Monday, June 22 (Herkimer KOA): Today we are going to the diamond mine, but since we haven’t been jogging as often as we should, we decided to run first. The KOA office had told us about a nice trail along the Erie Canal in Herkimer, so after our morning coffee, off we went. The trail/path was almost all paved, very scenic, and about 2 miles one way. After the refreshing four mile loop, we returned to shower, then headed to the mine. We paid our $9.00 each admission, which included a wrist band, a small sledge hammer, and a specimen bag. After hearing an introductory talk instead of the usual video, along with another couple and about 50 elementary school kids, we headed to mine #3. Mine #1 looked closed down, but #3 had just opened ... read more

Saturday, June 20 (White Mountains Day 2): Today is our day to tour the Northern and part of the Central regions of the White Mountains. First, we headed up to Lancaster to check out the Fuller’s Sugarhouse and their real maple syrup. Lancaster was a nice small town and Fuller’s had a great assortment of maple syrups and products. We ended up buying a larger jug of medium amber for our girls and smaller jugs of light amber and Grade B for us. Soon after we left Lancaster on our way to see the Mt. Washington Cog Railway, we noticed a car stopped on the right side of the road with what appeared to be 3 ladies. Figuring at first that they had car trouble, I slowed down and realized that they were stopped to photograph ... read more

Thursday, June 18 (Boston KOA to Littleton/Lisbon KOA): We left the Boston/Cape Cod KOA about 9am, heading towards our next KOA in Littleton, New Hampshire, with stops along the way at Laconia and Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. We stopped in Laconia to visit my mother’s grave, then on to Wolfeboro to visit the town where I was born. I can’t say I was born and raised there, since I only lived there a couple weeks after I was born. Wolfeboro or Wolfeborough depending on where you look, is America’s oldest resort town. Although still quite small, it does have a certain charm, being on Lake Winnipesaukee and still comprised of mostly older buildings. We browsed the shops a bit, then decided to have lunch at the Wolfeboro Diner. I had one of my old favorites that my ... read more

Tuesday, 16 June (Minutemen & Butterflies): We were a bit lazy this morning and didn’t leave the KOA until after 9am. Heading up I-495 to avoid the Boston-bound traffic on I-95, our first stop was Concord. After checking with the visitor’s center for maps and handouts, we walked up Monument Street to the North Bridge, where the Revolutionary War was started with “the shot heard round the world”. Although not the original North Bridge, it was a neat site with a reconstructed bridge and the famous Minuteman statue of a colonial farmer with a plow in one hand and a musket in the other. They even have an audio you can play describing the events that took place there on my birthday, April 19th, 1775. Not my birth year of course, but it is my birth ... read more

Sunday, 14 June (NYC KOA to Mystic & Boston/Cape Cod KOA): We left the NYC KOA around 9am, heading for Mystic, Connecticut before our next home base at the Boston/Cape Cod KOA in Middleboro (or Middleborough depending on where you look). The trip to Mystic was pretty much uneventful, not even getting GPS lost. Our first stop was Mystic Pizza for lunch at this famous eatery from the movie by the same name. Mystic is very picturesque, but doesn’t offer much in historic or other sights, although the traffic was pretty heavy. We shared a Greek salad and a Mediterranean pizza, both of which were quite good and inexpensive. I even got another flattened penny for my growing collection. After lunch and a brief stroll, including a stop to watch the drawbridge open and close, we ... read more