New England Fall Road Trip (Lotsa Pics)

I had been looking forward to a trip like this with my wife (and now infant son) for many years. We got some super cheap flights back in March when air travel started tanking. The plan was originally to drive all the way to Montreal, but with the border closed we had to shift things around. Decided on 2 nights in Portland, ME, 1 in Burlington, VT, and 2 in Goshen, NH (middle of state, not far from Dartmouth, off the beaten path).

I make this thread to share some pics, but also to encourage people to travel if they want to, regardless of what "restrictions" the area might have in place. The people we talked to could not have been any more welcoming or happy we were visiting. Even with our Florida rental car plates. The only time it was even a slight issue was when I had to fill out a form at the Burlington hotel stating I quarantined before arrival for 2 weeks.

All in all, it was a great trip (and a successful sales pitch to my wife) that was a mix of city life, exploring nature, and scenic drives. Outside of the day we arrived, the weather was perfect, high 60s down to low 40s overnight, and pretty much always sunny.

Portland
We flew into Providence, RI, October 7th and headed to Tree House Brewing Company in Central Mass. Only to-go due to Covid, but always wise to stock up on beer in the beginning of the trip. I wasn't expecting good color yet in Rhode Island, but we were pleasantly surprised. It was a nice ramp up for what we would see in the next few days.

After that we drove to Portland. We grabbed some beers and pizza at Rising Tide Brewing. This, and most places, were outdoor only, but they had tents set up with space heaters. It was great to see a lot of people out and about on a Thursday. Austin Street Brewing is right next door, but we had to save that for the next day since they both closed at 8.

Went to breakfast the next day at Hot Suppa (great food, long wait) and then walked around the city and moseyed down to the wharf. Lovely and clean city with lots of great history.






Next up, we decided to go to the local lighthouses. There are three that are 5 minutes from each other so we were able to make them all before sunset. Started with Portland Head. Beautiful birches in the grounds of the park:



And of course, the shot every photographer must take.



This is Spring Head light, which is actually on a college campus.



And Bug Light, tiny little fella, but has great views of the city behind you, and a great park where a lot of locals were out playing and walking their dogs.



After that, we passed by Eventide, which had a crazy long line. So we decided to order to go and eat at the airbnb. The lobster roll was as excellent as we were told, but I should have known it would be small for only $15. Two would have really hit the spot. We also got chowder and lobster stew, which was delicious.

Next morning we had a leisurely drive to Grafton Notch State Park. Just stopping a long the way for anything that was interesting (and maple syrup, of course). Having a 8 month old with us, we were not doing too crazy of a hike, but they have a decent waterfall section and trail right off the road. It is a beautiful park with some serious terrain for those up for more adventure.









We left there and made our longest drive of 3.5 hours to Burlington, VT. The drive was a bit tedious, but filled with great views and even 4 mile stretch of dirt roads.




Clearly past peak in Northern New Hampshire, but I'm sure this hotel was a thing of beauty a week or so prior. Not sure of the name, but it was on Umbagogg Lake.



This is the last photo I got before the sun went down. Which was a shame, because things were really starting to blossom in Vermont. We stopped in Stowe to have dinner, but it was already dark, so we didn't get to see anything there.