Coki Beach
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
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Coki Beach
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
We are excited to announce the first Along the Way with J&J European vacation! From August 27th to September 10th, we’ll be visiting nine amazing cities in five countries, and our jam-packed itinerary includes stops at several of the most beautiful attractions in the world!
Check out the map below for our travel route. We’ll have limited access to the internet during this time but we plan on capturing every moment to share on the blog. See you in the air!
My annual tent camping and hiking trip took me to Branbury State Park in Vermont. Branbury offers lean-tos, tent and RV camping and boasts a natural sandy beach on the beautiful Lake Dunmore. Lake Dunmore has a surface are of almost 1000 acres spanning three miles long and a mile wide. It is a popular destination in the area for all kinds of water activities from boating, jet skis, or just relaxing on the shoreline soaking in the sun. Branbury State Park taking up almost 70 acres incorporates park of the lake with canoe and kayak rentals as well as a snack bar located next to the playground.
I set up camp at the Birch Lean-to quickly on Sunday and then headed a half hour north to visit family for a few hours and “borrow” some firewood from my uncle’s house nearby before heading back and taking a walk around camp before relaxing by the fire.
On Monday, I woke up early and headed out for some hiking. There are a few trails that started right near my campsite, but on the advice of a park employee, I went about a quarter of a mile down the road to the Silver Lake trailhead, where I found the Falls of Lana and Silver Lake. From the parking area, the trail is pretty much an access road leading to the falls and eventually Silver Lake.
I downloaded the My Tracks app to record my hike using my phone’s GPS and at the end of the day, I spent just over 4.5 hours on the trails covering about 6.5 miles. I hiked around Silver Lake and explored the Falls of Lana as well as a side trip to Lenny’s Lookout, which offered great views of Lake Dunmore from above. Check out a map of my hike here.
Since I have gone to the Green Mountains the last couple years for my tent camping, I think next year I may have to go to the White Mountains! Have a look below for some photos.
Southernmost Point in the Continental United States
Key West, Florida
A couple of weekends ago, we camped with Lady T and Inky at a small rustic campground called Pines Camping Area in Salisbury, MA . We chose the Pines because it was close to Salisbury Beach and also within an hours drive to Cape Ann, which we planned on visiting that Saturday.
Unfortunately, we didn’t end up leaving until 6:30 PM because the traffic going north was backed up for hours. The drive to the Pines was just over an hour but by the time we arrived, set up, and ate dinner, it was already dark. After dinner, we hopped in Inky and cruised down to the Salisbury Beach Boardwalk for an evening walk and a soft serve treat.
Salisbury Beach extends from the mouth of the Merrimack River to the Massachusetts/New Hampshire border and is a popular destination for families, who enjoy the many free events held throughout the summer around the boardwalk area. It’s also within just a few miles of Hampton Beach, New Hampshire’s most popular beach.
The next morning, we were up and out early on our way to Cape Ann. Cape Ann is located in northeastern Massachusetts and includes the coastal communities of Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the Sea. Gloucester is the country’s oldest seaport and still one of the busiest fishing ports in the country.
After driving around for a little while, we found parking on Main Street and spent a half hour checking out the shops. We also attempted to visit the Eastern Point Light, a historic lighthouse located in Gloucester Harbor. If you’re driving, the lighthouse can only be accessed through a private gated community. When we approached the gate, the security person wasn’t there so we just drove through. We still had difficulty getting to the lighthouse and by the time we found it, we were a little aggravated and decided it wasn’t worth it to pay $10 to park.
Our next stop was Rockport, MA and Bearskin Neck. Bearskin Neck is a small neck of land that juts out into Rockport Harbor and has a unique shopping area that used to be a collection of old fisherman and lobsterman shacks. This busy little tourist area is surrounded by water and offers picturesque views of the Atlantic Ocean. We spent a couple of hours exploring the shops and took several pictures of the harbor.
On the way back to the campground, we saw a sign for Plum Island and quickly detoured. Plum Island Beach was the first beach I ever visited and I hadn’t been there in over 30 years. We drove the long, connecting road to the beach area as far as we could go and paid $10 to park in a small lot along the beach. Plum Island is home to hundreds of wildlife species and is a very popular ocean fishing area. We took a long walk on the beach just as the sun was setting, and picked up a handful of shells along the way.
Plum Island is part of Newburyport and since we were so close, we decided to end our day there. Newburyport is another popular tourist destination and the birthplace of Francis Cabot Lowell, the American textile pioneer after whom the city of Lowell, Massachusetts (our hometown!) is named. There are lots of great shops and restaurants here and while we were deciding whether we should eat out or back at camp, Mother Nature made the decision for us with a fast moving summer rainstorm. We ducked into a burrito place called Dos Amigos and had a delicious dinner while waiting out the rain.
We had a lot of fun exploring Cape Ann and although we didn’t spend much time at the campground, we were happy with the service we received at the Pines Camping Area. Thanks for reading and check back soon for a special announcement!
