Month: August 2003

Living in a Tent at the White House – Day 130

Living in a Tent at the White House

Day 130 – August 8, 2003 – Friday

Washington, DC is quite a place. It was overcast all day, hot, and extremely humid. I took a lot of photos, but I had sure hoped for beautiful blue skies. If by some freak of nature, the sky is blue tomorrow, I will head back to see sights I missed and to take more photos. Unfortunately, the forecast for the rest of the trip is thunderstorms all along the Atlantic Coast. I had so hoped to end the trip along the coast with sun and bright blue skies — perfect weather to see the various outdoor sights on the itinerary.

Bozzie Jane was unable to meet me in Washington as planned. (My inability to get a hotel room in Maine shortened the trip by several days, and Kitty B Kitty had a tooth extracted, so Boz was not able to change her schedule to get here.) Boz has never been here, so we definitely plan to come back together soon.

My Dad took a business trip to Washington DC when I was in junior high school, and I was so proud when he invited me to accompany him. What a great experience. We traveled by train, and then I went on a bus tour all around town and saw the Smithsonian. The sights in DC were incredible…but the first time in a big city all by myself added to the enjoyment.

40 years or so later, I believe I was even more impressed today. Washington is so big. The buildings are so impressive. It’s so busy. There is so much to see. The trees and parks and flowers are very beautiful. Bigger, more impressive, more beautiful, and busier.

Washington, DC is a DISTRICT — not a state. People live in the District, so as I was driving around, I all of a sudden realized I needed to see if there was a DC license plate. There is. I never thought about it before. I snapped a photo of the first District of Columbia license plate that I saw, so I will have all 51 plates in my virtual license plate collection. Only South Carolina and Hawaii plates to go.

Did you know a woman has lived in a tent across the street from the White House since 1981? I saw a woman, a tent, and some signs claiming she had been there since 1981. I asked a nearby policeman if this protest had really been going on continuously since 1981, and he said it had. So, I walked over and met Concepcion (Connie) Picciotto. Connie is an anti-war protestor. To be more precise, she is the co-founder of the White House Anti-Nuclear Peace Vigil. She lives on donations, averaging $15 a day. To say she is extremely serious about her mission would be a gross understatement. She has been right there on the sidewalk in Lafayette Park — directly across the street from the front door to the White House since 1981. Day and night. Summer and winter. It’s incredible that she has been physically and mentally able to do it…and that our country and our government allow her to do it. I’ve met people in every state that I’ve been to so far, and Connie is the only person that I met today in DC. I’m not anti-war or anti-nuclear, so Connie and I are not likely to become close friends, but I was pleased to meet her. She read my card and said she needs a writer to assist her with her web site and her story (could make a great book, I suspect). She asked if I was interested, but I had to tell her I didn’t believe I was the right person for the job. I couldn’t tell her that I don’t share her anti-war beliefs as she just seemed like the sweetest lady. See http://prop1.org/conchita/

The White House looked really good. Much prettier than I remembered. I saw the National Christmas Tree; I didn’t realize we now have a permanent Christmas tree.

There was construction all over town. There are also barricades, big cement pylons, and police just about everywhere. It was sad to see what terrorists have forced us to do.

As I drove into DC this morning, I passed the exit for the CIA. I exited at a sign that said “Pentagon.” I saw a big sign: “Unauthorized photography is prohibited.” There were a lot of police cars, armed guards; and there was a police car behind me the whole time, so I didn’t even try to take a photo.

I saw the Washington Monument, the Department of Treasury, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy, the Department of Transportation, the Capitol Building, the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court, Union Station, the Postal Museum, Pennsylvania Avenue, the Federal Trade Commission, the Archives of the United States of America, the Ronald Reagan Office Building (3.1 million square feet of office space — the largest in Washington, D.C.), Freedom Plaza, the Treasury Department, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, United Press International, the Department of Commerce, the White House, Kennedy Center, the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial.

I ended the day at Arlington National Cemetery. I revisited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and I saw the President John F. Kennedy memorial area. President Kennedy is buried there as well as Jackie and two of their children. I was surprised to see that Bobby Kennedy is buried nearby with a plain white cross as a tombstone. The ONLY way to see Washington, DC effectively is to take a tour as parking is virtually impossible to find, and the various sights are spread across a big, big area. Boz and I will take tours when we come back to visit. It’s also a place that requires several days to see. There are so many great museums that you could spend weeks here. For tours, go to www.dctours.us.

While I do not share her political views, I ended the day with great respect for Connie, the woman who has lived in a tent at the entrance to the White House since 1981. Talk about dedication and perseverance!

The Daily Journal of Round America:

Each day, we collect our thoughts on a web page just like this. We drop in some of the photos from the day. Our goal with the Daily Journal is to write about the towns we visit, the sights we see, the people we meet, and the pie we eat. We write about where we are, where we’ve been, and where we are going, but we also make observations about what we’ve seen and done as well as about life in general.

You can follow our travels from the Daily Journal section of this website. Other pages of interest include the running report of “vital statistics” on the Trip Scorecard, our nominations for the Best & Worst of the trip, as well as a rating of the pie we eat. If you’d like to see information for a specific state or town, click here, and then click on the state of interest, and the full itinerary is shown.

 

More Information on the Sights Visited Today:
 Washington DC — Washington Monument — Department of Treasury — Bureau of Engraving and Printing — Department of Agriculture — Department of Energy — Department of Transportation — Capitol Building — Library of Congress — Supreme Court — Union Station — Postal Museum — Pennsylvania Avenue — Federal Trade Commission — Archives of the United States of America — Ronald Reagan Office Building — Freedom Plaza — Treasury Department — Department of Veterans Affairs — Department of Commerce — White House — Kennedy Center — Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial — Lincoln Memorial — Arlington National Cemetery
 

Five States of Rain – Day 129

Five States of Rain

Day 129 – August 7, 2003 – Thursday

I don’t like to spend much time writing negatively about the places we’ve been…though there were more negatives in the Northeast. I’ve spent a lot of time on business in the Northeast, and it just isn’t as pleasant as the rest of the country, in my opinion.

The day started with problems at the Borgata Casino & Hotel in Atlantic City. They tried to stick me with $49.10 in local phone charges for two calls to the local internet access number. In 128 days of travel, this happened only one other time. 99% of the hotels and motels have their phone call charges clearly posted on or near the phone. There was nothing at the Borgata, so I just dialed my local access number and did my website work. What upset me most about the Borgata is I felt they were trying to pull a fast one on me. There was no Express Check-Out copy of the bill under my door. Instead, the key holder has a little place to sign for Express Check-Out stating that your bill will be mailed to you. When I saw that, I immediately thought it was strange…because they could charge you anything, and then you’d have to deal with it by long distance when you discover it back at home. Then I went to check out, and the bill was much higher than it should be. I caught it, but I’d guess many would not.

The Borgata cashier woman got an unpleasant look on her face when I objected to the charges. She claimed the information was (buried) in the big thick 3-ring binder that contains promo material about room service, the spa, the casino, entertainment, and other hotel services. That would be about like putting the policies and charges on a page in the Gideon Bible — few people read either during their hotel stay. I asked to speak with a manager, and the cashier just walked away. I stood there waiting…hoping she had actually gone to get a manager. She finally returned with a young man. They said nothing to me and did not even acknowledge my presence, but they began fiddling with the computer. Richard, apparently a financial person of some type, finally looked in my general direction and indicated they were crediting $48.10 as there would be a 50 cent charge for each of the two local phone calls. No apology, just squeezing another buck out of me. While pleased to be getting the credit, I was in awe over the poor customer service that was being delivered by the Borgata.

I informed Richard and the Borgata cashier woman that I was writing a travel book and that I would be writing about this. I suggested that they do as virtually every other hotel/motel and put a big sign next to the phone if they insist on charging folks by the minute for local calls. Richard said he expected I would write that they apologized and credited the amount. I was credited, but I never received an apology, and I was not treated in a manner that would make me ever want to step foot in the place again.

As I drove out of the parking lot, I was charged $3 for parking my own car in an outside parking lot — even though I was an overnight customer of the hotel.

Overall, I wasn’t pleased with the Borgata. I’m surprised I wasn’t charged each time I used the elevator to go to my room on the 32nd floor — or charged by floor. Kimberly was very nice at check-in, but as I think back, I was ignored by four or five desk clerks who never acknowledged my presence. I finally had to ask which one of them would like to help me. I really liked Celeste and the folks at the barber shop. I enjoyed winning $100, and the room was very nice. My sandwich was poor; the pie was not nearly as good as the written description; the service was poor; the rates were high; and the charges for items that should be at no charge were poor. The common areas of the hotel and casino are not nearly as nice as a comparably-priced hotel in Las Vegas. Very plain. Almost makes you wonder if they were so far over budget that they cut back on the finish-out at the end of the construction.

I don’t know who owns Borgata, but there were definitely indications that this might be the first hotel they’ve ever built. Brand new hotel with four big off-color panels on the exterior that caused me to assume it was not open for business yet. Broken entry gates in the parking lot. And hotel room doors that slammed incessantly. The door slamming was like something out of a Three Stooges movie. Every time a room door closed, it made a noise that seemed to shake the entire floor. There were hundreds of rooms per floor, so it seemed continuous. Sorry, but I can’t recommend the Borgata.

The fog in Atlantic City was as thick as I’ve ever seen fog anywhere. As I drove out of town, it became heavy rain. Then the traffic just stopped on the Garden State Expressway. Several hours later, I managed to inch to a spot where a U-turn was legal. It was 2:30 pm before I re-routed to get to Delaware. I was very sorry that I couldn’t see Wildwood and its 50’s architecture and Cape May where I had a scheduled ferry trip, but there was no alternate route…and not much chance I could make the last ferry at 6 pm.

I drove the rest of the day. It rained in all five states that I visited today. I saw bits of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. By the end of the day, the trip Round America had been to every state except South Carolina and Hawaii. 48 down and just two to go.

In Newark, Delaware, I stopped at Bing’s Bakery. I popped in and got a very tasty peach pie. I met two ladies who worked there, Lora and Vicki, and then a customer named Theresa. They were excited that being in the book would be their 15 minutes of fame. The pie was $6.25 — quite a bargain.

There was no “Welcome to Delaware” sign as I was leaving Delaware, so I was out of luck on adding Delaware to my Welcome Sign collection.

At a gas station in Maryland, I met Jeremy. He was a really nice young man who was running the cash register. He saw the sign on the car and asked how I was going to do Hawaii. I told him, and I gave him a card. I told him his name was going to be in the book. Then, he came running out to the car and gave me a place to go for the best pie in those parts.

I followed Jeremy’s directions to Milburn Orchards where I got a flag photo, an orchard photo, a license plate photo, and a peach praline pie that weighs a ton and looks great. I asked a young man who is probably a family member (high school or college-aged boy) what the best pie was after I already picked one out, and he said that the peach praline was the best. Milburn Orchards grows 13 different varieties of peaches, and I learned that they ripen at different times. The peaches in their store were beautiful. Milburn Orchards had many different kinds of pies that I had not seen anywhere else.

I went back to the gas station and gave Jeremy half of a pie. He was really pleased, and I saw him eating pie as I drove away. The pie was very tasty, different. It had a praline syrup, really fresh peaches, a good crust, and some nuts on top. I didn’t consider it an award winner, but it was certainly different and excellent.

I saw signs for peaches, blueberries, plums. I didn’t realize there was that much farming in this part of Maryland, but it seems to be farm country. It was pretty, green, rolling hills, a nice area. It changed almost immediately when I crossed over into Maryland from the industrial northeast look.

The sun was setting when I reached West Virginia. I managed to photograph the “Welcome to West Virginia” sign, but I had to double back a couple times. The Shenandoah River was flowing by as I drove along.

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia is a quaint place with a lot of history. I photographed a flag and a license plate at the Harpers Ferry Town Hall. There were quaint old houses and buildings.

I saw a sign indicating that radar detectors are illegal. I didn’t have one, but it looks like Virginia has a law against them. I really enjoyed Kim and Cathy at the Fairfield Inn in Frederick, Maryland. I also met Scott, Shelly, and Celeste.

The Daily Journal of Round America:

Each day, we collect our thoughts on a web page just like this. We drop in some of the photos from the day. Our goal with the Daily Journal is to write about the towns we visit, the sights we see, the people we meet, and the pie we eat. We write about where we are, where we’ve been, and where we are going, but we also make observations about what we’ve seen and done as well as about life in general.

You can follow our travels from the Daily Journal section of this web site. Other pages of interest include the running report of “vital statistics” on the Trip Scorecard, our nominations for the Best & Worst of the trip, as well as a rating of the pie we eat. If you’d like to see information for a specific state or town, click here, and then click on the state of interest and the full itinerary is shown.

 

More Information on the Sights Visited Today:
Borgata Casino & Hotel — Bing’s Bakery — Milburn Orchards — Harpers Ferry West Virginia
 

Atlantic City – Day 128

Atlantic City

Day 128 – August 6, 2003 – Tuesday

 

The Daily Journal of Round America:

Each day, we collect our thoughts on a web page just like this. We drop in some of the photos from the day. Our goal with the Daily Journal is to write about the towns we visit, the sights we see, the people we meet, and the pie we eat. We write about where we are, where we’ve been, and where we are going, but we also make observations about what we’ve seen and done as well as about life in general.

You can follow our travels from the Daily Journal section of this website. Other pages of interest include the running report of “vital statistics” on the Trip Scorecard, our nominations for the Best & Worst of the trip, as well as a rating of the pie we eat. If you’d like to see information for a specific state or town, click here, and then click on the state of interest, and the full itinerary is shown.

 

More Information on the Sights Visited Today:

Ground Zero – Day 127

Ground Zero

Day 127 – August 5, 2003 – Tuesday

During the first week or so of the trip, I was speaking with someone we met along the way (sorry I have forgotten who it was). They asked a number of questions about the sights we were planning to see. I asked: “If you were making this trip, what would be the most important sight for you to see?” The answer was Ground Zero. We hadn’t planned to go into New York City, but I decided right then and there that the itinerary would change to include Ground Zero.

Jaychelle at the Fairfield Inn in West Haven, Connecticut directed me to the train station.

I rode the train from Stratford, Connecticut to Grand Central Station, and I took a taxi to Ground Zero. It was certainly sad to be there. What a horrific event! I felt so sad for all the lives lost and people forever affected by the tragedy. It rekindled the anger I feel for the terrorists in the world. It made me hopeful that the many tourists I heard speaking foreign languages might support the US in our efforts to stop these madmen.

I was surprised by several things. First, I was surprised that so much had been rebuilt. It appeared to me that the area beneath ground level had been largely rebuilt. Second, I was surprised to see very little as a memorial. I know there are big plans for a permanent memorial, but I thought I’d see more as a temporary memorial. Third, I expected to see even more tourists.

I rode the train back to Stratford, and then I drove to Atlantic City, New Jersey. NJ is state #44.

Lunch consisted of New York Cheesecake at Junior’s in Grand Central Station. It was very good. I met Mimoza, Pepino, and Juble at Junior’s.

I had dinner at the Athena Diner in Southport, Connecticut. It was a typical local place in this part of the country. Mary was my server. I had a Philly cheese steak grinder and coconut custard pie that was massive. It was very good. I’m sure folks who like custard love it. It was the only custard pie I’d had, so it would be the best of the custard pies. It was a little heavy for me, but it was good. I could only eat about a third of it because it was so big. I had a chat with the manager as he asked about the trip.

There are awfully sour people in this area. The guy at the “I Love New York” tourist information office in Grand Central Station could not have been ruder or less friendly. He wouldn’t even get off his chair to help anybody. At a gas station in Fairfield, Connecticut, the attendant was just as sour as could be. There is way more of that than you find in most parts of the country I’m afraid.

As I drove through New Jersey, I noticed how dirty it is in the area near New York City.

The lesson for the day was the reminder of how tragic 9/11 was. I believe we need to do everything possible to prevent terrorists from reaching our shores, and I am all for a missile defense system.

The Daily Journal of Round America:

Each day, we collect our thoughts on a web page just like this. We drop in some of the photos from the day. Our goal with the Daily Journal is to write about the towns we visit, the sights we see, the people we meet, and the pie we eat. We write about where we are, where we’ve been, and where we are going, but we also make observations about what we’ve seen and done as well as about life in general.

You can follow our travels from the Daily Journal section of this website. Other pages of interest include the running report of “vital statistics” on the Trip Scorecard, our nominations for the Best & Worst of the trip, as well as a rating of the pie we eat. If you’d like to see information for a specific state or town, click here, and then click on the state of interest, and the full itinerary is shown.

 

More Information on the Sights Visited Today:
Grand Central Station — Ground Zero — Junior’s Cheesecake — Athena Diner
 

Plymouth Rock Rain – Day 126

Day 126 — August 4, 2003 — Monday

Plymouth Rock Rain

I checked the weather forecast for Massachusetts — Rhode Island — Connecticut — and New York.  It doesn’t look good.  Rain clouds across the board all week.  I decided to drive to Plymouth, Massachusetts in hopes the rain would stop.  It didn’t.

John got me checked out of the Comfort Inn.  He gave me great leads last night on the best places to eat dinner and pie in Rhode Island.

I had to see Plymouth Rock — rain or shine.  I was soaked after I parked, found out where it was, walked down the street, shot a few photos, tried to find some pie, and got back to the car.  And I had an umbrella.

Colleen at the Visitor Information office gave me directions to the rock and to the various tourist trap attractions for which she was selling tickets.  The rock is bigger than it looks in my photo as I zoomed in on it.  There’s a Memorial structure built over the rock, and it is 20 feet or so away from all the tourists.  The rock has the year engraved in it, so it is obviously not THE Plymouth Rock, if there even was such a rock.  Mayflower II is nearby as well as a number of statues and memorials and the Wax Museum, etc.  There were 104 pilgrims on the Mayflower, and according to my count on a memorial plaque, 45 of them did not live through the first year.

Colleen also suggested a place for pie, but the lady there was very unfriendly and had only apple pie to sell whole.  I passed.  I wanted to include Massachusetts in the Best Pie in the Country contest, but I tried three places, and none of them had any pie.

I wasn’t charmed by Plymouth.  I’m sure the weather had a lot to do with it…and the bad drivers.  Boston, Massachusetts has the worst roads in the United States, and Massachusetts will definitely be nominated for Worst Drivers.  They tailgate, cut in line ahead of cars that were properly queued, swerve in and out of lanes, and more.  Maddening…especially when it happens again and again and again.

Newport was next.  I tried a few places for pie, but no luck.  I had lunch at a place that looked like a good local restaurant — Persy’s Place.  From all the framed newspaper reviews on the walls, I suspect their breakfast is great.  I had Seafood Chowder, but all I found floating in my fish-flavored broth was potato.  The waitress was Lise.  I stopped at a Bess Eaton Donut Shop where I met Jason and Tami.  I told them I was a donut connoisseur, and they quickly advised me that all of their donuts are now bought frozen from a place in New York.  The donuts were not much better than what you can buy in a cellophane package off the shelf at any convenience store.  I gave Massachusetts one additional try for a dessert, and the Super Chipper that I got from Newport Creameries was also poor.  So, disappointing lunch and two weak “desserts.”  I’m afraid Massachusetts will be the runner-up to Alaska for Worst Food on the trip.

It rained all the way to Newport and then off and on while I was there.  I stopped along the way to ship 57 pounds of accumulated stuff back to Atlanta.  Tim helped me.

Newport is gorgeous when the sun is shining.  It wasn’t very pretty in the gray of today.  I drove down Bellevue Avenue to see the spectacular mansions — the most impressive group of mansions on one street that I’ve ever seen.  Boz and I saw Bellevue Avenue a few years ago.  I was surprised today to see that many of the mansions had For Sale signs.  It looks like the economy has taken its toll on some of the folks who shared ownership of property along there with a bank or mortgage company.

From Newport, I drove over the bridge and on Highway 1.  Connecticut became state #43.

Bozzie Jane and I really enjoyed the movie “Mystic Pizza,” so Mystic, Connecticut was a must-see.  It’s a small seaport town with a main street filled with tourist-oriented shops.  The big draw is the Mystic Pizza restaurant.  The movie was named after the restaurant, and the movie was filmed in and around the restaurant.  I had the House Special Pizza, and it was very good.  Joselyn was my waitress.  I walked around town after dinner and saw the sights.  I couldn’t find any pie in Mystic, so I’ll have to work at it early tomorrow before I hit New York.  I’m trying to have pie in as many states as possible.

The day ended in New Haven, Connecticut.  Yale land.  The plan for tomorrow is to park the car at a train depot and ride a train into New York City.  Since Bozzie Jane is not with me, I’m just going to pop into the city to visit Ground Zero and then visit a pie place that my research has turned up.  Then back on the train and into the car.  I’ll spend the next two nights in Atlantic City.  I’ve got $100 destined for Red.  If I win, we are essentially back to even for the trip on gambling.

I will add to this report as time permits.

***

Each day, we collect our thoughts on a web page just like this.  We drop in some of the photos from the day.  Our goal with the Daily Journal is to write about the towns we visit, the sights we see, the people we meet, and the pie we eat.   We write about where we are, where we’ve been, and where we are going, but we also make observations about what we’ve seen and done as well as about life in general.

You can follow our travels from the Daily Journal section of this web site.  Other pages of interest include the running report of “vital statistics” on the Trip Scorecard, our nominations for the Best & Worst of the trip, as well as a running rating the pie we eat.  If you’d like to see information for a specific state or town, click here, and then click on the state of interest and the full itinerary is shown.

Boston Marathon – Day 125

Boston Marathon

Day 125 – August 3, 2003 – Sunday

Boston was rained out today — torrential downpour. So, after a few hours sleep (didn’t get a hotel room until 5 am), I drove to Providence, Rhode Island. It was a marathon driving from Bangor Maine to Boston in the middle of the night, and the rain was another marathon in Boston today. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes you get rained out. I was losing, and it was raining.

I saw a little blue sky late in the day, so I left the hotel in Providence for a little sightseeing. Two desk clerks at the hotel and four guests gave me several suggestions, including a pie place and a restaurant.

I went to Caserta’s Pizzeria for a great pizza. Then I went to Gregg’s Restaurant for some excellent Banana Cream Pie. I met excellent servers at both restaurants.

Providence is a pretty city. I saw some interesting sights, but I was so tired from the all-nighter that I fell asleep before I processed the photos or typed a report. I later found that my tape recorder malfunctioned at about 2:30 yesterday afternoon, so I lost a day and a half of information.

About all I can remember now is that I saw the World’s Largest Termite. It’s a big blue bug on the roof of New England Pest Control. New England Pest Control is best known for its mascot, Nibbles Woodaway (also known as the Big Blue Bug). The termite is 58 feet long — 928 times actual termite size. It was built in 1980. The company dresses the bug for holidays: Uncle Sam hat for July 4, witch’s hat and broom for Halloween, red blinking nose and antlers for Christmas.

The Daily Journal of Round America:

Each day, we collect our thoughts on a web page just like this. We drop in some of the photos from the day. Our goal with the Daily Journal is to write about the towns we visit, the sights we see, the people we meet, and the pie we eat. We write about where we are, where we’ve been, and where we are going, but we also make observations about what we’ve seen and done as well as about life in general.

You can follow our travels from the Daily Journal section of this web site. Other pages of interest include the running report of “vital statistics” on the Trip Scorecard, our nominations for the Best & Worst of the trip, as well as a rating of the pie we eat. If you’d like to see information for a specific state or town, click here, and then click on the state of interest and the full itinerary is shown.

 

More Information on the Sights Visited Today: 
Boston Massachusetts — Providence Rhode Island — Worlds Largest Termite
 

I Went to Maine and It was Closed – Day 124

I Went to Maine and It was Closed

Day 124 – August 2, 2003 – Saturday

I enjoyed a number of sights in Vermont and New Hampshire today. I then went to Maine and found there was not a single motel room available anywhere in the state! I drove south from Bangor attempting to find a motel room, and I did not find one until I reached Boston, Massachusetts — at 5 am! Needless to say, it was my least enjoyable evening.

I enjoyed driving through Vermont and New Hampshire — beautiful states! I found it to be unbelievably green in Vermont. We always felt the color green in Ireland and the UK was unlike the greens anywhere else — but Vermont fields are an incredible green, too.

I saw the Boutin home just outside of Richmond. They had an assortment of metal sculptures in their yard, pots and pans on top of poles, and other odd stuff. It wasn’t on the itinerary — just something that appeared on the side of the road.

Then I saw a sign that said “Trapp Family Lodge 5 miles.” OK! I’m going. The lodge is owned by the Von Trapp family made famous by the movie “The Sound of Music.”

Maria Augusta Kutschera was born in 1905. Maria’s mother died when she was two years old. Her father left her with an elderly cousin so that he could be free to travel. She experienced a lonely and very strict upbringing without any siblings or other children in the household. She ultimately found religion and entered a convent. Though Maria was intensely devoted to her convent, she was taken away from the outdoor activities she once thrived on. Her doctor was concerned her health was failing due to a lack of fresh air and exercise. The decision was made to send Maria to the home of retired naval captain Georg von Trapp. Her position was not governess to all the children, as the movie portrayed, but specifically to the captain’s daughter who was bedridden with rheumatic fever. The rest is truly history. Maria never returned to the convent and married the Captain on November 26, 1927. This is the story that has been made immortalized by “The Sound of Music.”

The Trapp family first started welcoming guests to their 27-room Vermont lodge in the summer of 1950. The lodge continues to be owned and operated by the Trapp family.

Today, the 2,400-acre resort with sweeping mountain views provides accommodations in an Austrian-style Main Lodge with 96 rooms and suites, and 100 2-bedroom Guest Houses, and 14 luxurious 3-bedroom Villas. Talented chefs prepare European specialties in The Dining Room, The Lounge and the Austrian Tea Room, complemented by nightly entertainment. First-class facilities are available for meetings and weddings. Year-round recreational activities include cross-country skiing and hiking on over 100 km of trails, tennis, croquet, snowshoeing, sleigh rides, children’s programs, maple sugaring, workouts in the Fitness Center, music lessons, guided nature walks, swimming, An Afternoon with the Pastry Chef, and much more!

I took a photo of a big family having a reunion. I hoped they would e-mail me all their names. There was a bunch of them. I also met Jocey, the desk clerk at the lodge who laughed and said “nice beads.” I gave her a card. I visited the popular ski area of Stowe, Vermont.

I saw a famous Round Barn. I met Tutt at the church; he worked for the Department of Homeland Security.

The Coal Hollow Cider Mill was a very enjoyable stop. The Coal Hollow Cider Mill produces about 4,000 gallons of cider per day in the summer, but in the fall they produce 40,000 gallons a day. I bought a cider steamed hot dog. The apple pies looked spectacular, so I bought one. It weighed a ton. I also bought a little piece of blueberry apple crumb pie and a couple of apple doughnuts. So I was good to go. The hotdog was very good. The bun was totally unusual. It was like a loaf of bread the height of a hot dog bun, but it was sliced across so that there was no crust on either side of the outside of the bun. The cider donuts were very good. There was not a strong, but a subtle apple taste. It was very tasty.

Shortly after noon, I began searching for a place called “Lots O Balls,” whatever that may be. It just showed up on a map and sounded like my kind of place. I met Nichole at the gas station. She asked where I had been. I gave her some beads. I finally found “Lots O Balls.” It turned out to be a miniature golf course kind of in the middle of nowhere. Oh well! Big Waste O Time. Sometimes it works, sometimes it don’t work.

I just had a nice chat with Madison, Brittany, and Barbara. That was absolutely the highlight of the day. Madison is just a little over a year old, so we didn’t have a long conversation. 🙂

Montpelier, Vermont is the smallest capital in the nation. I took a photo of the gold-domed capitol building. It is in a beautiful setting. It sits back in trees. There’s a little walkway up to it. Very nice.

I saw a lot of folks in Vermont wearing sandals and dark socks. Not my choice of fashion statements.

Vermont must have the highest percentage of vanity plates of any state in the country.

At the Fairbanks Museum in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, I saw amazing Bug Art and a most unique will. The Fairbanks Museum features natural science collections housed in a wonderful Victorian building. Local industrialist and amateur scientist, Franklin Fairbanks, built the museum in 1891.

Robert Louis Stevenson’s will granted his November 13 birthdate to Annie Ide. That was different.

The artwork of John Hampson was also prominently displayed. His medium was bugs. Using pins and glue, he painstakingly arranged dead bugs and bug body parts into patterns and pictures that could be hung on a wall. He used butterflies, moths, beetles, and more. Each of his works used between 6,000 and 13,000 bugs and took 3 to 4 years to complete. His designs ranged from an American flag to portraits of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.

Hampson’s daughter searched the country for a museum that would exhibit his art, and the Fairbanks Museum was the only taker. So, the entire collection was right there in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.

I stopped in Plainfield, established in 1797, and the home of Goddard College. The Maple Valley Country Store was on our list of sights to see, but it is actually a restaurant. It looked like a cute little place; it’s probably delicious, but I did not stop there to eat as I had eaten not long before at the Cider Mill.

There were many great old houses and barns in this area. I also saw a number of lovely ponds — On Golden Pond-like ponds, including Joe’s Pond.

The Wallenda Cabins caught my eye. They are tiny little things about the size of a storage shed, but I guess people come and stay in them. I took a photo and wondered if they were named after The Flying Wallendas aerial performers.

In Marshfield, there is a village store built in 1852. I stopped at a 400 acre farm behind the Marshfield Dam. It is one of the largest in central Vermont. I met two fishermen: Tyler and Cody.

I have noticed that milk cows get treated a whole lot better than beef cattle. They leave lights on for them at night in their barns. They have big fans, which serve to blow a lot of the flies away so they aren’t such a nuisance. The farmers cover the hay to keep it fresher and better, and I noticed that some even package the hay in plastic to keep it fresher and better.

There were cars are parked everywhere on the side of the road as I drove into Danville. I saw a big ferris wheel. It was the Danville Fair, and it certainly looked like a nice one. I would imagine the beautiful village green underneath the fair was very picturesque, but there was no way to take a photo.

Vermont and New Hampshire have many covered bridges, and I visited the Martin Covered Bridge.

I met a really nice tourist information lady near Littleton, New Hampshire. She informed me that the “Man in the Mountain” near Littleton, New Hampshire recently disappeared. It was a rock formation on the top of a mountain that cracked and broke off. It was a big attraction in the area.

Chutters in Littleton, New Hampshire has the World’s Longest Candy Counter. I had to stop in for some candy.

I enjoyed a good meal at the Littleton Diner. I loved the message on a T-shirt there. It provided The Keys to an American Renaissance: “Eat in Diners. Ride trains. Put a porch on your house. Shop on Main Street. Live in a walkable community.” Great ideas one and all!

There were BIG signs in Vermont and New Hampshire warning drivers to Brake for Moose. One had a smaller sign beneath the big sign that said “Hundreds of Collisions.” I was anxious to brake for a moose. I did see not one but two mooses today — a fiberglass moose at a miniature golf course and a brass sculpture of the world’s most famous moose. Unfortunately, there was no braking. Still no sightings of a live moose!

Santa’s Village in Jefferson, New Hampshire was a fun stop. I spoke with Rudy the talking reindeer. We had a nice chat. Rudy commented on my beads.

I reached Maine late in the day. The state line sign simply said “State Line Maine.” Note that the sign didn’t “Welcome” me to Maine as most states do. Little did I know that Maine did not want me there.

In Maine, I did see the statue of the famous moose, and I saw yet another Paul Bunyan statue.

The sun set, and I still had a long way to drive to my planned stopping point. When I reached Wilton Maine, there were huge crowds standing on the side of the road. I had no idea what was going on. I finally pulled over and met a really nice family of nine in a cemetery. I learned that everyone was waiting for a big fireworks show that was part of the annual Blueberry Festival. I shared a few stories and went on down the road.

I gave up on finding a local restaurant in Maine, and I finally had dinner from Burger King in Skowhegan, Maine. I met four workers there.

Skowhegan was raising money to restore the World’s Tallest Wooden Indian. I tried to get a photo, but it is 62- tall, and it was really dark. The World’s Tallest Indian was erected in 1969 in observance of Maine’s 150th anniversary. The statue was created by Bernard Langlais, a sculptor who attended the local art school.

Then the fun really began. I stopped at every hotel and motel that I saw for the next five hours. Every room was taken, and no one offered any hope that I could find a room anywhere in Maine. I finally asked one of the desk clerks why there were no rooms. He said “fish.” I asked: “how in the world could fish cause there to be no rooms; was it a fishing tournament of some type?” He said: “No, P-H-I-S-H.” I first heard of P-h-i-s-h in Cleveland a few days ago when I was stopped from taking a photograph of their giant weiner. Now it seems there was a big Phish concert as well as a Lobster Festival, and there were no rooms anywhere in Maine. I couldn’t believe this was possible, but I stopped at every motel I saw, and there was nothing. I tried to pay one desk clerk to let me sleep on the couch in the lobby, but he refused. I drove south through Maine, and I never found a room. I drove south through the eastern tip of New Hampshire, and I never found a room. I really had trouble staying awake as I drove. I was welcomed to Massachusetts about 4:30 am. Lots O No-Vacancy-Signs.

I drove south through Massachusetts, and I finally found a room in Boston, Massachusetts. It was 5 am when I reached a Marriott with a room. What a miserable experience!

The lesson for the day was crystal clear to me: Always have hotel reservations when traveling to Maine. And don’t ever buy a Phish CD.

The Daily Journal of Round America:

Each day, we collect our thoughts on a web page just like this. We drop in some of the photos from the day. Our goal with the Daily Journal is to write about the towns we visit, the sights we see, the people we meet, and the pie we eat. We write about where we are, where we’ve been, and where we are going, but we also make observations about what we’ve seen and done as well as about life in general.

You can follow our travels from the Daily Journal section of this web site. Other pages of interest include the running report of “vital statistics” on the Trip Scorecard, our nominations for the Best & Worst of the trip, as well as a rating of the pie we eat. If you’d like to see information for a specific state or town, click here, and then click on the state of interest and the full itinerary is shown.

 

More Information on the Sights Visited Today:
Montpelier Vermont — Trapp Family Lodge — Stowe Vermont — Coal Hollow Cider Mill — Fairbanks Museum — Round Church — Littleton New Hampshire — Chutters — Littleton Diner — Santa’s Village — World’s Tallest Wooden Indian
 

Original Cross-Country Road Trip – Day 123

The Original Cross-Country Road Trip

Day 123 – August 1, 2003 – Friday

The Vermont experience began well last night with the four really nice people at the very nice Hawthorn Suites in Burlington. First impressions are so important! That’s why the best companies pay so much attention to hiring and retaining the right receptionists. I saw Robin (must be the manager and/or owner) again when I checked out, and I met Jason and Nancy. They did not have any suggestions for pie, but they did give me information on how to find the Chamber of Commerce, as my first mission for the day was to find the home of Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson.

In the spring of 1903, Dr. Jackson of Burlington, Vermont set off from San Francisco in a 20-horsepower Winton touring car hoping to become the first person to cross the United States in an automobile. The trip was prompted by a $50 bet. Back in 1903, there were only 150 miles of paved roads in the entire country. There were no gas stations and virtually no road maps as we know them today. A 20 horsepower car. 1903, when cars had been developed for just a few years. Dirt roads and no roads. No gas stations. No road maps. And if all that isn’t insurmountable enough, Dr. Jackson had only a few hours of driving experience. This sounded absolutely impossible.

But Dr. Jackson took the bet and took off. He was accompanied by co-driver Sewall K. Crocker and a bulldog named Bud (who wore goggles to keep the dust from his eyes, just as Dr. Jackson did). During the trip, Dr. Jackson learned that the bet had turned his trip into something of a race. Both Packard and Oldsmobile dispatched their own autos from California in the hopes of passing him and gaining the publicity of being first across the nation. Dr. Jackson’s car broke down repeatedly. Parts had to be sent by train and stagecoach. The challenges and problems were immense. But sixty-three and a half days after leaving San Francisco, Dr. Jackson arrived triumphantly into New York City and claimed the honor for himself (and won the $50 bet).

Needless to say, when I learned about Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson (the first transcontinental road tripper) while doing the research for our trip Round America (with four transcontinental crossings), I wanted to find something about him in Burlington. No one at the hotel knew anything about him, so I figured the Visitor Information Office of the Chamber of Commerce was the next place to ask.

At the Chamber office, I met Lisa, Tre, and Melissa. As at the hotel, they had never heard of Dr. Jackson. I explained that he was a native of Burlington who was the first person to drive cross country in an automobile. My research provided details about Dr. Jackson, but I had been unable to find any information about an address in Burlington. Both Lisa and Tre jumped on the Internet and began pulling up data. There is a book about the trip called “The Mad Doctor’s Drive” by Ralph Nading Hill, published in 1961. We were all surprised to learn that PBS was to air a documentary about Dr. Jackson and his trip in October 2003 starring TOM HANKS! On the centennial of Jackson’s achievement, Ken Burns and Florentine Films had made a documentary film that follows his historic and apparently hilarious journey. “Horatio’s Drive: America’s First Road Trip” is a two hour film. Tom Hanks is the voice of Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson.

I looked forward to seeing the show…but I still needed an address. The ladies asked some other folks in the office, and one man said he thought he had read something about Dr. Jackson in the local newspaper. I thanked everyone and got the phone number for the paper. The receptionist at the paper connected me to the newsroom, and the newsroom person who answered tracked down the writer who did a story about Dr. Jackson. The writer gave me very precise directions to the house — at the corner of Willard Street and Main Street. This was much easier than the Perky Bat Tower. The house couldn’t have been easier to find. It’s now the Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji) fraternity house, and there were big Greek letters on the front. There was no memorial to Dr. Jackson, and the house probably looked a lot nicer when Dr. Jackson lived there, but I snapped a few photos and considered it a success.

Burlington has FIVE colleges. While I was taking photos of the Fiji House, I met Kris. She asked if I had been to Mardi Gras. She works in PR for Champlain College.

The Chamber ladies also had two tips for pie, and I decided breakfast pie should be next. I drove to Malletts Bay and went into Dick Mazza’s General Store. Whole pies were stacked on the counter right next to the cash register. I chose a Pineapple Pie since that was a type of pie that we had not yet enjoyed on the trip. I grabbed a couple of napkins and some plastic forks, and I enjoyed two “pieces” of pie as I drove back to Burlington. I met Sherry near the forks; she asked about the beads. My whole pie was only $4.99, and I enjoyed it for several days! It had a great homemade crust like Grandma used to make.

I visited the Ethan Allen Homestead. Traffic is really bad in the Burlington area.

The first tour of the day was the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory. Jonah was our tour guide. It was an entertaining tour — though there’s apparently not a lot to the making of teddy bears. Vermont Teddy Bear makes expensive teddy bears, and they sell a variety of clothing and accessories for their bears. You can help build your own bear in their huge teddy bear shop, but I couldn’t wait in line that long.

Shelburne Museum was next. Shelburne Museum is Vermont’s largest museum. It’s a collection of collections displayed in a setting of 39 exhibition structures on 45 acres of gardens and landscaped grounds. The items on display include folk art, Americana, 19th- and 20th-century American paintings, quilts and textiles, decorative arts and furniture, tools, toys, native American artifacts, European Impressionist paintings, horse-drawn vehicles, period houses, contemporary architecture, carousel horses, miniature circuses, and much more. There are over 150,000 objects on display. 25 of the 39 buildings are historic structures moved to the museum grounds from throughout New England. These include a meeting house, general store, covered bridge, several historic houses, a Lake Champlain lighthouse, and the 220-foot steamboat Ticonderoga.

As I toured this huge museum, I couldn’t help but wonder what we might be seeing if Electra Havemeyer Webb (who bought all this stuff) had married Harold G. Warp, the inventor of the baggie who spent a fortune collecting the seemingly millions of items on display at Pioneer Village in Minden, Nebraska. It would have been a match made in collector heaven. The Havemeyers made their money with Domino’s Sugar.

Shelburne Museum was very interesting to see. The displays are extremely well done. Mrs. Webb had excellent taste, and she bought only the best. I was blown away by the circus building. It is a curved horseshoe-shaped building that was built for the purpose of housing a 125-foot carved miniature circus parade display — so the parade could be shown in one continuous line as the parade would have been. All the buildings were as authentic as could be, and the grounds are beautiful. There were two special exhibits. I especially enjoyed “Red, White, and Blue: American Patriotic Images.”

From the Shelburne Museum, I drove to Shelburne Farms. It was too late for a tour, but this farm was financed by a Vanderbilt heiress, and it is something.

I walked around the Church Street Marketplace in downtown Burlington. I stopped at Henry’s Diner for dinner. I enjoyed my Fish and Chips. Marty was my waitress, and she was great — very personable. Several of the folks asked about the beads. I sat at the counter and enjoyed all the action as the waitresses placed their orders and picked up their food while the cooks kept everything moving. I met owners Bev and Brad.

On the highway between Burlington and Waterbury are two whale’s tails buried in the ground. Jim Sardonis sculpted the two 13-foot high tails from six tons of black granite. He did the work in 1988 for David Threlkeld, who planned to use them in front of a motel and conference center. It seems that the financing fell through, and I’m guessing Mr. Threlkeld might not have ever paid for them. I’m not sure how or why they got moved to the side of Highway 89 on a hillside south of Burlington.

Waterbury is the home of Ben & Jerry’s. What an incredible success story! Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield met in the same junior high school gym class in Merrick, Long Island. In 1978, they decided to go into business together. They paid $5 for a correspondence course from Penn State on ice cream manufacturing. Then they took their life savings of $8,000, and they converted an old abandoned gas station in Burlington, Vermont into the original Ben & Jerry’s. They built an incredibly successful business that shares its success with its employees and the community…and has fun doing it.

The tour was informative and fun. Sarah was the tour guide. She commented on my beads, so she was soon wearing her own. The best parts of the tour were the introductory movie and the clippings and stories displayed in the “Hall of Fame.” Free samples were provided at the end of the tour, and I enjoyed a big cup of Cherry Garcia, the #1 flavor. The Flavor Graveyard was fun. There are tombstones with clever stories about each of the flavors that Ben & Jerry’s has discontinued.

After leaving Ben & Jerry’s, I saw a sign that said: “God Answers Knee Mail.” I thought that was clever. I saw many signs today for moose crossings, but I’ve never seen a live moose. I’ve seen fiberglass, cement, plastic, and fabric mooses, but I still haven’t seen a real, live, honest-to-goodness moose.

It was a fun-filled day. Vermont is really beautiful, and while it drizzled rain all day, it didn’t detract too much.

The Comfort Inn in Montpelier, the smallest capital in the 50 states, was my home for the night. Laundry night. Dianne got me all squared away at the hotel — an especially nice Comfort Inn.

The lesson today was the power of determination and perseverance. Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson made a commitment to be the first person to drive a car across the United States from San Francisco to New York City. He was determined to do what no one had ever done before, and despite tremendous obstacles and problem after problem, he had the perseverance and the determination to achieve his goal. I have seen again and again that those who set a goal or establish an objective and really persevere in their efforts to meet their goals are successful, while those who lack perseverance often fail. I am absolutely amazed and inspired by what Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson managed to do.

Random Comments:

Vermont is a nice state! I thoroughly enjoyed the day here.

It’s hard to believe it’s August. The trip started on April 1, so this is the fifth month of Round America. Less than three weeks left. When people ask about the trip now, they often congratulate us. No one seems to doubt that we’ll make it now. I doubted it a couple of times, but the pessimists unwittingly provided motivation whenever I got my dobber down. I imagine the pessimists had a similar impact on Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson.

Two states will be checked off the list tomorrow — New Hampshire and Maine.

Postscript: The trip is now over as I add this information. We watched “Horatio’s Drive” on PBS, and we absolutely loved it. We recently rented it from Netflix, and we enjoyed it even more the second time. We also purchased the book, “Horatio’s Drive” from amazon.com, and I have really enjoyed reading it.

The Daily Journal of Round America:

Each day, we collect our thoughts on a web page just like this. We drop in some of the photos from the day. Our goal with the Daily Journal is to write about the towns we visit, the sights we see, the people we meet, and the pie we eat. We write about where we are, where we’ve been, and where we are going, but we also make observations about what we’ve seen and done as well as about life in general.

You can follow our travels from the Daily Journal section of this website. Other pages of interest include the running report of “vital statistics” on the Trip Scorecard, our nominations for the Best & Worst of the trip, as well as a rating of the pie we eat. If you’d like to see information for a specific state or town, click here, and then click on the state of interest, and the full itinerary is shown.

 

More Information on the Sights Visited Today:
Burlington Vermont — Horatio Nelson Jackson’s Home — Dick Mazza’s General Store — Ethan Allen Homestead — Vermont Teddy Bear Factory — Shelburne Museum — Shelburne Farm — Church Street Marketplace — Henry’s Diner — Whale Tails — Ben & Jerry’s Factory — Montpelier Vermont