2024 August: Hudson Valley - New England Swing

Thursday-Sunday, August 8, 9, 10, 11:

We are off on a 19 day trip to visit family and friends in the Hudson Valley in NY, and then Vermont and New Hampshire.  First stop, 252 miles and camped at Interlake RV Park in Rhinebeck, NY. for 4 nights.

RT. 812 to Utica, Thruway to Catskill and Rt. 9G to Rhinebeck.

FHU site 120.

Very few campers this week, unlike Memorial Day Weekend.

What started as a beautiful sunny morning when we left home turned into a rainy drive and setup.  The remnants of Hurricane Debby were moving north, and we were moving south.  As luck would have it, the rain met us in Rhinebeck for Thursday and Friday.  At least Saturday and Sunday are forecast to be sunny.  Looking at the weather radar, looks like we are lucking out and the bulk of the rain is west and north of us.  We would be getting drenched back home.

The blue dot is Rhinebeck.

Later Thursday afternoon a tornado watch was issued for the general area.  No warnings, just a watch.  Actually a tornado did touch down across the river in New Paltz.

As it turned out, there was record flooding back home.  Reports of 6 to 8 inches of rain were recorded.  Our neighbor sent some photos showing our normally green front lawn looking like a lake.  

Home is right in the purple region of western St. Lawrence County.

Fortunately our house didn't suffer any damage. Others were not so lucky, such as a neighbor just a half mile down the road.

But with the bulk of the storm traveling north, back in Rhinebeck the weather cooperated and was very nice.  We spent some wonderful family time with Judy's daughters, Suzi with her boyfriend Ken and Terri with her fiancé Andrew, along with a couple of grandsons at the Slow Fox Farm and Brewery.  For both Saturday and Sunday afternoons we enjoyed some craft beer.  A catering popup,  The Oyster Party, was serving this weekend, so we enjoyed fresh Maine oysters and lobster rolls all the while watching the kids play outdoor games.  The farm had recently acquired a sculpture of R Crumbs legendary 1960's  "Keep on Truckin" character.

With sleepovers in the camper every night, we (and the pups) got to spend some quality screen time with the grandsons.  LOL

Monday-Thursday, August 12, 13, 14, 15:

Monday we packed up and moved the 106 miles to Pine Hollow Campground, Pownal, Vermont for 4 nights.  We were able to reserve a beautiful waterfront site.  Pine Hollow is rural, small and extremely nice.  Many of the sites appear to be long term summer residents, but we saw some travelers from South Dakota, New Jersey, Florida and Arizona.  This stop was to visit Judy's daughter Christl, her husband Clark and the rest of the family.

Evening pond reflection.

Judy's daughter Christl and her husband Clark live about 30 minutes from here in New York on Babcock Lake.  They have 2 Golden Retrievers as well, including our Maggie's liter mate.  His name is Benny, and it's hard to tell them apart.  We went to their house for dinner, and oh boy, what a fun circus it was with all 4 Golden Retrievers.  

We spent the next several days visiting Christl and Clark and letting the dogs play.  It was hilarious to watch, and the exercise was good for them.  And they really slept well at night.  😀

The "mature" Goldens, Parker and Masie.

The siblings, Benny and Maggie, sharing the water bowl.

The Green Mountains in Vermont are beautiful.  We caught this view of early morning fog rising over the Hoosick Valley on the drive to Babcock Lake one morning.

On Thursday, the last day, the four generations of girls, Judy, Christl and her daughter Kylee, and Kylee's daughter Ava went for pedicures.  Clark and I worked on a project in his wood shop.  Thursday afternoon the gang all came to the campground for dinner by the pond.

After dinner, we said our" Good Byes" for this trip.  It was a wonderful and busy 4 days!

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, August 16, 17, 18:

US Rt. 9 and 101 to Rt. 13 south.

Site 43

It was a very pretty, and sometimes spectacular drive today across the Green Mountains.  At Hogback Mountain there was a chance to pull off and take in the view.  But those of you who know Judy, scenic views from heights is not her thing!!    So, I have to credit Wikipedia for this photo of the view we didn't see. 😀

The GPS decided to take us on a shortcut for the last 8 miles of the drive.  Apparently it saved 3 minutes.  However......those 8 miles were on one lane dirt roads that probably took 15 minutes longer.   I better pay closer attention next time.  Gotta love technology, good and bad.  😖

We arrived about 1:00 and got setup.  Judy's cousin Mike and his wife Jane live about half hour away and stopped by about 6:00 to visit.   It was a beautiful evening so we enjoyed dinner outside on the picnic table.

Saturday was a sight seeing day.  Mike and Jane were excited to show us around Nashua, especially  some of the beautiful sculptures from the Nashua Sculpture Symposium.   The symposium hosts a yearly event where visiting artists come  and work on a piece for 3 weeks while the public gets to watch and interact with the artists. 

One of the artists, known as Kov, actually stayed with Mike and Jane for the 3 weeks while creating a piece from a slab of marble.

After lots of walking, we stopped at Martha's Exchange Restaurant and Brewery for a wonderful outdoor lunch.

Sunday morning we met for another amazing meal, this time a breakfast at a classic retro diner,  MaryAnn's Diner.  By 11:00 the parking lot was full and we had to park on the street.  However, wait time was less than 10 minutes, and totally worth it.  Their servings were huge and we were stuffed by the end.  Jane had volunteer work at Hospice in the afternoon, so we said our goodbyes.

MaryAnn's Diner.

So Mike and Jane........ we will be back next year to see more of Nashua.  Count on it!

Cousins!!

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, August 19, 20, 21:

With a short drive today, we didn't get on the road until 11:00. 

Rt. 13 to 101 to I-93 to I-89

We parked on the lower level, site #2. 

Beautiful patio site #2

This KOA is one of the nicest campgrounds you will ever find.  The staff is friendly, the grounds are immaculate, and there are constant upgrades, such as a huge new playground.  

We even had a long haul trucker husband and wife (and their German Shepard pup) stay next to us one night.  The truck had a camper type sleeper cab, so they hooked up to electric and water.

Another day Maggie the puppy got to make friends with a next door neighbor from Canada.  Luna was an 8 month old Golden.

A trip to Quechee is not complete without a shopping trip to Quechee Village, a mall of shops including alpaca clothing, chocolate offerings, souvenirs of all sorts and antique booths galore.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, August 22, 23, 24:

It was a very short hour and half, 92 mile drive today.  Check in at Shelburne is at noon, so we were on the road by 10:30.  Sure enough, we pulled into the campground about 12:10.

I-89 all the way to Burlington, then Rt 7 South.

Site P-4

This campground is rustic and quiet.  There is a mix of very old RV's, new ones, permanent, seasonal, and like us, transients.  After the 5 star Quechee KOA this looked pretty eclectic.  However, the sites are large and private and all the residents keep a very neat site.  The gravel roads are wide and easy to navigate, and there is a beautiful pool.   The staff is very friendly. 

We spent several hours Friday walking the grounds of the Shelburne Museum.  The grounds include a collection of over 20 buildings from mid 18th and 19th century New England and New York.  In addition, the 220 foot steamship Ticonderoga was relocated here as well as some newer buildings holding noted works of art.  Wikipedia has much more about the Ticonderoga HERE.  The Shelburne Museum website is excellent as well.

Drone photo from the Museum's website.

Judy recreated her career as a pharmacist at the Apothecary in the late 1800's General Store. 

Leaving the Museum grounds we were rewarded with a gorgeous view of the Adirondack Mountains on the New York side of Lake Champlain.

This panorama really illustrates the clouds, created by the western winds blowing
warm air over the mountains causing clouds, as the air rises and condenses.

Thanks to a FB post, our Savannah friends Char and Robert noticed we were in Vermont.  They were at their camp nearby on Lake Champlain and suggested we join them for lunch.  And what a wonderful afternoon it turned out to be.  Char taught English at Potsdam High School when I was teaching there as well.  It was a fun get together on a beautiful sunny day with a grand view of the Adirondacks across the lake.

Sunday, August 25:  A four hour drive and we are home.  As so ends our brief Hudson Valley, Vermont and New Hampshire swing.  Time to catchup at home and think about our next trip to Michigan and Wisconsin in September and October.

Stay tuned, and be well.