Ok, technically fall doesn’t start until tomorrow. But after a long hot summer, where the heat wave seemed to continuously roll over us wherever we went, Betty & I are enjoying what we have been aiming for on our overlandish odyssey – daytime temperatures around 21c/71f. We are neither bundling up to stay warm, or drenched in sweat and exhausted from the heat. Not that we were complaining about the heat. During many beach breaks this summer, I checked pictures on my phone of prior winter snow drifts back home that needed to be cleared from sidewalks or driveways in order to maintain mobility. Just seeing all that snow was enough to keep me cool. LOL.
Temperatures at night are now dropping, and we are starting to see the reds, oranges, and yellows appearing among the greens of the robust New England trees. It’s not full-blown autumn colours yet, but it’s definitely headed in that direction! For us, it means that we can leave the air conditioners off at night, and sleep in our cozy bed with the windows open – a cool breeze wafting through the nearby foliage.
New England is an historic, picturesque and geographically small area of north eastern America. It is well worth the visit, as we add states number 12 (Maine), 13 (New Hampshire), 14 (Vermont), 15 (Massachusetts), 16 (Connecticut) and 17 (Rhode Island) to our list of those visited on this adventure.
After leaving Camden Hills State Park, it was our intent to camp at Sebago Lake State Park, near Naples, Maine and the New Hampshire border. That was another of the parks we used to visit so many decades ago. But on arrival, the park ranger informed us that dogs are not allowed in the park (such a surprise to reject our Charlie without first meeting him! LOL), so we enjoyed a pleasant night at nearby Loon’s Haven Park instead. And yes, there were loons on the lake, reminding Betty of her friend Laurie’s remarkable loon calls back in Manitoba. LOL.
While we spent much of the next few days in New Hampshire, our actual campsite was across another state border, among the tall trees of Vermont’s Quechee State Park.
From Quechee we travelled south, through Massachusetts, to West Hartford, Connecticut, to visit one of my old high school friends. In high school, Doug was a popular drummer in a band, and I acted as his roadie, setting up his drums at most gigs. It was great to re-connect and spend an evening with Doug. Both of us agreed that the reunion was far to short, and we hope to see each other again during future travels.
We are currently in Rhode Island’s well manicured Fishermens Memorial State Park, preparing to head out to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Today we drove through the local community of Narragansett, and across a couple of bridges to the affluent city of Newport, Rhode Island. Along Bellevue Ave. are mile after mile of mansions, some now open to the
public. Since we had Charlie with us, we didn’t stop in to see the Vanderbilts at “The Breakers” – their summer cottage, or any of the other local inhabitants, before heading down the coast. Well, maybe next time. LOL.
BTW, while hurricane Florence was devastating to parts of North & South Carolina, it provided only a light rain and no wind to our location further up the coast. Since the hurricane, many of the campgrounds on our route have already re-opened, and last night we were able to secure reservations at a Cape Hatteras National Seashore campground – one of the prime destinations for this portion of our overlandish odyssey.
The summer heat may be over in the northern U.S. and Canada, but as we venture down the east coast, we hope to remain as close to our current ideal temperature (21c/71f) as possible, keeping our fingers crossed that any future hurricanes stay away from the coastline. The advantage for us is we have wheels under our home, so we can keep our eye on the weather and head the other way, if necessary. Best wishes to all for a pleasant fall season, whether in New England or elsewhere!
Cheers!