Boston in October

Considering that Boston is only 2 1/2 hours away, it's amazing how infrequently we get there, so in October 2016 we headed to Beantown.

Our original intent was to take the Amtrak Downeaster from Portland, Maine to Boston and stay in an in-town hotel, but the day before we were heading out, we learned that Pan Am Railways, owner of the tracks, was doing track repairs and we would have to take a bus for part of the trip.  This was a bummer because Ashton and Bethany had never taken the train to Boston and we thought it would be a fun, car-free family experience.

We reluctantly cancelled our Amtrak reservations, opting for the car and drove to Boston on a Friday afternoon.  After all, we already had the room reservation and plans for which city attractions we wanted to experience.

Our weekend destination was the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge, because the price was reasonable, easy to get to and convenient to the city's attractions.  It also had a beautiful indoor pool which is a necessity when traveling with Ashton.

Royal Sonesta. Cambridge, MA

Check-in was a little slow and Bethany had to remind the desk clerk to actually take our credit card (I think the clerk was new), but once we got to the room we were quite pleased. Our 9th Floor room looked out over the Boston Museum of Science, the TD Center, home to the Celtics and Bruins, the Boston Skyline and the Charles River.  Ashton thought it was cool because, coming from Maine, he hadn't been that high up in a hotel before.

View of Science Museum from Hotel

The nice thing about Boston is that it's a compact city, making its pretty easy to walk anywhere. We hoofed it over to Boston Common via the Thoreau Path, a meandering walking path with lots of trees, green space and apartments.  This dropped us off on the north side of Beacon Hill with its historic brick buildings and narrow streets.  We crossed Beacon Street and came out by the Boston Common Frog Pond.  From here, Bethany wanted to see the "Make Way for Ducklings" sculpture in the Public Gardens.

Making way for ducklings

The Public Gardens were beautiful and bustling with people enjoying the beautiful autumn day. We crossed the pond, which was absent of swan boats (they must have been stored for winter), then circled back to the Central Burying Ground and out onto Tremont Street looking for sustenance.

George Washington Silhouette

Sunny Fall Day in the Public Garden

Sparkling Golden Dome of the State House

Since we were in Boston and we were interested in getting a pizza, the logical choice was to go to the Old North End.  We hopped on the "T" back to Haymarket.  Just a couple blocks away was Regina Pizza.  It was their neon sign that first caught our attention from about a block away and as we approached we noticed a line had formed out front and the owner was taking numbers and seating people as he could get them into the building.

Typically, places with lines are good and this was no exception.  After about 15 minutes on the sidewalk, we were escorted into the compact dining room.  We happened to be next to the take out window and the take out orders were stacking up quickly - another good sign.  Every table and booth in the place was chock full and the waitstaff was really hustling to keep the orders coming and flipping the tables to keep up with demand.  We ordered our usual, large pepperoni, and it was very good.  When we left, the line was even longer than when we went in, so we were happy that we discovered this place.

After dinner we went back to the hotel for a swim.  They have a huge pool in a glass-enclosed room with an 8-foot deep end and pool toys like noodles and balls. The water temperature was pretty comfortable too.

After relaxing in the room a bit, we headed to the 9pm National Parks IMAX movie at the Science Museum.  I've always been interested in National Parks and even spend a summer working at Glacier National Park back in the early 90s.  Watching this film made me want to pack up the family and hit the road to see some of these treasured places throughout the country. These are places that you truly want to share with family and maybe someday we'll get to two or three of them.

The day started in the Science Museum where we spent the entire morning.  While we were there, Ashton turned into a moose/human hybrid.  I don't know what happened!

Warning!  Moose Boy at large.

We had lunch at the museum then headed for Faneuil Hall, which, as usual, was a mob scene.  There were so many people you could barely get through the building.  Since we didn't want to fight the crowds, we decided to walk over to Paul Revere's House in the Old North End.  Again, the place was absolutely packed, so we walked to the historic Granary Burying Ground to see the gravestones of Revolutionary War personalities like Paul Revere, Sam Adams and John Hancock.

One of the highlights for Ashton was to ride the "T".  He was on the subway many years ago, but didn't really remember it, so it was a treat.  Fortunately, he shed his antlers before boarding the train and we rode back to the Science Museum station.

Ticket for the Green Line

For dinner that night we walked over by North Station and the TD Garden.  We had seen a bunch of restaurants in that area earlier in the day and thought a couple of them looked good.  As we approached the "Garden" we saw lots of people wearing black and gold and were concerned that the restaurants would be packed with Bruins fans.  We were relieved to find out a pre-season game was just starting, so we got into the restaurant with no problem and frankly the place was pretty quiet by the time we left.

From dinner, it was back to the Science Museum for another IMAX movie about Sky Divers. By the time we left that one, we were all feeling slightly queasy.  After all, we had just watched lots of people jumping out of airplanes and doing stunts for the past 45 minutes.  By the time the day was over, we had walked just over 10 miles.  That's longer than most hikes I've been on!

After a good nights sleep, we headed north, content with our "city fix" for awhile.  It's nice to visit, but it's even nicer returning home to rural Maine.

Lake George Vacation

Minne Ha Ha evening cruise on Lake George

Growing up in Vermont, I had always heard about Lake George.  It was a summer vacation destination with amusement parks, outlets, a big lake and lot of stuff to do.  It wasn't until this year that I actually stayed there on my latest family vacation.

It's nearly a six hour drive from our home in Maine, but it is also home to my wife's roommate from college, so we thought it would be a nice place to spend a few days.

Private Beach at Marine Village Resort

We arrived on the Fourth of July and checked into our room at the Marine Village Resort in the heart of town.  This was by far the most convenient motel to the village.  All you did was walk up the driveway and you were on the main drag of Lake George with all its shops restaurants and bars.  This lakefront property had a decent size sandy beach with plenty of beach chairs, a good size outdoor pool and lots of little amenities that made for a pleasant stay.  For more info on the resort, feel free to read my review on Trip Advisor.

After some stop and go traffic on Canada Street, the main thoroughfare through town, we checked in and were about to change into swim suits when there was a knock at the door.  When we answered it there was a Marine Village staffer standing there with a big boxy object in his hands asking us if we wanted a safe during our stay.  Now we've traveled a lot and stayed in lots of hotels, but admittedly Bethany and I were so surprised, we were momentarily at a loss for words.  When the initial surprise wore off, we declined the offer.  But we felt bad for the poor guy.   There he was, lugging this heavy object from room to room in 90 degree heat asking guests if they needed a safe.  All I could think about was that's the worst room service delivery job ever!  He didn't even have it on a cart.  Just hefted it along with his bare hands.  Then I thought, what do you tip for delivery of a room safe?

It was close to 90 degrees, so the water was quite refreshing, even if it did take me 10-15 minutes go get in beyond my waist.  I really need a dock to  jump off of so I can get it over with quick.

We swam for awhile, walked to dinner and came back to await the Lake  George Fireworks, which are set off just a few hundred yards down the shoreline from the town park.  Our seat on the dock gave us the perfect viewing spot.

Lots of rules to be broken in Lake George

The first thing we noticed about Lake George was that there seem to be lots of signs with lots of rules, but enforcement of said rules seemed to be lacking.  At the resort, there were signs about no jumping off the dock, but everyone did.  No glass on the beach, but people frequently carried their beer bottles around with them.  Don't feed the ducks.  This one people seemed to obey.  On the public beach there was a sign saying there was no swimming after 6 p.m. yet people were in the water.

The other thing we noticed is that smoking cigarettes and drinking beer seemed to be an essential part of many visitors' priority lists.  Everywhere we turned second-hand smoke was wafting through the air. Now we're not prudes, so we don't mind people having a couple of beers.  The only time it got annoying was when a group of guys sat on a deck outside their room drinking beer for about 3 hours straight, singing at the top of their lungs.  Apparently it didn't occur to them that other guests didn't really want to hear their off-key serenade.  I guess they just took the creed from our dinner check to heart (Below).

This about sums up the mindset of many people we saw in Lake George

By far, the highlight of our trip was the parasailing which I wrote about in a previous blog post, but we did some other fun stuff too.  One afternoon we toured Fort William Henry, just few blocks down the road from the hotel.  Fort Billy Hank, as I called it, was built in 1755 by the British to keep the French from attacking the colonies to the south.  Apparently the book, Last of the Mohicans was loosely based on this confrontation between the two countries.  We arrived just in time for a demonstration on how to fire a musket and an explanation and demonstration of how the cannons were fired.  It could have been a much more interesting tour, but it was 95 degrees and our minds were more focused on how refreshing the sparkling lake across the street would be rather than standing around listening to people in wool uniforms talk about a war more than 200 years ago.

Cannon firing demonstration at Fort William Henry

Another side trip was the drive up Prospect Mountain.  For $10 per carload, you can drive the six-mile access road to the summit...or almost to the summit.  You have to take a shuttle bus up the last 10th of a mile.  During that short bus ride, you learn about the old Prospect Mountain House that used to be at the summit and about the old cable railway that used to carry passengers from the center of town to the summit hotel.  The view of Lake George from the summit was beautiful.

View of Lake George from the summit of Prospect Mountain

So we'd seen Lake George from the parasail and from the top of Prospect Mountain, but you can't really experience it until you've been out on the lake in a boat, and that's what we did with some friends.  We had a quick pizza dinner at their house and boarded their boat for a short evening tour.  We circled one island then zipped down to Sandy Bay where we moored up and went swimming.  The nice thing about Sandy Bay is that the water is only about 4 feet deep where we were, so you could stand on the sandy bottom.  The bad thing was that there were a lot of sharp shells sticking out, so some of us left with cut feet, but it was still fun.

And of course a summer vacation would not be a summer vacation without ice cream.  We sampled a few of the sweet treats in the form of shakes, floats and cones while in the area.  The first was Nina's Sweet Shoppe at 179 Canada Street.  The second was Bob's Ice Cream up the road in Bolton Landing, and a Root Beer Float at A&W Root Beer in Lake George, one of the few A&W stands left in the Northeast.

Bob's Ice Cream - Bolton Landing, NY

Root Beer Float anyone?

In retrospect, Lake George offers a well-rounded vacation.  The lake is a refreshing playground.  The town offers many restaurants, shops, and arcades.  You can hike a mountain, visit a historic fort or shop in the outlet stores. I hate to use the old cliche, but it seems to have 'something for everyone'.

Photo Round-up

Dinner at King Neptune's Pub on a hot summer day

90 degrees on a hot sunny day in brown stocks was very uncomfortable even for just 2 minutes.

Fort William Henry (Billy Hank)

Shady part of beach at Marine Village

Montpelier Vermont on the Fourth

Stars and stripes on parade route

This year we decided to leave Vacationland for our summer vacation and headed to Lake George, NY for our Fourth of July getaway.  I guess there's some irony there, but we get to enjoy Maine most of the year, so a change of scenery can be refreshing.

En route to Lake George, we stopped to visit my father in Vermont and take in the Montpelier Independence Day Celebration, which typically occurs on July 3rd.  The celebration begins with lots of activities on and around the State Capitol lawn and transitions to a parade around 6 p.m.  Then around 9:30 p.m. the skies light up with brilliant flashes of colored light and loud booms for a 20 minute fireworks show.

The Stick Dancers.  I don't know what else to call them...

It's always interesting to return to Montpelier, where I spent the better part of 35 years growing up. Even after having lived in Maine for nearly 20 years, I can still go back there and recognize a few people.  For instance I saw two former High School teachers:  A former English teacher who I see every Fourth placing lawn chairs in the back of his pickup alongside the parade route, and my former physics teacher who is running for State Senate again this year. My 35th high school reunion takes place in August 2016 and honestly, these two teachers look like they did in high school

Being that this is the capital city of Vermont, the parade always includes a plethora of politicians and political candidates at all levels of government, jogging along behind their armada of political signs, shaking hands with whomever is willing to stick their hand out along the parade route.

The Scott campaign for governor had a convoy of vehicles

This year, in addition to my physics teacher, who was hunched over carrying his sign and honestly looked like he was going to keel over in the middle of Main Street; you had at least half a dozen gubernatorial candidates, state senators, representatives, city councilors and the like.  But the crowd-pleaser who drew big cheers this year was Bernie Sanders surrounded by clean cut looking guys with ear pieces and noticeable bulges along the belt line beneath their sport coats, as well as not one, but two, jet black Chevy Suburbans, being driven by more clean cut guys with ear pieces, following closely behind.  I have to admit, it's not that often you get to be that close to a presidential candidate, so it was kind of neat.

Yes, the parade was fun, but it's interesting how things evolve throughout the years.  This year, some over-cautious city councilor decided that they couldn't have fire trucks in the parade because of liability issues or some such nonsense.  To me, a July 4th parade without fire trucks is like Christmas without candy canes, but apparently city administrators disagreed.  This did not sit well with a little 3 or 4 year old boy who was crying his eyes out because there were no firetrucks in the parade.

Frankly I don't see the issue with putting firetruck in the parade.  In small towns with few fire rescue calls, it gets the trucks of the the station for a change.  And if the Shriners can zip around on their go-carts driving up and down ramps over a moving vehicle. I'm not sure why you can't have a fire engine driving 5 mph down the road with an occasional siren blast.

Also, the people marching in the parade can no longer throw candy to the kids on the side of the road.  Apparently that got too messy to clean up.  Instead, people would run over to you with one or two pieces of candy or some other insignificant gift, so you no longer get the sugar haul you once got.  I will say that this  year, my son and I were the recipients of a healthier treat option - organic carrots.   Okay, it's Montpelier, a "back to the earth" kind of community, but until this year I can honestly say I never associated Fourth of July with organic carrots.

Organic carrots.  A new 4th of July staple?

From the parade it was back to my dad's house until the fireworks began.  He lives about two miles from downtown and way up on a hill.  If you walk across the street, you have an unobstructed view of the fireworks which are shot off from the hills on the other side of town.  It's probably the best view of the fireworks in the city and you don't have to worry about crowds.  A few minutes before the fireworks, my father's neighbor invited us over to his backyard to watch the show.  He probably has the second best view in town, so we kindly accepted the invitation and it was nice.

There's something very gratifying about being in your hometown on the Fourth of July.  It's kind of difficult to put into words, Perhaps it's some combination of pride and nostalgia.  Whatever it is, it's very likely this won't be the last time my family watches the parade in the country's smallest capital city.  Maybe you CAN go home again?

Three generation of Lyons's

Flying High in Lake George

When we first decided to go to Lake George, we were looking at the many attractions and were intrigued by Parasailing Adventures.  As soon as we saw it, we thought that it would be an exciting new experience, and we were right.

We arrived on July 4th, 2016 and walked down to the waterfront to make a reservation for the next day. There were plenty of available times, so we decided on 9:30 a.m. the next day. The price was $79 per person, but since we found a coupon in one of the local tourist books, we saved $25. This basically paid for the photo package, which was well worth the money. Since they don't allow electronic equipment on the boat, if you want a visual memory, you should purchase the photo package for $24.75.

When it was time to take flight, we met at the dock about 15 minutes before boarding. They fitted us with PFDs (personal flotation devices), asked us to remove our footwear and boarded the boat. In addition to the three of us, there were two ladies and one teenage girl, whose mother apparently felt that being towed behind a powerboat strapped to a parachute a few hundred feet above the lake attached only by a single rope just wasn't her thing.

Once out on the lake, Mike hooked up our harnesses and strapped us in.  We were the first to go, so we didn't have the luxury of seeing how others did it.  As it turned out, there was  nothing to it.  The crew did all the work.  We just sat on the back of the boat and before we knew it, the wind was lifting us off the boat and into the air.  All three of us got to fly together which made for a great family experience. Our initial trepidation soon dissipated as we rose higher into the air. Soon we were soaring over the lake enjoying the beautiful views from hundreds of feet above the water. While in the air, it's a very smooth ride. You don't really notice the wind or the bumps the people are experiencing in the boat.

Yes, that tiny speck of color is the three of us.

We were in the air long enough to go up the lake for a few minutes and back down before they begin to reel you in. Then, it's your choice if you want to be dipped or not. We decided to do a quick dip which basically got our feet and butts wet, before being pulled up and set down on the back of the boat.

Taking a parasailing dip at Lake George

When we landed, Bethany and I got unhitched, but Ashton (the lucky devil) got to go again because the girl needed someone to sail with, so he had twice the fun!

We went around a couple times as the others on the boat had their turn, then on the way back, Captain Jim thanked us, reminded us to do this TripAdvisor review and explained there's a local visitor center with lots of other interesting things to discover in the Lake George area.

Our photographer, Jubilee, captured some great images of our first parasailing adventure and since we purchased the photo package, we went home with nearly 40 photos on an SD card, making it easy to save to our computer enabling us to prove to our friends and family that we actually did this.

Thanks for the "first class" experience Parasailing Adventures!

Preparing for lift off.

King Arthur Flour Baker's Store and Cafe

King Arthur Paraphernalia

For bakers or aspiring bakers, or if you're someone who just likes freshly baked foods, the King Arthur Flour Store is a cornucopia of delectable baked goods and baking related items. Just a few miles north of I-89 on Route 5 in Norwich, Vermont, the store should be on your list of places to stop for fresh baked cookies, breads, muffins and baking products.

Mouth-watering Bakery

Their cafe serves breakfast daily from 7:30 to 11:00 a.m. with lunch being served daily from 11-5. And, of course, they use their own artisan breads and fresh meats, dairy, and vegetables from local farms.  And you can't escape without fresh baked goods in hand.  The half-dozen chocolate chip cookies we bought didn't last very long on the ride home.

Our visit to King Arthur was prompted by the fact that we recently acquired a bread maker.  We were in Vermont visiting my father and figured we'd stop in Norwich on the way home to get some of their special bread making products.  Plus, friends of ours said they have awesome pancake mix, so we picked up a box for us and 4 boxes for our friends.  As such, our King Arthur experience continued at home the morning of this blog post with tasty pancakes we made from their mix..

History of King Arthur Flour

Amazingly, King Arthur has been around for more than 200 years, started by a man named Harry Wood in Boston, Massachusetts in 1790. The King Arthur brand was established in 1896 and has been holding strong since then.  The headquarters was moved to Vermont in 1984, built a headquarters called Camelot (Imagine that!) and recently expanded in 2011.

Today, if you're so inclined, you can enroll in 3-4 hour long baking classes, or multi-day baking courses at their Baking Education Center.  Or if you're like me and have even failed at making fudge with the "Never Fail Fudge" recipe on the jar of Fluff, they also have private classes.

If you're ever near White River Junction, Vermont, head a couple exits north on I-91 and stop by the King Arthur Flour campus.  It's well worth the short detour.

King Ashton and his Court

The "Court" stealing the King's Throne

Bar Harbor Part II - The Other Stuff

Carriage Trail Family Selfie.

Earlier this summer we took a family trip to Bar Harbor.  It was early July and while some questioned our sanity for going to one of Maine’s most popular summer tourist destinations the week after Fourth of July, we didn’t let that stop us.

Granted, it was the opposite end of the spectrum from last summer’s vacation to a sporting camp deep in the north Maine woods in Aroostook County.  The great thing about Maine is that we have many vacation alternatives.

After crossing the causeway onto Mt. Desert Island, we made a quick stop at the Acadia National Park Visitor Center to purchase a park pass.  But just getting to the visitor center was a “trek” in and of itself.   From the main parking lot, you have to hoof it along a paved path and up many stairs, just to get to the building.  Inside we purchased our 5-day park pass for $26 and spoke to a ranger about the ranger led programs.

Bar Harbor Inn's Ocean Front Lodge

Next it was off to check in to the hotel.  Check in was around 4pm, which was about an hour later than most hotels I’ve been to throughout the country.  But after a day or two, I came to realize why.  It’s because nobody seems to get up before 9 a.m. in Bar Harbor.  I would go out on my bike at 7:30 or 8 a.m. and could ride down the middle of Cottage Street as if it was a dedicated bike lane.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise".  We’re an early to bed, early to rise, family and while we’re pretty healthy, we’re still working on the wealthy part.  As for the wise part, I discovered that getting up early is the wise way to experience Bar Harbor.

In doing this, I found I didn’t have to share the roads and sidewalks with half the population of Massachusetts and the Carriage Trails in the park were pretty much deserted, save the occasional passerby.  Another big surprise is that if you drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain sometime after the sunrise viewers, but before the late-rising visitor, say before 9 o’clock, you practically have the magnificent vistas to yourself.  On that day, there were only about half a dozen cars up there.  While at the summit, we were on a quest to find the 1,530-foot mark - the highest point on the island.  A Ranger directed us to a point away from the high-traffic area where we found the brass marker embedded in the stone.

Straddling the summit of Cadillac Mountain

Ashton and Bethany taking in the views

The other thing that we can add to the “wise” column is to go out to dinner early.  Apparently, since people get up later, they also eat dinner later, so if you get out around 5 p.m. you can beat the rush.

A distinguishing factor in the trip’s success, was staying at the Bar Harbor Inn.  Not only is it a beautiful waterfront property overlooking Frenchman’s Bay, but you can’t get much more central to the major attractions.  We rarely got in the car except to go into Acadia National Park for a spin along the Loop Road, a drive up Cadillac Mountain, biking the Carriage Trails, and a to visit Timber Tina's Great Maine Lumberjack Show.

Our room was on the second floor of the Ocean Front Lodge, boasting a balcony with exceptional views of the bay and an array of Porcupine Islands.  It was also a vantage point from which to observe a parade of boat excursions leaving from the harbor.  There are whale watches, lobster boat tours and schooners that come and go all day long.

View of Frenchman's Bay from the balcony

View of the Inn and the Shore Path from the balcony

Another advantage was our room's proximity to the pool and hot tub. Ashton really enjoyed the outdoor heated pool, but in my opinion, "heated" was an overstatement. And it wasn't just me who felt that way.  Several other guests commented on the pool temperature, so I didn't feel like a complete wimp.  The hot tub, on the other hand, was far more comfortable.

Chillin' in the hot tub

Pool at sunset

We were in Bar Harbor from Monday to Friday, but we discovered that the five days and four  nights weren't quite enough time to do everything we thought we might do.  While visiting, we biked the carriage trails around Eagle Lake.  Walked to Bar Island, which gets its name because at low tide you can walk across a sandbar to the island, staying stay high and dry.  Took a spin on part of the Loop Road to see Thunder Hole and Otter Cliffs, followed by a tour aboard the schooner Halie and Matthew in the afternoon. Thanks to the brisk winds, we sailed almost all the way out to Egg Rock Light.  So close in fact, that the Acadia National Park Ranger who was providing commentary on board, said it's the closest she had gotten to Egg Rock all season.

Bethany and Ashton taking in views from atop Otter Cliffs

Scenic overlook at Thunder Hole

Aboard the Schooner Halie and Matthew

As with most schooners, the crew asked for assistance from the passengers in hoisting the sails.  I volunteered and concluded that anyone who had to do that several times every day, was in far better shape than I was.  You wouldn't think pulling a rope with half a dozen other people would be a workout, but you'd be wrong.

That evening, we headed back to the mainland for Timber Tina's Great Maine Lumberjack Show.  It was a fun and affordable family outing.  You can read my Trip Advisor review here.

It was definitely a fun trip, but we'll have to go back to do some of the other stuff we didn't get to this time around.

Parting Photos:

King of the rocks

Biking the carriage trails

Sandbar to Bar Island

Jordan Pond House.  Famous for popovers.

Ashton cross cutting at the Lumberjack Show

A stroll atop Otter Cliffs