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. Because of Covid, our 2020 journey ANYWHERE was cancelled. All three of us important employees didn’t have a chance to take time without work, and with restrictions in every single 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 straightforward in our e-book. We reside native sufficient, we will do them every time. Or so we thought. Now right here we’re, 1 month till Jayden graduates Excessive College, 3 states to go, no time to spare, and a promise unfinished.
If you already know Doug and I, you’ll know that the unfinished promise is simply unacceptable. We might not all the time do issues conventionally, however we do them our approach, 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 duty of getting us to Hawaii. Whole lot, proper?
What’s left? Jayden wants Maine, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Doug really wants New Hampshire too. So, right here we go! Home is in the marketplace, realtor would favor we had been out of the home for the weekend so we don’t must maintain taking the canine across the block throughout showings, so a chance has risen.
The Plan
Doug discovered a KOA simply over the New Hampshire boarder into Maine. That may properly present us a spot to name base for the Friday evening, and we will see just a few issues in New Hampshire and bounce over the state line and do just a few issues in Maine. We plan to go away New Jersey on Thursday night as soon as we’re all residence from work and college and caring for 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 all know we shall be transferring slower than the vehicles round us and can possible must cease on our approach up for a nap on the very least. However it places us on the highway!
Saturday morning, get up early, hook up, and get on the highway by means of Vermont to cease and see the in-laws for a fast minute, again on the highway and get the camper all the way down to Mystic Connecticut. We need to drop the camper, and hustle again out and again north to Massachusetts and do just a few issues up there for the night earlier than going again to Mystic for the evening.
Sunday morning, get up in Mystic, pack up and put together the camper for departure, however depart it on the campground. Head into Rhode Island for some breakfast and sightseeing. Again to the camper in time for checkout, hook-up and head again towards New Jersey….
The Actuality
Our plan was pretty spectacular and actually, most likely just a little too bold. However.. We DID full the 48! Some changes wanted to be made on the fly. It’s a road-trip, it occurs, and needs to be anticipated.
We managed to get on the highway about 2 hours sooner than anticipated on Thursday. Initially we thought this was nice, it will present us with extra time in Maine and New Hampshire! Then, after being on the highway 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 evening 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). Whereas sitting there ready for our meals we got here up with a newish plan. We didn’t fully alter all the pieces, however we determined to search for a spot to simply crash Thursday evening. Each Doug and I pulled out our telephones and began searching for a KOA alongside our route, BINGO! We discovered a KOA Journey. We left dinner, and located our method to the KOA. Once we went to mattress, we made it recognized to Jayden and his girlfriend that we’d be up early.. for them not less than.
Friday morning – up at 6am, woke the children at 7am after taking the canine for a pleasant wholesome stroll and hit the highway once more. Plugged our Maine campground into the GPS and hit the highway. Whereas Doug was driving, I pulled out my cellphone and began poking round on our Harvest Host app. I don’t know that I used to be searching for something specifically, however I used to be wanting. We booked this fast journey on the final minute and fully forgot about Harvest Host. So I suppose I actually wished to see what we had missed out on. Nicely, you already know what, we missed out on so much! I discovered a farm that was solely a few 30 minute detour off of our deliberate route. Primarily 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 data on Harvest Host stated we had been out of season for them, and to ensure to name forward for attainable availability. If this labored out, Jayden was going to be childishly excited, Doug was going to check-off New Hampshire, and we might now be arriving on the campground at an inexpensive time to hopefully be capable of go straight to our website.
Snow Pond Farm is an Alpaca farm. Additionally they have chickens, however fairly frankly, we had been extra eager about 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… However regardless of the precise motive could also be, having the chance to cease in and test them out was proper up his alley. Guess what! They instructed us they might be accessible and that we may make the cease. Insert second change within the itinerary. We made our approach by means of a growth with our massive truck and our even greater camper, and located Snow Pond Farm.
I’ll admit, we had been just a little hesitant. We had been on a cul-de-sac, in a growth, in entrance of somebody’s home… I known as once more and was instructed to go across the left aspect of the home, and we may try the alpaca’s. Okay! In order that’s what we did. There have been 15 females, 9 males, 2 infants. It was nice! One brown one was rolling round within the dust making a ruckus, having fun with the day and the solar on his stomach. There wasn’t a lot else, however we took just a few photos, gave the canine a superb stroll, took a break from being within the truck. The data 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 Vacation in Lebanon Maine at virtually precisely 1pm. That they had a website accessible for us for an early check-in. We obtained 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 obtained all the pieces carried out rapidly. In Maine, our plan was to go as much as Acadia Nationwide Park. After talking with the beautiful women 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 will 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. Again to Google we went. We had been 45 minutes from York Seaside. Actually, we knew nothing about it earlier than we obtained there, however as soon as once more, we weren’t upset. It’s a lovely little seashore city with lovely retailers throughout. We spent a while on the seashore horsing round, taking within the sights, and taking a few photos. We walked across the city, by means of some retailers, bought our souvenirs, and made our approach again to camp. The drive each instructions was nice. All of us love being off of the freeway and driving by means of little cities, and that’s precisely what we had been capable of expertise. Grateful for the crockpot, dinner was sizzling and prepared after we obtained again to camp.
Saturday morning, with 2 states checked off and a couple of extra to go, we attached, 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 saved on trucking all the way down to Mystic Connecticut. As soon as once more we dropped the camper and needed to bounce again within the truck to remain on monitor. This time, it was going to be one other haul, simply with out the camper. Again as much as Massachusetts we went. After already driving THROUGH Mass., we would have liked to now go DO one thing for it to depend. It was a 2 hour drive to Boston. Once we had been on the Cracker Barrel for lunch our waiter instructed 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’s a very lovely space with a ton of eateries, and bars. Looking over the water is beautiful. However… 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.
Issues occur for a motive. We didn’t know we would want reservations to eat wherever close to the seaport. Our fault, we didn’t look it up. As a substitute we walked round Boston hungry. We walked previous the Boston Tea Celebration Museum, frolicked with Sam Adams, and stumbled upon the South Avenue Diner. Possibly 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 excellent! Doug had Apple Pie for dinner, Jayden had Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes, Nikki had a Pleased Waitress, and me – I GOT MY CHOWDAH! None of us had been upset, the meals was outrageous, our waitress was hysterical, and now, Massachusetts was checked off. Again to the truck for the two hour drive again to camp.
Sunday Funday. Final day of our journey. One state left. How we managed this, I do not know, however we unintentionally saved the smallest state for final. You could possibly sneeze and fully miss driving by means of Rhode Island, however don’t let it idiot you! It packs a mighty punch within these borders. It’s the thirteenth state in our Union, so it has a whole lot 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 positioning 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 Historical past channel. Nobody actually is aware of who constructed it, when it was constructed, and even the aim it was constructed. One in all America’s mysteries. However we had been there with Lagertha round 10am for an exquisite stroll down outdated cobblestone roads to test it out and see it for ourselves. Newport has positively realized to cater to vacationers, however someway 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 retailers, some with water bowls outdoors to your 4-legged companions to hydrate. They’ve public restrooms all through the downtown space too, so that you aren’t in fixed seek for a store that can mean you can use theirs. We settled on O’Brien’s Pub for lunch. Pet pleasant with a fantastic 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… However everybody else settled on a burger.
One final cease in a memento store to choose 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 Excessive College, we had made good on our promise. We didn’t do a whole lot of something in any of the states. Actually, 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 just a few issues and noticed just a few extra. Principally, we most likely 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 residence. Don’t be afraid to simply bounce within the automotive and see the stuff you need to see, do what you need to do, or try some notorious eats! Now to go again residence and see how the realtor made out with the showings, and discover out simply how quickly our subsequent chapter begins.
What have you ever carried out or seen in these states? We all know we missed so much, and we all know we shall be again, so do you have got recommendations for subsequent time?