Maine to New Hampshire to Vermont

Although you have not heard from us for a few days, all is well. We’ve just been in places where the internet connection was so poor as to make writing to the blog too difficult. So I will try to catch you up on the travels of Doug and Judi.

Heading west from Maine on last Thursday morning we drove across the state to New Hampshire. We’ve come to believe that every drive in New England is a scenic drive. It was a beautiful drive filled with colorful forests and quaint towns. Jackson NH, where we stayed, is a ski resort town. Nothing like Mammoth or Vail, just a one mile loop with a couple of restaurants, stores and lodgings set in the White Mountains. The Inn is very nice and comfortable.

Friday morning we decided to drive along the White Mountain scenic drive and look for waterfalls as there are numerous ones in the area. We found a 3-mile hike, leading to the Arethusa Falls, described as moderate to difficult. That means that it’s moderate for Doug and difficult for Judi. There was a lot of uphill over boulders and up log steps which meant a lot of slippery downhill over boulders and log steps on the way back. The end result of the hike was a sparkling clear waterfall tumbling down a rock cliff and it was worth the trip. The forest was spectacular, colorful and peaceful. The trail was covered in fallen leaves. It really was a great way to spend the majority of the day. Not taking any food along, we were very hungry once we returned to the car and ended up at a roadside eatery for a late lunch of hot dogs. Expecting to wake up on Saturday unable to move, it was nice to feel no negative effects from our hike.Here we are resting on one of the log steps on our way back down the mountain.

Saturday morning we walked around Jackson and then drove off in search of covered bridges. The day was a little more relaxed. Once back at the Inn in the middle of the afternoon it was time for Judi to have down time and for Doug to go on the hunt for the perfect picture. It began to rain which made Judi's down time under the comforter on the bed perfect and Doug’s time out taking photographs more interesting. It rained all night but Sunday dawned clear.

Classic New Hampshire church with fall color.

On to Vermont Sunday morning, driving along the Kancamagus highway, definitely one of the most scenic we’ve seen. The foliage was truly beautiful with trees ranging from the typical green through yellow, orange, red and scarlet. Even though we’re not seeing ‘peak’ foliage, we are seeing what is called ‘high’ foliage color. It is spectacular. The only negative part of the drive was the number of people enjoying it with us. Some of the turnouts were so crowded we could not find parking and had to keep driving. Still it was well worth the time spent enjoying the drive.

Yesterday was also Doug’s birthday. Yes, he is now 57 years old and none the worse for wear. We celebrated with dinner out at a nice restuarant in Woodstock Vermont.

Today in Vermont was spectacular but I'll tell you about that later. The internet connection here is iffy and I'm going to close for tonight. Tomorrow we're heading for Connecticut and hopefully the B&B there will have a decent internet connection so I can add more to the blog and post more of Doug's pictures.