New River Gorge

On our way home we stopped at New River Gorge National River in Grandview, West Virginia.

Although it is called New River it is among the oldest rivers on the continent.

It is a rugged white water river that runs through deep canyons.

The reason this area was of interest to us was that Gene's grandfather, Oliver Fleshman, was born in Grandview and the land that the visitor center was built on belonged to the family.

In Search For Big Foot!

We spent parts of four days in southern West Virginia searching for Big Foot.

We had perfect weather and beautiful terrain although most everywhere you walked was uphill. ;)

There was so many beautiful places it was hard to decide what pictures to take. Seems like you were just snapping picture after picture.

The sun was just perfect on this lake to be able to get such a beautiful reflection.

One of the wooden bridges crossing the stream on one of our hikes.

One of my favorite pictures of our trip so far.  This was just a beautiful place and warrants a return visit.

As we were traveling to this spot in West Virginia, Gene realized that one of his Squatchin' buddies was planning on camping in the same camp ground at the same time. Steve and Kathy Willis were sure surprised when we drove up and took the campsite next to them.  Gene and Steve, along with Kiska in front of Steve's "camper".  (picture by Kathy Willis)

Sitting around the campfire swapping Big Foot stories!

( photo by Kathy Willis)

October 10, 2010

Crab Fest!

We were driving through Maryland today and I had a crab shack picked out to visit. Sadly they were closed for the season so we stopped along the way and asked where another good one might be. They directed us to Captain Leonard's in Mechanicsville, Maryland.

Of course Captain Leonard's was decorated in a nautical theme....it IS a crab shack and is near the Chesapeake Bay!

Captain Leonard didn't disappoint us!  We ordered a dozen hard shell crabs and this is what was placed in front of us.  Boy were they delicious!  They were so sweet you didn't even need butter!  Yes, it was a little messy eating them but that didn't stop us.

  

And yes, we shared the dozen crabs.  Notice the two hammers and two knives!!

41 Years Too Late!

It took me 41 years but I finally made it to Woodstock!!!  Yes, that's right...THE Woodstock from 1969!  The biggest music festival ever and I missed it!  I was in California, clear across the country.

We visited the Catskills yesterday and like the past few days it was raining.  We didn't venture out into the forest so didn't capture any good pictures of the area.  I was able to get of this picture of the  low hanging clouds out the window.  It's a very pretty area and although the peaks aren't much over 4,000 feet they seemed really steep.  

The campground where we stayed had 76 campsites and we were the only ones in the whole campground.  Everyone quits camping after Labor Day.

Like I said we did venture just down the road to Woodstock.  It is a very small village with little boutiques, eateries and 'hippie' shops.  

When we went into this one it was like de ja vu, the smell of incense, the psychedelic posters, peace signs and tie-dye.  I told Gene it was like going into the shops in San Francisco, where I was at that time, all over again. We had a good laugh about the salesclerk that greeted us...she wasn't even born when this event occurred!

Just before we headed back to the campground I was able to get Janis Joplin to stop worrying about Bobby McGee long enough to get my picture with her!

October 6, 2010

Northwest Connecticut

We left Cape Cod and traveled to the northwest part of Connecticut.  It was sort of down time for us.  We lazed around and took a couple of hikes then met up with a niece of Gene's and her daughter for a visit.

On one of our hikes we came across a stone structure.  It appeared to be the remnants of a house or barn. 

At the backside of the stone structure there was a part of a retaining wall that looked as if it was a water source at one time.

Part of the trail in the state forest followed a carriage road and there were some stone bridges along the way. You could tell the road had never been paved, just large gravel/stone, and ruts from the carriage wheels were still visible in lots of places.

The little streams running through the forest were just beautiful.  The moss on all the rocks was just a brilliant green.

This was our view from the summit.  A rather hazy/misty view but it seems like the days we take long hikes are rainy days...but then we always have the forests to ourselves.

This part of the trail was just beautiful...the leaves here were just the prettiest, bright yellow, but with the weather and lighting they didn't show up.  It was gorgeous.

Another of the many streams running through the forest.  This one meandered under this bridge.

Just sitting, resting and waiting for Belle to join us.

October 4, 2010

P.S. Reminder...if you click on the picture they will enlarge.

Cruising the Cape

We spent a couple days on Cape Cod.  Oh, how gorgeous!  The beautiful water, the beautiful sand and the  BEAUTIFUL expensive houses!

I forgot to mention the beautiful boats.  This one was one of the more modest yachts that we saw plying the water.

There are ten lighthouses just on the Cape itself.  

This was one of the biggest beaches I have ever seen.  Plus it had a reef way out so the breakers were not close to the beach.  Excellent swimming for the family.  Bet it is CROWDED in the summer!

Some of the smaller dunes of the Cape Cod National Seashore. I am always amazed at the dunes. How can  sand and grass all get along!

I just love the ocean.  The smell of the water, the crashing waves, it stimulates all of your senses.  Especially if you aren't paying attention and the wave breaks a little too close to you....or on you!

I really liked this picture because of all the foot prints.  Some going one way, some going another, some clad in shoes, some barefoot.

And of course my blog wouldn't be complete without the.....

BELLE OF THE BEACH

October 2, 2010

This 'n That

  Pictures of places and things that we have experienced in the last couple days.

We visited the L.L.Bean flagship in Freeport, ME and since it's open 24 hours a day they have no locks on their doors.  It's not as big as I thought it would be overall, but there was so many things to look at...a little overwhelming. I know it's hard to believe but we didn't buy anything!  Actually, the dog scored a new lead!

Whoopie Pies are a special treat in some areas of Maine so of course I had to try one.  I guess they come in different flavors but I can't imagine why anyone would try any flavor but chocolate! It's about 5" in diameter and weighs about a half a pound.  It is very good too.  I still have half of it left.  This thing is huge! 

Speaking of huge...we went to Portland, ME to visit the International Cryptozoology Museum and we found Big Foot again!  This replica is 8' tall!  Sure makes you feel small.

As we were driving along the road in rural Maine I kept seeing these white bundles in the fields.  On closer inspection they are hay bales with plastic coverings.  Looks to me like someone prefers 'whitie tighties'!

We ventured back into Vermont so we could visit The Vermont Country Store.  I have gotten their catalogs for years and am always intrigued by all the "things" they have listed.  The store pretty much has all those "things".  It's a conglomeration of everything you could ever need.  Toys, household items, bathroom items, clothing, cleaning, food stuffs...you name it they have it.  They specialize in carrying things that are hard to find and they have things you probably would never want!

The area is very pretty anyway and today with it being a rainy day it was made more so with the clouds hanging low in the hills.  We visited the store in Rockingham, VT and they have another store in Weston, VT. If you visit, make sure you are hungry...they have samples of so many things!  We are living proof that it's impossible to leave without a food item or two!

Coastal Maine

We spent some time driving around the ports and harbors of Maine and found many of the houses facing the harbor had these enclosed railings around  a porch area on the second or third floor of the houses. They call them a "widow walk". 

The name comes from the wives of mariners who would watch for their spouses' return, often in vain as the ocean would take the lives of the mariners, leaving the women as widows.

The following pictures are just some candid shots we have taken of different harbors, houses and boats.

This guy's boat is in front of a bunch of lobster traps!  Maybe he just brought in our supper!

September 29, 2010