October 23, 2017 – WANDERLUST FAMILY ADVENTURE

Quechee Gorge – Vermont

October 23, 2017 Joseph Candora Attractions, Destinations, Hiking, New England, North America, Rivers, United States, Vermont

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Quechee Gorge in Vermont is a steep cut river right of the highway going from New Hampshire towards the Killington/Rutland area. Calling it “Vermont’s Little Grand Canyon” is a bit much but it is worth a stop for an hour or two. There is a snack bar adjacent to the parking area and the crowds can be daunting during peak summer months. Look for the vendor selling grilled sweet corn if he is there. The walk down the gorge is gently sloped and not difficult but the best views are from the bridge the highway is going over.

The nearby Quechee Gorge Village has an antique shop, a gift shop and a convenient place to purchase Vermont products like maple syrup and cheese.
Stop and take a few pictures on your way to Killington or points west or stay in one of the great little B & Bs in the area, you may be lucky enough to try prize winning pumpkin muffins like we did.

Fall Foliage Road Trip (New Hampshire) 2017

October 23, 2017 Joseph Candora Attractions, Covered Bridges, New England, New Hampshire, North America, Road Trips, Scenic Drives, United States

It was a little late in the year but we decided to take a leaf peeping road trip the weekend of October 21, 2017. We had heard that it was past peak season in the White Mountains so we headed for the New Hampshire Lakes District. We made our way to Weirs Beach on Lake Winnipesaukee. I felt the colors were slightly before peak as there was still a lot of green but there was definitely some nice patches.

Endicott Rock Park offered some nice shots as well.

We continued along the lake shore past the Mount Major trail head. Although we did not do the trail this year this is one of the best places to take in the fall scenery. The 2-4 hour moderate hike offers spectacular views in all seasons but most especially during peak foliage. The trail head was packed with cars lining both sides of the road on this beautiful autumn afternoon without a cloud in the sky.

There is a corn maze and working farm with tractor rides and demonstrations right of the highway. A bit crowded on the weekend but still fun with some nice scenery of the farm and surrounding hills.

Alton Bay needed another week to be the best.

It was quite late but we decided to check out the Kancamagus Highway to see if there was any remnants of foliage left. As we ascended the mountains most of the leaves at higher elevation were well past peak. There was some color left in the valleys and on south facing slopes but it was not the best. We pushed on hoping that the Albany Covered Bridge at the end of the highway would still have some color. We were richly rewarded as the colors around the bridge were still peak.

German Pewter Collection

October 23, 2017 Joseph Candora Europe, Germany

Pewter is an allot of tin (85% – 99%) and several other metals. It was first used extensively by the Egyptians and the Romans but came into frequent use during the middle ages. There is a thriving European pewter industry mostly dealing with the tourist industry. I started collecting pewter pieces while in Germany as a quaint keepsake that hark-backs to a Medieval past. They certainly are not authentic pieces by any stretch but are an interesting nick-knack.

Taste Test Ruffles vs. Wavy Lays

October 23, 2017 Joseph Candora Reviews, Taste Test, TIPS

Growing up if you wanted a potato chip suitable for dipping for a party you would get Ruffles. These ridged chips were more robust and held up well to dips. About twenty years ago a “competitor” came on the market Wavy Lays. Surprisingly enough both chips are made by the same company Frito-Lays! Why then are there two ridged dipping chips manufactured by the same company and are there any real differences? To satisfy my curiosity I decided to do a taste test on both varieties.

The chip on the left is a Ruffle and the one pictured right is a Wavy Lays. As you can see the Wavy Lays has deeper ridges and the chips appear to be thicker than the Ruffles. I anticipated the Wavy Lays to be more robust and less fragile than the Ruffles but I did not find this to be the case. There was roughly the same amount of broken chips in each bag and both chips held up well to firm onion dip without breaking. The Wavy Lays whole chips do seem to be larger and have a bigger crunch than the Ruffles. There is also a noticeable difference in flavor with the Wavy Lays having a deeper potato flavor than their counterpart. In summary both chips are suitable for your party and personal preference may dictate on or the other, for my tastes that would be the Wavy Lays but either chip would be acceptable.

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30	31