Staying at two Maine private campgrounds, Lobster Buoy and MountainView, I had my first American camping experiences, got acquainted with this wondrous Atlantic coast, and its significant tides, and learned from kids about burrowing clams. Also, Lobster Weekend, Owl’s Head lighthouse and the awesome Fort Knox bridge.
Choosing not to challenge the coyotes on the coastal road, I drove up Cape Breton’s East Coast – watched the seagulls fly against the picturesque lighthouse at Neil’s Harbor, saw the stunning rocks at Green Point (keeping in mind the rouge waves!!!), and closed the day over drink and music at the Atlantic Restaurant by the Keltic Lodge.
Meat Cove, Cape Breton – The End of the World. Winds, waves, rocks jutting into an unconstrained ocean, a group of wonderful tenters perched up on cliffs… Walking by the beach and up a mountain;, sharing about “life” with a mysterious fellow traveller; enjoying a dinner by the fire with friendly expats.
The Cabot Trail is one of the most scenic routes in the world. It is impossible to drive around without stopping again and again, taking pictures and breathing it all in. Even if you just come for a day, the Cabot Trail lookouts make your trip worthy.
Gampo Abbey, Cape Breton. An inspirational visit to a Buddhist monastery and stupa located in Pleasant Bay, off the Cabot Trail., Grounds are beautifully maintained, creating a sense of the sacred. A nice climb leads to a mountain shrine. Stone panels in the stupa yard are inscribed with spiritual messages.
Western Cabot Trail is rich with history, geology and beauty. You can’t go wrong, but I was the only one walking the historical La Buttreau, visiting the ruins of Acadian fishemen’s houses. On the popular Skyline Trail we fought the winds and the rain . A cozy social evening at Le Gabriele closed the day.
Beauty upon beauty in the “horizontal” walk of Greeley Ponds. Enjoying the incredible vistas of gathering storm clouds over forested mountains, and huddling together with a group of scouts in a rain shelter, I started this incredibly rewarding walk in the rain, but soon it was dry enough to enjoy both the macro and the micro worlds that kept emerging around me, as well as some socializing opportunities..
I did not really conquer that peak – the Mount Washington Guided Tour van did – but I got a view and a future challenge. It was a tough decision making process. I strolled around the summit, famous for its extreme weather, watched the cogwheel train, took pictures.
Intending to get to one place and reaching another, I was lucky to find myself on top of the amazing Cathedral Ledge, seeing a magnificent vista. Also a highly interesting social encounter with a female rock climber and a night drive on a desolate road.
Last sortie into the White Mountains at the magical Lost River Gorge and Caves easy access reserve. Roots make impossible overground journeys to provide trees with grounding and nutrients, water cascades down tunnels to erupt in beautiful waterfalls, boulders conceal caves, crevasses.
Lake Champlain Islands, VT. I reconnected with my water element on this set of beautiful islands, replete with history, geology, nature and atmsophere. I settled into Grand Isle State Park Campground, met some great people and trees on the beach, and at night, communed with the spirit of a magical tree.
New York State welcomed me with colorful fruit stands and pristine glacial lakes, The Keene furniture stores featured a rich and authentic mountain culture, clearly not for vegetarians, though. Far from the lights of the Big Apple, my new campsite at Drape’s Acres was a picth dark, desolate post-season affair.
Climbing two sections of Mount Whiteface, I saw how Nature takes after the Olympic human enterprise, how sunrays reflect back from mountain valleys into space and how a cloud collector in the Adirondacks measures pollution blowing over from Shanghai.
Leaving the Adirondacks, I took a farewell, breath-taking plunge into the astounding Cascade Lake, then relocated to the Thousand Islands Campground, where Johnny Depp welcomed me in the bathroom and a seamstress prayer. A beautiful sunset hung over one of the 1000 islands in the nearby state park. .
Clayton Jazz Festival: Kimberly Hawkey, the 10th Mountain Division Jazz band and Studio G from Nashville, all sounded their music over the St Lawrence, as barges were going downstream, then played and sang at night in Clayton’s hangouts. Also brief visit to Lake Onatario and an October Fest in Cape Vincent.
Staying at two Maine private campgrounds, Lobster Buoy and MountainView, I had my first American camping experiences, got acquainted with this wondrous Atlantic coast, and its significant tides, and learned from kids about burrowing clams. Also, Lobster Weekend, Owl’s Head lighthouse and the awesome Fort Knox bridge.
Choosing not to challenge the coyotes on the coastal road, I drove up Cape Breton’s East Coast – watched the seagulls fly against the picturesque lighthouse at Neil’s Harbor, saw the stunning rocks at Green Point (keeping in mind the rouge waves!!!), and closed the day over drink and music at the Atlantic Restaurant by the Keltic Lodge.
Meat Cove, Cape Breton – The End of the World. Winds, waves, rocks jutting into an unconstrained ocean, a group of wonderful tenters perched up on cliffs… Walking by the beach and up a mountain;, sharing about “life” with a mysterious fellow traveller; enjoying a dinner by the fire with friendly expats.
The Cabot Trail is one of the most scenic routes in the world. It is impossible to drive around without stopping again and again, taking pictures and breathing it all in. Even if you just come for a day, the Cabot Trail lookouts make your trip worthy.
Gampo Abbey, Cape Breton. An inspirational visit to a Buddhist monastery and stupa located in Pleasant Bay, off the Cabot Trail., Grounds are beautifully maintained, creating a sense of the sacred. A nice climb leads to a mountain shrine. Stone panels in the stupa yard are inscribed with spiritual messages.
Western Cabot Trail is rich with history, geology and beauty. You can’t go wrong, but I was the only one walking the historical La Buttreau, visiting the ruins of Acadian fishemen’s houses. On the popular Skyline Trail we fought the winds and the rain . A cozy social evening at Le Gabriele closed the day.
Beauty upon beauty in the “horizontal” walk of Greeley Ponds. Enjoying the incredible vistas of gathering storm clouds over forested mountains, and huddling together with a group of scouts in a rain shelter, I started this incredibly rewarding walk in the rain, but soon it was dry enough to enjoy both the macro and the micro worlds that kept emerging around me, as well as some socializing opportunities..
I did not really conquer that peak – the Mount Washington Guided Tour van did – but I got a view and a future challenge. It was a tough decision making process. I strolled around the summit, famous for its extreme weather, watched the cogwheel train, took pictures.
Intending to get to one place and reaching another, I was lucky to find myself on top of the amazing Cathedral Ledge, seeing a magnificent vista. Also a highly interesting social encounter with a female rock climber and a night drive on a desolate road.
Last sortie into the White Mountains at the magical Lost River Gorge and Caves easy access reserve. Roots make impossible overground journeys to provide trees with grounding and nutrients, water cascades down tunnels to erupt in beautiful waterfalls, boulders conceal caves, crevasses.
Lake Champlain Islands, VT. I reconnected with my water element on this set of beautiful islands, replete with history, geology, nature and atmsophere. I settled into Grand Isle State Park Campground, met some great people and trees on the beach, and at night, communed with the spirit of a magical tree.
New York State welcomed me with colorful fruit stands and pristine glacial lakes, The Keene furniture stores featured a rich and authentic mountain culture, clearly not for vegetarians, though. Far from the lights of the Big Apple, my new campsite at Drape’s Acres was a picth dark, desolate post-season affair.
Climbing two sections of Mount Whiteface, I saw how Nature takes after the Olympic human enterprise, how sunrays reflect back from mountain valleys into space and how a cloud collector in the Adirondacks measures pollution blowing over from Shanghai.
Leaving the Adirondacks, I took a farewell, breath-taking plunge into the astounding Cascade Lake, then relocated to the Thousand Islands Campground, where Johnny Depp welcomed me in the bathroom and a seamstress prayer. A beautiful sunset hung over one of the 1000 islands in the nearby state park. .
Clayton Jazz Festival: Kimberly Hawkey, the 10th Mountain Division Jazz band and Studio G from Nashville, all sounded their music over the St Lawrence, as barges were going downstream, then played and sang at night in Clayton’s hangouts. Also brief visit to Lake Onatario and an October Fest in Cape Vincent.