Last year we tried to get round the whole of New England but ended up missing Vermont. This year we set off at an almost identical time from Detroit and not content to try to cover all the states we have traversed the border into Canada for the day.



I didn’t tell the US border guard on our return that the overnight trip had been because we had been told that Niagara looked better from Canada, otherwise my visa might have been revoked and not being essential to the safety of the “free” world (that’s world in the Baseball world series sense) would have been back on a plane to dear old Recessionsville of Gordon’s Toon.

The other new feature of P and S’s awfully big adventures was a passenger who we agreed to take because he brought us chocolate hob nobs, fruit and fibre and replenished our Ribena Lake ready for winter. He very quickly had to learn to say rest room, trunk, warder and stop uttering famous Scarborough expressions such as “Cheers” for thanks and “Give us a shufty of the menu” and lastly “Can I have fish, chips and gravy with that”.

Not wishing to scare him too early with our usual budget accommodation we started just beyond Niagara Falls at Niagara on the Lake in a genuine Canadian B& B complete with collection of “Chucky does Victoriana” dolls…I show just a picture of the room we shared with them



And the view from the window



Welcome to "Les more vignes than vous could shake a stick at". Not to mention the town centre which is like Florida's Naples (see Miami blog)in terms of money and shops. Naples did lack the Angel pub run by a man from Warrington selling Caledonian 80 shilling, fish and chips and shepherds pie……how to disorientate your guest in one outing.

And the culture to be found in the ladies toilet:



Then a night visit to Niagara Falls. The picture does not do it justice at all.



While taking this picture "something" was killing "something else" in the bushes in the car park..the defeated’s cries got slowly weaker and pathetic..but none of us dare go to look in case it was a cross between a very angry Mountless Mountie and the “creature” out of Twin Peaks.

The following morning we started the day off picturesquely...Niagara on the Lake’s Bandstand



Little England


The trip to the Falls






Then there is a monentary panic as you arrive (to be fair we had it the night before when it was all lit up) since Niagara itself is like Blackpool and Las Vegas with a Canadian accent all rolled into one


But these make up for it



Especially when you get close






What you were looking at was the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side. The next views are Niagara Falls on the US side..much smaller (it’s relative).





Some of the blue aliens you see on the Maid in the Mist who had been let out of the Green Back asylum for the day, had trouble swallowing the bitter pill…Think it is the only time in the last 18 months I have heard

“Smawl is sometarms more budeiful”.



Incidentally did you know that in order to get back in to the US they have to compose a 1000 word essay justifying why they felt the unpatriotic need to abandon the mother country to look at the Frenchies “bigger drop”.

Oh and there was an even weirder alien wearing the new Tribal Group protection gear


And then it was hold your breath time to see if I would get back in to the US myself. And I did so it’s off to the Adirondacks for you my peeps:

Seneca Falls in the Finger Lakes region of New York state



Well I’ll be, strange to be referencing women's underwear when Seneca Falls is one of the birthplaces of American Women’s Suffrage. Could be ironic if the bloomers were big and saggy passion killers I guess.



Just because I didn’t see one in Shenandoah. But they were clean out of ‘em.



Here my two brave travelling companions stayed in the car while I got chased by a cross dog to get this shot.



Up a hunter's seat without a ????????



Leaf peeping is so therapeutic



I should say at this point that the only places we had booked to stay were for the first night and the last. Now came the hunt for somewhere in the middle of nowhere..and we found this



With these views





Unfortunately there was a madman in the boat shed



Who also prepared food for whatever was going to eat this



We had the place to ourselves except for two other people. The place is run by a corporation and "head woman" was shutting up for the season and could only feed us whatever was left for breakfast but that we should feel free to build a fire in the lounge. First some food and beers and wine.

Down to the grocery and the offie 4 miles away. Open grocer's door and customary facial expression of "You're not from round these parts".

Pick the crisps and see the open DOOR in the wall of the grocer's shop through to the off-licence section.

“Can we go through to pick some wine and beers?”

“Nope, ya pay for these heeeeeere. Thayts a separate eSTABlishment”

“Oh ok” looking back at the open door in the wall to the San Miguel waving at us..

“Rarght now, let’s sort your beeeeere.”

Out of the front of the shop we go (NOT I repeat NOT through the open door in the wall)

Lock the door to the grocer's.

Unlock the door to the Offie which is at a 90 degree angle to the door of the grocer's..

In through the front door we step…near the door in the wall that is open and through which we can see the packets of Nachos are now waving at us…..

Purchase the beers.

Come out of the offie, lock the door and unlock the grocer's.

“Well it’s bin narce doing business with ya”

Yeah and we were very pleased to fill your day slightly more than we would have done if we were teetotal…

And so to the equally remote little diner with this view. And these are the colours at dusk without the sun shining.



Then came the sunset on the way home:





Daybreak in the Adirondacks. I was the only one who got up:




And remember I said she said she didn’t have much for breakfast...



Did we mention the place had a games room



Oh and the view when the sun came out




Having paid $65 for the privilege off we set to wind our way up to Port Kent on Lake Champlain for the ferry. Stopping off for this

5391

And this







Just to prove it was me



Sorry but the colours just never ceased to amaze me





A stop off for a little light lunch not involving pancakes and to give our drive a rest



When a Martha Stewart makeover beats historical accuracy



Sorry just had to include another one..



Just before Lake Champlain we happened upon this:



Not exactly the Fat Controller. Beacuse of the sign for a moment I thought we were back in Bush country....



And what happens to the weather when we get to the ferry on the Canadian border which takes an hour to cross? Absolutely bl…y freezing



We were an hour early and found this for the big boy's airfix enthusiast to get excited about ..

I am sure above the wind I heard

“Boss it’s de plane, de plane”



Good job we were early as this snuck up on us.



And because it was full, but for one space and, no-one else seemed to be about it just set off an hour earlier than scheduled..

If anyone tries to tell you different I was on the ferry the whole time and was sitting in this very position ........



But 2 Yorkshire numpties with a passing resemblance to Foggy and Clegg out of "Last of the Summer Wine" apparently scoured the ship, just like most men scour their drawer for clean socks, thinking that I had got off the boat and then been left behind because it set off early.

Moving on, the lake and sky from the ferry:




Then to Burlington and our motel, called the Bel Air



No other pictures of Burlington because we were there mainly at night.

So the trip to Montpelier:



And lots of these




And Smuggler’s Notch Valley and ski resort



And a ride in a Gondola up Mount Mansfield



Which at the top had views like this



At this point we had to walk the rest of the way and set out undaunted despite these kind of drops



until as with Shenandoah we met a rock for which you had to hold on to a metal handle and kind of swing out a bit over a drop…..Forget it.

We admired the view and Billam counted the ski runs and muttered doh! every so often at the lack of snow




But P struggled valiantly upwards alone with camera, coming back with these view despite only being at the “chin” of Mansfield







I should mention that while Billam and I sat and marvelled, the US mountaineering equivalent of "The Two Fat Ladies" (God rest) managed what I could not. So in the words George W.. I was HUMILITYFIED.

Back down to the iconic shot of Vermont



And ice cream for tea




A free sampling of



And a graveyard for retired flavours



We were also gutted to know B and J had sold to Unilever with the promise of their ethos remaining eternal.......

Once we had extracted Billam from the new flavours vat we continued to what is often known as the smallest state capital in America – Montpelier



Complete with its own brand of cookiness




Holy Water and Forgiveness or am I way off?



Another charming hostelry and our first day of constant rain



which was ok as we decide to drive to Boston, taking in breakfast in Randolph and lunch in Concord (remember last year’s Boston blog)




We arrived at the Lord Wakefield which is on the commuter line into Boston. Thursday night was spent in an Irish pub in Wakefield watching the Boston Red Sox, eating sausage and mash and being served by the arsiest waitress ever.

Friday last full day. How to make a mental health patient suicidal, not a single entry or exit sign just geometric confusion



Where Alli McBeal was filmed



A recession motivated bank



Just point to where you want the b....y hole



Crabs who’ve eaten too many Niagara Falls capes



I donated mine and look what happened! (You might need to click on refresh)





Ha ha



Pet lovers who didn’t pay up



Or people like me who didn’t see the "NO PHOTOGRAPHS" sign for this



Boston on a clear day, last year was hazy



And you probably feel you’ve done metaphorically the same 1100 miles we did physically.

So from the midst of election frenzy let me leave you with the most eloquent political speech ever heard from the lowliest of Boston street woman who had also gone to the effort of making her own posters from her own cardboard home…

“VOTE OBAMA…MCCAINS A BASTARD!!”