Vanilla isn't letting me quote, but relative to your New England trip …
My wife and I have been to both several times in the last 5 years. In Manchester, I recommend the Equinox. Classic New England Inn. In Woodstock, though a little pricey, you gotta stay at the Woodstock Inn. A classic as well. We stayed at an Inn in Woodstock called the Blue Horse Inn. It's still there (it's a cool house basically), but they've closed down as an Inn.
I personally prefer Manchester to Woodstock, though many people reverse the order of preference. Both cool places. Again, if you're looking for Alaska-type vistas and country, you need to head our way. The NE is different. The older I've gotten, the more I have found that I just appreciate where I'm at and don't spend time comparing this to that. There's no point. It's not a competition. Have a beer, relax and enjoy the experience.
I also love Boston. Probably my favorite US city. I'd live there if I could ever pry my herd away from this place.
Banff is a great call. We've done that, too. Break out the wallet and stay at the Chateau, both the one in Banff and the one at Lake Louise. It's worth the treat. Stunning country.
We stayed at the Manchester Inn, which has several buildings on site, constructed in the 1800's, obviously restored, but with the historical flavor in tact. The original house on the property went back to at least the 1790's. "Our" building had a period-decor tavern, which we (wife's family) put to good use. The church was a brief walk down the street, and the reception was held at Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home, which was the home of Robert, Abe and Mary Todd's only son to survive to adulthood…absolutely stunning. Going to Cooperstown and Woodstock were bucket list, but Manchester stole the show for me.
I love Boston too, having spent a couple summers coaching in the Cape. Post-wedding, we drove back to Boston, and walked to Fenway for the opening game of the playoffs. Not wanting to drop a couple grand on tix, went to Cask & Flagon pre-game, and watched it from the Monster Bar, inside the Green Monster…pretty surreal. The next day, we did the Freedom Trail, Paul Revere's home, and finished with drinks at the Green Dragon Tavern, (est. 1654) where the plans were laid for the invasion of Lexington and Concord…The beer was cold, no ribs-n-rickshaw.
If you want some across the pond road trippin' I did the Scottish 500 Coastal road during COVID. If you are the whiskey and scenery type, this is the road trip for you. I also brought my board went surfing, the beaches facing north are way better than I was expecting - blue water, white sand, beautiful landscapes. Trouble with Scotland - it's full of Scots. Lots of salmon running but fishing is a pain in the dick in this country, and expensive.
A couple of years ago my GF had a sick aunt in Illinois. She hopped in the Ram with her great Dane sized labradoodle, a night stick, and a fixed blade knife and drove it solo, sleeping at off ramps close to where truckers would pull off to sleep. Then she stayed for a month and drove back the same way.
I didn't like it one bit but she didn't seem to understand what the big deal was. She wouldn't take a pistol. If anyone had tried to get into the cab with her and the dog, the dog would've handed the perp one of his toys to throw and jumped out to chase it.
Friend of mine and his two other retirees have done 66, the NE during fall, Utah, Nevada. They all have very fond memories of 66. Lots to see and do if you take the time. Chicago, Mickey Mantles hometown, some old indian villages in New Mexico, Oklahoma City Bombing site, Winslow, AZ, and some other stops, said he'd recommend it to anyone. They put in the time and research to see what was along the way, on the road and just off the road. Friend checked off state number 50 in the process in Oklahomo as well.
One of my best frens who is from VT went to Colby-Sawyer in NH and was a ski racer there. I make fun him for going to former girl's only college with a 78% acceptance rate and a $39 million endowment.
Had to haul my stuff from LA to Woolley after I got divorced and finally did the 1 basically all the way back up the entire coast. Loved it and great time for reflection on my life at the time. I love how shockingly empty California is basically north of SF on the coast. Fort Bragg seemed like an underrated kind of cool place but why anyone would live there now is curious.
Did Chicago to Cincinnati and back when I was 15 with my dad driving so I could watch my favorite player Reggie Miller (I was an odd kid) play in-person before he retired and my dad stopped at race tracks. My dad ate ribs while driving with my friend handing them to him.
Did Nashville to LA and then up I-5 to Woolley with my dad and his buddies The Norwegian Elvis and The Voice Mechanic to get the tour bus we take to Husky games from Nashville to home. Slept through a lot so wasn't super interesting.
@ukdawg I just got home from Scotland. My girlfriend wanted to drive from Edinburgh to Inverness and then Isle of Skye. Drove through the snow up into a mountain town for a night and was amazing but then woke up to a ton of snow the next day and couldn't make it in the supposedly 4WD rental car and the roads not plowed at all for some reasons. Barely made it back to Edinburgh alive and had to just skip the northern towns. My gf said it would be fine to do that drive in January. Is she an idiot and she shouldn't be my next ex-wife?
You hit a historically bad stretch of weather mi amigo After it snowed it went sub-freezing for a week and this country is like a giant Seattle in terms of being prepared for snow and ice. It never happens here.
In terms of listening to a woman when it comes to driving/anything mechanical you get a mulligan because it's a foreign country and you were out of your element.
We drove to to the White Cliffs of Dover from London and took a ferry to France and then a bus to Paris. The Chunnel was under construction
On the bus back from Paris to the landing craft to invade back to London we got boarded by French police with dogs. They went through the bus and someone got popped.
My wife turned to me and said I'm glad you left the hash in London.
Uhhh yeah that's the ticket. Man I got an earful. She goes I couldn't even tell you were worried. That's the idea and why being a sociopath can come in handy
Appreciate it and also I figured that was the case with the tires Yella. Sucked because we were in Iceland the week before in frozen temps driving through crazy shit but obviously the tires were great.
Iceland was wild because we drove like 2% of the country but saw endless sights which were otherworldly. Have done small highways and little coastal towns in Ireland too which I love. It was wild driving from Ireland to Northern Ireland on a tiny road and there's literally not even a marker that you're going from one country to another.
Really? We only had a few hours there and drove from the country in Ireland through there to Belfast and back. Belfast seemed pretty plain. The country was cool but the same as Ireland. I know the coast up there is supposed to be cool.
the one thing missing from this thread is the dreaded UGLIEST stretch of a road trip
Mine: Leaving Arizona into New Mexico. The dust storm warnings with instructions about what to do is bad and then pulling into Lordsberg (I think that is it) - that town is 90% abandoned motels where I cut off to go into the hills on the way to Silver City, which is one of my favorite spots in NM.
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@Fishpo31
Vanilla isn't letting me quote, but relative to your New England trip …
My wife and I have been to both several times in the last 5 years. In Manchester, I recommend the Equinox. Classic New England Inn. In Woodstock, though a little pricey, you gotta stay at the Woodstock Inn. A classic as well. We stayed at an Inn in Woodstock called the Blue Horse Inn. It's still there (it's a cool house basically), but they've closed down as an Inn.
I personally prefer Manchester to Woodstock, though many people reverse the order of preference. Both cool places. Again, if you're looking for Alaska-type vistas and country, you need to head our way. The NE is different. The older I've gotten, the more I have found that I just appreciate where I'm at and don't spend time comparing this to that. There's no point. It's not a competition. Have a beer, relax and enjoy the experience.
I also love Boston. Probably my favorite US city. I'd live there if I could ever pry my herd away from this place.
Banff is a great call. We've done that, too. Break out the wallet and stay at the Chateau, both the one in Banff and the one at Lake Louise. It's worth the treat. Stunning country.
We stayed at the Manchester Inn, which has several buildings on site, constructed in the 1800's, obviously restored, but with the historical flavor in tact. The original house on the property went back to at least the 1790's. "Our" building had a period-decor tavern, which we (wife's family) put to good use. The church was a brief walk down the street, and the reception was held at Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home, which was the home of Robert, Abe and Mary Todd's only son to survive to adulthood…absolutely stunning. Going to Cooperstown and Woodstock were bucket list, but Manchester stole the show for me.
I love Boston too, having spent a couple summers coaching in the Cape. Post-wedding, we drove back to Boston, and walked to Fenway for the opening game of the playoffs. Not wanting to drop a couple grand on tix, went to Cask & Flagon pre-game, and watched it from the Monster Bar, inside the Green Monster…pretty surreal. The next day, we did the Freedom Trail, Paul Revere's home, and finished with drinks at the Green Dragon Tavern, (est. 1654) where the plans were laid for the invasion of Lexington and Concord…The beer was cold, no ribs-n-rickshaw.
If you want some across the pond road trippin' I did the Scottish 500 Coastal road during COVID. If you are the whiskey and scenery type, this is the road trip for you. I also brought my board went surfing, the beaches facing north are way better than I was expecting - blue water, white sand, beautiful landscapes. Trouble with Scotland - it's full of Scots. Lots of salmon running but fishing is a pain in the dick in this country, and expensive.
North Coast 500 - The ultimate road trip around the North of Scotland
A couple of years ago my GF had a sick aunt in Illinois. She hopped in the Ram with her great Dane sized labradoodle, a night stick, and a fixed blade knife and drove it solo, sleeping at off ramps close to where truckers would pull off to sleep. Then she stayed for a month and drove back the same way.
I didn't like it one bit but she didn't seem to understand what the big deal was. She wouldn't take a pistol. If anyone had tried to get into the cab with her and the dog, the dog would've handed the perp one of his toys to throw and jumped out to chase it.
Yes that was it
Friend of mine and his two other retirees have done 66, the NE during fall, Utah, Nevada. They all have very fond memories of 66. Lots to see and do if you take the time. Chicago, Mickey Mantles hometown, some old indian villages in New Mexico, Oklahoma City Bombing site, Winslow, AZ, and some other stops, said he'd recommend it to anyone. They put in the time and research to see what was along the way, on the road and just off the road. Friend checked off state number 50 in the process in Oklahomo as well.
Of course you would. Creep is an academis loving, blue blood, yankee wanna-be at heart!
I really do belong there.
Some guys go to Quechee Vt. to watch their wives buy a $400 Simon Pearce blown glass Christmas tree decoration; some guys don't. I'm the guy who does.
And that tells you what you need to know.
One of my best frens who is from VT went to Colby-Sawyer in NH and was a ski racer there. I make fun him for going to former girl's only college with a 78% acceptance rate and a $39 million endowment.
Had to haul my stuff from LA to Woolley after I got divorced and finally did the 1 basically all the way back up the entire coast. Loved it and great time for reflection on my life at the time. I love how shockingly empty California is basically north of SF on the coast. Fort Bragg seemed like an underrated kind of cool place but why anyone would live there now is curious.
Did Chicago to Cincinnati and back when I was 15 with my dad driving so I could watch my favorite player Reggie Miller (I was an odd kid) play in-person before he retired and my dad stopped at race tracks. My dad ate ribs while driving with my friend handing them to him.
Did Nashville to LA and then up I-5 to Woolley with my dad and his buddies The Norwegian Elvis and The Voice Mechanic to get the tour bus we take to Husky games from Nashville to home. Slept through a lot so wasn't super interesting.
@ukdawg I just got home from Scotland. My girlfriend wanted to drive from Edinburgh to Inverness and then Isle of Skye. Drove through the snow up into a mountain town for a night and was amazing but then woke up to a ton of snow the next day and couldn't make it in the supposedly 4WD rental car and the roads not plowed at all for some reasons. Barely made it back to Edinburgh alive and had to just skip the northern towns. My gf said it would be fine to do that drive in January. Is she an idiot and she shouldn't be my next ex-wife?
4WD with shit tires ain’t worth a shit in snow and ice.
You hit a historically bad stretch of weather mi amigo After it snowed it went sub-freezing for a week and this country is like a giant Seattle in terms of being prepared for snow and ice. It never happens here.
In terms of listening to a woman when it comes to driving/anything mechanical you get a mulligan because it's a foreign country and you were out of your element.
Do you know why divorce is so expensive?
It's worth it!
We drove to to the White Cliffs of Dover from London and took a ferry to France and then a bus to Paris. The Chunnel was under construction
On the bus back from Paris to the landing craft to invade back to London we got boarded by French police with dogs. They went through the bus and someone got popped.
My wife turned to me and said I'm glad you left the hash in London.
Uhhh yeah that's the ticket. Man I got an earful. She goes I couldn't even tell you were worried. That's the idea and why being a sociopath can come in handy
@RaceBannon starring in Midnight Express II would have been entertaining.
Appreciate it and also I figured that was the case with the tires Yella. Sucked because we were in Iceland the week before in frozen temps driving through crazy shit but obviously the tires were great.
Iceland was wild because we drove like 2% of the country but saw endless sights which were otherworldly. Have done small highways and little coastal towns in Ireland too which I love. It was wild driving from Ireland to Northern Ireland on a tiny road and there's literally not even a marker that you're going from one country to another.
Northern Ireland is by far the most interesting and favorite place the Throbber has ever travelled.
Really? We only had a few hours there and drove from the country in Ireland through there to Belfast and back. Belfast seemed pretty plain. The country was cool but the same as Ireland. I know the coast up there is supposed to be cool.
the one thing missing from this thread is the dreaded UGLIEST stretch of a road trip
Mine: Leaving Arizona into New Mexico. The dust storm warnings with instructions about what to do is bad and then pulling into Lordsberg (I think that is it) - that town is 90% abandoned motels where I cut off to go into the hills on the way to Silver City, which is one of my favorite spots in NM.
… and yet you didn't bother to find out what "Whack for my Daddy-O" means even though I reminded you repeatedly to ask the locals. *Sigh