After we left Burlington, we had our longest day in the car at a little over 4 hours. Saratoga Springs was about at the halfway point, so I had asked a co-worker (a Saratoga resident) for a good place to stretch our legs. He recommended watching a horse race, but we didn't have that much time, so we went to his #2 rec, the Saratoga Spa State Park. But horses are definitely a theme here.
There was randomly an exhibit for James Bond's cars at the park.
And of course, the actual Springs of Saratoga. There was a path around where you could get water from a few different springs. You can tell by the rainbow of colors near the spigot that this is no ordinary water! It's mineral water, and it tasted terrible - salty and faintly metallic. Hadley and I tasted it first and told skeptical Owen that it was good. He felt so betrayed. Hence the funny faces. 😂
The spa part of the springs was pretty, but all of the doors were locked. I guess they were at the horse races. Nonetheless, we strolled around, admiring the architecture and grounds before getting back in the car.
Our hotel for the night was originally at Bear Mountain State Park, but I discovered the night before that they were closed because of park flooding, so we had a last minute change to Fishkill. Because of the half day in the car and earlier stops, we got to the hotel and walked immediately across the parking lot to a diner for dinner.
The next morning, we headed to the West Point Museum for some history and exhibits. Our resident military buff really enjoyed it, but we opted not to go through the hassle of getting passes to visit the USMA next door.
Instead, we headed on to Connecticut to our friends', the Schmids, house. We ran into some traffic on I-95, but we made it to their cozy house in time for dinner. They were nice enough to give us their kids' rooms, so that we could spread out a bit, which was a luxury after sharing a hotel room for a week. Then we all went to the local farm/creamery for some ice cream, and the kids ran around with a soccer ball. It was some much needed play time and socializing.The following day we went to New Haven in the rain and saw some of Yale. We crossed the town green and ate a vegetarian lunch when the popular New Haven pizza joints were too busy to seat 8 for lunch.
When it really started to pour, we went to a big furniture store that turned part of their warehouse into a crazy, multi-story zipline with lights, music, and water obstacles. It pays to know someone in the know! The kids had a blast for hours!
The next morning we moved a little slowly, but wanted to see more of the 'Gilmore Girls' village where they live. Our last stop was at their library, which was pretty amazing for a small town. Hadley was in heaven and wants to move to Connecticut.
The last state to make on the loop was Rhode Island. The question was Providence or Newport, and we chose Providence. First stop was for some yummy burgers!
A short uphill walk brought us to Brown University, where we learned that tuition costs $65k per year! It was sticky humid again, and the kids were not very interested, so we turned back pretty quickly.
We walked back to the river and saw the capitol from the car. We probably spent about 3 hours total in Rhode Island, including the drive from border to border. Now that's a tiny state. (Side note: this makes my 49th state! I think the kids are up to 37! J is somewhere in between.)
Our final stop on the New England tour was at Plymouth Rock, where it all began. Though the actual history around it is a little fuzzy, it was still fun to put a rock to a name. It has quite a nice home by the sea.
And another ship! This one is the replica of the Mayflower II. Go figure.
It was a beautiful night to stroll around Plymouth, reminisce about our New England journey, and soak in the mild summer breeze before returning to our hot Houston home.
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