Stowe - a Notch and a Lantern

North Conway to Stowe

Was up early so I decided to have a walk around. I was going to have a look at the nearby mountain so walked in that direction, ready for a wee hike. When I got there, the mountain was steep enough for them to have put on a chairlift so I had a look and kept walking.

This is what I walked out of the lodge to...

Followed by this...

Walked through a bit of the town the back to the lodge for breakfast. Those who know me know of my dislike of sitting with strangers at meals, however I did know going into the B&B route, this would be part of the deal. And it is nice swapping war stories with people, seeing where people are from, where they are going, where they've been

Around the table this morning were five Germans and, randomly, a Dane - who guarded Mary and Frederik when he did his compulsory military service and now lives in Greenland. The two young couples were doing the hiking thing. The old couple were nice but, "it's no better than the mountains at home" and, "I can't find a beer to suit my taste - like the one at home." Maybe they should have stayed home.

After breakfast, headed off to find Black Bear Highway leading to Kancamagus Highway - a popular scenic road. Too much pretty! It's all part of the White Mountains - don't know why they're called White - unless it's a snow/winter thing. Here's some shots along the road...

There are heaps of bike riders, going up the hill! And the odd one or two coming down the hill. I wonder if they go na na na to the ones going uphill.

There are numerous places to stop and look at the pretty...

Into Fraconia Notch State Park for more pretty. Decided to walk to the Flume Gorge. They have three options - walk the whole way (2 hours), bus and walk long (1.5 hours) or bus and walk short (40 minutes). I did the short! 

Bus went through one of the covered bridges...

On the bus was an Indian group who either didn't understand English or didn't care coz they spoke over the recording of information played on the bus. Even the stare didn't stop them - shut up already! Had to ask the bus driver which direction to take. Then headed up the path and another couple from the bus decided that this would be the place for a smooch - no one could get passed. Really? Here? Now?

Up into the Flume, which was really beautiful, then back to the visitors centre for a sandwich which was truly horrible.

Back into the car and up to the Basin, whic was a fabulous place where the water has carved the rock into a basin shape. Here, as at the Flume, there were people (Indian or Pakistani) who were going off the track to stand on the rocks for photos. Was just waiting for one to go in. 

Back into the car (again) and through the rest of the Notch - just gorgeous.

Out the other end and set the GPS for Stowe. It's only 1.5 hours away - that's just a hop, skip and a jump compare to the 5.5 and 4 hours the last couple of days. Left New Hampshire and into Vermont - which, of course, is VerMONT, not VERmont. Seems more open countryside here, less mountainous. Still beautiful. Arrive at Butler House and my little studio.

That's the bed up on the right, folds down at night.

Went next door for coffee and tried the chocolate/peanut butter marble cake - surprisingly yummy. There's a wedding in the church across the road. I'm thinking it might be the one at the inn I tried to get a room at but couldn't because they were booked out for a wedding. Imagine staying there amidst all that! I'll take my little studio.

Went for a stroll into town - so pretty.

This is Butler House.

I went to speak to the girl in the shop downstairs, asking her what the local theatre company as like. I had seen a sign saying they were doing Pirates of Penzance at the local hall and thought I might have to pop along. She mentioned a lantern tour they used to do, I thought that sounded like more fun so I looked it up and it was on tonight so I booked for that instead.

Down to the visitors centre (which is literally a stone's throw from here) and waited for 8:00. Sean handed out and lit our lanterns and began with a bit of history of Stowe. Then around the back into the graveyard for the first of the ghost stories - Emily, a young girl who threw herself off a bridge when her lover failed to turn up for their elopement coz his parents found out and locked him in the house.

As he was telling the story, I noticed a girl in old-fashioned garb walking behind us and then we heard some ghostly singing. Turned out to be Mabel from Pirates of Penzance warming up... Perfect timing.

There is a bridge Emily is supposed to haunt and Sean told the story of a guy who thought he was making up a bunch of lies but his wife and two daughters believed. They went to the bridge after the tour and were standing there looking at the moon when they noticed there were five shadows on the ground. The women ran off screaming and the father made them come back and see that it was not real. As he said it was rubbish, the fifth shadow appeared, moving towards him! Next day, he accused Sean of setting up some lights and making the shadow appear.

Along to a number of other sites and their history - the village green, the oak tree (native American history), the inn. The inn also had a ghost story - Michael Boots Someone, who haunts one of the rooms at the inn - not the one I'm staying at, thank goodness. 

He told the story of one girl who organised a tour for her wedding rehearsal and put her mother-in-law-to-be in the haunted room and she heard tapping on the ceiling (tap dancing, not tapping coz Boots learned to tap - in prison of all places. It was great fun and informative at the same time.

Could easily spend more time in Stowe.