1998 - May20-June16 -New England & Niagara Falls

Having digitised my 1994 New England photos, I did the same to the 1998 ones.

http://picasaweb.google.com/HokangG/1998MayJuneNewEnglandUSA#

DW & I flew into JFK and arrived at New Haven on May 20^th.  We rented a 4-door Ford Contour for 4 weeks and stayed at Judith’s B&B on Canner Street from 20^th to the 29^th, helping E with her packing and relocation home.
 Yale’s commencement ceremonies were over 23^rd and 25^th May 1998, and due to a medical condition aggravated by the long flight, I attended not all the ceremonies. 

After the commencement ceremonies, we spent the next few days around New Haven.  On 27^th May, we had a pleasant day at Wateredge in Westbrook, CT.  On the 28^th, we revisited Old Mystic Seaport.  On both days, we had delicious meals of clam chowders and lobsters and seafood.

On the 29^th May, we drove north into Massachusetts to visit Hancock Shaker (Amish) Village, Williams College, and Shelburne Falls via the Mohawk Trail.  We spent the night at the Comfort Inn at White River Junction in Vermont and slept through a stormy night.

On 30^th, we visited Dartmouth College in Hanover (NH) and then revisited Quechee Gorge, which E did not go to in 1994.  We spent the night at Waterville Valley in the White Mountain of New Hampshire.  The next day, 31^st, we visited the Flume Gorge, Liberty Gorge & cascades, Old Man of the Mountains, Twin Mountains, and Bretton Woods.  We tried to go up Mount Washington but it was closed because of impending thunderstorm.  We spent the night at Tornado Dot’s Wildflower Inn in Conway (NH) when the sky turned green and there was a Force 8 tornado alert.

On 1^st June, we drove south and circled Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire’s lake region, and then headed out to the Atlantic coast of Maine.  We had the best lobster and seafood dinner at Cape Neddick Lobster Pound, and then spent the night at Scotch Hill Inn at Ogunquit, Maine.

The next day, 2^nd June, we had a candlelight breakfast with red strawberries on blue plates, Scottish bread, etc.  We walked the beach at Ogunquit, the bridge over Perkin’s Cove, visited the Cliff House at Bald Head Cliff, and Kennebunk Beach where the Bush’s hang out.  We then headed out towards Lake Winnipesaukee, drove the Kancamagus Highway in the White Mountains, including Bear Notch Road, and then spent the night at Ralph, the taxidermist’s, B&B next to the Saco River in Conway.

On 3^rd June, we drove from Conway to Lincoln to St. Johnsbury to Stowe in the Green Mountain Valley of Vermont.  We were to make Stowe our base for the next 4 nights, using it to visit the Cold Hollow Cider Mill, Ben & Jerry Ice Creams, Vermont Teddy Bear, Vergennes, and Burlington on the 4^th;  to visit Lake Champlain, Grand Isle, Alburg (Canadian Quebec’s border town with USA), and Smuggler’s Notch on the 5^th;  to visit Champlain’s country fair and hot-air balloon festival on the 6^th.  We also rode the 14 mile recreational cycle path and visited the Sound of Music’s von Trapp family’s Lodge.

On 7^th June, we drove the I87 south to Glenn Falls to Albany, then west to Cooperstown to visit E’s Yale suite mate at her parents’ Baseball B&B.  We stayed the night at the Lake & Pines motel overlooking Lake Otsego.

On 8^th June, we drove west across New York state to Niagara Falls, arriving in time for the 4 pm Maid of the Mist ‘Over the Falls’ boat ride up the American and Canadian and Horse Shoe Falls and also to walk to the Hurricane Deck of the Cave of the Winds under the Bridal Falls.  We spent the next two nights at Niagara Falls.

On 9^th June, we visited Goat Island, Three Sisters Islands, Rainbow Bridge, Whirlpool Bridge, Robert Moses Power Plant, etc.

On 10^th June, we headed back to Mount Greylock, highest mountain in Massachusetts, and went to the summit;  but we failed in our third attempt to go up to Mount Washington (once in 1994, then 29/5/1998, then 10/6/1998) due to the weather up in Mount Washington.

Instead, on 11^th June, we went to Hyannis, MA, and took a two hour harbour cruise to view the Kennedy residences with rented binoculars.  On the 12^th, we took the two hour boat trip to Martha’s Vineyard to Oak Bluff, Gay Head, and did the round the island tour to see the five light houses.

On the 12^th June, we drove up to the tip of Cape Cod to Province Town with its gay rainbow flags and had a good time on the beaches of Cape Cod.

On 13^th June, we crossed the state border from Massachusetts into Rhode Island to Newport to visit the Mansions, seeing the Marble House, the Breakers, and the Elms.  We had some awful/awesome ice creams at Newport Creamery, and spent the night in Newport.

On 14^th June, we headed back to Saybrook, spent a night there, and then spent the rest of the week in New Haven at Judith’s B&B, doing more packing, before returning the car on 16^th June before heading home to Singapore.