Cannon Mountain

Another sunny day, so we headed to the tram at Cannon Mountain, hoping to get a good view of the area from the vantage point of the tram car. We were not disappointed. It was reasonably clear, and we could see parts of New York, Vermont, and Maine, in addition to a great view of the Franconia Notch in New Hampshire (where we are). We learned that the park gets twice as many visitors during the winter compared to the summer. In fact, when the powder is good, two or three hundred people line up in the morning to be the first to ride the tram to the summit and be the first on the trails.

We had not thought ahead to the likelihood that it would be colder at higher elevations. It was around 40 degrees on the mountain, which was chilly but not unpleasant, especially in the sun. We hiked to the observation tower for a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains, and along the way were treated to several awe-inspiring vistas. We didn't stay long at the top of the tower, because the winds were high and chill.

Franconia Notch from Cannon Mountain

Ken inspects so-called "trail"

Back on the ground, we decided to follow a trail. Ken decided that the local definition of "trail" is anyplace a human can walk/climb through the woods with a paintbrush and some blue paint to put stripes on the trees. At places this trail was more like boulder scrambling.

Home for lunch and to take Sweetie out. After a bit we decided to take the bikes and explore the Franconia Notch Recreation Trail. From the campground to the Flume Gorge, the bike path follows Route 3, and we were warned that it was mostly uphill. We set out trusting in our 21 gears to see us through, but at times we had to stop to rest. At the Gorge parking lot we decided to leave the bikes and hike in to where the Appalachian Trail crosses the bike path, about a mile in. It was a nice walk along the Pemi River to the Whitehouse Bridge, where the AT crosses. To the east it's the Liberty Spring Trail and to the west it's the Cascade Brook Trail. It was great just walking a few feet along the storied Appalachian Trail, and I hope to have a chance for a longer hike when we drive through the Smokey Mountains in October.

More leaves are changing every day

Lee happy to be on the Appalachian Trail

We stopped at the auto parts store today and got a new fuel filter for the truck. Now we just have to get up our courage to change the filter.

Tonight we spent some time looking at our plans for next summer. It looks like July is a good time to visit Yellowstone, so we'll try to coordinate with the kids to see if they can join us there. We'll have to move soon to get reservations at a nearby RV park.