Goodbye New Hampshire

And hello Vermont! Is what we will say tomorrow after out lovely day of rest as we embark on a new map and a new state!

Before we got to where we are now thought we had to to a fair bit of riding up a fair bit of hill (something Scott would say). From our camp in North Conway we headed west for the Kankamagus Pass, a 3,000 foot climb stretching over 10ish miles. On a normal day this would have been a lovely ride, something we would see at home. With all of your worldly possessions behind you the climb was less pleasant! We made it to the top and headed down for lunch. After a good sandwich we continued on to our camp in the White Mountains State Park. One more decent hill past some gorgeous views and we were there for a night of good sleep!

It took all that I had left the next day to get going so we had a long morning and a couple pots of coffee before we left for our short day to Orford where we are staying now. We went SLOW and stopped at an apple orchard/cider mill (think pumpkin patch but with apples) for a snack and headed down to Orford. Just past our campground was a sugar house where they make maple syrup. In honor of my mom, the queen of real maple syrup, we stopped for the tour and had a sample. Really, this was just the family barn where Paul the owner and creator produces maple syrup every season. It was good! Depending on the temperature when the tree is tapped determined the color and strength of the syrup... who knew! We purchased some and plan to eat it with everything from coffee to corn! E-mail them for some!

By the end of the day I couldn't go anymore, I had to concentrate very hard on pedaling just so I wouldn't fall over... I was ready for a day off. Scott, was still singing, but I have the tent so he stopped with me! We are camping on the New hampshire side of the Connecticut River which is the New Hampshire/Vermont border, and it is a great place to be on a day off.

We took a walk today into the small town of Fairlee, Vermont this morning for a cup of coffee, picked up a few postcards, and went to a grocery store for lunch and dinner. Feeling rather domestic, we did our laundry in the river and sat down to write in our journals and dig into some really HOT Vermont salsa that was really made in North Carolina. Go figure!

Tonight the plan is to roast local corn in the camp fire (some nice people donated their extra wood to us) and go to bed early for an early and a long day of riding tomorrow! My legs feel better and my mind gave the OK for more riding; so, off we go tomorrow to the Green Mountains!

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods :)
Lauren