Friday, September 28, 2012

Camping out in the North

 

Continuing with the no rules policy, John, Kathrin and I headed out again after a few days back in Stamford to travel round Connnecticut and New York, northward bound. On collection of our hire car, we were given a Chevrolet Impala instead of the economy model we requested. On questioning if it has good milage, the lady responded "but I gave you a bigger car." It's true they do love their big cars over here. So off we headed for our two week adventure North with no solid plans, but plenty to see. In fact, too much too see in the end.
Newport Town
Our first destination was Narragansett Beach in Rhode Island. A nice little summer holiday town which had a decent stretch of beach and beautiful clear water was a nice place to stop for a swim. We had to sneak onto the beach by jumping over a wall, because I don't quite agree with having to pay to enter a beach, as is the case at most beaches around here. Next we headed into Newport, RI. We drove the scenic coastal road that curves along the rugged coastline which is dotted with mansions. The landscape was remarkable, with the harsh coastal environment contrasting the perfectly manicured lawns and gardens. Newport's little town of eligant shops and buildings is really a very charming place to visit and if you're into shopping, its tax free!


Heading for Middleboro Massachusetts for our KOA, 'Kampground of America', a luxurious camping facility. We had a great tent site that was fully enclosed with trees hence I suggested we could be nudists! John and Kel declined, but you all know me!!! We had our first campfire here, something we did each night on the trip, but this night we also realized our biggest mistake, we had forgotten to bring blankets and I hadn't at all prepared for the cooler North traveling, as I only brought with me t-shirts and shorts, whoops!

On the way to Boston the next day, we traded in our big car for a very small Toyota, due to the Implala's excessive thirst. It was a squeeze, but we got all our gear into the little hatch. We had a fantastic day in the wonderful Boston, a city which holds its charm with a fantastic blend of old town history and new city vibe. We walked the entire length of the Freedom Trail which snakes through the streets and squares taking you past points and places of significance for the Revolutionary War for America's independence. It was fantastic day to see all the spots: Quincy Market, Fanueil Hall, the Old State House, Beacon Hill, historic graves, USS Constitution and finishing off our history day, we had a drink at the oldest pub in the US.


Boston
Cape Cod

Samuel Adam Brewery, Boston
Before leaving Boston the next morning, we stopped by the Sam Adams brewery for a tour and some tastings of their craft. I drank my share as John was driving and funnily enough my map navigation was still on the whistle all the way up the coast to Maine. We made Rockport our home for a few nights, a charming little port town. At this point we reevaluated our plan and concluded we'd prefer to have a more relaxing trip rather than less time in the car attempting to reach Canada, which is very far North for us. This was a good call because there were some beautiful spots about for afternoon picnics overlooking the harbour, pleasant little shops, happy hours at a local tavern, and time to put Mr Lobster on the campfire coals for a evening snack.

Yum Yum Yum!!!
Damp day in Arcadia National Park
Unfortunately, our weather luck had run out for a day though when we headed into Arcadia National Park striking a bit of a rainy day to put a bit of a damper on our first look around the park. We put off setting up camp and took a look round the southern part of the park. Thankfully it did clear up, but we certainly paid the price for not having our warm gear. We eventually got a fire going and sat under a beach umbrella to shield us from the dripping trees. The campground was a fantastic spot of seclusion and I enjoyed a few moonlit evening strolls along the rocky coastline.

Keeping dry

Blessed with sunshine the following day, we took in all the park had to offer by walking an awesome cliffhanger track up to a spectacular peak with unbeatable views. We stopped for a swim at a lake and had a cool dip in the ocean and drove to the top of the tallest mountain, which was more of  hill really. The park was really a spectacular destination of steep and rugged colorful pink granite mountians and a coastline of boulders, all the reminants of a volcanic core, scolded and shapped by past glaciations. 

Cliff-hanging

After the cold nights and some rough camping, we rewarded ourselves with all you can eat Pizza Hut for lunch, Kel taking full advantage of the WiFi, even using it to Skype with her brothers in Germany on her iPhone. Some good driving taking back roads led us into the state of New Hampshire's White Mountians Forest Park. Here we enjoyed a nice escape from the tent with a night of luxary in a log cabin. We had beds, blankets and even a table to play battle ships on! Being the final night of our camping trip, happy to be heading back to comfy beds and all the comforts, but always sad to be leaving behind the simplicity of seeing some sights, having a few beers and eating a mean feed which John would cook every night and falling asleep cuddled up next to my bro.

Still through we had a big day ahead getting back to Stamford. Unfortunately a good 4 hours of interstate travel lay ahead but before that, a fantastic morning journey through the beautiful White Mountains Forest. We jumped on a few little walks and stopped for some very cool views, but I think John got the best deal getting to drive the winding mountain roads.
Maine Coastline

1 comment:

  1. Really enjoy the photos, team. I like the three looking out to sea one, and the cityscape from the rearview mirror somewhere. That's a famous old building in Boston isn't it? Malcolm

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