We were up early Friday morning, checked out of the hotel and down the road to the Flume Gorge a part of the Franconia Notch State Park and it was a 2 mile hike on a trail so not that terrible and the 2 miles was the round trip I expected it to be 4 miles total so there again not too bad. As we left the visitor center and headed down the trail we came to a glacial boulder millions of years old, it looked like a big old rock!!! then down a path to a covered bridge and onto a plateau called table rock. It was a sheet of stone that had water running down it very expansive and beautiful. Up the path, behind a gazillion Korean tourists, to the Flume Gorge.... it was breathtaking, the Flume was created millions of years ago and you could still see molten lava that was frozen in time and the water was stunning. It just raced down the hill over rocks. Trees growing sideways and lichen all over the walls of the gorge and at the top a bears cave, sadly we did not see any bears, and we moved down the path to Liberty Gorge, not as large as the Flume Gorge, but pretty all the same. Then we got to walk across a cavern in a covered bridge that was built in 1939 after a hurricane came through and toppled an old pine tree, the pine tree provided the support for the bridge and I was not even scared, how about that!
After we came full circle back to the visitors center we headed back on the road and stopped to see the famous outcrop of rocks called "The Old Man on the Mountain" the symbol of New Hampshire. Sadly in May of 2003 the forehead fell off the Old Man and took with it his nose, but if you've seen the New Hampshire State Quarter then you can imagine it being there. We then headed west to Vermont and Maple Syrup.... mmmm.... real maple syrup.... ahhh
On the road to Vermont we stopped at the Brick Store an old store that has been open over 100 years and of course bought more souvenirs and I got a pair of pants that have moose on them... too cute, also next to the Brick Store was another covered bridge and more photos were snapped, then we were off once again! Once in Vermont we went to Rock of Ages which is a granite Quarry that is celebrating its 125th birthday this year. We took the plant tour and were able to see the workmen carving and polishing the granite into headstones, a bit morbid but gorgeous all the same. Then since we had 20 minutes until the bus tour was to begin, we checked out a bowling alley made out of granite. In this Vermont town was where a lot of Scottish came to start a new life in the new world and granite became their business. We got on the bus and were taken tot he quarry where we were able to see how the granite is cut from the mountain side and learned that the piles of scrap granite is called grout piles, grout being the scottish (gaelic) word for rubbish!
Once we were done at the quarry we headed back on the road. We stopped an old general store in Pittston Vermont and got the maple syrup, the good stuff, once you have had real maple syrup you will never go back to Mrs. butterworths. Friends think we're nuts as if we find out if anyone is headed to New England or Canada we ask, almost beg, for real maple syrup! Now we had to get as far south as possible for our last night on the road. We stopped in upstate New York and ate a late dinner and turned in. we had done a lot today and we both were sleeping soundly in no time, because tomorrow we head back home....
til next post......
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