Day 15 - October 13, 2024

What a day. I had read about a highway in New Hampshire that is supposed to be stunning in fall colours. I did some research, figured out the probable best time to be here, found a timeshare and planned the trip around that. The Kancamagus Highway.  35 miles that should take several hours to drive. Well, it did. Only not the way we expected.

The weather did not agree with the plan. It has rained all day and is supposed to rain all day tomorrow too. We started the day in New York, crossed into Vermont and decided to get the oil changed in Rutland, VT. We continued to Lincoln, New Hampshire and started down the Kancamagus Highway in the rain. Next gas station…32 miles. Then the oil light came on. I stopped, checked the oil…low. We headed back to a gas station and saw oil dripping under the car. A young man working there looked and figured there might be a hole in the filter. However, we had driven about 100 miles before the light came on, so I bought three quarts of oil, put one in which brought it back up and started out again…fingers crossed. But now we drove the road in the dark. And pouring rain. We made it to the timeshare but now we need to get it fixed before we can move. And tomorrow (Monday) is a holiday. So tomorrow might be a frustrating day as well.

Anyway, I did manage to get a few photos in the rain.

Day 16 - October 14, 2024

Another day of rain. At least until 3:00. I did take the car and had another oil change done. Hopefully this time with no leaks. I must give the Valvoline place in Rutland credit. Doug the manager, was very understanding, sorry for the problems and refunded the cost of that oil change.

When the rain quit, we just took a small drive (less than 15 miles total) to a couple local highlights. First, Cathedral Ledge where the sun graced us with some rays on the valley below. Stunning! Then off to Diane’s Baths which is a series of smaller waterfalls. It is about a half mile hike into them.  By this time, it was getting dark but, on the way, we came across a covered bridge from 1869. Very photogenic.

Day 17 - October 15, 2024

Another rainy day for our drive to Quebec City. So, only a few shots today. A couple of the fall colours, Mount Washington Hotel, Lake Willoughby, one of the outside of the Basilica Ste. Anne de Beaupre, and one of some friends of Verna’s greeting us to Quebec.

Day 18 - October 16, 2024

Old Quebec City from the top of a Double Decker tour bus. It was quite chilly (10 C with a biting wind), and with the bus not all that steady on the old roads, it was a little challenging to get decent shots. However, the old architecture is stunning. And mixed with some new. With the St. Lawrence River as a backdrop and the fall colours, the city is beautiful.

Then a drive around the Ile d’Orleans (an island in the St. Lawrence) and a couple night shots of Old Quebec from across the river and that was a wrap for the day.

Day 19 - October 17, 2024

Not many photos today as we just drove from Quebec City back to North Conway. This time we went through Maine. Beautiful countryside but the fall colours have definitely seen better days. The part of Maine we drove through appears to be quite depressed. Plenty of homes that look like they should be condemned, but they are occupied. Wyman Lake and the Kennebec River were beautiful. Long drive but a gorgeous fall day with beautiful scenery.

Day 20 - October 18, 2024

We just stayed close to home today. I started with a shot of our resort then we drove the Kancamagus Highway. This is the road I read about and tried to drive on October 13th, but we had the car issue, so we drove it in the dark and in the rain. Today was much better! The fall colours are almost gone, but it is beautiful, nonetheless.

We made a circle route, seeing beauty all along the way. Another covered bridge, a Yellow Rumped Warbler and a Red Squirrel.  Several waterfalls were also on the route. I tried some longer exposure shots and the ones with the leaves circling at the base of a small falls turned out pretty cool. At the Mt. Washington Resort I got a shot of the river, the golf course, the resort and Mt. Washington that already has snow on the top. Another bigger waterfall, and some reflections and then back to the resort.

Day 21 - October 19, 2024

Boston and another double decker bus tour. However, before Boston, the day started with a couple beautiful shots in the morning sun as we left New Hampshire. Then our first stop in Boston was the USS Constitution, also known as “Old Ironsides”. Commissioned in 1797, it is still a commissioned battleship in the US Navy. They still take it out and sail in on special occasions. Her history is simply amazing. Many battles, all victories, often against larger ships with superior firepower. More can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Constitution. 

Then the bus tour around downtown Boston, in much warmer weather! Boston is a beautiful city with a great mix of very old, and new. The history here is amazing. Far too much to recount here. Amazingly, the most popular stop for the bus was “Cheers”. We had planned to stop there but the bus emptied and there was already a line up.

After our tour we had a great, late lunch of very good fish & chips, then drove down to Waterford Connecticut. So, today we started in New Hampshire, went to Boston Massachusetts, drove through Rhode Island and finished in Connecticut. We only managed one state sign. That happens when you drive on an Interstate.