Seeing the foliage in New England has always been a dream of mine. We planned this trip to coincide with Indigenous Peoples' Day so the kids would "only" miss four days of school versus five. I know it's not ideal and I didn't love pulling them from school but life is short, right? It's been a tough year for our family and we deserved a real vacation/family adventure.
As it turns out, I missed the mark by about a week in terms of hitting peak coloring. But what was totally out of my control was the weather. I think we got about 36 or fewer hours of dry weather. There was a late season hurricane that sent torrential rain up north the second dedicated day of our trip. I'll get more into that later. Like any trip there were high and low points but overall, we progressed as a traveling family. We adapted and pivoted away from plans when needed and flew by the seat of our pants at other times. In the distant past now, pre-kids particularly, I used to plan our trips with an almost hour by hour itinerary. Traveling with kids has helped me to be more flexible and open to surprises. Now I jot down an option or two and sometimes we'll get to that thing or sometimes we won't. And sometimes we do something I hadn't even considered. It makes for a more exciting and fulfilling experience.
Day One: Saturday, October 10
We split the drive up to Bartlett, New Hampshire into two days. Today we drove up to New Paltz, NY and spent an overnight at a very clean, cozy Airbnb. The sleeping arrangements weren't ideal so there was some conflict with that, but that wasn't the host's fault. Our family is quirky about where and how we sleep. Ultimately, the kids ended up in bed with me and Evan ended up in a twin bed by himself. The kids slept but I don't think either adult had a successful night.
We didn't have much time to explore New Paltz except to grab a jacket for Evan (he realized after we started our drive that he forgot to throw his jacket in the trunk) and then some pizza for dinner. New Paltz is a cute college town but our biggest takeaways were it smelled like pot and people were too slow to vacate their parking spaces. No hustle!
Day Two: Sunday, October 11
I was hoping we could start the day by stretching our legs on the Walkway Over the Hudson but, and this was a theme for much of the trip, it was raining. We carried on but deep into the drive stopped at Bromley Mountain Adventure Park in Vermont. I thought I could get a picture of the foliage and we could simultaneously stretch our legs. It turned out to be a little bit of a mistake because both kids, especially Iris, wanted to partake in the activities like the moon bounce, ski lift, etc. We still had quite a bit of driving ahead of us so hadn't planned for or anticipated making an extended stop. Also, it appeared that the tickets were for the whole park vs. per activity. We would've been OK with buying individual tickets to the moon bounce, for example, but didn't think it was reasonable to spend $90+ for the whole park when we didn't plan to stay all day. Maybe something we can keep in mind for a future New England trip.
Our first hint that we were no longer in Kansas (a reference to The Wizard of Oz, we are not from Kansas):
One of the serendipitous and unplanned stops we made on our trip was to The Vermont Country Store. We had been texting with our parents to update them on our status and my mom said, worth a stop if you see it (referencing the Vermont Country Store). And then suddenly we were driving by one and I said to Evan, let's go, it's right there.
We ended up getting souvenirs that unfortunately, never made it home. We accidentally left them in our room in New Hampshire. We did have a good time perusing all the various odds and ends and goods in the store. It's a massive space filled from corner to corner with anything and everything under the sun. My mom was right, definitely worth a stop. Before we left we picked up some sandwiches to go that would end up being our dinner and some maple cremees from the directly adjacent Mildred's Dairy Bar.
Some foliage before we lost the light and reached our final destination at The Aurora Inn & Cottages in Bartlett, NH.
As I mentioned earlier, we ate our sandwiches from the Vermont Country Store for dinner in our room. I'll be frank, none of us loved our new accommodations. It was a case of that great quote from Clueless, the room was a full-on Monet, from far away, it's OK, but up close it's a big old mess. The room looked perfect on the website but up close there was moldy grout in the shower, bubbling and peeling paint in the bathroom, dust, and the worst part, bugs. To the Aurora's credit, when we made arrangements to leave early and tack on another night on the next leg of our trip, they refunded us for one night's accommodation. That alone makes me not want to disparage them too much. I do hope that they'll look into renovating for future guests.
Day Three: Monday, October 12
This was one of our few beautiful weather days or at least, it started that way. And that was lucky because we had dated tickets for our planned activity. Story Land was one of the impetuses of the trip. Last Christmas I had bought four tickets at a nice discount. We took the kids there two summers ago and they loved it. It was nice to go back and take a trip down memory lane. I know Aura remembered it but Iris might've been too young the first time.
We happened to go during "Happy Hauntings" which was an added bonus. The kids got to trick or treat and pick up some candy all while we also enjoyed the rides (especially the Polar Coaster, Iris's first time on that rollercoaster), visited Cinderella's castle, and had a great lunch from an on-site food truck (smashed burgers, chicken tenders, and fries).
We were supposed to take the Mt. Washington Cog Rail the following afternoon but when we kept hearing and reading about inclement weather we called and had our tickets changed to this afternoon.
Unfortunately, the day that started out great started to deteriorate as we drove to the train station and within twenty minutes of the train climbing the mountain we lost visibility completely. When we reached the summit it was windy, rainy, and cold. The plan was to see foliage but that was impossible. There was cloud cover all around.
Iris hated the wind whipping her in the face. Evan, Aura, and I tried to make the most of it. After all, we had been to the top of Mt. Washington before via the auto road and the weather was amazing. We could see everything. This time we could barely see our hands in front of our faces. You could make the argument that it was neat to be up there under different and extreme circumstances. Apparently, Mt. Washington is known for having some of the worst weather in the world and we got to experience it firsthand!
In my excitement, Aura and I kind of skipped/jogged on our way to Evan and Iris who were waiting for us by the Mt. Washington State Park sign to take a family picture. We were passing through the line of people getting ready to go back down the mountain when some kids rough-housing right next to us slammed into me from behind and sent me flying. I already had forward momentum from the skipping/jogging and then had the wind blowing me from behind and then these two nincompoops came at me. There was no stopping it, I was falling. I went from mostly upright to flat on my face. Luckily the damage wasn't as bad as it could've been. Mostly my knees got banged up. But honestly, after the year I've had and continue to have with my body not working as well as it once did, it was a real blow to my mental equilibrium. We never did get the family photo. Even after I got up with help from Evan and two other men on the mountain, Iris was not game to go back out until we had to get on the train. We mostly stayed inside in the shelter. The crummy thing is that we were on the last train up of the day so unbeknownst to us, the cafeteria and gift shop were already closed. No hot chocolate for us and we had really been looking forward to it. Might've taken some of the edge off.
This part of New Hampshire is quite rural so once we were back down the mountain it was hard to find dinner. We ended up defaulting to Fabyan's Station, which is the landmark where you're directed to turn to get to the base station. We got pizza and chicken wings which really hit the spot. On the drive back "home" Evan spotted our lone moose of the New Hampshire portion of our trip. It was grazing on the side of the road in the almost pitch black dark.
It was that night that we made the decision to cut our stay short and carry on to the coastal part of our trip. We were fortunate that we were able to get out of our last night in the White Mountains and tack on an extra day at our next accommodations.
Day Four: October 13
Today was almost a complete washout. It was raining when we woke up and continued through the afternoon. Our first stop of the morning was in the opposite direction of our final destination. We returned to Polly's Pancake Parlor but this time, instead of just grabbing something from the gift shop we stayed to have breakfast.
Some foliage along the way:
Evan called early in the morning, maybe 9:00? And at that time there was a 10-20 minute wait. The woman Evan spoke to said to play the lottery because that short of a wait time almost never happens. Of course, by the time our circus was ready to go and we arrived it was a 45-60 minute wait. Womp womp. We did in fact wait an hour to be seated but to the kids' credit they were extremely patient.
The adults had some savory meals and pancakes (blueberry for Evan, pumpkin for me), while the kids split a full stack of chocolate chip pancakes. We all loved it! And like last time we brought a gift basket of pancake batter home to my parents. I foresee Sunday pancakes in our future.
From there we backtracked a bit more so that we could drive the Kancamagus Highway or Kanc starting in Lincoln and ending in Conway. It was miserably cold and wet so most of the pictures come from me hopping out of the car while everyone else stayed warm and cozy inside.
Sugar Hill:
After we completed our drive along the Kanc we carried on toward our next destination, Kittery, ME, just across the water from Portsmouth, NH. We moved into the Foreside Inn which was hands down our favorite "home" during our week-long vacation. It was clean, comfortable, and walkable to Kittery's small downtown. I'd recommend it and I'd make a return visit.
We ended up having a late dinner at a casual Italian eatery. It was edible but nothing to write home about.
Day Five: October 14
It was a beautiful day! We got up and headed into Ogunquit, ME about twenty minutes away by car. I was immediately taken with the quaint beach town which seemed welcoming, inclusive, festive, and charming. There were fall and Halloween decorations everywhere and lots of people walking around enjoying the boutique shops, eateries, and amazing weather.
There were several great breakfast options right on the main drag but the kids were being a drag so a sit down scenario wasn't possible. Instead Evan popped into The Omelette Factory to get some freshly baked and delicious muffins - blueberry, pistachio, and pumpkin - to go.
From there we parked in Obed's Parking Lot, just across the street from the start of the Marginal Way. The Marginal Way is a lovely walk that takes you by beautiful coastline and magnificent properties. It's about 1.25 miles one way.
Our intention was to walk one way and then take the Ogunquit Trolley back to the parking lot where we started. The kids, especially Iris, were excited about riding the trolley so of course, there was an unexpected snafu. We got to Perkins Cove, the terminus of the walk, and there was no trolley. According to their own website the trolley runs through October 15 and here it was October 14. Evan went over to talk to a woman in a ticket/info booth on the other side of the road and we followed. She said that she hadn't seen the trolley all day and didn't think it was running. What a disappointment and also, false advertising from their website!
Luckily, I was able to hail a Lyft. Three of us could've done the walk back but getting Iris to do the walk one way without being picked up (and she demanded that a few times anyway) was a miracle. It was also fortunate that we ran into this woman at the ticket booth because she more or less planned the rest of our afternoon and an activity for the following day. Serendipity!
Our Lyft driver, Alex, was a comically cynical Long Islander. He said he wasn't surprised the trolley wasn't running because despite Maine touting its charms for vacationers, they don't cater to the masses.
We spent the afternoon in York, ME visiting Nubble Lighthouse and then the Wiggly Bridge, which is exactly as described - wiggly. We had fun running across it and shaking it side to side like we were on a ride at an amusement park. It was delightful and a great way to get some energy out. We all had a good time.
We had a late lunch/early dinner at Wild Willy's Burgers. It certainly gave off good vibes but despite a great and casual menu there wasn't anything too special about the food.
We ended our day with a stroll around Kittery and then headed into Portsmouth to check out Prescott Park and the sunset from Memorial Bridge.
This was probably my favorite day of the trip, start to finish. It really made me want to return to this part of Maine, the next day, but also on a future trip.
Day Five: October 15
Today was another beautiful weather day so we walked from our hotel to Lil's Cafe in downtown Kittery for breakfast. It turns out I didn't get the best food item - I ordered a lox bagel and the lox was thick-cut and too salty for me. That said, the bagel was homemade and good. Everyone else liked their stuff and I liked what I got the following morning (a savory breakfast biscuit).
From there we returned to Ogunquit to take a lobster boat with FinestKind (recommended to us the day before). I hadn't even allowed myself to consider the possibility that the kids would get seasick or freak out and luckily, neither thing happened. It was their first time on any boat and they loved it!
It was a 50 minute ride and for the duration we were led by two men, the boat captain who stopped to pick up and empty three lobster traps, and the tour guide who taught us about the lobster industry. Factoids that stuck with me: 90% of the world's lobster market comes from Maine; they work very hard to maintain a healthy lobster population by throwing back lobsters under a certain measurement, greater than a certain measurement, and if they're females with eggs; and the way you identify a male versus a female is the male has two sharp claw or fingernail-like abdominal protrusions which he uses to bind himself to the female during mating; the female has a feathery underbelly.
What a great way to experience something so quintessentially Maine. The kids also got to hold and pose with lobsters at the end too.
In the afternoon we drove a little farther north to check out Portland Head Light and Fort Williams Park. What's silly is that I got confused. Years ago, like, over a decade ago, Evan and I spent the better part of a week in Maine and took a picture in front of Cape Elizabeth Light. I thought that's where we were going today but no, there's another lighthouse in the same general location that looks very much like it and that's where we went in South Portland. To be fair, it also looked a lot like the Nubble Lighthouse we saw earlier during this trip. Lots of lighthouses!
But the highlight here wasn't actually the lighthouse, it was the park and a food truck. While Evan stood in a long line to get a late lunch for us all, the kids and I went over to the swings to get some energy out. It was a magnificent day, a little cool and windy but it was a beautiful scene. I could imagine spending the day in the park on a perfect day, going to the playground, having a picnic, flying a kite, etc. I'm sure the locals love it.
Evan got a pulled pork sandwich, a Maine lobster roll (there are several styles and in fact, Evan went back and got a Connecticut lobster roll later), a grilled cheese sandwich, some potato salad, and clam chowder. To the kids' credit they tried the lobster roll and the clam chowder! Initially they said they liked both but by the time Evan got the second lobster roll they were no longer interested. It was extremely pricey at $45 too! I'm glad we tried it but generally speaking I don't think any of us care enough about lobster to go out of our way to get it. But between the Maine style with mayonnaise, and Connecticut with hot butter, I prefer Maine.
By then it was rather late in the day and we had to hurry to catch The Holy Donut before they closed at 4:00. In retrospect we should've just skipped it because by then we were getting the dregs that were left at the end of the day. They were stale and the options were limited. Evan and I had these donuts when we spent time in Portland many years ago and I *think* we liked them but they were also hot and fresh. Iris loves donuts so this was meant to be a treat that ended up being a disappointment.
We didn't have much opportunity to explore the varied eating options in Portsmouth for dinner because our kids either wanted pizza, McDonald's, or grudgingly, Chick-fil-a. We haven't advanced yet to more adventurous palates but little by little they're expanding their horizons.
Day Six: October 16
We woke up to...you guessed it, RAIN! Evan ran into Lil's and grabbed us some breakfast to go and then we headed over to Albacore Park to explore the decommissioned submarine, U.S.S. Albacore. It was our final activity in Portsmouth before we started our long drive to Nyack, NY.
Obviously, the quarters are tight, and going through each section of the sub where you have to swing one leg through, duck your head, and then drag the rest of you behind was hard on the adults' knees. That said, it was really fascinating. They had an audio tour that was narrated by former crew members. Certainly, it was a unique and memorable experience.
From there we began our long journey to Nyack, NY, our final destination for the evening. Just as our Airbnb in New Paltz was a crash pad, so was the Hotel Nyack. It was absurdly expensive as most things in New York are and none of us would stay there again. What kind of a nut would think styling the bathroom like a public restroom would be welcoming or attractive to guests? Yuck.
Volatile weather was supposed to move in during the evening when we had tickets for The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze in Croton-on-Hudson, NY. I've read/heard about this event for years and I've been dying to go. This trip and a convenient midway point created the perfect opportunity. Fortunately, the event organizers recognized that stormy weather wouldn't be conducive to a good time so even though we had timed tickets at 6:30 they emailed and gave us permission to come later.
On the way we looked for somewhere where we could both have dinner and wait out the bad weather. We found DD's Diner within ten minutes' drive of the event. It was another of these serendipitous or accidental findings that made the trip all the better. It was a wonderfully throwback, retro diner with fantastic service, an elaborate and extensive menu, and delicious comfort food. The kids even got complimentary dolls and each wore a dress in their favorite colors - red and pink. Perfect! We'd definitely go back to sample more of the food and to have a second helping of pancakes.
By the time we got to Blaze at 8:00 the bad weather had passed through and we were able to enjoy our exploration of the numerous hand-carved pumpkin displays. The time and energy that the craftsmen must put into these things...it's hard to fathom. I don't know if Iris was overwhelmed by the scale of the place, tired, or bored but about ten or fifteen minutes into it she was over it. She was insisting on Evan picking her up and carrying her so the evening kind of devolved from there. Aura and I were trying to enjoy ourselves as best we could but we did feel a little pressure to move quicker. Regardless, like so many other experiences on our trip this was a special, one of a kind event. Every year has a different theme and of course, freshly carved pumpkins. I'm glad we went this year even if we never go again. But who knows?
Day Seven: October 17
We got up and ready as soon as we could and headed home!
Like any trip, there were highs and lows but overall more highs than lows. I'm really proud of the progress that the kids made in terms of adapting and pivoting when needed. We stayed in four different places and they rolled with it. I get that for kids it can be destabilizing to switch beds and bathrooms repeatedly in a short time, but this trip was good practice for them. Taking this trip will make it easier and more possible to take a longer trip next time.
We also tried hotels versus Airbnb this time and learned that maybe Airbnb is a better option for us. It was tough to relax in our hotel rooms without a lot of space to spread out and challenging to share one bathroom amongst four people.
I pre-planned some of our activities like Story Land, the Cog Rail, and Blaze but some other things were suggestions I jotted down or we came up with off the cuff. I think the flexibility of our schedule was really helpful and conducive to a good time.
The driving was long and tiresome, especially for Evan, but a hack that really helped this time was downloading movies to the kids' tablets prior to our departure. I don't think they've ever been so quiet and cooperative in the car. It was amazing! We will definitely add to their libraries before the next road trip.
We all love it up in New England. Probably the best compliment we could've gotten was that Iris asked if we were going back to New Hampshire again and I said, sure, if they wanted to, and she said, yeah, let's go tomorrow. We're not going back tomorrow but it's definitely possible we'll be back up that way in the next year.
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