Escaping the South

As we have spent the last year and a half chasing sunshine and misty mountains we realized that we missed winter. Partly since home base in Central Virginia had a super mild winter leaving our winter clothes and seasonal spirits neglected. So off to New Hampshire, we went. Of course, we didn't want to waste a drive without doing some sightseeing along the way...so here it is.

WHEN: Sandwich Weekends of 5/10 & 5/17 (New Hampshire Gets its own Post)

WHERE: Interstate 95 with an overnight stop in Danbury, Connecticut; Springfield, Massachusetts, & Lancaster, Pennsylvania

WHY: Google Maps assured us that i95 was still the best way to get to NH even if we spent 3 to 4 hours sitting in traffic and $70+ on tolls. We figured we should go ahead and make some stops to get our National Park Passport Book stamped.

SHELTER: We ended up in hotels, as we didn't want to deal with the costs of bringing our RV on such a short trip. On the way back when we hit Lancaster we couldn't find a hotel or a campground without some heavy effort. We were having such a hard time finding a place to sleep we almost pulled over to sleep in the car but ultimately opted for an overpriced room.

PERKS: Driving northward on 95 and seeing new things, 95 southward was getting stale.

REGRETS: Not bringing an overnight tent set up and listening to Google Maps that somehow no matter how much we tried to take the long way it kept taking us the short way with everyone else. This traffic mess through DC, Baltimore, and NYC is one of the challenges that keep us from visiting New England more often.

NEW YORK CITY:

As we sat in NYC traffic I realized that I had never really seen NYC from the road. I have always trained or flown into the Big Apple. Bob on the other hand, as a native Massachusettsian has seen the cityscape plenty. And according to the National Park App, the city itself has 14 of the 23 stamps that we need to get in New York State.

How are we going to pull that off? Fourteen sights plus all the state & city sights are going to require some heavy planning in a future far far away. (photo above Fort Tryon/The Cloisters)

Meanwhile, we survived the drive and finally made it to Weir Farm, Wilton, CT. (Free, partially accessible, and National Park Passport Stamp available in the parking lot if closed)

We got to Weir Farm rather early to explore the trails. The forest trails are only accessible by the very determined. We somehow got my scooter as far as the famous Weir Pond before we decided to head back to the main farm. Famous for what? It has been painted heavily by American Impressionists and still is visited to this day by visiting artists.

Back at Weir Farm

A lovely side effect of chasing winter is that we are also chasing spring. Back in Virginia, the wisteria has already died off and now we get to enjoy it all over again. Chilly enough to need our coats and warm enough to restart the hay fever that was already behind us.

As for the rest of the farm, easy to navigate and alive with visitors working on art projects and volunteerships.

Weir Farm House, Studio & Visitor Center Tour:

After we left Weir Farm we headed to the White Mountains of New Hampshire so stay posted for that adventure. After we enjoyed all the winter we stopped in Springfield, Massachusetts to see Springfield Armory NHS (Free, accessible, and National Park Passport Stamp available)

Things I wish I had known before visiting the Springfield Armory.

That gas is cheaper on the north side.
This is in the city limits.
It only takes about an hour to visit unless you come on an event day and have lots of interesting conversations.
The armory celebrates the role of women during WW II with a heavy focus on the Woman Ordnance Workers.

WOW! 
We Can Do It!

And for our final stop before crossing back into Virginia gave us ambitions for future travels in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area.

The Hopewell Furnace NHS (Free, accessible, and National Park Passport Stamp)

We had no idea what the Hopewell Furnace was before we got there. We try not to do too much research before we visit a location on our bucket list so we can be surprised.

But now we know! Hopewell Furnace was an active "iron plantation" from 1771-1883.

Home to 830+ acres of beauty adjacent to French Creek State Park campground. Below is one of our favorite iron molds and if your schedule allows they offer a good pile of free classes (including casting iron molds) and bird walks.

We may look towards future volunteering at Hopewell Furnace. As a living museum, there is plenty of work to do.

While we don't qualify for this primitive housing at the Collier Hut (Charcoal Maker's housing) I am sure we can find something else to get our hands dirty.

Below is a photo dump, enjoy our memories and stay posted for those White Mountain adventures.