Vermont and New Hampshire

We made a one night stop in Dorset, Vermont on September 5th on our way to New Hampshire for a visit with my aunt and cousin. Both states are very pretty with lots of trees along the drive and mountains not far off in the distance. We drove through a lot of small towns; it was fun to look at the historic homes and buildings. The towns were mostly settled in the 1700’s and the 1760’s in particular seemed to be a busy time. After we got settled at the RV park we went into the town of Manchester, VT to explore; it’s a popular town with a good number of store outlets and eateries. We walked around for a bit then stopped at the restaurant Union Underground to enjoy an appetizer and drink on the patio. From there we walked down to the Battenkill Riverwalk and learned a little about the history. The next day we drove to Dorset, NH which is about 50 minutes from my Aunt Roberta, who lives in Amherst. The next morning we went out for breakfast then toured Franklin Pierce’s homestead. The tour was as much about his father as it was Franklin as his dad who built the home and went from poor to rich by investing in businesses and running a tavern before entering politics. Franklin lived in the house from infancy until marriage. I learned that Franklin began the Christmas tree tradition in the White House, and he did not have a Vice President - one was elected but died of TB within a few weeks of inauguration; the Whig party knew he would not last long and that was the reason they nominated him as they didn’t think a VP was needed. I found that very interesting given all the current hype on Biden’s and Trump’s health (which is for mental rather than physical decline, but nevertheless interesting.)
Roberta, my cousin Ted, and his wife Mary came over later to visit and check out the RV. On Monday we drove to the town of Henniker on Ted’s recommendation. The town’s claim to fame is they are the only town named Henniker in the world! (Of course I had to look up who Henniker was, he was a merchant.) We visited the Henniker Brewing Co. on the outskirts of town then popped into a pub in town which has a “Cheers” vibe - definitely a local hangout!
On Tuesday, September 9, we visited Roberta in Amherst and had a wonderful day together with lunch at The Brickhouse in Milford, MH, a bit of golf (she is the BEST instructor!) and a visit to Ted’s house as he graciously offered to clean off the sap on our car from a previous campsite! 🥰もっと詳しく