Hello from Maine!

We are in Maine, and what a day we have had!  We woke up at the Town & Country Inn (in Gorham, New Hampshire) and enjoyed a (slow) breakfast looking at the mountains.  We were awake at 7:00 AM, but didn't make it to the Tuckerman Ravine trail until 9:30...shows you how sllooowww breakfast was (at least 45 minutes).  Anyway, we signed in at the visitor center and browsed the gift shop, and then we were on the trail.  My first thought?  It is a tough trail.  Going up is going UP -- as in stepping up over one, two, and three foot rocks.  Add to that a steep grade, and you'll want to stop about every 10 minutes.  And I had twisted my ankle at Silver Bay, so that was slowing us down.  But regardless of huge rocks, aching muscles, twisted ankles, and a hard climb, it was beautiful.  The entire walk up was definitely worth it to touch snow at Tuckerman Ravine, see the views, and realize the accomplishment of climbing most of the way up Mt. Washington.  If we had just gone up 0.7 of a mile, we would have been at the summit, but we weren't prepared for that and we didn't have time for that.  It was okay...it is a good excuse to come back! :)  Seriously, though, we had a great time touching snow, walking out on it just a couple of feet, making snowballs, and just enjoying the crisp mountain air and views...SO fun!  I can't even begin to explain how amazing it was.  We probably hiked about six miles round trip, and it took us about five hours with the stops and everything.  But I timed just hiking up, and it was an hour and forty-five minutes, which I think is absolutely phenomenal, considering everything.  It was a great feeling when I walked up to the car at 2:45 PM this afternoon, tired and aching but still amazed at God's beautiful scenery.

We then drove on to Maine, enjoying the lovely drive with the smells of the ocean drawing us closer. We checked into a Comfort Suite, then headed down to the water.  We enjoyed dinner at Harraseeket Lunch & Lobster Company.  I tried the shrimp roll; my mom and brother tried the lobster roll; and Val tackled a whole lobster with a couple of sides, too.  It's a pretty setting with great food; the prices are a bit high, though, and they only accept cash.  But you can't beat those shrimp or lobster rolls, especially when you're in Maine!  After dinner, we had ice cream at Derosiers, an old grocery store founded in 1904.  It now serves simple lunch food and delicious ice cream.  We then headed back to our hotel and are ready to get a good night's rest.  Tomorrow we will enjoy touring Maine...yaay!  Enjoy the pictures!

Here I am with Matthew and my mom.  Tuckerman Ravine is the white snow above us.  We hiked all the way up there!

I am holding a small snowball in my hands as I stand on the snow at Tuckerman Ravine. Notice the six-foot-deep crevice behind me.

Tuckerman Ravine; you can see how blue and pretty the sky is.  Once again, we were really blessed with great weather.  

This is the common American toad.  He was the only animal we saw, much to the dismay of my mom.  She really wanted to see a moose or bear.  Me?  I'm glad we didn't! :)

I did it!  It's about 2:35 PM, and I just finished the hike.  Tired, fatigued, and exhausted?  Yes.  But it was totally worth it.

~Anna~

We are in New Hampshire!

This morning, we woke up at the Comfort Inn in Barre, Vermont, at 8 AM.  That felt SO good to sleep in...we needed it!  We enjoyed toast, yogurt, cereal, sausage, eggs, waffles, juice, and milk for breakfast, and then headed to Bragg Farm (below), an eighth-generation maple syrup farm.  We saw a 25-minute video showing the process of getting the syrup from the tree to the table, saw the equipment, browsed the shop, and tasted different kinds of syrup.  If you ever go there, try the maple syrup creamees.  They are DELICIOUS!!  We purchased a large jar of syrup, which will be good for pancakes and waffles.

We then headed toward New Hampshire, stopping occasionally at scenic overlooks, and for lunch.  By about 2:00 PM, we were at Mt. Washington, the tallest mountain in the northeast (6,288 feet!).  We drove up it (yes, to the summit!) on the Auto Road, which was originally a carriage road for horses pulling wagons.  We were blessed with great weather, especially considering it is early in the season.  The road only opened at the beginning of May.  But we made it, and I stood on the summit with my arms raised in victory.  Victory, as in making it to the top without falling down the 3,000-foot valleys.  Ha ha, just kidding, but it WAS quite a road.  At the top, they have a great museum with all kinds of displays explaining weather, geology, and the history of the mountain.  They also have a few other buildings, including the old hotel, which is now restored for people to enjoy seeing and walking through.  People can hike to the top, but obviously it is tough since the weather is very iffy.  When we drove to the top, it was beautifully sunny (very unusual); a half-hour later, when we came out of the museum, we could barely see 10 feet in front of us because of fog and rainy-misty stuff.  That diminished as we went down, and soon we were able to see a gorgeous double rainbow!  I rarely see those, but when I do, I always remember God's promise and His love for us.

Driving up the Auto Road on Mt. Washington; not too scary yet. 

Snow at the end of May?!  Yep!  This was almost to the top.

Here I am at the top of Mt. Washington -- 6,288 feet high!

The fog on the top of the mountain; how quickly weather can change!

This is the beautiful rainbow.

We then headed to a nice hotel, enjoyed dinner at Mr. Pizza's, and now we are getting ready for bed.  Tomorrow we will hike Tuckerman's Ravine, which is a trail on Mt. Washington.  It is about five miles round trip, and it will be pretty.  Check back to see how it went!  For now, enjoy the pictures of driving up and down Mt. Washington...and surviving it! :)

~Anna~

Another Great Day!

Yesterday we did not have good Internet, so I couldn't upload any pictures.  So you will see double the pictures!  We will start with yesterday.  Below is the outflow from Lake George.  It's really pretty!

The following three pictures are as follows -- the main barn, a Morgan being lunged, and a little Morgan foal...so sweet!

Today we woke up at 7:30 AM and had a wonderful breakfast of blueberry pancakes with Vermont maple syrup and sausage.  First, we walked around Middlebury College campus, and Val showed us some of the places where she had been, which was neat.  We then visited Mad River Glen Ski Area and took some pictures there.  In case some of you non-skiers didn't know, Mad River Glen has one of only two single chairlifts in the USA.  I sat on one of the chairs...pretty fun!  We even got to drive (and walk) across a covered bridge.  We also got to take a tour of the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory (Matthew and I pose as Ben & Jerry below), where we learned the whole process of making ice cream, watched a video, and enjoyed free samples of ice cream at the end.  We looked at a couple of other ski areas, too, and took pictures there, and then we headed to Stowe, where the Von Trapp Family Lodge is.  We enjoyed dinner looking out over the valley at the mountains; so gorgeous (see below)!

We are now staying at a nice Comfort Inn, and we're ready to get ready for bed and go to sleep.  Tomorrow we will be exploring in New Hampshire, so check back!  Good night!

~Anna~ 

Hello from Vermont!

We are in Vermont!  We woke up at 7 AM this morning to get all our stuff together.  It was kind of sad to say good-bye to Silver Bay; it's a really nice place and it holds special memories for me now (like kayaking!).  We had breakfast (cereal and pastries), and then went to see the boathouse at Silver Bay.  That was really pretty, especially since it was a different view of Lake George.

Then we left.  First, we saw the outflow from Lake George.  There were some beautiful waterfalls there, which was neat to see.  Then we headed across the oldest ferry in North America (from the 1700's) in Fort Ticonderoga, New York.  We also saw an arched bridge (and drove across it).  After driving back across it, we stopped for lunch at The Bridge Restaurant, where I had The Bridge Burger special (it comes with French fries and coleslaw).  The food is excellent, but the wait was horrible (at least 30 minutes to get four simple meals).

We forged onward to Middlebury, where my godmother (Val) went to college!  She showed us places she had been for just a few minutes, but we had to go to the UVM Morgan Horse Farm for the 2:00 PM tour.  We enjoyed that for a couple of hours...it was heaven for me, the horse enthusiast.  There were nine little foals, all SO cute and little, and many stallions, mares, colts, and fillies.  We enjoyed taking a great tour through the barns, as well as seeing two horses being exercised.  Morgans have a very unique gait -- bouncy, high-stepping, elegant, and full of energy.  They are beautiful animals.  The farm offers tours on the hour, as well as a gift shop with various items from socks to horse models to postcards.

Finally, we visited Val's friends and talked with them for awhile.  Then we went to the second set of friends, with whom we are spending the night.  They provided a lovely setting on a large farm, which we walked all over before supper.  Then we had a delicious dinner of chicken, salad, watermelon, and potato salad, with cookies and ice cream for dessert.  Yum, yum!

It is very late here and we have slow Internet, so I cannot upload any pictures today.  I will try tomorrow, though, because I have many awesome photos from the cool places we visited today.  For now, good night!

~Anna~

Another Great Work Day!

Today was another wonderful day!  I got to sleep in until about 7:45 AM, which felt really nice, and then we headed up to the house for breakfast -- cereal and cinnamon rolls, yum!  Then we had a nice prayer time, where Matthew and I read devotions we had written for school, and we also shared milestones in our lives.  It was just a really pleasant time.  Then we headed to work.  Like yesterday, my mom and I were in the kitchen.  We cleaned the Whaddya-Call It, a very interesting pantry with everything ever made in there.  Gadgets I'd never seen before popped up...it was a very good learning experience!  I also helped clean out a big drawer full of kitchen utensils, containing everything from spatulas to knives to bottle cap openers.  We had lunch at 12:30, which consisted of taco pie, cornbread, fruit, and various sweet treats for dessert -- SO yummy!  The food here is absolutely amazing, and the people are super nice, too.  After lunch, my mom and I went back to the kitchen, where we cleaned off two shelves with vases and pots on it (I washed them; she cleaned the shelves, dried the dishes, and put them back on the shelves).  We also fixed a log sidewalk cover by nailing two slats back in that had fallen out.  By that time, it was about 3:30 PM, and my mom and I quickly  changed into our swimsuits and went out in kayaks.  We climbed onto a REALLY small island (it consists of about three trees, some large rocks, and a bit of grass), which was cute.  We then paddled back.  I grabbed a body board and caught some tiny "waves," which was still fun, even though they are NOT Hawaii waves. :)

Supper (lasagna, garlic bread, green beans, and cake for dessert) was at 7:00 PM.  It was very pretty with the waves lapping at the shore, the sun setting, and the really amazing food.  I snapped a few photos of the beautiful buildings and surroundings so you can see what I'm seeing (below).  For your information, we are leaving tomorrow mid-morning...going on the next page of our adventure!!

  

This is Lake George -- the view from the deck outside our room; you can see the dock and the raft that some people put out yesterday (Saturday).  It is fun to swim out to.

This is the big house, where we are staying.  We are on the backside, in the Green Room, looking out at the lake.  It's very pretty.

This is Birch Glen, where we eat all our meals and enjoy looking out at the lake in the evening.  It is especially beautiful.

I am signing off now, but I'll be back tomorrow with new stories about a different part of the country -- Vermont!!  Have a great day!

~Anna~

Work Day!

Today, I woke up at 7:30 AM (MUCH better than 3:45!).  We headed up to the main house, where we had a breakfast of cereal and an assortment of delicious pastries.  Then we were assigned jobs to do.  There was plenty -- wood cutting and stacking, putting the dock and raft out in the water, cleaning, and much more.  I was assigned the task of bedroom cleaning, so I grabbed a cloth and vacuum and set out to make the rooms sparkle.  That went quickly, and I was done by 11:00 AM or so.  I headed down to the kitchen, where my mom was working, and helped out there by washing/drying dishes.  Lunch at noon (hot dogs, chips, vegetables, and peanut butter/chocolate/Rice Krispie treats) followed, then back to work!  I once again worked in the kitchen, washing dish after dish -- I think I did around 350 or 400...no kidding!

All work and no play is no fun at all, and we were set free to play around 4:30 PM.  I raced upstairs, donned my swimsuit, and headed to COLD Lake George...and I mean cold!  It took a long time for me to get fully submerged, but it was all right once you got used to it.  I swam around with my mom and godmother for a little while and then decided to embark on a new adventure -- kayaking!  My godmother and brother got in a tandem kayak; my mom and I each had our own solo one.  And what do you know?  I was halfway good!  It was really fun to see beautiful Lake George and Silver Bay with the breeze blowing, the water rippling, and the sun gently shining down.  God's creation is SO beautiful!  Here I am in my yellow kayak -- so exciting!!

 After cleaning up, we headed to dinner.  Chicken pot pie, salad, baked apple crisp, and ice cream made for the perfect meal.  To walk those calories off, my mom, brother, and I headed up the road to see Silver Bay, the YMCA complex, and different views of Lake George.  Here is the chapel -- isn't it gorgeous?

Now we are back at the cabin, in our room, and I am ready for another great day tomorrow.  The work was great -- it feels awesome to be helpful and prepare this home for the summer season.  And swimming, kayaking, and walking was super cool too -- there's never-ending adventures and I am excited to see what's around the corner next!

~Anna~

Hello from New York!!

After waking up at 3:45 AM this morning so we could make our 6 AM flight, we were off on our adventure!  We changed planes in Baltimore, very quickly made it to Albany, and then we got our bags and headed into the countryside.  First, we headed to lunch at Stewart's, where they have fantastic egg salad sandwiches and macaroni and cheese!  We also peeked at Saratoga Springs Racetrack, which wasn't open, but we were able to see it through the fence (see below!).

Next, we visited the Olympic Winter Sports Complex, where they have the bobsled/luge/skeleton track.  We took pictures and here's the curve -- imagine going around this at 70 miles per hour!

Then we headed to the Lake Placid Winter Olympics Training Center and Museum.  We got to see the HUGE jump that the skiers practice on (I am a skier and I love to do little jumps, but I would NEVER do this one below!).  We saw the biathlon training field, cross-country skiing trails, and lots of beautiful scenery.  We also visited the museum, which was very informative.  It was filled with artifacts, videos, and super-cool mementos from previous Olympic games, including the torches.  We also saw the 1932 ice rink, the 1980 Miracle on Ice rink, and the outdoor speed-skating rink where Eric Heiden won five golds.  I walked out on it, and that was really, really cool.

  

We finished by going to Whiteface Mountain (below), which, although closed, did have a tiny patch of snow near the top.  We enjoyed looking at the barren runs, chairlifts, and finding a new basket for my dad's ski pole!  Yay!  After Whiteface Mountain, we headed to Silver Bay, where we will stay for the next few days, working at my godmother's family's resort.  It has to be prepared for summer!  I had an awesome day, and I hope you did, too!!

~Anna~

Trips!

Hi, everyone, and thanks for coming to my blog!

My brother, Matthew, and I have set up blogs because we will be traveling to Alaska this summer with our Grandma!  We don't want you to miss out on our adventure, so check out our blogs!  Matthew's can be accessed by clicking here, and you're reading mine, so you found your way here! :)

We leave for Alaska on July 2.  However, this Friday (May 25), we leave to go on a northeastern trip to visit New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.  We'll be doing a "test run" to see how it works, so please feel free to come look anytime next week.  Who knows what you'll see?  We both plan to post plenty of pictures so you can "be here" in a way, and we'll also write about how each day went.  

I look forward to sharing about God's beautiful scenery through words and pictures.  Can't wait!  Thanks for reading and come back SOON!