Alaska Road Trip

Sometimes when bad things happen you can turn them into experiences of a lifetime. I was relatively young when the plant I was working at as Quality Supervisor shut its doors after over 100 years of operation. I took my severance package and seeing that I was not tied down to returning at a given time I packed up the van and headed to Alaska from my home in New England. I took my elderly parents with me since they had both recently retired paying them back for all of the family trips they took us kids on when we were young. We headed north up through Vermont passing over the border to Montreal. You can click the links for more in depth posts on each attraction. In Quebec we picked up the Trans Canada Highway and headed west averaging 600 miles per day.

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Ontario brought us to the north shore of Lake Superior.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

We entered Manitoba stopping for the night in Winnipeg before passing the longitudinal center of Canada.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Saskatchewan and the open plains are next up.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Into Alberta and a visit to the West Edmonton Mall.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Heading north out of Edmonton we finally made our way to the Alaska Highway. The highway starts at mile zero in Dawson Creek British Columbia.

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Ranging rivers, mosquito infested forests and many trading post style shops like the “Trappers Den” highlight the start of the trip.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Summit Lake Provincial Campground was one of the best sites on the trip even though it was quite cold, at least no mosquitos!

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At milepost 613 is Watson Lake, Yukon Territory with its signpost forest.

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Whitehorse, Yukon is a spot for car repairs or upgrades before heading deeper into the wilderness.

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The SS Klondike National Historic Site and the canyon are nice visits.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Passing the Northern Beaver Post Kluane National Park offers expansive views.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Into Alaska and the end of the Alaska Highway at Delta Junction and then on our way to Tok where a meal of caribou sausage and salmon chowder in a bread bowl was our welcome to the state.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Making our way down state passing Wrangell- St. Elias National Park to Valdez.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Heading north and west we went through Anchorage and down to Homer and Chugach State Park.

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Back north brings us to Denali National Park.

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We visited Fairbanks and after a short detour up the haul road towards Barrow we headed back via the Top of the World Highway.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Coming to the Yukon River you board a ferry across to Dawson City, Yukon.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Back through Kluane we took the South Klondike Highway towards Carcross, The Carcross Desert, Emerald Lake, Bove Island,the Venus Mill and back into Alaska to Skagway.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Instead of repeating the route south along the Alaska Highway we took the Cassiar Highway south. We passed by Bear Glacier and made our way to the charming communities of Stewart, British Columbia and Hyder Alaska.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

We turned east heading into Jasper National Park in Alberta,

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

and then along the glacier highway to Banff National Park.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Out of the parks and back into the plains by Calgary.

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Back into the United States brings us to Glacier National Park with its Going to the Sun Road and Many Glacier Region.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Further south is the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Heading towards the western entrance to Yellowstone National Park we passed by Earthquake Lake.

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The highlights of Yellowstone include The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and its waterfalls,

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Old Faithful,

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numerous other Geothermal features,

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

but most of all the wildlife. Having just returned from Alaska the wildlife viewing here is even more spectacular.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Grand Teton National Park was just a short jaunt south of Yellowstone.

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Continuing east were stops at Wind Cave National Park, Mount Rushmore National Memorial and The Crazy Horse Memorial.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Badlands National Park was next on the agenda. This again was one of my mother’s favorite parks as it was a setting of many of her historical fiction novels she liked to read.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Into Minnesota with a stop at Pipestone National Monument.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Down to Iowa and Effigy Mounds National Monument.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Some heavy miles going east we made one final stop at the Women’s Rights National Historical Park.

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A visit to my aunt and uncle in Cohoes, New York and then home. It was good to see New England and home after many months on the road but the memories of the trip will last a life time. My parents would both pass in a few years and I was glad I could give them this trip in their final years.

Trans Canada Highway – Montreal, Quebec to Edmonton, Alberta

The Trans-Canada Highway is a transcontinental federal-provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada from the Pacific Ocean on the west to the Atlantic on the east. The main route spans 4,860 miles across the country, one of the longest routes of its type in the world. The highway system is recognizable by its distinctive white-on-green maple leaf route markers. On our road trip up the Alaska Highway we made our way from our home in New England to Montreal where we caught the Trans Canada Highway heading west. Driving through Quebec and into Ontario we reached the midpoint of the Trans Canada.

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A truly awe inspiring part of the drive was going along the north shore of Lake Superior. Realizing that you are seeing a freshwater lake and not an ocean gives you even more of a sense of wonder.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Many scenic wonders in Ontario but we couldn’t stop as we were on to Alaska.

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Into Manitoba and through Winnipeg,

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we reach the longitudinal center of Canada.

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In from of us are the Canadian Plains and the endless fields of crops and pasture as we enter Saskatchewan.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Alberta is where we leave the Trans Canada and head north into British Columbia to catch the Alaska Highway,

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but first a stop at the West Edmonton Mall which at the time of our trip was the largest mall in the world. Today it is not even in the top ten!

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Someone once said the best way to see a country is to drive through it and I wholeheartedly agree. We really did not do the trip justice as we were on our way to Alaska but it was still an experience I will always cherish.

Eastport Maine Road Trip

Eastport, Maine is a place that holds a special place in my heart. My mother was born and grew up in Eastport and we spent a few weeks every summer visiting my grandmother and other relatives. My father loved the fishing and the surrounding wilderness. After they retired they bought an old farmhouse in nearby Pembroke, Maine and the family spent a lot of vacation time visiting them. Rita, Alex and I decided to take a long weekend trip and make a pilgrimage to some of my old stomping grounds in the area. We decided to take the slow scenic route and made our way up US Route 1 passing through beautiful and quaint coastal towns like Kennebunk.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Be sure to stop at Perry’s Nut House a fixture on Route 1 for generations.
We stopped for lunch at Red’s Eats famous for their lobster rolls.

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In Thomaston, Maine is the home of revolutionary war hero Henry Knox.

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A detour inland brought us to the home of another famous Maine resident Stephen King.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

In downtown Bangor, Maine is a statue of Paul Bunyan.

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We stayed the night at the Ramada Inn in Bangor where Alex made a new friend.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The next morning on the way out of town we made a stop at the Galen Cole Land Transportation Museum which also has on site the Kjenstad Covered Bridge and a Veterans Memorial Park.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

A favorite stop on US Route 1 just south of Ellsworth is the Big Chicken Barn. If you are in the market for something to read this is the place for you. The bottom floor of the barn is full of antiques but the entire top floor is full of books of all shapes and sizes. Everything from comic books to vintage tomes dating back to the 1800s can be found here. My mother used to stock up on historical fiction paperbacks while I would peruse the science fiction, travel and history sections.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Ellsworth is the gateway to Acadia National Park and even though I have been there dozens of times there is always something to see. We started on the Park Loop Road and made our first stop at the Sieur de Monts Spring and nature center.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Next up on the loop was Thunder Hole

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Alex had fun playing on the rocks at Otter Cliff.

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When we finished the loop road we headed to Somesville with a stop at the Museum and Gardens as well as a visit to the historic selectmen’s building and the picturesque bridge.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The Carrol Homestead is on the way to the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

We made our way back to the other side of the island to spend some time in Bar Harbor.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Dinner was at Lunt’s Gateway Lobster Pound in Trenton.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

We spent the night at the Colonial Inn in Ellsworth.

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Schoodic Peninsula a portion of Acadia National Park across Frenchman’s Bay from Bar Harbor was a favorite haunt of mine when I visited my parents. Back in the day it was an undeveloped little used area where you could unwind and spend some quality time with nature. With the transfer of the Navy station to the park service the infrastructure and hence the visitors has greatly increased but it is still a quiet respite from Mount Desert Island.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Keep an eye out for the Winter Harbor Lighthouse on an island in the middle of the bay as you make your way around the loop road.

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On the way out of the park you can see the Prospect Harbor Lighthouse.

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As you continue north up Route 1 there used to be quite a few gift shops and kitchy tourist stops. One that still remains is Wild Blueberry Land in Columbia Falls. You cannot miss the giant blueberry shaped building as you go by. Try the blueberry muffins some of the best you can have.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

My parents farm was located on the Pennamaquan River and we used to swim in two dam sites. The Lower Dam had a deep pool where you could walk along the dam and jump in. There was also a fish ladder where the alewives would run each year.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The Upper Dam site had a Tarzan swing and a bridge you could jump off.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

A local spring is where we used to get our drinking water. Delicious, we stopped and filled up our bottles.

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Back onto Route 1 we stopped for ice cream at Polar Treat an ice cream shop that has been serving the area for decades.

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After ice cream we made the turn into Eastport for a day of exploration.

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My grandmother’s house was on the top of what was called Fort Hillthe site of a revolutionary war era fort: Fort Sullivan.

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and what is now the site of the high school.

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For decades there has been a little hot dog stand on the town’s breakwater pier. I may be influenced by nostalgia but I think Rosie’s has the best hot dogs you can eat.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

We ate overlooking the ocean on the breakwater pier. The mackerel were running so after lunch Alex reeled in a few with the help of a kindly fisherman.

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From the breakwater there is a lovely ocean walk with views of the Passamaquoddy Bay.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The walk culminates at the statue of a fisherman which has become the symbol of Eastport. Interestingly the statue is not that old it being erected for a reality TV show “Murder in Small Town X” in the early 2000s. Tragically the winner of the show was killed during the 9-11 attacks. The statue is now dedicated to his memory.

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A drive down Water Street several historic buildings can be seen including the old post office,

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the Peavey Library

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and several other buildings.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Be sure to stop at Raye’s Mustard Mill for a factory tour and some delicious mustard.

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Shackford Head State Park is on the other side of Moose Island.

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Leaving Eastport we stopped at Helen’s restaurant famous for their delicious pies.

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We spent the night at the Bluebird Motel in Machias.

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Deviating from Route 1 we took the Blackwoods Scenic Byway through the Cherryfield woods.

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Our next stop was the Bucksport Waterfront Walkway with great views of the river and Fort Knox.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Across the river is Fort Knox State Park containing both the historic fort as well as the observatory on top of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Our last stop before heading home was the Sherman Lake Wetland.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Fall Foliage Road Trip 2019 – Connecticutt River Valley, New Hampshire

Our fall foliage trip this year we decided to go along the southern portion of the Connecticutt River Valley border between Vermont and New Hampshire. After reviewing the foliage guide on-line the foliage should be near peak in this section of New England. The trip through southern New Hampshire to get to the river valley had some nice scenery along the way.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Our first stop was a nice find when we pulled over for a Starbuck’s coffee the Ashuelot River Park in Keene, New Hampshire.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Next up we drive through Surry, New Hampshire.

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Charlestown, New Hampshire is the boyhood home of Red Sox Hall of Famer Carleton Fisk.

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A historic marker commemorating General John Stark’s Expedition to Bennington is also in Charlestown.

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On a side note there is a memorial stone marking Stark’s birthplace in Derry, New Hampshire.

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A short detour over the river into Springfield, Vermont brings us to the Eureka Schoolhouse and Baltimore Covered Bridge. The 1968 reconstruction duplicates the 1790 schoolhouse which served Springfield’s first village.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The Baltimore Covered Bridge has been relocated to the same location.

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Heading back into New Hampshire Hoyts Landing provides access to the river.

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The Union Church is in Claremont, New Hampshire.

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The Birthplace of Salmon P. Chase in Cornish provided the best pictures of the trip. The house is surrounded by beautiful trees that were in full foliage.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge is the longest covered bridge in the United States.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

We have visited Augustus Saint-Gaudens National Historic Park on many occasions but this is our first trip during foliage season.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Adjacent to the main park is the Blow-me-Down Mill administered by the National Park Service.

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The Blow-me-Down Covered Bridge is also in Cornish.

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Overall a successful foliage trip not 100% full foliage but very good. We will see if we can get it right next year.

Blackwoods Scenic Byway / Tunk Stream – Washington County, Maine

The Blackwoods Scenic Byway is what we as kids used to call the “Cherryfield Woods” long before the area was developed for tourism. We would drive up to Eastport, Maine my mother’s home town each summer for vacation via US Route 1. A short cut we would take was Maine Route 182 which would cut off a large section of the coastal route by bisecting the woods going into Cherryfield. Back in the day the road was quite wild and we would see black bear, moose and dear. Some of my fondest memories were lakeside picnic lunches as we traversed the woods.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

There are now numerous opportunities for canoeing and hiking in the area.

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New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Both a useful short cut when heading deep into Washington County and a destination in and of itself for hiking and boating this area is a great spot for a family vacation.