Maine, New Hampshire, Vemont

Boy here we go again, state hopping. I forgot to mention we stopped at Rumford Maine, before Littleton. I was the birthplace of US Secretary of State, Edmund Muskie. Great Park, with falls and metal cutouts.  We've been trying to get to camp a little earlier because of all the warnings about Moose, Deer and Bears. The visitor centers have charts and statistics showing how often they are hit by cars and how much damage they do. They even tell you how to hit them if it can't be avoided. We had a great time at Franconia Notch State Park. We walked down to the Plaza that showed where the Old Man of the Mountain used to be. It is amazing the way they have it set up so you can actually see      how he looked on the Mountain. A man came over and admired Don's shirt with the old cars on it.Then we realized he had old cars on his shirt too. After talking cars for awhile, we discovered he was the director of the Plaza. His picture is on all the brochues and posters. Lots of stories from him. Took a picture of Eagle Peak. It reminds me of the column in Yosemite. I also got pictures of where the old man used to be. You can see pink scars where the face fell. I'll have to get a New Hampshire quarter for my scrapbook. We went to the flume and museum next, complete with movie! Stopped at The Warren Fish Hatchery and Nature Center. Beautiful Trout. Next down the border between states to The Saint-Gaudens gardens and museum in Cornish. Augustus Saint-Gaudens was a sculpture . Besides many statues, President Roosevelt commissioned him to do 3 coins for the US Mint. Lots of buildings here, including studios, his furnished home, Barns, temple, swimming pool, bowling green, 9 hole golf course and beautiful gardens full of his art work. I took a picture of an incredibly long covered bridge that we could not fit in. We had to go around to get to the gardens. We spent the night in Fort Dummer, Vermont. We were almost the only ones in camp and it was really hot. We kept the back doors open all night with the screen on. I loved it and felt like I was sleeping outside. Starting in Brattleboro, we drove across Vermont on Hwy 9 known as The Molly Stark Byway. It was steep and winding and we stopped at the top of Hogback Mountain where we could see 100 miles and 3 states. Everywhere are beautiful wild flowers. We stopped at the other end in Bennington. They have a campaign with huge cats around town. 2 years ago it was Moose. I walked 3-4 miles around town, taking about 20 cat and moose pictures while Don talked to his new friends. Mr and Mrs. Sports Director of Southern Vermont College. They told us places to visit. We went to th Monumentt celebrating the Battle of Bennington which was a tunig point in the Civil War. I loved the saying of The John Stark Statue.H was tthe husband of Molly Stark o Hwy 9 fame. Then down the hill to the Church/ school museum  where Grandma Moses Art is displayed for her home town.  Then we stopped at a really wierd deli. I have never seen so many fiberglass characters in one place. Evvery animal you can tthink of was painted like a cow. Even the Blues Brothers liked the place. Have I mentioned thatt we would travel faster if Jr. didn'tt play around so much? I'll try to catch up tomorrow. Long day today. Thunder and Lightening again. Goodnight everyone, time to hike to the showers. Hugs, from Donna