Our 2nd Fall season here in Boston - 2008:

This time, we did not go anywhere for Fall. We had initially planned to go up north to view the beautiful colours of fall that New England is so famous for. But as you can see from the photos attached, my condition will not have made it the adventurous hiking trip that we wanted. Lu Lei decided that it is best that we stayed close to home. In his opinion, I am too troublesome to bring out..we ended up hanging out at Larz Anderson Park.

Quechee - Coolidge Scenic Drive

We recently bought Insiders' Guide's Scenic Driving New England where they feature the best scenic drives in and around New England. We decided to embark on Quechee-Coolidge Scenic Drive in chapter 10. It is a 61 mile open loop that passes through picturesque villages and hilly countryside in the Piedmont of central Vermont. We did not go the full 61 miles..but we did at least 70% of it.

We passed through some of Vermont's finest landscapes. The drive offered a good look at rural Vermont and its sleepy country villages, Quechee Gorge, aristocratic and well preserved Woodstock, birthplace of President Calvin Coolidge (30th President of the United States) and found a lovely B&B/Inn to stay for 2 nights in resort town Killington.

Killington is home to Killington Peak towers with 4,235-foot summit wreathed in clouds. The peak, the second highest in Vermont offers a superb view of the surrounding mountains and valleys. It was this view that supposedly gave Vermont its name - Reverend Samuel Peters from Connecticut surveyed the surrounding countryside below Killington Peak in 1763 and called it "Verd Mont", or "Green Mountain" in French. We did not climb to the peak to witness the spectacular view but we enjoyed the scenic beauty just as much as we drove around the foot of the hills. Here are some of the many lovely pictures we managed to capture as we tried to do the best of Vermont justice.

Distance: 175 miles Time: 3hrs 30mins

Bethel, Maine - is a little mountain village in Maine that we visited in July. It was settled in 1774 with farming as its principal occupation. The town incorporated in 1796 with the Biblical name "Bethel", translated as "House of God". It is claimed there that Bethel is Maine's most beautiful Mountain Village.

We found a quaint little B&B to stay for 1 night. The place was not full and we were given a free upgrade to a bigger suite-like room. The room was complete with a bed with a canopy. They even left the candles that they used in the past as lamps fixed to the walls. It was fabulous and I loved the old british feel to the whole building. The innkeeper spoke with a very strong British accent and he had moved from UK to set up the B&B here in Bethel.

It was a long drive and by the time we got there, it was mid afternoon. It was also raining pretty heavily so we only had a little bit more daylight to roam around the little village after the rain had stopped. The town area we were staying in was really tiny with not very many people walking around at dusk. It made me think that I could not see myself living in this kind of quiet little town. Though I dislike crowds and complain about the lights and noise, I am a city girl at heart, I can't imagine not being able to drive to the nearest shopping complex or my favourite restaurants in under 20miles. Personally, I miss the proximity to these places that we have back home in Singapore.

distance : 190 miles Time: 3hrs 46mins

Grafton Notch State Park "cuts through a mountain wilderness of sweeping scenic beauty. Within the Notch itself, there are a number of geologic features, in addition to Screw Auger falls which may be explored and studied by the casual traveller. For those interested in extended hikes the Appalachian Trail is accessible only a few miles to the North" - source: an information sign on site

We did not attempt any hikes even remotely adventurous. However, we did check out some of the attractions that were easily accessible. It was very scenic and made me miss those hiking trails we used to hit during the summer.

4th of July celebration - Boston Fireworks

One of Boston's most famous and popular events is the annual Fourth of July concert and fireworks display, which features a live performance by the Boston Pops and appearances by various special guests.

Lu Lei and myself did not make it to the Esplanade next to Charles river to watch the live performance but we did not want to miss the magnificent fireworks display. We had to park our car in one of the nearby neighbourhoods and walked the rest of the way to the edge of Charles River by way of Boston College. A huge crowd had already gathered when we arrived just about 10 mins before showtime. We had a hard time trying to find an unobstructed view up front. We finally found a small corner and had barely gotten into a squatting position scrambling with our cameras before the lights began. Here are some pictures that Lu Lei managed to snap and a couple of videos courtesy of me. I apologise for the moments of unsteadiness especially in the 2nd video, the position we were crouched in was highly uncomfortable and I had held out as long as I could before adjusting to allow blood flow to my feet.

Gloucester, MA

Gloucester is located 30 miles northeast of Boston. The city is part of "Cape Ann". A cape is a point of land projecting out into the sea. The main portion of Gloucester is an island, connected only by two bridges. Other towns making up "Cape Ann" are Rockport, Manchester and Essex.

It was our day trip to celebrate our anniversary. It was the perfect summer afternoon and being that we were visiting America's oldest seaport, we could not resist trying their seafood. We shared a huge plate of fish and chips and lobster bisque. It sure was a delicious and leisurely late lunch for us!

distance : 53 miles Time: 1hr 10 mins

Woods Hole, Cape Cod - Marine Biology Laboratory (MBL)

Its has been a long while since I have last posted. We have visited a couple of places since then, its partly the case of me wallowing in laziness as well as being caught up with some events that took up a lot of my time.

All that aside, we visited MBL in Woods Hole Cape Cod during our anniversary. The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is an international center for research and education in biology and ecology. It was founded in 1888, and to date, 55 MBL-affiliated scientists have been awarded the Nobel Prize. Lu Lei had spent a week in the month of May there attending a microscope course known as AQLM.

The day started off sunny yet cool, however, later on in the day when we made our way to the lighthouse, we saw the cold air from the Atlantic ocean bring with it a thick fog. Within minutes much of the area around us was covered. I have also attached a video where you can actually see the cold air blowing in from the ocean. Fog is brought about by the mixture of the cold Atlantic ocean air and the warm air on land.

Distance : 77 miles, Time : 1hr 35mins