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Hanover, New Hampshire, was just across the Connecticut river, which separates the two states. We had two things we wanted to see while there: Dartmouth College, and Bill Bryson; this was Bryson's home town. If you don't know who Bryson is by now, I simply can't help you. Sadly, we failed to encounter Mr. Bryson wandering the streets in search of loyal fans, but we did purchase yet another of his books, this time "The Lost Continent", which appears to be his search for "the perfect US town"; he chose Hanover as his home, and we think there is a connection there. "The Lost Continent" makes our fourth Bryson work. Mostly we read them aloud in the evenings while everyone is in bed. They are all insightful, wonderfully written, and utterly hilarious. While wandering about Dartmouth, we discovered a tour being conducted for incoming freshmen. After inquiring if we could join and being told that we could, we got a nice concise one hour tour of campus, led by an upperclassman. We were quite impressed with the school; it had a nice feel, and strove to create well-rounded people from its students. Dartmouth is a very exclusive liberal arts college, letting in only 1/10 of its applicants each year. It is also very expensive, at about $35,000 per year for tuition, books, room and board. Quite a lot of emphasis is placed on physical fitness. Most undergrads also study abroad for a time. Their is ample housing available for all students, and very flexible meal plan options. Joya was fairly non-committal, but did express concern with the 6 months of cold and snow that constitutes a New Hampshire winter. Here is a picture of the Dartmouth 'green', which in Winter must seem and odd name for this space.
Almost exactly from where the above picture was taken, we found the plaque below embedded in the sidewalk -- we were back again on the Appalachian Trail, which goes right through downtown Hanover (and apparently Bill Bryson's backyard, a bit further on).
The Dartmouth Canoe Club rented canoes by the hour, and it being a hot day, this sounded great, so we donned our bathing suits and walked down to the river. We opted for 2 boats, selected our paddle mates, and headed into the wind. Jody and Joya started off together, with Jody in the rear, but this was proving difficult, so we switched partners, with Joya steering her boat, and I steering Jody and mine. This was a more harmonious combination. We made good time, and had one.
While we stopped for lunch at a little sandy area, the girls tried to paddle the canoes by themselves for a bit, but after Joya almost got sucked by the wind out of the little bay they were safely paddling in, they both wisely gave it up.
Jody and I eating lunch after a swim.
When we were walking down to the canoe rental we had seen two collage boys coming out of the water, and they said that the water was nice, and that they had just jumped off of the bridge! So, of course, Joya wanted to also. In fact, she did jump -- twice! She caused quite a bit of grief for her mother -- and some for her normally unflappable father. Jody took these pics, while I stayed in the water to make sure she came up.
The drop was a good 30 to 40 feet -- quite a fall.
As we paddled back, the girls were clearly plotting to splash the parents, so Jody and I took evasive action. A bit too evasive, I am afraid: while we were both frantically paddling -- foolishly, on the same side of the canoe -- I managed to lean out too far, and in slow motion, in full view of the girls, Jody and I dumped ourselves out of the canoe. They thought it was the funniest thing they had ever seen. I had a tense moment as I rescued the camera, which was still strapped to my waist. We were lucky -- it sustained no damage, as I had wrapped it in a plastic bag. Luckier still, the canoe took on almost no water, so all we had to do was get back in. If you have ever gotten into a canoe that is sitting right next to a nice, still dock, you can appreciate that it can be tricky. Getting in while you are thrashing about in the middle of a large river is indeed challenging. We managed it, with one of us on either side of the boat. Watching this process was almost as amusing for the girls as was watching us fall out in the first place. Well, laughter is supposed to be good for the body; we clearly take good care of our girls. August 3 - Quechee and Shakers
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