Autumn Adventures, Near and Far

Wine & Whiskey

8 hours ago

6 min read

October is in full swing, and between fall chores around the homestead and work assignments that have taken us through Maine, Vermont, and New York, we've certainly been on the move.

Autumn always brings a long list of things to do before winter settles in, but we're finding plenty of opportunities to enjoy the season along the way. Our plans don't always unfold as expected, and sometimes that's part of the fun.

Autumn Around the Homestead

Before hitting the road again, I managed to get quite a bit accomplished in the gardens. I harvested another round of herbs and spent time collecting and planting seeds from hostas, honesty plants growing in the Way Back, and milkweed I discovered along a walking trail.

Have you ever taken a close look at milkweed seeds and their pods? They're fascinating! Each seed is attached to a delicate, silky parachute designed to catch the wind and carry it away. Such an ingenious design, and another example of the amazing details found in nature.

While walking on a trail in the woods, I collected a few pods and dried them for several weeks. Afterwards, I planted the seeds in various spots around the property, and now we’ll wait to see what sprouts next spring.

In addition to the milkweed, I collected and dried hosta and honesty plant seeds that were from my garden and planted those as well.

The herb garden also received some attention. I spread a generous layer of our homemade compost over the soil, then topped it with shredded leaves. The compost adds organic matter and nutrients while improving the soil's ability to hold moisture. The leaves provide an insulating layer, protect the soil from erosion, and gradually break down to enrich it even further.

After the dry summers we've experienced, building healthier, more moisture-retentive soil is especially important. Using our own compost and shredded leaves is an inexpensive, practical way to improve the soil while making good use of materials already available on the property.

Before our snowbird neighbor headed from New Hampshire to Florida, we spent a Sunday afternoon in the Barn Lounge. I whipped up a couple of pizzas, and with good company, football, and a Patriots win, it was a pretty great way to enjoy an autumn Sunday.

Then there’s the firewood—the annual stacking marathon is underway! With ten racks on the patio to fill, I spread the work out over several weeks, depending on the weather, free time, and my motivation. As I noted last year, it’s a lot of rinse and repeat: stack some wood, admire the progress, and return another day for more. It’s a big job, but having plenty of firewood ready for cozy winter nights makes it all worth it.

Mid-Coast Maine: A Little Work, A Little Play

What started as a leisurely trip to Mid-Coast Maine turned into a combination of work and pleasure. Tom received several assignments in Maine, and we were happy to take care of them while we were already in the area. Much better than making another trip!

Our first assignment was in Belgrade, followed by a Harvest Hosts overnight at The Club in Stockton Springs. Overlooking the harbor, it was a lovely place to settle in for the evening. We enjoyed cocktails, a delicious dinner, and some time to relax.

From there, we headed to Moorings Campground overlooking Penobscot Bay. This was our third stay, and we were happy to return. It's a beautiful location and a great home base for exploring the surrounding area.

We enjoyed dinners at our campsite and ventured out for lunch at Young's Lobster Pound, where chowder and lobster rolls were calling our names. You really can't go wrong with a Maine lobster roll!

Fort Point, Belfast, and a Special Discovery

We had a beautiful day to explore Fort Point in Stockton Springs. The views and vistas were spectacular, and it was a wonderful place to spend time outdoors enjoying the coastal scenery.

Another outing took us to downtown Belfast, where we walked along the waterfront and across the footbridge. Belfast has such an interesting working harbor, and we enjoyed watching the activity along the water. We also stopped for a couple of spicy Bloody Marys near the tugboats before returning to Moorings for the evening.

By October, the evenings cool off quickly along the Maine coast. We enjoyed a small campfire back at our campsite, a nice way to wind down after a day of exploring.

One of the more exciting discoveries during our travels happened on a walk when we spotted a large chaga mushroom growing on a birch tree — and it was actually within reach!

We often see chaga growing high up in birch trees, far beyond our reach, so this was a rare opportunity. Tom was able to harvest a nice chunk without damaging the tree. Once home, he cut it into smaller pieces, and we froze them for several days before drying them for storage.

We use the dried chunks to make chaga tea by steeping them in water. It's a simple process, and finding our own chaga made it all the more interesting.

Our Maine visit also included work assignments in Bradford and Detroit. Thankfully, they weren't in Houlton or Fort Kent! We were grateful not to have to travel quite that far north.

Home for One Night, Then Off Again!

After returning from Maine, we spent exactly one night at home before heading out again, this time to Vermont and New York.

Unfortunately, our departure coincided with Columbus Day weekend, which meant one thing in New England: leaf peepers. LOTS of leaf peepers!

We couldn't adjust our schedule to avoid the holiday traffic, so we joined the crowds crawling through Franconia Notch. The foliage was spectacular, but so was the traffic jam. At least we had plenty of time to admire the scenery!

Our overnight stop was Maple Grove Campground in Fairfax, Vermont. It wasn't quite our kind of campground, with a large number of seasonal campers. There's a different atmosphere in campgrounds where most people stay for the entire season rather than travel, and sometimes it just feels a little odd when you're only passing through.

The next day, Tom completed his assignment in Milton, Vermont, and then we faced a LONG drive to the Utica area of New York for another job.

We spent the night at a KOA in Herkimer. The weather was cool and rainy, but we didn't mind a bit. We had a pull-in site facing the river, and since it was Sunday, we settled into the motorhome to watch football.

Really, it wasn't much different from what we'd have been doing at home, except we had a river outside our windshield!

Down Into the Gravel Pit

The following morning, we were up early and headed to Frankfort, New York, for Tom's assignment at a sand and gravel pit. This one was a little different from our usual stops.

We were escorted by the orange truck all the way down to the bottom of the pit to inspect a trommel screen. It had rained the night before, and the place was a muddy mess. Bell and I stayed put in the rig while Tom handled the inspection. I had absolutely no desire to step out into all that mud.

My biggest concern was whether we'd be able to get the motorhome back out without getting stuck. Fortunately, we managed to make our way in and out, very slowly, without any trouble. Not exactly the kind of off-road adventure we had in mind for the motorhome!

Back Home and Preparing for Winter

Once home again, our attention turned to all those autumn chores waiting for us. Leaves to rake and blow, firewood to stack, and the motorhome to winterize, along with everything else that comes with transitioning into winter in New Hampshire.

The leaves are coming down, the temperatures are dropping, and there's always something that needs attention before the snow arrives.

But our travels aren't quite finished.

We have two more work assignments coming up in Vermont, and we'll be taking the motorhome even though it's now winterized. We've developed a pretty good system for traveling without using the onboard plumbing for a night or two, and it works just fine for these shorter trips. I'll share a link to how we manage that.

October always seems to be a balancing act between enjoying the season and preparing for the next one. There's still plenty to do around the homestead, but we're not in any hurry to put an end to our travels. One of the things we appreciate about this stage of life is having the flexibility to combine work, travel, and time at home. Some weeks are busier than others, and that's perfectly fine. We're making the most of the opportunities that come along while still enjoying the everyday routines at home.