A Few Comments from Our Customers 

NEW ENGLAND PRINTED:  I have received your packet (binder) and am in the process of looking through it. WOW! This is WAY more than I expected! Fantastic work from you two.  It will take me some time to get through all of it (I can hardly wait), but I will let you know if I have questions. Thanks again!
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(after taking the tour) Synopsis: This was one of the best trips we have ever taken. Though we deviated slightly from your basic outline, your work made our trip a booming success.  Thank you both so much for taking the time to research and prepare such a fine trip itinerary.

In Freeport, we spent a few hours in the L.L. Bean store complex (fantastic!), and then did a little shopping in the many stores there. We had lunch at the Harraseeket Lobster Co., as you suggested, and it was terrific! I now miss the taste of all that good lobster soooooo much! We also did the DeLorme store thing and it was OK.  Next, we traveled on up to Bar Harbor via Augusta, Bangor, and Ellsworth. We toured the Capitol building (State House) in Augusta, as well as the museum. We enjoyed both very much.

We set up camp at the Atlantic Oakes Resort in Bar Harbor, and then enjoyed four full days of touring everything in your book! That area was the “highlight” of our trip. We both hated having to leave. Acadia was wonderful (no disappointment there!). The Jordan Pond House Restaurant was unbelievably good! The drive up the “Down east” area was wonderful, too. We saw the Burnham Tavern; ate lunch at Helen’s Café; saw Lubec and the lighthouse, then did the Campobello thing in New Brunswick, which we enjoyed very much....The next day, we did the Maritime Coast Area and enjoyed that a lot, also. We opted not to do the museum in Searsport because it alone, would have taken the whole day there. We’ll do it on our next trip back there...We went all the way south to Camden, then back up. We had a fabulous lobster dinner just out of Belfast at “Young’s Lobster Pound.” Great! I think I counted 9 lobster dinners in all that I had on the trip, and I could go back now and have 9 more!!! I just truly loved them!

...The drive up the Androscoggin to Errol and then on to Dixville Notch and The Balsams was another “high point” on the trip. The day was bright and sunny and the colors were very good up that way. The Balsams was amazing! We walked in and saw the “Ballot Room” and all. Unfortunately, though, it has changed hands again, and they now require reservations for the Grand Buffet. I called a couple of days early, but they were all filled up with a convention of, “The Tax Collectors Association of New Hampshire.” Only the BEST for government people nowadays, I guess. Whatever happened to the days of cramming them into a cafeteria some place for their meetings? Oh, well. We did drive on up the beautiful little roadway to the Panorama Golf Course Clubhouse for a very good lunch. We’d like to go back and stay at The Balsams someday.  We enjoyed the day going back into Maine and taking Hwy 113 (I think it was) south to Evan’s Notch and Stow for lunch at that great little sandwich shop you suggested – wonderful! The best salami sandwich I have ever eaten!

One day we did the Mt. Washington thing via the tour van that runs up there. It was unbelievable! It was a clear day and we could see forever, it seemed. Not too windy, either. We also took a day and did the White Mountain thing from N. Conway to Bartlett, and on around to Franconia Notch and The Gorge Flume. Now that was something! Kind of a harsh hike for my old bones, but super scenic and interesting back there.... I personally thought that the drive along the Kancamagus Hwy. was one of the best back there! It was just gorgeous following the Swift River out there. One of my favorite drives of all time.

Onward, then into St. Johnsbury, VT. The little town was not a whole lot, either, but the new Comfort Inn and Suites outside of town on I-91 was very good....We did enjoy the walk through the Athenaeum and Art Gallery (beautiful). We also enjoyed the Dog Mountain thing and the tour through Maple Grove Farms factory. What else? Oh, we did do the Montpelier thing and enjoyed walking through the Capitol building. We finally found the restaurants run by the Culinary Institute, but they didn’t open until five, and we were too early for that experience. We also VERY much enjoyed our drive to Barre and the tour through the granite pit and manufacturing plant. It is a must for visitors to also walk through the Hope Cemetery in town to view the awesome monuments produced out of that factory. A must see! Unbelievable monuments!

One day we went north and out into the countryside to Lake Willoughby and then Island Pond enroute to Newport, then looped back south to Stowe and Waterbury Center to Ben & Jerry’s. It was just too busy with busses to take the tour or even to get ice cream, so we looked at it and moved on. We were very surprised, however, to learn that the Von Trapp family of “The Sound of Music” fame had built a big lodge outside of Stowe, VT. In 1948, or so! We drove back and saw the “Trapp Family Lodge”, and I’ll tell you, it was a major tourist thing, with cars all over the place. Very interesting to learn the story behind all that. The family still owns it to this day.

Onward into White River Junction, VT. for three days of touring that neck of the woods. The weather was horrible, with wind and rain, but we didn’t let that stop us. First up, was a day of going out to Weston and Grafton, then checking out Basketville. Very quaint little towns, and we especially enjoyed going through the Vermont Country Store in Weston. There are actually two country stores there, but the above mentioned is by far the best! Basketville was fun, also.

The next day we drove east out to the Lake Region of New Hampshire. Despite the rain and gloomy weather, we enjoyed that very much, also. We especially enjoyed driving around Squam Lake where they filmed “On Golden Pond.” Lake Winnipesauke was beautiful, also, and we think tourists should be directed to that area for touring, as well.

OK, next up was a drive to Brattleboro and over to Bennington. The driving rain kept us from doing much except driving through pretty Brattleboro, but we did spend most of the day around Bennington. They have a little diner there called “Blue Benn” or something close to that and it was a terrific place to have lunch (or whatever). Anyway, we then did the “Battle of Bennington” monument thing (even took the elevator up). We also toured the “Grandma Moses” library and it was very good, also. Onward to Arlington and a look-see at the Norman Rockwell collection, then on back to White River Junction. During these days, we spent quite a bit of time around Quechee and Woodstock. That was a beautiful area down in there, for sure! I just loved the waterfall just before the covered bridge in Quechee! I took pictures of it before the heavy rains came through and it was just a lazy, beautiful sight to see. A few days later, I looked at it after the heavy rains and it was a raging torrent through there! Made me nervous for the folks at Simon-Pearce, what with their “old mill” turbine and things. By the way, the restaurant there at the Simon-Pearce place was “first-class” and totally wonderful! The one down the road at the Marshfield Inn was no slouch, either. The Quechee Gorge was pretty to see, too.

We then left for Burlington on Sunday and spent the afternoon at the Shelburne Farms Museum complex, which was very nice and interesting. We flew home on Monday.

I would personally, probably break this down to two trips, instead of one, except for “full-time RVers”, where time does not count. It was just a little too ambitious for a 3 ½ week venture because there just was no “downtime” to rest up. We’re fairly healthy 50 something’s, and we just wore ourselves out moving day after day after day. It ended up being sort of a “breakneck pace” for us. I think a two-week trip doing the Boston, Sturbridge, Freeport, Bar Harbor, etc. thing would be just about right. A week and a half to two weeks would be OK doing N.H. and Vermont. Doing it that way wouldn’t wear people out so much. Just an opinion from one very tired traveler.

I wouldn’t take anything for all of the fantastic sights and scenery that we saw. The “fall colors” were, however, generally very disappointing. The only places that were good were the day we went up to The Balsams, and the day we looped the White Mountains of N.H., but even then, too many trees were still green and the colors, although beautiful, were not “stunning”, or “brilliant.” I carefully timed the trip so that we would be in N.H. and Vermont from Oct. 4 through the 17th, which, historically, would have put us in “Peak Season” as far as color. Not this year. All along the Maine Coast part of the trip, I watched the weather and fall foliage reports on the net daily, just waiting to hear about fantastic color over in N.H. and Vermont. It just didn’t happen. The 70-80 degree days just kept on and on and on. No frosts were occurring in the region, and none were forecast. In reading local newspapers and talking to local folks, the word became clear that this was a “dud” year for color because no cool weather had come in. They say they need a good frost or two from the last two weeks of Sept. to mid-Oct., with day temps in the 50’s to low 60’s to bring about the “brilliant” colors of fall in the region. Oh, well, we cannot control the weather. There were residents who were saying that with the global warming thing getting worse each year that perhaps New England has seen the best years of fall color. I hate to think that might be happening, but who knows? They could still get a “cold snap” which might quickly turn some of the green to perfect color, but lots of the leaves have already fallen due to wind and rain, and certainly, that would be way too late this year for tourists who planned trips along historical patterns. One bright spot, there, though, was that they did not have their typical 7-8 million tourists up there this year. That meant that the roads were not crowded, nor were the pull-outs, restaurants, etc. which was good for us – but lousy for the economy built on tourism.

Well, that’s about it, folks. I hope this timely “re-cap” helps you out some. Again, you, nor I, can control the weather and the leaf change, so I have no issues with that. Basically, as I’ve said, this was, overall, one of the best trips we have ever taken. Thanks again!

Sincerely,

Glen G. from Portland, OR

NEW ENGLAND PRINTED:  I have to admit that I was a little skeptical when we ordered your tour guide, but now I’m one of your big fans. We’ve tried caravans, but they never seem to have a tour going when we can get away. Your tour notebook fills the bill from every standpoint. We can go when we want, travel with our friends, and even cancel at the last minute knowing we’ll still have the trip ready to go when we are.

After only a short time using your directions the very first day, we realized we were not going to get lost or waste time. The restaurants were especially good; you took us to great little local places with reasonable prices and fun atmosphere.  We had a great time!

Your trips are a money saver, time saver and stress eliminator. We’ll be back.
 
David G. (from Texas)