4 States in 5 Days

Lonni and "cousin" Sue

After breaking camp at Grand Island near Niagara Falls, we headed due east to Rutland, Vermont, on the edge of Green Mountain National Forest, and the home of Dave's cousin, Sue, and husband, Lonni.  Sue works part-time as a night manager at a retirement facility and is a published author of her first romance novel.  Lonni is a real estate agent and high school football coach.  Their secluded home is actually within the national forest and boasts a delightful garden.  Good food, interesting conversation, and a chance to do some routine maintenance on the Jeep.

D & J with Kay and Don

Further to the east, we entered the White Mountains of New Hampshire and set up camp at Twin Rivers near Bath.  We then wound our way up to the mountain top lodge of Don and Kay, dear friends from our years in Virginia. 

 From rocking chairs  on their deck, we watched a brilliant sunset over the Green Mountains of Vermont.

Rene and Jerry in Camden

The next day, we finished our eastward trek to the Atlantic Ocean, staying with friends, Jerry and Rene, near Lincolnville, Maine.  (This was our furthest distance from home:  2772 great circle miles, 6230 actual miles by car.)
Toured the coastal towns of Camden and Rockland and picked up live lobsters to steam for dinner.  Enjoyed breakfast and a boat ride on Norton Pond before bidding farewell to this clergy couple who intersected strongly with our former lives in Virginia.

We took a leisurely drive down the rugged coast of Maine, stopping for a fried clam and calamari lunch at Pemaquid Point before making our way to Massachusetts.

Parked in Marblehead

Spent the evening at the home of newer friends, Craig and Jan, overlooking the harbor at Marblehead, just north of Boston.  Craig and Jan typically spend winter months in Pacific Grove and visiting daughters in California, and this was our first visit to their "real" home.  We had planned to spend the next day (Saturday, 8/27) touring Boston, but the approach of Hurricane Irene led to alternative plans.  Read on to find out how we weathered the storm...