• Erica Cromwell
  • David Conklin
  • Erica Cromwell
  • David Conklin

Summer 2023 Roadtrip

Traveling around the mid west and east coast before heading to Florida in October. Read more
  • Acadia national park day 1

    August 28, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    Our first day in Acadia national park was amazing. Drove the loop, hiked the Beehive trail, hiked along Jordan Pond, and enjoyed the sunset over the ocean from our campgrounds private beach. One of our favorite days.Read more

  • Acadia NP day 2

    August 29, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    Day 2 in Acadia we tried catching sunrise from Cadillac mountain. It’s the earliest sunrise on the continental US and you need reservations to drive to the summit. We were lucky enough to get the permit but unlucky to have a cloudy sunrise. We still enjoyed it and then went for what was supposed to be a relaxing bike ride on the carriage trails. These are historical trails through the woods of the park that used to showcase the landscape for wealthy guests who were carted around in the horse drawn carriages.

    What we didn’t realize was how many times the trails crossed over the mountains in the middle of the park. Poor Dave without an electric bike had quite the workout which was rewarded by a hearty lunch at the Jordan pond house. After filling up on popovers and meatloaf we started back towards the truck. 13 miles from it we were notified by our temperature system in the camper that it was out of range at 83 degrees. It was set to notify at 73 degrees and the weather was only 72 degrees that day. We still raced back and somehow the AC had not been set to on and with the camper in the sun it had slowly increased to an uncomfortable level. Luckily the dogs were okay and we were able to get the camper cooled off quickly. Was a scary lesson learned and we are very thankful we had the alert system.

    Once we spent time with the pups and ensured the AC was working correctly, we explored the quiet side of Acadia in southwest harbor and rock hopped to the Bass harbor head light station. We drove to a small area called seal harbor, which ironically doesn’t usually have seals 🙄 After Dave helped tow a car out of the sand, we spotted a bald eagle flying low overhead.
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  • Acadia day 3

    August 30, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    After a long and too exciting of a day 2, day 3 was rainy and a great day to just enjoy time with the pups mostly. We did drive to thunder hole, a place where the ocean crashes in and can be powerful enough at times to sound like thunder. Unfortunately we weren’t able to catch this phenomenon even though there were high swell warnings and we went as high tide was coming in. Even with great conditions, the direction of the waves just wasn’t in our favor. We still enjoyed the area and did a short rainy walk along the coast.Read more

  • Acadia day 4

    August 31, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    We had a lot of plans for day 4 that came to a halt when we were walking the dogs and came back to a broken lock on our campers main door. Somehow an internal component had disintegrated. We had an extra key but it was inside the camper. Luckily we had the dogs with us and the keys to the truck. Somehow there were no locksmiths within an hour and a half of bar harbor, but thank goodness one was willing to drive 2 hours to us. He was able to break into our back door so we could at least get in and get everything squared away.

    We still were able to hike Precipice trail which was high on our list and enjoyed it with hardly anyone else on the trail. Ended the day with another beautiful sunset from our campground and relaxing with the pups.
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  • Last morning in Acadia

    September 1, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 52 °F

    We were very lucky to score permits to see sunrise from Cadillac mountain again since our first one was cloudy. This time we had a nearly cloudless morning and finally saw sunrise from the summit! We enjoyed a relaxed drive along the coast to see thunder hole again and watch the waves crash along the rocks. Definitely one of our favorite parks and overall we had a great trip here.Read more

  • New hampshire day 1

    September 1, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    We spent the first day in NH exploring the flume gorge area in Franconia notch state park. What a beautiful area. The gorge includes several waterfalls and covered bridges including one from a fallen sentinel pine built in 1939.Read more

  • NH day 1 part 2

    September 2, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    After hiking along the flume gorge, we went up Mt Pemigewasset (also called Indian head due to the rock formation visible from the summit). This was a fairly straight incline the entire way but we met a nice couple and our chats made the last mile or so go by much quicker.

    The couple let us know of a local brewery called Rekliss and we enjoyed a brew here before heading back to our great campground.
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  • NH day 2

    September 3, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    We enjoyed a bike ride along the Indian trail multi use path. It went through forests, along streams, and had views of the surrounding mountains.

  • NH day 3

    September 4, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    We enjoyed waking up to a much quieter campground on Labor Day. We swam in the pool (which had over 100 kids in it the previous couple of days according to the camp staff).

    Then we drove the Kancamagus highway to Mt Washington. It’s a beautiful road that follows passes through the white mountains. Mt Washington is known as having the worst weather in the world including crazy swings in temperature, wind, and precipitation. The buildings are chained down and we did experience a dramatic temperature drop as the winds whipped around.

    There are several ways to get to the summit. You can hike, drive, or take the train. We drove and enjoyed learning about the history of the road. Several records were set on the road including running, biking, and driving on it. The speed and control required to set these were very impressive.

    The summit trail is part of the Appalachian trail and we saw a few section hikers which was really neat. There’s even a post office at the summit!
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  • Vermont day 1

    September 5, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

    Pulled into our small campground about 30 minutes and relaxed with the pups by the fire. Loved stargazing here with a glimpse of the Milky Way right above us.

  • Vermont day 2: biking around Burlington

    September 6, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    We were surprised by how warm and humid it was when we arrived in Vermont. We made the best of it by biking the beautiful trail from downtown out onto a narrow peninsula over the lake. We turned around at the ferry point where you could go even further but really enjoyed it. Another night by the fire with the pups, enjoyed by all.Read more

  • VT day 3 part 2

    September 7, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F

    As soon as we summited camels hump thunderclouds were rolling in so we had to quickly get back below tree level 🤦🏼‍♀️

  • VT day 4: Sarah Kate comes to visit

    September 9, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

    SK drove over from Boston to hang out with us and show us around Burlington. We enjoyed stopping by some of her favorite haunts and had s’mores with Reese’s by the fire.

  • VT day 5: exploring Smugglers Notch

    September 10, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

    After saying “see you later” to SK we headed to smugglers notch state park. We hiked to Bingham Falls and enjoyed exploring that area a bit more. We went to the Ben & Jerry’s factory but didn’t have a chance to tour it. We at least were able to walk around and have a delicious treat!Read more

  • VT day 6: bike trail and Stowe

    September 11, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    We biked along a peaceful path (other than some sketchy road crossings) in the countryside. Found a great restaurant/taphouse in Stowe to hang out with Mickey and enjoyed the cooler weather.

  • Western NY day 1: travel day

    September 12, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    Saw some trees starting to turn which was nice. Drove to our koa campsite in Waterloo, NY. Tried a winery/brewery first but even though they were over an hour from closing their staff was checked out for the day. Luckily that made us venture to a close by winery and the food, service, wines, and view were gorgeous. Happy accidents!Read more

  • Western NY day 2: watkins glen

    September 13, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    From Waterloo we first drove to Watkins Glen State Park, the most famous of the Finger Lakes State Parks. Within two miles, the glen's stream descends 400 feet past 200-foot cliffs, generating 19 waterfalls along its course. The gorge path winds over and under waterfalls and through the spray of Cavern Cascade.Read more

  • Western NY day 2 part 2

    September 13, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    From Watkins glen we drove to Montour falls just south of there. It’s a small town just south of Watkins glen and had a delicious Thai restaurant. The waterfall is in the middle of town, literally in the large white houses backyard. From there we headed back up on the west side of Seneca lake and stopped at a few wineries. The first had hundreds of the large lantern displays, and the second was in an 1880s castle. Belhurst castle had a beautiful view and delicious bread bowl soups.Read more

    Trip end
    October 23, 2023