Field Trip: East Coast Road Trip

While Ryder is attending a two week camp in Putney, Vermont at Landmark College, Sam and I are roadtripping around New England seeing the sights and visiting friends. During my planning process, I decided to swing for the fences and go big. All in all we, we explored in 12 states, drove over 3,300 miles for 67+ hours of driving, survived one leaky tire and one official flat on another tire, visited 53 National Park Units with 44 New and 9 Revisits, ate delicious foods in every state, visited with many friends, and learned a lot of life lessons along the way.

Day #1: I let the boys sleep in while I revisited the African American National Historical Site with my official tour ticket. Upon returning, I revisited the Boston lNational Historical Park to collect another official stamp. Then the boys and I took a ferry to Spectacle Island to complete my Boston Harbor Island National Recreation Area official visit. And it was so fun to run into my friend Tiffany and her daughter on the boat on our return! The fun thing about traveling and putting yourself out into new adventures, is that you encounter friends along the way! It was time to head North, so started our roadtrip with a visit to Lowell National Historical Park and toured the Old Mill. That night, we stayed in Keene, New Hampshire to be closer to Landmark College … which is the entire reason for the trip for Ryder to attend their College Preparatory Camp. I am just using the time from drop-off to pick-up to be a Park Chaser.

Day #2: In the morning, we dropped Ryder off at camp, met his awesome roommate, attended the family orientation … and then we were off! Our first stop was Saint-Gaudens National Historical Site, the only NPS Unit in New Hampshire. Next was to walk the grounds at Marsh-Billings-Rockafeller National Historical Park, the only NPS Unit in Vermont. We spent the night in Portland, Maine … finally making it to the other Portland, a life-long dream of mine!

Day #3: After breakfast, we toured around Portland in the morning and drove up to Freeport to visit the LL Bean Flagship Store, and to score the iconic photo in front of the big boot. Then we headed to Acadia National Park, my 35th National Park!!! We hiked the Carriage Road up to Jordon Lake. Then we landed in beautiful Bar Harbor at the Acadia Hotel. I explored the cute town and took a walk on the beautiful Shorewalk that parallels the ocean. Sam and I venture out for dinner at the Bar Harbor Inn with beautiful views of Frenchman’s Bay. I had my first lobster roll of the trip and it was delicious! Afterwards, we stopped for some ice cream for Sam. Bar Harbor is beyond charming and I will be coming back one day for sure!

Day #4: We learned from fellow travelers at the bar that we needed to make a reservation for Cadalliac Mountain. I was super lucky to snag one for the morning. We drove up the mountain to see the views, but the fog was so thick, we just enjoyed hiking around a bit. Then it was off to meet up with friends in Camden, but the fog was so thick, they couldn’t sail to meet us there, so we drove to them in adorable Boothbay Harbor, ME. We spent time on their boat, explored the town and had a delicious dinner at our hotel, the Boothbay Harbor Oceanside Golf Resort … which is not on the ocean nor has a golf course on location, but was still a lovely place to post up for the night.! Although we did miss out on visiting Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument and Saint Croix Island International Historic Site, I now have a reason that I must revisit beautiful Maine.

We fell in love with the American Dog sculpture by Dale Rogers! And we saw his studio while driving around Massachusetts “I can travel all over the country with the dog for shows and people will stop me and say “Is that the dog from the highway?” There is a 16-foot tall version of my American Dog in Massachusetts on Route 495 South at exit 48. It has become a highly visible landmark and icon for all in the region. My hope is to one day replace it with a 43-foot-tall dog, thus making it into the record books with the largest dog sculpture around.”

Day #5: We headed to visit the Cape Cod National Seashore. I have always dreamed of going to Cape Cod since I was a kid. It had such a cool vibe and then there was the famous 1979 song by Rupert Holmes called Escape (aka The Piña Colada Song). And my friends Brian and Jon just bought a house in Sagamore Beach, so the Cape was calling! We had an awesome dinner at The Red Inn and loved our unique AWOL Hotel in Provincetown.

Brain said this photo is front cover worthy!

Day #6: While Sam slept in, I explored P-Town on one of AWOL’s bikes. I love riding bikes and exploring, so it was the perfect morning of fun adventure. We explored at three NPS Units today, New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park, Roger Williams National Memorial, and Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park. Our adventure took us to Rhode Island and Connecticut, both new states for me. The highlight of the day was eating at Mystic Pizza. At night, I rewatched the movie which was a blast from the past.

Day #7: Today was a big drive day and we covered a lot of territory. Sam was a trooper and is skilled in car napping. I am thankful that he supports my crazy passion and I always promise him delicious food at the end of the day. We started the day at the beautiful Weir Farm National Historical Park in Connecticut, then we crossed into New Your to explore at the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historical Site, the Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, the Val-Kill Eleanore Roosevelt National Historical Site, the Upper Delaware National Scenic and Recreational River, and finally the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. That is a total of six NPS Units in one day, my new personal record!

Day #8: We started in Scranton, Pennsylvania today and had another big day of exploring. We started at Steamtown National Historical Site, then to Hopewell Furnace National Historical Site, Valley Forge National Historic Park, Edgar Allen Poe National Historical Site, Thaddeus Kosciuscko National Memorial (so lucky that the site was open on the day we were visiting as it has very limited hours!), and a revisit to Independence National Historical Park. Another big day with six NPS Units, but so much fun! We had Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches at Sonny’s Famous Cheesesteaks.

Day #8: We started off the day in Delaware with a visit to First State National Historical Park. and then made our way towards Maryland with stops at Hampton National Historical Site, Fort McHenry National Monument, and Greenbelt Park. Sam has been such a great travel companion, I decided to make it a short day so we could enjoy our nice hotel suite upgrade at Marriott Bethesda Downtown at Marriott HQ. We also had dinner plans with our friends we met in Puerto Rico, so we didn’t want to be late for the reservation. We ate at Millie’s Spring Valley Restaurant and I had the soft shell crabs, which were delicious!

Day #9: We visited Clara Barton National Historical Site, got a treasure trove of stamps at the George Washington Memorial Parkway, visited Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts (a revisit for me), Great Falls Park (which we loved!), Monocacy National Battlefield, we stumbled upon Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (which was a bonus!), walked along the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail (another bonus!), we explored at Harper's Ferry National Historical Park, went to Antietam National Battlefield (where I got attacked by mosquitos), Cotoctin Mountain Park, Gettysburg National Military Park and finally to Eisenhower National Historical Site (which I had to go to twice as I went to the wrong house today!). The total of the day is 12 NPS Units, a new record for me … and so much fun!

Day #11: Today was a day all about patience. When we started out today, we had a “Low PSI” alert on the car. So I went to Sheetz gas station to fill up our low tire. The we were off to revisit the correct Eisenhower National Historical Site, then to Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Friendship Hill National Historic Site, and Flight 93 National Memorial, which is a very impactful NPS Unit. The tire kept on dipping down and I kept on filling it up at Sheetz stations cause I knew they had air compressors. I had hoped to visit two other NPS Units today, but it became very apparent that our tire was not going to make the journey. So we punted and drove to another Sheetz, checked into our hotel, and called Budget. Budget informed me they had a new car for me at the local airport and that I should pick it up in the AM. So I grabbed dinner and put my stamps of the day into my book only to discover my first complete “Spread”!

Day #11: Today was a day for the roadtrip travel books! I woke up early to get to the airport to exchange the car. However, once I started the car, I only had 8 psi on the tire. So I pivoted quickly and called a Lyft driver to come pick me up. Brian arrived soon thereafter and we became fast friends. When I arrived at the regional airport 15 minutes before it was to open, the Budget Agent was handing keys to another driver. I waited my turn and then showed him the text confirming my car. He informed me that he did not have a car for me as he just rented my car to the gentleman before me. WTF! So I pointed to the 10 other cars in their parking area and he said those cars must be returned to only this airport and not to Boston, as was my plan. I felt like I was on the Seinfeld Finale! I quickly rebooked a Lyft, knowing Brian would be the closest driver as I was in a rural location. Brian arrived back quickly and then saves the day. He offers to take my rental to Sheetz, fill up the tire to drive it to the Torres brothers to hopefully patch. He gave me his car keys to ensure trust and he drove off. As I waited anxiously on the curb, he texts back that it was a puncture and they were able to fix the tire. THANK YOU BRIAN!!!

And by a little after 10am, we were back on the road and visiting another NPS Unit. They don’t call us Park Chasers for nothing!

Next up was Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historical Site (which Sam loved!) and Johnstown Flood National Memorial. Then we drove our new revitalized tire all the way up to Buffalo, NY. And we got upgraded to a suite with a kitchen (sans any silverware or plates) at The Westin Buffalo.

Day #12: They were able to reschedule our entry to the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site. Thank goodness! We did a quick tour of the grounds and interior. Then we headed out to Niagra Falls. We figured since we were up here, we should see this mega natural attraction. I had purchased us tickets on the Maid of the Mist boat for us to sail near the big falls, but after walking around and checking it all out, Sam and I decided it was not our scene. There were so many people there plus the line to the boat was huge. We opted to get back to Buffalo and have some Buffalo Wings for lunch at Gabriel's Gate. It was a delicious decision indeed!

Then we head out to Seneca Falls, NY to visit the “Birthplace of Equity” at the Women's Rights National Historical Park and then over the NPS Unit that we are most excited about, the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park. After our visit, as we were en route to get our official stamp at the New York State Equal Rights Heritage Center, I hit something in a parking lot across the street and popped the tire (actually sliced it pretty good!). and It started to go flat immediately. Perhaps the Heavens were telling me to slow down a wee bit? We waited over 5 hours for a tow-truck to arrive and Budget never sent the many times promised Uber. So we rode to Syracuse on the flatbed truck. After many recorded calls, Budget finally agreed to reserving us a car at the Syracuse Airport that was closer rather than the Ithaca Airport that was further away. Sam and I laughed the entire time, cause what else can you do? We got the car, grabbed some beverages, and checked into the hotel, only to get upgraded to a two-bedroom apartment. Sam has good luck, just like his Dad, when it comes to getting upgrades. So now I call it Sam Luck. WHEW! What a day.

Sometimes it is when things go wrong that make for the best memories. Sam and I will never forget that day.

Day #13: We recovered from our flat tire episode yesterday and headed out again to explore in our new car. First we visited Fort Stanwix National Memorial, then Saratoga National Historical Park, and Martin Van Buren National Historical Site. We landed in the Hamlet of Great Barrington to spend time with my dear friend Valeria, whom I met in Argentina earlier this year. I love meeting amazing women while traveling and it was a treat to watch her bond with Sam. Good travel companions are friends for life!

Day #14: Today is our official final day roadtripping. We thanked Valeria profusely for her amazing hospitality and headed back to Vermont to pick-up Ryder. We had a quick stop at the Springfield Armory National Historic Site and then it was to Putney, and back to Boston. We hosted my niece and her girlfriend for dinner and enjoyed every moment.

Day #15: Our final final day, I got up early and headed out to Fredrick Law Olmsted National Historical Site and love his quote “I want to make myself useful in the world — to make others happy — to help advance the condition of society.” And then I zipped over to the John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site to say Hi to the awesome NPS Rangers and get my official stamp.

And then we flew home! It was an epic roadtrip full of lots of fun and funny moments. I am forever grateful to be able to experience this adventure with people I love and to make memories one moment at a time.