NEW HAMPSHIRE

Even in the rain, the White Mountain region of New Hampshire, north and west of Conway, is spectacular. A group of us did a ride around the mountains and National Park area where there are stunning panoramic views and extraordinary rock formations such as The Basin, Indian Head (a rocky outcrop that looks the left profile of an American Indian's face), and Cathedral Ledge. This part of New Hampshire is like most of it, in fact - dense with forest, right to the roads in most places. Mac and Gwyn live in a beautful lodge-type house in the middle of the woods, at the edge of the White Mountain National Forest, and it is not uncommon for them to have moose, bears, deer and raccoons roaming around here freely, in addition to a number of bird species, like owls and large robins. Mac even has a couple of snakes living on the property that he is careful to nurture because, aside from the fact that they are harmless to humans, they keep a lot of insects at bay, and the mozzies around here are big enought and mean enough to have razors where their teeth should be! Because the forest is literally a hundred feet away in every direction from the house, garage and barn, the night noises can be interesting! On a clear night, the stars are so bright that no light is needed to move around outside. Not that you'd go far without a gun anyway. It really is so beautiful here.