We left the crowded sidewalks and packed streets behind when we left Stowe, traveling the backroads of Vermont. You may have heard our sigh of relief as we once again had time to admire the scenery. Like this. This old barn with its overgrown fields was part of it.Rolled up hay bales were one more sign that Vermont had left summer behind and was preparing for winter.There was still plenty of color to catch our eyes.And a bright sun to illuminate the fields and trees.A photo of cute baby possums adorned the wall of the Pine Grove Motel where we stayed in Barton, Vermont that night. As it should. We were in the Possum Room. The motel was ancient and small but remodeled and clean with amenities including a refrigerator, microwave and even a toaster. Two single beds served our sleeping needs. At least they did until midnight when we heard a strange noise. At first I thought in might be an animal in the attic and happily pictured a possum. Peggy and I quickly realized, however, that someone was using a key and trying to get into our room. My assumption was that he/she had mixed up room numbers. I’ve done that. I went over and politely said through the door that the person had the wrong room. (No way was I opening the door!) The person continued to work his key and wouldn’t quit. Maybe he was drunk. I was getting worried. “You have the wrong room,” I said loudly. “Go away!” He smashed the door with his fist. But left. It took a while for us to go back to sleep.The next morning we climbed on I-91 and zipped down the freeway to I-93 where we left the Green Mountains of Vermont behind for the granite White Mountains of New Hampshire. There is a reason why New Hampsire is known as the Granite State!Our goal was New Hampshire’s Kancamagus Highway noted for its fall colors. At 34 miles long, it is considered New Hampshire’s most scenic drive. The US Forest Service even charges people $5 to drive the road if they use any of the pullouts. (Our handy-dandy National Park Senior Citizen Pass that we have been using for a quarter of a century worked.)Unfortunately, the famous fall colors were past their prime.So we went looking for other things that might catch our eyes, like this boulder filled stream along the highway. More granite.Farther along, we found a waterfall to admire.Sunlight lit up a corner, creating translucence.We thought that this ‘long shot’ provided an interesting, different perspective. The waterfall was at the very top. Dark, inky water ran along the channel and then gained a tad of color as it flowed over rocks at the end.Of course we found some colors along the highway. After all, it was still early in October and we were in New Hampshire.Birch trees were still showing off their yellow leaves and white bark.And maples still provided a dash of red.My favorite photo, however, was this picture that we took and I rendered in black and white. Soon after we left the Kancamagus Highway, we entered Maine and once again found ourselves on backroads with close to zero traffic. GPS and I had an argument over which way to go. We were in Robert Frost country, however. He had spent the majority of his life in New England. My decision was easy: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I took the road less traveled by,” as I often do. It’s my motto. I had even memorized Frost’s poem, The Road Not Taken, in high school. GPS was disgusted and kept telling us to turn around for miles.We spent our night in Farmington, Maine where we had a large room with a kingsize bed, no one tried to get into our room, and there was an excellent Chinese restaurant about 50 yards from our doorstep. While most of the photos we took the next day on our way to Bar Harbor resembled the ones you have been seeing throughout this series, we were particularly impressed with the brownish tint of this scene…And the reddish brown in this one.Having time on our hands before we could check into our motel in Bar Harbor, we stopped at an information center in Bangor, Maine. These Black Eyed Susans greeted us.A bee was busy harvesting the nectar.When I got too close, it flew toward my lens. I liked the wing action. That’s it for today. Next up: Acadia National Park!The colors of Acadia National Park.
28 thoughts on “From Stowe, Vermont to Bar Harbor, Maine… Beautiful Scenery and a Scary Encounter”
Good morning, Curtis and Peggy.
This latest posting caused me to look at my file of pictures from a quite similar trip Frances and I took in the fall of 2013. (The road trip followed a West Point class reunion.) We followed much the same route, including the Kancamagus Hwy and Bar Harbor. (We stopped for fresh-off-the-boat lobster in Portland.) My photography from that trip was underwhelming, unfortunately, and minimal in both numbers and quality, so it was great to see your postings. Thanks for the memory trip.
Thanks, John. Appreciated. In some ways it was a trip down memory lane for us as well. While we have been in the area 4-5 times over they years, only one was in the fall, which would have been around the same time you were there. We didn’t take many photos then either, but the beauty always hung out in our memory banks. We were glad to see that our memories were not only matched, but exceeded. Looking forward to Christmas!
So beautiful! I always wanted to drive the Kancamagus Highway when I lived out there, but never had a chance. Thanks for taking me along on this virtual tour.
Which is why people go to New England in the fall, Beth. We were continually awed. We kept taking photos way beyond our need for them. Grin. Acadia is up next!
I sometimes see in movies a person running to answer a door in the middle of the night without a clue who is knocking, Peggy. And I always wonder why they don’t try to identify the person, or at least the cause, first. But then, where would the drama be. Grin.
These gorgeous photos are my favourites of the whole trip so far. Shazam! Wow! Look at those gorgeous rich compositions. It looks like you turned the volume on the colour saturation all the way up. ❤
Mother Nature is responsible for most of the color saturation, Crystal. LOL. But on occasion she can use a little help. Now cropping is something else. I have no compunction, about cropping out things that don’t relate to what I am trying to show in the photo. 😳
I crop all the time! It can make photos so much better. 🙂
The colors are fabulous, and the water is enticing, but those possums! That’s an adorable photo, and my favorite of the group. The trees and such are gorgeous, of course, but who doesn’t love a baby anything?
Again…the fall colors! The nerve of someone wanting your room! I had that in my apartment but here’s my best…I got off on the wrong floor and thought I had entered my apartment but why was a man sitting on the couch watching my television? Well…it was not the right floor! Anyway…looking forward to your next adventure. Stay safe! What happens for Thanksgiving for you two?
Laughing about your encounter, Wendy. As I noted I’ve made the mistake of trying to get into the wrong room, and even because I got off on the wrong floor, but I have never gotten as far as you did.
We will have a quiet Thanksgiving here in Virginia with our kids. It’s going to be quieter than we expected, however. Our daughter is having knee surgery the day before.
I did hear your sigh of relief, yes and I had my own when looking through your post. Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos and traveling details.
The first hotel story was very scary: I would have been freaking out! The Maine colors are gorgeous. We were there maybe a month ahead of you, and the colors were not nearly as brilliant. Looking forward to your Acadia adventures and photos – it’s one of my favorite national parks!
Ahh, those fall colors, Curt, are stunning, to say the least. I love this time of year because of the vibrant and warm hues. But how scary for you both! I’m glad the person didn’t persist! Loved all the photos, all so beautiful beyond words. Our son visited Acadia, so I’ll watch for your post. Take care!
Wandering through Time and Place 
Good morning, Curtis and Peggy.
This latest posting caused me to look at my file of pictures from a quite similar trip Frances and I took in the fall of 2013. (The road trip followed a West Point class reunion.) We followed much the same route, including the Kancamagus Hwy and Bar Harbor. (We stopped for fresh-off-the-boat lobster in Portland.) My photography from that trip was underwhelming, unfortunately, and minimal in both numbers and quality, so it was great to see your postings. Thanks for the memory trip.
Thanks, John. Appreciated. In some ways it was a trip down memory lane for us as well. While we have been in the area 4-5 times over they years, only one was in the fall, which would have been around the same time you were there. We didn’t take many photos then either, but the beauty always hung out in our memory banks. We were glad to see that our memories were not only matched, but exceeded. Looking forward to Christmas!
Oh my God, such views! It’s such a pleasure to see the world through your eyes. Love that waterfall too!
Thanks! Very much appreciated. Peggy and I love sharing our travels and the beautiful places we are privileged to view.
A fabulous picture gallery Curt.
Great photographs. I enjoyed reading / looking through you blog.
Thanks for the visit and comment. Appreciated. Glad you enjoyed the post.
Thanks for taking us along.
This fall, I have found a new appreciation for the many shades of brown [brown is an orange on the color wheel] such as in one of your photos above.
We loved the browns, Ray. Though muted in color, they had no problem in fitting in with all of the bright oranges, yellows, and reds we had seen.
So beautiful! I always wanted to drive the Kancamagus Highway when I lived out there, but never had a chance. Thanks for taking me along on this virtual tour.
We would have liked to see the Kancamagus highway a couple of weeks earlier, Diana. But we surely had nothing to complain about! Thanks.
What a beautiful fall road trip! You hit the jackpot with the gorgeous fall colors! I love the one from Acadia.
Which is why people go to New England in the fall, Beth. We were continually awed. We kept taking photos way beyond our need for them. Grin. Acadia is up next!
Great scenery. That was a scary encounter. Glad you didn’t open the door.
I sometimes see in movies a person running to answer a door in the middle of the night without a clue who is knocking, Peggy. And I always wonder why they don’t try to identify the person, or at least the cause, first. But then, where would the drama be. Grin.
These gorgeous photos are my favourites of the whole trip so far. Shazam! Wow! Look at those gorgeous rich compositions. It looks like you turned the volume on the colour saturation all the way up. ❤
Mother Nature is responsible for most of the color saturation, Crystal. LOL. But on occasion she can use a little help. Now cropping is something else. I have no compunction, about cropping out things that don’t relate to what I am trying to show in the photo. 😳
I crop all the time! It can make photos so much better. 🙂
The colors are fabulous, and the water is enticing, but those possums! That’s an adorable photo, and my favorite of the group. The trees and such are gorgeous, of course, but who doesn’t love a baby anything?
Hard not to love a baby anything. You are right Linda! But a baby rattle snake? Or baby black widow spiders? I draw the line. Grin.
Again…the fall colors! The nerve of someone wanting your room! I had that in my apartment but here’s my best…I got off on the wrong floor and thought I had entered my apartment but why was a man sitting on the couch watching my television? Well…it was not the right floor! Anyway…looking forward to your next adventure. Stay safe! What happens for Thanksgiving for you two?
Laughing about your encounter, Wendy. As I noted I’ve made the mistake of trying to get into the wrong room, and even because I got off on the wrong floor, but I have never gotten as far as you did.
We will have a quiet Thanksgiving here in Virginia with our kids. It’s going to be quieter than we expected, however. Our daughter is having knee surgery the day before.
Blessed holidays to you and your family and a very speedy recover for your daughter!
I did hear your sigh of relief, yes and I had my own when looking through your post. Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos and traveling details.
The first hotel story was very scary: I would have been freaking out! The Maine colors are gorgeous. We were there maybe a month ahead of you, and the colors were not nearly as brilliant. Looking forward to your Acadia adventures and photos – it’s one of my favorite national parks!
The fall colors around here weren’t too bad, but I gotta admit New England (and other places) have us beat. I don’t envy you the hotel story though…
Ahh, those fall colors, Curt, are stunning, to say the least. I love this time of year because of the vibrant and warm hues. But how scary for you both! I’m glad the person didn’t persist! Loved all the photos, all so beautiful beyond words. Our son visited Acadia, so I’ll watch for your post. Take care!
I love the variety of images