STAR GAZING...Lu Lei convinced me to venture out of our comfortable hotel room to see if we can catch a glimpse of the MilkyWay. He was sure that I will be able to see it for the first time in my life because it was a very clear night. However, we had to find a place dark enough without any street lamps nearby. We decided to go back up to Trapp Hill lodge to try our luck.

It was an amazing sight to behold! I was staring up at the sky for so long that I had a crick in neck! Believe it or not...I actually caught sight of 2 SHOOTING STARS!! You can imagine my excitement! They lasted for less than a second so after catching the first one, I spent the next 1/2hr scanning the large expanse of the black sky trying to catch sight of anything that moved (that should not....airplanes are not counted!). We also managed to see at least 4 satellite movements, they looked like stars, only difference is that they made slow but steady movements across the sky.

Check out some of these photos that Lu Lei used his camera with some special feature (30 second open shutter) to capture the stars and even the milkway.

Covered Bridge of Stowe

Trapp Family Lodge on Trapp hill road

me and the Cows....

VERMONT is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The only New England state with no coastline along the Atlantic Ocean, it is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north.

We decided to celebrate our 1st year anniversary in the state that is also known for its Green mountains. We chose Stowe Village as the place to stay and explore over the 2 days that we were in Vermont. It is is a major four season destination resort of Vermont and it is here that Maria Von Trapp (more popularly known as Maria in "The Sound of Music") and the Trapp family made their home at a farm in Stowe, Vermont, where they founded a music camp.

Distance : 202miles Time: about 3hrs 31mins

It's been a wonderful year...
“I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today.” - William Allen White

Lonesome Lake Trail was the 2nd hike that we took on in the afternoon. It is apparently a very popular hiking destination of New Hampshire. We saw for ourselves why that is...

After a very long, steep and muscle-aching climb, we finally found Lonesome Lake..and boy was it worth it!! We were greeted by a peaceful and tranquil setting. Waters were so still that it clearly reflects the mountains behind.

Franconia Notch State Park, located in the heart of the popular White Mountain National Forest. Franconia Notch is a spectacular mountain pass traversed by a unique parkway which extends from the Flume Gorge at the south to Echo Lake at the north.

We decided to give hiking a try by taking on a seemingly easy trail. We packed our backpacks with a jacket (which came in very handy coz it got quite cool in some parts of the forests and extremely windy and cold at the peaks), bottles of water, a bag of pistachio nuts and a muffin...I needed some sustenance through the physically challenging trails.

We went on the Bald mountain and Artists Bluff trail. Bald Mountain is a small peak at the head of Franconia Notch that offers extensive views. Artists Bluff is a ledge about halfway down the end of the ridge that offers views through Franconia Notch.

This is the kind of terrain have to walk through. Many parts of the hike are very steep and rocky with narrow paths that are very close to the edge.

From the top of Artists Bluff at 2020 feet!! Its a view of Echo Lake at the foot of Cannon Mountain. The winds were very very strong, we had to be careful to not go too near the cliff edge coz with the strong winds, we could easily be blown off the edge!!

This is the wall we had to literally climb on hands and feet to get to the top of Artists Bluff! After going up and getting down fm this wall (the getting down was really hard!) I realised that I am NO rock climber!!

TOP OF THE WORLD! not quite...just top of Bald Mountain with elevation of 2340ft. The winds up there was incredible, check out our unsteady stance. I could only hold that "outstretched arm" position for a few seconds just enough to take the shot, then I had to get down.

- notice the ski slopes behind us on Cannon Mountain.

Lu Lei and his Moose friend...and me...

Have you ever seen trees grow on rocks?

As the soil in the ground is too thin, these trees in Flume Gorge fight to survive by growing on rocks and boulders and having their roots extend over and around them until they reach the nourishing soil. Some of the trees actually look like they are hugging the boulders with their roots that look like tentacles.

Water Cascades at Flume Gorge