Fake America

Acadia National Park to Winchester VA (10/24-10/29):

When we woke in the morning, rain was thundering on our tent, and we stayed for a bit wrapped in our warm sleeping bags and blankets. We finally got out and discovered that it sounded worse than it actually was. A few minutes later a ranger came up and asked us to leave as soon as possible because they were closing the campground due to a storm with high winds that was coming in. We drove south through lots of rain that made it hard to see too far in front of us, but we were unscathed.

We spent the next few days in the major cities along the eastern seaboard (aka fake America) visiting friends. The highlights came from catching up and having fun with friends, which I will therefore not talk about here except to say how nice it was and to thank everyone for hosting us.

We made some nerdy history trips to Valley Forge and Harper's Ferry and a trip to Pennsylvania Dutch Country. At Valley Forge, we were regaled with Revolutionary War tales by a slightly idiot savant-type park ranger. Interesting Valley Forge facts: VF was actually not the coldest or most difficult winter that the Continental Army faced during the war, but it is considered to be the founding of the US army because it's where the troops got training from European advisers. PA Dutch country was what you would figure: really touristy with some Amish driving around in buggies who probably didn't want us gawking at them. So it was a little awkward, but we had some great food at a family-style restaurant where we were luckily the only people since they normally enforce conversation between dining parties.

Harper's Ferry is a nice little town just inside West Virginia. I've only heard of it in conjunction with the John Brown raid, but it played an important part in industrial America and in the Civil War. It's a beautiful little town sandwiched in between some mountain-y hills on a river. It's also on the Appalachian Trail, which allowed me to revive my secret dream of one day hiking the entire AT.
-M

The Far East

Portland, Maine to Acadia National Park (10/23):

This is the first visit that either of us has made to New England, and I’m pleasantly surprised by the New England-y-ness of it all. We passed through lots of beautiful quaint towns with lots of Main Streets on our way to Acadia National Park. For once we actually arrived at a campsite during the day and set up our campsite in the light. We then drove around the park, seeing the Atlantic Ocean for the first time on the road trip. We drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain which, though it is the tallest mountain on the Atlantic Coast, is quite short but still affords good views of the ocean and surrounding Maine-y scenery. We had dinner in neighboring Bar Harbor, a town that was clearly a day or two away from shutting down for the season and had lots of deals on lewd sweatshirts, which we did not take advantage of. After dinner, we went back to camp, where I dressed in every layer I had with me (four thermal shirts, hoodie, fleece jacket, sweatshirt, leggings, three pairs of yoga/sweat pants and my winter coat). Though it was nearly impossible to bend my elbows or move, thanks to the layers and Brad’s fire, we passed the evening warmly.

This is the furthest east we'll be on our trip!
-M

Autumn Sweater

Seneca State Park NY to Portland Maine (10/22):

Today was our autumnal leaves day, though we’ve been seeing beautiful leaves for the past week or two. But the leaves in New England were full of vibrant color that seemed to pop. We stopped in Bennington, VT for some lunch (local, organic, and sustainable, natch) before visiting Robert Frost’s grave and a Revolutionary War monument obelisk that gives a view of the Green Mountains and surrounding area. The highways here were smaller and more crowded that the ones we’ve been on outside of the East Coast, but they wound through lots of leafy scenery. We arrived in Portland after dark and spent the night in a hotel and watched political ads for and against the upcoming gay marriage vote.
-M

Oh Canada!

Cleveland, OH to Seneca Falls, NY via Niagara Falls (10/21):

After a great visit with family, we set off from Cleveland for our adopted home state of NY and went to Niagara Falls, NY. We'd heard from a lot of people that the view from Canada was much better, but I was concerned that I'd have to report foreign travel for my security clearance, which could potentially slow down what has already been a 5 month investigation. But the State Department's security clearance customer service center said it wasn't a problem since I'd only be there a couple hours, and I didn't even need to report it. After a tense search throughout the car for our passports, we walked across the Rainbow Bridge to Canada. Though Lonely Planet dutifully informed us that Niagara Falls are neither the biggest nor the greatest in the world, they were really incredible. I'd kind of always chalked up Niagara Falls as a cheesy tourist experience, but they were phenomenal, and the fall leaves made the views all the better. We walked back to the US after an hour or two. This is probably the only time that arriving on American soil hasn't made me weepy and sentimental given that it was only an hour or so.

We drove further into NY state, setting up camp in a state park near Seneca Falls, NY on the banks of one of the finger lakes. We set up in the dark, which was less than ideal, but most everything else was perfect. It was a nice campsite with other people around, and the weather was pleasant. It's been awhile since we've seen another tent camper (everyone else has been in RVs), but that might change when we head south in a week or so.

While in Canada, we took some idyllic pictures, as well as some that look like we photoshopped ourselves in.

-M

Cleveland Rocks!

Escanaba MI to Cleveland via Detroit (10/19-10/20):

After an early start from Escanaba, we broke up our long drive to Cleveland with a brief stop in Detroit. We saw the graveyard of a ruined carmaker and then had lunch in Greektown, where a waiter set our cheese on fire and screamed "Opa!!" at the top of his lungs, much to our astonishment. I was surprised at the number of Arab waiters in a Greek restaurant until I remembered that Detroit and the surrounding area is a major Arab center in the U.S. We were also a bit surprised to find Canada so close to Detroit, just over the river.

We then spent some time in Cleveland with a lovely visit to Brad's mom and stepfather. In addition to a heated game of Scategories, we took in some beautiful fall foliage on a bike ride through Cuyahoga National Park and spent some time with our bunnies.
-M

Duluth!

Duluth MN to Escanaba, MI (10/18):

We spent the morning walking around the shore of Lake Superior by Duluth's harbor. We then watched the Browns/Steelers game, which made Brad sad. This was followed by a long drive through Wisconsin and Michigan's upper peninsula on Highway 2. It was largely forest, punctuated by small towns, similar to what we've seen in the MN North Country.

-M

Highway 61 Visited

Schoolcraft SP to Duluth via Voyageurs National Park (10/17):

We headed into Hibbing in the morning, swinging by Dylan's old house (whose current occupants are Franken supporters! -M) and driving around the neighborhood a bit. Then up to Voyageurs National Park, on the Canadian border, where it is clearly the off season. The main activity there is boating, though, there is none to be had if you don't have your own boat, so we hiked to a lake and that was that. We drove south to Duluth on Highway 61, while listening to Highway 61, saw a lighthouse, and ate in downtown Duluth, which is one of the nicer towns we've seen.
-B

Today, within about 12 hours, Brad and I camped, toured the sights of Hibbing, visited a national park, hiked, drove a couple hundred miles, and hung around Duluth, which raises the question of what the hell we spend our time doing when we're not traveling.

-M