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| Silver Lake Bog Preserve, the Adirondacks, NY |
John Steinbeck: “People don’t take trips, trips take people.”
I’ve been so fortunate to have retired early at the age of 48, then travel the country with my wife. Traveling has always been something that I was born with. Ever since I was a child, the thought of going somewhere new, always made me incredibly excited.
Every child can relate to going to a zoo, an aquarium, or a park and feeling the wonder of it all, experiencing new sights, smells, touches, and feelings. These memories tend to stay with us forever, as during our adolescence, we tend to have open minds, capable of soaking in all new stimuli with gusto.
As we age, that wonderment goes away, replaced by a jaded view of the world around us. We no longer feel amazed by a trip to a zoo or an aquarium, as most of us has seen it all. We no longer are that excited by trips to new places, like when we were young.
There are too many things going on all around us. There is the job, family, kids, friends, the dreaded bills to pay, and life to live, with all its ups and downs…
We can no longer feel that true feeling of enjoying new places with giddiness and excitement, that feeling of anticipating what’s to come. We no longer are truly free from our day to day lives, like when we were young and didn’t have a worry in the world…
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| Myrtle Beach State Park, SC |
During my working years, a day trip was usually what we did. Thanks to our Pomeranian Toby, we discovered the joys of nature, and the ability to appreciate the natural things like trees, flowers, lakes, and the mountains.
Walking for us, prior to our dog, wasn’t something we did for its own sake. We usually walked to get somewhere. We didn’t enjoy just walking without a destination. Toby changed us forever. He taught us that a walk can be just as exciting when done with loved ones. Walk is awesome in that we instantly feel better doing it, while taking in fresh air and hopefully breaking a light sweat.
With the coming of our early retirement in August 2020, we mapped out a plan for how we were going to live. We decided the best plan was for us to live a nomadic lifestyle, traveling the country most of the year, then spending few months with our family back in New York.
Thanks to our early retirement, we’ve been living the way we had planned and talked about all these years. And it’s thanks to our early retirement that we’re traveling without much worries like the stress of a job, or worrying about too many bills to pay each and every month.
You can say I’ve again discovered the joys of exploring new places, like a child would, but now armed with my love for nature thrown in thanks to Toby. All these things added up is making this nomadic, traveling lifestyle work!
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| Tupper Lake, Adirondacks, NY |
Sometimes the places we travel to are not places most people think of, when thinking of a vacation destination. For us, we’re traveling but we’re also living at a destination for a month or longer. Our destination tend to be selected based on our budget for accommodation per month.
For example, we’d like to stay under $1,300 per month or so. There have been times when we’ve went over that budget, but there have been times when we also went under that budget. We’re ok with that, as long as we balance that accommodation budget eventually for the year.
This budget sometimes means we don’t always get to visit vacation destinations like Myrtle Beach, Ocean City, or the Adirondacks, but rather places like Claysburg or Indiana. We’re ok with that as we can always find things to do anywhere in the U.S.
This point is really the reason that makes traveling in the USA so rewarding. It’s not just the big cities or the big name attractions, but also everything in between. There are so many places to explore with its own charms. Big or small, it really doesn’t matter to us. We will cherish it no matter what or where…
And with that long introduction out of the way, here are my reasons why traveling in the U.S. is so great.
- USA is big and there are so many places to explore
USA has just about every biome imaginable on earth, from deserts, tropical forests, alpine tundras, to mixed forests. I could theoretically travel for another 40 years in the US, and never get to cover the entire country.
Driving distances are just mind boggling. Once you travel outside of the east coast of the US, the land seems both literally and figuratively big! Especially in the south, the southwest, the northern plains, or the Midwest, distances are measured in hundreds of miles before seeing any decent sized human habitations.
When we drove cross country from New York City to Colorado, a typical day would involve driving about 12 hours to get from one large city to another large city big enough to host motels and restaurants. I remember driving from Denver (Colorado) to Salina (Kansas) on our way back home, which took just about 12 hours. Once we crossed over the Rocky Mountains, wheat fields, corn fields, and cows were more numerous than humans.
Driving is part of the American psyche, and part of the American culture. You must embrace it if you want to see this great, big country! It’s really necessary to drive to get to various destinations as the cost to take planes then to rent cars, would be prohibitively expensive.
Once you embrace driving, then the whole country opens up to you. You can see world class/world famous cities like New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. Or, you can also see unique natural attractions that are famous the world over.
The variety of places to explore is just never ending, and it can be daunting. Even exploring the east coast and the southeast for close to 2 years since our early retirement is not easy, as there are plenty of places we still haven’t seen. Wow…
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| At the summit of Mt. Jo, NY |
- National parks/national forests/state parks/local parks
Perhaps the greatest thing about traveling in the USA is the park system. There are so many places to explore, from volcanoes (Hawaii Volcanoes National Park), geysers (Yellowstone National Park), natural stone arches (Arches National Park), and to gigantic granite rock formations (Yosemite National Park).
We’ve only scratched the surface ourselves even though we’ve lived in the US for the past 40+ years! Visiting national parks is on the bucket list for many Americans, us included!
Add to national parks, there are also beautiful national forests, and state parks. Niagara Falls State Park in upstate New York is one of the most famous destinations known throughout the world.
And on top of that, every town has local/municipal/community parks to be enjoyed. Since our early retirement, visiting parks to hike or to walk, has been one of the best things we regularly do together.
In many cases, local parks have free admission while some state parks charge a nominal fee, usually around $10-$15 per vehicle. National parks will typically charge up to $35 per vehicle (Yosemite N.P.), while others like Congaree N.P. and New River Gorge National Park are free.
These fees are really reasonable considering the type of natural attractions that is unique to the USA, and nowhere else.
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| Charleston, SC |
- Reasonable prices for traveling
For the most part, I still think cost to travel in the US is relatively cheap compared to other countries. For one, cost of lodging is still not bad. We can still find a month long stay using Airbnb for around $1,300.
Motels and hotels are ubiquitous in most parts of the country. There are still motels you can still book for around $50 per night when using budget chains like Motel6, Comfort Inns/Suites, Best Western, etc. Although booking hotels/motels near any of the coastal cities like New York City or San Francisco will be expensive, there are still bargains to be had during the off season.
Cost of fuel is still cheaper than most countries. Compared to Canada for example, gasoline per gallon is about 50 cents cheaper in the US.
Cost of food/groceries is cheaper than most countries. We still spend around $250 to $300 per month on average on groceries. There are cheaper alternatives like Aldi and Lidl that are now popping up in many cities, saving us money.
Although restaurant prices have gone up post pandemic, you can still do cheaper take out or eat at fast casual restaurants like Chipotle, Subway, or Panera’s to cut costs on food.
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| Spruce Knob, West Virginia |
- Driving in America is a destination onto itself
I can’t emphasize enough how lucky we are that we’re able to drive on this great land, that is America. We’ve driven on beautiful country roads in West Virginia during the fall foliage, we’ve driven to Key West on Highway 1 (where movie True Lies was filmed), we’ve driven in Kansas, where roads are straight with nothing but wheat fields miles out in the distance, and we’ve driven on desolate deserts of Nevada and Arizona, where you truly understand the meaning of being alone on a highway…
Each of these experiences will live with me forever as they have all left an indelible mark on my travels. It’s an overwhelming feeling to be driving on same roads that I’ve seen in movies, and it’s an unforgettable feeling of anticipation and excitement as the next destination is getting closer and closer…
Some of my favorite memories of my travels has been the drive itself. I’m looking forward to doing more of the same in my near future!
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| New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia |
- We feel safe traveling in America
I once read an FBI agent say that all crime is caused by humans. The more humans there are, the more crime. It’s as simple as that.
To not become a part of a crime statistics, we don’t go to many places where there are tons of people these days. Places like malls, stadiums, clubs, and concerts come to mind. We don’t seek out places where hundreds or thousands of people gather.
On top of that, we don’t go out at night much, unless we’re staying at the same hotel and there’s a bar or restaurant downstairs. We don’t drive at night either, as most bad collisions will happen at night, thanks to drunk drivers, or poor visibility.
In short, we know what to do and what not to do when we’re traveling. We don’t go to bad part of town at night, and we’re always doing things like locking our cars and not leaving any valuables inside the car. We also don’t flash cash when paying for things, and we never use our ATM card at night in a seedy part of town.
Prevention is always a good idea when it comes to crime.
As scary as America may seem to non-Americans, guns (and gun violence) are really not that ubiquitous in most places. As long as you know where to avoid, what not to do and do, and use common sense, traveling in the US is as safe as anywhere in the world.
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| Toby at Port Jefferson, NY |
- Small towns, small town charm, and even tinier towns
To really see America, everyone should venture out and see small towns. Small towns represent what America used to be, before it became the populous cities like New York City or Los Angeles.
Many small towns are charming in that there’s usually few traffic lights, and light traffic (or nonexistent traffic). When you want to get away, small towns are where you’ll find less crowds (or no crowds) and get some personal space.
Be sure to try out local restaurants and cafes to see how locals live and what they talk about. During our trip to Tupper Lake (New York), one of our favorite things to do was trying different local restaurants. We had delicious foods but more importantly, we got to experience the friendly nature of locals, who greet each other.
Combined that with many nostalgic items of interest displayed throughout the restaurant from long time ago, it makes for an entertaining meal. I just love looking at history through those old photos of how life used to be some 40 years ago…
We got to meet several friendly locals who open up with recommendations on where to go and what to eat, and we’re so grateful for that. Our trips wouldn’t be as interesting, were it not for the people we meet along the way.
Traveling through the Southwest is perhaps the most jarring experience we’ve ever had. It feels like there’s no one around for hundreds of miles. It feels like you’re driving on the moon, or Mars, feeling desolate and lonely, feeling like you’re the last two people left on planet Earth.
You wonder where you can stop for a meal and where you can gas up, then all of a sudden, a tiny town may pop up out of nowhere, like a mirage in a sea of desert, with their gas station doubling duty as the only restaurant/grocery store in the area. Food may or may not be good, but it’s an experience like no other, to be able to finally see a remnant of a civilization, where you can fill up your stomach and your car, before heading your way. It’s usually a relief to see one of these places after driving for hundreds of miles…
These experiences will stay with you forever…
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| Sunset at Atlantic Beach, NC |
In conclusion:
We are so grateful that we can live this nomadic, traveling lifestyle since our early retirement. We love seeing this big country one month at a time. Whether small or big, or well known or not, there is always something to see and do, anywhere in the USA.
Thanks to our Pomeranian Toby, we’ve been turned on to nature. We love exhilarating hikes in the mountains, walks on the beaches, or just watching lakes, rivers, or oceans. We’re forever grateful to our baby for that…
Traveling in the USA is rewarding thanks to the variety of things that are available to be explored. From big cities to small towns, from national parks to municipal parks, from world famous attractions to locals’ favorite attractions, everything is worth visiting for its own charms.
We hope to continue our exploration of this great country in our near future!
Thank you all for reading and happy trails!
Jake
Wandering Money Pig
| Smalls Falls, Rangeley, Maine |
The state of Maine was one of the two New England states that my wife and I hadn’t visited, even after living on the East Coast of the United States all these years. Maine just seemed so far away from New York City, at around 8 hours drive time.
Of course we had heard so much about Maine from friends and family, who extolled the virtues of the state on many occasions. We longed to eat some fresh lobster and fresh seafood, visit the famous Acadia National Park, see a moose, and immerse ourselves with the “Pine Tree State.”
While searching for a suitable place to stay for the summer months, we were ecstatic when a cute mountain cabin in the town of Stratton (Maine) was available via AirBnB. We booked the cabin for June and July, then went to work exploring the area near where we were staying.
The town of Rangeley, is a great little town in the northwest part of the state of Maine. We first heard of the town from a friendly clerk at a Maine visitor center, who recommended the town. She mentioned the town is known for great hikes, excellent restaurants, and scenic views, which we love (and who doesn’t???).
The driving time of around 30 minutes from Stratton to Rangeley didn’t hurt either. In fact, we ended up visiting Rangeley several times during our 2 months long stay. We loved driving via Route 27 to Route 16, cutting through some of the most pristine forests and mountains along the way.
The crisp, alpine mountain air, the fragrant pine trees, and crystal clear/brightest blue skies we had ever seen on the East Coast, really made the drive enjoyable. These observations are also true on just about every sunny day during those two months. With less pollution resulting in excellent air quality, everything looked so beautiful…
During evenings, we got to see the most intense, twinkling of stars up in the sky. The first time I had turned off all the interior lights then opened the window drapes, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Stars looked so close, with each seeming to send out beams of light so bright, I thought I was looking at a flashlight shone from outer space…
Two months long stay turned out to be an awesome introduction to the state of Maine, and we’re glad we got to experience various places. Rangeley turned out to be, indeed, the best place to do hikes as all the places we enjoyed visiting, are within a 15 minute driving distance from the town center.
And with that introduction, these are our top things to do near Rangeley, Maine!
Smalls Falls, in the town of West Central Franklin, is located on Maine Route 4. The source of the water is the Sandy River, and it boasts a 54 foot total drop, which may not be much when compared to famous waterfalls like the Niagara Falls, but it certainly isn’t anything to laugh at.
Sometimes, size isn’t everything, and here’s why: Smalls Falls has a unique New England waterfall traits like crystal clear waters, incredible rock formations, and colorful gorges. We loved the falls so much we ended up going there on multiple occasions.
We found out this place is known as “Smalls Falls Rest Area and Trailhead” when searching using Google Maps. We were surprised that the falls was located inside a rest area when researching the place, but we understood when we got there.
After driving about 15 minutes past the town of Rangeley, we turned right after seeing an unassuming sign for a Rest Area. We drove in, and saw that it is indeed a rest area with picnic tables and restrooms.
After parking our car near the restroom/picnic tables by the entrance, we started to walk to the rear of the rest area to start our exploration of the falls. We found a short staircase leading down to the falls, and within the first 1 minute of our hike, we saw the first of 4 Smalls Falls drops.
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| Crystal clear waters of Smalls Falls |
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| Staircase leading down to the falls |
We absolutely loved it! We loved seeing the incredibly vibrant, earthy colors of the rocks and we loved the beautiful gorge. We walked down near the falls to get a closer look at the falls, and found several huge boulders we could stand on. Up close, the views were mesmerizing!
We wanted to see more of the falls, so we started the hike again, heading towards the steel fence. Terrain got steeper all of a sudden, but we were used to hiking after summiting several mountains during our trip to the Adirondacks, in the month of April.
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| Steel fencing next to the falls |
We knew the hike up to the top of the falls was under a mile, so we weren’t overly concerned with the hike itself. With clearly marked trails and the continued use of steel fencing next to the falls, we couldn’t possibly have gotten lost.
We did, however, prepare two bottles of water and lunch just in case, and we planned to eat our lunch while relaxing by the falls. At the second of the four drops, we found huge boulders right next to the falls, and sat down to replenish our bodies after an arduous journey (just kidding, we barely walked 15 minutes by then…)
I always found listening to waterfalls very soothing and relaxing. It’s not unlike watching a campfire, or a fireplace and just tuning out…It put both of us in a very relaxed, trance-like state…
After several minutes of doing absolutely nothing but listening and watching the falls, we dug in to eat our lunch. We savored our granola bars, bananas, and water while enjoying the scenery!
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| Enjoying a banana by the falls! |
After lunch, we continued our ascent yet again. The waterfall drops got more impressive the higher we went. The scenery was certainly unique, very different than what we were used to seeing. The tall pine trees with their refreshing fragrance, added to the experience.
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| Looking back down the falls |
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| Loved this area with the fallen tree |
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| Made it to the top of the falls! |
In no time, we made it to the top of the falls. We crossed a road at the end of the trail, which unofficially marked the end of the trail. We considered walking up beyond the road to the other side, but decided not to, as we didn’t see any cleared marked trails that way.
We were incredibly satisfied with Smalls Falls. It’s a perfect short hike that can be done by most people (not wheelchair accessible though), and it ended up being our favorite thing to do in Rangeley.
Bald Mountain is located in the town of Oquossoc, and it boasts an elevation of 2,443 feet. The hike is 1.3 miles each way, and is rated as a moderate hike.
We headed out for Bald Mountain on a clear sunny day in June, with weather forecast remaining sunny the rest of the day. We turned left for Bald Mountain Road from Maine Route 4 past the town of Oquossoc, but realized our Google Maps led us to the Bald Mountain Camps Resort and not the trailhead!
We U-turned out of the Bald Mountain Camps Resort, then turned right to head up the Bald Mountain Road. Luckily, my hunch proved right, as we saw the trailhead/parking to our left within a minute or so.
After parking our car, we sprayed ourselves with our homemade bug spray made out of cedarwood oil/alcohol/water, then proceeded to the trail. The weather looked foreboding all of a sudden, so we decided to bring our windbreakers and an umbrella.
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| Beginning of the trail |
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| At the parking lot/trailhead |
We started our hike fully aware that the weather had turned dramatically for the worse. Our drive to Bald Mountain started out nice and sunny, but that really changed in a hurry at the mountain!
Wind picked up and the sun was gone, trying to break out of the clouds here and there but not really succeeding. The forest looked forbidden and primordial, but we pushed on, just thanking the weather gods that at least it wasn’t raining yet.
The first 2/3 of the hike was relatively easy, in terms of height and elevation gained. The wet, muddy forest floor didn’t help with our ascent though. We slipped few times on our way up, so we took extra time getting a good, solid footing before moving on up.
The higher we went, rocks, pebbles, and boulders replaced the dirt/root/forest floor. At the last 1/3 of the trail, terrain got really rocky with gigantic boulders. We got a heck of a workout making our ascent from that point on.
Near the summit, brief periods of rain came then was gone just as fast, replaced by sunny skies. We saw rain with sunny skies, rain with cloudy skies, and rain with mixture of the two! It was definitely not boring!
We navigated our way up through the large boulder fields, making slow progress, yet enjoying the hike nonetheless. We loved the crisp, alpine air the higher we went. We loved the views of the lakes way down below peeking through the trees.
Just when we felt the trail was no longer ascending, we realized we had made it to the summit! Yes!
We immediately headed towards the fire tower, which was unmistakably prominent, beckoning us to check it out. We saw fellow hikers (a mother, and a daughter-in-law) coming down from the fire tower, so we waited our turn. We chatted with them for awhile, talking about our travels and of Maine. They were so nice and friendly that had we not decided to climb the fire tower after few minutes, we may have talked for 30 minutes!
After saying our goodbyes, we made our trek up to the fire tower. We took careful steps up, as the staircase was really narrow and steep. We felt and heard the howling winds picking up speed and intensity, but we had made it to the top!
What an incredible view! We could see miles out into the distance. We saw nearby lakes, mountains, and clouds so low, we could almost touch them. Wow…
After enjoying that view for several minutes, we headed back down the fire tower, then back down the same way we had come. On our way down, rain came back, drenching the forest, and drenching us!
My wife took out her windbreaker while I took out my umbrella to shield ourselves from the heavier rain. We started hugging each other under an umbrella, waiting out the rain for about 5 minutes. It was rather romantic and fun, able to enjoy some rainfall during our hike. Like I always say, it’s always the little things that we must learn to enjoy…
Heavy rain passed us by after few minutes so we continued our hike back to the parking lot. The hike back always seems shorter and more enjoyable than the hike up, most likely due to the terrain. Coming down the mountain is infinitely easier than going up! There’s always that sense of accomplishment and euphoria after making it to the top, which probably adds to the feeling as well…
Bald Mountain was a great hike with awesome views, and it’s not to be missed! For those of you interested in seeing how much we walked, see below.
Lakeside Park is a great little park tucked away inside the town of Rangeley. We saw it on our way towards Smalls Falls, and we knew we had to stop by to check it out. Located adjacent to Rangeley Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce building, it is a great spot for a quick picnic, a walk, and to use the clean public restroom.
We stopped by on our way back from Smalls Falls, parked our car in the large parking lot, then proceeded to explore this park. Probably due to it being a Saturday afternoon, there were plenty of people enjoying the park by the time we arrived.
There were families with kids playing in the playground, dogs merrily playing with their pet parents, and people like us just taking our time enjoying the scenery. We couldn’t take our eyes off of a playful German shepherd who was begging his mom to throw the stick into the lake so he can retrieve it. It was such an idyllic scene on a beautiful, sunny, and peaceful day…
We walked towards the right, where a small peninsula was located, and sat down at a bench. What a sight! We loved the lake views and the low hanging clouds right above us. With a slight breeze cooling us just right, we were in heaven…
After sitting for few minutes, I had to check out the boat launch to our left. We walked out on the boat launch to take some photos. While doing that, I saw a seaplane landing directly in front of us. It was pretty cool, as we never saw one landing on a lake before!
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| Boat launch |
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| Seaplane landing! |
We thoroughly enjoyed Lakeside Park. It is a great little park to spend several minutes to relax, and to enjoy the lovely scenery.
Honorable mention:
We couldn’t write this post without mentioning a local hotspot, Sarge’s Sports Pub and Grill. The restaurant was recommended to us by a local named Gary, who we met in the town of Rangeley. He mentioned it’s his favorite place to eat in town.
This restaurant is a favorite place for locals and visitors alike, thanks to its tasty foods, reasonable prices, and its fame, as it was originally designed by Bing Russell, the father of actor, Kurt Russell.
We couldn’t resist going there to eat!
The decor was typical bar affair, with plenty of sports memorabilia, tables for dining, and a large bar area. We were greeted by a very friendly waitress who made us feel right at home. We ordered a haddock sandwich and a veggie burger. Portions were huge and prices reasonable. The bill was $44 with soft drinks and tips, which in Maine is considered very reasonable. Both were so tasty we gulped them down, all of them with no leftovers(!)
It was a very satisfying meal and a memorable meal experience thanks to our friendly waitress!
In conclusion:
We loved Rangeley area for it has so much going for it. It is a great place to use as a base camp for exploring various hiking trails and waterfalls. The town center is also incredibly nice with neat streets that contain plenty of shops and restaurants to idle away your day.
Rangeley turned out to be our favorite place near where we were staying, thanks to all those attributes and thanks to its close proximity. We highly recommend this place when visiting Maine!
Thank you all for reading and happy trails!
Jake
Wandering Money Pig
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