Another_Voice_MDF (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} anothervoicemdf) wrote,@ 2008-09-27 12:08:00 |
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Wedding/Honeymoon Post #5: Teddy Bears and Ticonderoga
Friday, Swiss Chalets Village Inn, North Conway, New Hampshire
Tuesday, we woke up in our campgrounds and got packed up as soon as we could, as it was quite cold! Once we had everything packed up and headed north to Fort Ticonderoga. Ticonderoga means “place between the waters” and it is named that because it sits on the spot where Lake George meets Lake Champlain. The fort played a small but important role in American history and more important was a beautiful scenic spot with views far along each lake. We enjoyed a morning of wandering through the fort and hearing its history and the views.
As we were heading out we passed our tour guide, now on a break, and working with a hand saw on a large plank of wood which was taking the shape of an oar, with what looked like a large canoe behind him. When we stopped to ask him about it, he explained that he and a colleague had taken on the project of building a boat of the sort that would have been used to attack the fort during the revolutionary war, using the techniques of the day. The sheer joy on his face as he talked about what was clearly a labor of love, mixing deep historical knowledge with hands on skill was wonderful.
From there we drove just up the road to a ferry across the lake which took us into Vermont. Once in Vermont one of the first places we passed was an apple orchard which offered the chance to pick your own apples, and so we quickly pulled off. The place was run entirely by the honor system- a sign instructed pickers to take the bags they needed and put money according to what size bag you filled in a box that was nearby. The farmhouse at the foot of the orchard offered apple pies, apple cider and other delights, all similarly paid for on the honor system. We loaded up a bag full of apples (which we’ve been munching away on throughout the week), found a pie and some cider, stuffed the appropriate money into the lockbox and hit the road.
I should say a word about the driving, since its been a major part of our week. Since we got into Vermont, almost every mile of road has brought beautiful scenery. As often as we could we’ve avoided the highway and stuck to smaller roads, with much ooing and ahhing at all there has been to see, from covered bridges to cows and horses to mountain vistas. We’ve also been sharing a joy that we found we both love- books on tape. Meg and I love reading books where one of us can stop and talk to the other about something we’ve both read, and its been great fun to listen to something together, every now and then one of us reaching for the pause button to comment on what we just heard. So far we’ve listened to an NPC collection about baseball, a Michael Beshloss history of presidential courage, and our currently listening to Guns, Germs and Steel, a anthropological study that Meg loves and has been wanting me to read for a while. I imagine many people would think we’re nuts, but we’ve been loving it.
Our drive took us to the Vermont Teddybear Factory and the Ben & Jerry’s Ice-Cream factory, and then east, through the rest of Vermont and onto New Hampshire. We had both talked about wanting to see waterfalls and mountain streams in New Hampshire, so when less then a mile into the state we were pulled off by the side of the road, sitting on a rock by the water, watching a beautiful waterfall, it seemed a good sign. We thought we’d be in New Hampshire for a day and two nights. As I write this, we’re on our fourth night in the state, and talking about coming back next year.
Friday, Swiss Chalets Village Inn, North Conway, New Hampshire
Tuesday, we woke up in our campgrounds and got packed up as soon as we could, as it was quite cold! Once we had everything packed up and headed north to Fort Ticonderoga. Ticonderoga means “place between the waters” and it is named that because it sits on the spot where Lake George meets Lake Champlain. The fort played a small but important role in American history and more important was a beautiful scenic spot with views far along each lake. We enjoyed a morning of wandering through the fort and hearing its history and the views.
As we were heading out we passed our tour guide, now on a break, and working with a hand saw on a large plank of wood which was taking the shape of an oar, with what looked like a large canoe behind him. When we stopped to ask him about it, he explained that he and a colleague had taken on the project of building a boat of the sort that would have been used to attack the fort during the revolutionary war, using the techniques of the day. The sheer joy on his face as he talked about what was clearly a labor of love, mixing deep historical knowledge with hands on skill was wonderful.
From there we drove just up the road to a ferry across the lake which took us into Vermont. Once in Vermont one of the first places we passed was an apple orchard which offered the chance to pick your own apples, and so we quickly pulled off. The place was run entirely by the honor system- a sign instructed pickers to take the bags they needed and put money according to what size bag you filled in a box that was nearby. The farmhouse at the foot of the orchard offered apple pies, apple cider and other delights, all similarly paid for on the honor system. We loaded up a bag full of apples (which we’ve been munching away on throughout the week), found a pie and some cider, stuffed the appropriate money into the lockbox and hit the road.
I should say a word about the driving, since its been a major part of our week. Since we got into Vermont, almost every mile of road has brought beautiful scenery. As often as we could we’ve avoided the highway and stuck to smaller roads, with much ooing and ahhing at all there has been to see, from covered bridges to cows and horses to mountain vistas. We’ve also been sharing a joy that we found we both love- books on tape. Meg and I love reading books where one of us can stop and talk to the other about something we’ve both read, and its been great fun to listen to something together, every now and then one of us reaching for the pause button to comment on what we just heard. So far we’ve listened to an NPC collection about baseball, a Michael Beshloss history of presidential courage, and our currently listening to Guns, Germs and Steel, a anthropological study that Meg loves and has been wanting me to read for a while. I imagine many people would think we’re nuts, but we’ve been loving it.
Our drive took us to the Vermont Teddybear Factory and the Ben & Jerry’s Ice-Cream factory, and then east, through the rest of Vermont and onto New Hampshire. We had both talked about wanting to see waterfalls and mountain streams in New Hampshire, so when less then a mile into the state we were pulled off by the side of the road, sitting on a rock by the water, watching a beautiful waterfall, it seemed a good sign. We thought we’d be in New Hampshire for a day and two nights. As I write this, we’re on our fourth night in the state, and talking about coming back next year.
