Cape Cod onwards

Thursday morning dawned bright and sunny - high of about -3 degrees Celsius.  We ate, packed and left, making our way to our final Cape Cod lighthouse, that at Wings Neck, before heading across the Cape Cod canal on our way to Newport.  The canal effectively cuts off what is now Cape Cod (it used to extend up to Plymouth) from the mainland, and was begun in 1914 as a way to shortcut the peninsula.  It was completed at the end of WW1 and is now maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers.  During the heyday of the canal, the Wings Neck lighthouses was one of the most important due to its location close to it.

Newport has an area known as the Mansion District, and is filled with huge mansions, such as places once owned by the Vanderbilts and other such wealthy families.  There is a coastal walkway that goes in front of 64 private residences - apparently the owners didn't want it to go ahead.  They didn't want the likes of us nobodies perving in to their properties.  These mansions were considered their summer houses or "cottages".

The Breakers, the grandest of the summer cottages, once owned by the Vanderbilts

Robin on the coastal walkway outside The Breakers

Marble House, built 1888-1892 for Mr & Mrs William K Vanderbilt

Because we were coastal a lot of this time, we passed a lot of marsh and ponds, many of which were frozen.  Lots of signs for deer - but none were spotted.  We also were impressed by the "waterfalls" along the side of the roads - all the water that seeps out of the rocks and has frozen into miniature waterfalls.

We then headed to New Haven to explore Yale University.  It was freezingly cold, so we walked fast for our quick look and tried to inspire Karl and Robin as to future tertiary training choices!

From there, it was driving along the interstates till we stopped.  Dinner was at a diner (huge burgers and sandwiches) then a bed for the night in Middletown.

We had gone from Massachusetts to Rhode Island to Connecticut to New York state - 4 in one day!

Oh, and temperatures ranged from -2 or -3 in the morning and evening up to a balmy 2 or 3 Celsius during the day!

Friday saw us venture forth once again (-2 or so), this time through forested areas (aspen, perhaps) but typically spindly and not commercial forests.

We kept to the interstates, and stopped for lunch in Hershey to meet up with Jennifer (Dunner) who was a Camp Counselor with me at Camp Amahami way back in 1993!  Great to meet up with her and hear about her life and have some of our questions about the USA answered.

Then it was in to Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania, and time for a quick look through the State Museum.  Some interesting exhibits on the Civil War, coal, and the animals in this state.

Pennsylvania state Capital Building

Painting of Lincoln with generals

Silverware off the USS Pennsylvaia

Replica of the Liberty Bell

Susquehanna River through Harrisburg  frozen and slushy

We reached our final destination later that evening - Elk Mills to see Tante Thea and Marjo (remember, she flew with us to LA then came over here to Maryland) then we went to Tante Thea's daughter, Regina's house for dinner with her partner Kenneth and his 2 girls, Tatiana and Coco - they have hit it off with the boys and all is good there.  Tante Thea's son, Jan and his fiance Diane also arrived (they live in upstate New York), so it was a time of joviality and forming new friendships.  Dinner included Maryland crabcakes (made by Regina) and one of Tante Thea's salads (she had made a yummy broccoli salad at Marjo & Arie's 50th wedding anniversary 7 years ago in New Zealand) - it was all very delicious!  It was the first time that Eric has met Jan.  Karl and Robin spent the night at Regina's, whilst Pita, Eric & I went to Delaware to a motel (a bit of a dive, to be honest).  Again, 4 states for us adults: New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware.