Northeast Trip

Recently we took a week long vacation to the Northeast and visited NY, RI and CT. We picked a good time to go since the heat down here in Virginia had become quite unbearable....temps reaching well into the upper 90s and even got well above 100 deg. for a couple of days.

The first stop on our trip was to Coney Island in Brooklyn, NY. The kids couldn't wait to ride the famous wooden coaster, The Cyclone. Matthew was still too short to ride but he did enjoy a kiddie coaster. I think back in its day, Coney Island was the place to be for a little summer respite after spending a hectic and steamy day in the city. And, in a way, it still is....the beach was filled with locals and the boardwalk was definitely hopping, especially with Nathan's Hotdogs around the corner.

Soon afterward we headed to Long Island for the evening. The next day we headed to Fire Island National Seashore. If you know me, you know that I have a love for lighthouses. We arrived early in the day so we didn't have to fight long lines to go up the Fire Island Lighthouse. In fact, we were nearly the only ones there and were fortunate enough to get a personal tour of the lighthouse. The views, as expected, were breathtaking. I love visiting National Seashores because of the minimal impact on the environment....no big hotels, amusement parks, condos, etc....just the land and the sea.

In the afternoon we made it to Rhode Island. Ted's dad (David) lives in a tiny village called Shannock. His house is currently and slowly being remodeled. The town was able to obtain a federal grant for him since his home is considered historic. Shannock is very rural. Close by is this man-made waterfall called Horseshoe Falls. It was built to run an old mill that is next to my father-in-law's property.

The highlight of the RI trip was going on a lighthouse boat tour around the Narragansett Bay. It was well worth it. We drove up to Quonset Point and hopped on a high speed ferry that is also used to take people from RI to Martha's Vineyard. We got to see 10 lighthouses on the tour. They were small lighthouses but nonetheless each was unique and different. This is a picture of Beavertail Lighthouse which is actually open to the public.

Later that evening we drove to Point Judith where another familiar RI lighthouse is located. We got there just in the nick of time before the Coast Guard Station closed for the evening. I was thrilled to get pictures of the Point Judith Lighthouse at sunset.

Rhode Island is always a neat place to visit....the coastline is definitely rockier than down south but makes for a beautiful scenery. It's no wonder it is called the Ocean State...because where ever you are in RI, the ocean is close by.

We also spent a day in Mystic and Groton, CT. We only toured the outside of the Mystic Seaport but headed to the little downtown area where the streets were lined with quaint shops and tiny restaurants. We had lunch at the famous Mystic Pizza. In Groton, we visited the Submarine Force Museum and toured the USS NAUTILUS, the U.S.'s first nuclear submarine. Of course we only toured the part they allowed us civilians to see.

The next day we headed up north to Lake George, NY (a popular tourist attraction located in the Adirondacks). This was always one of our favorite spots to visit when we used to live upstate. The views are absolutely gorgeous and even more beautiful in the fall.

We were fortunate to have friends of ours let us stay with them during July 4th weekend. We had a fun and relaxing time. We hiked and spent time at the beach at Moreau Lake State Park. We also enjoyed fireworks in Saratoga Springs (something we have never done before even when we lived up there). It was the perfect ending to our vacation. So, thanks to the Mitchell family for being such great hosts!