Ice Castles of North Woodstock, NH

Pam and I headed up north to see the Ice Castles in North Woodstock, NH.  We made reservations several weeks prior.  As we arrived, we saw people without tickets being turned away as it was sold out.

There were lots of people walking through the maze of ice formations.  There was a slide we didn’t go down as we didn’t bring snow pants or a change of clothes.

We had fun walking through the castle.  I took several pictures.

There were ice cycles everywhere.  It reminded me of stalactites I would see in the caves growing up out west.  I went through a tunnel and took this picture looking straight up at the ice cycles.

 
It is a pretty area with mountains nearby.

There was also a short trail going through the woods.  At night the whole place is lit up.  We decided not to stay until dark.

Once we left, we decided to eat at the Woodstock Inn Brewery.  It was quite busy but had several dining areas so we didn’t have to wait long.  Big menu.

I ordered the Pastrami Ruebenski with onion rings.  Pam got the Shroom Express and sweet potato fries.  Both were excellent.  I would get the same thing again.  Turns out they are known for their onion rings and their fries.  Pam said the sweet potato fries were the best she has ever had … no idea what their secret is.

We walked through town through some of the shops. 

Instead of taking the highway home, we decided to take Old Rt 3 home.  It was fun driving the winding roads through small towns.

It was a fun day trip ...

“Miracle of Christmas” at Sight & Sound along with some Barns

We bought tickets to see “Miracle of Christmas” at Sight & Sound in Lancaster, PA.

We headed to CT on Thursday night.  Friday morning, we were on our way to Lancaster (Amish Country).  Not a lot of traffic so it was an easy drive.

We spent Friday afternoon sightseeing, and I took some pictures.  We enjoyed the hotel which was only 20 minutes from the Sight & Sound Theater.

The Miracle of Christmas play was excellent.  Live animals, great acting, beautiful sets.  We will definitely check out other plays in the future.

 

I was up early Saturday morning to take barn pictures and I saw the sun come up.  I had a hard time finding a red barn.  I noticed that 99% of the structures on the farms in the area were white.  White barns, white sheds, white houses, white corn cribs, white outbuildings … Most were in great shape and were all working farms.   It was very different from the farms I had taken pictures of in New England.

We had tickets for the 11:00AM show.  After the show, we had lunch and explored, shopped, and visited a couple covered bridges.  I found 3 covered bridges but only took pics of 2 as the 3rd wasn’t very photogenic with cars all around.

Sunday morning, we were up and on our way home by 8:00AM.  We had a great time and will visit the area again.

Click on pictures to enlarge.

Quick trip to Trenton/Bar Harbor, ME

We have been vacationing in Kennebunkport for 30+ years.  Pam’s folks have also spent a week in Trenton, ME for 10+ years.  Pam and I headed North to Trenton on Thursday to meet them for a long weekend.

The cabin they had been renting was right on an ocean inlet. Cottage … grass … rocks … ocean.  It was a great location.  So peaceful and quiet.  The cabin slept 6 so we had plenty of room.

We were 20 minutes or so from Bar Harbor.  Once we were settled the 4 of us headed to Bar Harbor.  Bar Harbor is in Acadia National Park so I didn’t fly my drone there.  OH ... and I did see a barn ...

It is a nice quaint town with lots of shops and restaurants.  It has a walking path right along the ocean.  We saw a cruise ship in the harbor so must be a destination getaway.  The flowers were out so I couldn’t resist. 

It was interesting watching the fog roll in and then disappear.  It would roll right over the rocky islands.  The lobster boats and sailboats in the harbor would disappear, and then reappear.  Fog can make for some interesting pictures.

As we headed home we took the coast route and stopped in Camden, Maine for lunch.  Another quaint town that would be fun to explore if we had more time. 

We stayed in Rockland, ME Saturday night.  The weather forecast was rain which messed up my picture plans for the morning.  To my surprise when I woke up it wasn't raining so headed out the door in record time to see the sun come up and take lighthouse pictures. 

I was fascinated by how salt water, waves crashing, wind, temperature, and rain weathered these rocks to create patterns.

Below are the lighthouses we visited over the weekend.  There were more but we ran out of time.  An excuse for another adventure.

Bass Harbor Head Light

Curtis Island Light

Indian Island Light

Marshall Point Light

Owls Head Light

Pemaquid Point Light

Rockland Breakwater Light

Whitehead Island Light

We had a great time and am looking forward to exploring more of Maine North of Portland.

Click on pictures to enlarge.