Day 179, Sat. Sep. 29, 2018- Through Maine, New Hampshire, into Vermont-- Sheer beauty.

It dawned a somewhat foggy  44 F in Skowhegan, but by the time we were on the road the sun was winning the days weather battle and it did all day. I was not farther  than a 1/4 mile from the entry to US 2 when Ruth loudly said "Stop here".!! I tried to get a place for the trailer at the side of a two lane highway, with very little shoulder and finally did . She said she didn't mind walking back. (This happens when she sees a good photographic moment and sometimes there is no place to stop, but I could see she really wanted this one. I asked her after she got back in..."Is it a winning photograph?" She said she thought so if the light seemed right.  Here it is and I have not seen it yet . She took three quick shots and this is the first one she took. I just downloaded them so you get a first look.

So you be the judge. A bridge near Skowegan on the Wesserrunsett Stream which empties a few 100 feet into the Kennebec River.  We re looking from the downstream side.

The trip through the entire US 2 from Maine to Vermont and through New Hampshire was awesome. As it was Saturday "everyone" was out on this beautiful autumn day . Sunshine, little breeze, and 65 F temperature. There were pumpkins, corn stalks, apples for sale, at least one  'corn maze',  a few cows (it is not dairy country) but many horses and  always the forests... but I did not see any clear cutting!

The peaks of mountains are named after the presidents, Lake Coos is where the Connecticut River is today.

One of many ups and downs through the valleys today on US 2. It was a very good road.

As we know , the lumber barons built many homes in those "lumber flush" days with many still standing today. One barn we saw was FIVE stories tall. It was huge!

Rock cuts particularly in New Hampshire through the schist and shale.

As US 2 does wind around and go through every town, I cut off on I-89  at Montpelier, to save some time. The views did not cease even then. There was some color starting and in another week or two,  it will be a blaze of color. Some scenes we included here.

Almost forgot that we crossed the Appalachian Trail where the Androscoggin River meets it at the highway.

Anyone for a ski?

Part of downtown St. Johnsbury VT.

The White Mountains are spectacular as we drove through them.

Two of five church spires in St Johnsbury,  VT., St. John the Evangelist (RC) on the right.

Finally   we arrived and got set up in a very large and full campground. Our site was isolated form the main campground so was quiet and inactive. Photo in better light tomorrow. We stopped at Dixfield to mail a package.

Yes there is a Mexico , Maine. See below.

ADDENDUM!

ADDENDUM!


"The land was once part of Holmanstown Plantation, granted by the Massachusetts General Court in 1789 to Colonel Jonathan Holman of Sutton, Massachusetts (now Millbury) and others. In 1803, Dixfield was set off and incorporated. The plantation's remaining portion, which had been first settled by Isaac Gleason, was incorporated on February 13, 1818 as the town of Mexico.The name was inspired by local sympathy for Mexico's 1810–1821 fight for independence from Spain. Then known as Mexico Corner, it developed as a farming community with mills at the streams.In 1894, George W. Ridlon, president of the Rumford Falls Brick Company, founded a settlement in the eastern part of the town called Ridlonville. He erected 30 cottages and The Hotel Ridlon.  Mexico has a population of 2,000.  Because of its low land position, it has been flooded 4 times in the last century."

AND...the town of Rumford has three names , East Rumford , Rumford Point and Rumford, hence...


 "Located in the foothills of the White Mountains, Rumford is the site of Pennacook Falls, called by historian George J. Varney "the grandest cataract in New England," where the Androscoggin River drops 177 feet (54 m) over solid granite. Bands of St. Francis Indians once hunted and fished here, where salmon spawn in the 13-acre (5.3 ha) pool below Upper Falls, a barrier that fish cannot pass. The river is home to a large population of the finless brown variety of trout. Indians also came here to trade furs brought from the lakes region. Sawmills and gristmills were built to harness water power from the falls, although Rumford would remain primarily agricultural during its first 100 years."

See you tomorrow from the laundromat in Milton VT.