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Gail and Bruce TripsGail and Bruce Trips
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traveled in 7 countries Read more Maryland, United States of America
  • TravelerQuebec Road Trip
    Day 16

    Day 15 - Home!

    October 8, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    The day dawned overcast with heavy rain forecast most of the day. After discussion, we decided to head back to Boonsboro. Packed up and headed south down the west side of the Green Mountains. The rain came varied with drizzle one minute and downpour the next. The colors in Vermont were muted compared to those we’d seen further north but still impressive in some places. Stopped at a maple syrup making museum for a look and purchases. This is the same museum we’d stopped at several years ago on our previous New England trip. Took a roads-less-traveled route through the Greens and back out to Bennington. Crossed into New York and grabbed lunch in the car as it poured outside. Into PA and south. A glorious sunset brightened the evening as we ran out of the rain. Dinner at the Perkins we’d stopped at on the way up. Home about 22:30. Good trip but glad to be home.Read more

  • TravelerQuebec Road Trip
    Day 14

    Day 14 - Into Vermont

    October 6, 2023 in the United States

    Up slowly as the day came up gray. Breakfast at the hotel. (We have been staying at Home2Suites by Hilton since Bangor. We have been very happy with the rooms and breakfast.) Off around 10:00 heading up the 302 past the Mt Washington Hotel and a covered bridge on the NH-Vermont line. Into St Johnsbury and across middle Vermont. The overcast skies washed out the colors but there were places where they shown through, anyway. The clouds crested the Green Mountain Range and seemed to pour into the valley.

    Turned south along Mount Mansfield (tallest peak in Vermont). We stopped at the Ben and Jerry’s factory and had the obligatory ice cream. Toured their graveyard of past flavors. Turned east at Waterbury and drove to and around Montpelier. The capital was devastated by flooding through the middle of town just this last July. Cleanup was in progress downtown but quite a lot was already up and running.

    Back west along the 2 to Williston and our hotel (another Home2Suites). After unpacking, Marie and Bruce went out for a walk. Found an Overlook Park nearby and trekked at bit into the woods and back out. At the hotel, we watched the news then walked to a grocery store across the parking lot where we picked up some deli food and brought it back to eat.    Read more

  • TravelerQuebec Road Trip
    1
    Day 13

    Day 13 - Mount Washington

    October 5, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    Up early and grabbed a quick breakfast at the Home2 Suites at which we are staying. On the road north by 7:15, headed for Crawford Notch and the Mt Washington Cog Railway base station. Up Rte 302 almost an hour and past the grand Omni Mount Washington Hotel and Resort to the Fabyan restaurant that is the landmark for the turn. Six miles back through the woods brought us to the cog railway station.

    The cog railway was the brainchild of Sylvester Marsh, a multi-millionaire who had made his money in the Chicago meat packing industry and retired to this area. His idea was derided by critics and some friends but Marsh put his own money into it and researched the technology required – and invented some of the tech still used today. He opened the first version in 1869 and pushed it to the top a few years later. It was an instant success and has been since. It is still privately held and run with no subsidies. The resident staff makes everything they need, from timber cross ties to the locomotives that take the hand-built coaches up the mountain.

    We had a 9:00 leaving time so we were there about 8:30 to pick up thickets and look around. The fall colors are in full display on the mountainsides along the road and the valley that the railway uses. The trains pulled up to the boarding area – a coach pushed by an engine (in our case, a bio-diesel engine; they have two steam-powered engine they also use). We boarded and sat for the intro from the brakeman/narrator. This cog railway was the first in the world! It is also the steepest cog railway with an average grade of 25% and a prolonged section that is a 37.4% grade! They lined up the three trains: A, B, C. All trains go up the same set of tracks to the same place. The “cog” in the cog railway comes from the method of drive that moves the train up the steep grades. The engine drives a cog that meshes with a rack in the center of the tracks. This allows the engines to climb grades that a regular rail engine (or even a car or 4WD) can climb.

    We started up the mountain; three trains in single file (no other way) separated by varying distances from each other. The brakeman kept up a steady stream of information about the area, the first peoples here before the Europeans, the first settlers (the Crawfords, hence: Crawford Notch) and the efforts of Mr. Marsh. The scenery was spectacular, of course! Mountainsides carpeted in golds and yellows and reds for tens of miles. The brakeman pointed out the mountain ash trees that are producing clumps of red berries right now. Visibility was expected to be 50 miles – down from the customary 100 miles because of the haze from the Canadian wildfires. The weather on Mt W is notoriously fickle. It is billed as the “worst weather in the world.” The world record for a wind gust occurred here in 1933 when they recorded a gust of 231 miles per hour! The temperature can drop to minus 50 degrees F. Fortunately, our weather was great. Temps at the summit about 55 with 26 mph winds. We continued to climb the ascent. When we got to the 37% section, the brakeman had people try to stand in the aisle. They had to stand at a huge angle. Outside, the trees looked to be growing slanted. We pulled into the top about an hour after leaving base.

    At the summit, there is a small museum, three gift shops, and several stations for telecommunications and weather recording. We took pictures of the scenery and the people crowding to get to the highest point. We looked in the small museum and gift shops then waited for our return train. Back down the same steep cog track. The Mt Washington Hotel lay in the distance among the yellows and reds. Back down to the base after an exhilarating ride through fantastic scenery!

    We drove down the road to the Mt W Hotel and Resort and went in for a light lunch in the sumptuous hotel. A great meal looking out over the golf course and the cog railway trace up the mountain. Headed north on the 302 and connected with the 3 and then the 115 to the 2 and made it to Gilead, Manie, where we turned south along the border. This was a road-less-travel route back down to North Conway and the hotel. Wrote this up and had dinner in the room of the leftovers from the Indian meal we’d had two nights ago. Great day!    Read more

  • TravelerQuebec Road Trip
    11
    Day 12

    Day 12 - Around the White Mountains

    October 4, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 70 °F

    Up a bit late for breakfast at the hotel. Headed out for leaf-peeping along the Rte 112. Stopped at the ranger station to get a parking pass and found our Park Service Senior pass was all we needed. First stop the Albany Covered Bridge then on west along the Swift River. Stopped at the Colbath Home site and walked the interpretive path through the pine forest. The colors are somewhat subject to elevation and exposure. The higher elevation seems to have better colors as do the southern facing hillsides. Stopped at several overlooks: Sugar Hill, Graham, and Hancock. At the Lincoln Woods area, we walked to the suspension bridge.

    When the Rte 112 hit the Rte 3, we headed north on 3. This took us up the west side of the mountain group and through Franconia Notch – the pass and the state park. We curved around the top of the mountains to catch the Rte 302. Headed back that past the entrance to the cog railway and past the Mount Washington Hotel. Stopped at a info center and looked at the map. Took a small, steep, narrow, winding road east over the mountain and to near the Maine border. Back to North Conway and the hotel. Made some hotel reservations in Vermont and went across the street for a good dinner.    Read more

  • TravelerQuebec Road Trip
    Day 12

    Day 11 - Maine to New Hampshire

    October 4, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    Up slowly with a short day ahead. After breakfast at the hotel and a recommendation from the reception, we headed to the Bangor Forest and Bog Walk. This recreation area a bit north of the city is a large, wooded area next to land owned by the University pf Maine. It has several miles of walking path, both improved (gravel surface) and unimproved. The Bog Walk lead off it into the University land. The Bog Walk is a raised boardwalk through the forest onto the Orono Bog. The bog is a research and education site for the U. The boardwalk has railings and benches and seven interpretive plaques which tell about the plants, birds and other animals that populate it. A great walk to start the morning. Marie and Bruce did that walk and a bit more in the forest then joined Gail at the car.

    We headed west along Maine 2 making our leisurely way through Skowhegan and Farmington to Rumford. The leaves along the way were less colorful than on the peninsula but changing fast. Stopped at a grocery store to pick up lunch and ate it in the Rumford city park. Here a dam backs up the river to form a small pool where the city has set out silhouettes depicting a fist peoples encampment. Up at the visitor’s center a large statue of Paul Bunyan and is ox looks out on the road.

    We continued west into New Hampshire and turned south to North Concord. While driving, we made reservations for the cog railroad up Mount Washington. Pulled into the hotel and unpacked for our three-night stay. Had an uninspiring dinner at a nearby Ground Round and called it a day.    Read more

  • TravelerQuebec Road Trip
    Day 10

    Day 10 - Back in the USA

    October 2, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 64 °F

    A long day of driving to get to Bangor, Maine. Up and checked out early then got a quick, light breakfast at a bakery across the street. Headed south/west on the 132 along the south shore of the Gaspe Peninsula. With the Appalachian Mountains receding on our right and the Chaleur Bay on our left, we drove through the low, flat fertile plains as we passed through towns like Chandler, Port Daniel, and Bonaventure. The mountains, which had been so close on the way to Gaspe, receded further inland until we got close to Campbellton. The bay was at first very wide but drew closer, with New Brunswick across the water. We passed many colorful homes – both on the drive out as well as this one back in. We’d gassed up yesterday but Bruce calculated the price today as US$ 3.53. The town of New Carlisle boasted itself as the birthplace of Rene Levesque, the former premier of Quebec and founder of the separatist Patie Quebecois, that campaigned for independence for Quebec back in the 80s and 90s.

    Construction is a constant issue. As far back as the bus ride around Montreal, the narrator told everyone that there are two seasons in Quebec – Winter and construction. We saw that truth everywhere: roads and street dug up and blocked off, patches of highways in gravel, waiting to be repaved, churches and other buildings fenced off and surrounded by scaffolding, homes having repair work done – construction everywhere. It’s probably like this each summer.

    The tree colors at first looked to be less bright than on the north side but that soon gave way to vibrant red, oranges and yellows blanketing the hillsides. We stopped at Saint Quentin for a picnic lunch at a town rest stop. Crossed over the Matapedia River at Pointe de la Croix to enter New Brunswick. We angled southwest along the 17. There was little to see. A few small towns but mostly a straight, tree-lined road across a flat countryside.

    The area of the south side of the peninsula and the northwest corner of New Brunswick is home to the Acadians. This catholic culture was originally from the south of France and came to “New France” seeking religious freedom. They settled here and grew. During the war between Great Britain and France, the English thought the Acadians were siding with the French and expelled thousands back to France. The Spaniards, needing people for their colony in Louisiana, invited them to settle there. In time, the Acadians grew and mingled with the Creole population to evolve into the culture we now know as Cajun.

    We followed the Autoroute 2 sown alongside the US border until Woodstock before crossing into the USA. Followed I-95 into Bangor, passing, in the distance, Mount Katahdin – where, five years ago, Seb and Bruce picked up the Appalachian Trail. Found our hotel for the night and unpacked. Went out for a light dinner and back for the night.    Read more

  • TravelerQuebec Road Trip
    Day 10

    Day 9 - Gaspe Area

    October 2, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 46 °F

    Pic of the Perce Rock in the morning. Breakfast at the hotel then headed out of town, after a stop at the tourist info center – got brochures! The hour+ drive to Forillon National Park was picturesque. We stopped at the waterfall in the park (no name). Marie and Bruce hiked down the steep but short path to the base of the falls and back up. Went in the park’s north entrance and stopped to rig a temporary fix for the mud flap that got pulled off.

    Got info from the park ranger and drove to Cap Bon Ami. Walked down to the point and took in the view back to the Cap de Rosiers lighthouse. Marie and Bruce decided to walk across to the south side while Gail drove around to meet us. The trail climbed steeply over the bones of the Appalachian Mountains that drop into the Gulf here. One of the trails that ends here is called the International Appalachian Trail (IAT). After cresting the ridge on Mount St Albans, the south side was much gentler. We met Gail at the Grande Grave parking lot.

    Drove back through Gaspe, stopping to see the Jaques Cartier monument (which doesn't look at all like a European) and the standing plaques that tell the story of his beneficent (ha!) first visit. We read other accounts that painted a much more oppressive picture of his encounters with the local first peoples. Back at the hotel we freshened up, then went for dinner at La Maison du Pecheurs (house of fishermen) for a good meal of local fish. Now deciding what to do tomorrow. Perce Rock in the evening.    Read more

  • TravelerQuebec Road Trip
    1
    Day 9

    Pics from Day 8

    October 1, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F

    Vertical wind turbine, lighthouse, geology, picnic spot, waterfall, folded sedimentary rocks, mountains plunging nto the Gulf, lighthouse at Cap de la Madaleine, lighthouse at Cap des Rosiers, seafood dinner.Read more

  • TravelerQuebec Road Trip
    Day 8

    Day 8 - To the east Gaspe Peninsula

    September 30, 2023 in Canada ⋅ 🌙 57 °F

    Had a great breakfast at a bakery around the corner from the hotel. Bruce’s came with two enormous (12” long by 5”wide) slices of sourdough bread! We bought sandwiches for the road there, too.

    Off driving along the south bank of the St Lawrence on the scenic Rte 132, heading mostly northeast but curving always to the right and getting closer to due east as the road led on. Through places like St Flavie, and Monte Joli across the gentle rolling farmland as the mountains crept closer to the river. The trees are definitely showing strong color change in patches. Vibrant yellows, oranges, and deep reds carpet some of the hills. Past Matane, where they catch and process the coveted Nordic shrimp. Stopped at a town rest area (every town seems to have a small rest area, usually with toilets.) Took a short side trip to see the biggest vertical wind turbine in the world – an experiment in the 1980’s that shut down in the 90s after making important findings.

    On through Cap Chat (Cape Cat), Saint Anne, Marsoui, all of them presenting exceptional views as we wound along between the mountain and the River (growing wider and wider, the opposite bank already long out of sight). Lighthouses are spaced along the way and we stopped at several. The road now traveled a narrow shoulder of land between the River and the Appalachian Mountains plowing into the Gulf of St Lawrence. The same line of mountains that cradle our home in Boonsboro continue up through PA, NY, New England and into Quebec. They make the spine of the Gaspe Peninsula, rising at its center but angling northeast. Here they are called Monts Chic-Chocs and have two large reserves covering parts of them. They are mere hills this close to the Gulf but still formidable. By Cap Chat they hemmed in the road, tall enough, still, to make stretches of shade on the route even at 14:00. We stopped to eat our sandwiches at another roadside rest of gazebos along a hillside with a narrow bay in front. We kept marveling at how sharply the mountains dove into the River and Gulf. The sheerness of the cliffs is awesome! Stopped to Look at the twisted sedimentary layers exposed on the cliffs above the 132. The northern-most point of our trip came somewhere around Gros Morne.

    Now heading east and curving south, we started crossing the mountains. They shoot out into the Gulf and drop off so sharply that the road can’t get a purchase and has to climb across the ridges and valleys. The road climbs very steep grades and descends sharply – some grades noted as 12%, 14 % and even one at 17%! Through Grand Vallee and Pointe a la Fregate. In the tributary valleys and estuaries we crossed, the land is fertile and farmed. Each tributary valley has its community clustered near the bridge across it. The fall colors present themselves around every curve. Into Petit Cap, where we stayed on the 132 towards Forillon Park. We stopped at various places to catch the views or a lighthouse. Through Gaspe, itself, and continued to Perce. We found our hotel Riotel and took our room with a postcard view of the three sisters rock out our window. Had a fantastic meal in the hotel restaurant! We ordered the seafood special for two and shared it among us three. This came on a huge plate piled with a sectioned lobster, scallops, Matane shrimp, haddock, and Atlantic salmon fillets, all on a bed of rice. Great food and the Matane shrimp are just as good as advertised. Stopped at the firebox blazing under the one-day-past full moon on the way back to the room. Great road voyage!

    Still no pics - too bad.    Read more

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