HOW I SURVIVED BEING A “LEAF PEEPER” – Day 7 and 8

It was eight days on the road, the rail, and the water! And, let me say up front it was wonderful!

Day seven began with a ride on the Essex Steam Train through the Connecticut countryside. Our guide warned us about soot from the train, but we did not experience any problems, so I guess the wind was in our favor.

At Deep River Landing we boarded the Becky Thatcher for a relaxing ride up the Connecticut River, past the Gillette Castle and other beautiful homes before continuing on to Cape Cod.

We rested with a two-night stay in the Four Points Sheridan in Hyannis, Massachusetts before heading back to Boston for our flight connection home on day 9.

Our room looked out over the par-3 golf course where wild geese walked the course with the golfers. My wife and I enjoyed a couple of highballs on our private balcony before heading out for a wonderful dinner at The Paddock – a must for any visitor to the area.

Day eight began with a Hyannis Harbor Cruise and an offshore visit to the Kennedy Compound, followed by lunch at the British Beer Company and time to shop.

Later we were treated to another local train ride on the Cape Cod Central Railroad past cranberry bogs, through woodlands, marshes, and sand dunes before paralleling the Cape Cod Canal.

The trip culminated over an included lobster feast our last night in Hyannis. Go to Mushy’s Cookings to see photos of several fellow travelers enjoying their meal.

Thus ends this travelogue (and you are probably glad) of our “leaf peeper” trip to New England. I highly recommend the trip. Even though it appears to be rushed, there was plenty of time to relax and breathe. The guide arranged a system whereby we got different seats on the bus daily and she rotated which side got off the bus first at each stop.

There was no need to worry about driving and missing the scenery or the hassle of loading and unloading our luggage. The hotel unloaded all baggage at each stop, delivered it to the rooms, picked it up outside the rooms each morning, and loaded it on the bus. All we had to do was sit the baggage outside our rooms, enjoy the breakfast buffet, load ourselves onto the bus, and sit back and “leaf peep” around wide-eyed or nap!