Lower 48 Road Trip: New York, Vermont & New Hampshire

“ ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one.’ ” -Luke 10:41-42

Can you believe the end of August is less than a week away? It never ceases to amaze me how days and months seem to evaporate into thin air. I hardly ever feel like there’s enough time in a day to do everything I need and want to do. Can you relate? I am regularly challenged to find satisfaction in my own work each day… it just seems like there’s always more to do and not enough time to do it. At least this is my experience in life. In light of this reality, I try to figure out what the “one thing” is that God requires me to do each day and I try to accomplish that. When Martha was stressed and overwhelmed with all the to-dos of hosting, Jesus said, “Martha, Martha… you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one” (Luke 10:41-42). Jesus was speaking pure wisdom into Martha’s stress and worry. She was swamped with many tasks, so Jesus gave her the key to peace… only “one thing” was needed. Jesus is really the only one we need to focus on. When we look to him, he narrows down our to-do list to only a few important things each day. He knows what needs to be done right now and what can be put off for another day. I don’t know about you, but this truth gives me peace. God knows what we can handle in a day and with him, we can do it with joy. As our summer draws near the end and we are feeling the pressure of transitioning back to school or to a new season, let’s ask Jesus to show us the few things that are needed and put the rest in his hands. May we enter September with a surprisingly simple peace that can only come from knowing Jesus… he is our “one thing.” Let’s breathe deeply and take the next step in joyful confidence.

Now that you have hopefully laid down the stress of your to-do list with me, you can enjoy reading about New York, Vermont and New Hampshire. Enjoy!

New York: is “a place of healing.” As we spent time in this state, I was reminded of Isaiah 61:4: “Rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated.” I heard the Holy Spirit speak the phrase: “Healing for the nations.” Some other words the Lord gave me for New York are:

• Vibrancy and Vitality.
• Artistic and cultural center/ hub.
• It’s an important state.
• It has the strength of steel and it’s as tough as nails.
• I will cleanse it. I will heal it.
• New York is like a mother birthing the nations into America.
• Healing homes.

Most of our time in New York was spent in Upstate, and we only briefly drove across the southern part of the state. We didn’t want the headache of trying to drive through New York City with our large van, so we avoided that on this trip. After we left Erie, Pennsylvania, we drove through Buffalo on our way to Niagara Falls. We got to the falls at dusk and the views of the city lights and the moon over the falls were gorgeous. The Niagara River rapids above the falls are so swift, powerful and intense you could feel them. The viewing area on the American side of the falls was pretty crowded for the light show, so it was hard to get good pictures. The city of Niagara Falls, Canada can be seen across the river and we realized the Canadians have a way better view of the falls than we do on the U.S. side. We didn’t have time to cross the border, but if we ever go back, we would definitely go see the waterfalls from the Canadian side.

The next day we drove over to the Finger Lakes area and made our way south along Cayuga Lake. We camped at Robert H. Treman State Park near the south end of the lake. In the park, the Lower Falls on Enfield Creek cascade down a small rock wall into a deep swimming hole with a diving board, where there was a lifeguard on duty. The steps leading down into the clear blue-green water were so inviting. We would have loved to swim, but the day we were there was too cold for swimming in a creek, although a few brave souls were jumping into the water anyway. After enjoying the waterfall, we drove through Ithaca and some cute small towns on our way to Saratoga Springs just north of Albany. We explored Saratoga Spa State Park, which is probably the most peculiar state park we have ever been to. It has old buildings that remind me of Roman bathhouses and large swimming pools filled with mineral water. All over the park, there are various types of mineral water springs you can drink from. The spring water is believed to have healing properties, so of course, out of curiosity, I had to try some of them. Most of the spring water did not taste good to me, however. Many springs tasted kind of salty or had a sulfur flavor, and the water seemed almost carbonated. There are two different springs where the locals line up to fill their water jugs to take home. I forget the names of these two springs, but they both tasted fresh, pure and delicious. It was a really unique experience.

Our last stop in New York was in Lake George. I cannot fully express how much I love this beautiful lake and the culture that surrounds it. The town of Lake George on the south end of the lake is a vibrant dining, shopping and recreational hub. There are steamboat tours and other recreational boats docked along the shore. We found a lakeside hidden park and with inviting walkways. Fort William Henry sits on top of a hill overlooking the lake as well. After exploring the town, we drove north along the shore of the lake through the little villages, passing coves and vacation homes. The views were outstanding! The area surrounding Lake George has its own charming subculture and I really fell in love with it. If only it wasn’t on the opposite side of the country from where we live in Washington state! It’s exactly the kind of place where you dream of having a lake house.

Vermont: is a “place of joy.” I believe there is a small, fiery remnant in Vermont. Creative and artistic are two words that came to me to describe the people here. I prayed for God to bring redemption and reversal of the wicked doors that were opened here. Overall, I really enjoyed Vermont far more than I thought I would. This state reminds me of a Thomas Kinkade painting. The scenic beauty of the idyllic towns is unmatched. We arrived in Burlington in the evening, snapped some photos of Lake Champlain before it was totally dark and found an amazing Cuban restaurant downtown for dinner. Santiago’s had recently opened and it had a lively atmosphere. The friendly owner came over to welcome us and everything we ate was absolutely wonderful. If you are ever in Burlington, you have to check it out! The next day, we headed up to the adorable little town of Stowe in the mountains. We had so much fun walking around this postcard-worthy town. Shopping in the Stowe Mercantile was a blast! This huge, multilevel store has specialty foods and candies, clothes, home décor, books, gifts and pretty much any fun thing you can imagine. I could have got lost in there for hours… poor Gabe! We had a cozy coffee and lunch at Black Cap Coffee & Bakery before leaving town. The Cabot Creamery Store in Waterbury is worth a stop for some delicious cheese as well.

As we drove through Montpelier, we could see the effects of the devastating flooding of last year, which had just occurred about a month prior to us being there. The pretty city had been cleaned up, but you could tell they would be repairing the damages for a while. Lastly, we stopped at Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks to buy some real Vermont maple syrup. We learned quite a bit about the family who runs the farm and how they harvest the maple sap to create syrup. They have an amazing gift shop with maple products galore, so I also bought some candies and some yummy maple soft serve ice cream (Gabe opted for chocolate). We enjoyed a sweet moment together in the sunshine eating our ice cream before we headed to New Hampshire.

New Hampshire: is the place where “America is alive and well.” I was reminded of the number 555 while we were here, which is a symbol of God’s “grace.” We enjoyed driving through the picturesque mountains of northern New Hampshire. We took in the stunning views from the highway through Franconia Notch State Park as we drove to Indian Head Resort in Lincoln. The resort has a rickety tower you can climb for a small fee to get the best views of the Indian Head rock formation on the side of Mount Pemigewasset. The views from the tower are breathtaking, but so is the instability of the tower! I am not someone who’s typically afraid of heights, but the metal tower was shaking as we were going up and down the steep steps. It didn’t feel very safe or secure once we got to the top either. Needless to say, I was very happy to be back on the ground again after that experience. There’s a funky little gift shop there as well, with a lot of Native American art and souvenirs, which reminded me of my childhood and made me smile. You rarely find places that have Native American themed gifts or souvenirs anymore, but I did find places like this in a few states. It makes me happy to celebrate America’s full heritage and see there are still some Americans who are not offended by it. After leaving the resort, we took the scenic Kancamagus Highway to Conway and enjoyed a beautiful sunset while winding through the White Mountain National Forest. We arrived at our KOA Holiday Campground in the Chocorua area of Tamworth that night, entering into what felt like another magical realm of joyful Americana. There was a little store and activity area all lit up, where adults and children gathered together playing games. It felt as if we walked into a dream. The next morning, we enjoyed a pancake breakfast under the covered area and could see a large pond where they had boats for rent. This is a perfect place to camp with your family if you want the happiest, All-American experience. I’m so glad we stumbled upon this gem! The next day we left the KOA and headed for Maine, although a few days later, we stopped in New Hampshire again on our way down the Atlantic Coast.

We crossed over into Portsmouth on our way down to Massachusetts. We had lunch on a bench in Market Square, and relished the sights and sounds of the quaint and elegant New England town. We were popping in and out of the cute shops, when God set up a divine appointment for us. While looking around in an Irish store called Celtic Crossing, a woman working there asked Gabe where we were from. He told her we were from Vancouver, Washington and we were shocked to hear she is also from Vancouver! We shared about United Hive with her and she said she could tell there was something different about us. She had considered asking us if we were Christians because she is a believer as well! She told us she had ran for a local political office in Vancouver, and I remembered seeing her in the voters’ pamphlet at the time. She shared that her and her family moved to New Hampshire, but they have felt so isolated because they have not been able to find a good church in the area. We encouraged her and prayed with her right there in the store. We were all so amazed how God set up this meeting, so we exchanged contact information to stay in touch. We shared prophetic words with her about this state and that revival is coming. It was such a powerful moment and we were so thankful God set it up!

Thank you for following along on this journey! Next week, we’ll dive deeper into the Northeast. See you then!