So closing down the whole operation, we headed out of dodge before the snow could trap us in. We had already experienced a brilliantly colored fall with the turning of the aspens in Creede, but as we drove east we were glad to see that we had not missed fall in the midwest.
One of the greatest things about our job is that we are able to spend an extended period of time with family during the off-season. Sometimes this is much more important than others, and this was one of those years. We are deeply grateful to our situation as it allowed us to be there for family this fall when it was needed.
As happy as they are to have us there, our families also realize that we look forward to our time on the road. So off we set to do a whirlwind tour of the northeast.
Almost five years living in the D.C. metro area and we had never made it up to New England proper. As I spent my summer days slinging tacos, my mind wandered to rugged, rocky beaches with crashing waves, statuesque lighthouses, foggy mornings, and steaming hot clam chowder. Truth be told, I simply love the ocean. I may be a bit loony- no comments please- but I swear I can feel its power as we travel closer. It pulls me in, speaks to me, and balances me. It always has.
Add this to the fact that I am in a ongoing competition with my Mom and Daniel to see who can visit all 50 states first, and it was a no-brainer. We were going to the northeast. We had six states on the list that we had yet to see- Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, and Rhode Island. Oh, and we planned to visit my Canadian family in Ontario as well.
Our timeline for the trip was a bit shorter than originally planned, but we were pretty sure we could still accomplish it all. Northward bound!
We made ourselves right at home next to the big rigs at the truck stops. Why pay $30 a night for campsite when you're on the road?
Upon arriving in London, Ontario, we visited my Uncle Bob and Aunt Sue. Sue was lively and beautiful despite her recent hardships. And Bob was the ultimate host cooking us not one but two meals during our stay! It was so good to have a one-on-one visit with them.
After leaving Bob and Sue's we went to visit my cousin Arlin and her youngest Tyler. Heading away from her house we had to take a slight detour...
to eat some FRENCH FRIES!!!
Every once in a while there is a clear sign pointing to my Canadian roots.
This is a blinking neon arrow. Canada- or at least Ontario- has thoroughly
embraced its love of french fries. They've got seasoned fries, and fries with vinegar,
fries drenched in cheese sauce and sour cream, fries covered in gravy and cheese affectionately
known as Poutine. And the best part of all? They have food trucks dedicated to
providing this scrumptious side dish conveniently alongside the road.
This is Mike. He serves up his delectable spuds on the side of Highway 119 in Ingersoll, ON.
Now, I consider myself a bit of a french fry aficionado. But these were up there with the best french fries I have ever had the pleasure of eating. I mean, come on, just look at the grin!!
Along the way to Georgetown, ON- our next destination- we did the only logical thing to do after gorging yourself on deep fried potatoes. We found a beautiful roadside park and hiked! Notice the shorts and tank top in the second week of November.
We have the best traveling dogs in the world.
Uncle Marty was gracious enough to let us park our rig in his driveway for a few nights. We took full advantage of all of the facilities, including the trampoline!
We weren't able to meet up with Angi this time. She was heading to Florida for a much needed girls' trip. Chris showed us around his neck of the woods with a beautiful hike along the escarpement.
After our hike we shared dinner and great conversation with Marty. As last year, we felt very welcomed by all our family in Canada. We can't wait to see them again!
It was great to spend time with Daniel and Lane at their home. We cooked a great meals, enjoyed the local wineries, distilleries, and one cidery. We enjoyed the beautiful New York countryside still colored with the hues of autumn. And we enjoyed a hike together in the Finger Lakes National Forest where we parked our rig for a couple days.
Marc had to stop and snap a picture of this van.
We really enjoyed our flight of ciders at the Cider House as well as our cheese tray minus the extremely pungent goat flavored blue cheese. Pee-ewwww!
Pancake breakfast at the National Forest.
Look closely. Yes, that is Daniel hanging from the tree to fetch us a fresh apple for snacking. It was delicious!
Waffle-frolic was a waffle-riffic chose for lunch in Ithaca. We tried the Waffle Florentine as well as a Veggie Corn Dog. Yum!
Somehow Marc almost missed this giant chair on the side of the road in Vermont.
We found a hidden gem of a campground in the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont. It was off a well-kept gravel road, a spacious pull off with a fire ring and a fresh stack of firewood. All for the whopping price of $0 per night! Gotta love National Forest campgrounds. 
And then, after enjoying the picturesque countryside of Vermont and New Hampshire, we crossed into our northeasternmost destination- Maine!!
We stopped in the town of York, Maine, which much like Creede, was almost completely shut down for the season. That's all right because it forced to splurge on a quaint little motel room for a couple of nights.
Yum!
I do realize that a large part of my posts are focused on food. What can I say, there are so many good things to eat out there!
The Maine coast was foggy, rugged, cold, and rainy- all the things we had expected! The unwelcoming weather didn't stop us from enjoyed the beach. And Lucy and Max loved that they had a long stretch of sand to themselves to run!
Someone had a creative idea of how to display the trash left behind on the beach.
And I found my second larger than life chair of the trip.
We even forced ourselves out of bed early enough to catch the stunning east coast sunrise. Well worth the early rise time.
Goodbye Maine, until time, when we will most certainly arrive earlier and spend more time, including the Bay of Fundy and Acadia National Park.
From here we dropped down through multiple states to Maryland to visit Kim and Clark. It is always a great time when we see them and always much good food and wine to be had.
We biked to a local sports bar, cooked together, and laughed together. Kim let me tag along to her favorite new workout class- Soul Cycle. This is not your average spinning class. It's like a dance party and a workout in one!
Sadly, our time on the road was coming to an end. We stopped in a few beautiful places on the way home in southern Virginia and Nashville. Marc got to test out his newly built vintage skateboard. Lucy and Max got a thrill at chasing him down the road at the campground.
And we found the third in the trifecta of the surprise theme of our trip- really, really big chairs!
So that's that- 15 states in 15 days, Canada and the northeast on a whirlwind trip!
