The new build took longer than expected due building in the Midwest with  a lot of snow this winter. Got back on the road full-time at the end of June and it feels fantastic! I will be updating a page detailing the build process sometime this year.

Spent the first three night of July here. It was an alright place to stay, but found out how fast the air conditioner can drain the battery bank. Also ran into a problem with the invertor, but luckily figured that issue out on the 6th. Going to start heading South this month then Northeast.

Made it to New York and headed to the Vanderbilt Mansion on July 16th. Unfortunately they were closing early the day we arrived so I was not able to tour the mansion.

History: This 45,000-square-foot Gilded Age mansion was the country home of Frederick and Louise Vanderbilt from 1896 to 1938, built with no expense spared — exotic wood paneling, imported marble, and antique fixtures salvaged from great European houses.

Since the Vanderbilt Mansion closed early we headed here since they are so close together. Was able to get a nice walk around the grounds in and a tour of the museum.

History: Purchased by FDR's father in 1867, this Hyde Park home — known as Springwood — was the lifelong residence of the 32nd president, who was born here in 1882 and is buried on the grounds. Interestingly, FDR himself later advocated for the Vanderbilt estate next door to be preserved by the National Park Service.

Stopped here on July 17th and toured the fort during my lunch break (yes I actually took one). There was a bike tour across the state happening and they had a tent city for all the cyclists erected. Smaller fort but it played a crucial part in securing this nation's independence.

History: In August 1777, British forces laid siege to Fort Stanwix as part of a campaign meant to link up with General Burgoyne's advance toward Albany. The 19-day siege ended in an American victory that, combined with wins elsewhere in the Hudson and Champlain valleys, helped defeat Burgoyne at Saratoga — a series of battles now considered the turning point of the Revolutionary War.

On July 18th we made it to Saratoga and took the audio driving tour which has 10 stops and was a good self-paced driving tour. The ranger had said it could take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 1/2 hours, we completed it in an hour and a half.

History: The two Battles of Saratoga in the fall of 1777 marked the turning point of the American Revolution — after forcing Fort Ticonderoga to surrender that July, British General John Burgoyne was ultimately defeated here, convincing France to formally join the American cause.

Had this on my list of places to stop but didn't look up why or what the park was. On the 19th we stopped here and took a tour of the house, both studios, and the visitor center. Julian Weir was an artist that had owned this and passed it down to his daughters and their husbands who all were artists too. The park is a pretty recent addition to the National Park Service and is the only park for an artist.

History: Impressionist painter J. Alden Weir made this Branchville, Connecticut farm his creative retreat starting in 1882, and it went on to house three generations of artists — Weir, his sculptor son-in-law Mahonri Young, and later painter Sperry Andrews. It's the only National Park Service site dedicated to American painting.

This was our first of 4 stops on the 20th of July. They opened at 10 AM and we arrived a few minutes before. At the mill they used to turn fresh picked cotton into string.

History: The Blackstone River Valley is often called the "Birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution" — Samuel Slater built the nation's first successful water-powered cotton mill along the river in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in 1793.

Not far from Blackstone River Valley was this park in Providence, Rhode Island. Dedicated to Roger Williams who turns out had quite the story and was instrumental in bringing freedom of religion to Rhode Island and the emerging new colonies.

History: Banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 for challenging civil enforcement of religion, Roger Williams founded Providence the following year on land purchased from the Narragansett people — the city became a haven for Quakers, Baptists, Jews, and other religious dissenters denied a voice elsewhere in colonial America.

Our third stop on the 20th brought us back into Massachusetts. While we did not spend much time here as we wanted to get to the cape it was definitely an interesting visit.

History: New Bedford was the preeminent whaling port in the world during the 19th century — its wealth built the "brave houses and flowery gardens" that Herman Melville marveled at in Moby-Dick, all funded by ships that hunted whales across every ocean on Earth.

For our fourth and final destination of the 20th we hit Cape Cod. Now we did have some beautiful views. Traffic back was not the greatest but still worth the afternoon visit. If we come back this way I could see spending a day or two at the beach.

History: Cape Cod gets its name from explorer Bartholomew Gosnold, who spotted the abundant codfish here in 1602 — nearly two decades before the Pilgrims eventually landed nearby.

The morning of July 21 we stopped by here, parking was easy since it was well before 9 am and also free! There is only a parking fee after 9 am and as I saw the night before it gets hard to find.

History: Plymouth Rock is traditionally identified as the spot where the Mayflower Pilgrims came ashore on December 21, 1620. It wasn't treated as a landmark until 1774, when locals split the roughly 10-ton boulder while moving part of it to the town square as a symbol of liberty.

Previously known as Plymouth Plantation this was a good stop after Plymouth Rock. It has a large parking lot which allowed me to work out of until I took a late and little long lunch to tour the village. The street you see in the picture to the left was simply called 'The Street' while some call it First Street — looking at the original drawing made (very simple) it was labeled The Street.

History: Founded in 1947 as Plimoth Plantation, this living history museum recreates the original Plymouth Colony settlement alongside a Wampanoag homesite, telling both sides of the story of the English colonists and the Native people they encountered.

Walked around here a bit during my lunch on July 23rd. While I have been here before it was nice to come back and remember the last time I was here with my parents and kids.

History: The Old North Bridge in Concord is where colonial militia fired on British regulars on April 19, 1775, in what Ralph Waldo Emerson later called "the shot heard round the world" — one of the opening engagements of the Revolutionary War.

Stopped here first thing in the morning on July 24th. Parking isn't the greatest, well it pretty much sucks. They do have a tour that costs $6 with a slight discount if you have a National Parks pass.

History: The Boott Cotton Mills complex, built between the mid-1830s and early 1900s, illustrates the rise and eventual decline of the American textile industry as it progressed from water power to steam to electricity. The mill's power looms — invented in America by mechanic Paul Moody in 1816 — still run today, weaving actual cloth sold in the museum gift shop.

Parked in the Sewall Street Lot just before 9 am on July 26th, downloaded the parking app and had 4 hours to explore Salem. The previous night I had booked tours for the Salem Witch Museum (have to book 10PM the night before and select a tour time, you can get tickets at the gate but cannot guarantee you will get a tour when you arrive), and the Real Pirates. I did enjoy both tours and did also get to visit the Salem Maritime National Historic Site before for the first tour. Thinking about coming back in late October too.

History: The Salem witch trials ran from early 1692 to mid-1693, when more than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 20 were executed — the largest witch panic in North American history. Salem Maritime, established in 1938, was actually the very first National Historic Site in the country, preserving over 600 years of New England's seafaring past.

Arrived here around 3:30 pm on the 26th. Took a tour of the house and studio, then walked the grounds for a while. It is not cracking my top 10 but glad I made the stop.

History: Sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens first came to Cornish, New Hampshire in 1885 to work on a Lincoln commission, and ended up making it his home and studio until his death in 1907 — the estate became the center of a thriving art colony that drew some of the era's leading painters and sculptors.

Got to camp right by the river section leading to the lake, so we were actually living in a van down by the river. Stayed here for a few days before heading to Maine. Starlink worked great for work and also had a good cell signal.

Open since 1938 this was both a good place to stop for the night and pickup a few things that needed to be replaced at a decent price. Will definitely stop here again on our way back down the east coast.

We arrived here the night of August 13th and it would have probably been best to get here before it was dark. It was a dirt road, pretty much single lane maybe a car could squeeze by if needed, but it is not the smoothest of roads with some potholes, protruding rocks, and some unevenness. While it is a logging road you need to give the trucks the right of way. Stayed at the Sandbank Stream Campground for a few days. There is no cell service here, but Starlink worked perfect for work and wifi calling.

History: On August 24, 2016, President Obama designated 87,500 acres east of Baxter State Park as Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, using land donated by Burt's Bees co-founder Roxanne Quimby along with $20 million for its upkeep.

Not much here but still worth the visit. We were probably here for an hour before moving on.

History: In 1604, French nobleman Pierre Dugua, accompanied by explorer Samuel Champlain, established a settlement here — one of the earliest European settlements on the North Atlantic coast, predating both Jamestown and Plymouth. A brutal winter killed nearly half the colonists, and survivors abandoned the island the following year.

Well worth the trip, and had a great time hiking with my sister. Bryce was fine on a 15 mile hike one day and think we hiked around 26 miles while we were here. I could definitely come back to see more although I think our future is going to be in the west.

History: Acadia was originally established in 1919 as Lafayette National Park — the first national park east of the Mississippi — and was renamed Acadia in 1929. Long before that, the land and waters had deep significance to the Wabanaki people, who summered along the coast for thousands of years before European settlers arrived. 

Sold Talyn  which was a little bittersweat, we had a lot of good adventures taveling in him. Now the plan is to make a pit stop in Michigan for awhile and settle down to decide what the future looks like. Liberty has been great so far, but life takes it turns and it is time to decide which way the rest of our adventure is going to go.