We journeyed to the Northeast one year to see fall foliage; not only did we see the leaves, but other wondrous sights as well. Starting and ending in Boston, we made a slow, meandering 10-day loop through Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, Upstate New York, back through Vermont to New Hampshire and Maine, then back to Boston. We saw it all: quaint little towns, fishing villages, steepled churches and old cemetaries, lighthouses, covered bridges, three-masted sailing ships and lots in-between. Fun!
Just a few miles east of this sign, near the Quoddy Lighthouse, is where "As Far East" can actually be found. We went, but there was no marker. A former U.S. Coast Guard station, the government removed the sign when they shut down the base. As if the sign could be planted anywhere else! The truth is that it is often difficult to find signs where they are supposed to be, or to get correct directions from locals. But, if you think about it, each of these types of signs are, by definition, located at extremes, albeit soft-core. People rarely go "there" - except me.
We were driving along one morning in western Massachusetts when we happened upon a sign pointing to the "Bridge Of Flowers." With time on our hands, we went to see. The bridge is old and once contained tracks on which a trolley ran back in the 20s. Locals have since converted it to a long, luscious bed of colorful flowers. Complementing surrounding vegetation, both the sky overhead and river beneath were particularly clear that morning, and provided a nice reflection of all things bordering the water.
We'd bought several expensive guidebooks to covered bridges, and a few maps as well. But the information and directions contained in each was at odds with the others. So we just gave up, and struck out on our own. By sheer luck then, and after asking about, we managed to find several of Vermont's and New Hampshire's old covered bridges. The picture of this one, by the way, is upside-down so the viewer can get an idea of how clear the reflection was.
Be careful of what you casually toss in the trashcan in your hotel room. Some of those papers might have valuable information on them - like credit card numbers.
