Tag Archives: trees

Diana’s Baths Part 5… rocks, foliage and zombie toes.

 

Okay… I lied. When we discovered the cairn garden I thought we were at the top, but it turns out we weren’t.

 

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Yes ladies and gentlemen….

 

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There will be more rocks.

 

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And trees.

 

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And trees that hug rocks.

 

 

 

But I promise you…

 

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This time we had found the top.

 

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But standing there, it really does make you wonder where all the water comes from.

 

 

 

The pools are shallow and yet the water keeps flowing… and flowing… and flowing.

Flowing so much in fact..

 

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You knew that was coming, right?

Add another christened outhouse to the list.

Done with the Baths, we back headed down.

 

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Through some lovely paths…

 

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Where sometimes you just have to look up.

 

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And soak in the splendor of autumn.

Naturally, when you look up…. you’re apt to trip over something you would have seen if you were looking down.

Like I did.

 

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Please tell me I’m not the only one who sees a half buried zombie toe here.

 

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And here.

Overgrown toenails et al.

It’s enough to make a girl shiver…

And crave a fortifying alcoholic beverage.

 

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Which I found here.

 

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At the Black Cap Grille, one of our favorite spots in North Conway.

 

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Happily fortified with cocktails and a yummy grilled Caesar salad (If you’ve never eaten it this way? Start now)

And some succulent crab cakes…

 

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We called it a day.

 

 

 

Diana’s Baths Part 3

 

After a few hours of happily poking around, we were nearing the top.

 

 

 

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A few more rocks.

 

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A little more tip toeing through the tree roots…

 

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And there we were.

 

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The top.

 

 

Quiet pools…

 

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The husband, back on the wrong side…

 

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And some big rocks.

 

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Did that rock just wink at me?

 

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Cheeky things, those rocks…

 

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We enjoyed the view and the feeling of accomplishment.

And then…

 

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We saw something a little farther up…

 

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That made us realize we weren’t quite finished with Diana’s Baths yet.

Cairns!

 

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Sorry.. no.

Not that kind.

 

 

 

White Mountains trip Day 5… Diana’s Baths

 

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Doing our good deed and making a donation, we entered .

 

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Took a leisurely stroll…

 

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Down into the woods…

 

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Past some type of fairy installation….

 

 

And a tree who clearly loves his rock….

 

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Across a bridge…

 

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Alongside a stream…

 

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And found the bottom of the Baths.

 

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Not usually the best part of a bath but…

 

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These are a different type of bath entirely.

 

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Not much is left of the old sawmill.

 

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But if you look carefully…

 

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You can find it.

 

 

 

We happily spent the whole afternoon exploring this place.

 

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Hiking the trails and climbing the rocks …

 

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And there were plenty of rocks to climb.

 

 

 

The water levels in the autumn are quite low…

 

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And it gently cascades down a section here…

 

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And there.

 

 

 

But in the spring it’s dangerously high from the snow melt.

 

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(Required selfie)

 

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In the summer the pools fill, and it’s a favorite spot to beat the heat.

Cathedral Ledge Part 2.

 

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Mountain views.

 

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Valley views.

 

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Vibrant autumn color.

 

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And love locks… Cathedral ledge has it all.

 

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Even lovers with a sense of humor.

 

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It was glorious… and that was only the front half.

 

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Walking along the sides, we made friends.

 

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Took 100 more pictures….

 

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And simply marveled at the beauty of nature.

 

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Even the husband was quiet.

 

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Honestly, there’s only so many times you can say wow.

 

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It really was a special spot.

 

 

This way?

 

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Beautiful.

 

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That way?

Fabulous.

 

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Gaze in wonder.

Take picture.

Repeat.

 

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There were rocks!

 

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And trees!

 

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And they made me realize how blessed I am to live in a truly wonderful part of the world.

 

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We made one final lap along the fence line…

 

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And strolled a few final steps across those marvelous rocks…

 

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I tried again…. unsuccessfully… to get a double selfie where the husband actually looks at the camera.

 

 

But no matter.

 

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We took one last look and bid goodbye to a place I’d revisit in a heartbeat next time we’re in the area.

 

 

White Mountain Trip Day 4… Step Falls

 

Trees and rocks… rocks and trees ahead.

You’ve been warned.

 

 

Oh, come on.

Early morning day 4, we woke with the sun and headed out for a hike to Step Falls.

 

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I wish I could convey the sense of peace that envelops me when I walk into a forest. The fresh air of natural places, the gentle breeze swaying the leaves. The sweet songs of the birds, the whisper of the trees. It’s pure magic.

I don’t know who’s responsible for finding these wild and beautiful places and opening them to the public… but I’ll be forever grateful.

 

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Step Falls in Bethel, Maine. In October when we visited… gently cascading streams. In spring during snow melt season? Torrents of angry water rushing down the mountain not caring what lies in it’s path.

 

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Many of the places we visit are free to the public, but are maintained by local volunteers who ask that you donate to help with costs. Most people never do, so we make a point of it each and every time.

 

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And with this Cycloptic donation box…. how could you not?

 

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The paths were wide and friendly…

 

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Although I couldn’t help but feel I was being watched.

 

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Into the woods…

 

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Up the hill, where we first heard the falls.

 

 

 

Up some stone steps.

 

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Up some fortuitously placed tree roots.

 

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We see a bit more water.

 

 

No.

Not even close…

 

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Ever onward…

 

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And upward…

 

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Past some weird trees growing right around the rocks.

 

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More of the falls.

 

 

 

And a not very comfortable but necessary granite bench to stop and let the husband take a breath.

 

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Polar caves Part 5. The finale…

 

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.

 

White Mountains trip Day 3…. Polar Caves.

 

The Polar Caves in Rumney, NH was one of the few tourist destinations on my list. While we usually prefer natural wild places, I’d read good reviews on this multi generational family run spot and figured we should check it out.

Happily we showed up on the last day of the year that they’re open and didn’t have to fight the crowds.

 

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I knew I was going to like it when we saw a large oak tree in the parking lot with this sign underneath…

 

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You have to appreciate that kind of thoughtfulness, if not their spelling.

 

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I had my doubts after buying tickets in the ticky tacky gift shop and walking outside to find the usual giant Adirondak chair.

And when we saw the creepy anorexic polar bears?

 

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I figured I’d made a mistake.

 

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But the small petting zoo charmed me…

 

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With it’s precious European fallow deer…

 

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That we had to feed…

 

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And pet.

 

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I mean really…. could you resist that face?

 

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They make the funniest noise when they vocalize, almost a squeak.

 

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And after having his say, this guy almost fell asleep.

 

 

 

Look how small they are. I told the husband I could easily fit a couple in the barn, but he wasn’t amused.

There were also some gorgeous Chinese pheasants.

 

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Although they were hard to photograph due to the cages and a moat around the outside that keeps pesky children’s fingers away.

 

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The tails on the males were pretty impressive.

 

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As were their colors.

 

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But this little guy stole my heart.

 

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Look at him…

 

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He’s a Dr. Seuss bird come to life!

White Mountains trip Day 2….. Evans Notch.

 

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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It’s starting to look pretty in my neck of the woods.

 

It’s Fall y’all!

 

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Autumn is my favorite time of year.

Crisp air, apples, pumpkins and fiery trees….

 

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And though I live in New England…

 

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And see Mother Nature’s glorious show every October….

 

 

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I never tire of it.

 

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I’m a certified leaf peeper…

 

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So when I crash my car into one of those pretty colored trees because I’m driving home one handed snapping pictures for my blog?

 

 

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I’m telling the police it’s your fault.

 

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And will expect you lot to start a GoFundMe page for my car repairs and hospital bills.

Did you know….

 

The name of the novel that inspired the film Blade Runner was Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

I do because…..

 

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I find it rather disturbing.

As should you…

 

 

Did you know…

La Brea means The Tar?  So when you talk about ‘the La Brea Tar Pits’ in California you are actually saying The The Tar Tar Pits.

Talk about overkill.

 

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Did you know…

Hindu men once believed it was unlucky to marry a third time so they avoided misfortune by marrying a tree? It was then burned, freeing them up to marry again.

I imagine it went like this:

 

 

Did you know…

 

Did you know…

Due to a different gravitational force, if you weigh 200lbs on earth….. you would weigh 76 lbs on Mars?

Come on Elon.

Momma needs a  trip to Mars.

 

 

Yeah, you’ll need to put that down first.

 

Did you know….

An octopus’s testicles are located in it’s head?

He also can remove his spermatophore-loaded mating arm and give it to a female if she’s hungry and likely to eat him.

 

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