September 2017 - USA travel

Photo of autumn colors in Vermont

30 September 2017 Saturday - Crystal City VA
Quite a moving ceremony at Arlington Cemetery for the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and wreath ceremony by our Wakefield High School Class (in addition to one done by DAR).

29 September 2017 Friday - Crystal City VA
Another sunny day but finally the temps are more comfortable.

28 September 2017 Thursday - Warrenton to Crystal City VA (55 miles)
A bit of a challenge driving in this heavy traffic of I66 towards Washington DC for the 50th high school reunion!

24 September 2017 Sunday - Warrenton VA
Visiting with Trish and Ron in Opal for a few days......it is getting hotter here!

23 September 2017 Saturday - Frederick MD to Warrenton VA (95 miles)
Short walk at the Point of Rocks on the Potomac River border of Maryland and Virginia then visit my friend who is buried in Delaplane church cemetery....they were having a yard sale at the church with food for purchase so hung out with Nick a bit longer!

22 September 2017 Friday - Gettysburg PA to Frederick MD (45 miles)
My mother's great grandfather was in the Civil War as a Hospital Steward so I had hoped that the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick might provide for me more information, but no, but a fun walkabout in the old town.

21 September 2017 Thursday - Scranton to Gettysburg PA (147 miles)
Interstate driving with traffic jams in Scranton and Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre but then great walkabout in Gettysburg through the cemetery and battlegrounds and visit to resource center at the Museum for research on my mother's great grandfather who fought in the Civil War. Found the monument built for their unit, 1st New York Artillery Battery I commanded by Captain Michael Weidrich.

20 September 2017 Wednesday - Albany NY to Scranton PA (175 miles)
Fog then sun for drive west on I88 then south on I81....petrol prices are the highest that I have seen at $2.89 per gallon!

19 September 2017 Tuesday - Molly Stark State Park VT to Albany NY (68 miles)
A bit of a challenge being back on the very busy big roads and trying to avoid traffic jams!

18 September 2017 Monday - Jamaica to Molly Stark State Park VT (35 miles)
Morning visit to Wardsboro Town Clerk and their library.....found heaps on my Caleb Cutler....then afternoon hike up Mt Olga at Molly Start State Park.

17 September 2017 Sunday - Newfane to Jamaica State Park VT (61 miles)
Morning drive to visit cemeteries then afternoon hike up little Mt Ball at Jamaica State Park.

16 September 2017 Saturday - Concord NH to Newfane VT (79 miles)
Autumn colors in the Green Mountains with wonderful hiking! Great chat with Elizabeth at the Windham County Historical Society.

15 September 2017 Friday - Concord NH
Staying an extra day because the offices that I wanted to visit in Vermont are closed on Friday....walked Concord downtown and visited the Capitol topped with beautiful gold dome.

14 September 2017 Thursday - Concord NH
Catching up with an oil change, haircut, pedicure, LL Bean outlet and visit to Autozone to find light bulbs for two burned out on the van.....then a walk in the woods at the Knox Forest Park! Also visited the Baker Free Library but do not think we are related to Henry, the founder.

13 September 2017 Wednesday - Concord NH
More research today at the New Hampshire State Library where they have quite a collection of records.....shoulda been outside in the sun though! A woman name Sargent had indexed the Town Records on 3x5 cards many years ago.

12 September 2017 Tuesday - Concord NH
Morning research at the New Hampshire Vital Records and Archives.....looked at many birth records from the 18th and 19th century but still could not find one for our Daniel born 1800!

11 September 2017 Monday - Bethlehem to Tilton NH (74 miles)
Beautiful sunny day in the White Mountains with a few short walks on the trails such as The Basin. Unfortunately, the town clerk in Campton was worthless and even though I had written to her in advance, she now tells me that all of their records are in Concord, the capital. But I did find the old cemetery on Bog Road, saved when they built the new Forest Service offices, and the Forest Service folks were great. Also had to cross a covered bridge to get to Blair Cemetery and thank goodness it was high enough. I had also previously tried to contact the sexton John of the cemeteries but his phone mailbox was full and he does no internet. I found from the woman mowing the Blair cemetery that John is 80 and he does not do well with our modern day communication but she would do followup for me as she does have a phone and email!

10 September 2017 Sunday - Bethlehem NH
Wonderful walk on the Maple Trail at the Rocks Estate, founded by John Jacob Glessner and his family in the early 1800's, between the rain showers. And shopping at the Littleton Coop which has great selection of organic fruit and veggies but very expensive! I guess if you are a member, the price goes down a bit.

9 September 2017 Saturday - Bethlehem NH
I have rented a small cute cabin built in the early 1900's so have started to tackle the packing chore for my month long trip to Sweden in October....on this very stormy rainy day.

8 September 2017 Friday - St Albans VT to Bethlehem NH (101 miles)
Beautiful drive east on routes 104/115/2/18/135/302 into New Hamshire....the colors of the trees are starting to turn! Passed heaps of farms and barns and maple outlets and everything is so green on the rolling hills of the White Mountains.

7 September 2017 Thursday - St Albans VT
Decided to stay another day and visit another village Fairfield where I had found census records from 1800 for a Cutler family....but it never fails that when I visit a mechanic, more things go wrong! Barely made it to the shop when the van went into overheat mode belching antifreeze and found that the water pump went out.....but fixed in time to depart tomorrow.

6 September 2017 Wednesday - St Albans VT
I had not had my brakes checked in awhile so visited Midas where they found a small leak so got that fixed while I visited the Museum. I still have not had success in finding birth records from the 1700's but it has been fun exploring and learning the history of this area and the St Albans raid, the northernmost land action of the American Civil War!

5 September 2017 Tuesday - St Albans VT
Very gusty winds with rain this morning....spent day exploring St Albans and visiting the library and both the City Clerk and Town Clerk offices because they split in 1897 and both have various records (museum closed on Tuesday so will visit tomorrow).....I then visited the village of Highgate and Charlie Nye gave me a tour of their museum even though it is only open on Sundays. He remembers some of the Cutler family and is a great historian.

4 September 2017 Monday - Watertown NY to St Albans VT (189 miles)
The sun returned for easy drive east on route 11 through New York to Rouses Point and across Lake Champlain to Vermont! I stopped at the visitor center and the woman working there asked why I was visiting VT and I told her the family I was researching then she replied with knowledge of a very small cemetery of that name near Highgate......a bit difficult to find but trudged through the mud and the cornfield to this beautiful small cemetery in the woods(and hopefully have not brushed against poison ivy or picked up ticks)....unfortunately, most graves are so old that they are not marked so will make inquiries tomorrow at the town hall!

3 September 2017 Sunday - East Aurora to Watertown NY (199 miles)
Beautiful drive east on route 20 amongst many farms and barns then north on I81 in a big rainstorm....passed the Great New York State Fair in Syracuse! The New York interstate exit numbers are not on distance based milepost system so confusing if you have been driving in other states! I passed several Wegmans but none in Watertown!

2 September 2017 Saturday - East Aurora New York
Even though everything is closed for the long weekend, decided to stay another day and just catch up on all the stuff that I have found here. I did find the Cutler homestead, home of my ancestors, and it is still there although no longer owned by the family and no longer surrounded by farmland....there is a racetrack across the highway and heaps of new homes!

1 September 2017 Friday - East Aurora New York
More research at Holland Town Hall and meeting with town historian and roaming of the cemeteries for which there is no map nor directory!