October 9-13 Finger Lakes, NY through New Haven, CT. On our own

After Niagara Falls we headed east. We stayed 2 nights on a Christmas Tree farm in Hemlock, NY.  It was a small apartment on top of a barn.  We saw lots of fun stuff around.  The weather was a little overcast and rainy 10/9 so we had a slow morning then headed to an airplane museum. 
Captain Finster J Bayless (The Flying Burger) made ACE almost immediately.

While Hannah was one of the few women admitted to the combat ranks of the Aircorp. The kids saw lots of airplanes, Jeeps and equipment.  They were able to play on much of it and sit in some neat airplanes. 

Back at the Christmas Tree farm, we got to know the fish in the ponds. They had fish food and the kids enjoyed watching them eat.

We explored the fields (in the wet grass) and Melissa loved it!

The 10th was sunny and dry.  So we hit the road.  We saw some beautiful scenery. 

We visited the Joseph Smith farm and Sacred Grove.  Umm... it was nice, we had a picnic in the grove.  Is that normal? Do most people stop for lunch in the grove?

This whole trip was a WIN when it came to food.  Ember Woodfire Grill was awesome.  Sick Melissa and the kids loved the ground sirloin sliders, I couldn't get enough of the braised beef bruschetta.  It was a great experience.  

10/11 From NY to Putney, VT. Melissa was really feeling sick on this drive.  We stopped a couple times per hour to get out and breathe.  We weren't disappointed by any of the stops.  We always found a little hike or park.  This one was a short walk off the road to a little river running through these stones. 

The evening of 10/11-12 was a different story.  Melissa couldn't keep anything down for 24 hours.  10/12 I called home to Michele Lyman, PAc and got an order for medication (she was so excited for Melissa), called it to the closest pharmacy and picked it up.

Melissa took her first dose of medication 10/12 AM but wasn't up to leaving the apartment.  So I took the kids to lunch.  They fell asleep on the drive in to Putney, VT (8 minutes) so I took them for a scenic drive.  I saw some wonderful trees and communities, drove through a covered bridge and eventually made it back to the diner in Putney.  

The kids woke up in the parking lot and we went in for lunch.  I had a good burger, they split a hotdog and pickles and chatted with some other patrons. We then visited the corner store for saltines and headed back to the sick lady (with a club sandwich to-go).

A few hours later, with ondansetron and a little food, Melissa was up for an outing.  We went to the Hidden Springs Maple farm.  The kids had fun tasting syrups and we tried some local ice cream too, I think Hannah liked it.  

10/13 we drove to New Haven, CT then on to Doylestown, PA. 

When we were planning this trip and saw how pretty the CT coast was (lighthouses) we decided to make it a day trip.  I asked a friend from pharmacy school, who grew up there, if there was anywhere to eat. He recommended Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, it was amazing.  All 4 of us loved the pizzas, yeah we ordered 2.

 

Waiting for the pies.

Yup, between the 4 of us we are 1 slice shy of a whole pie, for lunch.  We drank white Foxon Park White Birch soda and generally enjoyed the whole experience. No, we didn't get a white clam pizza.

Finn took a pie to deliver to Doylestown.  It came in handy.  The PA Bayless family arrived home from a short notice trip just a few hours before we got there, so they hadn't grocery shopped.  Our pizza fed their kids and we went out to dinner with the littlest 3, Hannah, Finn and Ruth.

Lighthouse Park in New Haven, CT.

The water felt warm and the sand was soft.  Why do we go to the west coast beach every few years?  This place was awesome!  Oh yeah, Melissa's family is there.  I wonder if we can get them to camp on the east coast next time... shouldn't be hard to uproot a 60+ year old tradition.