Leaving New England

We ended our New England stay with great visits with Nancy,  and Richard and Gail. Such great hosts and always quick to offer their driveways and more.
 Finally, we were able to set up our visit to match Gary and Emilie's time.  A wonderful hike with Gary and Bailey at the Tillinghast Pond Trails( click on this link Tillinghast Conservancy  )in West Greenwich, Rhode Island.  No pictures because Bruce did not bring his camera.  Duh!

Even better, a great dinner--thanks again Gary-- at  Celestial Cafe in Exeter, Rhode Island.  A wonderful chance to chat with Gary and Emilie at a wonderful restaurant that features local farm dinners.  Everything local from vegetables to wines, to cheeses, honey, chicken, and seafood among others. Click on this link and check out the menus and events tabs  Celestial Cafe .  We note this also as Emilie's favorite restaurant.

Unfortunately no pictures from our visit with Gary and Emilie.

The pictures above and to the left are from our last stop which was back to Cape Cod and another walking visit to the Wellfleet Audubon.  The turtles were out this time on a perfectly still pond.  Also there were subtle changes in the colors , fading from bright greens to fall beige and yellow.

This time we stayed at a campground in Eastham, Atlantic Oaks.  That allowed us direct access to the Cape Cod Rail Trail and also an easy 2 mile bike ride on back roads to the Wellfleet Audubon. If some of you are not familiar with this place , check out the link--  Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary .  While here there were 2 school buses from Long Island, New York.  This is a popular destination for school nature study trips.

Another must do was to sit down for another dozen oysters plus other seafood at Bookstore Restaurant which is right across the street from the oyster beds in Wellfleet.  Also necessary is a visit to PB Boulangerie.
Above is a pictures of some of our purchases.   This link takes you to a photo gallery on their website  PB photo gallery

A fruit tart from PB.  The fruit tasted as great as it looked and the custard was unbelievable.

A different napoleon

The flakiest, most delicate croissant.

If you have time, check out this link to Chef Philippe Rispoli.  Watch the video, but also check out the other links on the site.  The short version is that he came from Lyon, France. Learned at restaurants in Lyon and down to the Cote D'Azur , then was coaxed to New York, the West Coast, and Las Vegas before coming to Wellfleet, Mass.  Obviously, he is very welcome in Wellfleet. Philippe Rispoli

From Cape Cod , Jan and I reluctantly head west towards New York.  Along the way we are pleasantly surprised to find fall foliage getting brighter and brighter along the turnpike.  And, of course, we have to stop and pick some Cortland apples along the way.  The trees are loaded down and the apples are huge. Somehow fresh picked are tastier than those you find in a store.  We have been lucky yo visit some great orchards with family.  Berlin Orchards with Gary and Emilie, Berlin Orchards. Also Carlson Orchards with Scott, Rachel, and Lucas  Carlson Orchards.  Alison has just picked some up in Maine and is baking an apple pie.  And Sean and Madison have taken us hiking and picking apples near Rattlesnake Mountain in Maine as well as near Steep Falls, Maine.

And then on to Arrowhead Marina Rv park in Glenville, New York on the Mohawk River.  The next day is on Route 88 south towards Binghamton and then west to Route 15 and South to Route 287 in Tioga, Pennsylvania and our favorite Ives Run Corps of Engineer Park .

The colors are bright and wonderful.

Much brighter than last year.

Amazingly, the park is not totally full.  With no reservations, we find a great spot in Pine Camp( no hookups).

A tourist train out of Wellsboro makes a regular stop across the lake.  This a popular train during the leaf peeping season.

The colors in the park vary from bright yellows to reds.

Amazingly, some of the trees are still not changed after Columbus Day weekend.

We may never have this spot. This is one of two in the campground that we would never hesitate to take.  But, as you might expect, they are almost always occupied or reserved.