09 November 2021
Story #1049
R. Linda:
Last week, it was decided to have some "me time" for Mam. She has been wanting to get out and see New Hampshire. She's seen a good part of it, but she has been homebound since the pandemic. Not entirely; she does get out, but for recreation, not so much.
I had last Wednesday off, so we decided to go to a local historical site that she'd never been to. She got on her hiking boots, tied a sweater around her waist, and was ready to go. We stopped at a Subway, and I bought us subs and two pops for lunch. So off we went, and I will say the day was simply perfect, bluebell sky, colour still on the trees, sun out to its full glory, and we couldn't ask for a better setting.
We arrived at the site called Monson, an early settlement from the 1700s in the town of what is now Milford, N.H., and all are old foundations, trails, fields, woods, and one house that I believe is original. I got the impression you could go inside when it was open (wasn't that day) and view how early settlers lived.
There are two parking lots, one with a lovely view of the mountains and a fire station (by fire station, I don't mean a modern firehouse, but a lookout where the rangers can spot a fire in the forest). Well, see here, but you have to look really close for the fire lookout:
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| This view was from one of the parking lots AFTER we finished our walk |
I know it is a Where's Waldo photo, but it's right in the middle, closest to the first tree on the right (in the middle).
The other lot was not as picturesque across the way, but it had the entrance and was packed with cars. We got up the slight incline, and as we came over the rise, fields were on both sides of the path. I noticed you could ride horses, hike, and cross-country ski, and it costs nothing but being a good Do-Bee and not littering or tearing the place up. And it was neatly kept. There were some young moms with their kiddos down the way by the one house, all eating lunch or, in some cases, kiddos chasing each other around.
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| As you enter |
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| Fields left and right |
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| The house is straight on down |
We walked down and by the moms with their tribes and into the woods, where we saw an occasional hiker or a couple with a dog. Otherwise, we had the place to ourselves.
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| The one building |
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| A couple with a dog way into the woods |
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| Some signage was faded, but you could read it. This one was the site of a man who had 12 kiddos! The site wasn't very large, so one had to think about where to put 12 kids. Most of the foundations were like this one. |
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| Simply beautiful |
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| We did have to make our way through one stream that covered the trail |
We hiked for a long time and decided to have lunch when we returned to the front fields. We knew there was a lake with benches, but we got off that trail and turned ourselves around. The trails are not marked that I could see, but I don't think one could get lost. We found a wooden bench under a pine that whispered the entire time we sat there admiring the view.
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| The long shadows of the day started to appear |
And so we admired the view until some man with his Jack Russell Terrier decided to walk from the one house, down the trail toward the chestnut trees, make a right into the field and then walk directly to where Mam and I were enjoying quiet conversation and lunch. The dog was, of course, interested in what we were eating and stopped right in front of us with his master. No hello, we said that, but the man stood there almost like he expected us to share lunch with the terrier. When we did no such thing, he pulled the dog along (it did not want to go because it smelled FOOD) and decided to take a dump in front of us. Its master just stood there like no big deal. WELL! Mam mumbled under her breath that lunch be over with THAT mess, but it did not phase the man; he just walked off, hungry dog in tow. That was the only negative we had.
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| And so we left a well-travelled trail, but not before we picked up some chestnuts. Mam loves chestnut trees, but we have none, so she is experimenting with planting them next spring |
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| It was a beautiful day and a lovely time |
Gabe
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