Visiting Family
We’re staying with Paul, Carolann, and Dylan here in Syracuse NY, Carolann is Ellen’s sister. We’ve had wide ranging conversations about politics, family, music, and local issues that’s been fun for all. The driving through Pennsylvania and into New York, the weather turned overcast and rain has fallen off and on since we arrived and is expected to continue for the next few days. There has been extensive flooding along the East Coast of the Carolinas and Maryland and with Tropical Storm (hurricane?) Joaquin on the way we could see more extensive rain.
We’re planning to push on to visit DeDe and Don in Pine Plains, but some of the roads into the woods are dirt and prone to flooding. We’ll drive to Tivoli, drop off Li’l Beast, and ride to Pine Plains with David and Chris.
Paul said last night that it had been unusually dry the past few months. This rain is the first they’ve had in quite a while and that the dryness influences the fall foliage. The leaves turn “all at once” and fall from the trees! I did notice just this happening in Pennsylvania and parts of New York where some trees had turned and dropped most of their leaves. They were not maples though.
Empire Brewing Company
We went to the Empire Brewing Company for dinner last night. The brewery was originally a Cajun and Creole restaurant. The brewery’s menu retained the Cajun and Creole flair. Ellen had the lobster bisque and a fabulous three meat chili of Elk, Angus, and Kobe. Paul and Carolann shared a cajun dish of jambolaya and gumbo. Their IPA was goooood.
I was born and raised near Boston, Mass. As a child and young teenager my family would take weekend trips to Vermont and New Hampshire and visit their natural wonders. I remember more of New Hampshire, probably because we spent more time there. It will be fun for me to revisit some of the outstanding places I remember and discover some new ones along the way.
Vermont
I recall being “out in the boonies” on our trips to Vermont. Forty years ago, Vermont was sparsely populated, rugged, and beautiful in an undeveloped sort of way. My guess is it has changed over the years. Some of the resources I’ll be using to plan our trip through Vermont are:
State Parks
top ten things to do in Vermont
New Hampshire
Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire, closed Sept 19th. Luckily the Flume and Canon Mountain Tramway are open through Oct 25th and Oct 18th respectively. The White Mountain Cog Railway stays open through October.
Check these links for more information:
New Hampshire Parks
White Mountain Cog Railway
New England
Visit New England
foliage Map
Just a short post to catch up.
Ron