Maine!

Hi.

We made it to Portland...Portland, Maine!   Of course, this is as far eastward as we will travel unless we go sailing.

Maine is pretty much like we imagined...beautiful and serene....the homes, the scenery, the atmosphere.  We took a drive down to the shore today at Wolfe's Neck State Park on the Casco Bay (about 15 miles north of Portland).  We then had lunch at a seaside restaurant where a lot of the locals go.  I had a lobster roll and it was muy bueno!

We are actually camping in Freeport (just north of Portland).   Freeport is the home of  L.L. Bean and there are over 130 different outlet-type stores along the Main(e) Street. The  LL Bean store is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  I guess the local Maine-ians love those products.  It was fun to walk through the downtown area and (mostly) window-shop.

We will relax around the campground on Friday and then head for Boston for a few days of site-seeing.

Take care.
Don & Sandi

Baseball Hall of Fame

Hi.

Sandi and I had a very nice lunch-time visit with Kevin and Donna in Syracuse, NY yesterday.  Kevin was in charge of maintenance and operations at Logan when I was the House #3 principal back in the mid-90's.   We had a great time of catching-up.

Today Sandi and I went to Cooperstown, NY and visited the Baseball Hall of Fame.  We really enjoyed the visit and seeing all of the awards, memorabilia, photographs, paintings, and sculptures.   A rather amazing place; in fact, it became a bit overwhelming because there were so many items to view and read about.   I kept saying, "Wow!"...then I would turn the corner to another display and say, "Wow!".   It was a lot of fun.

We then traveled some of the smaller highways in New York state, and we eventually made it into Vermont.  Tomorrow we head for New Hampshire and Maine.  We will spend a few days resting in Maine.

Take care.
Don & Sandi

Niagara Falls

Hi.

We spent Sunday at Niagara Falls.  Wow. We had a great time as we took a ride on the "Maid of the Mist" boat that cruises past American Falls, and then goes almost into Horseshoe Falls.   We had our blue slickers on, but it was still like being in a downpour as we were so close to the cascading water.  The wind, the blowing water, and the thunderous noise of the falls is spectacular.  If you haven't taken this ride, it is truly a "bucket list" experience.

We walked around to the various scenic viewing areas for both Horseshoe Falls and American Falls.  It is amazing how you can walk up to the railing just a few feet away from where tons of water falls over the cliff every second.  Breathtaking.

We then put on yellow slickers and took the "Cave of the Winds" hiking trail.  We walked to the base of the American Falls and got drenched again. The highlight of the trail was reaching what is called the "hurricane deck".  We were literally at the base of the American Falls (specifically Bridal Veil Falls); and when the wind blew just the right way, we were pelted with huge water drops from the waterfall.  They were so big and moving so fast and so frequently that it was actually painful when they hit.  Great fun!

We then ended the day with ice cream.  Sort of a perfect day, huh?  Off to Cooperstown (and the Baseball Hall of Fame) tomorrow.

Take care.
Don & Sandi