Adventures in New England - Vol II

After seeing a Moose it was hard to imagine the trip would get any more exciting. I don't know if there was anything that was as exciting as that but renewing our wedding vows later that evening was surely a high point. We picked up the flowers Dave ordered on our way back to the Inn and it was time to get dressed and meet the minister. We had an intimate ceremony outside, it was simply perfect!

The next day we headed north and drove more scenic routes taking in color that was coming to life before our very eyes. We made a stop at an apple farm known for boiled cider. It was a treat to be able to see them process the apples (in a barn on a hill using equipment that actually required hand-cranking) from apply to bottle/jar while we stood there. We were invited in to see the whole simple process. The cider is basic for drinking, boiled to a concentrate for cooking and baking and cooked down to a cider jelly for breads and toast. Just delicious! We visited the Bennington Battle Monument where of all things, we ate the best apple we've ever had. It was a Vermont McIntosh and Dave and I both agree, it was awesome. While in Monpelier, we had dinner at the New England Culinary Institute - just one more great meal in a fantastic trip. We didn't eat a single fast food hamburger the whole time, in fact, the only big chain restaurant we ate at one time was a Subway. We had everything from Maine scallops to organically grown quail served with fried quail egg. Desserts were off the hook, too! Pumpkin surprise and apple cider sorbet were two of the best. We made several ZipperBack Glove appointments happen, one with a big name manufacturer that I hope to license our design to and another with our licensing agent in New York.

From Vermont we spent a day driving through New Hampshire on our way to Maine - the colors really turn on in NH. We stopped at a state park called The Flume Gorge. The Flume is a natural gorge extending 800 feet at the base of Mount Liberty. The walls of Conway granite rise to a height of 70 to 90 feet and are 12 to 20 feet apart. A trip into the Flume begins and ends at the Flume Visitor's Center. Guests can choose to walk through just the Gorge or do a two mile loop. The walk includes uphill walking and lots of stairs. The boardwalk allows you to look closely at the growth of flowers, ferns and mosses found here. We hiked the stairs and boardwalk - it was magnificent! Some of my favorite photos were shot here, it was really a wonder of nature. We arrived in Maine in time for dinner and as I've stated, there was no shortage of great food. I had a crab roll and Dave had some kind of seafood soup. We did have Maine Lobster and I want to go on record saying it's not all it's cracked up to be. Frankly, crab has more flavor and is less expensive. Just my two cents. It rained on us in Maine, off and on. At one point, we were at a lighthouse and it really started coming down - sideways and cold! We laughed as we threw rocks into an angry ocean and then went and warmed up with fried clams and chowder. I loved that it rained while we were at the seashore - the mood was romantically perfect.

The whole trip was one surprise after another and our time in New York was no exception. I will write about New York in my last post since so many funny things happened there. I hope this is as much fun for you to read as it is for me to share. See some photos below! Lots and lots of love.