New England
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island
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On top of Rhode Island: Jerimoth Hill
Despite living in the northeastern US for six years, I only managed to check off three of the nine state high points. It wasn’t for a lack of trying. We had plans to summit the highest point in New York before we moved away, but a late spring snowstorm thwarted that one. We also intended… Continue reading
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Labor Day Weekend at Cape Cod National Seashore
I’d been wanting to make it out to Cape Cod since the day I moved to New England, but for some reason it never happened. I did make it part way out once, to approximately the “elbow,” for a bachelorette party. (Ask anyone from New England where something is located on Cape Cod and they’ll… Continue reading
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A dash of colonial history at Old Sturbridge Village, Massachusetts
Much of my history education centered around Native Americans and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Sure, I learned the basics of what life was like in colonial times, but life on the plains or in mining towns was very different from life in New England. Fortunately I was able to visit quite a few historical… Continue reading
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Flume Gorge & the Old Man of the Mountain… sort of – Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire
Ask anyone in New England what the most iconic image of New Hampshire is, and they’ll probably say the Old Man of the Mountain. I imagine most of my US readers know what I’m talking about: the giant cliff face that looks like the profile of an old man. This was actually somewhat of an… Continue reading
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Exploring the White Mountains
My mom always enjoys telling the story of how this White Mountains trip came to fruition. The short version is this: a couple days after making the campground reservation, I FaceTimed her to discuss a gift I wanted for my birthday. The camping and our plan to climb Mount Washington came up in conversation and,… Continue reading
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On Top of New England: Mount Washington, New Hampshire
In my quest to summit all the state high points of the northeast, Mount Washington long seemed so out of reach. It was too long a drive for a day trip. It was even really too long for a normal weekend trip, considering it takes a whole day to summit the mountain. Plus, weekends there… Continue reading
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An Homage to American Art – Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, New Hampshire & Weir Farm National Historic Site, Connecticut
There are only two National Park Service sites in the US that are devoted to art – one celebrates a famous sculptor, and the other a famous painter. Without really doing any research, my mom and I coincidentally ended up visiting both of them in the same week. In late June, my mom, boyfriend, and… Continue reading
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That time I climbed a frozen waterfall!
Almost everyone I talked to thought I was crazy for wanting to ice climb. It’s cold, they’d say. And isn’t it dangerous? What if the ice breaks? And what about all the sharp objects involved? They might’ve had a point on that last one. I came home with torn pants and a bruise on my… Continue reading
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A Taste of Vermont
When I say ‘food’ and ‘Vermont’ in the same sentence, I’m guessing the first thing that comes to mind for many of you is maple syrup. It’s probably what Vermont is most known for, food wise. But I actually don’t like maple syrup – which, by the way, is pronounced “SEER-up” in New England –… Continue reading
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On Top of Vermont: Mount Mansfield
Labor Day weekend was finally upon us, and we had an exciting goal to accomplish: summiting the highest point in Vermont. The weather forecast was solid and we’d climbed the highest mountain in Massachusetts the weekend before in preparation. We were ready for this! Mount Mansfield rises to an elevation of 4393 feet (1339 m)… Continue reading
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On Top of Massachusetts: Mount Greylock
Today, we return to the “On Top of” series I began a while back as I recount our hike up the highest point in Massachusetts: Mount Greylock! With an elevation of 3491 feet (1064 m), Mount Greylock is much taller than either of the previous state high points we’d visited. It has a prominence of… Continue reading
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History, Pottery, and Covered Bridges –Bennington, Vermont
It took me multiple years of living in New England to realize that spring and fall are by far the best times to travel. Summer is hot and humid and everything is crowded. Winter is cold and miserable. But in spring and fall, the weather is usually decent, crowds are drastically diminished, and entrance fees… Continue reading
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Witches, ships, pirates, and beer – Salem, Massachusetts
It’s ridiculous, really, how successful I’ve been at procrastinating writing this post. I’m not sure why. I think I just haven’t been in the mood to write about the northeast now that I’m surrounded by the mountains of Colorado. But as I sit down to finally finish this, it’s cold and snowy and I can’t… Continue reading
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Extravagance on display in Newport, Rhode Island
Next up in the continuing saga of my obsession with Groupon: a trip to Newport, Rhode Island, which began when I found a $49 per night hotel stay. And this wasn’t some crappy hotel. It was clean, three minutes from the beach, and that price got us a king-sized suite for the night! (Of course,… Continue reading
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Fossils + camping on the shores of Lake Champlain – Grand Isle, Vermont
After a fun but rainy few days in Canada, we crossed back into our home country for the final days of our vacation. Customs was deserted so it was a quick border crossing, leaving us most of the day to meander through northern Vermont. We crossed part of Lake Champlain on the Korean War Veterans… Continue reading
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On Top of Connecticut: Bear Mountain
I haven’t decided yet if I’m a High-Pointer – that is, a person who sets the goal of standing atop the highest point in each state. The part of me that’s drawn to superlatives (the tallest, oldest, etc.) loves the idea. The part of me that enjoys making lists and crossing things off of lists… Continue reading
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Maritime Explorations – USS Nautilus Submarine, Charles W. Morgan Whaling Ship, and Mystic Seaport
My boyfriend really likes boats. Not as much as he likes blimps… which is a story for another time. But his inner child gets really excited about boats. (Truthfully, mine does too.) So I planned a nautical-themed day for us on the Connecticut coast and, I have to admit, I very much enjoyed it as… Continue reading
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A City of Firsts – Plymouth, Massachusetts
Fall was busy, so aside from my Providence getaway I didn’t do much traveling. Once the holidays arrived, I still had to stick around for a few days to take care of some things before heading home. However, I had more free time than usual. It was a few days before Christmas and things were… Continue reading
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That time I drove all the way to Providence for dinner
Well, I guess the title of this post kind of gives everything away. But yes, I did once drive to Providence, Rhode Island just to go to dinner. Why, you ask? Well, my aunt and uncle were passing through and booked a hotel in the area so they could spend a couple days with me.… Continue reading
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The Seaboard – Acadia National Park, Maine (part II)
When I left off last week, my family and I had just crossed the sandbar back to Mount Desert Island from Bar Island. This was a fairly leisurely walk, and served as a nice warm-up for our next hike: The Beehive. The Beehive trail climbs 520 feet (160 m) in 0.8 miles (1.3 km) to… Continue reading