Vacation in New Hampshire

We spent the last week on vacation with Grandpa and Grandma R in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Our week was a bit chilly but a great time. We arrived during the weekend of the Highland Games. There were tartans and bagpipes all over town. Even the city police officers altered their uniforms to feature kilts.

On our first full day in the mountains, we decided to find an easy trail to hike in Crawford Notch State Park. On the way to the trail, we stopped at a duck pond for a picnic lunch.


The trail David selected was supposed to be an easy trail that ended at a waterfall. It turned out that the "easy" he read indicated that the trail was "easy to locate." In terms of difficulty, it was rated moderate to hard. David said it was actually the most difficult trail he had ever been on, and we concluded for a trail to be rated "hard," one must need a Sherpa and a machete to attempt it.

Anna and Roger marking some of the trails steep climbs

The waterfall reward at the end of the trail

Avonlea Jane fell asleep before we reached the falls.

Our traditional "feet on vacation" photo

Many visitors to the White Mountains leave with a bumper sticker proclaiming: "My car climbed Mt. Washington;" on the hike back, we decided David needed one that said: "My pregnant wife climbed to Ripley Falls."

Avonlea Jane loves animals, so we went to the local visitors' center to ask if there were any working farms near-by. We were given an agricultural map of New Hampshire and decided to make a visit to Windy Ridge Orchard, where Avonlea Jane could visit goats, pigs, and miniature donkeys.

Feeding the goats with Grandpa

Walking with Daddy

Avonlea Jane enjoyed a "cow train" ride around the orchard grounds with Grandma. This train inspired Avonlea Jane's first joke. We asked her what a train said, and she answered, "choo-choo." Then we asked her if she knew what a cow train said and told her, "moo-moo." She thought this was hilarious and would tell it back to us all weekend.

Avonlea Jane enjoying the playground outside of the condo where we were staying

One day, Grandma and Grandpa took Avonlea Jane to hike to the Franconia Notch Flume Gorge, while we went to visit the Franconia home of Robert Frost.

There was a trail around the property that featured many of Frost's works.

Avonlea Jane's favorite thing about hiking was any type of running water.

Avonlea Jane and Grandpa at The Basin, a fifteen-feet deep glacial pothole Henry David Thoreau described as being, "the most remarkable curiosity of its kind in New England."

Avonlea Jane and Daddy under Boise Rock in Franconia State Park

Grandma scales the rock

One evening, we took a tour of a sugar house and learned all about the history and production of maple syrup in New Hampshire.

Walking through the Lincoln Woods

At the end of our trip, the trees were just starting to change color.

On our last full day in the mountains, Grandpa and Grandma went on a zip line trip, while we decided to find some more farms to visit. On our way to one farm, David found a retired a military missile that was slated to enter orbit around the same time as Sputnik.

Avonlea Jane trying to pick out a pumpkin

Saying bye-bye to the donkeys on the farm