Scarborough 2007 "Big Trip" Itinerary and Reports  (updated October 13, 2007)

August 28, 2007

So far the trip has been uneventful but enjoyable.  However, we were tempted when we reached Virginia Beach to just head south to the Outer Banks!  We drove through Virginia Beach but were not enticed to stop anywhere.  It reminded David of Myrtle Beach in the 1960s.

We did go to Fort Henry and saw the lighthouses.  

Today we drove from Virginia Beach to Delaware.  Going over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and through the tunnels was interesting.  (Another 10 inches taller and our coach would not have made it!)  Of interest to anyone who might plan a trip this way, road signs are few and far between!

Tonight we are at Delaware State Park in a campground on the bay.  We can watch the fishermen from our coach.  We walked around the bay with the dogs this afternoon.  Tonight David and I walked on the beach just in time to see the red moon rising over the ocean.  It was a beautiful site.

September 1, 2007 Update

Next stop Hershey Pennsylvania and a quick visit to Chocolate World!

The longest drive of the trip was to Niagara Falls.

The falls are magnificent.  We saw them first from the USA side and then went over to Canada to view them there.  We rode the Maid of the Mist and got a close-up view of the falls (raincoats provided!).  After a nap in the afternoon, we returned to see the falls lit up at night as well as a fireworks display.  Check out some photos of the falls (and flowers).

September 2, 2007

Today we spent the day in Cooperstown, New York.  David relived a lot of memories during the time we spent in the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Cooperstown is a lovely small town. The houses are old and beautiful with unique architecture styles.  The drive to Cooperstown along the lake reminded us of Lake Lure.

September 11, 2007

(I'm still looking for moose - seen lots of moose signs but no moose, lots of dead porcupines on the road though!)

Vermont

Emily's Bridge

This is the first covered bridge we visited and that I photographed.  Someone had actually left a card and some flowers for Emily.

More about the bridge:

http://www.vtonly.com/lorefeb8.htm

We rode the gondola up to the top of Stowe Mountain and had lunch at a restaurant at the top.

This also seems to be our "food tour" trip.  It's Ben and Jerry's time 

Took a tour of the Ben and Jerry's plant.  I've also included a few photos from the "Flavor Cemetery".

New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Mountains again remind us of the North Carolina mountains.  We enjoyed the covered bridges too.

St. Andrews By the Bay New Brunswick Canada

St. Andrews is a quaint coastal town.  We visited a restored house once owned by the high sheriff of Charlotte county, had fish and chips on the porch of a local restaurant/inn and went on a "hunt" for whales and other sea life all afternoon. We saw whales, eagles, porpoise, and seals.   

              Notice on this last picture that the high tide mark is at about 29 feet.  This photo was taken at low tide!

Bay of Fundy - Hopewell Rocks

On Sunday we visited Hopewell Rocks on the Bay of Fundy at Low Tide.  We were able to walk on the beach and view the muddy flats.  On Monday when we returned at high tide, the scene was very different.  The tide actually rises as much as fifty linear feet!  It is an incredible site to see.  Check out the web link I have listed to see it "virtually" for yourself!

http://www.bayoffundytourism.com/tide/

Low Tide:

High Tide:

September 12, 2007

Nova Scotia 

The past several days we have had some lazy days in Nova Scotia.  It is a beautiful island with lots of rolling hills and farm lands.  There are beautiful churches and picturesque scenes with cliffs falling into the ocean.  Here are a few glimpses of the island.  (Unfortunately, it's hard to get photos of some of the light houses because of where they are situated.)

                    ok, I couldn't resist and the swings looked lonely:    (I'll never grow up!)

September 16, 2007

We've spent the last several days in Nova Scotia.  Had some heavy rain so that limited us a bit.  (Good napping weather though!)  We drove the Cabot Trail which took an entire day.  We were still looking for the elusive moose - seeing many signs                                                 and we did finally see four moose today.  See if you can find them in the photos.

We walked through a bog and I was lucky to get this photo of pitcher plants.

It was thrilling seeing many eagles soaring and "posing" for the camera.

We loved seeing the ocean waves - even if the beaches are covered in rocks!

and finally - the view from our campsite:

September 21, 2007

Bar Harbor, Maine and Acadia National Park

We've spent the past several days in the above areas.  The weather has been wonderful with highs in the 60's/low 70's.  We've rode through mountains, walked on the only sand beach in the area, climbed around the pinnacle of Cadillac Mountain, watched the sunset there, ate lobster, and seen many beautiful sites.  Here are a few:

9/26/2007

We've been in Maine and Massachusetts.  Here are some photos:

Kennebunkport, Maine

While I walked on the beach and found sand dollars, David put on his waders and fished.  (Notice I didn't say caught fish, I said fished!)  There's also a photo of President Bush's house.

Plymouth, Massachusetts

We spent and evening walking around the seaport of Plymouth.  Included are a photo of the port, the Mayflower II, and the rock itself.

Boston

We spent one day at Harvard, most of it in the Museum of Natural History.  The glass flowers made in the 1920's for botanical studies are incredible.  They look so real.  Didn't get any photos of the flowers but did photo a "window" in the quad wall and a couple of buildings:

Cape Cod

Access to the beaches on Cape Cod is limited.  The dunes are steep and rocks instead of seashells.  Unfortunately here as well as other places we visited, access to the lighthouses for viewing and photographing are limited.  We've seen a lot of monarch butterflies migrating.  I was fortunate to get a decent photo of one.

New Bedford

New Bedford used to be the center of the whaling industry.  It is still a busy fishing seaport.  Near the seaport, the streets are brick with cobblestone sidewalks.  We visited the seaman's bethel.  This was a place erected for the seaman for sanctuary.  It's walls are filled with "markers" as memorials to many lost at sea including some even lost last year.  Herman Melville attended services here and "Moby Dick" includes several chapters written about the Bethel.  One such reference refers to the alter as like the bough of a ship.  The original lectern was just a normal one.  However, in response to disappointed visitors, the original one was replaced in 1961 with the one pictured here.

We also toured the whaling museum, learned a bit of the whaling life, saw skeletons, products made from whale oil, artifacts, scaled models of ships and beautiful glassware transported by the ships.

Mystic Connecticut Area

Drove through this quiet little town (I found a bead shop!)  Then we visited a naval museum complete with submarine.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

The size of the battlefield is enormous.  We walked through the cemetery, the museum, and then drove around the battleground, stopping reading the memorials, etc.  It is heartbreaking to know how many lives were lost there.  I didn't get any photos here as I had left my camera in the coach.  However, the sights are sealed in my memory and my heart.

Driving Home on Skyline Drive

Here are just a couple of photos of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia on our drive home.  We were really too early for the Fall colors but we did see a bit of color here and there.