Travel Blog

The White Mountains area of New Hampshire is a special place indeed. The entire range is like a playground; it’s host to so many things to do. If you’re a hiker, there’s certainly no shortage or trails, rivers, and waterfalls. If you like shopping, small towns such as North Conway and Littleton await your visit. If you enjoy simply driving around to take in the scenery, boy will you be in for a surprise. Back in 2018, Laura and I made our first real trek to northern New Hampshire for a special and memorable experience. Since then, we’ve gone back once and plan to do so every year from now on. For us, autumn visits are the best, but I wouldn’t mind making one or two during the winter to enjoy the Christmas season. Please browse through this post to read some of my commentary on our trips as well as view the many photos I’ve taken along the way. Continue reading…

Cayford Orchards in Skowhegan, Maine is a beautiful little apple orchard that’s quite local and easy to get to. So many times we’re forced to drive miles and miles to visit a lovely orchard. With Cayford, one is practically in our back yard. Cayford offers a good variety of apples and they’re all in excellent condition. We’ve only visited this orchard once so far and it was a quick walk-through, just to pick up some apples, so we’ll definitely need to go back. But from what I saw, it’s well kept and very pretty. Click through to view some photos. Continue reading…

Hammonasset Beach State Park in Connecticut is one of the most lovely beaches I’ve been to in my life. While we were living in Connecticut, Laura and I frequented this park quite often and every time we visited, it seemed like we were more delighted than the time before. The area offers wonderful views of the Long Island Sound and plenty of beach on which to walk, jog, or bike. Personally, I went for the beauty of it all. It’s nearly unmatched. And there’s just something about looking over those small waves all the way to New York. I sometimes felt Like Gatsby. In this post, I don’t do a lot of writing. It’s more about the photos. Please click through to enjoy some of my best. Continue reading…

If you drive along Route 1 on Connecticut’s shoreline, you’ll eventually find yourself in Madison Center. The town of Madison is larger, with the “center” part comprising the village area with some housing directly surrounding it. It’s a lovely place. The residents of Madison Center (and Madison) are quite wealthy and they take very good care of their village. Laura and I drove through a few years ago and found a library, some small shops, nature parks, and an old church. It’s the perfect place to stop the car to walk around for a bit. Contained within the town of Madison is a place called Hammonasset Beach State Park, which may be the most perfect park in all Connecticut. The park borders the Long Island Sound and offers a long soft-sand beach, as well as some rocky coastline. If you’re interested in jogging or walking for fairly long distances for exercise, you may want to check it out. It’s also good for biking and sightseeing. Take a look through the photos in this post and read some of my commentary. Then, leave a comment if you so desire. Thanks! Continue reading…

Essex is more of an “area” than a town and that area consists of three villages; Essex Village, Centerbrook, and Ivoryton. We’ve only visited one of these places and it’s what I discuss on this page. Essex Village is a magical thing and I can say with absolute certainty that I’ve enjoyed some of my life’s finest and most memorable evenings there. While living in Connecticut between the years of 2008 and 2013, Laura and I made our way to Essex on a number of occasions. If memory serves, we ate dinner at the Griswold Inn each and every time. We’ve walked the streets, visited the shops, strolled through the green, and kissed at night on the dock overlooking the Connecticut River. Again, it’s magical. Please click through to see all the (way too many) pictures I’ve taken of Essex and to read some of the stories I’ve written about it. And if you have any of your own experiences to share, please do so in the comment section at the bottom of the page. Continue reading…

There’s a lot more to the Nathan Hale Homestead than a farmers market. It’s actually a historical place. Simply put, this landmark is a historic home that’s located in Coventry, Connecticut. It was once called the Richard Hale House and it’s on the National Register of Historical Places. Interestingly, there’s a museum on the property that you may visit and some have even claimed that the property is haunted, with the main house being occupied by its previous owners. If you’re interested, you can look into all of this. For now though, let me tell you that there’s an excellent farmers market that’s been held every Sunday from June through October since 2003. We visited this farmers market some years ago and I took quite a few photos. Please click through to this post to view those photos and to read some of my thoughts on the day. Continue reading…

Mashamoquet Brook State Park is a great little getaway area located in Pomfret, Connecticut. If you’ve never been to Pomfret, I encourage you to visit. It’s situated within the borders of what locals refer to as the “Quiet Corner.” They refer to it as that for good reason. The area has a low population density and not much vehicle traffic at all. It’s relaxing, to say the least. This part of Pomfret in particular is actually a combination of three parks: Mashamoquet Brook, Wolf Den, and Saptree Run. Within its borders are two campgrounds, a beautiful brook, a small lake, and plenty of space to lounge around and relax. It’s also host to an excellent trail system, so if you’re into hiking, you’ll want to stop by. In this post, I show off some photos I took while visiting the area. I also offer some information about the land as well as some reasoning for why I went to this park in the first place. Continue reading…

The Satan Caves are something of urban legend by this point. Stories about them have been passed around for generations. If you grew up in the Brewster, Croton Falls, Somers, Carmel area of New York, you likely know what I’m talking about. The Satan Caves are located in the woods off of Lower Mine Road in the Town of Southeast (near the old dump). For years, they were open and available for just about anyone to wander in and do whatever they wished with them. In more recent years, the front entrance doors have been blocked off with large piles of dirt. Some handy folks have attempted to dig that dirt away without much success, but I’m sure access will somehow and eventually be granted once again. If you’re interested in learning about the Satan Caves, please click through to get your fill and immerse yourself in the wonder of it all. You won’t likely find a more comprehensive collection of photos and stories about these caves anywhere on the internet. This is the original post from 2006 and it remains strong today as the source people visit when they need to know what matters. Enjoy. Continue reading…