I have now thoroughly explored most of the 50 states so I thought I would update my road trip list from the sidebar. I have met the strict standard twice in all 6 of these states. My favorite of these states is probably New Hampshire with Rhode Island a close second.
I was told that I was in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts in the early 80s but I was too young to remember it and thus, it does not count under the strict standard. I do have a very vague memory of Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts but nothing else. I did not shore up southern New England until 2018.
Connecticut- Crossed the border from Massachusetts on I-91 and picked up the Metro North Train to NYC from New Haven. I spent a night in New Haven and took a drive along the coast of the Long Island Sound. This was in 2018. I returned to Connecticut the next year, this time for a race. I had dinner near the Mystic seaport and took in a sunset at Groton Point. The race was at Ocean Beach in New London and I took a dip in the water afterwards. Unfortunately, there was no surf because waves were blocked by the Long Island Sound. I could possibly see myself returning to see Bridgeport but it would be combined with a NYC trip.
Rhode Island- My first stop was little more than a pass through on the same 2018 trip through Connecticut but I made the strict standard with a stop in Newport and the Cliff Walk. I returned twice in 2019 on separate trips. The first was in the Spring to Providence strictly for a race. I did not even rent a car or leave the downtown area. The last was in August of 2019. From Connecticut, I was on the hunt for better surf and found it in Narragansett. I also explored a bit more of Newport in the evening before heading to Massachusetts for the night.
Massachusetts- Also on the aforementioned 2018 road trip, I toured Boston and Cape Cod. Highlights included the Freedom Trail, Boylston, the JFK Library and the Prudential Tower. My race was near Westport at Horseneck Beach. I did return on the aforementioned August 2019 trip that included a tour of Fenway Park and this time, a swim at Horseneck Beach. I haven't seen the Berkshires in the Western half of the state but I hear it's nice there.
Vermont- Prior to 2005, I had never been to northern New England at all and my parents had not visited since before I was born. In 2005, we stopped in Rutland for dinner and then took a drive through the Green Mountains. I did not return until 2018 for the race in Springfield. My last visit was in the Fall of 2019. After the race in New Hampshire, I crossed the border into Vermont and stopped in both Montpelier and Burlington before crossing the border into Canada. Back in America, I got some good pizza in Derby Line before crossing back into New Hampshire.
New Hampshire- First visit was the 2005 road trip. We toured the Capitol building in Concord and had an interesting tour guide who described the legislature as "non-partisan" with a distinctive New England accent. I returned in the Fall of 2019 for the race in Concord that included the stops in Vermont and Canada. My last visit came in 2021 and included stops in Hampton Beach for a swim, Mt. Washington and a very nice state park called Franconia Notch. That's especially beautiful in the Fall. I also did short walking tours of both Concord and Manchester. I could envision myself possibly coming back for skiing in the winter.
Maine- My first visit also came on the 2005 road trip that ended at Kennebunkport and Portland. I returned in 2014 for a flight to Bangor and a scenic drive through rural pine areas on my way to Atlantic Canada. I stayed in a hotel just across the border back in America then went for a junk run on the University track before my flight back from Bangor. I was back again briefly in 2019 with a stop in the York coast on the aforementioned trip to New Hampshire/Vermont/Canada. In 2021, I raced in my 49th state, toured Acadia NP and actually went swimming with no wetsuit at Ogunquit and Old Orchard Beach. Water temp was about 67 in late August.
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