Friday, October 2, 2009

OCT 2 - WHITE MOUNTAINS, NEW HAMPSHIRE

The weather cooperated today and we travelled through the Franconia Notch State Park. We found out that the term "notch" used for mountain passes came from the comparison of the notch an axe cut in logs to the "V" notch of the passages between mountains.
"Concord Stagecoach" is the most famous stagecoach made in America and were built in Corcord NH, between 1826 and 1900. Called a "tally-ho" coach this particular one carried mail and passengers between Plymouth NH and Franconian Notch 1874 & 1911.
This covered bridge over the Pemigewasset River, built around 1871, is a 50 ft paddleford truss that we crossed on our 2 mile loop to view the Flume Gorge. The Flume is a natural gorge extending 800 ft at the base of Mt. Liberty.
We followed a boardwalk along walls of granite 70-90 ft in height and 12-20 ft wide. The Flume was discovered in 1808 by 93 year old "Aunt" Jess Gurensey when she accidently came upon it while fishing.
At the top of the Flume is Avalanche Falls.
The glacial boulders are huge and this spot is called the Bear's Cave. I can imagine a bear would love this cozy den.
We crossed the gorge over Sentinel Pine Bridge. Called Called the "Wolf Den", this is a narrow one-way path that involves crawling on your hands and knees and squeezing through rocks. Luckily, I did not bump into a resident wolf.





Today we saw more red in the rolling mountains. Each day is coloured differently. We read that only two places in the world have this brilliant foliage - New England and Japan. Colour also varies depending on weather conditions. When autumn is warm and rainy, leaves have less red colouration. I spoke to a hiker today who comes here every fall and she said last year the weather was milder and the colours less vibrant.
We are so lucky to enjoy the scenery and the pictures do not do it justice. We can actually see miles of these coloured mountains.
In this pic you can see the snow on the top of Mt. Liberty. The top of this mountain also is referred to as "George" as it does look like the profile of George Washington's face.
Okay, I guess I have taken enough pictures of leaves.
Stopped at Lincoln for lunch at the "Pig's Ear" and had a delicious pulled pork sandwich and beans. Then visited North Woodstock, both cute little towns which are also ski resorts in the winter months. Really enjoyed the Fadden General Store and Sugar House in N Woodstock that was restored to look like the original General Store from 1896. It is owned and operated by Jim Fadden, the 5th generation to do so. I spoke to Jim and he is definitely a "collector" of past eras and has them displayed throughout the store. Although it operates as a general store, it is almost a museum.
He has the original sugar processing machine they used many years ago and they still process the maple sugar at the back of the store.




2 comments:

  1. So did you explore the 'wolf den'?....Rose

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, I went in as far as I could - but no wolf. Good thing as he might have mistaken me for Little Red Riding Hood!

    ReplyDelete