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Heading East Again
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Heading East Again

A 11-day adventure by ciasgardenshed.com Read more
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  • Trip start
    October 2, 2025
  • ciasgardenshed.comHeading East Againciasgardenshed.com
    1

    Pennsylvania

    October 2 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    Drove across PA today. Half of our trip was on the turnpike. As a child, our family drove from Reading, PA to Marion, OH, to see our cousins in Ohio! That drive on the turnpike and through the tunnels fascinated me. I still feel the same way today. I even have a postcard collection of turnpike views!
    The tunnels in the early 60s were two-lane, dark dangerous tubes cutting through the mountains. There were originally seven of them. In 1968 they began reworking the tunnels to what they are today. There are now four, brightly lit, with two roomy lanes in each direction. During the reworking, 13 miles of turnpike, two tunnels and a rest area were abandoned. You can now hike near the area and walk in the old Sideling Hill tunnel. That's on my to do list!
    We met my high school buddies in Hamburg for a delightful visit. Copperz Brewery was the perfect spot for us to reminisce and catch up. What's the saying? Make new friends, keep the old? Old friends are truly gold!
    Slept in Piscataway, NJ. On to Brooklyn tomorrow.    Read more

  • ciasgardenshed.comHeading East Againciasgardenshed.com
    1

    Brooklyn

    October 3 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    We only had about an hour drive to Brooklyn this morning. We needed to occupy ourselves until Emma finished her workday at 4:00, so we chose the Red Hook neighborhood. After Sean defeated a tiny parking space, we were greeted by Benny sitting on a bench in front of his record shop. He was a great guy, chatting with us and giving us neighborhood recommendations.
    Walked down to the waterfront and had a fabulous view of Lady Liberty. Contrast my view with Sean's "artistic" take. The Queen Mary II is docked in Red Hook.
    Had a delicious lunch at Hometown BBQ. Korean sticky ribs, Oaxacan chicken, and slaw.
    Visited Raaka chocolate factory for samples and some candy. It's a brand available at Whole Foods. Delicious.
    Coffee in a delightful garden at The Black Flamingo before we picked Emma up at Saxelby Cheese.
    Had a lovely Thai dinner with Emma and Konstantin.    Read more

  • ciasgardenshed.comHeading East Againciasgardenshed.com

    More Brooklyn

    October 4 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    Took the 65 bus to lunch at Popina in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood. Small plates of homemade pasta and bread. Delish. Views of Manhattan from our table.
    Ceramic banana display.
    We took the subway to Greenpoint, and spent time in an amazing stationery store where the center of the store was set up specifically to test pens! There were notebooks and at least 50 varieties of pens to try. Felt tips, calligraphy, fountain... It was great fun!
    Onto a nice spot on the East River to see the sun setting on Manhattan.
    Our Polish dinner was delicious- sausages, pierogi, potato pancakes, cucumber salad, stuffed cabbage. Yum.    Read more

  • ciasgardenshed.comHeading East Againciasgardenshed.com

    Weymouth

    October 6 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    Arrived in Weymouth, Massachusetts, Sunday evening. Had takeout dinner in our hotel.
    Monday was a shopping day. There's a nice shopping area in Hingham. It's on the site of the old Bethlehem Shipyard. We ate lunch al fresco at The Beth.
    The huge anchor was made in Chester, PA, my father's childhood home.
    It's been unseasonally warm here. In the 80s. We didn't plan this trip around "leaf peeping" like so many people do. But here's an update anyway. Pennsylvania and New York were still basically green. Massachusetts has dots of color. It'll be interesting to see what it looks like when we head North tomorrow.    Read more

  • ciasgardenshed.comHeading East Againciasgardenshed.com
    112225

    Next Stop Maine

    October 8 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 57 °F

    Left Weymouth this morning in pouring rain. Leaving was bittersweet. We're looking forward to a few vacation days, but hate leaving Diane.
    The first pics today are for Michellemarie. I got coffee and a donut at the first Dunkin' Donuts! Nerdy me got pretty wet in the rain to get the photos, but it was worth it.
    Leaf peeper's update. New Hampshire has a little more color, but still lots of green.
    Stopped in Portland, Maine, for lunch. We ate at Central Provisions, and thoroughly enjoyed our choices (highlighted on the menu). Then must-have sweetness at Gorgeous Gelato.
    Leaf peeper's update. Maine color is looking promising for tomorrow.
    Made it to our little cabin. It sits on a lake. Really nice. Found some grub, then early to bed!    Read more

  • ciasgardenshed.comHeading East Againciasgardenshed.com
    Morning Joe. Only brand at the convenience store.
    Otter PointOtter PointOtter PointSean tidepoolingOtter Point TrailView of Jordan Pond from aboveExpand pic to see Sean heading to Bubble RockBubble RockMe taking a pic of Sean at Bubble RockLunch at Geddy'sThe Sweet Bite CookiesBass Harbor LighthouseBass Harbor Lighthouse

    Acadia National Park

    October 9 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 45 °F

    We started today's journey passing through throngs of people and their cars at the most popular attractions of the park: Thunder Hole and Sand Beach. We opted not to stop because we had already seen them on previous trips. We parked and walked along the coast to Otter Point. I did see one otter pop its head out of the water. The combination of mountains (Appalachians) and ocean makes this park so beautiful and unique.
    The next stop was Bubble Rock. It's a rock that looks like it might fall off of the edge. It sits on top of a pretty tall hill of stone. Sean made the hike to the top. Strenuous at times, but he did it. I stayed at the bottom, but saw him when he reached the top and the rock. Zoom in to see tiny Sean.
    Lunch at Geddy's. Chowdah for Sean, fish sandwich for me. Very tasty.
    Leaf peeper's update: we're a bit early for the full show. Some beautiful colors here and there.
    The East side of Mount Desert Island is where all of the action is--Bar Harbor, the Park, etc. we're staying on the West side or Quietside as Mainers call it. On our drive home from the park, we stopped at the Bass Harbor Lighthouse. It was mobbed with people, and we were stumped about why. Apparently, the attraction was the sunset, not the lighthouse. We had to fight through a crowd to see the lighthouse! Couldn't even get a shot of it without the dudes and their poodle. It was crazy...hundreds of phones pointing at the sun. I feel fortunate to have seen so many beautiful sunsets without fighting a crowd.
    Convenience store pizza for dinner, and the most delicious cookies for dessert.    Read more

  • ciasgardenshed.comHeading East Againciasgardenshed.com
    1Morning fog on the lake
    1Irreverent pumpkins1Carriage RoadBuckWitch Hole PondBeaver Pond 2Beaver Pond 3One of the Beaver ponds?Pine needle floor1Requisite fried seafood

    Acadia Day Two

    October 10 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 45 °F

    Our day started with a delicious breakfast in Bar Harbor.
    We explored Acadia's coast yesterday. Today we move inland. Our hike took us by four ponds. Three of them were called Beaver ponds, but we saw no beavers. We did see a few huge dens. One of the ponds was half filled with felled trees. Beaver work?
    There were very few birds, but we saw a pretty big buck looking at us from the woods.
    Sometimes the simplest things bring us pleasure. Much of the path we walked was covered with pine needles. It was really nice. The needles not only cushioned our walk, but sent up their scent for us to enjoy.
    We had the required fried seafood dinner at a cute little place in Bass Harbor. Nice end to our day.    Read more

  • ciasgardenshed.comHeading East Againciasgardenshed.com
    Teeny, tiny ground squirrel image from internetLake Erie and grapevines

    Last Leg

    October 12 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    Woke up early in Rochester, and downed our Hilton brand breakfast. Somehow, I always still want coffee after I finish their joe. I might need to splurge on a Starbucks or Dunkin'.
    Leaf peeper's update: New York a week later is more colorful. So many pines in Maine keep it green.
    Bass Harbor Lighthouse update: I forgot to mention the best thing about the sunset/lighthouse visit--dolphins! We watched a cluster of four popping up regularly in the water in front of us. Just a joy to see them.
    Acadia Beaver Ponds update: while we didn't see beavers, I enjoyed the company of a tiny ground squirrel. It took me a while to identify him, because he's small like a chipmunk with squirrel coloring. I sat on a rock for a while when Sean went off exploring. The squirrel hung out near me for a while, chirping. Very cute.
    Working on weaving in ends on my crochet square temperature blanket. It's a good car project.
    When we were getting close to the NY/PA line, we suddenly smelled something fruity. At first we thought it was apples, then we started seeing the grapevines. The scent of Lake Erie Wine Country, even with our windows closed, was great.    Read more

  • Trip end
    October 12, 2025
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