New England
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In upstate New York (which we know isn't technically part of New England but it's close enough) we stopped in Ithaca to enjoy a weekend of food, beer, and "pass the pigs" (a game involving two rubber pigs that are thrown like dice...coming soon to a sports complex near you.) with Pete and his girlfriend Adela. They offered us unlimited hot showers and we, in turn, offered them unlimited talk of Wal-Mart and its many useful treasures. On a tip from Pete, we took a day trip to nearby Watkins Glen and had a lovely walk along this upstate gorge.
From there we ventured up through New York's Adirondack Mountains where canoeing is a major mode of travel. A myriad of lakes are scattered along the region and here we witnessed some beautiful sunsets and the beginnings of fall foliage.
In Vermont it was all about the ice cream (for me, at least. Little did I know Steve was plotting and scheming and buying my engagement ring). At the Ben and Jerry's factory, the employees get to take home three pints of heaven EACH DAY! To balance it out, though, the company provides free health club memberships and cholesterol screenings.
We hooked up with our friend, Brian, and his Suffield crew in Rumney, NH for a weekend of rock climbing. It was great to see Brian again and we all got a lot of climbing in. Those boys have a lot of interesting stories and they cooked up some venison that was hands down the best meat Steve and I have ever tasted. So next time I see little Bambi in the woods I'll be lickin' my chops. We had a great time with these guys and will be meeting up with them again soon in their hometown in Connecticut.
As soon as we hit the coast of Maine we began looking for lobster. We found a little restaurant right on Bar Harbor where I ordered a lobster roll and Steve got a lobster quesadilla. They tasted well enough but it just wasn't lobster and butter so we were a little disappointed but we vowed to try again the next day. Little did I know the next day we would be having our lobster and butter as an engagement dinner. I had no idea what Steve was up to. He did seem a little preoccupied the day before but I just shrugged it off as one of those days. When we got up that morning to watch the sunrise, Steve was a little slow getting out of bed. I guess he was debating whether or not he really wanted to go through with this. So we got a late start heading for the mountain top. As we saw the sky getting lighter, Steve began to drive with greater speed and tenacity. Drivers were pulling off to the side to let us pass. We got to the top of the mountain and as I was pulling out the camera and tripod, Steve was stealthily slipping the ring into his pocket. The man is smooth. We locked up the van and started looking for a good picture spot. There were quite a number of other folks waiting to see the sunrise as well. Steve convinced me to move away from the crowd and he found us a secluded spot in front of a big rock. The sky began to change colors and before long the sun began peeping out over the horizon. We watched it rise for a while while I snapped a bunch of photos. It was very quiet and peaceful where we were. Steve began to talk about how we've come so far on this journey across the country and now he thought it was time for us to begin another journey together. Then he began fumbling around in his pocket and I knew what he was going to do. I knew what he was going to do but I couldn't believe it. But he kept on and out came a black jewelery box and as he got down on his knee he opened up the box and I think water started shooting out of my eyes. I became this instant snotty, teary mess. I said yes, of course, or just kind of nodded yes or something like that. I was really just in shock. But that's the story. We spent the rest of the day on our first climbing trip alone together ever. We climbed at Otter Cliffs right on the ocean in Acadia National Park. It rocked. We were so happy. And that night, of course, was lobster and butter at the "Head of the Harbor" lobster shack. We had these huge 2lb Maine lobsters and were in heaven.
Following Maine, we drove down into Cape Cod and found our first surf on the Alantic Coast. The water was somewhere around 55*F we figured. The waves were around knee to waist high but they were clean and a lot of fun. We only caught it for one day and then the wind destroyed everything. But we got a little fix and were happy to have surfed again.
In Boston we hooked up with my friend, Geoff, and his girlfriend, Karen. They have a great place right next to the 'T' subway station and once again, we had unlimited hot showers. Karen educated us on how to use the 'T' and properly order a coffee at the nearest Dunkin' Donuts (if you just say 'coffee', it will automatically come with three big scoops of sugar and cream). We loved hanging out with those guys. Geoff's a pretty good DJ, too, and mixed up some cool grooves.
The city was so pedestrian friendly and has so much history. We took a walking tour of Boston's historical buildings and saw things like the Boston Massacre site and the grave of Samuel Adams. From here we are off to Rhode Island to find more surf.