2023 October Fall Leaf Peeping in Maine, NH, VT, NY, MA

 Leaving Quebec, Rod and I traveled together to visit Steven and Jenell in Maine. Not a long trip and just 19 miles over the US border we are there. Rod wanted his passport stamped so we went inside the US Border Customs and they were very obliging. Such nice people!

Steven had some project he was working on and he happily accepted our help, it felt really good to do a little construction work breaking up our routine of travel and relaxing all the time. Evenings were spent around community meals - Jennel and Steven provided BBQ chicken, Tom provided Maryland crab cakes, Rod provided a meal in town. Then I had some help in fixing my awning that had gotten caught in the wind and needed some reinforcement.

Staying a few days we decide to very slowly travel up to Bangor, ME for some shopping and repair on Rods towbar, then up to Millicut, ME for foliage viewing near Mt Kithadin the beginning of the Appalachian Trail.

We are obviously still early for Peak Foliage color but what's the hurry? Not us. In fact the next leg we only go 150 miles a day and lay over a day each night. Arriving back in Bangor we go see the Transporation museum, wow, such an amazing display of snowplows, horse drawn wagons and sleighs, early 18-wheeler trucks.

A few days later we arrive in Bethel, ME and spend a few days, each day the foliage colors are more quantity, more intensity.

This is a picture of the building beside the Bethel Chamber of Commerce Information Center. The best information center I have ever seen! Local driving tours gave us such beautiful scenery.

While we were here we heard from another WIN member Pam and she was 1 hour away. She wanted to see the Gem Museum in Bethel so I went with her and learned allot about gems. They even had moonstones that you could hold and photo yourself.

Tool to make the round stones

Moonrock showing heat burns

Moonrock

Cutting and polishing a gem

Many tools used to cut polish gems

Another day of driving tour

Zoom in read the sign

Booondocking at Cog Railway one of the ways up to Mt Washington. We drove to the top on the other side of the mountain.

You can see the reason it is called a Cog Railroad, the drive is transmitted to the rails through a gear, that's positraction!

Gemstone shaping technique

Me, Pam, Debbie

Top of Mt Washington

Cog Railroad on top of Mt Washington

Extreme weather here

100' waterfall 

Mt Washington Hotel

Self explanatory

So lucky for us to be here with the Foliage at Peak colors! Storm coming with prolonged cold temperatures so time to begin working our way south to warmer climes.

Visiting President Calvin Cooldge Presidential Library and we were surprised to see that it consisted of only one room. Also there was a Ukelalie group playing together and we walked the outed edge of the room while they played! Very different!

Martin Van Buren Presidential Homesite

This is the basement where originally slaves and later indentured servants lived, notice the flooring goes from cement to brick to cobblestones!

This is the water pump located in the kitchen, it pumped up to a holding tank near the bathroom upstairs - indoor plumbing!

I really like to do panographic pictures to catch the whole room

Vanderbuit house near Franklin Delanor Rosevelt home in Hyde Park, NY. Very extravagant!

Another panographic picture - verticle

Panographic horizontal

FDR Library, many things FDR did to restor from the depression. He served 4 terms as president

2 months into his presidency declared a depression. his first 100 days to offset panic.

I wished ALL presidents used good advisors

The desk FDR used in the White House

West point Military Academy

FDR's wife Leonor had her own home near FDR home, here is her secretary apartment

The quote on this portion of a tapestry caught my interest

FDR home

Nearby FDR home is Cole Palen's Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

AHHHHH, time to go see my Honey Tanya its soon her birthday!