Category: Mountains

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Finally, Lake Superior!

Part III – And Back to Canada, Too

We left Mackinaw City behind and headed up to see the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in the town of Paradise, Michigan. Although their website claims that it is a very popular tourist destination, I didn’t believe it. Until we got to the parking lot and there wasn’t any parking. Luckily, we managed to find a spot along the road and made our way up to the museum.

There’s a lot to see. The lighthouse caught my attention first. Then the museum and the lighthouse keeper’s quarters that chronicled what it was like to be a lighthouse keeper in the late 1800’s. There was also an Edmund Fitzgerald film and exhibit about the loss of the ship back in 1975. They even played the Gordon Lightfoot song regarding the tragedy, and it could have been corny, but it wasn’t.

The Driftwood on the Beach

I was surprised by the amount of driftwood we saw on the beach. There were a few people swimming and I did dip my toes in the water to see how cold it was. (It was pretty cold.) Doesn’t Lynn look particularly handsome here? I think so.

After seeing the lake and the museum, we grabbed some lunch at a roadside tavern and headed to see some waterfalls. I mean, who doesn’t like a waterfall?

Tahquamenon Falls State Park

After paying the $11 non-resident fee to get into the park, we hiked a bit. Luckily, the walk to see the water was primarily a boardwalk. (This is important as you’ll see towards the end of this story.) Maybe I’m jaded because we have A LOT of waterfalls in New York State (including one in our own backyard). These were just okay. It was probably a good thing to do if it was really hot, and you were traveling with older children. The water looked very brown though, and I later learned it was because of the tannins from the surrounding trees that leak into the water. Apparently, it’s also nicknamed “Root Beer Falls,” which I thought was appropriate.

On to See the Locks

We had about an hour and a quarter to drive from the park to Sault St. Marie. The mission: to see the Soo Locks. Truthfully, it was kind of boring. I had read a lot about the locks – the key take away is that they are gravity-fed. Operated and maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers, there is also a small visitor center as well as an observation platform. So, we climbed the stairs to the top of the platform, and then everyone just kind of stands around and waits for a boat to come through the lock. When a boat does arrive, you get to watch as the boat goes down (or does the water go up?). This enables the boat to navigate through the St. Mary’s River (where the locks are located), and then make their way to either Lake Huron or Lake Superior. The museum (and the platform to view the boats) are free to the public although there is a security checkpoint when you enter the park. I had wanted to see the Soo Locks and now I did. So, I count myself lucky, if underwhelmed. (I attribute this sentiment to the fact that we, too, live near many locks on the Erie Canal and have watched boats navigate the waterways.)

Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario not Michigan)

When I had first told Lynn we were staying in Sault Ste. Marie as part of our trip, he thought we were staying in the Michigan town. No, I told him, we would be staying on the Canadian side. Why? Well, since I wanted to drive further up the coast in the morning to see more of Lake Superior, I figured it would be easier than having to go back and forth across the border. Plus, (and most importantly), there was an Asian-fusion restaurant that had caught my attention.

I will say that while Sault St. Marie, Michigan, wasn’t anything to write home about, neither was the Canadian town with the same name. Case in point: we stayed in a Holiday Inn that was across the street from a mall that had since gone out of business. That meant the entire area was pretty dead, but bizarrely the hotel was packed. I have to think it’s because 1) there was no place else to stay, and 2) everyone was heading somewhere else in the morning. We had a lovely suite with a fireplace even though it looked like it fell from the sky (it divided the room in half). And overall, maybe because there didn’t seem to be a lot of activity in the town, it was very quiet.

Dinner at Peace

I had picked this restaurant because it was a 5-minute walk from the hotel and also only one of two places in town that even looked decent. Actually, dinner at Peace that night was more than decent. The menu was exciting, the food was delicious, and Wednesday night they have a 50% off bottles of wine deal. We also had a great server, Ella, who besides walking us through some great menu choices, told us what we should see (Agawa Rock Pictographs), and eat (apple fritters), when we drove up the TransCanada Highway in the morning.

Peace’s menu focuses on small plates, so we had quite a few of those. To start: a spicy shrimp dish plated on a dish of julienned celeriac. A crispy salmon roll came out next, and then an octopus special that turned out to be my favorite dish. We were about to order mussels, too, when the table next to us ordered a round of bao buns. One look at their plates and our eggplant-stuffed version was headed our way. The cooking was creative, spicy, and Lynn thought it was the best meal of the trip. (My vote went to Grace’s in London, Ontario.)

The TransCanada Highway

We had planned for at least one real beach day on this trip and today was supposed to be the day. We woke up to chilly, gray skies, and the threat of rain. When we left the downtown area of Sault Ste. Marie heading north, I realized the cause of the town’s demise. Most of the shops and restaurants (primarily fast-food chains) had all moved to the strip outside of town. We’ve seen this in many cities we’ve traveled to and it’s just depressing.

We drove nearly two hours along the coastal highway and arrived at Agawa Bay to see the rocks. The sign shown below should have deterred me. It didn’t. Actually, we started out on the hike without any hiking gear, and quickly went back to the car and got our poles.

Was it treacherous? Yes. Was I extremely uncomfortable? Yes. Did I think I was going to die? (50/50). I kept quizzing those who had made the climb down and were now heading back up. 1) How much further is the trail? 2) Is it worth it? And 3) Does it get any worse? Every single person lied. This includes the Dad who was showing off by carrying his daughter on his shoulders.

In between hyperventilating, I did manage to take some pictures. Did I mention I’m afraid of heights? Not going up, but going down? Did I mention I also broke one of our hiking poles, so Lynn gave me his? See him holding the broken one?

In fairness, once we got close to the bottom of the trail and saw Lake Superior, I looked at Lynn and said, “That’s it.” I didn’t have to navigate any more dangerous boulders to look at basically the view I was getting now.

And then we walked back up (including me at one point having to crawl up one particularly annoying steep, rocky section), until we reached the car. Lynn said to me, when we had regrouped, that he thought I was going to quit long before I did. I didn’t, I kept going and now feel kind of proud about it. However, had we made it around that last bend, this supposedly is what would have greeted us.

The Biggest Apple Fritter I’ve Ever Seen

Even though after that “hike,” I could have easily tossed back a bottle of booze, we stopped at The Voyageur’s Lodge on Batchawana Bay to grab lunch. As mentioned, we knew about the apple fritters, but we wanted more than that. So, we split an order of fish tacos and fries, and ONE ENORMOUS APPLE FRITTER. We had taken our food outside to eat on their deck when it started to pour. We quickly ran to the car and ate there. I mean, look at the size of that fritter!

Harmony Beach

After finishing the fritter (it wasn’t bad even though I didn’t taste a hint of apple in the batter and luckily, it wasn’t a belly bomb), we decided to try and find a beach. Remember, going to Lake Superior and sitting on the beach, even briefly, was the purpose of the trip. (Besides touring the Frank Lloyd Wright house that would come later in the trip of course.)

It stopped raining when we reached Harmony Beach. There were a few brave ones in the water, but I was happy to just stand on the beach (fully clothed) and look at the lake. Had the weather cooperated, I think the view would have been pretty. These pictures just emphasized the dreariness of the day, but definitely not my mood. And yes, there was a lot of driftwood on this beach, too.

The Border Guard

Dare I mention that when we left Canada in the morning and crossed back into the States, the U.S. border guard wanted to know where we had been. When we mentioned the Agawa Pictographs, he didn’t even blink an eye. He just said, “You know people fall off those rocks and have to be rescued!”

Tomorrow we’re driving to Grand Rapids, and then our final destination, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Until our next “Let’s Go” adventure.

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Visiting Naulakha

Last summer, I wanted to visit Naulakha, the only house that was built by Rudyard Kipling in Dummerston, Vermont. Unfortunately, the trip never panned out, so when tickets went on sale for this year’s opening, I didn’t waste any time.

Now owned by The Landmark Trust USA, the house is about a 10-minute drive from Brattleboro. Construction started in 1892-1893 and Kipling spent about $11,000 to have the house built. He was also adamant that the architect, Henry Rutgers Marshall of NYC, design it so the layout was similar to a ship. I didn’t really see the ship allusion, but the house is quirky, and the grounds are beautiful.

Manchester for Lunch

We had started this two-day trip the day before and headed to Manchester for lunch. I’ve written frequently about traveling to Vermont when we lived on Long Island, and how when our son was little, he called the state of Vermont “Mont.” Apparently to him, it was a magical place that Mommy and Daddy liked to disappear to every so often.

Manchester has changed in the 30+ years we’ve been visiting. Some of the old Inns are still there, but bigger chain hotels have moved in. There seem to be more places to eat now and less shopping. (That in my opinion is a good thing.)

Sunday lunch (not brunch) can be tricky even in major urban areas. My favorite thing to do is simply look at Google maps, click on some restaurants in the area I’ll be traveling to, and hope that their restaurant hours and website are up to date. Bonus points if they have posted a recent menu and not a “Mother’s Day” menu from 2022.

We ended up at a new place (for us), The Crooked Ram, that advertised their outdoor dining area – The Yard. Since I love eating outside on almost any occasion (well, maybe not when it’s snowing), this seemed like a lovely way to kick off our small trip.

The Yard has a fun vibe. You’re sitting outside but are covered under a mostly open wood beam structure. The menu is small plates oriented and creative. If there were any pet peeves on my part, it was their highly crafted, but limited wine offerings by the glass. This is partially my fault. I’m not up to speed on organic/natural wines and haven’t jumped on the orange wines that are very trendy right now. (I actually had to look up how that particular color is achieved. It’s wine made from white wine grapes, but they use the same fermentation process as red wine.)

We were going to get oysters to start. But when I learned they had been flown in from the West Coast, I balked. I really do try to stay local and not contribute to climate change problems. Hence, I don’t like to order things to eat that first had to make either a plane ride or long-distance truck haul in order to get on my plate. I did see other tables eating these oysters and hoped we could get some for dinner.

Tuna Crudo and A Pie

So, forgoing the oysters, the next best thing was for us to order a tuna crudo with dill fronds and thin slices of radishes with a diced fennel garnish. There were also some spicy red peppers thrown in with the vinaigrette and all I can say is “Yummy!” Could the tuna have been flown in from the West Coast as well? Possibly, but at this point I had already passed on the oysters, and the crudo sounded delicious.

You’ll notice in the photograph below that after much back and forth with our very patient server, I simply ordered us glasses of French Burgundy. Yes, I wimped out after trying to discuss the merits of a certain white or orange wine, and I wasn’t in the mood for beer.

After the tuna, we decided to split an artichoke and coppa-laden pizza that was pretty good. I say that because while the dough was thin and chewy, it was a little on the bready side for my taste. Still, it hit the spot and we had a nice lunch.

This was not an inexpensive meal, and I did read many of the Trip Advisor reviews online where people complained about the prices and the small portions. I don’t mind small portions and since I food shop almost every day, I know what good food costs. Factor in the price of staff to make and serve such delicacies and, yes, it becomes very expensive to eat out these days.

Woodstock Next

We didn’t remember ever visiting Woodstock, Vermont, and after lunch we drove to see “what’s there.” There were shops, a few hotels, a few restaurants, but the most popular place in town seemed to be the ice cream place – Woodstock Scoops. It was hot, it was summer, could we actually get a scoop of ice cream and break our record of only one scoop a year? (We already had ice cream last month after a day on Lake Ontario.) We did. Well, since we were in Vermont, I wanted something with maple syrup in it. Hence, my scoop of vanilla with maple syrup and walnuts. It was so good that I forgot to take a photograph! I just ate most of it myself until I handed the cup over to Lynn who had already finished his (boring in my opinion) chocolate soft serve in a cone.

One Red Covered Bridge Needed

I wanted a picture of a red covered bridge so did a quick search on my phone and found one after our ice cream stop. The Taftsville covered bridge proved to be a popular spot with visitors that day, but I did get more than one photograph.

Waterbury – Hen of the Wood

We had visited Waterbury back in August 2021 and the reason for our visit this time (besides visiting Kipling’s house which at this point was now two hours south of us) was to have dinner at Hen of the Wood. We had eaten at their Burlington location, but never snagged a reservation at their Waterbury place.

Hen of the Wood is now located in downtown Waterbury, a move from their previous site. The space is modern which I wasn’t expecting but not cold. The menu and wine list were as inviting as their Burlington spot, and the service was probably some of the best I’ve experienced in a few years.

We were lucky that they had oysters to start. From Cape Cod! That’s only two states over, right? So, we ordered a half dozen. In perusing the menu, I was almost embarrassed to admit to our server, Maria, that I knew what “Fazzoletti” meant. (It’s handkerchief pasta.) Although I told her in jest not to tell anybody, even she couldn’t resist raising her eyebrows at my knowledge. That said, the pasta was a bit doughy, but the mascarpone cream sauce with spinach and breadcrumbs brought it all together. We ordered the ham-wrapped rabbit loin next and while it looked very appealing on the plate, it was a bit dry.

This location, like Burlington, has a wine list with lots of vintages you don’t see on other restaurant menus. We ordered an Austrian blend which was a nice accompaniment to the entree we split – a hanger steak with asparagus and grilled onions that looked like tiny trumpets on top of the steak. Heralding summer perhaps?

We weren’t going to get dessert, having already indulged in ice cream that afternoon, but they were offering a selection of Vermont cheeses. Perhaps I was expecting a cheese plate from days past. What we got was a wedge of cheese with some rhubarb-y purée and a few crackers. It was underwhelming.

After dinner we walked across the street to look at real estate listings since our table had been facing the window of a local real estate office. We aren’t looking for a house, but I always get a kick out of seeing how much people are asking for houses/land in the area. (Most of the homes were over $1 million.)

Back on the Road in the Morning

We had some time to kill before our timed ticketed entry to visit the house, so after we had a halfway decent hotel breakfast (bacon, eggs, toast, weak coffee, and even fresh fruit), we stopped to take a look at how Montpelier was doing. You may remember that the capital of Vermont sustained massive flooding last summer. The town was up and running but it looked like they were still trying to pave the road in front of the Vermont State House.

Finally, Naulakha

Here’s a photograph of Rudyard Kipling’s house as you walk up the driveway.

It was fascinating to walk inside the house and go through the rooms. While it’s now available for short term rentals (as a historic property through The Landmark Trust), I think they did a good job of trying to retain the authenticity of the house. The kitchen is equipped for modern day use (toaster, stove, fridge, etc.), but when you walk through the dining room and the guest bedrooms, I did get a sense of Kipling being there.

Couple of things I learned while walking through the house. I didn’t realize he was so incredibly prolific as a writer, or that he made a lot of money doing so. His wife, Caroline, kept a very detailed diary, not only of what their daily life was like up in Vermont, but of their finances. On December 31, 1894, Kipling wrote: “Carrie tots up the books and finds that I have this year earned $25,000. Not exactly a bad record.”

Here’s a picture of his desk and a bookcase filled with his work.

Besides the various small guest rooms (most with single beds), there were two rooms that were designated as “nurseries” for his three children. The plasterwork in the photograph was done by Kipling’s father who was also an illustrator/teacher and curator who spent most of his career in India. There was also an expansive loggia with lovely views of the garden and the mountains in the distance. I could imagine him sitting there during his residence. I could also imagine myself sitting there and writing…

The Attic

We went up to the third floor of the house to see the attic. In this part of the house, there was a pool table, but also a collection of Kipling’s golf clubs. Apparently, he enjoyed playing golf when Arthur Conan Doyle (author of the Sherlock Holmes books) came to visit him. Kipling, according to legend, is also credited with introducing “snow golf” in Vermont. (He painted the golf balls red so he could see them in the snow.)

The Rhododendrons

These were added by the subsequent owners, the Holbrooks, in 1903 but wow, they are amazing! They’ve gotten so large that the bushes have created tunnels where you walk underneath the flowers. I expected them to be intoxicatingly perfumy, but they weren’t at all. It was fun to walk through them and I would have gone back a second time, but there was a bit of a crowd. Lynn did manage to take a photograph of me, so you can see the size of the flowers after nearly 120+ years.

The Years in Vermont

Rudyard Kipling lived in Naulakha for only four years (1892-1896), but it proved to be fruitful. There, he wrote, The Jungle Book, Captains Courageous and also portions of Just So Stories. I still have my copy of the latter. Did I ever think when reading that book as a child that I would one day be able to visit the house where the book was penned? I did not.

Until our next “Let’s Go” adventure.

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An Abbreviated Trip South

I will start at the end of this story first. The plan had been to visit Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Unfortunately, we made it to Richmond, Virginia, when Lynn had a medical emergency (we spent 9+ hours in the ER at VCU) which forced us to cancel the remainder of the trip and return home.

We had spent the day in Richmond, Virginia, walking around the city specifically to visit the Edgar Allan Poe Museum. Once again, we had been there many years before but didn’t remember any of the details! On our “Trip South” in 1987 I wrote, “Went to see the Poe Museum with a collection of memorabilia, a slide presentation and a beautiful quaint garden in a terribly run-down neighborhood.” I’m happy to report that while not totally gentrified, the neighborhood has improved and the museum itself has expanded. They’ve done away with the slideshow and now have an audio tour and three separate buildings to visit. I was tickled that there were quite a few people visiting. (Only because I like to believe that there are at least a few people left in the world that appreciate “old” literature and still like to read books!) This time around, I paid attention, took in all the fun facts about Poe as a writer, and his bad luck with women. Case in point: the first woman he wanted to marry ended up marrying someone else. And the woman he eventually married (his 13-year-old cousin), ended up dying of tuberculosis in the Bronx when she was 24!

Back then, I didn’t realize he had never lived in the house in Richmond (which is described as the oldest residential building in that city.) Turns out a group of Poe “literary enthusiasts” wanted to make some sort of shrine to his work and thus, the museum was established. This these individuals did over 100 years ago!

Late Lunch – Barbecue!

Before we went to the museum, we stopped for a quick bite to eat. Some decent barbecue had been on my list of “musts.” I’m glad we were able to enjoy some really good pulled pork from Oak & Apple with a spicy jalapeño coleslaw on the side. I will mention that this will be the only food photograph I’m posting in this story. You will understand why if you read on.

In The Beginning, Lancaster

But let’s go back to the beginning of the trip. Wow, I had forgotten that just like our trip in 1987, we had started out in Lancaster, PA, too. This time around we were in Lancaster because we had a free hotel room. Two years prior we had made a reservation and only found out that we couldn’t stay there once we arrived because of some sort of “plumbing problem.” The hotel comped us a room somewhere else AND gave us a gift card to come back another time. I wasn’t about to pass up a free stay especially since we were heading in that direction anyway. We had spent the afternoon hiking the Lehigh Gorge trail earlier in the afternoon with the sound of the Lehigh River right next to the path. The water was high and loud with warning signs of “flash flooding” along the way but we kept walking.

We had dinner at the hotel and wine at the bar afterwards and it was just okay. (Hence, no pictures.) The one thing about the hotel I didn’t expect was while they have since abandoned turn-down service, they did manage to put a red rose and some chocolate on the hotel room’s door handle. I can’t even remember the last time we were given roses before “retiring” for the evening. (Actually, I can but it was in France.)

In the morning, after an especially inferior “continental” breakfast (especially since the hotel was quite “posh”), we got on the road and headed to Dunbar, PA, to see Kentuck Knob. Driving from Lancaster, one sees the southern part of Pennsylvania close to West Virginia. Suddenly, we were in the mountains and driving through tunnels that reminded me of northern Italy or Austria! The Blue Mountain tunnel was one of at least three we drove through that day.

We stopped for lunch in the town of Ohiopyle and ended up just grabbing a sandwich since the restaurant we thought we were going to decided they weren’t opening that day. (A common occurrence I’ve discovered during this pandemic.) We had a bit of time to kill before our tour so we walked around and looked at the river and the rapids.

Kentuck Knob

(And yes, that’s not a typo, that’s the name of the house.) Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright from 1953-1956 (when he was in his late 80’s and also working on the Guggenheim Museum in NYC, among other projects at the same time), this Usonian house was built for I.N. and Bernardine Hagan. They lived in the house for nearly 30 years until it was sold to “Lord Palumbo of England” who opened the house for tours in 1996.

We have seen many Wright houses over the years. This was a smaller and more modest house than many of his earlier works but the house is located high up on a hill with some gorgeous property and tons of “natural elements” (i.e., trees) to look at. This works perfectly with Wright’s philosophy of “designing in harmony with the environment” also commonly referred to as organic architecture.

We weren’t able to take any photographs of the inside, but here are some outside shots of this one-story gem.

The name “Kentuck Knob” has a bit of a story behind it which was revealed to us at the end of our visit by our tour guide. Apparently, a New York farmer in the late 1800’s was making his way to Kentucky in search of better farmland when he happened to stop in this part of Pennsylvania. This particular farmer decided that the land he saw there was just as good as any, so to the locals he became known as “Kentuck” (they conveniently dropped the “y”) since that had been his original destination. And the land he purchased? Well, the land was elevated and the hilly terrain was referred to as “knobs.” So the property became known as “Kentuck Knob.” Apparently, after the house was finished, Mrs. Hagan felt she needed a name for her house because the “Kaufmann” house, which was nearby, (also known as “Fallingwater” had one as well. After a research trip to the local historical society and library, she found out the fun facts listed above, and thus, the name of the house was born.

West Virginia!

And then we drove to Morgantown, West Virginia. We like to visit places we’ve never been to. We were disappointed in the town but loved the newly renovated Hotel Morgan. The design team managed to retain most of the original details of the hotel and play up some that made the hotel chic and nostalgic. A back wall at the check-in desk where old school tassel key chains were still hanging? Charming. (We had plastic cards you swipe to open the room door.) Funky furniture, floor tile and cool graphics throughout? Clever. A retro-looking mini-fridge in your room? Beyond cute.

After another uninspiring breakfast at this hotel, too (which I was surprised about given their high marks for design and service), we drove through West Virginia. I have two things to say: Wow and Wow. It was hilly, scenic and there were many places to pull over on the particular four-lane highway we were on to take photos and say “ooh and ahh.” I know you can’t “eat” a view but look at this! It’s gorgeous!

Down to Virginia

Finally, after a quick lunch stop (the third day in a row we had chicken sandwiches), we stopped at Natural Bridge. We had been to Natural Bridge before – or at least since there is already a magnet on our fridge from this attraction, I have to assume the magnet didn’t appear on its own. I vaguely remember seeing it with at least one child or even two. Maybe even pushing a stroller? In any case, the “bridge” and the surrounding rock formations were impressive, the sky was almost a funky turquoise blue, and this time around we walked the pathway all the way to the end of the park and were rewarded with the view of a small waterfall.

On To Roanoke

The “historic” Hotel Roanoke looks like a big Tudor castle in some parts. I loved reading about the history of this hotel which was built in 1882 by the Norfolk and Western Railroad to bring visitors to experience the Blue Ridge Mountain air. It has survived a fire and multiple renovations and it was “deeded” in 1989 by the railroad to Virginia Tech. It is now owned by Hilton and I think the chain did a decent job of keeping the spirit of this hotel alive. (They were also one of the few hotels I’ve seen this summer that seemed to have adequate staff. I also sincerely hope they were paying people well!)

Then, Dinner

We walked across the pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks right across from the hotel and suddenly were in “downtown.” There were shops, restaurants, bars, and lots of people walking around given it was a Friday night. I had picked one particular establishment (billing itself as specializing in both steak and seafood) because I erred on the side of caution thinking our very large hotel couldn’t possible turn out a good meal. (I was wrong; the breakfast we had the following morning was the best meal we had on the trip.)

We had oysters that were decent but our server (who informed us it was his FIRST HOUR on the job) was barely breathing he was so nervous serving us that I didn’t dare ask him where the oysters were from or how they were plated. Then we had a crab cake that was described as their “house special” but it was so mediocre and tasteless I was afraid the rest of the meal would be dismal. It wasn’t. The huge hunk of swordfish that came out was grilled perfectly but served with the usual suspects – zucchini with roasted tomatoes and rice that was pretending to be risotto. We had cocktails, a bottle of wine and skipped dessert. Ultimately, everything was just okay.

The Upshot

Was I disappointed with the food on this trip? More than a little. My biggest problem is that sometimes I only go out to eat because I get tired of cooking at home. This is probably stupid on my part because nine times out of 10, I know that I can cook a better meal than what most restaurants will put before me. I’m not a picky eater and I have no allergies (really a dream client for any chef) but there are certain “standards” I do have. I want to see not only beautifully composed plates coming out of a kitchen but also food that excites me! I want to see a chef who has imagination. I don’t need to see magic every single time, but I want taste. I don’t want to eat a meal where every single plate I’ve ordered has been over-salted. I also don’t want to see the same menu everywhere I go over and over again. It’s just mind-numbing. In fairness, there were no upscale restaurants to visit on this trip. Nor we were close to any major cities where often there are so many good restaurants to choose from that sometimes it’s hard to pick just one or two if you are simply traveling through.

The next morning, we left to drive to Richmond, and well, you already know the end of the story.

We hadn’t driven south in quite a while and even with the long stretches, we saw some beautiful mountains and landscapes, did a moderate amount of hiking (and over six miles in Richmond before Lynn got ill). Most importantly, we did a lot of laughing on this trip and always enjoy each other’s company.

Originally, we thought if the doctor(s) gave him an “all-clear,” we would resume at least a portion of the trip we had to cancel nearly a month ago. And because we absolutely love to “road trip” together, we decided that we’d add on a couple more destinations, too. Unfortunately, there was another trip to the ER less than two weeks after we got home as well as some outpatient surgery. For now our road trip has been postponed indefinitely. Lynn is okay and slowly healing. But I’m looking forward to getting on the road again when it finally does happen!

Until our next “Let’s Go” adventure.

If you’ve missed reading my new book: Get In the Car: A Food and Travel Memoir it’s available on Amazon.

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Hiking: The Story

We are latecomers to the world of hiking. Since our new “forever” home is a mere 30 minutes south of the Adirondack Park, we have a plethora of lakes, ponds, rivers and mountains to climb over, under and through. Consequently, there is absolutely no excuse not to go outside and explore the area. In fairness, this “activity” came about primarily because of COVID. We were “those” people during the pandemic who took up walking as much as we could because we couldn’t travel!

We hiked all last summer and into the late fall only stopping once the snow came. But even then, we would hop in the car and stop to watch the snowmobilers who would often cross our path. Sometimes we’d even clear off a picnic table that was covered in snow or ice just to have lunch. A new thermos was purchased to carry hot soup during the winter as well as an insulated backpack for water and sandwiches in the summer.

We already had enough casual clothes hanging in our closet that we could layer on but decided a set of hiking poles (for me) were a good investment. Since then we have met many types of people on a “trail” with us. There are quite a few couples who look at least 10+ years older than we are, and most of them I think are what could be considered “casual” hikers. Looking at their attire though, they often look as if they should be at the beach. Are you seriously walking in sandals? And wait, is that woman really carrying a purse?

Then there is the requisite young family, toting the kids along, and sometimes even a stroller in tow. (I’m not quite sure how that works when hiking.) While Mom might be a “serious” hiker and properly outfitted, the kids are usually barely keeping up and often would walk behind the parents with a frown on their face and flip-flops on their feet. Then there are the 20-year-olds! I don’t ever want to sleep on the ground unless I have to. But these “true” campers thought ahead. Foam sleeping pads are strapped to the top of their backpacks, water bottles or hydration packs are visible, and unlike the others as noted above, they always have proper gear – particularly decent boots and heavy socks.

This past week we upgraded our footwear to lightweight trail “runners” (after walking in ankle deep mud the week before and ruining our shoes), and then decided to try them out on a trip further upstate as well as Vermont and New Hampshire. There were two bucket list hikes we failed to accomplish last summer so we figured this last week before Labor Day would be a good time!

First Stop: Ausable Chasm

Located in the town of the same name in upstate New York, I was afraid there would be so many visitors that we’d want to turn around. I was wrong; it was fairly empty and we had most of the trail to ourselves. I thought the paths around the rim of the chasm were easy; the walkways not too narrow. We got some really nice views and although it was pushing 90 degrees that day, we were okay.

I have to assume the reason it was so empty where we were walking is that most of the visitors were there for the river rafting, rock climbing, and all sorts of other activities that we weren’t interested in. I mean, do I really want to walk over this narrow “board” they call a bridge just to get to the other side? I think not.

There weren’t a lot of places to stay near Ausable Chasm; there were tons of chain hotels near Plattsburgh (only 20 minutes away), but I couldn’t find a decent restaurant for dinner. The rule is we find the restaurant first, then the hotel. Ideally, in Julie’s “perfect” world, I like both to be within walking distance of each other so there’s no imbibing and driving.

Onward to Vermont

Which is how we ended up in St. Albans City, Vermont. The town looked bigger on the map, but there was a Hilton Garden Inn that was less than two years old, right smack in the middle of town and a restaurant a block away. It was a Tuesday night; we had made a reservation but the restaurant was packed and the hostess, unfortunately, kept turning people away who walked in without one. We had mussels and fish, an attentive server, but ultimately, it was just an okay meal. Hence, no food photos – a first for me!

New Hampshire Next!

Our next destination: Flume Gorge in Franconia Notch State Park in Lincoln. We had booked timed tickets ahead of our visit – again worrying about crowds. Luckily, it wasn’t too busy, and the park made sure that the current two mile hike is one-way only. So if there are people on a trail with you at least they are all going in the same direction. I thought this park and the gorge vistas were much more impressive than Ausable Chasm. The hike was fairly easy but lots and lots of stairs!

Besides the walkways, there were covered bridges to walk through and gorgeous pools of water deep in the bottom of the gorge.

And then we checked into our “Inn.” I only have two words for this place: don’t go. I will not name this very popular Inn and Brewery but will talk about the room and the mediocre food. In the 50+ years I’ve been traveling (42 of them with Lynn), I’ve never actually pulled down the bed covers to reveal torn sheets.* Not once.

Since the fitted sheet was the culprit, I have to ask how the housekeeping staff could possibly have stretched the sheet over the bed and not seen the rip? Since the Inn in question was packed with visitors and reduced staff, we decided to just ignore this issue and sleep on top of the flat sheet. (* On checkout we were given a small credit towards our stay for this “sheet inconvenience,” since I did mention it.)

My Burger Dilemma

Time to talk about the food. I understand the desire for pub/bar fare or whatever you might call it. I refer to such menus as “usual suspects.” That would be burgers, sandwiches, wings, french fries, maybe a salad if you are lucky. When we arrived at the Inn, we grabbed a quick beer and watched platters filled with the above-mentioned food items come out from the kitchen. Many people took home “doggie” bags. I hate that. Many people just ate some of the food and left the rest. I hate that even more. I kept staring at people’s plates (which Lynn hates) trying to see what others were ordering so that I wouldn’t go that route. (Tacos in particular seemed the thing not to order.)

By the time we were ready for dinner (nearly three hours later), I tried to order carefully – a Caprese salad might be okay, I thought. It wasn’t. Out came some greens with no dressing, slices of rubbery mozzarella topped with tasteless tomatoes. Our entrees you might ask? I ordered a cheeseburger (no bun) and onion rings. Lynn ordered the same but got the bun. Both burgers were over cooked and the onion rings, while large and fried, were tasteless. I felt sorry for my fellow diners but then realized most of them were there only to drink and probably didn’t even care if they had something to eat or not.

I’m not opposed to a good hamburger now and then. But it has to be really, really good. Back in the “old” days when we were living on Long Island (and close to NYC), even the “fanciest” of restaurants would invariably have a burger on the menu. The great late chef Joël Robuchon even offered a burger at his famous New York City restaurant L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon located in the Four Seasons Hotel. In my 2007 review at the time, I describe tasty little beef and foie gras burgers crowned with lightly caramelized bell peppers sandwiched between lovely little buns.  (Why when I’m describing that dish does it sound well, incredibly sexual?) Now, give me one of those celebrity chef-inspired burgers, and I, too, will enjoy it immensely! I understand that even the finest restaurant will sometimes offer a burger on their menu to appease those individuals who are less adventurous eaters. I would like to see this trend disappear. That and kid’s meals. When our kids were young, they ordered what we ordered or we shared our dinners with them. And believe me, it’s a no-brainer to figure out why children have eating disorders or more than average food aversions; it’s because of their parents! But I’m diverting from the story.

Back to Vermont

Before we left New Hampshire, we hiked on the Lincoln Woods Trailhead following a branch of the Pemigewwaset River. Unlike upstate New York, where our rivers and creeks have been overflowing, this river was bone dry with huge boulders lining the river bed. The trail was also the site of an old logging camp so in addition to stepping over old railroad ties that were left, we walked quite a bit through the forest, ducking a few fallen oak trees.

With all this hiking, nearly six miles that day, we would look at all the mountains surrounding us but couldn’t really see their vastness. Although it was hazy, after we finished our hike, we drove up to the Hancock Overlook on Kancamagus Highway and got the view of the mountains we were looking for! Yes, it really is a hairpin turn up to the top!

And then we drove to the capital of Vermont. On the way we stopped to see the Martin Covered Bridge. Yes, there are many, many covered bridges in Vermont. This one, however, is special because it was built by a neighbor of farmer William Martin to connect two fields spanning the Winooski River. It’s a small bridge in a very small park (if you blink you will miss it) but historically significant. (And the only “farm” bridge left in Vermont.) Once in Montpelier, we stopped to look at the State House with its gorgeous Greek Revival building and shiny gold dome.

I would have been perplexed if we had not been able find a good restaurant in the capital of Vermont. In reality, the reason we were in Montpelier was to eat one very specific dish at Oakes & Evelyn right on State Street. Fun Julie fact: I read restaurant menus like other people read novels. Furthermore, I will travel long distances (by car or plane but not by boat) to eat at a restaurant that I think might be particularly worthy. Our dinner at Oakes & Evelyn that night hit all the right notes.

A Really Cool Menu

First let me do a special shout out to chef Justin Dain who not only cooked for us that night (with help from his crew) but brought out every single dish to the table we were sitting at outside. We had a lot of fun talking to him about the dishes he created. I think the photographs posted here should give you an idea of the talent in the kitchen, but just to be sure, I’ll give you a brief description as well.

Center photo: the dish that I specifically came to eat – seared foie gras and ahi tuna with fresh strawberries, a pistachio crumble and yuzu gastrique. (See the reason why I visited this place? I’ve never seen this combo before and it exceeded my expectations.) On the left of this amazing dish were a dozen oysters on the half shell from Massachusetts with some neat dipping sauces. On the right, silky smooth homemade gnocchi with corn and Parmesan all tossed together with some mushrooms that tasted like they had just been picked from a forest that morning. (Are you getting hungry yet?)

Then we hit the heavy hitters: Halibut on a bed of creamy polenta with some vegetables and finally for dessert: roasted blueberry and peach shortcake with brown sugar biscuits and vanilla cream. (We’re not total gluttons; we split the last two dishes.)

I once worked with a colleague who used to say that every town has ONE good restaurant. I have discovered that is actually not true. Oakes & Evelyn is not only a find but a top notch restaurant. If you are hiking or skiing in the area, I highly recommend a visit!

Since all good things do have to come to an end, the next day we drove home but not before stopping to see “Ben and Jerry’s Flavor Graveyard” on a hill overlooking their factory in Waterbury, Vermont. I will say this: funny but dumb. It’s not that I don’t like ice cream, I do. It’s just that I don’t like “stuff” in my ice cream. Being a purist, I normally stick with basic flavors like vanilla or chocolate. Lynn thought the “Schweddy Balls” flavor that had been retired was pretty comical though. (And yes, we both like the SNL skit, too.)

In less than a week we will be traveling again. On the agenda: a Frank Lloyd Wright house (Kentuck Knob) in Pennsylvania and then driving further south to Virginia and the Outer Banks. And between the sites to see, we’ve already planned for quite a few hikes along the way.

Until our next “Let’s Go” adventure.