselves. He was right.

So, the blessings that we thank the Lord for:

-I heard the very soft sound and moved over right away before there was any damage to Miss Marshmallow.

- - we were right next to an on-ramp, so I was able to pull completely off the highway with an on-ramp lane separating us from traffic

- - we were on a hard surface at the edge of the road, not gravel

- - we had a GPS so we could tell the tow truck driver exactly where we were. Have you had this happen? Some years ago we were driving to Florida and suddenly a car went off the road ahead of us. The driver was OK. I grabbed my cell phone to call for help, and realized I didn’t have a clue where we were except on I-65 somewhere in Alabama. Fortunately a local person also stopped, and called in the location. When I pulled over today, I had no idea where we were except the route we were on… and somewhere in Ontario!

- -  we had a brand new spare tire on the back, purchased at Fleet Farm before we left, and mounted on the rim

- - we got an upgrade to our AAA before the trip which covers the trailer and it was good in Canada!

The flat tire.

Within about half an hour a tow truck with its flashing yellow lights was sitting behind us, and a kindly Mr. Roadside Assistance was taking off the tire, which had cooled down by now. He jacked up the trailer and struggled to remove the flattened tire, finally succeeding.

Can't get the tire in place.

Then the trouble began. The fiberglass body of Miss Marshmallow hangs quite low, with great modesty, and the axle is up high. Mr. Roadside Assistance could not get the new tire on the axle  Poor Miss Marshmallow, already suffering the indignity of being stuck beside the road, was now hoisted up to quite improper heights so Mr. Roadside could get the tire on. He wrestled, she held on to what little decorum she had left. The battle went on. Mr. Roadside would try a different approach, then stop to think again. Several times Mr. Roadside repeated the sequence of letting more air out of the spare tire, maneuvering the tire in a new way, and then sitting back and scratching his head while he considered his next strategy.

He finally decided that two heads are better than one, and called for help. While he waited for another truck, he chatted with us. He told us about a trip he had taken to Newfoundland to see his wife’s hometown. He also told us that he is the tire technician at his place of work, he doesn’t know that someone else will have a solution that he hasn’t tried. That was not encouraging!

Two heads are better than one.

After awhile another truck arrived and Mr. Roadside II jumped out. With two men working on the project success was finally attained! I teased Mr. Roadside that if he gets another call for a Scamp, he might not want to take the call! He agreed.

So Miss Marshmallow was gently lowered so her skirts were in the proper place and her dignity restored. We were on the road again, after a two-hour delay.

We arrived at Chandler and Brianna’s house in Grand Rapids, Michigan later than expected, but intact. Chandler is on a film job in Detroit, we enjoyed an evening with Brianna and her sister Kyla. Tomorrow we will be home.

Day # 22

Our last day of sightseeing! Kaylyn said she is glad Niagara Falls was our last stop, because the size and scope of them makes every other waterfall we saw on our trip pale. The rest were all beautiful. It is just the astounding amount of water and height of these falls is overwhelming.  

Base of American Falls, Bridal Veil to right in photo.

Our first order of business was the Maid of the Mist boat ride. We were each given a disposable blue plastic poncho to wear. Donning the ponchos, we stepped on board one of the Maid of the Mist boats, which depart from both the American and Canadian side of the river. The boat headed toward the American Falls first. As we got close the spray from the falls sprinkled on us. It is remarkable to see the falls and the huge pile of rocks below it. The falls have receded several times, each time dumping more rock at its base. The amount of water pouring over the falls simply boggles the mind.

The Maid continued up to the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. It stopped in the water, its engines running full force against the flow of the river to keep it in place. We were headed into the falls, so were surrounded 180 degrees by the powerful flow of the falls. When we looked to the front of the boat, we only saw white mist. To either side the falls, eliminating from far above our heads, poured into the river. The boat just sat in that location for perhaps five minutes, allowing us to attempt to absorb the scale of the falls. If you have not been to the falls, it is nearly impossible to describe the size, scope and power of the falls.

We returned to the dock, pealed off our wet ponchos, and walked over to the upper side of the American Falls. We just sat on a bench for a little while and enjoyed the beauty and force of the river.

Kaylyn had a conversation with her friend Esther last night by Facebook. Esther is a medical student who worked with Kaylyn at Interlochen Camp for the Arts last summer. Esther was all excited that Kaylyn was in Niagara Falls, she is going to medical school in Erie. So this morning, after she took a test, Esther drove two hours from Erie to Niagara Falls to meet Kaylyn for lunch! We had a long, delightful lunch at T.G.I.Fridays while the girls recalled events and people at camp and discussed medical issues.

Our next stop was the Cave of the Winds. Not only did we receive another disposable poncho – this time in bright yellow – but we were given disposable sandals and a plastic bag to carry our shoes. We rolled up our pants legs and our sleeves so as much of us as possible was covered by the poncho.

We took an elevator perhaps two-thirds of the way down from the island to the river below the falls. We walked on a wooden walkway punctuated by steps that took us closer and closer to the water. We had put the camera in a water-protective case, which was a good thing. We found ourselves directly next to the Bridal Veil Falls, its heavy mist covering us. It was hard to even look at the falls, the mist was so powerful. The mighty river fell right beside us, tumbling over huge boulders, pounding downward with a force inconceivable in power. It was hard to take pictures because of the intensity of the mist pouring on our faces. You can see how wet the lens of the camera case was in these pictures. We were wet! The ponchos did their best to keep us relatively dry.

In amazement I studied the simple stairway and railings leading to the falls. How did someone first build on the slippery rocks? How did someone get that close to the falls and manage to work on a wood structure? Then we learned that the stairway is removed every fall and put back in place each spring – it would not survive the freezing of the water. The young man who operated our elevator said he is one of the crew that disassembles and reassembles it and commented, “It is fun to do. It is all assembled with just nails and a saw.” Amazing. 

For our last activity of the day we viewed a film shown at the visitor’s center. Save your money. It offered lots of drama but was disappointing in how much actual information we were given.

We returned to the comfy motel room and heated up our dinner in Miss Marshmallow, who waited patiently for us all day in the parking lot. Tomorrow we head home. We are not at all tired of traveling, and will carry memories of this wonderful trip all of our lives. 

Day # 21

The first order of the day was to find someone to do an oil change for our sturdy stead. The truck has 220,000 miles on it and is running without a complaint. We are so grateful for our cooperative truck. The gas station where the oil change was done is across the street from the publishing house for Hemmings Motor News, a magazine esteemed by those who love old cars. My dad has subscribed to the magazine for years. Next to the publishing house is an old, full-service gas station (remember when someone else filled the gas tank and washed your windshield?) with a shop filled with collector memorabilia. I took a picture of the truck and Marshmallow in front of the business.

I had read that Bennington has an area with old Federal and Georgian houses. Kaylyn dropped me off and took some photos in a cemetery. 

Built in 1800

I had a great time photographing a number of houses. Each house had a sign indicating the builder and the year it was built, which is a great help to me for my architectural slide collection.

Here also is a photo of one of the beautiful New England churches. These classical white churches, built of wood, with a noble steeple, are found throughout the New England states.

We headed west into New York, stopping at a Cracker Barrel to borrow a book on CD. We finished the book we brought along, Caleb’s Crossing. It was excellent, and fun to listen to because it took place on Cape Cod and in Cambridge, places we visited. We selected two more books and already listened to half of one, a Newberry Award book, Moonlight over Manifest, while we drove to Niagara Falls.

 Tonight we are in a motel. The cheapest campground in Niagara Falls was over $50! We had the same thing when we were in San Francisco four years ago – we stayed in a motel because the price was comparable to a campground. The motel which was the same price as a campground had no place to park the Marshmallow, so we paid a few dollars more. We heated up our dinner and ate it in the Marshmallow sitting in the motel parking lot. Tomorrow is… sniff… sniff… the last sight-seeing day of our wonderful New England trip.

Day # 20 Homeschool Activity

When I was walking around the town of Brandon I saw a fire insurance marker on one of the houses. Below is pictured the house - look for the fire insurance marker. Then I put up a close-up of the marker. What does it mean? Rather, what did it mean? The story has to do with Ben Franklin!

Day # 20

We woke up this morning to a view of Lake Champlain. The couple next to us, for the first time on our trip, actually had a smaller camper then we do! They have a Little Guy teardrop trailer. The inside is a bed only, the kitchen is outside in back. Kaylyn and I like Marshmallow much better. We can sit in here in the evenings in relative comfort. We have our heater. Tonight it is raining outside, so the electric ice chest is consuming most of the limited floor space. Usually the ice chest is outside at night.

We planned to take the ferry across Lake Champlain and back this morning, just to get out on the lake. We drove to the ferry dock only to discover that it wasn’t amenable to trailers. Fortunately they let us circle around all the cars waiting for the ferry to get turned around, but there was no place to park our little rig so we could ride the ferry.

We continued south along the east side of Lake Champlain to the town of Hancock. As we drive through beautiful scenery Kaylyn always puts on classical music – which helps set the mood for the scenery. 

We followed the road through the Green Mountains to Texas Falls. No, I don’t know why a waterfall in Vermont is named Texas Falls. I can tell you that the narrow cascade of water, tucked away from civilization, was impressive. Kaylyn had to wade into the cold water, of course. We had a good time climbing around on the rocks, viewing the falls from every different angle.

We had pulled off beside the road because the parking lot didn’t have spaces we could pull through. After visiting the falls we heated up soup, made grilled cheese sandwiches, and sat at a picnic table by the creek to enjoy our lunch. (Note: We did eat lunch today!)

Our next stop was a town with a wonderful name – Brandon. Yes, the town, chartered in 1761, had the name long before we named our first-born Brandon. I had printed a walking tour of the town before we left home. Kaylyn sat in the truck and read for an hour while I walked around the town and took pictures of some of the buildings. A few were the age I am looking for – pre-Wisconsin architecture. Brandon, like many other towns and cities, had many buildings destroyed by fire at some point in its history. Most towns are primarily composed of 19^th and 20^th century architecture, Brandon was no exception.

The house pictured above was constructed in 1799. I found this addition on the back of a building over a creek. Don't step out the back door! And can you imagine how cold the floor is? 

We continued south to the town of Proctor to tour the Wilson Castle. Kaylyn set the GPS for the address and off we went. Her GPS seems to be on a “most direct route no matter what the road” setting. This is not compatible with towing an old lady. At one point the GPS had us turn onto a road that was a dirt road and had a sign, “no outlet.” Kaylyn caught the situation in time and returned to the highway. We are always mindful that we need a place to turn around without backing up!

We drove way out into the country, found the driveway labeled for the castle, and drove in. We could not see a building. We parked in the parking lot – we were the only vehicle there. Now we could see the castle through the trees. As we approached, we noted that some of the exterior brick was crumbling. A large winged creature stood by the front door. The entire scene was a bit eerie. I commented to Kaylyn, “This almost feels haunted.” She responded, “They do murder mystery dinners and haunted house tours here.”  We walked inside to find a gentleman, in his thirties, wearing a jacket and vest that looked outdated, but appropriate, I suppose, for a castle. A woman  wearing a sweatshirt was sitting by the fireplace trying to warm her bare feet. The inside was colder than the outside. We paid for our tour. Then… neither the man nor the woman gave any indication they were to give a tour. We just stood around. We finally wandered into a room, and the gentleman wandered in after us and started to tell us something about the room, but still seemed to not be giving a tour.

Master Bedroom with View of Mountains

Kaylyn and I couldn’t figure out from his clues whether he was leading a tour and we were to follow, or we were to wander about from room to room and he follow us – which is definitely not how tours are given! Eventually he started to lead us. But he seemed to wait for cues from us to talk about a room. He was very knowledgeable and intelligent, no question. It was just an odd way of conducting a tour.

At one point we entered the music room. He pulled out a harmonica and played a bit because it was the music room. He led us out on an open porch that had a breathtaking view of mountains. When we walked out, he donned a hat he pulled out of his pocket. When we walked back inside he returned the hat to his pocket. He was rather dramatic in his story-telling. He told us his father had impersonated Mark Twain on steamboats on the Mississippi, and that he had been a pre-school teacher. Kaylyn and I could definitely picture him acting in community theater.

After we returned to our truck, we just sat and laughed. It was the oddest tour ever! The castle is in private hands and needs much work. It is open for tours and also rented out for weddings and… murder mystery dinners. I think I’ll skip the dinner… I’m not sure I want to go to Wilson Castle in the dark!

Day # 19 Homeschool Activity

Ben & Jerry's offers a wide variety of ice cream flavors. Look at some that they offer. If you submit a new ice cream idea to Ben & Jerry's and they use it, they will give you free ice cream for life. Can you think of a new combination that you think would be good? Start with an ice cream flavor that doesn't have anything mixed in, and experiment. If you think you have come up with a terrific idea... write to Ben & Jerry's and tell them!

Yum!