Kip & Pat had to return to Massachusetts to revisit some family and get their windshield replaced from a rock crack that was spreading rapidly. We chose to continue into New Hampshire, Vermont and New York where they will meet up with us again this weekend. After spending several weeks cruising the east coast and seeing several big cities it was time to get back to the country roads we love.
We caught US 2 in Maine and rode it all the way to Burlington, VT. Small rural communities, lots of road construction and things you just can’t see on the interstate. We are driving along in New Hampshire and come across a sign that says “Welcome to Mexico”!!! They have a town called Mexico, NH, who would think!!! Route 2 runs right along the top of White Mountain National Forest where we stopped for a couple of nights to enjoy the mountains. Mt. Washington , the highest peak in New Hampshire at 6,288 is in the National Forest. We didn’t get to go to the top as weather did not permit travel to the top and most attractions in this area are not even open yet for the summer! We did find some great hiking and a couple of wonderful waterfalls.
This one was back in from the trail but really tall for such a skinny falls. A second hike of about a 1/2 mile in we found a much larger falls and a large family of Black Flies which are really a pain cause they bite you several times right through the bug spray! I had just gotten over the last bites from New Jersey and now I have a whole new batch of bites! I found in the visitors center of the hiking trails some 98% Deet that I am using next time we get out into the woods, the citronella lotion is like candy to these beasts!
Down river from the falls
Almost there
Worth the hike
Now that is a waterfall!
A cutoff which we found with our GPS saved us about 30 miles and took us about an hour longer as it was right through the forest on a dirt road that isn’t even open in the winter = beautiful scenery and no cars or people for about 12 miles!
Lupine in bloom
While Paul is concentrating on keeping our 8.5 feet wide in a 9.5 feet wide lane I am enjoying the landscape. Today I notice that many of the mail boxes are hanging instead of on posts. Why? Because the snow plows keep knocking them over and then they don’t get mail. I saw one box that had been knocked over and its temporary post was a 50 gal blue drum with a stick on top held down with large rocks. I guess it got knocked over this winter and they just have not had time yet to reset it!
No idea but it looked cool!
And that is the end of our New England tour as we entered New York State this evening and will be heading west until October!