Tolland State Forest, MA and Rocky Neck State Park, CT

I thought it was kind of fitting to use this photo from Tolland State Forest in western Mass to wrap up our trip and this blog. The last two nights of our journey were quiet and peaceful. They were also spent around the campfire with the realization that we would be heading back to Brooklyn very soon.

But, not to get too sappy, we had a wonderful trip and enjoyed posting about it all along the way. I thought a quick countdown would be appropriate and then I'll sign off.

30 consecutive days, 29 nights out on the road
10 states and 2 Canadian provinces
9 teams, 6 stadiums, 5 Rays games (3 wins, 2 losses)
7 camp sites, 4 hotels, 1 bed and breakfast, 1 farm, 1 cottage, 1 couch
5 festivals and farmers markets
3 breweries
1 day at the races, 1 night in the batting cages
1 wedding ceremony, 1 brief television appearance

A terrific road trip.

Saratoga, New York

For my first horse race, Saratoga was certainly a beautiful track to visit. BL and I teamed up to place our bets, so we were simultaneously rooting against the other person's horse for the win but for that horse since we would split the day's winnings.

In the end, we came out on top with $12.60. Dean and Leslie were the big winners with $15. BL decided we should spend our winnings on a pizza when we get home, and I concurred. A great day at the races for all.

Moreau Lake and Albany, New York

As difficult as it was to get back out into the wilderness after a very comfortable stay in Brattleboro, it was nice to arrive early in the afternoon to camp and check out the beach at Moreau Lake.



The next morning we made a short drive to Albany. To continue our streak of happily and accidentally finding ourselves in the middle of summer festivals (we have walked into about four so far on the trip), that day there just happened to be a farmers market on the Empire Plaza. I won $1 from a lottery scratch off, but that would be nothing compared to our winnings on the horses in Saratoga...

Brattleboro, Vermont

Thanks to a recommendation from Dan Lilienthal, we reserved a night at a sweet little bed and breakfast in Brattleboro called Meadowlark Inn. It has been such a pleasure being here. I'm sitting in the dining room looking out the bay windows at the views before we go.

We enjoyed meeting the owners, and their pets, as well as just relaxing on the porch and walking around the property. It was really tempting to stay here another night, but we are moving on towards Saratoga this afternoon. We'll camp at Moreau Lake State Park, a little north of there, and then catch up with the most avid readers of this blog, Dean and Leslie Layman!

Belfast and Portland, Maine

After a week of travel through America's Hat (that's Canada), and one night in New Hampshire, we headed to Maine for Nick and Jessie's wedding. We arrived in Belfast in the afternoon and checked into the cottage where we were staying. After a little exploring, we ate our first lobster roll (lobster pizza would come later).

The Seascape cottage (#12)

Then all of a sudden it was Saturday, the big day. Try as I might to take center stage, the day belonged to Nick and Jessie. They had a beautiful wedding outdoors at Moose Point State Park.

The glowing bride and groom
Moose Point
Another good-lookin couple

Onto Portland we went, with Erin "Buddy" Boyle in tow. We only really spent the afternoon wandering its streets, since we were so tired from the previous day's festivities.

Downtown Portland
So if you're reading this, thank you, Nick and Jessie, for ruining Portland.

Lake Francis State Park, New Hampshire

We found another nice park with a quiet lake in New Hampshire, after successfully crossing the border. First we stopped at a small grocery store that sold "generally everything" to pick up dinner supplies and some good Vermont beer. This campground was a bit different from the Canadian parks. We had a neighbor who played some fun acoustic guitar on into the night. Also, every campsite other than ours seemed to have a dog. In the morning we packed everything neatly in the car and are headed towards Maine.

Parc National du Mont Orford, Quebec

Since we were unable to find a place to stay in Quebec City, we went out into the wilderness again. We found another Canadian national park a couple hours outside of Montreal and got a campsite. We got there with enough time to walk around the lake for a couple hours and then made dinner. We had a pretty nice fire going and cooked some brie dogs. We are going to camp again tomorrow somewhere in New Hampshire before getting to Maine on Friday.