Henry and Yelena Do America

Vermont and New Hampshire are right next to each other so it was relatively easy to drive from one to the other...

I do love a paved road, don't you?

There is no better (and lazier) way to see the foliage then to drive through it.

First, we visited the largest city in Vermont - Burlington. With a population of 38,889 at the 2000 census, the city is the smallest U.S. city to be the largest city in its state. The highlight of the trip was this high-end chocolate store, Lake Champlain Chocolates to be exact. Ok, to be honest, we visited 2 of their stores because they were giving out free organic truffle samples and somebody wanted to spread her piggishness around.

This is Lake Champlain, not to be confused with the more famous chocolates.

Vermont State symbols:
State Beverage - milk.
State Pie - apple pie.
State syrup - Maple.

We drove through a bunch of dairy farms.

Haven't seen any orchards, but plenty of maple!

It takes 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup.

We drove by some ski area, can you tell?

From Vermont we drove across the state to Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire, which is set in the White Mountains.







If you look real close, you can faintly make out mountains and stuff.

Buy the ticket, take the ride.

The state motto: "live free or die" (another unrelated comment).

New Hampshire was the first to declare its independence from Mother England -- a full six months before the Declaration of Independence was signed. You go girl!

And now, the start of her striptease show.

And finally the jacket comes off.

I've got all day.

I look small compared to the log behind me but, that's the point and no, I don't have an inferior complex, anymore.

Red ones, yellow ones, green ones, orange ones...

She is just dizzy with delight!

In a distant time there was mountain, then men, then wheat, then Wonder bread.

We had to say goodbye to the Presidential range in the distance. Not an easy thing to do.

Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at 6,288 ft.

It is famous for its dangerously erratic weather, and long held record for the highest wind gust directly measured at the Earth's surface - 231 mph on the afternoon of April 12, 1934.

To get to the summit we took the 7.6 mile toll road. The line is normally quite long, but we lucked out.

It is a very steep climb from an altitude of 1,527 ft at the bottom to 6,145 ft at the top, an average gradient of 11.6%., so our car proudly got the bumper sticker:

Opened in 1861, the Mount Washington Carriage Road was the first man-made tourist attraction in America.
Building the Road was an enormous task. The nearest source of supplies was eight miles away, and all transportation was by horse, oxen or on the backs of men. Dynamite was unknown. Black powder was the explosive, and blasting holes were all drilled by hand. There was no machinery to handle the countless tons of rock and gravel that had to be moved. Even in Mount Washington's bad weather, laborers worked 10-12 hours a day and lived in primitive tents.

All that labor so we can enjoy a beautiful drive up.

As we climb higher, the temperature drops and the vegetation changes dramatically. No tree can survive the destructively high winds.

Unfortunately, we only made it up to the 4,000 ft mark because the road was closed due to nasty snow and ice.

You can count on me to be properly dressed for any occasion. I wanted to wear sandals, but I thought that they would clash with my hat.

I thought the view would be better from the edge of the cliff. Guess who pleadingly disagreed.

Winds exceed hurricane force about 110 days per year.

I had the color purple in my mind and so I said, "let there be purple", and it was a good thing.

Now that's what I call hardy plant life. The unquenchable desire to hang on no matter what life throws at you. I must be strong, they're watching me.

I told you not to go out into the wind. Don't give me that look, you'll get no sympathy!

Mt. Washington has a subarctic climate, although it receives an extremely high amount of precipitation, atypical for most regions with such cold weather. Other nerdy points to follow...

The best views from the top open up during autumn foliage.

"When you go out into the cold you'll take it and like it".

The amazing thing is that in order to see this tundra plant life in Colorado, you would need to be at the 12,000 ft level, not 4,000 ft as it is here.

I knew I got out of the car for a reason, but it's so cold that I forgot why...

Starting my descent, I had the strange desire to put the car in neutral and see what would happen. Someone had other ideas...

"Slow down, I want to take a picture"... "Anything you say Pookie". "Don't you Pookie me!"

Isn't color fun? Isn't fun the best thing in the world?

Excuse me, is there any organic food around here?

"This is my big opportunity to pose next to a gas station. Call my agent."

And of course no blog is complete without a picture of a sunset:

Mount Desert Island, the largest island off the coast of Maine, is home of Acadia National Park and the town of Bar Harbor. The town gave us an impression of being very progressive - lots of health food stores and restaurants which proudly serve local and organic food. The island has a permanent population of approximately 10,000, although it is estimated that two and a half million tourists a year visit Acadia National Park.

Were it not for slow moving, continental glacier over a mile high,... 2 miles thick in some places, the mountains here would be significantly higher than what we see today.

When this giant glacier finally melted and retreated, it left rounded mountain tops, long lakes, many boulders, and the 7 mile long Somes Sound - the only fjord on the East coast of the United States.

The glaciers also left some peculiar shapes...

We took a hike up Gorham Mountain Trail. It's one of the most popular hiking trails in Acadia National Park

And here is the proof that we made it to the top

With a 525 foot summit, it is not one of the highest mountains on Mount Desert Island, but because of its coastal location, the views are close enough to be intimate and spectacular.

It was really windy is some spots

I photographed her yet again to see a reflection of myself in her glasses at the same time, a narcisist's dream.

What a world we live in - some people photograph their reflections, yet some photograph teddy bears on top of a mountain:

A matching set:

Mr. Nature's favorite viewing position.

The island does have a beach. Here I pose for the Paparazzi

while she is sunbathing

Next destination - Cadillac Mountain. It is one of 17 mountains on Mount Desert Island, that were pushed up by earth's tectonic and volcanic forces millions of years ago.

At 1,532 feet, it is the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard.

The summit provides spectacular views of Bar Harbor

Vacation or not, sinister thoughts brew.

Penny for your thoughts, "just take the @$%#'-in picture".

Cadillac Mountain is also the first place to view sunrise in the United States from October 7 through March 6. Unfortunately we were there in September, so missed it... Instead here is the picture of sunset:

It was really cold here

Each little island explored, a new adventure...

There is a Japanese garden on the island. It's green.

She's smelling blueberries and I'm doing god knows what.

"Leave me alone."

I know I can count on her to lead me astray

Who's that lurking in the shadows?

PS from Yelena.

This was my first visit to a US National Park and I was really impressed that this park, apparently like all other American national parks and monuments, is well preserved and easy to access. The detailed map outlines all the attractions, hiking trails and clean restroom facilities, which there are plenty, so you don't have to do it in the forest Remember that, my fellow former-USSR friends? The U.S. is the only country I know of, that takes such a tremendous pride in its national parks. Given NPS's $2,750,000,000 annual budget and amazing services that it provides, an $80 yearly pass for a car is a true bargain.

Time for fun trivia:

National parks and national monuments in the United States were originally individually managed under the auspices of the Department of the Interior. The movement for an independent agency to oversee these federal lands was spearheaded by business magnate and conservationist Stephen Mather, as well as J. Horace McFarland. With the help of journalist Robert Sterling Yard, Mather wrote numerous articles that praised the scenic qualities of the parks and their possibilities for educational, inspirational, and recreational benefits. This campaign resulted in the creation of a National Park Service. On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill that mandated the agency "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."

Like the nearby island of Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard was brought to prominence in the 19th century by the whaling industry, during which ships were sent around the world to hunt whales for their oil and blubber.

The discovery of petroleum gave rise to a cheaper source of oil for lamps and led to an almost complete collapse of the industry by 1870. That was a good time to buy real estate here. Below are Victorian style cottages.

Time for fun trivia:

The island received international notoriety after the July 18, 1969, Chappaquiddick incident, in which Mary Jo Kopechne was killed when a car driven by U.S. Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy drove off the Dike Bridge.

Some early Vineyard settlers carried a gene for deafness (the first known deaf one was Jonathan Lambert, 1694), and over years of marriage, generation after generation was born with hearing loss. At one point, one in four children was born deaf! There were so many deaf people on the Vineyard (most deaf lived in Chilmark) that residents developed a sign language, Martha's Vineyard Sign Language (MVSL). MVSL later merged with mainland signs to form American Sign Language. Sign language was so accepted on the Vineyard that a newspaper marveled in 1895 at the way the spoken and signed languages were used so freely and easily by both deaf and hearing residents. People moving to Chilmark had to learn sign language in order to live in the community. Deafness was so common that some hearing residents actually thought it was a contagious disease. Deafness was never considered to be a handicap.

It's was not easy to get here. We thought about taking our private jet, but It was in the shop, so we decided to be environmental for the day and take the ferry, like all the little people do.

These transportation limitations make Martha's Vineyard rather exclusive and expensive. Not as wealthy as Nantucket but, well-off enough. That exclusivity makes it a popular destination for our political and Hollywood elite.
Here we are at Martha's Vineyard! Wee!

I'm sure the good people of the Vineyard would not want us loitering, so we took a tour bus around the island. This spot is called 'Gay Head', it's famous for its beautiful clay cliffs and a light house.

I call this photo, "Gay Head with my Pookie".

Below the clay cliffs is Lucy Vincent Beach, more commonly referred to by Island locals as "Jungle Beach" for the lack of clothing worn. It is not a public beach, but open to town residents and their guests only. It's one of the few nude beaches left in the U.S.
Somebody conveniently put a coin operated telescope on top of the cliffs, so of course we had to take advantage of it and spy on the unsuspecting nude people. Our interest was strictly voyeuristic

When her majesty is ready to eat, nothing gets in her way, not a sword through a menu, not anything. During her daily culinary demands (fits, shall we say), I try very hard not to vacilate and keep my queen satisfied until the food crisis is over.

Since we were in the neighborhood, we figured, why not drop by Bush's place. That's Mr. former President to you buster! Ok, truth be told, that's as close as we got to W's place thanks to the persnickety secret service in the guard house. Also, no one was home at that time as it is his summer cottage and it was late September. I'll catch him later.

It looks like an innocent boat, right? I'll bet that the secret service are on board checking out yours truly. Don't shoot, I'm just an innocent Jew...

W's family church and a favorite place to pray.

The inside of W's sanctuary.

Another church.

Another place of worship.

When is she not drinking coffee? Well, she could have worse vices, like me, but I'm not telling

Kennebunkport has beautiful clay beaches, that are opened to residents only. In the summer months, many wealthy people from across the Northeast vacation in Kennebunkport and nearby Goose Rocks Beach. It is regarded as one of the most expensive vacation areas in the Northeast.

My Pookie looking rather waspy. Could it be that Kennebunkport is rubbing off on her?

By the way, Martha's Vineyard is Obama's favorite vacation destination, so, in one day we've managed to see both presidents' favorite vacation spots, but we were not thrilled.
I imagine that this area was named New England because the ocean is just as tranquil, warm and inviting as England's North Atlantic. What's the point of having a vacation on the beach if you can't swim in the ocean??? I guess you can draw...

I'm swinging for the stars, oh boy, I'm so close...

Provincetown is located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod.

A view of our P-town riveria from the top of the Pilgrim Monument.

A little history lesson here:

The Cape Cod Pilgrim Memorial Association built the Pilgrim Monument to commemorate the Mayflower Pilgrims’ first landing in the New World in Provincetown, on November 21st, 1620. Here the Pilgrims spent 5 weeks exploring the tip of Cape Cod, before they sailed on to Plymouth. They also drew up and signed the Mayflower Compact, which established the rule of law for the new land, America's first democratic constitutional document assuring equality and justice for everyone, or so the Mayflower society claims

And a little trivia:

The Pilgrim Monument is the tallest all-granite structure in the United States.

Now, back to the blog. Our lodging for the week was on Center Street in the center on P-town. We had a fully equipped and tastefully decorated (in classic gay tradition) studio apartment on the second floor.

That was our balcony view, it was one of the more interesting stores that we never made it into.

For all the girls out there, it's official - Shopping is a form of therapy.

The best time to go to Provincetown is right after the Labor Day weekend when the weather is still perfect, but the rental rates have dropped. Don't worry, you wouldn't miss out on swimming as the ocean there is never swimmable (think Titanic), not that the bay is any warmer and who wants to swim in a bay anyway????

Provincetown is a small, but lovely town with very cute narrow streets. There is nothing provincial about it - it seems to have the largest number of art galleries per square foot in the country. In fact, Provincetown is America’s oldest continuous art colony.

Some homes even look like an art gallery.

And finally, Provincetown is the number one destination for same sex weddings in America.

Ok, so back to lobster rolls! We went to 5 different places for them to see if they were made differently. The two worst ones were from restaurants that were famous for them. The best one was from a dumpy looking donut and cookie cafe on the pier. When they are made properly, (are you listening 2 famous restaurants), the mayonase is added at a minimum along with the spices and the hotdog bun is warm. When they are made according to our strict specifications (not kosher), they are a mouth full of heaven.


Provincetown is surrounded by sand dunes.

Guess who am I running away from?

No, it's not an oil painting -

The obligatory photo proving that she was there. Ok, actually this photo could have been taken anywhere and just added to this blog. Well, it wasn't, so pipe down you blog cynics!

At least with my photo, it looks like I'm actually there.

This was a part of a very long rock jetty that I somehow talked 'you know who' into walking. She never agreed to walk it blindfolded as I innocently suggested...

Provincetown wet lands and sand dunes are part of Cape Cod National Seashore Park, established in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy to protect ecologically fragile lands.

May be they are protecting it a little too much? Birds are everywhere and they are eating the muscles and clams that I could have had!

I was trying to take a photo of spent mussel shells when this bird got in my way, oh shew you detestable creature.

Notice how she is smiling. That is because it wasn't near dark yet and our 'precious one' had not, as of yet, started the long and arduous jurney up the slippery rocks of the jetty...

It doesn't matter how much she whined, it was well worth is to see the sunset over the wet lands.

Yes, it's sunset again, and yes, people like watching it, so get on with it, there's a good sport.

Herring Cove beach is a great place to watch sunset, but it's curios that the minute the sun goes down people take off, yet this is the time when the clouds look their finest, and the best shots can be taken.

I just can't get enough of myself!