We had returned to the USA, but the weather was still too warm to head south to Key West, so instead we headed north to New England. We wandered up the East Coast toward Maine and made several stops along the way.

Our first stop was Mystic, Connecticut. The Mystic River was busy with all kinds of boats. We walked the town, finding pretty views and great food.

Also fun was the Mystic Seaport. We hadn’t been there since our kids were very little.

Heading north, we spent a day exploring parts of Rhode Island, where Kathy had spent time as a child, and where we had eventually brought our own children for a little summer fun with family. The small towns, beach and even the mudflats where we went clamming all brought back sweet memories.

We walked through Newport to see the town.

And then traveled along the Cliff Walk, a pretty and occasionally dangerous hike!

We had some fantastic “chow-dah” at Bowen’s wharf, and then found some good wine and fun music around the corner.

Driving out the next day, we followed Ocean Ave to check out the pretty houses.

A quick visit to Salem, Massachusetts, proved to be more engaging than we’d imagined. We toured the graveyard and memorial to the victims of the witch trials in the 1690s.

We wandered the town and truly enjoyed the area.

Frequently, we make a lunch stop in a town along the way to our rental for the night. Rockport was a picturesque village along the water, where we had a delicious lunch overlooking the harbor.

We were amazed by the water marks that showed a nine-foot tide swing. Massively bigger (by about eight feet) than tides in Key West!

That night was spent in Portsmouth, New Hampshire; a quiet city with fun bars and casual restaurants.

We were enjoying the friendly people and cooler weather in New England. We’ll head on up to Maine next!