178.July 7

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

We just crossed the border from Quebec into Vermont. USA! It feels reassuring to be back. Lars is in the Derby Line Post Office (where he had all his mail forwarded to from Germany, because he was supposed to receive some things from his family. I went in and mailed a letter. It also made me nervous crossing the border, like they were going to shoot me or something. Tonight we will find a campsite in White Mountain Park, it is in New Hampshire. It is near where Woodstock is. It isn't the Woodstock of the 60's though.

We are leaving Derby Line with Lars driving. We just drove by a Pure Maple Syrup sign on a house, we must be in Vermont.

We are in the White Mountains at a Mobil Station buying Diesel Fuel. It is Lars' turn to pay, so I will sit in the car and use his pen until he comes back. The White Mountains are beautiful. This town, however is pretty ugly. There is a section with 30 houses or so, all painted the same color, all the same style, all running along the roadside. They are more like cabins though. It looks like a rich area. I've been looking at the map. Our trip from here looks great. We have plenty of time to see everything North of New York. I can't wait to see Plymouth Rock and Cape Cod. Here comes Lars.

Sunday night

We did not stop at White Mountain National Forest, but drove 60 miles further down interstate 93 to a park outside of Concord N. H. called Bear Brook State Park. On the way here, I made Lars drive to a Shaker Village, historically kept up and tourist area. During the day, they run it like a Shaker village, but after 5 PM, they don't have any activities. We walked around since we had driven 20 miles out of the way. A lady sitting in one of the buildings saw us and came out. She said they were closed, but saw that I was interested, so she pointed out each building and gave the story behind it. It was a very good mini-tour. She said we could walk around as long as we liked. We did this, and left when it was starting to get dark. I took a few picture of the buildings.

We took another route to the campsite we had planned on, and did not enter Concord at all. At the camp office, they told us (a nice man that looked exactly like Hector Nations on Foxfire, except taller) to choose a site and then set p and come back to register. We did this. We have site #60. I like this park, but it is much more man made and affected than most of the campsites in Canada. We have a big rock next to us that is strangely shaped and beautiful. there is a graveyard 3 miles up the road from the campsite that looks old and interesting. I will make Lars stop there tomorrow on our way out. It feels good not to be in a rush to get moving.

raindrops spatter

one and then

another on the

top of our

tent

with no

rhythm at all.

the sky rumbles too.

but the rain

drops are

not falling from

the sky but

from the tip

tops of trees.

We are driving from the campsite after just stopping at the family graveyard. We are on Podunk Road. What a name. It is 11:05 AM and bumpy. We are going to Portsmouth today. Then we will follow the coast down through Salem and Boston to Cape Cod. Not all today.

1992