Hiking the Whites, Paul McCartney, Puppies and more!

Phase 2 of the honeymoon begins in Berlin, NH  near the Androscoggin River in Coos County and only 60 miles south of Quebec Canada.  Neither of us having been here before, we were anxious to explore the area.  Plans had been made to meet up with some friends from our hiking group for 5 days of hikes, camaraderie, celebrations and good times.  We parked the RV at Jericho Campground.  It is a new campground set on a beautiful lake which adorns a beach for swimming and kayaking.  We set up camp, explored the area and proceeded on our way for some hiking.  Pictured below is the view from our campsite!

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With Cashmere and Jubilee in tow, we began our hike.  The weather was HOT and HUMID and the black flies were out of control!  Luckily, streams and lakes abutted the trails so we were able to get some reprieve from the oppressive heat.  The trail was littered with moose scat and prints of both moose and deer.  However, we were hiking midday, so none were to be seen.

We gathered each evening with our friends around the campfire.

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Nightly pot luck dinners and games of LRC assured us with full bellies, laughs and good times!

Our evenings were filled with beautiful sunsets.

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Each day we hiked and knocked off some of our 52 With a View (WAV) peaks.  Because of the humidity, the hikes were a bit tough, and one in particular that went straight up the entire way.  No switch back trails to give us some reprieve.  Red faced and out of breath, we summit the peak and the view made it all worth while.

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We even stumbled across some moose!

  7 over 2 days to be exact!

We also found some time for mountain biking in Vermont!

Don't let the green trails fool you!  The trails were technical and challenging in some spots.

 A low point though was witnessing a deer struck and killed by a car 10 feet away from us.  Even more heartbreaking was discovering her milk sacs full and knowing there was a fawn somewhere bedded down in the woods that would be waiting for her mother to return.  I searched for her to no avail.  I have to believe in my heart that another doe fostered the orphan. 

A beautiful double rainbow after an afternoon shower.

Despite the 19 black fly bites that adorned my body, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in The White Mountains of New Hampshire.  The friendships we strengthened and the fun and exercise made for a wonderful 5 days.  However, all good things must come to an end....and we were on our way back home to see Paul McCartney in concert at Fenway Stadium....floor seating, row 23 no less!

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He played for 2 1/2 hours as we sang along and rocked out to the oldies but goodies.  Fabulous show!

We got home very late, only to be awakened early by my beautiful golden retriever Story who was letting us know that today was the day that she was going to have her puppies!

On July 10th she delivered 10 beautiful puppies via C-Section.  The "Travel Litter" had finally arrived after months of planning and preparation.  This breeding is very special to us as the sire, Asterling's Wild Blue Yonder "James"  is the most winning golden in the history of the breed and also the grandfather of Story. Although he died back in 1992, through the advancements of modern medicine, we were able to do a surgical insemination with frozen semen and have been blessed with a beautiful line breeding of 10 puppies! Over the next couple weeks we will be slowing our lifestyle down a bit as we concentrate on this litter with the help of our dear friend Cindy.  Then in early August we will be continuing our honeymoon with a cruise to the Eastern Carribean.

Last Day on the Island

Being here a week, we have come to love this Island and all that it has to offer.  We have seen the best and the worst.  We have talked with locals, tourists and everyone in between to get the real feel of the Island.  With our ferry scheduled to leave in the evening we decided to hop on our bikes for one last adventure.  We headed towards the Bluffs.....East Chop and West Chop.  A beautiful ride cliff side along the ocean.

We rode for about 3 hours taking in the sights and discovering hide away places....including Carly Simon's homestead.  Of course, we couldn't get a close up look, but it was fun knowing we stumbled upon it.  I don't think I could find it again if you asked me to. With so much of the Island not developed, there are miles and miles of dirt roads in which to explore.  We discovered some back roads that took us to Tamoosha Lake where locals were shelling for clams.  Ah, the authentic sights, smells and sounds of the Island that we have fallen in love with.  This has been a wonderful place to spend a honeymoon and we have totally enjoyed our time here.

Although Martha's Vineyard is a place for the rich and famous, for us it is a way of life and a place to find peace and solitude in a world of love!

With "Rhonda" on the ferry we watched as the ferry pulled away from the Island.  With it we take memories that will last a lifetime.  Because we did not make it to Nantucket as planned, we will return in September after the crowds have moved on.  In the distance we say good-bye to Martha's Vineyard.

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On the way home, we took a side trip to Plimouth Plantation for a trip back to the 17th century.

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Guy with his hands on Plymouth Rock

The village with the workers in costume having lunch that they prepared as they would of back in the 1600's.

A tombstone of a pilgrim who traveled here on The Mayflower.

We enjoyed our day at the plantation and were anxious to return home as our 5 day jaunt to The White Mountains was just a day away and preparations needed to be made.

Wealth and the Wompanoag

Waking up to rain on the roof of the RV and a forecast of intermittent showers throughout the day, we decided to play it safe and explore more of the island by car.  With the crowds arriving for the upcoming holiday weekend, we decided to go Up Island to the southwest section into Chillmark and Aqquinah two towns that are less populated and in my opinion the prettiest.  In fact, Chillmark resembles Ireland with the green rolling hills and sheep grazing in the meadow along cliff side ocean views with the mist rolling in.  Our first stop was Chillmark Chocolates for some succulent sweets.  Thanks Staci for the extra calories!!  Next stop was discovering John Belushi's grave.  An Idol of Saturday Night Live and one of the famous Blues Brothers who accidentally took his life with a drug overdose.  Such a waste of talent.  Pictured is his "grave sight" below.  I say this in quotes because this is only the sight for tourists to see.  Apparently, his grave sight was being desecrated with memorabilia and such and families of loved ones nearby began to complain.  So, his remains are in an unmarked grave nearby.  This little area with a tombstone is at the entrance to the cemetery to off set tourists.  Haha John, you get the last laugh!

The rain began to let up a bit and we headed to Menemsha for lunch at the Home Port Restaurant.  Freshly 

caught seafood adorned the menu and we enjoyed a seaside lunch.  We strolled the streets of this quaint fishing town and breathed in the fresh sea air.  We enjoyed talking with a local fisherman who was harvesting Oysters and he was so kind to explain the procedure to us of putting approximately 400 baby oysters into a series of cages that are stacked together and placed on the ocean floor for 18 months.  Throughout that time frame the cages are tumbled and turned in intervals to help with the growing process.

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The life of a fisherman is not easy work but a labor of love.  We are thankful to them as we have enjoyed the fruits of their labor all week. 

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You may recognize this little fishing hut at it was the scene of Captain Quint's house in the movie Jaws.  He was the owner of the boat that went on the fishing expedition of catching Jaws.

About 100 yards further up the dock a yacht purchased by Jackie Onasis after the death of Aristotle is moored.  This town is quite diverse in wealth and status.  A fine example of this is the plight of the Wampanoag Indians who have their reservation in Aquinnah.  The Ancestors of these people have lived here for at least 10,000 years pursuing a traditional economy based on fishing and agriculture.  According to the 1987 Settlement Act with the federal government there are approximately 485 acres of Tribal Lands including the Gay Head Cliffs which are instrumental in their heritage.  They believe they were born of the land and of the colorful clay that adorns the cliffs.  To this day, it is illegal for anyone but a Wampanoag to touch the sands of the cliff.

We toured the museum and talked with two decedents of the Wampanoag and learned of their culture, philosophies and plight of their nation.  They have such a love of this land and believe it is not theirs, but only  to borrow while they exist.  Quite different from the thinking of today's society who buys up land and erects homes too big for us to care for.  This was quite evident to us as our next stop was taking a tour of an "open house" for sale.  The listing price was 3.7 million and the house was nothing more than a 3 season shack that was unlivable.  The views were beautiful and the neighboring estate was owned by James Taylor. Such a contrast from the simplicity of the Wampanoags.  We talked with the realtor whose family has lived on the Island since the 1800's.  We learned much about the Islander's way of the life.....the haves....and the have nots.  We continued on our way touring the Island on this grey misty day.  This farm caught my eye and we stopped for a picture.  Probably one of the most favorite pictures I have taken.  

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Around the corner was a lone donkey standing in the rain...apparently enjoying the wetness as the shelter of his barn was less than 100 feet away.  We continued our countryside ride and stopped at a sheep farm where Guy bought a beautiful hand made wool vest that will be treasured and will remind him of our time on the Island each time he wears it.

  Leaving the solitude of Up Island, we headed to Edgartown for dinner at Alchemy's, a local upscale restaurant where dinner was over $200.....and we left hungry.  We strolled the streets, took in the sights of the beach side upscale homes and then called it a night.

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The true Islanders......are fisherman!

More Exploration of MV by Bike

The forecast calling for scattered rain showers, we decided to stay off the water but still be adventurous and travel by bike to explore more of the Island.  As luck would have it, the rain held off for the entire day and we were able to enjoy our 30 mile bike ride into many of the nook and cranny's of the Island.

Leaving from Vineyard Haven we traveled to Edgartown and took a tour of the Vincent House.  This is the only original home standing on the Island dating back to the early 1600's.  We took a trip back in time seeing what it was like to live in the era and all the hardship they had to endure.

  Next door and part of the tour was the Dr. Fisher house built in the early 1800's and exemplified wealth during that time. We strolled the beautiful gardens with all the flowers in full bloom.

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   Next door was one of the original Methodist churches which is still in operation today.

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Guy and I are pictured above in front of the newly restored mural that replicated the original of the early 1800's.  It had been painted with milk and whale oil and had deteriorated.  A picture of the mural was found in some archives and a local artist restored the mural and it was completed just last month.  We felt fortunate to be a part of the "opening viewing".  After our tour, we strolled along the shops of Edgartown and had lunch at Humphries and split their Gobbler Sandwich which consisted of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce on a home made roll.  It was like having a condensed Thanksgiving dinner.

Just down the street from the sandwich shop is a small church which houses several original Tiffany stained glass windows.  We reflected for a bit as we rested for awhile before heading back on our bikes to Oaks Bluff for some more exploration. 

Entering Oaks Bluff where the ferries arrive we noticed the increase in traffic.  This sleepy town of 18,000 residents increases to over 100,000 visitors during the summer months.  With a holiday weekend around the corner, the ferries are full with tourists arriving.  We have felt very fortunate to have been here during a slow week, however the weekend will be insane.  We have spent our last few days in the busy/touristy part of the island and as the crowds come in, we will spend the remainder of our time Up Island where the pace will remain much slower (hopefully).

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Pictured above is another scene from the movie "Jaws"  The bridge scene is now a place where kids jump from the bridge into the great white infested waters despite the sign forbidding it!!

Our wonderful bike ride came to an end just in time for us to shower and have our romantic dinner at Lamberts Cove Inn and Restaurant.  A restored old farmhouse away from the bustle of the crowds would prove to be a perfect spot for us.

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We had an amazing dinner and strolled the grounds afterwards.  The rebel in me took over and we sneaked into an empty room............the perfect ending to a perfect day!