Our first stop of the trip was at ‘base camp Bix’, the home of Russ’s sister Debra and her husband Lyn Bixby. The farmhouse dates to 1790, there is an old sugar house, now converted to a guesthouse, a spacious horse barn, a pond, and some 90+ acres of woods and meadows.

We’ve been warmly received by Lyn and Debby, and I’ve even been treated to a tour of St. Johnsbury, complete with a visit to the beautiful St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, home to an impressive collection of art, including a massive Bierstadt painting of the Domes of the Yosemite, recently restored to its original glory.

Tomorrow will be a trek across the White Mountains to Maine, and our campsite at Blackwoods Campground in Acadia National Park. Last time I was in Acadia was when my family and the Saylors took a two-week camping trip through New England. I was 12. Need I say I’m excited to see Acadia again?