Thursday 26th October
Today is the day we finally start racking up the Road Miles of this trip. For a road trip it’s been fairly road-free up until now, with us only picking up the hire car yesterday, and only taking a short drive to Salem…today we will crank out over 230Miles as we follow the Mohawk Trail to Upstate New York as we indulge in a little Celebrity Stalking.
Breakfast at the Salem Inn
For the first time on this trip, Breakfast was included at our Hotel. It was also a really nice breakfast served in their small downstairs restaurant. It was a typical Buffet-style affair, with Toasted fruit Cinnamon Bread, pastries, and Cerrial and Fruit, along with some Hot items cooked fresly for you to order.
Following this we packed up our things and decided to hit the road early. We considered spending some more time in Salem, but we hit it pretty hard yesterday and most shops stay open late and have pretty late opening times, so we decided to get moving and spend more time in our destination for today.
Leaving Salem
The next main stop on our trip was to be Niagara Falls and we could have headed straight there in one hard push. But instead, we wanted to take it easier and break the trip up with a Stop. This meant seeing a lot more of Rural New England and spending a lot more time on the road. We were certainly not taking a direct route and in fact, backtracking quite a bit, adding a good 2-3 hours onto the overall journey.
We had chosen to overnight in the Upstate Town of Rhinebeck. Not really the most intermediate town and actually quite a bit out of our way. But there are certain Hollywood connections we wanted to check out and Kate has been wanting to visit this quaint little town for a while. So despite the added journey time, we added this in as a stop.
Even with this additional Milage, we were not even planning on taking the fastest route on each leg either, instead taking a more scenic route that would avoid much Freeway driving and instead take us up into the mountains, through forests, and the small towns of upstate New York and Massachusetts.
Route 2 – Mohawk Trail
Heading out of Boston we soon picked up State Highway 2 – Also known as George W Stanton Hihway, before turning into the Mohawk Trail as the route follows an old Indian trail once it rises up into the Hoosac and Taconic Mountain Ranges
The first section of the trail was fairly dull, There were splashes of the Fall Foliage we had come to see and several quaint little towns but little to make us stop other than the odd snarl up at a couple of construction sites. The first time the scenery really ratcheted up was at Turner Falls. Here we found a nice pull-out at a boat ramp and took in the stunning lakeside setting.
From here the scenery just got better and better. At Shelbourne Falls the Road picks up the Deerfield River and follows this right up into the mountains, later following the Cold River tributary. The fall colors and stunning scenery made this a really special drive passing through quaint little towns and villages some only a few houses large.
The weather was perfect for road-tripping. The Skies were clear and Blue with just a touch of cloud and the temperatures were unseasonably warm, ranging from 60°f (16°c) in the morning up to around 70°f (21°c) in the mountains. (21°c)
We were a little late in the year for Leaf Peeping, many trees had already shed their autumn foliage, but there was still bags of color in the Canpopies and this late autumnal scene really shone with deep hues of red and burnt orange, with the occasions steal grey from the trees that had fully dropped their leaves.
Wigwam Western Summit – Florida
As we approached the summit of the Hoosac range we felt a little lost as we appeared to be in Florida! No sign of Dinsyworld though just huge sweeping vistas from the Blue Vista Motor Lodge.
On the other side of the mountain, we pulled in at Wigwam Western Sumit. This is a cute little cafe and Shop situated right at the western edge of the range with stunning views out over North Adams and Williamstown. Dubbed America’s Switzerland by we think the owners of the Cafe and no one else, it was a really beautiful spot.
We pulled in a grabbed a Coffee and a Massive Blueberry Scone handbaked on the premises. The coffee was excellent with pure Maple Syrup added for sweetness and taste. It was a wonderful little stp and helped revitalise us ready for the next push on to Rhinebeck. We love stumbling on little gems like this and it’s all part of the Roadtrip experience.
We then descended down the mountains and into the really pretty town of North Adams and then Wilimastown. The streets are lined with splendid Churches and turn-of-the-century European-style architecture.
It was here we left the Mowhawk trail and started picking up larger roads and eventually headed out of Massachusetts and back into New York State before joining the Taconic State Parkway and fast-tracking to the next stop.
The scenery on this leg of the journey was less stunning than in the mountains but the easy driving and fall colors made this a very relaxed and enjoyable drive as we caught up on a few Podcasts.
Rhinebeck
Around 3 pm we arrived at our final stop for the day. The small Upstate town of Rhinebeck. Why had we chosen this particular stop, out of all the hundreds of other little towns along the route and one that was really pretty far out of our way? Well, the town has a few Hollywood connections and we just wanted to check it out.
This innocuous little town has become the home of some Big celebrities, most notably Paul Rudd, Geofrery Dean Morgan, and Hillary Burton. We Both love Paul Rudd, I am a huge Walking Dead Fan and was hoping to meet Lucille, and of course, Kate is a huge fan of One Tree Hill, and Staring Hillary Burton. More on this later in the trip!
Beekman Arms
The first stop was to check in to the Hotel for the evening and we had chosen the Historic Beekman Arms. This is the oldest continuously running Hotel in the Country. It has had some very famous Guests including George Washington, Fraklin D Rosevelt, Bill Clinton, and a host of Celebrities including Oprah, Bill Murray, and even BORAT! There is a host of ghosts that inhabit the building, although they did not show themselves to us, and overall it is just a fascinating old establishment and we couldn’t miss the opportunity to stay there.
Our room was spacious and well-appointed. we booked the Townsend House King and it was on the ground level at the back of the Hotel. The furniture was less vintage and more antique but the room was spotless and the linin perfectly modern and super comfortable. There was a separate Storage room, and super cute writing desk, a fireplace, an ancient TV (while we love the antique furniture and decor, we would prefer the tech to be modern), tea and coffee facilities, and most importantly, complimentary New York Cream Sherry!
The room was not cheap but was such a special establishment we could not resist. They did throw in a free breakfast and despite the high cost of $300 a night, we were very happy with our historic room at the Beekman Arms.
Stalking and Dinner
After settling into the hotel for a while we headed out to explore Rhinebeck.
We had been planning this part of the trip for a while and had both developed images of the town in our minds. Cool crisp Autumn air and bundled up as we explored the quaint little main street. What neither of us expected was 85°f (30°C) temperatures and a return of Summer. We had packed some warm-weather clothes as we were heading south later in the trip but we did not expect to be unpacking the shorts just yet. It was very odd, and would definitely not last. But we headed out to enjoy the last drops of a very late Indian Summer.
The first stop was Samuels Sweets shop. This is an old-timy sweet shop that’s been in the center of Rhinebeck for decades but recently looked set to close due to the retirement of the longstanding owner. Nobody else seemed willing to take on the challenge until a group of three Celebrities with strong social media followings took up the reigns to save the shop. Yep as we already mentioned this is Paul Rudd, Geofretyy Dean Morgan, and Hillary Burton’s Sweet Shop Now. This is one of the reasons we wanted to visit after seeing all their delicious produce online.
We bought a few sweet treats and a coffee and had a nice afternoon treat in the glorious autumn sunshine. We then explored the town a little. Kate is going to a Hilary Burton book signing later on in the trip so stopped by the local book shop to pick up a (pre-signed) copy and we hit the liquor store for some evening tipples, sidcovering the Joy of Peanut Butter Whiskey for the first time!
To Be honest this was about the extent of our Celebrity Stalking as we did not want to intrude on their actual homes or anything like that. We just hoped we might bump into them on the off chance but this was not to be. so instead we hunted out some dinner.
There is a good restaurant attached to the Hotel, but we were not feeling this, the menu was a little old-school for us and we wanted something a little cheaper. In the end, we decided on Fosters Coach House, an old-school saloon-type place, serving simple American food and some good beers.
We were seated outdoors, something we didn’t expect in late November in upstate New York, and basked in the evening warmth, it was very odd but very enjoyable. After a few drinks and some Excellent sandwiches (Classic Reuben and Chicken Parmesan), we retired to the comforts of the inn and relaxed for the evening enjoying the in-room Sherry, Peanut butter Whiskey and the archaic TV.
Tomorrow will be a BIG day. We have a huge drive to another country, some epic scenery en route, before exploring one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world. So it pays to have a pretty relaxed afternoon and evening this side of that trip.
Walking Total – 6,015 Steps – 3.2 Miles
Most of the day was spent in the car so a really light day on the feet!
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