I spent the first several days in the Niagara Falls region. I think every kid in America has heard of Niagara Falls, so I figured it was probably worth checking out. The falls are on the Niagara River, part of the border between Ontario, Canada and the state of New York. On the U.S. side, Niagara Falls is a state park (actually the oldest state park in the United States). T-shirt stands, food trucks, gaudy signs, your run-of-the-mill tourist traps inundate the several blocks surrounding the state park, but once you make it into the park part of Niagara Falls, it is actually pretty impressive. The sheer power of the falls are hard to describe unless seen in person. It’s one of those places every person needs to see at least once.

I thought I would be leaving the state right away, so I made sure to get my golfing in at a great new course (Seneca Hickory Stick Golf Course) just a few miles from Niagara Falls. I can now check “State #42″ off the “Golf 50 States” list! For anyone looking for a golf course in that area, it is a tough track and well worth the price. I played from the tips with a Canadian that used to play semi-pro. Canadians-1, Americans-0. But I had fun!

From Niagara Falls, I followed the Seaway Trail along the lakeshore of Lake Ontario, around Rochester, over to the banks of the Saint Lawrence River. The drive along Lake Ontario was spectacular. I had no idea there would be so many family owned orchards and vineyards lining the hills. And from the looks of it, this was the good side of town. It reminded me of Chicago’s north shore…but with acres and acres of farms surrounding the mansions. Nice!

Next on my tour of upstate New York was a place full of log cabins, canoes, fishing, and its namesake chairs overlooking tiny lakes–the Adirondack Mountains. I dry camped just outside of Lake Placid, site of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics. The downtown area really reminded me of downtown Banff, Alberta, Canada. It would probably be a pretty cool place on a snowy, winter night. I stayed at the base of Whiteface Mountain, a venue for many Olympic events. It also is home to Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway, a tollway with views of New York, Vermont, and even Canada. If you’re looking for a pretty easy mountain drive, and a moderate hike at the end, this memorial is pretty memorable.

My original plan was to follow the U.S./Canadian border into Vermont, but a woman named Irene had other plans. Once it became clear that Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene was going to wreak havoc in the area, I made a big U-turn and headed over to the Finger Lakes region. I am so glad I did, for two reasons: 1) the Finger Lakes area is impressive, and 2) the area I left was almost wiped out. I didn’t know how narrowly I escaped until I saw the news in the coming weeks. I missed flooded roads by mere hours, and my intended campground in eastern New York was completely washed away–trailers and all.

Anyway, back to the Finger Lakes. Officially, there are eleven lakes, spread out to look like the fingers of hands. Each lake is in a geographical depression, generally surrounded by rolling hills (or even mountains). On these hills are some 100 vineyards and wineries–a mini-Napa valley of the east. Of these, Bully Hill Vineyards was one of my favorites!

The gentle, green hills and valleys, and the many lakes of the region not only make great grapes; they make great thermals–as in thermals for soaring gliders. In a little town of Elmira is the National Soaring Museum and the soaring capital of the United States. I waited for a good weather day and drove over to the Harris Hill Soaring Center to do some soaring in a Schleicher ASK-21 glider. Comfortable with flying an airplane with a perfectly capable engine and propeller, I was incredibly curious about being at the mercy of the winds thousands of feet up in the sky–with no viable go-around option once we got close to the ground. I sat in the front seat, and the official glider pilot-in-command sat in the back. With a quick thumbs up by the pilot, the Piper Pawnee tow plane began its roll down the runway, and over the edge of the 500-foot hill/cliff. After 5-10 minutes of being towed up to altitude, we released the cable, and just like that, we were free. The noise of the airplane disappeared, with only the rush of the wind on our massive 55-foot wingspan. We soared for a good 45 minutes, got up to about 5200′, and would have kept going had it not been for other passengers waiting patiently on the ground. Pretty cool. Hmmm, glider license anyone?

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in New York, particularly the Adirondacks and the Finger Lakes. And if I were the type of person to violate the Airstream with stickers, I would definitely have put the official New York state tourism “ILOVENY” one in the back window. But somehow, in the back of my mind, I knew there was something even better awaiting me…Vermont.

Niagara Falls, NY Observation Tower

Niagara Falls

Red-White-Blue Lighted Niagara Falls at Night

Saint Lawrence River at Coles Creek State Park

Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway

Inside castle atop Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway

View of Lake Placid from Whiteface Castle

Climb to Whiteface Castle

Underground shaft to Whiteface Mountain elevator built partly for President Roosevelt and his wheelchair

360-degree views atop Whiteface Mountain

View of Lake Placid

Part of Ausable Chasm

Wildflowers all over upstate New York

Church in historic village of Clinton

Typical vineyard of Finger Lakes

Harbor on Seneca Lake

Seneca Lake

Mural at Bully Hill Vineyards

Grapes at Bully Hill Vineyards

Purchases from Bully Hill Vineyards

Curtis-Wright C-46 Commando outside Glenn H. Curtiss Aviation Museum

Soaring at Harris Hill Soaring Center

Soaring at Harris Hill Soaring Center

Canandaigua Lake

Hot air balloon at New York State Festival of Balloons

Foggy weather in Finger Lakes

Airstream in the fog

There is only one major road running the length of the Keys, and it is U.S. Route 1. The popular areas from northeast to southwest are Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine Key, and Key West. About 80,000 people call the Keys home, with a third from Key West alone. All landmarks are referenced by mile markers; Mile Marker 0 is at Key West and Key Largo is around Mile Marker 106.

There wasn’t always a highway running right through the middle of the Keys. In the early 1900s, Henry Flagler of Standard Oil fame extended his Florida East Coast Railway all the way to Key West. Spend any time in Florida, and you soon realize the influence of Flagler. Considered the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” the Overseas Railway was heavily damaged by a hurricane in 1935. The railway was abandoned, but the existing infrastructure was used to build today’s Overseas Highway. Some of the old railway can still be seen today, especially near the famous Seven Mile Bridge that connects the Middle Keys to the Lower Keys.

Bridges are everywhere in the Keys, and it can make for some slow going traffic. It can take three to four hours to drive from Key Largo to Key West. Some portions are wide enough to feel like a regular part of the mainland, but some portions are narrow enough to have views of the Straits of Florida in the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Florida Bay in the Gulf of Mexico on the other side. In fact, at my campsite at Long Key State Park, my back window looked out to the Atlantic and my front window looked out to the Gulf.

For all but two nights of my monthlong stay, I found availability at state parks. I started at Curry Hammock State Park, a newly developed campground just outside of Marathon. Some of the campsites are right on the ocean, and all are within a 30-second walk to the ocean. The best part of Curry Hammock is a sandbar in the bright blue waters just off the shoreline. I paddled my kayak over there several times to see rays, seastars, crabs, fish, sand dollars, birds, and all kinds of ocean life. The quiet nights, awesome scenery, and friendly vibe at Curry Hammock makes it an easy choice for a return visit.

From there, I moved over to Long Key State Park. Every single campsite is right on the ocean, but the kayaking didn’t seem to be as exciting from my campsite. And, for some reason, it just didn’t seem quite as friendly as Curry Hammock. I enjoyed Long Key mostly because of its close proximity to Islamorada. The tarpon feeding at Robbies and the complex at Islamorada Fish Company are not to be missed. I have never seen such massive fish just hanging around for a quick meal. Robbies was also a great place to launch the kayak and paddle over to Lignumvitae State Park. If you’re looking for a good place to stay near Islamorada, then I recommend Long Key State Park, but if you want to be closer to Key West, I say keep driving down the road to Bahia Honda.

Of the three state parks I visited with the Airstream, I think my favorite was Bahia Honda State Park in Big Pine Key. If I had been able to grab one of the secluded waterfront sites, it would have been my favorite, hands down. I just had a regular campsite with no view to speak of, but it didn’t diminish the overall appeal of the place. Bahia Honda (pronounced BAY-ah HON-da by the locals) is sprawling. Some of the campsites are on the Atlantic and some are on the Gulf side. There is a day use area which is packed full of visitors each day. Food, drinks, and supplies are available at the concession store. Boats for snorkel trips to Looe Key depart from the marina if the weather is calm. (The snorkeling out at Looe Key is pretty impressive, too!) There is also a smaller marina just for the campers. The beach is a sandy beach (actually unusual for the Keys) with great sunset views. And the rangers accepted all my mail deliveries! I now see why it is next to impossible to find a campsite at Bahia Honda State Park. They are completely booked 11 months in advance, and almost no one cancels it seems. (I relied upon one last-minute cancellation to get my spot.) The campground itself is about ten minutes into town, and about 40 minutes down to Key West.

Any visit to the Keys wouldn’t be complete without a few days in Key West. I had absolutely no desire to pay the ridiculous, outrageous, and idiotic $135 nightly rates for some of the campgrounds right in and around Key West, so I left the Airstream behind and made day trips instead. Parts of it (especially Mallory Square) are a little “touristy”, and parts of it (Old Town) have old, narrow streets lined with beautifully restored homes. The center of town, Duval Street, is packed with bars, restaurants, and shopping of all kinds. I was shocked at just how urban Key West felt. I had pictured a sleepy little village on the beach, but it is really a thriving metropolis on the beach. To me, it is a small (but less refined) version of Charleston, South Carolina. It even has an international airport. And I took advantage of that airport for the absolute highlight of my entire stay in the Keys.

At the far end of the airport is a charter company with several daily flights to Dry Tortugas National Park, one of the least accessible national parks in the U.S. The flight isn’t just any ol’ flight. It is in a 1956 de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter seaplane that takes off from a paved runway in Key West, and lands right on the waters surrounding Dry Tortugas. Normally a three-hour ferry ride, the seaplane cuts the 70-mile trip down to 35 minutes. Other than a few minutes up at 2,500 feet because of a wildlife refuge, the flight is just 500 feet above the water. It is close enough to see sharks, porpoises, birds, and hundreds of sea turtles. Our flight happened to be on the day of a full moon and it was just the start of sea turtle nesting season. The crystal clear water also makes it easy to see various shipwrecks along the way. Flying above the calm waters definitely gives a unique perspective to what lies below. And, of course, it was pretty impressive to land right next to some sailboats–basically in the middle of the ocean–and then taxi up to the beach.

Before it was classified as a national park, Dry Tortugas (and its Fort Jefferson) was a military outpost built in the mid-1800s to defend the United States from attack. Today, it makes a great place to snorkel. I did the obligatory guided tour, but I really just wanted to get in the water and explore. There is a tent campground that would be an absolute blast to try someday. There is no internet, no cell phone service, no nearby coffee shop. As far as I know, there isn’t even a place to grab a snack. It is truly out in the middle of nowhere, with water in every direction as far as the eye can see. It was such an awesome experience! Next on my list: take seaplane lessons.

As you may have noticed, I really enjoyed my time in the Keys. I didn’t even mention Sparky’s Landing in Key Colony Beach, or Blue Hole on Big Pine Key, or No Name Pub near No Name Key, or Knight’s Key Campground, or Key deer, or key lime pie. To be perfectly honest, at a quick glance it can look a little rundown and dingy in places, but that is just the feel of the Keys–laid-back and casual. Once you realize it isn’t anything like nearby Miami, you start to get it. The locals have it–that desire to never leave and the longing to return someday: The Keys Disease.

Flowers at Curry Hammock State Park

Curry Hammock State Park

Kiteboarders at Curry Hammock State Park

Kiteboarder at Curry Hammock State Park

Curry Hammock State Park

Paddling over a sandbar at Curry Hammock State Park

Paddling over a sandbar at Curry Hammock State Park

Beach in Key West

Beach in Key West

Sunset in the Keys

Marathon

Key Colony Beach

Key Colony Beach

Sunset in the Keys

Fish Cleaning at Knight's Key

Sunset on Knight's Key

Sunset on Knight's Key

Portuguese Man o' War

Long Key State Park

Tarpon at Robbie's

Sunset on Knight's Key

Lignumvitae State Park

Fluorescent view from campground at Bahia Honda State Park

Sunset in the Keys

Fish in quarry at Bahia Honda State Park

Blue Hole on Big Pine Key

Moonrise over mangroves at Bahia Honda State Park

Bahia Honda State Park

Coral at Dry Tortugas National Park

Coral at Dry Tortugas National Park

Landing at Dry Tortugas National Park

View of Dry Tortugas National Park from above

View of shipwreck from above

View of Key West from above

View of Sunset Key from above

Cockpit of Otter seaplane

Boarding seaplane at Key West International Airport

Taxiing at Dry Tortugas National Park

1956 de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter seaplane

Moped rentals in Key West

My touristy ride on the Conch Train through the streets of Key West

Typical home in Old Town neighborhood of Key West

Key West

Vermont is an interesting state. It is the second least-populated state; it has the smallest capital city; and no other state has its largest city as small as Burlington (around 40,000 people). This small town atmosphere is refreshing. Vermonters are just some of the nicest people I have ever met.

I was lucky enough to see the fall foliage of the state with friends who came to visit from Chicago. We stayed near the shores of Lake Champlain at Apple Island Resort. We camped in the middle of the forest at Quechee State Park. We took a tour of the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Waterbury. (By the way, the number of cow puns on the tour is “udderly” ridiculous!) We hiked in the middle of the incredibly scenic Smugglers’ Notch. We spent a day in Vermont’s version of a metropolis – downtown Burlington. We stumbled upon a hidden gem of a restaurant in South Hero. (It’s called Blue Paddle Bistro. Go there. You won’t be disappointed.) We visited Woodstock, “the prettiest small town in America”. We found some culture at a museum, toured an expansive farm, and visited a working orchard – all in Shelburne. Did I mention we had apple cider donuts?

Of all the states I have visited, Vermont is definitely one of my favorites!

Excellent omelettes, Eggs Benedict, bagels, and muffins at Libby's Diner in Colchester

Ben & Jerry's store in Burlington

Round Barn (Shelburne Museum)

Jesse James motorcycle made for Airstream (Shelburne Museum)

Ticonderoga (Shelburne Museum)

Shelburne Museum

Random Airstream at Shelburne Orchard

Hiking up Smuggler's Notch near Stowe

Hiking up Smuggler's Notch near Stowe

One of several covered bridges in Vermont

Foliage of Stowe

Absolutely incredible restaurant, Blue Paddle Bistro, in South Hero

Quechee Gorge

One of several covered bridges in Vermont

Step back in time for dinner in Woodstock

Snow + Airstream = Interesting

Cold hills of Vermont

Lone Tree Hill overlooking Lake Champlain

Very cool pedestrian-only street in Burlington

Lake Champlain

Making waffles for my guests

Oregon, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. First, one of the best movies of the ’80s, “The Goonies,” was filmed in Astoria and Cannon Beach. Who doesn’t love that movie? Second, fresh, local, incredible food is available from undiscovered vendors at farmers’ markets in downtown Portland. Pair it with a bottle of wine from any one of the hundreds of vineyards and wineries in Oregon, like Yamhill Valley Vineyards. So good! Third, the same temperate climate that makes great wine is the same temperate climate perfect for lush, green golf courses playable year-round. The best one I played was Langdon Farms Golf Club in Aurora. Finally, Howard Hughes’ famous airplane, the “Spruce Goose,” is at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville. I was so happy to stumble upon this museum — like “kid in a candy store” happy!

I know Oregon sometimes is associated with pot smoking hippies and a rainy climate, but there is also much, much more the state has to offer. (For the record, I didn’t see too many hippies, didn’t smoke any pot, and only felt a little rain.) Here is a sample of the photos I took as I followed Highway 101 from Astoria down to Brookings, with a side trip into the Portland area. OK, time to watch a copy of the “The Goonies” that I found on the internet!

Portland's very sleek public transportation system, TriMet.

View from Mo's Restaurant of famous Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach

Basil, peaches, raspberries, tomatoes, cookies, nuts, you name it; all kinds of delicious food at the Portland Farmers Market.

Long Beach, Oregon is apparently home to the "World's Longest Beach"

I have absolutely no idea which "Bolstad" it is, but I definitely need to track that person down. The views were awesome!

The entire Long Beach area had this mystical aura that morning.

Flags at half-staff presumably for Ted Kennedy

Leaving Long Beach

Sculpture at Portland's Rose Gardens

Impressive collection of roses with views of downtown at Portland's Rose Garden

This is what greets you at the entrance to the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville

Apollo capsule

Actual Titan missile used to launch satellites

Lockheed SR-71A "Blackbird", the fastest aircraft ever built

Ford 5-AT-B Tri-Motor "Tin Goose" Exterior

Ford 5-AT-B Tri-Motor "Tin Goose" Interior

Hughes Flying Boat, H-4, HK-1 "Spruce Goose" Interior

The Douglas DC-3A revolutionized the look of the modern airliner

Curtiss-Wright A-22 (CW-22) "Falcon"

The "Spruce Goose" dwarfs everything else in the museum.

Seriously, it is that big.

Yamhill Valley Vineyards

Yamhill Valley Vineyards

Yamhill Valley Vineyards

Pacific City, Oregon

Pacific City, Oregon

Tillamook Cheese Factory

Tillamook Cheese Factory

Tillamook Cheese Factory

Along Highway 101 (near Devil's Punch Bowl)

Along Highway 101

Catching up on emails along Highway 101

One of the very few rainy days during my stay. This is the beach across the street from Seal Rocks RV Cove.

Cape Blanco State Park

Lighthouse at Cape Blanco State Park

Across highway from Humbug Mountain State Park

Entrance to Humbug Mountain State Park

Along Highway 101

I spent Labor Day hanging out at a totally secluded Gold Beach

Low tide at Harris Beach State Park

Harris Beach State Park

Harris Beach State Park, probably the best kept secret in all of Oregon

Sunset at Harris Beach State Park

Sunset at Harris Beach State Park