Wedding Trip to Maine

Banners at Killington Mountain
(Bill Gast you need to take your bike here!)

Tom and Linda at peak of Killington Mountain

We took a week off  from boating  to attend our niece, Leah’s, wedding in Wells, Maine.  With Raydiance  securely tied at dock in Collins Bay Marina,  a few miles west of Kingston, we hopped in our Jeep Grand Cherokee rental (thanks to Mike Long!)  and headed east.  The first night (Wednesday, the 11^th) we happened upon a wonderful bed and breakfast along the Champlain Islands—North Hero House.  Highly recommend it—delicious breakfast, comfortable beds and a beautiful location.

North Hero House

View from front of B and B

Vermont is absolutely gorgeous.  Our only timetable was to meet Rich in Manchester, NH Friday around noon, so we had lots of time to mosey around back roads and check out the Green Mountains.  We went by Killington ski area and decided to ride the gondola to the top.  View was great.  Then we happened upon Quechee Gorge State Park.  Pretty amazing drop! We kept seeing “Brake for Moose” signs, but the only moose we saw was wooden!

Green Mountains of Vermont

Quechee Gorge

Right! There are no moose in Vermont!

Friday we picked Rich up from the airport and Haley (having come by train from NYC) at Exeter and made a few stops along the coast of Maine at a fort and the beach.  Being the week-end the traffic was heavy which didn't put our chauffeur (a.k.a. Tom)  in a good mood.  So, on we went to Wells and cleaned up to attend the rehearsal dinner.

Rich and Haley at seashore

Hi Haley!  Are you locked in the fort?

Lighthouse on island at entrance to bay in Maine

Saturday sister Sarah joined us for breakfast and Nancy dropped in with her grandbaby, Maddie.  He is nine months and adorable.  We were put in charge while she helped Leah get ready.  What a trusting soul!  As you can see the baby tuckered out as did the caregiver.

Baby Maddox in our care!

Naptime!

The wedding was held outside on the grounds of the resort—rather warm, but the ceremony was short.   Leah looked stunning and Mike was very handsome.

Nancy and Leah

Grandpa and Maddie

Mike and Best Man

Nancy walking Leah to altar

Check out the starfish bride and groom!

Sunday “the fam” met in Portsmouth, NH for breakfast at Betty’s Kitchen.  Check out the sign.  Would you eat there after seeing that?  Actually it was very good.  How bad can lobster eggs benedict be?  I know, cholesterol!!!!

The fam after breakfast at Betty's
Haley, Aunt Nancy, Brian, Linda, Tom, Uncle  Rich, Aunt Sarah

Would you eat here?

  After parting ways with Haley back at Exeter and Rich at Manchester, we decided to explore northern New Hampshire on the way back.   This time we were in the White Mountains.  Coming across the road leading to the top of Mt. Washington, the highest peak in New England, we thought “Why not?”  So up, up, up the poor little rental car went, 6000+ feet with no guard rails.  It was chilly at the top (around 56 degrees), but the view was worth the drive and the brakes held up on the way down!!  The sign at the top tells that the highest winds ever recorded were on Mt. Washington—in excess of 230 mph.

Cog railroad leaving peak of Mt. Washington

High winds record sign

Yikes! No guard rails.

Rental car alone in parking lot.

View from the top

 We arrived back in Kingston late Monday night.  Tuesday was incredibly hot—a record 102.  And the air-conditioning chose to act up.  So Tom waited for the repairman while Connie and I went out on the town to celebrate my birthday.  Connie and her phantom husband (as we call him since we have never really met him!) had the boat next to us in Key West and Connie was part of the La-Ti-Da adventure.  They have a house near Kingston, so I had made plans to meet her upon our return.  Great woman with equally great boating stories!

Connie and Linda

Wednesday we left Collins Bay to begin the next part of the saga—The Trent-Severn Waterway.