New Hampshire and Vermont

I visited New Hampshire and Vermont in the Summer of 2007, as my weight was rising to its Zenith.

I started my weekend with breakfast on Saturday, followed by hiking at Franconia Notch State Park, where I saw The Flume Gorge -- some beautiful views. This was followed by my trip to Clark's Trading Post, with the link below:

http://www.clarkstradingpost.com/

Naturally, a personal favorite of me was watching the trained bears :):

But I also enjoyed the circus act performers:

And I also partook of the White Mountain Train Ride, seeing the Wolfman!





This was a silly, fun time, a nice little trip.

I drove around afterwards, stopping to take pictures of the New England scenery:

The next morning, I had breakfast at Polly's Pancake Parlor. Under my new diet, I probably could not eat there, but it was scrumptious. Here is the link:

http://www.pollyspancakeparlor.com/

This was followed by my trip to Chutters, which had been listed in The Guiness Book of World Records as the longest candy counter in the world. I was, literally, the kid in the candy store:

Here is the link:

http://www.chutters.com/candy/

Covered bridges were a big part of this trip:



After perusing the sights of Littleton, New Hampshire, including the Village Book Store and the Grist Mill, I drove to Vermont to see the Ben and Jerry's Factory. Highlights included the hall of fame, and here I am in front of my "hero's" "plaque." (My favorite ice cream from Ben and Jerry's is half-baked.):

The Flavor Graveyard, where one can pay their respects to those flavors that didn't quite make it:

And of course, eating the ice cream, which is uncharacteristically not pictured!

Here is the link for the factory:

http://www.benjerry.com/scoop-shops/factory-tours/

I spent some quiet time perusing Stowe, Vermont, before beginning the drive home, stopping for dinner at The Pasta Pot, along US-4 in Vermont (I lived in Queensbury, NY at the time). I personally found it a romantic venue. Here is a picture, with the mountain in the background:

Obviously, under today's rules for my diet, I might have to plan a much different trip. That said, a) The New Hampshire/Vermont area provided a number of charming, silly stops, much needed for the weary traveler; there were several stops and sights that did not involve sugary foods; and; b) For those who do not struggle to control their food intake as I do, for whom stops involving the sugary foods might not be as dangerous, the venues described here are a lot of fun. The weekend was A LOT of FUN! Just what I like most when I travel, even if the fun has had to change as I've aged.