On the Bed & Breakfast Trail

Ted. On our road trip Judy and I have stayed in hotels and Airbnbs and in the homes of friends and family. Now we decided to try a different style of accommodation: traditional bed & breakfasts. It seems to me that their popularity has diminished in the Western and Southern US,  but they appear to be flourishing in the Northeast. We enjoy bed & breakfasts because they are typically family-run establishments with less than ten rooms. One gets to visit with the innkeepers as well as other guests, and there are often good stories about the property. They are a bit pricier than hotels but often more comfortable. And of course, the breakfasts are often superb. 

On leaving Lake Sunapee, we traveled south to the Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts. This is a beautiful area with lots of well-preserved old towns. 

Wilder House B&B, Sheffield, MA

Our inn was very near the Appalachian Trail where it crosses East Mountain. 

A tricky bit

The Housatonic Valley

NY's Catskills in the distance

After a relaxing stay with good breakfasts and nice folks, we drove south following the Housatonic River for a while on our way to New York’s fabled Hudson Valley. Along the way we took two short AT hikes. In Connecticut, we strolled along a gentle path from a covered bridge called Bulls Bridge to the point where the Tenmile River enters the Housatonic. 

Housatonic River

Our next stop was at the Bear Mountain Bridge in Garrison, NY. This is where the Appalachian Trail crosses the Hudson so we were able to walk the AT across that famous river. 

Getting back into our faithful truck, Raymond, it was a short drive to another gem of a B&B. The rooms were museum-like and the grounds were beautifully landscaped. 

The Inn at Stony Creek, Warwick, NY

This location also served as a base to take two more hikes on the AT. First up was the Mombasha View Point hike. 

Fitzgerald Falls were pretty pitiful

We finally encountered thru hikers who had started in Georgia

Indian (Ghost) Pipes are a rare sighting

Canadian wildfire smoke partially obscured the view

We then made the short drive across the state line to New Jersey to stroll the Pochuck Boardwalk, the longest elevated boardwalk on the AT (making it wheelchair accessible). Unlike the boardwalk in Atlantic City, this one crosses one of the largest wetlands on the trail. Yes, we needed mosquito spray, but the walk was nice and flat.

The blaze is familiar, not the boardwalk

The smoke was getting worse

This was a birder's paradise

Family and Lake Sunapee

Judy. On our way to Quebec, we stopped for a night to see our niece Ashley, her husband, Peter, and their children Despina and Demitros. Because it was a weekend, they invited us to their house on Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire. We had so much fun that she asked us to visit again on our way back south. 

According to Wikipedia, the lake’s name comes from a Native American word, Su-Napi, which means “goose,” a reference both to the geese living there and the shape of the lake itself—a goose with wings outstretched. It’s a glacial lake, just as clear as it can be, and absolutely gorgeous. 

What a glorious weekend! Ted and the kids loved grilling our dinner, and Ashley and I began catching up on family stories. We rode their boat around the lake, swam, played cornhole, ate, talked, and took the boat to see the fireworks in honor of “Old Home Day.” The lake itself and the adventures were wonderful, but nothing is as good as spending time with family.

Plymouth, New Hampshire

Judy. Leaving Vermont, we drove to Hanover, NH, home to Dartmouth College, for a coffee (at Dirt Cowboy Cafe) and a walk around the campus. 

Darmouth College was chartered in 1769!

Then on to Plymouth, which, like all the towns we see here, is Hallmark’s idea of a typical New England town. We ate lunch, then settled into a hotel just outside of town. 

The next day we drove into Sandwich, chartered in 1763, to have lunch with Mary Bess and Jeff, acquaintances from Athens who have a summer home there. Jeff and Ted play pickleball together, one of the ways we make connections. They told us a bit about the town and took us to a crafts co-op that’s been functioning since the 1920’s as a way for women to make money. 

Foothills Restaurant in downtown Sandwich

Jeff had recommended a boat tour of Squam Lake, where the film On Golden Pond was made. While film locations and trivia were not our interests, we loved the ride around the islands, especially the story of the descendants of Daniel Webster selling vast acres to the state for one dollar. And we finally saw a loon, but couldn’t get a photo because that guy dives fast! 

On the following day we decided to get in our New Hampshire Appalachian Trail hike up Wyatt Hill—the last “easy hike” before the truly difficult White Mountains. Going straight up for a large part of the hike made it tough—don’t these New Englanders believe in switchbacks? But we made it to Wachipauka Pond, which was lovely. And we only met three hikers. 

Yay! We made it!

We celebrated our tenth “Appalachian Trail state” by heading to a glorified snack bar, The Little Red Schoolhouse. Much to our pleasant surprise, they serve lobster rolls. We both indulged and declared them the best yet. 

Are lobsters on the endangered species list yet?

Our third day, we basically rested. Well, Ted did, and I drove into Plymouth to check out the town—and their thrift store, Ladders. It was HUGE—three buildings—and extremely well organized, as was the Habitat for Humanity ReStore we visited the day before. 

Cleanest, biggest, most organized ReStore we've seen!

I enjoyed walking Main Street, ducking into shops featuring local crafts, and catching a few moments of a youth jazz band performance on the town Common. 

The Town Hall was quiet, but there were kids playing on the Common

It is increasing clear why people enjoy coming to New England so much. The towns are historic and charming, and quite different from other parts of the country. This trip has been a real eye opener for me. I like it here. But I’m not sure about the winters…

Iconic covered bridges in New England

Vermont

Ted. It’s an easy drive from the Canadian border down the eastern side of Lake Champlain to Burlington, Vermont. Here, Judy parked me for a bit while she strolled around the shops and cafes. 

Burlington is the charming home of the University of Vermont and reminds one of Athens, Georgia with a significant difference. While Athens lies along the banks of the humble Oconee River, Burlington rests on the shores of magnificent Lake Champlain. 

We also wanted to visit the smallest state capital in the US so had lunch in Montpelier; population 8,000. 

By midafternoon we arrived at our home for the next three days; a condo Airbnb in the ski town of Killington. 

We took advantage of the beautiful weather and our proximity to the Appalachian Trail to take two fun hikes.

Clarendon Gorge

Thundering Brook Falls

Judy and I were also able to explore some of the surrounding towns. 

The old general store in Woodstock

Taftsville Covered Bridge

Every small New England town has a great snack bar

One evening we watched the last World Cup game for the US in a local bar. The result wasn’t we wanted but we did get to see a local celebrity in the parking lot.

JJ the Bear

Montréal

Judy. Years ago we visited Montréal in an effort to escape the heat of Georgia, only to find that it was hotter there than in our home state. Still, we really liked the city, and we have friends there whom we wanted to see, so we left Magog and headed to the big city. 

As he’s done before, Ted found us a gorgeous and comfortable hotel on the last stop of the metro line. With so many festivals in the city, a stay in Laval (with a 25-minute ride in) was less expensive and quieter. Hôtel St-Martin was charming, with a yummy breakfast spread and lovely outdoor seating. 

We had a small suite in the tall part

Our first day we walked to a nearby coffee shop to meet Dan and Alison, acquaintances from our hikes in Oaxaca, Mexico. They were heading to their mountain cabin, and we made arrangements to meet later in the week. 

With Dan & Alison and their good buddy Ginger Baker

From there we took the metro into the city for a warm reunion with Sylvie and Gilles. We got to know them on our first transatlantic cruise, and had met up again in Chile when a cruise took them to La Serena. They took us on a tour first of Vieux Montréal, around the port, past the Cathedral, to several art galleries, and to Place Jacques-Cartier, where we had lunch and caught up. Then Gilles insisted we see “underground Montréal,” the series of passages that weave around the business area of the city. One could walk for miles and never get out in the heat or the cold. 

A very happy reunion with Sylvie and Gilles

The next day we drove to St-Eustache for—wait for it—a famous flea market! Since we have a truck, we were able to buy a couple of things we wanted for the apartment, at much lower prices. And we had a heckuva good time! 

The Musée de Beaux Artes was next, and a lovely surprise. Of course we looked for, and found, a couple of Emily Carr paintings, as well as a plethora of Indigenous People’s artworks.

Loved this "totem pole" of baby blankets

 

Emily Carr's work never ceases to thrill

Finally, we went to a Richard Avedon exhibit of portraits on aging, which was absolutely stunning.   

The Duke

In addition to celebrities, Avedon added this photo of a nun's joy

        

We saved the Archeological Museum for the following day. What an encyclopedia that was! It encompasses three buildings, and begins on the spot Montreal was founded. Ruins of early houses, models and videos about the establishment and growth of the city, and even a walk through an old sewer to an exhibit honoring the original French habitants, gave a clear sense of its importance. 

A walk through time

What a lineup!

Montréal is hosting its famous jazz festival this month, and the lineup is a who’s who of important musicians, some of whom I’d love to stay and see. We did catch a lovely street performance of a young group of students, Couleurs Cazz, which we enjoyed before heading to meet Dan and Alison for dinner and more conversation. 

Young band Couleurs Cazz can sing some mean scat

It was a great visit, but the Laurentian Mountains were calling, so we bid a fond adieu to a lovely (still warm, but not as hot as our last visit), exciting city.

Until next time, Mr. Cohen