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Road tripping USA 2023

February - March 2023
A 43-day adventure by Paula Read more
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  • TravelerRoad tripping USA 2023
    Day 5

    Feel I'm goin' back to Massachusetts

    February 8, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C

    Whenever I hear the word Massachusetts I think of the song by the Bee Gees.

    Today we were fortunate to visit another state in America and that being Massachusetts. Cathy and Michael’s daughter, Lucy, goes to Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts and we spent the day with Lucy exploring the college and going to an all American diner for lunch.

    Northampton is everything you expect when you think of New England. The houses are breathtaking, my dream homes and the girls at Smith College get to live in these homes.

    On the way home we visited the Carle Museum. The Carle is the international champion for picture books. They collect, preserve, and present picture books and picture-book illustrations for audiences passionate about children’s literature. Eric Carle is the author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. It was extremely interesting. The day was finished off with Five Guys for dinner.

    Another wonderful day on our adventure.    Read more

  • TravelerRoad tripping USA 2023
    Day 6

    Out for breakfast

    February 9, 2023 in the United States

    Today was a bit of a rest day. Dave wasn’t feeling well, not sure if it is jet lag or his MS playing up but he has bad vertigo which is causing him to vomit. He spent most of the afternoon sleeping. This happened last time we travelled overseas however his doctors thought they had it sorted, clearly not. If it can’t be sorted, it may be the end of our overseas travels.

    On a brighter note, we went out for breakfast at a little Italian place called Peter Pause. Another delicious meal. We were kept entertained by a table of older Italian gentlemen with very strong Long Island/Italian accents (think American Italian mafia and you have it 😂) reliving their college days. Extremely entertaining.

    From here we went to the local trading post (which are souvenir shops) that also sell local works of art. We bought a few little memorabilia pieces before heading to Vischer Ferry General Store for a look, photo opportunity and more memorabilia. On the way home we stopped off at Barnes & Noble bookstore. This is one of the largest bookstores I have ever been to.

    The afternoon was enjoyed lazing around while Dave and Cath had a bit of a snooze. I enjoyed reading my book as I normally never have time to read.

    We headed out to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner which again is magnificent food however it had to be cut short as Dave wasn’t feeling well. Hopefully tomorrow he will be on the mend. The night was finished eating popcorn while watching Dirty Dancing, a tradition for Cathy and I have every time we are together.    Read more

  • TravelerRoad tripping USA 2023
    Day 7

    Thelma & Louise … Cathy & Paula style

    February 10, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    What an amazing ‘Thelma & Louise’ day Cathy and I had today. Dave wasn’t feeling well so Cathy and I headed out for a day of adventure.

    We headed off in the direction of Lake George as we had reservations to the Ice Castles at 3pm. Lake George is located in the Adirondack Mountains north east of Niskayuna.

    First port of call was Saratoga Springs State Park. We visited here in the fall which was jaw droopingly gorgeous and it is just as gorgeous covered in snow. We went for a long walk around the park before stopping at the Rangers Station to sit by the fire.

    From here we explored the township of Saratoga Springs where we walked the main street window shopping as well as exploring inside a few shops. Onwards towards Lake George we went.

    As Lake George is heavily a spring/summer vacation spot, most of the shops and holiday attractions close over the winter season. We didn’t let this stop us walking the streets, along the foreshore of the lake and taking in all the beauty it had to offer. We found a little place to have some lunch before heading back towards the Ice Castles.

    Before getting to Lake George, we stopped at a roadside stop as Cathy said there was a perfect photo opportunity there. She knows me well - the ‘I ❤️ NY’ sign was there. There was also Adirondack chairs which we have in Australia, however you don’t often get to have your photo taken in one in the snow!

    For this girl who loves winter, the Ice Castles were the perfect attraction for me. They were just breathtaking. Cathy and I were like little kids in a candy store exploring the castles. So many photo opportunities and so many lovely people offering to take photos of us together. This blog will have a few instalments. We finished off the Ice Castles by having a hot chocolate for me and a hot cider for Cathy by the fire.

    On the way home we called into Hattie’s Chicken Shack to pick up some southern chicken (they do gluten free also) for dinner. Back in the car for some 80’s rock music for the trip home.

    Bloody amazing ‘Thelma & Louise’ day. Only difference being we didn’t drive off a cliff at the end 😂    Read more

  • TravelerRoad tripping USA 2023
    Day 8

    Our last full day in Nisky ….

    February 11, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 1 °C

    We had a bit of a sleep in this morning before enjoying a beautiful breakfast of Cinnabons. Cathy, being the amazingly thoughtful person she is, sourced out a local lady who makes gluten free cinnamon scroll that taste just like Cinnabons. They are to do for.

    Quick trip to Walmart to get Dave some track pants to wear on the plane home as the pants he wore over annoyed him which made him fidget the whole time (which in turn annoyed me 😂). He came out of Walmart with track pants, rain jacket, tshirt and sunnies plus I bought Tommy a die cast 1966 Chevy C10 Flatside Pickup to add to his growing collection.

    The mid morning and early afternoon was spent on the front porch soaking in the crispness of the air and the warmth of the sun, watching little birds flittering from branch to branch as well as a cheeky squirrel 🐿️ playing around.

    We got ready to head to Union College to watch a game of college ice hockey between 2 of the top teams being the home team of Union College and Brown University, Rhodesia Island. Ice hockey is so fun to watch as it’s such a fast game with lots of action and hard knocks. Union won 3 to 1.

    Before the game, we walked around the college campus which is home of some amazing buildings, in particular the Nott Memorial.

    Construction of the building started in 1858 and was completed in 1879. The 16-sided Nott Memorial, one of America's most dramatic High Victorian buildings, is the centerpiece of the Union campus. The building is dedicated to Eliphalet Nott, president of Union College and major leader of American education. The Nott Memorial is home to the Mandeville Gallery, which exhibits nationally recognized contemporary artists. It is 89 feet in diameter and capped with a ribbed dome. The dome is sprinkled with 709 small colored glass windows, or “illuminators.” Girding the lower portion of the dome is a band of red slates bearing a modified Hebrew inscription from the Talmud. In its simplest translation, the phrase says, “the day is short, the work is great, the reward is much, the Lord is urgent.” It is truly an amazing sight to see.

    Smokin’ Bones for dinner which never ever disappoints. The steak was to die for and Dave said his ribs were amazing.

    We can not thank Cathy and Michael enough for the amazing week they have given us. So many precious memories made that will last us a lifetime.

    Tomorrow afternoon we get the train to Boston for the next leg of our amazing adventure.    Read more

  • TravelerRoad tripping USA 2023
    Day 9

    To Boston we go

    February 12, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 2 °C

    Boston has always been on our bucket list and this trip we finally get to cross it off.

    We woke up this morning at 7.00am and headed an hour west to Sharon Springs to the Stone House Farm Sap House for our fill of pancakes, waffles and maple syrup produced on their farm. Again Cathy, being the super thoughtful person she is, had gluten free waffles and pancakes to take with us so that I didn’t get to miss out on all the goodness of maple syrup - I LOVE MAPLE SYRUP 🍁

    And didn’t we eat our fill of the waffles and pancakes smothered in maple syrup, maple butter, maple sugar and maple cream! Cathy bought Ellie some maple cotton candy (fairy floss) and we got to sample that as well.

    After we arrived back at home, we packed the last few things into our bags, did some laundry and sat on the porch and soaked up the amazing winter day we were having. It started out at -5 and warmed up to 7 degrees.

    At 2.15pm we headed to the train station which was about half an hour’s drive. As we got in the car, Cathy had one last surprise for me!

    As we both love Dirty Dancing and the phrase ‘I carried a watermelon’ she bought us both a tshirt with this on it.

    And she didn’t stop there. As we had our ‘Thelma & Louise’ Day on Friday, she ordered us both tshirts with hers saying ‘I’m her Thelma. She’s my Louise’ and mine saying ‘I’m her Louise. She’s my Thelma’ plus a pair of Thelma & Louise socks! It made my day!

    We got to the train station at 2.45pm and headed down to the platform at 3.10pm. The train was supposed to leave at 3.27pm but we didn’t get going until 3.45pm. Even though we left late, we got into Boston 15mins early.

    It was about a 5 hour train trip which went by in a flash really. Read more of my book and both Dave and I enjoyed all the scenery.

    We got into Back Bay Station to find the elevator wasn’t working so we had to carry 4 suitcases and 1 carry on up 2 huge flights of steep stairs. We were stuffed. Out onto the street for a 5 minute walk to our hotel, the Copley Square Hotel.

    It’s now 10.00pm while I am typing this so it’s been a big day. Looking forward to exploring Boston tomorrow and Tuesday.    Read more

  • TravelerRoad tripping USA 2023
    1
    Day 10

    We have fallen in love with Boston

    February 13, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 5 °C

    What an amazing city Boston is, there is beauty around every corner, the architecture, the green spaces, the cobblestone, the water and I could go on and on and on.

    We started our day getting up at 8.30am (as we only went to bed at 12.30am as we were both charged from getting in late to our hotel after a day of travel).

    We went out onto the street to find somewhere for breakfast. Saw a sign for Starbucks and followed that and stumbled across a huge supermarket. As we have quite a large fridge in our room, we bought groceries for breakfast, lunch/dinner and snacks which saves a lot of money eating out.

    We headed back to our room and had some breakfast before setting off the explore this amazing city.

    First port of call was Copley Square, this just blew us away with the beauty of the old buildings. We then headed towards the Cheers bar for lunch but as we were walking we stumbled across the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. What a beautiful green space in the city, lined with amazing brownstone buildings. Along the walk are statues of people which all tell the history of Boston.

    After this little detour, we reset the google maps and headed towards the Cheers Bar. What a quaint little bar it is, very small and so busy. We bought a few souvenirs before sitting down for lunch. Dave had clam chowder which I nearly vomited with the taste but he loved it!

    A quick stop back to our room to rug up as although it was 5 degrees it had a feels like temp of -2.5 because of the wind. We were heading to the Seaport District and thought it best to be warm.

    A long walk to the Seaport District and wow it blew our minds. More beauty. I said to Dave what more could you ask for, a city that gets super cold, it has water, many parks and architecture that I would never get tired of looking at.

    From here we walked along the water for quite a while before resetting google maps to head back to our hotel.

    On the way home we walked past the State Building which overlooks Boston Common, a large park. Within Boston Common is the Frog Pond which at this time of the year is a skating rink.

    While we were walking through the Common we saw a red cattle dog just like Macie (minus a tail though). Every time we are in the States we see heaps and heaps and heaps of Louie’s (poodles) but never any Macie’s. So I just had to take a photo and as you can see from the photo, the dog’s owner was very happy we were taking the photo. A little further and we were back to our hotel.

    A total of 20.3kms walked today. We have had the most amazing day and much more to explore tomorrow.    Read more

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