Maryland to Virginia via the Capitol

US Naval Academy in  Annapolis, MD

Before leaving Maryland we stopped in at the United States Naval Academy in Annopolis. The entire campus is a National Historic Landmark covering 338 acres, and is home to many historic sites, buildings and landmarks. It was very interesting to learn how the candidates live there and are trained, and what a privilege it is to earn a placement there.

Crossing the state line into Pennsylvania, we stopped at Gettysburg which is home to the biggest battle ever fought on US soil, and also where in 1863 Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg address (Four score and seven years ago...). Its a physically huge site, and after a trip to the impressive visitors centre to see the restored Cyclorama we toured the battlefield on a National Parks bus.

View over the Gettysburg historic battlefields from an observation tower 

Scattered with memorials and monuments from both the Union and Confederate states, the battlefields are a truly unique memorial to the many lives that were lost on both sides, in a style of fighting and battle that is thankfully consigned to the past. The town is very much lived in however the surrounding fields are mostly untouched or have been restored, and now make up the Gettysburg National Military Park. It was very interesting to learn about and understand the origins of the civil war over the fractious issue of slavery, and to ponder the possibilities had the result swung the other way.

Sachs Covered Bridge

Leaving Gettysburg we stopped briefly at the Sachs Covered Bridge, that was used by General Lee's retreating Confederate Army and still standing today though to foot traffic only. Next stop was the Crystal Grotto's near Boonsboro, a natural cavern complex with more formations per square foot than any other known cave system in the world. Taking 100 to 150 years to form just one cubic inch, the speleothem's varied from fine and delicate to gigantic columns from floor to ceiling, and was an impressive sight.

On the same day we made a quick stop at Harpers Ferry national park, at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. Being right on the boundary between the Union and Confederate force, it was a strategic position and the town changed hands no less than eight times during the course of the civil war.

Sunny Obama

Finally making it to the Capitol, Washington D.C., we had perfect weather to see the sights, first stop being the White House. Not expecting to see anyone significant especially as The President was away in China, we had a great surprise to see the two first dogs Bo and Sunny out on the South Lawn which made our day.

Within walking distance is the National Mall,  a national park in the heart of D.C. We walked to the Washington monument, through the park to the World War II memorial at the end of the reflecting pool, and on to the Lincoln Memorial where the imposing statue of the solitary figure of Lincoln sits in contemplation. As we stood on the very steps where in 1963 Martin Luther King delivered his "I have a Dream" speech, it felt like a truly monumental place for many reasons. The nearby Jefferson memorial, though not as prominent in popular culture or with visitors, was equally impressive though we couldn't help being reminded of a certain Simpsons episode where Lisa visits Jefferson because Lincoln was too busy !

World War II Memorial on the National Mall with the Washington Memorial in the background

Getting ready for the first ever
"Concert for Valor"

Around the Mall are many museums and we spent a long time in the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, which was very moving and emotional. It was a busy week in D.C. because 11th November is veterans day in the USA, and the Mall was the setting for the first ever "Concert for Valor", held in honor of veterans of the US Armed Forces. Unsurprisingly, security was incredibly tight and having seen the number of porta-loos we decided to skip the free evening concert and watch it live on TV instead. Fortunately the estimates of 800,000 people were over enthusiastic and in the end around 100,000 people turned up, but we are still glad to have seen the preparations.

Selfie in front of the Capitol

On our final day we visited the United States Capitol building on Capitol Hill. Like many of the museums and public buildings in D.C. it is open to anyone and free to tour. Starting with a short film and an exhibition of the history of the building, the highlight was touring the building, starting in the crypt, moving through the old supreme court chamber, and finishing in the impressive rotunda beneath the famous dome, despite it being surrounding by scaffolding for refurbishment.

 Adjoining the Capitol by underground tunnel is the National Library of Congress, strictly speaking the Jefferson Building which is one of three that make up the library as a whole. The building is just as impressive as the Capitol itself, and we learnt that the original collection of books was completely destroyed by the British in the war of 1812 when they used the collection of books as kindling to burn the Capitol building.

US Capitol looking East from the Mall

Icicles. Its that cold !

Deer on the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway

Having had our fill of museums and state buildings we are back on the road, going west inland through Bluegrass country and heading towards Kentucky. We've already driven Skyline Drive and the BlueRidge Parkway, atop the Blue ridge mountains of Virginia in spectacular sunny weather, and visited the famous Luray Caverns with more stunning calcite formations. We planned to go inland now before winter sets in and whilst its still fairly mild, but if you follow the news you may have seen that the USA is in the midst of an Arctic blast. The night before last the outside temperature dropped to -10c, so perhaps that hasn't gone quite to plan, however there has been very little snow here like unlike the north of the states where they are measuring it in feet per hour. Fingers crossed it doesn't get as far as where we are !

Finally for the folks who follow us but are not on Facebook, here is the link to the latest selection of photos. Next update should be around Thanksgiving at the end of the month, so please keep checking back.

Massachusetts to Maryland

Nantucket, where whales used to be processed.

The weather forecast for the weekend in Cape Cod was not great but we decided to chance a day trip to Nantucket, the island famous for whaling and now a booming tourist destination. As it turned out we had a near perfect day, with sun shining and calm winds for the hour long ferry crossing as foot passengers. The history of Nantucket is as diverse as it is rich, from its early origins with Native America tribes, to the settlement by the English and the whaling boom, the great fire of 1846 and eventual decline of whaling after the advent of modern petroleum refining.

We learnt much of this via a walking tour of the town which was part of our visit to the whaling museum, hearing also about how many whaler families followed a Quaker lifestyle and how advanced the islanders once were over their mainland counterparts. Nantucket has also produced some famous people, notably Mr Macy who started Macy's department store.

The similarities to our home island of Jersey were quite striking - near identical area of land mass, similar climate with milder winters than the nearby mainland, high house prices, expensive cost of living, and many other problems and advantages of living on a remote island. One big difference though was population, only around 10 thousand residents, many of whom move away for the winter.

Pilgrim Monument
Provincetown.

Next stop was Provincetown, right at the top of the Cape Cod peninsula. Another town with plenty of history, this is where the pilgrims landed on the Mayflower in 1620. On top of the hill overlooking the town sits the Pilgrim Monument, the tallest all granite structure in the USA, where from the top we could make out the outline of the skyscrapers in Boston, forty two miles away.

Woods Hole Oceanic Institute

Leaving Cape Cod we stopped at the Woods Hole Oceanic Institute, a private non-profit research and higher education facility dedicated to marine science, education and research. We reckon TJ might like to find out more about this place. Shortly after this we crossed briefly into Rhode Island, the smallest of the fifty states but the one with the longest official name - "the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations". It was the first colony to prohibit slavery in 1652, and the first state of the original thirteen colonies to declare independence from British rule back in 1776.

Mark Twain's house, Hartford, Connecticut

Driving over another state line into Connecticut, we visited the house of Samuel Longhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name of Mark Twain, in his home town of Hartford. He traveled very extensively in his day, and having encountered him many times during our travels it was really good to see where he settled and to learn more about the man himself, who did far more than just write great books.

Continuing on through the rolling hills of Connecticut we stopped briefly for lunch in Mianus, a neighborhood in the town of Greenwich, for no other reason than it appealed to our childish sense of humour (note that if you read that previous sentence and it didn't make you snigger, then you probably don't understand our sense of humour !). Shortly after we crossed into New York State for the second time on our trip, and after a frustrating and long drive through downtown Manhattan we swapped our rental car in Queens for a few days hopping on and off the NYC metro.

New York is a huge city, the most populous in the USA, and with something for anyone and everyone. We've seen and done so much in just a few days - vibrant Time Square buzzing with energy in the evenings, the ice rink and Christmas Market in Bryant Park, the stunning Grand Central Station, the amazing view from the Top of the Rock observation deck in the Rockefeller Plaza complex overlooking Manhattan Central Park, walking the Brooklyn Bridge on a cold sunny day, riding the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty, the nine foot tall clock weighing two tons in the opulent lobby of the Waldorf Astoria hotel, and walking through a small part of the enormous Central Park. Visiting the 9/11 Memorial was a moving experience, the two pools located in the footprints of the twin towers a solemn reminder of those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of 2001 and 1993. New York has rebuilt though, with the new One World Trade Center being the tallest structure in the western hemisphere and just having opened to its first tenants this week. The observation deck is not yet open but it will be a great view from up there.

Panorama looking north over Manhattan and Central Park, from Top of the Rock Observation Deck

Our timing for New York was great for several reasons, firstly it was Halloween and there was a huge Halloween parade along 6th Avenue on the evening of 31st October, secondly a friend from Jersey was also in NY at the same time, and we met up one evening in Times Square and had a great catch up (great to see you Dave), and finally it was the weekend of the NY Marathon. No doubt that we've walked many miles but nowhere near the length that each of those fifty thousand competitors did on that cold Sunday.

On the Brooklyn Bridge, with Manhattan in the background.

We could have stayed longer in New York and done much more but the constant noise of car horns and sirens, crowds of people and endless hot dog stands are quite intense across the senses. Leaving New York we quickly crossed into yet another state, New Jersey. This is the 4th smallest but the most densely populated of all the states, named after the birthplace we share with Vice Admiral Sir George Carteret. The Jersey Shore is home to seaside resort towns like Atlantic City, famous for its boardwalk, casino's and beach, and driving along the coast it seemed like every waterfront house had its own boat dock. Being well out of season now,  New Jersey was only a one night stopover for us and today we crossed from Cape May to Lewes by ferry into yet another state, Delaware, and then drove a short distance into Maryland. That brings our tally up to 31 States so far, and it wont be long until we reach Washington D.C. (which isn't a State or even in a State, though some Americans may argue otherwise to that last one !)

Finally for our readers who don't do Facebook, here is the latest batch of photos for you - click here to see them.

Maine to Cape Cod, MA

After Belfast, we meandered our way down the rocky East coast of New England, through many sleepy and quaint fishing villages with stunning scenery, and enjoying the remainder of the fall foliage which is in its last throws of color.

Boothbay Harbor

Pemaquid lighthouse

There are many lighthouses dotted along this stretch of coast and in particular we stopped at Pemaquid lighthouse which features on the Maine quarter dollar coin. In the stunningly tranquil Boothbay Harbor we had an unexpected doggie fix when we met four black labs in the"Two Salty Dogs"  pet outfitters - it's friendly owner having acquired two more dogs since opening his shop !

Continuing south we visited the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, at the site of the former Percy and Small shipyard on the banks of the Kennebec river. We learnt about the Victorian era of boat building on this site, wondered at the skill and sheer effort it took to build these huge trading ships, and took a short boat ride on the river to see more lighthouses, bald eagles nesting in the trees and wild seals swimming and fishing in the river estuary.

Full size representation of the six masted schooner
"Wyoming"at the Maine Maritime Museum

South of Falmouth and another lighthouse fix at Portland Head, we passed through or near towns with names like Wells, York, and Portsmouth, Dover, Exeter and Newbury. It's not hard to understand why this area is called New England. We stopped for several days at Marblehead, a small peninsula just north of Boston, in a charming little B and B where we met some great people as well as Mulligan, the lovely Golden Retriever.

Bewitched in Salem !

From here we visited nearby Salem, which trades extensively on it's well known history of witch trials in the late 1600's. It was interesting to learn about the hysteria that happened here though there is much more to Salem with its rich maritime history of trading with China and the East Indies. It became the port of choice during the Boston Port Act and is also the birthplace of the National Guard, so there is plenty to see and do here.

A 15 minute car journey south followed by 20 minutes on the metro and we were in the city of Boston for a day trip. Founded in 1630, it is one of the oldest cities in the USA and the scene of several key events in the American Revolution. The weather was not kind to us but despite the rain and driving wind we walked the full length of the Freedom Trail. Its a 2.5 mile long brick path weaving its way through the city past many significant buildings and places of historical interest.

Selfie from the water taxi, with Boston skyline in the background

Starting at the site of the Boston Massacre, where in 1770 five colonialists were killed by British soldiers, we walked the trail to the monument at Bunker Hill where we climbed the 294 steps to the top for a great view over the Boston Skyline. Continuing onward we visited the Charlestown Naval Yard - one of the oldest shipyards in the USA, and the USS Constitution - the oldest commissioned naval vessel still afloat. After all that we took a short water taxi ride back to Faneuil Hall and the Quincy Market - we'd have liked to have seen the site of the Boston Tea Party but time was against us and our legs had just about had enough for the day too.

So onto Cape Cod, where we have just arrived for the weekend. We have plenty planned in the coming week or two so please do check back for our next update.

Rochester to Belfast, ME

After leaving Rochester we stopped at the overview of Taughannock Falls, and then did the short hike up the gorge through falling autumn leaves to see this magnificent falls closer up.

Taughannock Falls

We continued North East to Cape Vincent, stopping briefly to see the Tibbets Point lighthouse, which looks out over Lake Ontario and marks the start of the St Lawrence River. It is also the start of the area known as Thousands Islands, an archipelago of over eighteen hundred islands straddling the US/Canadian border in the mighty river. We based ourselves at Alexandria Bay to spend the morning at the extravagant Boldt Castle on Heart Island, now a major tourist attraction where the restored castle tells its history and tragic story. We also took a sightseeing boat trip on the river, crossing briefly into Canadian waters - our third trip over the border - though no passports required this time.

Boldt Castle (file photo)

Back in the car heading east again and past Lake Placid, home to several previous winter olympics, we took a short ferry ride on Lake Champlain, crossing into the State of Vermont and stopping in Burlington, the largest city in the state. It was a bit wacky here, amongst other things home to the worlds tallest filing cabinet, and winged monkey statues on roof of the railway station. A little less wacky was the factory tour of Ben and Jerry's ice cream where we saw a batch of "Cherry Garcia" being made, and learnt about the honorable ethics behind this company.

Morse Farm all set for Halloween

Another stop that day was the Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks, with 200 years of history making maple syrup. We learnt a lot there too, like how the trees are tapped when the sap rises up in the Springtime; that it takes 40 gallons of maple sap to make just 1 gallon of syrup; and how the different grades are naturally created during the short season. We also had a great chat with Mrs Morse (senior) in the shop, who also let us taste all four grades from this year's production. Very yummy they all were too, and though we know several people at home who would have liked some it was prohibitively expensive to send back by post, sorry folks !

The view from the Notch Train on the Conway Scenic Railroad

Onto North Conway, where we had booked a scenic railroad trip up into the mountains to see the colours of the fall foliage, which has just peaked. The scenery was truly stunning and hard to really capture in a photograph.

As if Sel needs the instructions !

Heading still further east and crossing into the state of Maine, we finally saw the sea again when we reached the island of Mt Desert, which is home to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. Its a touristy destination catering to cruise ships going up into the Bay of Fundy, and they make the most of the plentiful lobster in these waters with every eating establishment promoting lobster - whole or picked, boiled or fried, in a roll, as a salad, a pizza topping and even lobster ice-cream. It was here that we celebrated our third wedding anniversary with a Shore Dinner which is a local staple favorite comprising a bowl of New England Clam chowder, a whole boiled lobster, and finished off with a piece of Maine Blueberry Pie. To burn it off we hiked to the top of Cadillac Mountain, where the views are spectacular, and being the highest peak on the entire east coast is also the very first place to see the sunrise in the entire USA each day.

Breathtaking panoramic view over Bar Harbor from the top of Cadillac Mountain

The Observatory is at the top of the right hand tower (file photo again )

On route to Belfast where we are now, we stopped at the Penobscot Narrows Observatory, the tallest public bridge observatory in the world with an incredible view over the area, and also Fort Knox, an impressive granite fort built to defend Maine from the British and now a historic site, not to be confused with the famous bullion depository in Kentucky.



Our next stops will be around Boston and Cape Cod and we are aiming to be in New York by the end of October. The trip meter on our GPS shows that we have driven over seventeen thousand miles to date, which we reckon is pretty good going considering we have just passed our 6 month milestone. The States may be getting smaller in size on the East Coast but there is probably more to see and do here than ever, so we've still got plenty more to get through.

Edit: Facebook Photos just added CLICK HERE !

Springfield, IL to Rochester, NY

Abraham Lincoln's Home.

Following on from Ronald Reagan's home, we stopped in Springfield, IL to visit Abraham Lincoln's home, now given over to and maintained by the National Park Service. Its free to visit and though partly restored it has many of the original pieces of furniture making for a great glimpse back in time, especially given the significance of this great man. Springfield is also the final resting place for Honest Abe, who's tomb lies in the Oak Ridge Cemetery which we also visited.

Amish horse and carts in Shipshewana

Putting some more miles on our rental car we stopped briefly at 3 Floyds brewery and brewpub in the town of Munster, to pick up some goodies for our friend, before driving through Amish country near Shipshewana. We've seen several documentaries on TV about the Amish people and it was great to see a few of them in person, with their horses and buggies, and alternative way of life.

Tell almost any American citizen that you are going to Detroit, and they might ask you why ? Well, Motor City may be a shadow of its former self having filed for bankrupcy in 2013, but the Henry Ford Museum on the outskirts is well worth visiting. Its a vast building, housing a wide array of machinery, exhibits and Americana, many of which were Henry Ford's own collection. To give some idea of size, an original DC-3 Dakota aircraft hangs for the roof as part of the aircraft exhibits, and a huge Allegheny steam locomotive at one end. It took us over four hours just walking around the exhibits, then we also toured the adjacent Greenfield Village, where nearly 100 historical buildings have been re-located and arranged in a village setting. Its not all show though, there is a working locomotive round house, traditional glass blowers, weavers and potters all working here and manufacturing items, but it is all accessible and fascinating to see.

A selection of stoves in The Henry Ford.

As well as the museum, which was originally know as the Edison Institute, the Ford Motor Company are based right here and they do factory tours too however unfortunately when we were there the factory was closed for several months to be re-tooled for the new all aluminum body F150 pickup truck. As it happened we simply wouldn't have had time to do a factory tour as well and in hindsight we could have spent several more days in Detroit, contrary to what everyone had told us.

Selfie taken from Prospect Point Observation Tower

Another long day in the driving seat to our next stop, the magnificent Niagara Falls. The Canadian side may have the fullest view but from the US it is still pretty impressive and we had a great day out with the sun shining and blue sky overhead. There are many walkways through the state park with great views from Goat Island of the Bridal Veil and Horseshoe Falls, plus the American Falls which looked amazing from the Prospect Point observation tower. The best part though is putting on a blue plastic poncho and getting on one of the Maids of the Mist boats, going right up into the falls and feeling the power of the water.

Its hard to comprehend the sheer volume of water, but it doesn't all go to waste as we learnt in the visitor center of the nearby Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant. There is incredible history here, where New York generates some of the cheapest electricity in the country.


And so onto Rochester in upstate NY, to see our friend Jules and her family who live here. We've had a great weekend catching up with them all, eating and drinking too much and taking in the Hilton Apple Festival - which is in the town of Hilton, not a hotel !

Fall is rapidly taking hold now, the leaves are changing color even here and we've just heard that Chicago has had its first snowfall of this year. There are pumpkins everywhere as people get ready for Halloween, and we are looking forward to getting up to Maine next week to see the changing foliage at its best.


Finally for any of our followers not on Facebook we have just uploaded a big photo album with great pictures from both this post and the previous one, You don't have to be on Facebook, just click or press on this link to view our pictures.

Chicago to Rochelle via Milwaukee

Chicago Botanical Gardens

We left the housesit on Monday morning, Smokey safely re-united with his owners. En route to Chicago city we stopped at the Chicago Botanical Gardens, a 385 acre living plant museum situated on nine islands and featuring 26 different feature gardens. Being limited by time we didn't get to see everything but what we did see was stunning, particularly the impressive vegetable gardens complete with bee hives, the amazing collection of Bonsai, and the tropical glasshouses.

Returning our rental car to O'Hare airport we rode the blue line "L" train (an abbreviation for eLevated) into downtown Chicago, a couple very kindly giving us their day pass tickets that they no longer needed which saved us a few bucks. Cities being expensive to stay in we were fortunate to find a good deal on an older style motel which has seen better days but was clean and perfectly located in easy walking distance of the central downtown area. First stop was the John Hancock Center, a 100 story, 1,127 feet tall (344m) skyscraper with spectacular views over Chicago. Many people pay the entrance fee for the Observatory on the 94th floor but we opted for the Signature Lounge on the 95th, where for the price of a cup of coffee you get the same stunning views plus a hot drink. The Ladies restroom also enjoys this spectacular view, but alas not the Gents.

Panorama of Chicago from John Hancock Tower

The other best way to view the city is by river boat, and we took one of the many river tours to learn about the brief but intense history of this city and see the diverse and wonderful architecture from different angles too. Back on foot, the Magnificent Mile with its mix of upmarket retail stores, restaurants and hotels was worth walking along but we preferred the buzzing and lively atmosphere of the Navy Pier, stretching out into Lake Michigan and from where we took another short boat tour on the lake to see the skyline.

Buckingham Fountain with Chicago skyline behind

Uniquely, almost all the waterfront remains as open public space, which truly makes this city feel bright and airy. In particular, Grant Park, home to the Buckingham Fountain which is one of the largest in the world and has hourly water shows, and The Cloud Gate, a stainless steel sculpture nicknamed The Bean which made for some fascinating photos with reflections of the buildings.

The Bean. Can you spot us in the reflection ?

Chicago is the starting place of historic route 66, not that there is much to see of the "Mother Road" anymore but we did take a selfie by the sign, to go with our picture from the end of the route in Los Angeles. Chicago is also famous for deep pan pizza and it would have been rude not to have had one, plus the leftovers made for an unusual cold breakfast the following morning.

Two days were probably not enough in Chicago - we could have stayed longer to see much more in this city that pleasantly surprised us by everything it has to offer. On our way out after having picked up another rental car we stopped by the famous Wrigley Field to get a brief glimpse of the ivy wall at this unique and historic baseball ground which is home to the Chicago Cubs.

Harley Davidson bike no 1

Sel with the Bronze Fonz

A few hours drive north took us into the state of Wisconsin, and the city of Milwaukee where Harley Davidson are headquartered. Their museum opened here in 2008 and houses an impressive collection of motorcycles, artifacts and exhibits from the company's 110 year history. Plenty pictures taken that day, and nearby we also saw the Bronze Fonz, a bronze statue of The Fonz from the series "Happy Days" which we both remember from our childhoods and which was set in Milwaukee.


Backtracking slightly West we re-visited a place that was closed when we came by three weeks earlier - the sculpture park of Dr Evermore where everything is made from scrap metal. The centrepiece is the Forevertron - you'll have to read the link to get a better understanding of it, but we are glad that we came back when it was open as it is all a bit eccentric and slightly bonkers.

Dr Evermore's Forevertron

The Infinity Room at the House on the Rock

Dr Evermore also created much of the art at our next stop, which was the House on the Rock, a complex built by Alex Jordan with many unique features like the infinity room with over 3000 windows. Again, there is too much to describe here so please click the link to find out more about this fascinating and unique place.

Stopping for the night in Dubuque, at the junction of three states (Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin), we picked up some fresh fruit at the Farmers Market, and took in the view from the top of the Fenelon Place Elevator, claimed to be the steepest and shortest funicular in the world.

The front of Antique Archeology

Driving south along the banks of the Mississippi we called into the small and pleasant town of Le Claire, Iowa, which is home to Antique Archeology, and the base for the reality TV series American Pickers. Having watched a few episodes both at home and in the USA it was great to see the place and browse some of the picks that we have seen on TV. Le Claire is also the birthplace of Buffalo Bill and there was a great museum dedicated to him here.

Tampico, IO - birthplace of Ronald Reagen

Finally, and on the subject of birthplaces, we stopped at the small village of Tampico, IL, which is the birthplace of Ronald Reagan. The small apartment where he was born is now a museum and we had a guided tour of it, along with the restored bank underneath. Filled with pictures, artifacts, documents and clippings it shows that you don't need to have years of history to be interesting. We also stopped briefly at Dixon, the boyhood home of Ronald Reagan, though we only got to see the outside of the house there.

So as you can see it has been a very busy few days for us already, sorry no new pictures on Facebook this time but we will need to do something soon as our camera is running out of memory ! Please do click on the links to read in more detail about the things we've seen, and we'll post again very soon.

House sit near Chicago and future plans

Smokey and Craig in the forest preserve

So here we are again, rapidly approaching the end of another great house sit. We have thoroughly enjoyed the break from our travels and having the lovely Smokey the dog to keep us company, though we are also excited to continue on our adventures again. Smokey has been really good with us, very chilled out and easy going, and spoiled rotten by us with treats and affection. As well as walking around this quiet and delightful neighborhood, he loves riding in the car with us and there is a great walk nearby around a forest preserve which we've all enjoyed several times. He's been our shadow at all times in the house, loves his food (and ours too), and has slept quietly every night at the foot of our bed.

Cranes in the garden

The house here has been lovely too - all the properties in this area are set on enormous (by Jersey standards) plots mostly laid to lawn, which makes for great wildlife viewing. Watching the red squirrels in the sunshine running between the trees and burying their nuts ready for winter, and Cranes walking in two and threes through the large open lawns has been very therapeutic, and we've even seen chipmunks on the decking. No deer or coyote this time, though one evening when we opened the front door to let Smokey out, there was a pungent odor of what we think was a skunk. Fortunately there was no trace the following morning so we presume it had just passed through the front garden, but phew what a unforgettable stink.

Where are my nuts hiding ?

Having access to a fantastic local library means we've been able to borrow films, documentaries and tv series on DVD to fill some evening time, but more importantly we've researched and planned the next leg of our journey. When the home owners return this weekend we have one more night with them before heading into Chicago city itself for a few days, then we backtrack slightly to visit a few places that we missed on our way here. Our plan is then to continue east, stopping at Niagra Falls on the USA side, and we are looking forward to meeting and catching up with a friend - originally from Jersey - and her family in their home city of Rochester, NY shortly afterwards.

One of our goals is to see the foliage and colours of The Fall, which is just starting in Maine. We've signed up to receive weekly foliage reports by email from the Maine Department of Agriculture, and subject to timing we hope to hit the peak season in at least two of the regions, maybe more. There are no firm plans beyond that at the moment but we are aiming to be in New York City by the end of October.

Not many photos this time but we have finally got the map page on our blog to work properly - it is interactive so you can zoom in and out, and click on markers to see more. Red markers are the places (town or city) that we have stayed in, and green markers are the points of interest we have seen or visited. We will update the markers as we progress and will also add more detail, so please keep checking back and give us some feedback too.

Wyoming to Chicago, IL

Beartooth Highway

Most of Yellowstone National Park is in the state of Wyoming, so we crossed the state line from Montana for the last time, through the National Park entrance and onto US Route 212. Peaking at just under 11,000 feet (3,300 metres), and better known as Beartooth Highway, the pass is usually only open from May to October due to heavy winter snowfall, and has been called the most beautiful drive in America with magnificent views over one of the most rugged and wild areas in the lower 48 states. The big blue sky certainly looked surreal at times, though we were brought back to reality at one point when a huge and hairy lone bison strolled across the road in front of us. It made for a very long day, only 500 miles or so but over 12 hours behind the wheel, but it was well worth the trip and would be a great ride to do on a Harley. 

Devils Tower National Monument

The following day we visited Devils Tower National Park, to see a natural igneous intrusion standing over 1,200 feet above the surrounding terrain. Most likely this volcanic plug was created when magma cooled and set solid in the neck of an ancient volcano, after which the surrounding sedimentary rock eroded away leaving this magnificent column. Although in a National Park, the site is sacred to the Native American peoples and once again we read of many conflicts, including a few recreational climbers who purposely choose to ignore a voluntary ban on climbing during the month of June. 

This is the geographic centre of the USA - well its very near here anyway !

Moving on and crossing into South Dakota, we spotted on our road map that we were close to the geographic centre of the USA. Guided by GPS we reached the waypoint but could see nothing special. Just 20 miles south in the town of Belle Fourche there is a tourist marker but we discovered later that we had been very close to the actual point, which is located in a field and involves climbing over a barbed wire fence and across a ditch. Being short on time this picture is the closest that we got to it, not very exciting as you can see. For anyone looking at a map and thinking that South Dakota is too high to be the geographic centre, you are partly correct -  this is the geographic centre of the entire 50 states which includes the two remote states of Hawaii and Alaska - the centre of the contiguous lower 48 being in Kansas.

Mount Rushmore

Next stop was the iconic Mount Rushmore with its bust sculptures of four presidents - Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln - carved from the granite face of the mountain that gives this monument its name. Attracting well over 2 million visitors each year, it certainly had the desired effect of boosting tourism to this region when it was completed in 1941. Just 50 miles north from here is the town of Sturgis, home to the annual Sturgis Bike Rally. Its one of the largest in the world and is held in the first week of August every year - it would have been good to see but we were just a few weeks late for this one.

Driving west to east through South Dakota felt long, on arrow straight roads between enormous fields of corn and soy, and as we crossed the state line into Minnesota the flat plains continued. It was here that the 80's tv series "Little House on the Prairie" was set, and it felt like not much had really changed - the tractors were bigger, but many of the side streets are still rough gravel, giving a distinct and quaint rural feel.

Minneapolis Skyline

Reaching the city of Minneapolis with a full day to spare and under stormy thunderclouds, we visited the "Mall of America", a huge indoor retail complex that receives over 40 million visitors annually. It was an attack on all our senses, the centre piece being an indoor theme park with roller-coasters, funfair rides and attractions. Currently this is not quite the largest mall in the USA, but it boasts an aquarium, adjoining hotel, many restaurants and bars, two huge food courts and of course plenty of retail stores, and is the perfect place to spend a rainy day.

Capitol Building, Madison.

The last big day on the road took us over another state line into Wisconsin, and into its capital city of Madison. Being a university city, it felt like it would be young and vibrant, however arriving on the Labor Day public holiday the streets surrounding Capitol Square were very quiet, and we struggled to find somewhere to eat. The empty streets made for easy parking though and we got some great shots of the Capitol Building before sunset.

A short trip over yet another state line into Illinois found us arriving at our house sit on the outskirts of Chicago, where we received a warm welcome from Smokey and his human parents. Once again we have been very lucky in every respect - a lovely pooch, a wonderful and friendly couple, a beautiful home and a great neighborhood.

Smokey our furry foster dog.

We wont be doing much, if any, sightseeing here but will spend the time relaxing a little after our time on the road, researching and planning the next phase of our trip, and catching up with various administrative tasks such as sorting out our photos and updating this blog. It is also a great time for us to catch up with family and friends and we will be on Skype most days for anyone that wants to chat with us, plus we'd love to hear from anyone by other means such as email or blog comments. Our Facebook friends will have already seen our latest batch of photos and for those of you not on Facebook you can view them here by clicking this link.