On to the Green Mountains

 After leaving the White Mountains, we made a stop in Concord to visit another capitol building (our 20th one, I believe).  

sculpture of Christa McAuliffe in the plaza

"I touch the future. I teach."

St. Joseph Cathedral in Manchester

Roaming the back roads of New Hampshire and Vermont  . . . 

Sunrise at Hapgood Pond, Green Mountains National Forest, Vermont

We drove a good portion of the Vermont Scenic Route 100. passing through Norman Rockwell country - literally as he lived in Arlington, VT where, according to Wikipedia, "his work began to reflect small-town life."  We saw numerous red-painted buildings - not just barns, but houses, businesses, general stores, bridges, and sheds.  I thought they must look quite beautiful contrasted with snow in the winter.

Moving to the northern part of Vermont to the Waterbury area, we camped in a state park next to a reservoir built by the CCC and US Army Corps of Engineers.  We stopped at Moss Glen Falls and "section hiked" the Appalachian Trail for half a mile to Thundering Brook Falls.

    We were very entranced by the artistry of granite sculptures and cemetery headstones

in Barre, VT ("Granite Capital of the World"), when we visited 10 years ago.  Vermont granite has been used in several famous landmarks, such as the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, the United States Supreme Court Building, and in the construction of the Washington Monument.  We found interesting sculptures around Barre and in Hope Cemetery.  The artistry of the Italian stonemasons is very impressive, and many headstones in the cemetery are inscribed with Italian surnames.

husband and wife monuments

A small granite house - impressive detail

intricate bas-relief details on a headstone

We have been on a quest to visit state capitol buildings in the past few years. Here is the smallest in the country in Montpelier, completed in 1859.  The legislative chambers contain original furnishings still in use.  There is a beautiful dome, but no rotunda.

    We drove through the town of Stowe and the Mount Mansfield ski area, and the serpentine drive with blind hairpin turns through Smugglers Notch.  There are areas at the top and bottom of the notch that you drive your vehicle through to make sure it can negotiate the narrow and curvy road ahead safely.  Our van made it through just fine.

    After driving through Smugglers Notch, we found references to the 10th Mountain Division created during WW II and made connections to last year's visit to Camp Hale National Historic Site and Tennessee Pass in Colorado.  Many of the original ski troops came home from the war and helped to establish the ski industry in Colorado.

Quite the view from the Trapp Family Resort!

Just the two of us - New Hampshire

 After parting ways with extended family, we used Lake St. George State Park in Maine as a home base to explore more of Maine and reconnect with a friend from high school.  We drove up to Bucksport and visited the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory - advertised as the tallest public bridge observatory in the world.  The elevator rises at a blistering speed of 5 mph (about twice the speed of other elevators) to the observation deck 135 feet above the bridge.  We could not resist the opportunity.

You can see the footings of the old bridge to the left.

If you squint, you might see Cadillac Mountain (Acadia NP) in the distance.

bronze compass rose in the floor of the observation deck

Our white van is in the middle of the photo

Another state capitol visit - State House in Augusta, Maine

looking up into the dome

Maine travel plaza on the interstate

We met Paul for dinner in Augusta and he gave us an autographed copy of his new book.

We stop at covered bridges on occasion.  Here are a few...

We loved the rafters with bark still attached here.

Conway, NH

While we have visited hundreds of scenic locations in the U.S. and Canada, one of the best keeps drawing us back, time and time again.  White Mountains National Forest in New Hampshire, the Kancamagus Scenic Highway in particular.  The "Kanc" runs from Consay to Lincoln, NH. This was our fourth visit in 9 years.  We spent three days in the area, saw Mount Washington on a clearer day, drove through Bear Notch, Crawford Notch, Franconia Notch, and Pinkham Notch.  We hiked to Sabbaday Falls again, too.  I released some of both sisters' cremains into the Swift River at Rocky Gorge early one morning.

clear water and water-smoothed granite boulders

Cool pink granite dike running through the gray granite and into the river

Sabbaday Falls hike - the stream runs over a basalt intrusion that is softer than the granite and makes a 90 degree turn on its way down the mountain.

Brian looked down on me and I looked up at him.

Before leaving, I joined the White Mountains Interpretive Association and was given a great camp mug.

White Mountains of New Hampshire are one of the places I hope to return to again, God willing.