ROAD TRIP DAY 32: HAPPY IN HERSHEY

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

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How could I not be happy in a place where streets have names like “Chocolate Avenue” and “Cocoa Avenue”, and the street lights look like unwrapped Hershey Kisses? (Every other one is foil wrapped complete with its “Hershey” pull tab.)

Now, I must admit I’m a bit of a chocolate snob and no longer prefer to eat Hershey’s Chocolate or other American mass-produced candy (however; I will also admit that I have taken on the self-appointed task of keeping my boss’s candy dish stocked with M&M’s, and I am the cause of having to restock them).

Still, this is Hershey, Pennsylvania. As a chocoholic, it makes me smile, and it makes me feel like a kid again. After all, summertime S’mores I grew up savoring were made with Hershey Chocolate bars. (What else???)

After we arrived yesterday and checked into our motel, we got our first glimpse of Hershey’s charm as we made our way to the Hershey Recreation Center for a swim workout. How cuuute!

Not all of Hershey is this cute, but the center of town is lined with Hershey Kiss-topped street lamps and banners.

We began today with a stroll around Hershey Gardens admiring the astounding collection of interesting trees and beautiful flowers. Gorgeous!

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The afternoon continued with learning all about Milton Hershey, founder of Hershey Chocolates. “The Hershey Story” captured it all in a well layed-out museum that tells the story of his life, the creation of Hershey Chocolate, and the town he built around the factory for his employees.

Quite the philanthropist, we learned how Hershey gave back to the community in a most generous way. Milton Hershey was an admirable man, and an icon in the world of chocolate.

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We concluded our visit at The Hershey Story museum with a tasting flight of six single origin chocolate drinks from around the world. The 72% cacao drink from Venezuela was our favorite, but we enjoyed them all.

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Before wrapping up the day, we cruised over to Hershey’s Chocolate World to take the free “tour”; a 15 minute Disneyland-type ride that takes you through the process of how chocolate is made. It was cheesey and geared for small kids, but isn’t that what Hershey’s is all about? It brings out the kid in all of us.

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Hershey’s sure knows a thing or two about marketing, though, as was made evident by the most massive “gift shop” I have ever seen. It was HUGE! The Hershey Kisses section alone was larger and offered more products than most product gift shops at other factories. It was amazing to see the variety of products– and, the amount of merchandise being snatched up by those shopping for gifts to bring back home!

Me? I just left with two Dagoba chocolate bars (yes, they own that brand along with Scharffen Berger and many others) they were selling out at $1.50 due to a July 2015 expiration date. That, and a bunch of photos like this one:

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ROAD TRIP DAY 31: MAGNIFICENT MARTIN GUITARS

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

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On our way from Parsippany to Hershey, we stopped in Nazareth, Pennsylvania to tour the Martin Guitar Factory.

What a wonderful surprise this tour was for us! Not only was it a fabulous one-hour up-close and personal tour throughout most of the factory, it was FREE.

Upon arrival, we were fortunate to learn we were the last two people needed to fill their next departing tour that maxes out with 15 visitors. It was fascinating to watch the various steps being expertly performed– there are 300 in all– to produce a high-end top-of-the-line handcrafted guitar.

There are 150 parts in each guitar, and it takes 2-3 months to craft a guitar from beginning to end in their 200,000 square foot factory. Five hundred employees make that factory hum, and they are so happy working there that there is a turnover rate of only 2%. That’s dedication.

Martin Guitars aren’t cheap. They start at $1,000 and can climb in price well past $50,000 when customized with mother of pearl inlays and exotic woods.

Their guitars are the best, though, and have been played by some of the
most famous and talented musicians since Martin first started producing guitars in 1833.
Today, musicians such as Eric Clapton, Sting, and Paul Simon play guitars produced in Nazareth at Martin Guitars.

Come along with me as we tour the Martin Guitar Factory:

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Following the tour, we enjoyed their museum which was beautifully presented and displayed. What a great find Martin Guitars turned out to be today!

In the museum, we saw how Martin Guitars were crafted back in the beginning, in 1833.

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When Martin Guitars produced its 1,000,000th guitar, they hired a master inlay artist to bejewel this guitar with diamonds, emeralds, and other precious jewels. It took two years to complete the work, and it’s estimated to be worth $1,000,000.

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ROAD TRIP DAY 30: PAUSING IN PARSIPPANY

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

“Parsippany”. What a funny name. “Ogunquit” and “Kennebunkport” (both in Maine) tickled my funny bone, too.

What’s in Parsippany, New Jersey? Not much. It’s just a place to stop for the night after driving through the rest of Rhode Island, and continuing through Connecticut and New York.

Tomorrow morning, we were going to head to the Poconos and hike the trails in Bushkill Falls; however, rain is in the forecast. Instead, we will head directly to our second planned stop for the day, the Martin Guitar Factory in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, by now, you’re expecting to see some travel photos, right? Well, I have none. Zero. Zilch. Notta. Not one. It rained while we pulled off in New Haven to see Yale University, so we drove around the campus and got back on the highway.

Here in Parsippany, we have no clue what may be here to photograph. We don’t care to find out. We’re just here to pause, relax, and reflect. After all, it’s now Day 30 of this road trip, and we have so much great stuff to reflect back on!

For a change of pace, since Bruce has been my silent partner in this blog, I would like to turn it over to him for today’s post.

When asked his impressions of our road trip thus far, Bruce replied, “To this point, it has been as interesting as it is diverse. In no particular order are my most impressionable memories:

Mansions: The Elms & The Breakers

Castles: Boldt & Singer

Waterfalls: Niagara & Lucifer

Factory Tours: Corvette, Louisville Slugger Bat, Magic Hat Brewery, Maker’s Mark (especially the Dale Chihualy glass ceiling installation), and Ben & Jerry’s

Tours: Barbara Mandell’s Log Home & Lexington Horse Farms

Horse Racing Tracks: Keeneland & Churchill Downs

Museums: Corning Glass & Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Walks: Marginal Way (Ogunquit, Maine) & Cliff Walk (Newport, Rhode Island)

Chocolate Delights: Goo Goo’s, Colt’s Bolts & Rebecca Ruth’s bourbon balls

Wineries: Bully Hill & Konzelmann

I anticipate and look forward to more adventures before we complete our journey.”

ROAD TRIP DAY 29: LIFESTYLES OF THE RICH & FAMOUS

Posted on June 7, 2015 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, Newport, Rhode Island was home to the rich and famous during the summertime. When most people with summer homes these days have modest little houses, the rich and famous had mansions for their summer “cottages”.

Take “The Breakers” for example. This summer “cottage” is a whopping 138,300 square feet and has 70 rooms! These aren’t just ordinary rooms either. One of the rooms in The Breakers has ornate wall panels where all of the silver-colored design is made of platinum! How’s that for over-the- top opulence?

Today, we toured “The Elms” and “The Breakers” and walked the ‘hood to see how the one percent’rs lived over 100 years ago. Although the area was gorgeous and the mansions picturesque, what we saw was ostentatious, to say the least. It was difficult at times to walk through the rooms of both mansions and realize the amount of money these people spent to show off their wealth, and keep up with the Joneses. I found myself thinking about how the money could have been used to make the world a better place instead.

Photography (even without flash) was strictly prohibited inside the homes, so the only pictures I was able to shoot were of the mansion exteriors and gardens.

The Elms was the summer retreat of the Berwinds. Built in 1901, it was very modern and technologically advanced for its time. This home features monumental art works, including wall-sized Venetian paintings, Chinese lacquer panels, and tapestries.

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To show the scale of size, that’s Bruce in the front. The canopies of these four European Beech trees grew to form one MASSIVE tree! Each tree is 50-60 feet tall with a spread of 35-45 feet wall.

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The Breakers, built in 1895 was the summer “cottage” of the Vanderbilt family. It features a two-and-a-half story high Great Hall, and a Morning Room adorned with platinum leaf wall panels. Its interiors feature rare marble, alabaster, and gilded woods throughout.

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This ceiling was outdoors on the second level.

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This was the outdoor area of the first floor. The following photos show the beautiful mosaic work of the ceilings.

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Following our home tours, we took the “Cliff Walk” to enjoy the fresh sea air, enjoy the views, and see more beautiful homes.

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Our day concluded with a cruise along Ocean Avenue, a beautiful drive that follows the Newport coast. It was a gorgeous day, and we thoroughly enjoyed the miles we walked in one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the world.

ROAD TRIP DAY 28: Perusing Providence

Posted on June 6, 2015 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Continuing the tour of Ivy League schools, an unplanned bonus of touring the New England states, we visited the campus of Brown University today. Our plan was to spend a good portion of the day seeing Providence, and Brown just happened to be right there in town.

Having seen Harvard (and M.I.T.) when I was in Boston with my mom, I was impressed with the beauty of the campus, and Brown has a reputation that matches.

Cornell was a pretty campus in Ithaca, so I figured I was on a roll. Besides, depending on how our drive south progresses on Monday, Yale is on the list to see as we pass through New Haven, Connecticut.

Today’s stroll through Brown was lovely. We had the campus to ourselves since today was a Saturday, and the school year had already concluded. The campus was quiet and serene, and full of beautiful old buildings.

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We continued our self-guided walking tour through the hilly streets of the eastern part of Providence just east of the river, and then crossed the river to see the state capitol. For such a small state, Rhode Island’s capitol building sure is huge!

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One thing missing from this capitol building, though, was a gold dome. Have you ever wondered why some state capitols have gold domes and others don’t? Bruce and I learned on our walking tour of Boston some years back that the only states that have gold domes are ones where a past president was born in that state. Poor Rhode Island. As long as there aren’t any Rhode Island-born presidents (and I doubt there ever will be), their state capitol will remain plain.

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This evening, we kicked back at a local pub, Shannon View Inn (highly ranked on Trip Advisor) to enjoy great pub food and taste a local brew, Narragonsett Lager, which was fabulous.

We had forgotten this was the evening of the Belmont Stakes, and we arrived just in time to watch history being made. For the first time since I had completed my junior year of high school in 1978, today’s winner won the Triple Crown of horse racing (Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes). American Pharoah and Victor Espinoza were the champions, and it was fun to see his exuberant joy after Victor victoriously crossed the finish.

ROAD TRIP DAY 27: ON THE ROAD TO RHODE ISLAND

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

On the road from Ogunquit, Maine to Rhode island, we passed through New Hampshire and Massachusettes before arriving at our hotel in Warwick, Rhode island. If we had driven straight through, it would have taken 2-1/2 hours.

States are small up here, not like California where we come from. California is the third largest state, and Rhode Island is the smallest. Just to give you an idea of size, Rhode Island is roughly the size of San Diego County in square miles.

On the road to Rhode Island, we stopped for a few hours in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, another one of those really cute towns that is full of charm. We loved the vibe there; it just had a great feel. It is full of very old and historic homes and buildings, great shops and galleries, and a bunch of bakeries and cafes. It was a neat place to walk around and explore.

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Oracle House, dating back to 1702 is one of the oldest houses in New England.

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ROAD TRIP DAY 26: CRUISIN’ THE COAST OF MAINE

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Today was the day to give Trudy (our GPS) a rest while we preferred to cruise the coast without her constant nagging. We first headed south to explore the adorable (and upscale) fishing village of Kennebunk, and we found it quite charming.

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Next up for the day was to get ourselves (purposely) lost, so we could enjoy the scenery and gorgeous HUGE homes in Kennebunkport, 41’s summer home.

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George H.W. Bush and his entourage reside in the “Kennebunkport Compound” on Ocean Avenue. Not only is there his house (pictured below), there are a few others in the compound for guests and staff. All of it is gated and guarded; however, it was a nice view from across the cove.

The entire area was absolutely spectacular, and we enjoyed cruising in and out of the neighborhoods alone. It is still the off-season, so it was quiet, peaceful, and free of traffic.

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Later in the afternoon, we headed north back through Ogunquit where we are staying and followed the coast to Cape Neddick to see the Nubble Lighthouse. Since it is completely surrounded by water on its own island, it can only be viewed from the mainland; however, it is perhaps only 100 yards across the water. The view was so… Maine.

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The scenery sure has changed since leaving Stowe, Vermont. We went from moose country, mountains, and a ski resort to the coast where lobster and lighthouses are the theme. Both have their own beauty and charm, and we are enjoying every bit of it!

ROAD TRIP DAY 25: DINO-MITE!

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Dino-mite, in more ways than one! Not only is the plastic bottle dinosaur sculpture on the front lawn of Vermont’s state capitol a dynamite way to remind us all to recycle, it was a dynamite day! The rain had stopped, the clouds were gone, the sun was shining, and it was beautiful.

On our way to Ogunquit, Maine, we made a quick stop in Montpelier, Vermont’s state capitol. It was quite a charming and attractive town along the river, and the capitol was very picturesque. So was Dino!

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The drive through Vermont and New Hampshire was gorgeous, a constant scene of rolling lush green hills and mountains.

Ogunquit is a cute little seaside town just south of Kennebunkport where the Bush (41) family lives during the summertime.

After we arrived and checked in to our motel, we went to Perkins Cove, a quaint lobster fishing village with nice shops and seafood restaurants as well beautiful homes. It is also where Marginal Way begins, a picturesque walking path that follows the rugged coastline. It is 1-1/2 miles long, so we walked the length of it and returned to Perkins Cove.

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What a beautiful coastal area this is! The walking path was fabulous, and one of the most gorgeous coastal walks I have ever been on. Not only is the coastline scenic, the path itself was beautifully landscaped and maintained. All along the path were very nice benches to sit and enjoy the spectacular views of the sea below. We happened to be there while two surfers and two kayak surfers were enjoying the waves, so we had fun watching and photographing them. (It really made me miss kayak surfing, though!)

Back at Perkins Cove, we enjoyed a delicious seafood dinner at the Lobster Shack where they sure know how to make great Baja-style fish tacos and a great fish sandwich!

ROAD TRIP DAY 24: THE “GREEN MOUNTAIN STATE” IS GREEN IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

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Vermont lives up to its name “Green Mountain State” this time of year, that’s for sure. We have been mesmerized by the rich green tones of the trees, ferns, and grass. Everything looks so alive.

The state of Vermont could also very well be known as the “Green State” for its dedication to the environment. We continually see examples of this all around us here in Stowe, and it warms our hearts. I loved seeing this electric vehicle charging station in the village parking lot,

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and we have seen many homes and businesses using solar panels to generate electricity. At Cold Hollow Cider Mill, they had solar panels installed two years ago, and the cost is expected to be covered in ten years. After that, they won’t have to pay a penny for all of the electricity they are using in their large cider mill, restaurant, and corporate offices. (Don’t you just love this old truck parked next to the new solar panels? My, how technology has advanced over the years!)

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ROAD TRIP DAY 23: SAMPLING VERMONT

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

On a rainy day (and 20 degrees below normal temperature for June 1), what better way to spend the day than staying dry indoors sampling Vermont’s foodie favorites?

We actually did get a fair bit of walking in outdoors before the rain settled in for the afternoon. Burlington is a nice, walkable city in the historic downtown center. The 4-block long outdoor pedestrian street is lined with historic buildings on each side with shops and restaurants. “Homeport” was our favorite store– 4 levels of EVERYTHING you could possibly want for your home all loaded in a historic building. At the end of the year, it must be an inventory nightmare for them, because they have such a huge selection. From sink strainers to interesting decorative wall hooks, they had dozens to choose from. It was a very cool store.

Working up an appetite from our walk along Church St. and along Waterfront Park and back, it was time to sample Vermont.

While walking along Church St. we came across this 124-foot mural entitled, “Everyone Loves a Parade!” It was custom-designed by renowned Canadian muralist, Pierre Hardy, wide-known for his inventive and meticulously-detailed, large-scale pieces. Grand Master Samuel de Champlain leads the charge as the scene depicts an evolution in time along Church St. Notable and everyday Bulingtonians, downtown businesses, and iconic images of the past 400 years are distinguished through overflowing illustrations.

Follow this panorama photo, and the next three photos from left to right.

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First up for sampling: Lake Champlain Chocolates. Unfortunately, there were no tours today (or tomorrow) because of new flooring being installed, but we went anyway to check out the factory and hunt for factory seconds to purchase. (Hey, they’re just going to be eaten anyway, so why purchase at full price?)

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Our next stop: Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. Photos weren’t allowed on the factory tour, but I did get a few shots where cameras were allowed.

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New flavors- YUM!

Bruce and I felt right at home at the factory, because Ben and Jerry’s hearts are in the right place as far we are concerned. Their company philosophy is spot-on, and they value social justice and the environment. They even had free hook-up stations in the parking lot for electric vehicles to get juiced while they’re owners get a fill of ice cream!

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AMEN to this!

Recycling is also huge there and everywhere here in Vermont. The state’s goal is to reach a 40% recycle rate, and the businesses we have encountered are enthusiastically in support of that goal. Our motel is on board as was the restaurant we ate at this evening.

This is my kind of place; such a cool vibe. Georgia (and most of the rest of the world), GET WITH THE PROGRAM if you have any hope of leaving Planet Earth habitable for future generations!

The sampling portion of our day concluded with a stop at Cabot Cheeses where they had samples out of every variety of cheese they make as well as selections of maple syrup, dips, and other delicious foods. Fabulous!

While there we picked up a small bottle of Mannaz Mead from Groennfell Meadery, and just popped it open to sip as I type. Strange. It’s made with 100% single-source honey, something we have never tasted (or heard of) before. I think it’s an acquired taste, and I’m not sure I want to acquire it.

Earlier, after all the sampling in Burlington and Waterbuy, we made our way north on one of Vermont’s most scenic byways to Stowe. The Stowe Motel and Snowdrift is ourTrip Advisor-recommended home for a couple of nights, and it’s a beautiful, spacious property with large expanses of grass in between the buildings.

Upon arrival, we were greated by “Remy”, the owner’s gorgeous German Short-haired Pointer. We were also upgraded to a larger room without even asking! NICE!

Dinner in town was at a casual little 5-table place, “Bender’s Burritos.” Check this out: A sweet potato and black bean burrito with Spanish rice, minced ginger, mild cheddar cheese, chipotle mayo, and salsa verde. De-LISH, all one pound of it!