2003 Mom's visit to east coast in the Fall

Mom’s Visit East Coast Fall 2003  Arriving on the heels of Hurricane Isabel, Tom’s mother Camille came to Charleston, SC for a visit that shall highlight a road trip through New England

 during the changing of the leaves. Two of Mom's children currently live in Summerville, SC a short distance from Charleston, SC. After viewing the historic homes of Charleston and catching up on family events, Mom, son Tom and wife Nita all depart Charleston to begin this trip to follow the falling leaves .
First stop along the way is Myrtle Beach, SC. Arriving late in the day and setting up camp quickly for we all were very hungry for our favorite mexican dish at Burro Loco. Just as the meal arrived there was seated immediately beside us 3 couples with 2 children each all aged 2-4! Oh joy to work most of the day, drive several hours and then to listen to numerous children at dinner was not at all the planned relaxed meal. Quickly we finish our meal and rush off to find a miniature golf course to challenge ourselves. All of us enjoy the game of miniature golf, and the group directly behind us was allot of fun also. Mom showed her skill as well stopping us at a bridge for a TOLL of a kiss to pass. The "strip" at Myrtle Beach was lightly traveled this night and it was pleasant to drive slowly along looking at the tourist attractions. Nita and Tom told the story of when on a previous visit they had ridden their little scooter along the strip and it happened to be bike week! Many large motorcycles enclosed us as we rode along the strip and the bikers would not look at us. The people walking would look at us and give the thumbs up and laugh as we went by. Nita was sure we would become involved in some trouble if we continued so we made it a very short ride and went back to the motorhome.
Having a full day and late night we went back to the motorhome to rest. Departing Myrtle Beach the next morning we follow Hurricane Isabel's patch through North Carolina and Virginia. High winds and torrential rain had swept through NC and VA leaving fallen trees and damaged building along the way. Following I95 North through NC did not show nearly as much damage as closer along the coast as in Williamsburg, VA. Many areas still without electricity, many homes remain damaged and uninhabitable. All the roadways were clear yet a full week after Isabel passed many areas remain without electricity.

Finding a place to park in Colonial Williamsburg we layed over. In the morning a leisurely breakfast started the day off well. Touring Colonial Williamsburg requires sturdy walking shoes, spread out
over a large area is the original homes and some imported buildings from the

 Revolutionary war period. Persons in period dress roamed the town giving information of life during this time. A preview film showed significant events that led up the the revolution and set the stage for touring this city. The hurricane damage here was significant. Downed trees, some on buildings had the maintenance people very busy. Not excessive yet constant was the sound of chain saws as you tour the historic town. Nita suggested the chain saws were large mosquitoes from the colonial days to help distract us from the sound. Tom's learns that oxen were the preferred power source as they would eat mostly anything as compared to horses that a more selective.



Obviously life was no joking matter during those former times. Described to us was the method of punishment based upon English Law. For minor crimes a public display was very common. Imagine to do something like this in todays times. I am positive a discrimination or harassment lawsuit would be drawn against the court.
Several hours of touring so soon in the trip was tiring. When we leave Williamsburg, VA it is only a 2 hour drive to family members we have not seen in some time.

 

Jim & Mary Heck are cousins of Tom. Mom's husband Fred is brother of Jim's mother Maxine. They greeted us warmly and made us feel very welcome. Jim & Mary had recently completed building a magnificent home near Fredericksburg, VA. Jim had recently retired from the phone company and Mary is 3 years to retirement, they hope to have the opportunity to travel and visit their family in many parts of the country.
Parking in their driveway then touring in the car we visited 

Mount Vernon, VA the location of George Washington's Plantation. Built as a standard 4 room plantation house, George expanded twice to 7 bedrooms, two parlors, study and great hall. 8,000 acres inclusive of 200 slaves and 5 farms were managed by George. A progressive farmer he worked on crop rotation and experimented with new crops. Even during his presidency he had overseer's report to him on his holdings. At his death George's will declared that his slaves be granted their freedom one year after his death and jobs provided for. He had become an advocate of emancipation yet was very aware that the fledgling country was not ready for such a change.

Leaving Virginia we push straight through to Plattsburgh, NY. Missing the workday traffic and starting to see colors on the trees it is very pleasant to feel the dry air and cooler temperatures. Tom has given up his short pants for the remainder of the trip. Picking up HWY 2 just north of Platsburgh the country farms and pleasure of two lane roads are a welcome change to the interstate. Just cruising along at a steady pace through small towns sets the mood for the highlight of the trip.

Vermont is showing a little more color than New York. A stop at Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream factory we take a tour through the manufacturing plant. Designed for children yet with enough interesting facts about making ice creme we enjoyed ourselves. The tasting room was definitely a pleasure too!

Commendable that Ben & Jerry's use local dairy's and absolutely no RSG hormones in their products. When they were bought out the new owners continued the practice to provide a healthy, quality product.
Passing through a small town highlighted as 60's era village we stopped for the night at a very small campground. It appeared to be a former cow pasture turned into campsites. We couldn't help but wonder if the very spot we stayed upon once grazed cows that provided milk for Ben & Jerry's ice cream?
Entering New Hampshire was more colorful yet. We spent two days here taking a road trip through the White Mountains. Each side of the mountains showed different levels of color in the trees. In particular was John Wingate Weeks Historic House. The house is closed for tours excepting weekends but the stone tower is open year round. From the top you can see much of the Presidential Range of mountains. The tower doubles as a fire lookout station and the attendant was very gracious and helpful to point out which mountains names.

Other locations on the tour included three covered bridges, one of which featured a store inside!

A restaurant decorated with train memorabilia. Outlet stores galore (no stops for us) and numerous maple syrup manufactures, seems each home makes their own maple syrup. Of interesting note is that the first run of syrup is clearer of color and milder tasting of all.
Very relaxing staying over a few days, now its time to move on. Choosing to depart from Route 2 for a side trip north along the river, the colors were even better yet. Stopping alongside the road for breakfast, Tom could not resist the pull of

the river. Fishing in short pants in 47 degree air temperature and the water felt about the same is not exactly fun. The view of autumn and the thrill of fishing a new water made it tolerable. What can one expect from a fisherman?
Crossing into Maine the foliage appeared to be lower in color. The temperatures were about the same but the elevation was less and the trees showed it. Laying over in Farmington we decided to push on over the next day to the coast and see the sights of Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor, ME.
Following Hwy 16 N alongside the Androscoggin River the foliage was exceptional. Entering Maine actually showed a dramatic change in the topography. Lower profile hills, broader meadows, roads with longer curves. Not exactly what we had expected but nice to have a change also. As the

road dropped south back to Hwy 2 and , ME it was getting late afternoon so we stop over in a motel/campground for the night.
The next morning a 2 hour drive placed us in Pumpkin Patch RV just outside of Bangor, ME. We decided this would be our base for daily trips to the coast. Pleasant campground and 1 hour from Bar Harbor, ME and Acadia National Park. The drive to the Park was pleasant but by the third day became weary. Perhaps next time we shall stay closer to the attraction we wished to visit.

Bar Harbor, ME envisions stately mansions and spectacular views. Learning otherwise that in 1947 a fire had destroyed much of the mansions left us a little disappointed. The villages themselves were very beautiful and picturesque. We enjoyed in particular the large sailing ships moored in the harbor. Other spectacular views throughout Maine are the Lighthouses. The Bass Harbor lighthouse was listed as the most photographed lighthouse in Maine.

Another attraction we had looked forward to was a lobster meal! Numerous Lobster pounds in every village beckoned us to eat more lobster than we should have.

A cold front on its way and we did not want to spend our time being too cold sends us off toward the south. A short stop in Massachusetts to visit an associate of Tom & Nita then stopping in Connecticut to see Nita's daughter, granddaughter, sister and niece. We are fortunate to have a campground 1/2 mile from the granddaughter Jessica as this was a 4day weekend off from school
This makes for good base to explore from. We went to an apple orchard where they depict a fall festival. Then the highlight is a visit to Newport, RI. Taking everyone for a ride in the motorhome to Newport is fun, everyone can chat and relax as we go. With some of the group having only the day to play tourist we visited two of the five mansions.

The Breakers mansion, named from the original house located on the top of a cliff was constructed in only 2 years, working 24 hours a day this is remarkable how the craftsman completed not only in record time but with the quality and splendor you expect of the Vanderbilt's. The tour guide talked extremely fast and it was difficult to comprehend all of the things she spoke of. With more time to tour it would have been more enjoyable. No pictures were allowed inside except from the loggia, Italian for 3 sided porch.
The second mansion called The Elms was much more enjoyable. Given a walkman radio with a prerecorded message of the tour that also allowed you to stop and look and select additional information to hear was a great advantage. Moving at your own pace yet having information of a guide (radio) you can spend as much time as you liked on any one subject.
Interesting information such as how the woman of the house would manage such a large household, both the financial and labor management. The man of the house would spend many hours a day writing letters to his holdings to manage the company's he owned. It seems that was the predominate method to manage large holdings, through the mail. Obviously you would have to have trusted individuals at each business to execute the instructions.
These Mansions in Newport were used during the summer social season, the rich families of the industrial revolution would come for only 8 weeks of the year. Can you imagine spending 22 million (these days) for a home to be used so little. Then having a staff year round to maintain and protect it. We did learn the primary household members that would follow the family were the head coachman, chef, housekeeper, butler.

When the family was absent the gardener, watchman remained behind to perform maintenance and safeguard the property. Considering the majority of commoners during this period could read or write very little yet the owners would have to write instructions to these maintenance persons, therefore only a select few would qualify for the jobs.

As we depart the Elms we notice a unique fountain depicting water flowing from a woman's breast. None of us have seen such a fountain before. Wonder what the mistress of the house thought of this? Of course that could be why it was located near the exit of the property. Who Knows?


Leaving Connecticut and Rhode Island behind, we head over to the Hudson Valley in New York. Numerous mansions along the river were summer homes for the rich and famous. Camping in West Point as our base we drive in the truck to see the sights.

Franklin Eleanor Roosevelt's home near Hyde Park, NY is very unpretentious. FDR although a wealthy man was not given to elaborate lifestyles. His home is a converted farmhouse overlooking the Hudson River. Dark wood prevailed throughout the house which today seems depressing, yet during the time it was the prevalent style. A mirror placed in the hall allowed the secret service to monitor the bedroom and allow privacy at the same time.
FDR's wife Eleanor operated a furniture factory nearby and after his death converted the factory into a home, where she resided after FDR's death. Amazing is the facts surrounding FDR's political career, in the first 100 days in office he passed numerous legislation. This has set the tone for every president since then to accomplish as much as possible. A museum in a separate building displayed both personal momentous and professional accomplishments of FDR,

Picture at right shows the high winds we experienced the last few days. (Good thing we did not have the awning out)




Just down the street from FDR's house is the "Culinary Institute of America" when we attempted to enter the restaurant we learned the dress code does not allow jeans and shirts without ties. So the two culinary consultants of our group decided to go to the "cafe" inside the institute to sample the wares. Very, Very Good food, prepared by the students even here in the cafe. Mom had a quiche, Nita a soup and salad, Tom a white pizza. Thumbs up from the consultants!

Next mansion is a Rockefeller estate called Kykuit. Originally a farmhouse used to escape the city on
 weekends, junior decided to expand for his parents. 3000 acres with big house at 3 story, the play house at 3 buildings each larger than most homes, golf course, 2 pools. The guide provided much history around the house and family with extensive art collections by both Junior and the governor Nelson.
First picture at right is the tour ending at the carriage house. Formerly for horses and carriages, now it houses 2/3 cars and 1/3 buggy's and stable paraphanelia.
Difficult to tell with photo's is that both of the homes along the Hudson River that we visited were elaborate on the outside yet much simpler and a feeling of family use as compared to the homes in Newport, RI. They had the definite feel of social occasions much more common and the furnishings reflected they were showing off their possessions.
At the entrance to Kykuit is an farm that formerly possessed slaves. Very rarely do we hear about slavery in the north, yet obviously it did happen. This was the Phillipsburg Manor and farmstead. An active farm with waterwheel powered mill. Wheat was the principal product with corn secondary. The slaves would raise crops and process them for shipment. Inbound goods were also warehoused here for sale to the local population. Displays included an active grain mill, warehouse combined dwelling, slave cabin depicting common tasks for the time period. While we were there they were demonstrating preserving and storing of harvested crops. Tom in particular learned that root cellars for tuber crops were packed in sand to help drain moisture and preventing rot. Sun drying, pickeling and herbal curing were the common preservation methods.

Of course everyone knows the story behind this sign! The actual name of the village located just before Rockefeller's mansion. I wonder if Rockefeller chose this location for reasons other than the proximity to the city and the view of the river?

Other attractions that are nearby yet we did not have the time to visit are:
Union Church of Pocantico Hills
Lyndhurst - Washington Irvings home
Olana State Historic site - artist Frederick Church home
Montgomery Place - 434 acre estate with mansion
Clermont Mansion - oldest of the Hudson Valley estates
Wilderstein - friend and cousin of FDR
Mills Mansion - 65 room home
Val-Kill - Eleanor Roosevelt home
Vanderbilt Mansion - Frederick Vanderbilt
Locust Grove - Samuel Morse home
Van Cortland Mansion

So much to do and so little time. Off we go to the Amish country region of Pennsylvania. As we go to see the sights , we learned the camera battery has not recharged. Oh boy we are sure to see things that absolutely belong in the page here and no camera to capture it. So we decided that as we depart Sunday morning we shall keep the camera (recharged) at hand to provide some pics for the web page.
Breakfast Saturday morning in Intercourse, PA along with several local Amish people. Watching and listening to them you find there is no reason to fear them. They do not preach and attempt to convert people. Their conversations are similar to any other small town. The meal was very good. Tom ordered the Amish Omelet, had plenty of vegetables and ham in good proportions that tasted excellent. Home made bread toasted of course for breakfast was excellent. Mom had chipped beef over homefries, made with cream instead of flour. Nita's egg sandwich on home made bread was very good also.
Touring the area on a Saturday was very crowded with tourists. Nita and Mom found several unique items in the shops and a visit to the information center for a film of "Who are the Amish" was enlightening. Seems the population of Amish people has outgrown the area and the younger generation have no farms available to them so they must turn to other skills to make their way. Carpentry, metal working are common trades they must work at to earn a living. The "Old Order" or in some religion's called "devout" members are the people who refrain from use of worldly things (cars, electricity, television, movies). The thought is that the more worldly things you use the more attention is taken away from God. There is some merit to this that all of us can understand, as we run the rat race of society to earn our living, the more time and energy we spend and forgetful of simple basic teachings of the bible. Many modern churches work hard to show their congregation how easy it is to be tempted in the secular world. So the Amish have simply chosen a method to prevent the temptation to stray for the bible's teachings.
The by-product of this is why tourist flock to see the Amish settlements, we are all searching for the relaxed lifestyle they exhibit. Using a horse and buggy for transportation obviously forces you to slow down and enjoy the ride. Not like many of the rest of us, rushing from store to store to find items in our car, rushing our children to events constantly, rather than children staying home more and having a family life. Its no wonder we lose contact with our children as much as does happen.
Enough of the reflections on the woes of society.
Enormous and well maintained farms abound in the area. Certainly not all of the farms are Amish and nearly all of the farms are well maintained. Beautiful to drive a country road viewing fields harvested, silos full of crops, roadside stands of vegetables and often horse and buggy's prancing beautifully along the side of the road. This is definitely a worthwhile visit. Although we have decided that next time it shall be during the week when it is less crowded with tourists.

Time to return to South Carolina to spend time with Barbara. Tom & Nita off to Georgia for a while.