Tag Archives: nature

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Polar caves Part 5. The finale…

November 21, 2019 Rivergirl 30 Comments

Done with the caves, we thought we were done with the park but there was still a little left to explore.

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A nature path through the woods.

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Leading past a sugar shack…

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And an old tree.

Do I post fascinating stuff or what?

Stop that!

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There was a rock set up for climbing….

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As well as one with some munchies on top.

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And you know what?

Still better than kale.

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We kept hiking.

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Up some rocks…

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And some stairs…

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And oh boy! The husband’s face says it all…

More stairs.

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To be honest there wasn’t much more to see. But we found a gazebo on our way back down… with rather questionable graffiti.

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Okay.

I’m not sure that needed be to advertised…. but whatever floats your boat.

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One more smooth path down…

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And we neared the exit.

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Where I had to stop and feed those precious European fallow deer again.

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Such little cuties.

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Polar Caves… the end!

Half a day experiencing it , 5 days blogging about it.

Say what you want about me… (and I’m sure you will)

You can’t say I’m not thorough.

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Polar Caves Part 3. The caves… and more rocks.

November 19, 2019 Rivergirl 40 Comments

The caves.

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I’d like to tell you I explored them all.

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But I’d be lying.

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They were tiny, cramped, straight down and seriously dark.

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So yours truly let the husband crawl through them while I took the bypasses above ground.

I know, a post about caves from above the caves doesn’t sound very satisfying….

But does that look at all comfortable?

I still got to walk through rocks…

And without all the bumps, bruises and scrapes the husband amassed that day.

Although there were some dead ends.

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I’m not sure who named the caves…

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But there certainly were a lot of them.

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And some of the exits were awesome.

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Damn!

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That’s a lot of rock.

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Husband was happy as a clam. He used to go caving as a kid and it probably brought back some good memories. You know, like terror… and claustrophobia.

He kept trying to talk me into going down there with him, but when I peered down into the blackness?

I looked something like this….

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Just….

No.

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I think he was a little nervous after reading the name of this one …

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But he shimmied through quite well.

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Then turned around and asked for my extra camera. (Pardon his language. Sh*t is a favorite word lately)

I left him happily exploring and snapping pictures in the dark… (which I won’t share with you because he can’t take a photo to save his life. They’re either blurry… or solid black) …and made my way around another bypass.

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My appreciation for the people who built these boardwalks growing with each step.

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Clearly no rock was harmed during the construction process.

Well done boardwalk designer.

Well done.

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Polar Caves Part 2… rocks, trees and more rocks.

November 18, 2019 Rivergirl 31 Comments

Walking along a lovely path past a duck pond….

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We found the covered bridge.

And kissed.

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Continuing along the walkways…

We read the park’s history.

And decided what to do first.

Remember when I said this series would have a lot of rocks?

The rocks start now.

Matter of fact, this section was called the Rock Garden.

So clearly I’m not the only enthusiast.

I loved it.

It was like a moss covered fairy village with fabulously crafted wooden boardwalks.

Meticulously cut around the rocks.

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I could have happily wandered there all day.

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Rocks!

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Some seriously big rocks.

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Did I mention this was a rock garden….

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And it was full of rocks?

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I was loving it.

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Though I admit getting a little tired from all the steps.

But the rocks….

They rocked.

As did the funky lichen, ferns and moss.

The steps?

My thighs said, not so much.

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But we kept walking.

Through some seriously old rocks…

A veritable maze of old rocks.

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Fern covered rocks!

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And then we discovered the caves we’d come to see…

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Were way up there.

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White Mountains trip Day 3… frost, foliage, skulls and old men.

November 16, 2019 Rivergirl 34 Comments

We woke up on the morning of our third day to a bit of chilly weather.

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And a whole lotta windshield frost.

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You can tell by the husband’s face he was not pleased with the little girlie scraper I keep in my car. But heck, he shouldn’t grumble. It beat his credit card.

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There were more trees, and more fall foliage.

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And of course, skulls.

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And skeletal ATV passengers.

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Which we saw at a local gas station.

Off roading is a huge industry in the mountains and these things are everywhere. Some towns even allow them to run the main roads. Rental places are abundant, with guides plotting out trips and trails for novices.

We even drove past an ATV Halloween parade. Bizarre doesn’t begin to describe it…. but no matter how loudly I squealed for the husband to stop so I could photograph it…. he flew right past.

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Day 3 had us cruising down Route 2 through Gilead, Maine.

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Blink and you’ll miss the town.

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But it’s always one of my favorite scenic rides in the area.

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A little farther down the road the mountains held on to some fog.

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And it can be a surreal sight.

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Hanging there, still and quiet….

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Ethereal.

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We were heading to the Polar caves in Rumney, New Hampshire and drove past numerous ski areas….

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As well as Franconia Notch where there wasn’t much foliage at all.

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The Old Man in the Mountain used to live here…

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But sadly, he collapsed on May 3, 2003.

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And if you lived in this part of the country?

Trust me…

You wept.

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White Mountains trip Day 2….. Evans Notch.

November 15, 2019 Rivergirl 23 Comments

Heading back to the resort after a full day of exploring, we decided to drive through.. and over… Evans Notch.

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It’s basically a straight up ride that cuts through a mountain to the other side.

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We had it all to ourselves and saw some of the most vibrant color of our trip.

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Pictures don’t do it justice, so ride along with us.

Just watch out for chipmunks.

I wish we’d been there a week earlier when the reds and oranges had been popping…

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But it was still quite a show.

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When we reached the top…

It thinned out a little.

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Bare granite on the right…

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Full foliage behind the sign.

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And a mix on the left…. with the sun setting in the distance.

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Heading back down was just as pretty…

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And it was nice to see I’m not the only one who ❤’s the mountains.

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White Mountains trip Day 2…. Upper Jackson Falls

November 14, 2019 Rivergirl 44 Comments

Yes… we’re still on the second day of our trip.

And yes, we’re still at the Falls.

Hey, just be glad I’m weeding through the 1704 photos and only giving you the highlights.

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Working our way up the falls took some time.

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But it really was lovely.

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Nothing like hanging out with Mother Nature to lower your blood pressure.

The closer we got to the top, the more people just plunked themselves down on the rocks and made themselves comfortable…

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And why not?

It’s a great place to read, unwind…and enjoy the day.

At the top you cross a wonderful iron bridge…

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Look both ways…

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And say thank you Jackson Falls…

I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with you.

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And your rocks.

(Or maybe that was just me.)

Done with the Falls, we headed into town for some sustenance.

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And found the cutest pumpkin display ever…

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Next to our destination.

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It looked promising.

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Warm and inviting.

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A vintage inn and tavern whose bar was packed to the rafters that late Saturday afternoon.

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I wanted to love it.

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I mean come on, they had ski lift seating….

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And a sign for the Woodchuck Trail. Who doesn’t love that?

But the service was terrible, the beer was warm and the food? When it finally came, over an hour after we ordered, was barely edible.

Sorry Martin, I didn’t even bother with pictures. Dry meatless ribs and a soggy Rachel sandwich do not warrant photographs.

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But martian pumpkins and gourds?

Definitely do.

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White Mountains trip Day 2…. Lower Jackson Falls

November 13, 2019 Rivergirl 31 Comments

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When I say Falls, I’m not talking Niagara…

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In October, these are dotted with bright foliage…..

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And cascade gently down the hill.

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No barrel required.

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Which is good, because it’s a hard look to pull off.

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Selfies you shoot into the sun so you can see your hands holding your phone reflected in your glasses are so much easier.

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Did I mention there were rocks?

And tranquil pools…

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As well as some pretty nice views?

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Well there were.

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Autumn woes.

November 9, 2019 Rivergirl 33 Comments

Just some deer…

And last month’s backyard fall leaves.

I fear for our resident buck this time of year.

Bow season in October, rifle season in November, black powder season in December.

Three months of abject slaughter I will never understand.

I’m tired of the culling argument. Mother Nature takes care of her own…. and hunters don’t want the small and the weak.

They want the big racks. (Of course they do, they’re men.)

They kill the strongest, largest and healthiest buck they can find…. which means those genes won’t get passed on.

Meanwhile, Momma’s fawns are growing up.

No more spotted Bambis.

And the does enjoy a treat before cold weather sets in….

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White Mountains trip Day 2… Moose, mountains and fall colors.

November 8, 2019 Rivergirl 36 Comments

Moose.

When you think of Maine? You think of lobster… and moose. But let me tell you, I’ve lived here on and off since 1978 and have seen exactly one moose in the wild. Granted we live in the Mid Coast region and they’re more prevalent up north, but still… one in 41 years is not a good ratio.

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So when we crossed the border into New Hampshire after leaving the Moose Cave in Grafton Notch….. and I saw numerous signs warning of the dangers of moose crossings?

I thought, yeah.

We’ll never see one.

Until we did.

Right there on the side of the road…

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A moose!

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Happily munching away on some swamp grasses.

A real live moose!

And I was halfway out of the car to get some really good pictures when the husband said no. This was a teenage male and though he was probably too young to rut…. it was that time of year.

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So I had to stalk him from an open window instead.

But I saw a moose!

My second in 41 years…

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And then all too soon he was tired of us….

And headed back to the woods.

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Goodbye moose….

I may not live long enough to see another wild one of you, but thanks for showing up and making my day.

As I said before, the fall colors were all over the place. We had an early turn this year so by the time we got to the mountains, many places were past peak foliage. But that doesn’t mean they weren’t still spectacular…