We knew we nonetheless had 3 extra states to do, and we knew we had been working out of time. Our aim to finish the 48 was near being doomed. Thanks to Covid, our 2020 journey ANYWHERE was cancelled. All three of us important employees didn’t have a possibility to take day off, and with restrictions all over the place, it wasn’t value it anyway.
We had saved the Northeast for the final of the 48 as a result of they had been simple in our ebook. We dwell native sufficient, we will do them at any time when. Or so we thought. Now right here we’re, 1 month till Jayden graduates High School, 3 states to go, no time to spare, and a promise unfinished.
If Doug and I, you’d know that the unfinished promise is simply unacceptable. We might not all the time do issues conventionally, however we do them our manner, and we maintain our guarantees. Jayden has been promised the continental 48 BEFORE commencement, Alaska FOR commencement, after which… when he’s wealthy and well-known he has the accountability of getting us to Hawaii. Good deal, proper?
What’s left? Jayden wants Maine, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Doug truly wants New Hampshire too. So, right here we go! House is in the marketplace, realtor would like we had been out of the home for the weekend so we don’t should maintain taking the canine across the block throughout showings, so a possibility has risen.
The Plan
Doug discovered a KOA simply over the New Hampshire boarder into Maine. That will properly present us a spot to name base for the Friday night time, and we will see a number of issues in New Hampshire and bounce over the state line and do a number of issues in Maine. We plan to go away New Jersey on Thursday night as soon as we’re all dwelling from work and college and taking good care of our appointments. Per Google, it’s a 6 hour drive to the campground; however, that’s with out stopping and with out towing a camper. We know we might be shifting slower than the vehicles round us and can possible have to cease on our manner up for a nap on the very least. But it places us on the street!
Saturday morning, get up early, hook up, and get on the street by means of Vermont to cease and see the in-laws for a fast minute, again on the street and get the camper all the way down to Mystic Connecticut. We wish to drop the camper, and hustle again out and again north to Massachusetts and do a number of issues up there for the night earlier than going again to Mystic for the night time.
Sunday morning, get up in Mystic, pack up and put together the camper for departure, however go away it on the campground. Head into Rhode Island for some breakfast and sightseeing. Back to the camper in time for checkout, hook-up and head again towards New Jersey….
The Reality
Our plan was pretty spectacular and actually, in all probability a bit too bold. But.. We DID full the 48! Some changes wanted to be made on the fly. It’s a road-trip, it occurs, and ought to be anticipated.
We managed to get on the street about 2 hours sooner than anticipated on Thursday. Initially we thought this was nice, it could present us with extra time in Maine and New Hampshire! Then, after being on the street for about an hour we appeared on the GPS and it dawned on us that we actually solely gained time in the course of the night time when you possibly can’t do something anyway! First change within the itinerary. We stopped at a Cracker Barrel for dinner (a road-trip MUST HAVE in our household). While sitting there ready for our meals we got here up with a newish plan. We didn’t utterly alter all the pieces, however we determined to search for a spot to simply crash Thursday night time. Both Doug and I pulled out our telephones and began on the lookout for a KOA alongside our route, BINGO! We discovered a KOA Journey. We left dinner, and located our method to the KOA. When we went to mattress, we made it identified to Jayden and his girlfriend that we’d be up early.. for them at the very least.
Friday morning – up at 6am, woke the children at 7am after taking the canine for a pleasant wholesome stroll and hit the street once more. Plugged our Maine campground into the GPS and hit the street. While Doug was driving, I pulled out my telephone and began poking round on our Harvest Host app. I don’t know that I used to be on the lookout for something particularly, however I used to be wanting. We booked this fast journey on the final minute and utterly forgot about Harvest Host. So I suppose I actually needed to see what we had missed out on. Well, what, we missed out on loads! I discovered a farm that was solely a few 30 minute detour off of our deliberate route. Based on the GPS, we had been on monitor to reach to the campground MUCH too early for even an early check-in, so I known as! Snow Pond Farm in Windham New Hampshire. The info on Harvest Host stated we had been out of season for them, and to ensure to name forward for doable availability. If this labored out, Jayden was going to be childishly excited, Doug was going to check-off New Hampshire, and we’d now be arriving on the campground at an affordable time to hopefully be capable to go straight to our website.
Snow Pond Farm is an Alpaca farm. They even have chickens, however fairly frankly, we had been extra occupied with seeing the alpaca’s. Jayden has had a ridiculous obsession with them since he was younger. I consider it began when he realized that they spit… But regardless of the precise cause could also be, having the chance to cease in and examine them out was proper up his alley. Guess what! They advised us they might be out there and that we might make the cease. Insert second change within the itinerary. We made our manner by means of a improvement with our huge truck and our even greater camper, and located Snow Pond Farm.
I’ll admit, we had been a bit hesitant. We had been on a cul-de-sac, in a improvement, in entrance of somebody’s home… I known as once more and was advised to move across the left facet of the home, and we might take a look at the alpaca’s. Ok! So that’s what we did. There had been 15 females, 9 males, 2 infants. It was nice! One brown one was rolling round within the grime making a ruckus, having fun with the day and the solar on his stomach. There wasn’t a lot else, however we took a number of footage, gave the canine an excellent stroll, took a break from being within the truck. The info on Harvest Host stated that they’ve merchandise that they promote, however I’ve to imagine that as a result of we had been there off season, that wasn’t an possibility. We hopped again within the truck and completed the journey to Maine with New Hampshire formally checked off of all of our lists!
We pulled into the KOA Holiday in Lebanon Maine at virtually precisely 1pm. They had a website out there for us for an early check-in. We bought the rig all disconnected and arrange. The children ran to the shop to seize firewood for later, Doug took Lagertha for a stroll, and I began getting a crockpot dinner collectively. With all of us working collectively, we bought all the pieces accomplished shortly. In Maine, our plan was to move as much as Acadia National Park. After talking with the stunning girls within the workplace, they knowledgeable us that it was one other 4 hour drive from the place we had been. It was encroaching on 2pm already, it could have been 6pm earlier than we arrived there, and 10pm if we did nothing however flip round and head again to camp… Insert itinerary change quantity 3. Back to Google we went. We had been 45 minutes from York Beach. Honestly, we knew nothing about it earlier than we bought there, however as soon as once more, we weren’t disillusioned. It is a fantastic little seashore city with lovely outlets throughout. We spent a while on the seashore horsing round, taking within the sights, and taking a few footage. We walked across the city, by means of some outlets, bought our souvenirs, and made our manner again to camp. The drive each instructions was nice. We all love being off of the freeway and driving by means of little cities, and that’s precisely what we had been capable of expertise. Thankful for the crockpot, dinner was sizzling and prepared once we bought again to camp.
Saturday morning, with 2 states checked off and a couple of extra to go, we connected, jumped again within the truck and headed south. From right here on out, we did handle to stay to the itinerary. So a fast go to with household in Vermont, a lunch cease at Cracker Barrel, in fact. And stored on trucking all the way down to Mystic Connecticut. Once once more we dropped the camper and needed to leap again within the truck to remain on monitor. This time, it was going to be one other haul, simply with out the camper. Back as much as Massachusetts we went. After already driving THROUGH Mass., we wanted to now go DO one thing for it to depend. It was a 2 hour drive to Boston. When we had been on the Cracker Barrel for lunch our waiter advised us to take a look at the Seaport, in order that’s the place we headed. We walked across the seaport for a short time, however with out reservations, catching dinner wasn’t actually going to be an possibility. It is a really stunning space with a ton of eateries, and bars. Looking out over the water is beautiful. But… We had been in Boston… I’ve made Doug go to NY and Chicago for pizza, Philly for cheesesteak, I HAD to have some chowder.
Things occur for a cause. We didn’t know we would wish reservations to eat anyplace close to the seaport. Our fault, we didn’t look it up. Instead we walked round Boston hungry. We walked previous the Boston Tea Party Museum, frolicked with Sam Adams, and stumbled upon the South Street Diner. Maybe it’s as a result of we’re from NJ, self-proclaimed Diner Capital of the World, however consuming at a diner simply all the time appears good! Doug had Apple Pie for dinner, Jayden had Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes, Nikki had a Happy Waitress, and me – I GOT MY CHOWDAH! None of us had been disillusioned, the meals was outrageous, our waitress was hysterical, and now, Massachusetts was checked off. Back to the truck for the two hour drive again to camp.
Sunday Funday. Last day of our journey. One state left. How we managed this, I don’t know, however we unintentionally saved the smallest state for final. You might sneeze and utterly miss driving by means of Rhode Island, however don’t let it idiot you! It packs a mighty punch within these borders. It is the thirteenth state in our Union, so it has plenty of historical past. We selected Newport, Rhode Island to complete up our grand expedition. It was a forty five minute drive from the Mystic KOA. We opted to simply pay for the location by means of Monday so we wouldn’t have to fret about pulling out earlier than check-out.
We’ve seen Josh Gates and Scott Wolter each discuss in regards to the Newport tower on the Science and History channel. No one actually is aware of who constructed it, when it was constructed, and even the aim it was constructed. One of America’s mysteries. But we had been there with Lagertha round 10am for a beautiful stroll down outdated cobblestone roads to test it out and see it for ourselves. Newport has positively realized to cater to vacationers, however one way or the other they’ve additionally managed to maintain their little metropolis feeling quaint and historic within the course of. It was a enjoyable place to stroll round, and bounce out and in of little outlets, some with water bowls outdoors to your 4-legged companions to hydrate. They have public restrooms all through the downtown space too, so that you aren’t in fixed seek for a store that can permit you to use theirs. We settled on O’Brien’s Pub for lunch. Pet pleasant with an amazing outside patio space. Our drinks had been chilly and our meals was yummy. Personally, I wasn’t going to go away New England with out having a Lobster Roll… But everybody else settled on a burger.
One final cease in a memento store to select up our treasures and that was it. For actual. That was it. We did it. We accomplished the continental 48! Holy sh*t! With precisely one month to spare earlier than Jayden graduates High School, we had made good on our promise. We didn’t do plenty of something in any of the states. In truth, we had simply barely scratched the floor for all of them, however We Did It!
This voyage was a real Cannonball Run. We drove and drove after which drove some extra, however we did a number of issues and noticed a number of extra. Mostly, we in all probability ate in a pair new locations, however that’s okay too. We had a ton of enjoyable being collectively, attempting out the brand new camper, seeing new locations, and actually – simply not being dwelling. Don’t be afraid to simply leap within the automobile and see the belongings you wish to see, do what you wish to do, or take a look at some notorious eats! Now to move again dwelling and see how the realtor made out with the showings, and discover out simply how quickly our subsequent chapter begins.
What have you ever accomplished or seen in these states? We know we missed loads, and we all know we might be again, so do you will have strategies for subsequent time?