Leaf Peeping

Hello everyone!

The fall season is progressing quickly now. It's getting really pretty here in Southern New Hampshire so it's time to head out and see the sights! Yesterday we headed for the coast and then North into Maine a little. We ate at the same lobster place in Yarmouth that we ate at 5 years ago. (Remember Laura?). It strikes me as so odd to order and eat lobster outside and have it served on a paper tray.

Today we headed North to the White Mountains. The Maples are lovely but the Aspens (or Birch; I don't know which) were leafless already. They seem to grow taller than the Maples so entire hillsides had a grayish overtone from all the bare branches. On Thursday we had rain and wind (high winds in the night) which I believe have knocked a lot of leaves down sooner than would otherwise happen. Once we got onto smaller roads and actually into the trees the Aspens didn't spoil it anymore and it was wonderful. Sometimes, when the sun shines just right, some trees appeared to glow.

If truth be told, I think Vermont is prettier than New Hampshire. It seems to have more open area and vistas. So, we didn't spend the whole day in the White Mountains, we also went to Vermont! Cabot Cheese (in Cabot, VT) has won every award there is to win in the cheese world and we heard they have Horseradish Cheddar. So guess where we went! We got the best cheese factory tour we've ever had and tasted the best cheddars ever. Even I liked the Horseradish Cheddar because it had the flavor without the kick. Another favorite of mine was Chipotle Pepper Cheddar. Yummy!

We finished the day back in the White Mountains with a long bike ride. First we tried a trail but it was suited for only experienced mountain bikers. After dealing with lots of rocks, sticks, mud and steep inclines we decided to go back and ride a quiet blacktop road instead. We thoroughly wore out our legs and gave our hearts a good work-out with about a two hours ride. (Please note, in the photo at the right- that is a "mountain" in the background.)

Can you believe that we'll be leaving here in a week? Originally, our plan was to stay through the end of October but the RV parks says they're closing and we must go. We feel we've seen the best of Autumn and are ready to move on - or will be by the end of next week. We'll take about three weeks to get to Florida so there will be plenty to see along the way.

Maybe tonight I will add more photos to our online photo album. If you are so inclined, check out http://travelingturtles.myphotoalbum.com/.