Travels with haRVy

We decided another little getaway was in order, so we packed up some food and clothes and headed west to the New England Air Museum near Hartford, Connecticut where RVers are welcome to boondock (free camp) overnight.

The location turned out to be a wee bit too close to the runways at Bradley International Airport, so getting a good night’s sleep was difficult. However, the folks at the museum were super as are their exhibits.

Saturday morning we caught a shuttle from the museum over to the airport where a gathering of classic planes were on display for the weekend. Rides on a restored B-29 were also available for just $425 each, but we passed on that opportunity.

After lunch we toured the museum where we perused an eclectic collection of civilian and military aircraft.

In search of a quieter place to sleep, we headed further west toward our next destination. A beautiful drive on rural back roads through small towns and farmlands brought us to another Harvest Host destination, Love Apple Farm, in Ghent, New York. We purchased fresh picked cherries and sorbet made from their own raspberries…yumm! After dinner aboard we walked around the orchard and did a little bird watching. I was excited to see my first Cedar Waxwing.

Unfortunately, Route 9-H wasn’t quite as rural as we anticipated and the traffic noise made sound sleep only slightly easier to come by than the previous night. Apparently we are spoiled at our quiet home in the Tiverton woods.

Sunday morning we had another lovely back road drive to Bethel, New York where we enjoyed a picnic lunch next to the field where the August 1969 Woodstock Concert took place. I swear I could still feel the energy, this many years later. Luckily for visitors such as myself, some rich local dude decided the site was worth preserving. Thank you Al Gerry!

The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts includes a museum to the 60’s and Woodstock event where I was pleased to relive my rock & roll youth. We both really enjoyed all the exhibits, videos, movies and music, spending over four hours inside happy to also be avoiding the scalding hot temperatures outside.

Three day pass cost $18, but some 350,000 folks got in free after the fence came down.

Towards day’s end we started heading back homeward. Along the way we came upon the Winding Hills Campground where we paid for a wonderfully quiet spot and plugged in so we could run the A/C all night and enjoy a good night’s sleep.

In the morning we took advantage of the hot shower facilities and took a short hike around the nice park before hitting the road once again.

The original plan was to bike the Hudson River Rail Trail near Poughkeepsie, New York, but with hot humid 90+ degree temperatures, we opted to view the river from a scenic lunch spot nearby. We then took a hike through the park at the base of the highway bridge over the Hudson and out onto it to experience Joseph Bertolocci’s Bridge Music.

Then it was on to our last stop, our friend Sharon’s farm in Connecticut, where we enjoyed her company as well as her menagerie of animals.

We had an excellent night’s sleep before being awoken at dawn by a chorus of roosters crowing. The wake-up crew appears in the photo below.

Later Sharon’s son played a little guitar for us in their cabin.

Then it was soon time for us to take the last leg of our journey to get back home. We did manage one last vacation treat on the way though by stopping to enjoy the homemade goodness at Somerset Creamery.