from the road

Days 12-13: Cambridge & Hull

Phew, it has been hot in the Boston area these past few days. Yesterday, we took the ferry and T to Cambridge to visit some of Harrison’s favorite college haunts. On the way, we passed by one of Hull’s two wind turbines.

in front of Hull wind turbine

For lunch, we went to Darwin’s Ltd., where we miraculously found a seat to eat the tasty sandwiches. Harrison likes the Story with prosciutto, mozzarella, pesto, tomatoes, lettuce, and vinaigrette.

Eating Darwin's Sandwich, CambridgeI’m a fan of the Hubbard Park: hummus, lettuce, tomato, carrots, apple, sprouts, avocado, and honey mustard.

Hubbard Park at Darwin's

Harvard Yard in the summer is full of people:

summer Harvard Yard

And this girl’s shorts were full of cheek, so much so that it is spilling out the bottom.

short shortsWe snuck into Kirkland to see Harrison’s second-year dorm room…door. Another illustrious former resident of H33? Mark Zuckerberg.

Kirkland H33Harrison’s friend Raj is still in the area, doing a PhD in bioinformatics and enjoying the Boston area. It was great to see him and catch up after five years.

Harrison & RajIt was actually much too hot to walk around much in Cambridge, unfortunately. We poked in a few shops in Harvard Square and spent an hour or so in the Co-op looking at books. For dinner, we made a bee-line to our most favorite Indian restaurant, Tanjore. Mmm, vindaloo, I missed you!

Vindaloo at Tanjore

After a short walk along the Charles at sunset, we headed back to Long Wharf to pick up the ferry back to Quincy where we had parked the car. The company that runs the ferry system will apparently lose their contract with MBTA at the end of the month, so it comes as no surprise that their service is winding down. While the ferry was slated to depart from Long Wharf for Quincy at 9:35pm, it arrived closer to 10:30pm.

The upside of waiting for a very long ferry? We commiserated with the other ferry-hopefuls, including this very brusque man. At one point, he called the company and demanded to know when the ferry would arrive: “Is it going to be five to ten minutes or 20-30? Don’t lie to me! I live up the street from you guys. I know where you work!”

After he hung up, he announced/muttered to himself, “I hope the guy who told me five to ten is on this ferry. Ima’ punch him in his fuckin’ face!”

Can’t make this shit up!

Ferry passenger

Today, we laid low in Hull, keeping cool with Fannie on the porch as the temperatures soared into the 90’s. For dinner, they ordered pizza, and we pulled a wagon to the beach for a picnic!

pulling beach wagon

Okay, Tim helped with wagon-pulling…a little! (Just kidding, a lot once we got to the beach!)

Fannie & Tim with wagon

The tide was way out, and the sun was low. We ate pizza and chips and looked out over a calm ocean. Really! It’s the best! I love Hull!

Our idyllic meal was suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a very audacious seagull. He boldly walked right over our picnic blanket, snatched the remaining three slices of meat pizza with his beak, and flapped away (albeit weighed down by the purloined pie), while we yelled, laughed, and stared incredulously.

seagull with pizzaIt wasn’t long until we had attracted a large percentage of Hull’s seagull population:

seagulls fighting over pizzaIt was more funny than distressing. We considered calling the Hull Police department. I’m sure it would make good fodder for the weekly police report.

Harrison with empty pizza box

Don’t worry too much–really. We got ice cream afterwards at this local establishment that is open “7” days a week.

"7" days a week

It has been a great weekend+ in Hull. This is the greatest little town, and Tim and Fannie have been fun and gracious hosts! I will be sad to leave tomorrow morning. I hope we can come see them again soon (with Ashley and Kyle, too!!!!).

On the porch with Tim and FannieBut now, the Blackhawks vs. Bruins game is on. I better go watch fall asleep!

Tomorrow, we head to Brooklyn. No stop ’till Brooklyn!

 

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from the road

Days 10-11: Go to Hull (& also, Boston)!

Hey! Did you enter our photo identification contest? If not, you should!

I’m writing from the most adorable beach cottage/house ever! My friend Ashley’s parents, Tim and Fannie, moved from Midlothian, VA to Hull, MA a few years ago. When they heard we were coming to the Boston area on WVT, they generously offered to host us for a few days.

Hull beach house front

They even put up a message in nautical flags!

Hull is a small town across the harbor from Boston, so I expected it to look something like Baltimore–on the water, but mostly docks and no beach. Instead, it’s an adorable, quaint beach town, but not one of those ritzy, only-boat-shoes-and-madras-print towns; it’s very real, as if people actually live here (which they do). There are small streets, lined with unique New England beach cottages, some of which are summer homes and some of which are year-round homes.

When we arrived Friday evening, we got a tour de Hull courtesy of Tim and Fannie:

Tim driving

It has a view of the Boston skyline. Tim’s commute to downtown Boston is a 20-minute ferry ride. He even has “ferry friends” with the other regular commuters!
Boston skyline from Hull

This is my first time experiencing a New England beach town. The boardwalk on Nantasket beach has several ice cream and fried dough establishments, as well as Fascination, which is like Skee-ball.
Fascination, Hull, MA

This particular arcade has been in operation since 1914, according to Tim.Fascination, Hull, MA

 

Hull is such a great little town; I love it! There’s a sandy rock beach on one side and the bay on the other. Fannie walks on the beach every day, and their house has tons of cool treasures that washed up on shore.

Bay view, Hull, MA

One of their favorite pastimes is scanning the weekly “Police Report” section of the Hull Times, where all of the weeks major crimes are reported. I was stunned to see that Hull is such a dangerous and crime-ridden area:
Hull police report

 

On Saturday afternoon, after a leisurely walk on the beach, we took the ferry into Boston.

Quincy Ferry photo op

 

We walked around Boston Common, where I was very excited to see some ducklings:

Boston common ducks

These kids were having a great time swimming in the fountain, but a park attendant put a damper on their fun.

kids playing in Boston Common fountain

We looked at the very old tombstones in the Granary Burying Ground, which dates back to the 1660’s!

Granary Burying ground, Boston, MA

And for dinner, we walked around the North End and went to one of our favorite restaurants, Rabia’s. There was an awesome narwhal chalk mural behind our table.

Narwhal chalk mural, Rabias, Boston

Harrison realized that though (or perhaps) because he went to school in Cambridge, he has never been to Boston in the summer months. It has a different feel: a lot more tourists and lots of people outside, enjoying the common spaces in the warm weather.

Green space, downtown Boston

Dessert was a lobster claw (or at least, part of it!) at Caffé Vittoria. It really is as big as it looks.

lobster claw & mocha, Caffe Vittoria

After walking around and choking over real estate prices (We found a condo for $5.5 million. Anyone want to go halfsies?), we headed back on the ferry…

evening ferry, Boston

…which is nice because you can see the Boston skyline, all lit-up at night.

Boston skyline at twilight

Having lived in government subsidized housing on grad student salaries for the past five years, I am always shocked to encounter the displays of wealth in a large city. I don’t begrudge these people; I’m just amazed that people can not only afford million dollar yachts, but also moor them in prime harbor real estate right off the North End. Money, man.

Tim gave us another example. Two tandem parking spaces in Beacon Hill just went to auction and were sold for $560,000. Two homeowners apparently got in a bidding war over them. Geeeeez.

Now, we’re off to explore Cambridge for the afternoon! ❤ Boston ❤

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from the road

Days 8-9: Camping in Maine + a Contest!

Hello there! Did you miss me? I was in the depths of the wilderness, fighting off predatory bears with my bare hands and rubbing sticks together to make fire.

Actually, I was just away from cellphone service while we camped in Cobscook and Acadia National Parks in Maine.

After leaving St. John, we crossed back into the US and arrived in the tiny town of Lubec, Maine, which is right outside Quoddy Head State Park. Lubec is a tiny town (with five restaurants!), but with tons of charm and the essentials (ice cream). It is hosting its first International Marathon tomorrow–I may have to consider this in the future.

About four miles outside the town, you can visit the adorable candy-striped West Quoddy lighthouse, situated on the easternmost point of the United States.

West Quoddy Lighthouse

 

Harrison visited Quoddy Head State Park fifteen years ago. My last visit to Lubec was also a long time ago.

Quoddy State Park

There is a rock beach with lots of seaweed and a “violent” surf that thunders in against the rock cliffs. It’s pretty impressive.

Harrison on Quoddy Head State park cliffs

 

We had fun poking around at low-ish tide:

Harrison with seaweed, Quoddy Head State Park Mica with seaweed, Quoddy Head STate Park

 

I would not recommend swimming in late June at Quoddy Head State Park. The water in the Bay of Fundy is frickin’ cold!

feet in sea waterI’m a sucker for nostalgia, so visiting Quoddy Head State Park was a real treat. I ran up and down the paths, alternating between saying, “I LOVE THIS! IT’S SO BEAUTIFUL!” and taking in large lungfuls of sea air mixed with the scent of balsam fir trees.

Then…

View from cliffs, Quoddy Head State Park

Now…

 

Quoddy Head State Park I even insisted that we visit the rare Arctic bog in the middle of the park. I was so overcome with feelings of nostalgia (from visiting this with my parents) that I took an ironic bog selfie:

Bog selfieWhen I’d had my fill of nostalgia coastal memories, we headed to Cobscook State Park, where my dad claims to have had the best camping of his life.

We finally got to camp, and I am delighted to report that we survived our first camping adventure with minimal issue. We even made a fire “from scratch” (=We got a pack of free matches at the Lubec IGA.).

Whatever, no judgment. Indulge Harrison in his feelings of manliness.

Harrison with campfire

You can’t see from the picture, but our campsite overlooked Cobscook Bay, which also has a rock beach and seaweed, as well as mudflats where campers can dig for clams. (I enthusiastically proclaimed that I wanted to dig my own peck of clams, only to realize that I have no idea what to do with said claims once they are unearthed.) At least we went to sleep in our extremely cozy two-person tent to the smell of salt air.

I was very proud of our ability to pitch a basically fool-proof tent outside of my mom’s living room. “This is easy,” I thought, “How have I not gone camping more? I did so much camping with my family when I was younger.”

Oh right. Bugs (and also spiders). I hate them. HATE THEM. Mosquitoes think I taste delicious, and I swell up a lot when I get bitten. (Also, like a four-year-old, I cannot stop itching any bites once I get them. I had very scabby legs as a child.)  Fortunately, my dad let us borrow these “mesh covers” (=mesh drawstring bags) to keep out bugs. In addition to keeping out the monstrous mosquitos and no-see-ums, it also did a good job keeping my sandwich out of my mouth…until I got creative.

Mica wearing gnat bagI have to say, Cobscook was a little too “rustic” for my taste–or, at least, a little too “real camping”-like after living a non-nature-filled life for the past ten years. For one thing, on my trip to the toilet (a toilet seat over a hole), I was terrified that a predatory bear was stalking behind me. To ward off any bears, I swung my flashlight around erratically and hummed pop songs loudly until I reached the safety of the bathroom, which is to a say a stall in the middle of the woods. (There I found a very large spider guarding the stall handle.)

After surviving that harrowing experience (I kid!), I was happy to break camp and head off to Acadia National Park. First, we made a stop in Bar Harbor, ME, where we were certainly underdressed. Even this moose statue (not $25,000) was full of judgement:

Moose statue in Bar Harbor, ME

 

We did a short hike in Acadia to look out over the water [Unfortunately, those pictures are on my DSLR, the cord for which I left at home. If you have a USB cord that connects to a Nikon port, I might need to borrow it.] and then headed to the smaller of the two Acadian peninsulas to set up camp at Seawall Campground.

Seawall Campground is, shockingly, located right off the natural seawall:

Seawall view, MaineI highly recommend this campground. The bathrooms are pristine, and there is a nice, smooth paved road around all the loops. It was great for taking an after-dinner hike to spy on see the other campers, many of whom were taking family vacations with pop-up trailers and kids on bikes (Nostalgia alert!!!). The only downside is that the campground has no working showers. You can pay for hot showers at the nearby camp store.

And, of course, we engaged in the most time-honored of camping traditions: Making s’mores!

S'mores at Seawall Campground[Dad, you will be proud that I remembered our long-standing tradition of foraging for firewood in other people’s abandoned campsites. I had accumulated quite a bit of “reclaimed” wood, only to find that the rangers had already chopped up tons of wood, left out free for the taking. We made a huge-ass fire, that’s fo’ sho’!]

So, okay, maybe we’re not the most daring and rustic of campers, but I think we did an okay job. We didn’t burn the campsite to the ground, and we successfully built and broke camp twice.

Finally, we thought we would spice things up on the blog by adding a small contest. There is something hidden/camouflaged in this picture we took at Quoddy Head State Park. What is it? 

What is hiding?

What is hiding here? [Click to enlarge.]

E-mail your guess to info[at]weddingvictorytour.com with the subject line “Quoddy Contest” by Sunday, 6/23, at 10:00pm EST. The person with the most specific and accurate guess will be awarded a cool prize (something yet to be determined–a souvenir from our travels)!

[Sorry, only US residents and non-family members eligible.]

Now, I’m writing from the adorable beach town of Hull, MA, just outside of Boston, where we are staying with my dear friend Ashley’s parents. But this post is getting long already.

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from the road

Day 7: Driving to Saint John, NB

I don’t have much exciting news to share today. We spent most of the day in the car, driving along the Ceilidh trail on Cape Breton on our way to Saint John, NB. We’re stopping here for the night before heading back to the US for a camping adventure.

Check out the assortment of proffered condiments at breakfast:

Canadian condiments

Top row: Cheez Whiz, Raspberry & Strawberry Jams
Bottom row: PB, Honey, Orange marmalade

Remember how I said that Chéticamp is Cape Breton’s largest Francophone enclave? Well, that seems to be true. We encountered a lot of Francophones in our 16 hours in Chéticamp, including this charming group of women having a breakfast chat. I tried to be sneaky and take a picture of them.

SO SNEAKY.

SO SNEAKY.

When I asked them if I could have some sugar, they did not understand my French. Eventually, they figured it out and responded all in English. Lesson of the day: Don’t take foreign languages. Even if you study for a crap-jillion years, no one will understand you. Just give up. [I kid. Sort of. I made myself feel better by saying that I have a different accent, but HAHAHAHAHA.]

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from the road

Days 5-6: Along the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton

Well, we planned to go camping the past two nights, but the weather conspired against us.

Yesterday, we made a very long trek across Nova Scotia to the northernmost section: Cape Breton Island, full of small Celtic seaside communities. I have to admit that I did almost no planning for WVT; that was Harrison’s job. (I’m in charge of trip documentation.) As such, I had no idea where we were going in Canada, so everything has been a delightful surprise.

Like Canadian money having a transparent panel? Delightful!

Canadian $20 bill

And the amazing views along the Cabot Trail? Delightful surprise!

cabot trail view

 

This scenic overlook on Cape Smokey? Delightfully surprising!

Cape Smokey view

Once we arrived in Ingonish, we nixed the camping plan. Rain on the forecast and driving around with a very wet tent did not sound wedding victorious, so we opted for a “motel” in Ingonish. Along the Cabot Trail, there are no big hotels. All the accommodations are either small cabins/cottages for rent or “motels”–basically, long-ish trailers with small, no-frills rooms.

Last night, we stayed at Sea Breeze Cottages & Motel. The room was spartan, to be sure, but it was clean and much preferable to huddling in a dripping tent all night. Also, check out the view from our room (for $79/night!!):

Ingonish view

And this was the view from the Sea Gull restaurant where we ate dinner last night. Unlike most waterfront dining and lodging, the businesses in Cape Breton are cheap and small. Last night, we ate at a plastic picnic table, overlooking the Gulf of St. Lawrence, on a screened-in porch that threatened to slide into the water. It was tasty and thrilling.

Sea Gull restaurant view

 

Today, we got our park pass to enter Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Unsurprisingly, I made sure to peruse the information about wild animal safety. The brochure [PDF linked–highly recommended as general knowledge] helped you understand the difference between defensive and predatory bear attacks. The former, you play dead, and the latter, you fight back to the best of your abilities, make yourself “large,” and engage other offensive maneuvers. (My plan was to stand on Harrison’s shoulders, while pelting any predatory bears with rocks and sticks, while singing showtunes at the top of my lungs.

IMG_0218

(Bears, you best start runnin’!)

Inside the park, we drove along the Cabot Trail, stopping at scenic overlooks or taking short hikes into the forest or along the coastal cliffs. I am sorry to say that the photos don’t do anything justice; it’s hard to capture natural beauty and wide landscapes on camera.

At Green Cove, I was on the lookout for extra large waves:

Looking out for extra large waves

Looking out for extra large waves….

Fortunately, none swept us away:

Green Cove, Cape Breton

Look at how relevant I am! Even in Canada!

Green Cove informational sign

After failing to find an open establishment at midday, we stopped for a picnic lunch by the water. Meanwhile, John Cabot‘s bust judged my consumption of large quantities of hummus.

John Cabot bust

As you can see, it was very cloudy today. In fact, we drove through a lot of clouds. Nothing gets the adrenaline pumping like driving or walking with 0% visibility, knowing that you are a few yards away from the edge of a cliff.

Skyline trail, Cape Breton

I insisted that we stop at the Bog trail based on feelings of nostalgia for Maine vacations with my parents to peat bogs.  I was delighted to find that the green frogs were in the middle of procreation season. Here I am, trying to get as close to the tadpoles as possible without falling into the pool. (I attempted to scoop one up in my hand for closer inspection, but he pooped on me.)Looking at tadpoles

 We walked the 5.7-mile Skyline Trail loop in the hopes of seeing moose or whales. The fog was too dense to see much of anything except for the 2349802384032 slugs on the trail.

slug, Cape BretonWe did actually see a moose today along the side of the road. We turned a corner…and there he (she? Couldn’t see a beard) was. I tried to get a picture, but it ran away, so you’ll have to believe me.

I did get a picture with this pine tree. It did not run away.

pine tree, Skyline, Cape Breton

I’m currently writing from the Acadian Motelin Chéticamp, the largest Francophone enclave (linguistic words!) on Cape Breton. Our (also cheap!) room looks out over Chéticamp Harbour.Chéticamp, Acadian Motel

We ate dinner at the Co-op Artisanale, which serves tasty traditional Acadian dishes. Our meal came with fresh bread, served with butter and molasses. Why didn’t anyone tell me about this combination before?

Bread with butter and molassesAnd while I did not order it, I was intrigued by “unemployment pudding” (pudding [au] chômeur). Maybe once I get a job, I’ll eat some unemployment pudding and then laugh in its face….

Pudding au chômeur on menu

So yes, our séjour in Cape Breton was not what we expected (Well, it wasn’t what Harrison expected. I didn’t have any expectations.), but it has been awesome nonetheless. I keep saying, “Why don’t more Americans come here?” And the answer is probably (1) they don’t know it exists and (2) it’s freaking far away! We didn’t get to see nearly as much as we wanted, but this is apparently the point of the trip: getting previews of cool places so we know they’re worth returning to.

And I definitely encourage you to come check out Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail for yourself. There’s, like, an 85% chance you’ll see a moose!

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from the road

Day 4: We enter Canada.

Hello from Fredericton, NB (That’s Canada!)!

After saying good-bye to White River Junction today, we headed to Concord, NH. It was a quick stop, just enough to take a picture of the State House and the statue of illustrious president Franklin Pierce out front:

NH state capitol

Heading up 95N, we stopped quickly in Freeport, ME, to visit the flagship LL Bean store which is open 24/7.

LL Bean flagship store, boot

We were in no way prepared for the overwhelming size and selection of the LL Bean complex (“campus”). I mean, the inside of the general retail store has a pond full of trout and salmon:

LLBean fish tank

Hey, in case we don’t get jobs and are homeless, maybe we’ll buy this tent and stay in your backyard. Sound good?

large tent, LL Bean

It helped to enter the store with an agenda. Harrison grabbed a water bottle, and we both picked up a large LL Bean duffle to carry our clothes. (We planned to visit the store for luggage in advance and had packed our clothes in reusable shopping bags.)

LL Bean Adventure duffle, large

Room to spare!

We were in Maine, so Harrison tried a lobster roll:

lobster roll, LL Bean

And I looked longingly at the whoopie pies. (Maybe on the way to Boston next week.)

whoopie pies, LL Bean

After our quick in-and-out shopping trip at LL Bean, we zipped up to Augusta to get our next capitol photo:

Maine State House

It was very exciting to cross the border into Canada. We’re in another country, so WVT is officially international! Tonight, we’re staying in Fredericton before embarking on a camping adventure for the next few days.

Most exciting about entering Canada? Well, things are in French and English, and poutine is on the menu:

Snooty Fox poutine menu

And while driving through New Brunswick, we saw a moose (!!!) standing by the side of the highway. This has made Harrison’s day. Unfortunately, driving at 60mph makes photographing moose somewhat difficult. As such, Harrison has been kind enough to provide us with a very accurate artist’s rendering on the roadside moose:

Moose drawing

It was a long drive, so I’m going to curl up with a book and get ready to enter the wilderness tomorrow. Please keep your fingers crossed that we do not meet any unfriendly moose!

 

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party

Day 3: Muneer & Megan’s wedding

Well, guys, there’s a new married couple on the block! Today, Muneer (Harrison’s college suitemate) and Megan tied the knot in a small ceremony in Hanover, NH.

Congratulations to the newly married couple!

St. Denis Catholic Church weddingI even got to recycle my reception dress:

Mica & Harrison, wedding victory tour

The reception was held in nearby Quechee, VT at the Simon Pearce glass blowing gallery and restaurant.

Simon Pearce, glassblowing

I smell a new hobby….

The building is over top of a waterfall!

Quechee waterfall, Simon Pearce

The glassware was somewhat out of our price range, but it was really nice. We got to eat and drink off it at dinner:

Simon Pearce, wedding table

That’s sparkling cider! Modern Face of Temperance, yes!

Guess how much this bronze moose statue costs. GUESS!

bronze moose statue, Simon PearceDid you guess $25,000? Because that’s how much it costs to own this miniature bronze moose calf. Mmhmmm.

It was a mini reunion of Harrison’s Harvard buddies:

Roommate Ahmad

Roommate Ahmad

 

Shaq & Kamila

Shaq & Kamila

Brian & Jenn

Brian & Jenn

David & Gin

David & Gin

A long-running joke between us and Muneer is his “death grip” in otherwise friendly photos:

Deathgrip Muneer

The wedding weekend happens to fall during the Quechee Balloon Festival. As the party was winding down, some of the balloons were being illuminated in a field next to the reception venue. I’ve been waffling back and forth as to whether I should get tickets to see Wicked on Broadway next week. (As you probably know, I love Wicked. Harrison is ambivalent towards it, but I’m sure he does not appreciate being greeted in the car by a blast of “No Good Deed” from the stereo cranked on high.)

This is a sign that we should go see it, right? RIGHT?!?

Wicked Hot Air Balloon

Three times isn’t too much “Wicked”!

It has been fun, Vermont!

WVT group in Vermont

Tomorrow, we head to Canada!

 

 

 

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Day 2: The Northeast

We left Poughkeepsie this morning and headed for Vermont, by way of Albany, NY.

The New York Capitol Building looks like a huge and imposing public library, don’t you think?

NY State capitol

 

Of course, we also hit Montpelier for Vermont. (There was a group of what appeared to be dancers/theater kids in tight tank-tops in front of the gold-domed building today.)

VT State capitol

In Vermont, we drove on a very curvy road (Rt. 232), two miles of which we had to keep our eyes peeled for dangerous moose crossing.

Perhaps more importantly, we hit up….

IMG_0138Got any ideas yet?

Cabot Creamery signThe Cabot Creamery outside Cabot, Vermont!

Cabot CreameryThere may not be any cellphone service at Cabot, but there are tons of cheese curds! We went on a brief tour where we could see cheese curds being pressed into 42-pound packages. We even watched a special video about cheese-making at Cabot in a viewing room full of awards:

Cabot Creamery video

 

Now, we’re in White River Junction, VT for two nights. It’s a mini reunion for Harrison’s college friends, one of whom is getting married tomorrow. In the mean time, Yeguang/”Shaq” nomnom-ed some chicken wings:

eating chicken wingsIt rained all day, which made for poor visibility on the road and generally cold, wet weather. Let’s hope it clears up for the wedding tomorrow!

 

 

 

 

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from the road

First day on the road!

Hello from Poughkeepsie, NY!

Wedding Victory Tour is happening! It’s happening! I was in a state of shock this morning after we packed the car and hit the road. We thought up WVT a year and a half ago (on the plane back from two friends’ wedding); it’s hard to believe that we’re actually doing it now!

road trip packing, wedding victory tour

 

For the first hour, I kept saying things like, “Wow, this is actually going to be a very long trip.”

It wasn’t until we got out of the car in Annapolis to photograph the state capitol (We’re aiming to get all 50 at some point in our lives.) that I actually got excited.

Maryland state capitol

 

But wait, there’s more! We hit not one, but THREE capitols today. We drove up the Delmarva peninsula and ticked off Delaware’s Legislative Hall:

Delaware state capitol, wedding victory tour

And finally, we stopped in Trenton to get the state hall:

New Jersey state capitol, wedding victory tour

I have to be honest, guys. I wasn’t very impressed with New Jersey’s capitol. While it looked cool from the outside, inside, the security guards were way too brusque (rude) for my liking. Lame.

Also, after a disappointing dearth of 17-year-cicadas in Richmond, we did see and hear them in New Jersey today.

I spent most of the day in the car jabbering away, fiddling with the satellite radio, falling asleep with my mouth open (post-lunch sleepies), knitting, and staving off (to the best of my ability) job-related anxiety. Tomorrow, we’re back on the road, headed for Vermont!

 

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planning

Urban camping

While we’re in Canada and the Northeast next week on WVT, we’re going to fulfill Harrison’s dream of roughing it in the wilderness a few campgrounds. This meant that we had to buy sleeping bags, an air mattress, and a tent. After significant neurotic (on my part) research and advice from Twitter, we went with the REI Camp Dome 2.

We had planned to go on a trial-run camping trip in Virginia, but several elements (namely, torrential downpours and the un-timely arrival of our sleeping bags) conspired against us. With our June 12th departure date fast upon us, we decided to go with the next-best option: urban camping in my mom’s living room.

The tent fortunately came with instructions printed right on the bag, ha!

REI Camp Dome tent in bag

 

[Insert phallic joke about the long tent pole.]

 

long tent pole

Hey, this is looking right-ish!

half-assembled Camp Dome 2 tentTotal set-up time on the first try? Ten minutes. Let’s see if we can get it down to five!

assembled REI camp dome 2 tent

Note the candlesticks in their natural habitat.

Oh look! Some urban “wild” life: my mom!

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Bodger was very curious and eager to climb inside the tent.

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Our queen air mattress just barely fits in the two-person tent (though not entirely inflated).

M & H in Camp Dome 2 Tent

After feeling sufficiently satisfied with ourselves and our tent construction, we broke camp and foraged for dinner at Avenue 805.

Camping, we are ready for you!

Don’t worry: we’ve made other preparations in addition to buying and assembling our tent. We don’t have it down to a streamlined and efficient process yet, but I think we’ll be okay “roughing it” for a few days. (And my parents did a pretty bang-up job taking me on fun camping trips in my childhood, so this isn’t my first go-round with using the woods as my toilet.) At the very least, I know (1) not to light a fire or use a gas stove inside the tent, (2) to store food in the car so as not to be attacked by bears, (3) use a footprint under the tent so as not to become soaked overnight. 

Any other helpful tidbits of camping advice? Do share in the comments!

 

 

 

 

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