Boris & Liz in USA 2

The visit to New England has been very good with no rain to affect us – it all happened overnight. There have been sunny days so the autumn colour has been great. It varies from place to place but the best has been right at its peak and amazing to see. The sugar maples are the best ranging from yellow to orange to red on the same tree.
 
After leaving Portsmouth, NH, we drove on the back roads to the White Mountains near the north of New Hampshire. It is a beautiful area with views of lakes and mountains. It is popular for water sports in the summer, viewing the colours in autumn and skiing in winter. We stayed 3 nights at a B&B in called Inn at Sunset Hill in Sugar Hill near to Franconia. It was run by a British couple and very good. Apart from viewing the scenery there were 2 highlights of our visit. Firstly, we took a ride on the Conway Scenic Railroad which is a historical train and runs to several destinations. We took a 2 hour trip and managed to get the seats on the “fan tail” which is the open area at the back of the train. We had excellent views. The other highlight was a tour of the Mount Washington Resort which is a huge hotel located at Bretton Woods. History buffs will know that this is where a pivotal conference was held near the end of WW2. The purpose was to avoid the economic problems following WW1 and the result was the formation of the International Monetary Fund. 730 delegates attended from 44 allied countries. The most famous name we saw was Lord John Maynard Keynes from Britain. The tour was free and very good with a lot of the hotel in original condition. It costs from US$300 to stay there now.
 
The next stop was 2 nights in Bennington, Vermont. Apart from the autumn colour, we discovered that it was the site of a pivotal battle of the war of independence was held. A 100 metre tower now commemorates the victory and gives great views to 4 states. After spending quite a bit on food previously, we had takeaway pizza one night and chicken and salad from a supermarket the next to save a bit and eat a bit less. We did have some fudge for dessert which we got at the oldest general store in the USA.
 
During the trip, we have seen about 10 covered bridges up to 200 years old. They are all made of timber and several different types of construction including a type of suspension bridge using laminated curved beams. Most are still in use for cars.
 
Right now we are in Manchester, NH for 2 nights. We visited the American Textile Museum on the way and also did a bit of shopping. Today we did another drive to see autumn colour and some small towns. Tomorrow we return the car to Boston and stay 3 nights at a B&B.
 
We are off to Japan on Thursday.
 
All the best
 
Boris and Liz