Bull N’ Claw

We had dinner at Bull N’ Claw in Wells, Maine, as Jenn wanted to experience a classic Maine lobster dinner.

Sign

Decoration in foyer

Wait to be seated

Dining room

Menu:

Menu

Menu

Chowder:

Chowder

Lobster dinner:

Lobster dinner

Fish and chips:

Fish and chips

Jenn with her lobster dinner:

Jenn with her lobster dinner

It was an experience… that she didn’t feel a need to repeat.

Travel from White River Junction, Vermont to Wells, Maine

We drove our coach 138 miles, about three hours of driving, from White River Junction, Vermont to Wells, Maine.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading east:

Route map

An interactive map, with potential stops pinned:

Heading down a narrow road in the campground; fortunately we didn’t meet anyone trying to come up the hill:

Narrow road in the campground

I-89 South:

I-89 South

Weigh Station Rest Area closed for the season… why would you need to close a rest area?

Weigh Station Rest Area closed for the season

Exit to I-93 South:

Exit to I-93 South

Rest area:

Rest area

New Hampshire Welcome Center plus Liquor & Wine Outlet… weird to sell alcohol at rest areas, but seems common in this area:

New Hampshire Welcome Center plus Liquor & Wine Outlet

A very cute welcome center:

Very cute welcome center

Lunch:

Lunch

I-93 South:

I-93 South

Exit to I-95 toll road:

Exit to I-95 toll road

Toll plaza; we took the rightmost lane as it looked a bit wider:

Toll plaza

Maine state line on Piscataqua River bridge:

Maine state line on Piscataqua River bridge

“Maine; Welcome Home; The Way Life Should Be”:

Maine; Welcome Home; The Way Life Should Be

Route 1 North:

Route 1 North

Rainbow crosswalk in Ogunquit:

Rainbow crosswalk in Ogunquit

Arriving at Thousand Trails Moody Beach:

Arriving at Thousand Trails

Mini golf out front:

Mini golf

Entrance gate; needed to buzz the office to be let in:

Entrance gate

Our site:

Our site

Woodstock, Vermont

We drove through Woodstock, Vermont on a rainy afternoon.

An interactive map of the town:

Welcome to Woodstock (unrelated to the famous music festival, that was originally going to be in Woodstock, New York):

Welcome to Woodstock

Woodstock

Woodstock

Woodstock

Woodstock

Woodstock

Woodstock

We headed out of town, looking for a place to stop for dinner, and came across the Long Trail Brewing Pub:

Long Trail

Long Trail

Long Trail

Long Trail

Long Trail

Long Trail

A nice creekside view:

Long Trail

And tasty food:

Long Trail

Long Trail

Long Trail

Then we headed back to Woodstock; here’s another covered bridge:

Covered bridge

Woodstock

Woodstock

 

And another:

Covered bridge

We would have liked to spend more time exploring the town, but had to make do with a quick drive through.

Ben & Jerry’s Factory Tour

We visited Ben & Jerry’s original factory for their guided tour.

Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour

Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour

Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour

Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour

Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour

Starting the tour:

Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour

Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour

Unfortunately they didn’t allow photos during the tour, despite their site saying “there are plenty of photos ops”, perhaps because they weren’t manufacturing during our tour; it was a cleaning cycle.

Afterwards, a taste of ice cream:

Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour

Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour

While that would be interesting, the flavor we tried was actually:

Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour

Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour

Examples:

Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour

Available here:

Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour

Gift store:

Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour

Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour

Back outside:

Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour

Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour

The Flavor Graveyard of retired flavors:

Flavor Graveyard

Flavor Graveyard

Flavor Graveyard

Flavor Graveyard

Flavor Graveyard

Flavor Graveyard

Flavor Graveyard

A fun experience, though a little disappointing that they weren’t manufacturing at the time.

Travel from Richfield Springs, New York to White River Junction, Vermont

We drove our coach 261 miles, about five hours of driving, from Richfield Springs, New York to White River Junction, Vermont.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading northeast — not the most direct route, but the easiest, sticking with interstates, instead of twisty highways:

Route map

An interactive map, with potential stops pinned; we went through Massachusetts, but didn’t stop, so that doesn’t count as a visited state — but we’ll get it in a few weeks time, so that’s fine:

A short video of engaging the tow bar and doing a pull test to ensure the truck wheels turn as we prepare to leave:

Narrow road:

Narrow road

US-20:

US-20

US-20

Exit to I-88 East:

Exit to I-88 East

Exit to I-90 East:

Exit to I-90 East

Tolls:

Tolls

Rest area:

Rest area

Starbucks for lunch:

Starbucks for lunch

Starbucks for lunch

South to I-87:

South to I-87

Exit to I-90 East:

Exit to I-90 East

Narrow roadworks:

Narrow roadworks

Narrow bridge:

Narrow bridge

Fuel stop:

Fuel stop

Massachusetts Welcomes You:

Massachusetts Welcomes You

Steep Grade Next 6 Miles:

Steep Grade Next 6 Miles

Exit to I-91:

Exit to I-91

Narrow roadworks:

Narrow roadworks

Exit to I-91 North:

Exit to I-91 North

Welcome to Vermont:

Welcome to Vermont

Rest area:

Rest area

5% grade:

5% grade

Exit to I-89 North:

Exit to I-89 North

Exit to US-4:

Exit to US-4

Arriving at campground:

Arriving at campground

Following coach up steep narrow curvy road:

Following coach up steep narrow curvy road

Cooperstown

We visited Cooperstown, New York to go to the Baseball Hall of Fame (see tomorrow’s post), but before that we wandered through the town, and had lunch.

Village of Cooperstown

Downtown:

Downtown

Doubleday Field:

Doubleday Field

Doubleday Field

We had lunch at the HardBall Cafe:

Menu

Menu

BLTs, fries, mozzarella sticks:

BLT, fries, cheesesticks

More of the town:

More of the town

More of the town

More of the town

More of the town

More of the town

A cute town, but very touristy, unsurprisingly.