My son Josh transferred to Montclair State University in New Jersey for his sophomore year of college, so we left our home in Wisconsin on August 21, 2023 to drive him to school. My original plans for a late summer sojourn to Montana were placed on the back-burner. Already in the northeast? Let's explore the northeast!
The next 27 days took me through New Jersey, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Canada and Michigan - mostly car camping in the back of my Subaru Outback. I packed lighter than my previous trips to the southwest and southeast due to necessity...Josh's college stuff took up space, too. I found that I didn't miss the things I left behind. (With the exception of my fly rod.)
Anyway - here's the road trip- in broad strokes. Click on hyperlinks to read more in depth about specific locations.
Aug 21 - Drive to Richfield, Ohio. Josh is a good car companion. We stay at a Comfort Inn.
Aug 22 - Hike with Josh to Brandywine Falls in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Drive to Montclair, NJ. Move Josh into campus housing with help of his local friend. Target run, obligatory photos, steak dinner, say goodbye for the night. Josh to dorm; me to terrible La Quinta Inn.
Aug 23 - Another Target run, tour around MSU with Josh, visit other son Luke in Princeton Meadows, NJ, drive Josh to fair with his friends. Say goodbye on the street across from Bagel Run in SaddleBrook. (Seems fitting.) Heavy sigh. I drive to Luke's empty apartment in New Brunswick to sleep. New status as lonesome, wayward empty nester suitably reflected in my surroundings.
Aug 24 - Get the frack out of New Jersey! Milford, NY for a library book sale, Sojourner Truth SP in NY for a hike. Car camp overnight in Saugerties, NY at Tina Chorvas Memorial Waterfront Park. Hike to falls in town. Fresh air = good. Lonesome!
Aug 25 - Drive from NY to Vermont on Hwy 7 - stunning! Wandering traveler mode now fully engaged. Green Mountain National Forest is a fabulous place to wander. Stop to read. Stop to listen to oldies. Stop to hike. Cute towns. Splurge for lunch at The Marina in Brattleboro, VT. Into New Hampshire before I know it. (Skinny states!) Car camp at Campton Campground in the White Mountain National Forest.
Aug 26 - Spend a lovely morning on the Mad River at Eddy Day Use Area in the White Mountains. Yoga. Drive further into White Mountain National Forest. $21 for Flume Gorge hike? I don't think so. Free Visitor Center - yes. Two other beautiful hikes - one at Liberty Springs and one at Artist's Bluff. National Scenic Drive. Car camp at Town Hall Road - dispersed camping near Conway, NH.
Aug 27 - Visit Androscoggin Riverlands SP in Maine. Re-pack the car. Find favorite campsite in Maine...Lamoine State Park on Mt Desert Narrows/Eastern Bay across from Acadia NP. Friendly camp host, sailboats in the harbor, jagged rocks at the shore, magical sunset. Car camp in the most picturesque setting imaginable.
Aug 28 - Rise at Lamoine to an ethereal, sublime dawn and sunrise. Read, run, rest, appreciate. Stay for second night car camping. Meet locals, chat with neighbors. Lovely.
Aug 29 - Rise at Lamoine SP and enjoy the morning. Head to Acadia NP - the main reason I am in the northeast. Visitor Center then Cadillac Mountain - pay $6 to drive to top. Worth every penny. Clear, bright day - stunning views. Hike around at the top. Read, photos, chat with others, find the summit marker. Overnight car camping at Bar Harbor campground - another GEM - quiet tent site at the outskirts.
Aug 30 - Rain. Laundry, BBQ at Mainely Meats, ask for advice from a local friend about where to hike in Acadia. (Missing Mike who really wanted to see this place.) Donning rain gear, I hike to North Bubble Summit in Acadia. Craving eggs, I eat a "Grab" sandwich from Saint Dreux's Cafe. Sustained and fortified, talk myself into one more hike - great choice! Ship Harbor trail. Caught tide out with great sunset - beautiful clouds and pink skies, tide pools and a storm moving in. Run back energized by nature. Car camp at campground within Acadia NP called Seawall.
Aug 31 - Beautiful, clear day. Hike Mansell Mountain in Acadia NP for views south. Strenuous but worth it. Visit Seal Cove Pond. Return to Lamoine SP for mackerel fishing and hike/run to the beach. Seafood. Sunset. Met a Maine local with great recommendations. Debating Canada/Hopewell Rocks/Prince Edward Island. Labor Day weekend is coming - and with it, tourists. How best to avoid other tourists is always on my mind. Lamoine SP sunset for the win again.
Sept 1 - Drive to Deer Isle/Stonington. Run and swim at local park, chat with island tourism guru. Visit unique found-item sculpture garden by artist Peter Beerit at Nervous Nellie's Jams and Jellies. Car camp at Searsport Public Pier on Penobscot Bay. Reluctant to leave Downeast Maine.
Sept 2 - Read. Coffee. Drive inland. Visit Moose Lake SP then run/swim/air dry at Oakland Waterfront Park. Followed iOverlander to Sugarloaf Outdoor Center in Carrabassett Valley, Maine. Free car camping, bike/hike trails, swimming holes, nearby public library with outdoor wifi, friendly locals/campers. Set up shop for a few days - car camping, writing, reading, hiking, swimming.
Sept 3 - Sugarloaf Outdoor Center - car camping, writing, reading, hiking, swimming.
Sept 4 - (Labor Day) Sugarloaf Outdoor Center - car camping, writing, reading, hiking, swimming.
Sept 5 - Drive to Cathedral Pines SP. Car camping, laundry, wifi for necessary Zoom call, tall fragrant pines and a lovely beach with great swimming.
Sept 6 - Drive to Rangeley Lake SP and acquired directions to Bald Mountain. My last hike in Maine and a stunner. Metal tower at the top of the mountain allows 360 degree views. Exhilirating. Yoga with eagles. Dip in Rangeley Lake to celebrate. Dinner out to celebrate. Arrive in the dark to car camp at Moose Brook SP (New Hampshire).
Sept 7 - Surprise! Moose Brook SP is a hidden treasure. Fishing pond, swimming pond, belted kingfishers who chatter and chase, CCC buildings, reading, plus hilarious and helpful rangers. Quiet and empty and best weather of the year. Play all day then drive to Pontook Dam to scout it. Car camp nearby along the Androscoggin River in 13 Mile Woods Forest. Reading riverside - bugs be damned.
Sept 8 - Fishing the Androscoggin and nearby waters. Glorious - moose and eagle country. But no trout. Through NH quickly in favor of VT this time. (Skinny states!) Drive to Mountain Sports Inn in Killington, VT for a clean-up day.
Sept 9 - Up early for coffee and run and shower before check out. Explored Killington, then more of Vermont and the Green Mountains. Another public library and book sale - (evidently I'm still in need of books.) On a quest to catch trout. I have all the wrong gear. I don't care. I enjoy trying. Checked out Woodford SP but opted for dispersed camping at Somerset Airfield Campground - inside Green Mountain National Forest - for its proximity to the Deerfield River.
Sept 10 - Fishing all morning on Deerfield. Reading and jumping in the swimming hole and fishing more. Then as the rain came - into Bennington for laundry and pizza. Car camping at another dispersed camping location in Green Mountain National Forest. My journal says things like "I will catch trout and eat it tomorrow. I will."
Sept 11 - Rain inspires a change in plans. Opt for hike around a pretty pond in Clarksburg State Park in Massachusetts. Not well marked but well muddied. Drive to Galway, NY and car camp at Dockstader Recreation Park. I give up on catching my own fish and buy precooked salmon. Delicious mixed with instant garlic mashed potatoes.
Sept 12 - Drive to the Adirondacks and explore. Drive through a Y camp. Wander Lake George reading historical markers and avoiding tourists. Climb to Buck Mountain Summit (poorly marked!) and jump in Lake George at a lovely spot that is strictly for locals. Oops. Car camp at Moreau Lake SP.
Sept 13 - Up early for rainy hike at the state park - beautiful and well marked - called Old Moreau Overlook Trail. Clouds prevent the view, but it's a wonderful hike nonetheless. Drive back to Galway to Cock n' Bull restaurant in time for sound check with singer-songwriter friend Jeffrey Foucault. We dine and his show is amazing - as always. More on the Cock n' Bull later. It deserves full attention.
Sept 14 - Coffee then writing at the Galway Public Library - in the sun at the picnic tables out back. Time to head west. A drive across New York feels like a drive back home. Then Mendon Ponds Park for car camping and conversation with friendly Canadian overlanders. Just one more quick stop...
Sept 15 - Niagara Falls! Off-season, early morning. I pretend that the hotels and souvenir shops don't exist. I hike around Niagara Falls SP on the American side, go through the border and run through the mist on the Canadian side. Rainbows and raging waters abound. It's worth it. Nature wins.
Sept 16 - Drive home through Canada to Michigan via Sarnia/Port Huron and jump in Lake Huron just because. (Great Lakes, I love you, and I have experienced all of you now.)
Northeast, I am officially a fan. I'll be back.
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