Wrapping up our leaf peeping adventure.......Williamsburg, Va

Happiness is finding a BUC-EE'S along the route!

After saying goodbye to Ben, who headed back to New York, we pointed our rental car south.  We had one more stop as we made our way towards Florida.  However, as far as "leaf peeping" we were pretty much done.  The further south we headed, the greener the leaves on the trees became.  No worries, from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York and Pennsylvania we saw some amazing color!

We had spent some time in the Williamsburg area previously and were looking forward to our return visit.  Williamsburg is located 51 miles southeast of Richmond.  It, along with Jamestown and Yorktown, make up what is known as the "Historic Triangle".  All three settlements have a significant place in American History.  Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement, founded in 1607.  Yorktown was the site of the final major land battle in the American Revolution.  Williamsburg served as the capital of Virgina from 1699 to 1780.

Today the Historic Triangle has a population of close to 160,000 people.  It has a vibrant and diverse economy that includes tourism, industrial, educational and military connections.

Our six days there were a nice combination of relaxing and exploring.  Our exploring ran the gamut from a day at Williamsburg's Busch Gardens where their Halloween festivities, known as Howl-O-Scream were in full swing, to strolling around the historic Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown areas.  It's a great place to visit.  We enjoyed every minute of our time there. 

Greenspring's Trail in Williamsburg

Merchants Square sits between Colonial Williamsburg and the beautiful William & Mary Campus.  It's a pedestrian friendly area filled with shops and restaurants.

We're not really into all the Halloween (Howl-O-Scream) stuff, but we did have a great time at Busch Gardens-Williamsburg.  The shows were outstanding, and we left shortly after sunset, just as all the ghosts and goblins were coming out!

From Busch Gardens to........

Colonial Williamsburg............

there is something for everyone!

Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown make up what is known as the Historic Triangle

York River State Park

From Williamsburg it was about a 13-hour drive to Bradenton.  We did most of it in one day, spending the final night in Starke, Fl before wrapping it up the next morning.

We picked up the rental car in Portland, Maine on September 24.  When we handed it in on October 17 in Bradenton we had logged in 2,919 miles!  That's a lot of miles and a lot of memories!

  

Leaf Peeping in Pennsylvania

 

Dingmans Falls in the Pocono Mountains Delaware River Gorge

Ben's place in New York is less than a two-hour drive from Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains.  At this time of year his days off are Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  We were able to coordinate his schedule with ours so that he could join us for our two-night stay in Pennsylvania.  We booked our stay in the small community of White Haven that was centrally located for exploring the Pocono's.

Ben had spent a little time in the Pocono's previously, but for Beth and I this was our first visit and it certainly didn't disappoint.  After checking in at the hotel and getting a quick bite to eat at the White Haven Family Diner we were off to explore the area.

We spent the afternoon in the small town of Jim Thorpe, which is frequently referred to a Pennsylvania's most charming small town.  Rural Pennsylvania is full of small, charming towns, and while we haven't seen all of them, it was easy to see why Jim Thorpe stands out.  The town is located along the Lehigh River.  The historic downtown is full of shops, restaurants and boutique hotels.  It was a Tuesday afternoon and while it was busy, it certainly wasn't overcrowded (I've read it can be really crowded on weekends).  Below are a few photos from around the town:

North Street is Jim Thorpe's "Main Street"

In addition to roaming the historic district, we enjoyed taking a ride on the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway which rambled along the river's edge.  Between the railroad tracks and the river is the Lehigh Gorge Trail, a multiuse use trail that runs for over 20 miles and connects to a larger corridor of trails that is more than 160 miles in length.  

Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway

The one hour train ride on the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway was great!

Jim Thorpe is a very interesting town to visit.  Equally interesting is how the town got its name.  

The original name of the town was Mauch Chuak, which means "Bear Place" in the Munsee-Lenape Native American Language.  It was one of the first "coal boom" towns in the United States.

Jim Thorpe (the person) was born in 1887 in Oklahoma and was a member of the Sac and Fox Nation.  In 1912 he won two gold medals (pentathlon and decathlon) for the United States in the summer Olympic games which were held in Stockholm, Sweden.  He also played professional football, baseball and basketball.  He is often referred to as the greatest all-around athlete of all time!  In addition to his athletic achievements, he was also an actor who appeared in over 70 films.

Although there were a lot of highs, he also faced numerous lows.  He was stripped of his two gold medals because he had violated his "amateur status" by playing two years of semi-professional baseball prior to the Olympics (the medals were reinstated 30 years after his death).  Additionally, there were numerous bad business decisions and health issues along the way.  He passed away in 1953 at the age of sixty five.

After his death and unbeknown to the rest of the Thorpe family, his third wife made a "deal" with the officials of Mauch Chuak, Pa. which was looking for a way to increase tourism.  They essentially purchased his remains, erected a monument and renamed the town, Jim Thorpe.  Thorpe had no prior connection either directly or indirectly to the area, and yet he is buried there, and the town is named after him.  A strange but true story!  

Jim Thorpe's Grave

Ben checking out some of Thorpe's Olympic accomplishments

On our second day in the Pocono's, we enjoyed exploring the town of Stroudsburg, Dingman Falls and hiking a bit in George W. Childs Park.  It was a great day, made even better that Ben was able to enjoy it with us!

Old Engine Works Market Place in Stroudsburg.  If you can't find it in there either you don't need it or it doesn't exist!

Downtown Stroudsburg

Dingmans Falls

George W. Childs Park had several small but really nice waterfalls

  

Leaf Peeping (and more) in New York

 

Checking out Ben's new jeep which he has named "Buster"

We left Smugglers Notch before the sun came up.  We knew it was going to be a fairly long travel day partly because the route we chose wasn't the quickest, but it was the most scenic and adventurous.  It included taking the Charlotte, VT. to Essex NY. ferry across Lake Champlain.  The ferry ride, which is about 30 minutes, was very enjoyable in spite of it being a little windy and chilly.

Ready to go...........

Sunrise as the ferry was departing Charlotte, Vt.

Charlotte-Essex Ferry

Once we were off the ferry, we made our way through the Adirondack Mountains towards Lake Placid and Saranac Lake.  We had visited these areas previously, so our stops were short.  A bite to eat, picked up a few groceries and took a couple of photos and we were off.  Afterall, we had Ben and Allie waiting for us!

A few photos from Saranac Lake

We made it to Ben's area around 2:30 and met him for a late lunch at a local favorite, Spiedie and Rib Pit.  If you're not familiar with a Spiedie, you're not alone.  It's a local sandwich consisting of grilled cubes of marinated meat that is served in an Italian roll or Pita bread.  They're very tasty and if you're in the Southern Tier area of New York, you might want to try one.

Spiedie and Rib Pit 

It was a beautiful day, and we had been in the car for most of it, so Ben and I decided to play nine holes of golf on a local course that we had previously enjoyed.  We had a blast, even though I took a pretty good beating.

Chenango Commons Golf Course is a nine-hole course (Par 30) alongside the Chenango River

When we got to Ben's apartment Allie was thrilled to see us.  We were thrilled to see Allie and to also see Ben's newly decorated place, which looks great.  It's very "Ben like" with lots of sports memorabilia, travel pictures and plenty of bears!

Building shelves under Allie's close supervision

We had a great week staying with Ben. He lives in the Endwell/Binghampton/Endicott area.  From his place there are numerous "day trip" adventures within an hour or two in all directions. In spite of his busy work schedule during the "season", we had several great adventures with him.  We also had a few more on our own during his workdays.

The town of Skaneateles (skinny-atlas) is located on the north end of Lake Skaneateles, which is one of New York's "Finger Lakes".  It is about an hour and a half drive from Ben's, making it a very easy day trip.   We took advantage of one of Ben's days off to drive over for a visit.  Beth and I had been there before, but it was Ben's first visit.  In addition to looking around the city center, and lunch at Doug's Fish Fry we enjoyed the fifty-minute narrated lake tour on the Judge Ben Wiles.

On board the Judge Ben Wiles.  

Back on land.  Thanks to the excellent narration, we know a lot more about the history of the area!

Doug's Fish Fry, a Skaneateles favorite!

Mid-Lakes Navigation (Tour Boat Operator)

Doug's Fish Fry

The Roba Family Farm started as a family-owned Christmas Tree Farm in 1990.  Over the years it has grown and expanded into a Fall Family experience that attracts visitors from all over.  The farm is actually located in Pennsylvania, but only about an hours drive from Ben's.  We visited the farm one afternoon/evening after Ben got off work.  He had been there the previous year and knew we would like it, and of course he was right.  

The huge farm has so many family friendly activities for kids of all ages.  We had a blast checking out the variety of animals, the corn maze (we had to have some help to find our way out), the glowing pumpkin trail, food, games and so much more.  

Along the "Glowing Pumpkin Trail"

The farm is near Scranton, Pa.  Home of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company!

Roba Family Farms

Fresh Apple Cider, Apple Cider Donuts and a whole lot more!

The Cider Mill-Endicott, NY

While Ben was working away over the weekend Beth and I did a bit more exploring on our own.  On Saturday we drove to Ithaca, which is about an hour away.  Ithaca is located on the southern end of Cayuga Lake, which is also one of the New York Finger Lakes.  There are two colleges in Ithaca, Cornell University and Ithaca College. making it a vibrant and diverse city.

The Ithaca Farmers Market was doing a bustling business on a Saturday morning.

There are numerous state parks, gorges and waterfalls in the Ithaca area.  This is Taughannock Falls, at 215 feet it is the tallest free-falling waterfall east of the Mississippi River (33 feet taller than Niagara Falls).

There are numerous wineries in the Finger Lakes region.  We enjoyed live music and relaxing at Lucas Vineyards while enjoying one of their white wines.

On our way to Ithaca on Saturday we passed through the small community of Newark Valley.  They were celebrating their annual Apple Festival at the Bement-Billings Farmstead Museum.  We didn't stop since we already had plans for the day.  However, we did go back on Sunday.  It was a nice, small-town celebration with lots of historical displays, food and music.

Gospel Bluegrass at the Newark Valley Apple Festival!  

As the saying goes, "time flies when you're having fun".  Our week at Ben's flew by!  It was time to pack it up and head on down the road.  However, we only had to say goodbye to Allie.  Ben had two days off, so Ben and I lead the way in Buster the Jeep and Beth followed in our rental car to our next stop in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania for a few more adventures.

Leaf Peeping in Vermont

 

Like our other drives on this leaf peeping adventure, the route between North Conway and Smugglers Notch, Vermont was on small, scenic back roads.  It wasn't because of brilliant planning, but we were very pleased that with the exception of a few miles we had avoided interstate driving.

According to Google Maps the drive between North Conway by way of "the Kanc" and Franconia Notch State Park to where we were staying at Smugglers Notch was about five hours.  We hit the road early and turned it into a full day adventure.

Smugglers Notch Resort is located in Jeffersonville, which is just a short, very winding 13-mile drive from Stowe.  The large resort has numerous outdoor activities ranging from hiking, mountain biking, tennis, swimming in the summer, and skiing and snowboarding in the winter.  The summer crowds were gone, and the winter crowds weren't there yet.  Even though there were plenty of fellow "leaf peepers", it was fairly quiet.

Smugglers Notch Resort

We enjoyed spending one of our two full days in Stowe.  With a population of just over 5,000, Stowe is fairly small in size.  Amazingly, it plays host to over 1 million visitors annually who come to enjoy the variety of outdoor activities, craft beers and ciders, restaurants and shopping.  We visited on a Sunday and businesses along Main Street and popular places such as the Cold Hollow Cider Mill and Ben and Jerry's Original Ice Cream Factory were doing a very brisk business.

Pedestrian Covered Bridge over the Little River

Cold Hollow Cider Mill

Cold Hollow Cider Mill

Free Samples at the end of the tour (all tours were sold out so we couldn't participate) and plenty to choose from for purchasing!!

Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory

After a good night's sleep with visions of Ben and Jerry's Half Baked Ice Cream (Cookie Dough and Brownies) dancing in our heads we were ready to do a bit more exploring.  Just a short 10 minute drive north of Smugglers Notch is the small village of Jeffersonville.  There is a nice, covered bridge (Grist Mill Covered Bridge) that spans the Brewster River.  The bridge was built in 1872 and is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

The Grist Mill Historic Covered Bridge

The Brewster River from the Grist Mill Covered Bridge

Near the bridge was a trailhead for the Brewster River Gorge Trail.  To be honest, there were a number of trails in the area and we were never sure of the name of the trail we were walking.  It could have been the Brewster River Gorge Trail, or it could have been another trail.  Whatever trail we were on was a nice, fairly flat trail that ran beside the river.  We enjoyed it for a couple of miles before turning around and hiking back along the same trail.

We weren't sure if we were on the trail we wanted to be on, but it was a nice one!

We rewarded our efforts at a really good burger shack called the Burger Barn.  They had a huge selection of cooked to order burgers on their menu.  While we can't remember what we picked, we do remember them being very tasty!  Check it out if you're close by, you'll be glad you did (note: the Burger Barn is "cash only").

Burger Barn

Next up............on to New York for more leaf peeping and special time with Ben and his sweet Allie!

Allie!