(If will add pictures to this post soon. You can read about the first half of my trip here, including photos)
I got back to Virginia last Friday night (August 25th), just before midnight, having completed my visit to my last five states. I have now officially been to and experienced things in all 50 states! :) Below is how the rest of my trip progressed.
Last Tuesday morning (August 22nd), I woke up at camp just outside Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts and drove up to Walden Pond in Concord. It was quite a bit larger than I expected with several crowded beaches, many people swimming, and a 2-mile hiking trail going around it. In such an idyllic setting, I wanted to escape the crowds, so I took off on the hiking trail. I made about a quarter the way around before finding a very nice, quite spot overlooking a quiet part of the pond. I sat there thinking, praying, and reading for about an hour. It was nice to just relax sitting amongst the beautiful scenery and enjoy nature. I hadn’t realized how long it had been since I forced myself to sit still and just appreciate the beauty around me. I want to make it my aim to do this on a much more regular basis this year.
After relaxing for quite a while, I continued my leisurely stroll around the pond. I eventually came to the site of Thoreau’s cabin in the woods. It was fairly small (about 10’ x 15’) with lots of commentary remarking how tiny it was. But what struck me the most about it was that it is about 150% the size of the room I just moved into! (Which is bigger than the space I lived in last year.) Hmm… maybe I should write a book? ;)
When I finished my hike around the pond, I realized it was getting late in the day (about 3 PM) and I still had a lot in the area I wanted to see. I drove a couple miles from Walden to the Old North Bridge where the “Shot Heard Round the World” was fired on April 19th, 1775 that started the American Revolution.
While I was at the Bridge, I spoke to a Park Ranger and he recommended for me to go to the Lexington Visitors Center to catch one of the last two multimedia presentations of the day about the Battle of Lexington. I made it just as the next to the last show was starting. It was great! They had light-up maps showing the ride of Paul Revere, the progress of the British troops, the response of the American Minute Men, etc. It also had movies, a projection of a Minute Man speaking to the audience and more. A very well-done and informative presentation. I then drove into Lexington to see where the British fired on American troops on their way to Old North Bridge in Concord (where Americans fired back for the first time ever under official orders). Needless to say, it was a day that made me feel proud to be an American!
I left Lexington about 5 PM that afternoon and headed out for New Hampshire, my 49th state. Immediately upon crossing into New Hampshire, I pulled off onto one of the first exits to go to a local mall there and met my classmate, Triya. She was up in Massachusetts visiting family and they had gone into New Hampshire to do some shopping. It was very cool to see her up there! They were celebrating Triya’s niece’s 9th birthday that day! Her name is Hansika and she was a little doll. Triya took her to get her nails done for her birthday and I tagged along to see just what it was these womenfolk were up to. It looked like they were having so much fun, I had to join in! :O (Don’t tell anyone!)
After saying good-bye to Triya’s family (who were all great), I hopped back in my car and continued my trek north into the White Mountains.
I pulled into camp late that night, pitched my tent, and went quickly to sleep. The next morning, I packed-up my mountain chalet J and proceeded to the Cog Railroad that climbs up Mount Washington, the tallest peak in the Northeast.
This railway has one of the steepest climbs in the world (a 37-degree grade) and took about 1-1/2 hours to climb the mountain. Two friends of mine, John and Casandra, hiked the entire length of the Appalachian Trail a number of years ago and I remembered them talking about Mount Washington and how quickly in can change weather. (To this day, I regret not flying up to Virginia from Orlando to hike with them for a few days as they passed through.) They weren’t kidding! We went from partly cloudy to almost zero visibility several times on our climb up the mountain. Unfortunately, it was almost zero visibility, 40 degree weather, and 40 MPH winds by the time we got to the top. If anything, though, this added to the thrill of being up there. I couldn’t resist climbing up to the top to get my picture taken. One might say I had a blast getting blasted! :)
Literally within about 60 seconds of our train pulling out to head back down, the winds blew the clouds away and we had a much brighter, clearer view going back down. With weather that changes so quickly, I can understand in a way I never could before how hikers can lose their lives on this mountain.
My next stop was Bretton-Woods, which was just a few miles down the road. This is where many of the world’s political leaders and economists met towards the end of World War II and where the IMF and World Bank were founded. We’d been studying a bit about that in some of my econ classes last year, so I couldn’t resist dropping by. The main hotel where these meetings took place is called Mount Washington Hotel. (I wonder where they got that name?) It was incredibly fancy with beautiful views of the mountainscape all around. One of the nicest hotels I’ve ever been in! Needless to say, I left there feeling a mega-dose of riff-raff.
From there, I drove to the Kancamagus Highway, one of the most beautiful scenic drives in New Hampshire. I enjoyed a nice leisurely drive along the full length of it (about an hour’s drive), taking in the mountains and the woods all around. I can’t imagine how beautiful it must be when the leaves are changing.
The Kancamagus Highway dropped me off about 10 miles south of where I had camped the day before. I was thankful for this, as it let me see some of the scenery I had driven by in the dark the night before. It was so beautiful up there! Makes me wonder what else I missed the night before?
From there, I drove northwest for about 30 minutes and crossed the border in Vermont, my 50th state!!! I got so excited, I had to take a self-portrait to capture the experience:
As I drove across Vermont, it hit me that it was nearly everything I had imagined it would be – in a very good way. Rolling green hills with farms dotted along the landscape. White churches, red barns, silos dotting the landscape. The setting was absolutely beautiful!
I drove across most of the state towards Stowe, a small town about 35 miles outside of Burlington. I was planning on staying at a State Park that evening and unfortunately, it was quite dark by the time I pulled into town. The park was about 8 miles outside of town on a windy country road and I accidentally passed it without realizing it. I figured out what I had done a few miles later and turned around. They told me on the phone I had to arrive by 9 PM. It was 8:59 when I pulled up to the ranger station…
Since I was already feeling like riff-raff after my visit to the Mount Washington Hotel, I decided to camp in the antithesis of accommodation and spent my first night ever sleeping in an open lean-to. It was a ton of fun and somehow gave me a gratifyingly macho feeling to sleep with nothing but air (and a roof to keep the rain out) separating me from nature. It got down to about 39-degrees that night, which was great as it kept the bugs at bay.
The next morning, I woke up, packed up my sleeping bag (no tent to take down!) and drove a few miles up the road where the ranger had recommended a hiking trail. It was about 1-1/2 miles in to a beautiful pond in the mountains. Unfortunately, what the ranger had failed to mention was that it was nearly all vertical the whole way in. :P Needless to say, my two-months of inactivity during my studies for prelims started to show itself. I was completely pooped by the time I got to the top! :P I definitely have to start hitting the gym this year!
The scenery at the top was so worth whatever pain and toil I took me to get there! A mountain pond surrounded by trees and the silence of nature. I relaxed (collapsed?) up there for about half-an-hour, talking with other hikers (a nice couple from New York City) and taking in the beauty of God’s Creation.
I hiked back down with an extra spring in my step and full of joy at having made it to the top and seeing such a sight. As I climbed back into my car, I felt a wave of euphoria overwhelm me. There was only one thing I could do to improve on my mood. I made a b-line for the Ben and Jerry’s factory on the other side of town! :) I took a tour of the factory and then treated myself to a triple-scoop cone as a reward for not only climbing the mountain, but for making it to my 50th state. The ice cream was delicious!!!
My body was feeling the good-tired you get after pushing yourself and getting physically exhausted in a good way. Unfortunately, it was already feeling that way as I was climbing into the car for what turned into a 12-hour drive…
I decided to take a leisurely, slow drive down Highway 100, that cuts down the middle of Vermont. It passed through many small towns along the way and took several hours to pass through. Next I picked-up US 7 through the Birkshires of Massachusetts. I had originally hoped to see the Norman Rockwell Museum and Edith Wharton house along this route, but my hike put me too late on the road to make it. I still very much enjoyed the drive and seeing all the towns I passed through. It was nice going slow without an agenda or somewhere I had to be. My drive continued on across into Connecticut, New York, and Pennsylvania. I was trying to follow the path of the Appalachian Trail as best I could along highways. I thought a lot about John and Casandra as I went. I finally got to I-81 in PA and still had another 100 miles to go. I finally pulled into camp just outside of Lancaster, PA at about 1 AM in the morning. I was completely exhausted by this point. I set-up my tent and crashed for about 8-1/2 hours.
The next morning, I woke up, showered, and packed my gear for my final day on the road. I drove over into Amish country, which I had never seen before (except on TV). I thought I was only about 20-minutes away, but between terrible traffic and misjudged distance, it actually took me about 1-1/2 hours to get there.
My first stop in the area was at a Mennonite Information Center where I watched a fantastic video on the Amish culture and beliefs. They are a fascinating people who live out their lives in an attempt to live simply to help them focus on their love for God and love for others. I am very impressed with their dedication and cost they are willing to pay in order to remain true to what they think is right. I had been reading Romans 14 in my Bible the day before about how Christians are not supposed to judge the way other Christians worship God in what they choose to abstain or not abstain from in disputable matters. It was a good reminder to get before going into Amish country. They certainly choose to worship the Lord in a very different way from myself, but we do worship the same God. I cannot say which way is better, nor should I.
I drove all along a bunch of farmland back roads amongst the Amish farms. It was so neat seeing them ride around in their horse and buggies and the men driving large platforms full of hay pulled by several horses. The Amish ran many roadside shops and stands and I had to stop to get what was quite possibly the best soft pretzel I have ever eaten! It made Auntie Anne’s pretzels look like a cheap imitation by comparison! (And I love Auntie Anne’s!) It would be worth a trip back just to get another pretzel.
After driving around the countryside, I decided to stop by the town in the middle of the farms. The name of the town was Intercourse, PA. I didn’t think twice about the name until I saw this t-shirt sitting in one of the shops:
That cracked me up! :) It struck me as an ironic name for a town for such conservative people…
I left town around 5:30 PM and headed off towards Frederick, Maryland – the town I was born in. I figured I’d stop by and try to find my old house. (I moved to Virginia when I was 9.) On the way I called Natasha, a friend of mine from college who lives near Harper’s Ferry who I hadn’t seen in over 12 years. Surprisingly, I got a hold of her and she was heading out to go shopping in… Frederick, MD of all places! We agreed to meet for a quick bite to eat as we both passed through. I had enough time to go find the second house I lived in when I was a kid and then drove to meet Natasha at Panera Bread at the Francis Scott Key Mall – one of the malls I used to go to when I was just a little squirt. It was great seeing Natasha again and catching each other up on what had transpired in both our lives over the past 12 years.
After saying good-bye to Natasha, I made the final 1-hour push to get to my Mom and Dad’s place in Warrenton, Virginia. I pulled into their driveway around 11 PM. They were waiting up for me and it was wonderful to see them after my 1,800 mile adventure. We stayed up until about 1 AM talking about my adventures and misadventures before.
The next morning (Saturday), Dad followed me to the rental car place so I drop off the car. I was a day late getting the car back and Enterprise ended up giving me the extra day for free! :) I spent the rest of the day moving over to my new place here in Fairfax. Mom and Dad let me borrow their truck and my classmate Ali helped me unload stuff in my new place. I drove the truck back to Warrenton and Mom cooked French toast for us Sunday morning which we had with some of the Vermont maple syrup I brought back. Good stuff! I dropped off one last load back my new place in Fairfax on my way into church in DC. I hadn’t been to church in DC in several weeks and it felt good to get back.
Classes started yesterday (Monday) and I had my first class today (Tuesday). This semester, I’m taking “Economics of Religion”, “Law and Economics”, and “Public Finance”. I’m not sure if I’m ready to start studying again, but I am excited about the new school year.
This trip was such a blessing on so many levels – a wonderful physical and mental recharge, reconnection with old friends, seeing the last of the 50 states, enjoying nature, visiting historical sites, and exploring new places. Coming home to a loving Mom and Dad made everything almost perfect. I am incredibly thankful to God for all of this.
As this new semester begins, it’s now time to shift gears for an adventure of the mind. I’m bracing myself for the challenge of studying and am looking forward to the road that lies ahead!
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