Boston – Day 4 – Driving New England
Bright and early this morning, we crawled out of bed at the Ramada of Boston, hopped on our favorite train into downtown, and picked up a Jetta rental car and headed North. I haven’t been feeling so hot the last day, so I spent most of the morning moving between helping navigate and sleeping.
Starting in downtown Boston, we drove up the Atlantic coast on Highway 1towards Portland, Maine. We decided to take a little more scenic route along through some of the coastal towns. This ended up taking a bit longer than we expected, but it was really nice to drive through some of the smaller towns on the way and experience the coastal towns of Maine. We ate lunch in Portland, taking my friend Theresa’s advice and eating in the section of town called "Old Port", right along the waterfront. We even experienced a bit of colder weather as we went through Portland, receiving a very stereotypical Maine welcome. Stacy and I both enjoyed Lobster rolls, the sandwich of choice in those parts.
After lunch, after another nap for me, I awoke to the car winding through the roads east through New Hampshire on the way towards Burlington, Vermont. We stopped at a couple roadside antique shops along the way, poked through the sleepy towns of the northern part of the states, winding into the Appalachians. We drove past Mt. Washington and a couple of ski resorts.
Winding down through the towns and into Vermont, I really felt like I could live in this part of the country. Most of the time, when I go on a trip somewhere, I really like the area or the city, but always want to find my way back to Washington at the end. But driving through the winding hills of New Hampshire and Vermont made me feel different. Maybe it was the misty, rainy weather we experienced all day, with a dreariness that I love. Or maybe it was the wide views across the open valleys, covered with trees, without the blemish of big neon signs or a ton of smog. Whatever it is, I’d love to spend more time in this area.
Tomorrow, we continue our driving tour through Vermont and then back down to Boston. Highlights we’re hoping to see are: Ben and Jerry’s, the Von Trapp estates (from Sound of Music), and maybe a stop at Lexington and Concord for some more American history. We’re having a great trip and there’s much more to come.
