Where We Be
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| Autumn Road Trip -- Maine to Texas |
There's nothing like a road trip in autumn. This
trip was primarily a "repositioning" trip for us,
getting us from summer in Maine (where we
tend the family cottages) to winter in Houston
(where we're visiting my mom and launching off
for Brazil). But the timing couldn't have been
better for taking in a few sights along the way.
First up was Portland, Maine, where we stopped
to see Portland Head Light and the thriving
waterfront area. In all our years of traveling up
and down the eastern seaboard from Boston to
Maine, we've never stopped to take a real look
at Portland. It's funny how you sometimes miss
the sights closest to your own back yard.
After visiting family in Boston and Philadelphia,
we continued south into gradually warming
temperatures. We saw spectacular fall foliage
along Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National
Park, visited Thomas Jefferson's Monticello in
Charlottesville, Virginia, and saw more terrific
foliage in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
near Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The whole trip was
only about ten days long, but we loved it.
trip was primarily a "repositioning" trip for us,
getting us from summer in Maine (where we
tend the family cottages) to winter in Houston
(where we're visiting my mom and launching off
for Brazil). But the timing couldn't have been
better for taking in a few sights along the way.
First up was Portland, Maine, where we stopped
to see Portland Head Light and the thriving
waterfront area. In all our years of traveling up
and down the eastern seaboard from Boston to
Maine, we've never stopped to take a real look
at Portland. It's funny how you sometimes miss
the sights closest to your own back yard.
After visiting family in Boston and Philadelphia,
we continued south into gradually warming
temperatures. We saw spectacular fall foliage
along Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National
Park, visited Thomas Jefferson's Monticello in
Charlottesville, Virginia, and saw more terrific
foliage in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
near Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The whole trip was
only about ten days long, but we loved it.
| The rock faces near the lighthouse are convoluted and striking. What blend of geologic and wave action resulted in this Jackson Pollock-like creation? |
| This has to be one of the nicest lighthouses we've seen. Robin has many ancestors who were sea captains and lighthouse keepers in Maine, so it's no wonder she feels drawn to them. |
| After two months of staying put, we were ready to hit the road again. Our first stop -- Portland, Maine -- was only four hours away. This is the first time either of us has seen the iconic Portland Head Light. |
| Friends and family and sunsets galore -- that about sums up our time in Maine. You can see why tending the family cottages isn't exactly a hardship with a view like this! |
| We explored Schoodic Peninsula together for the first time. Schoodic is part of Acadia National Park but off on its lonesome -- less visited but no less pretty. |
| Before the road trip to Texas we had a fun summer in Maine. I took my mom kayaking on Blue Hill Bay and we visited Acadia National Park with our friend Ayse and her sister. |
| I rarely let myself indulge in this level of time-wasting, but I have to admit I enjoyed completing this 2000-piece jigsaw puzzle! |
| With the drive from Maine to Houston complete, this is what our year of North American road trips looks like! Up and down the entire Baja Peninsula, across most of the width of Canada, and through new territory in the U.S. -- covering 13,500 miles (~22,000 km) over 4 months. |
| Rockefeller Gardens in Acadia always makes for a beautiful summer visit |
