O Little Town of Bethlehem, how do I love you so

 The goal of today's field trip was to get us north of the rain and it was a success! At 8AM we grabbed coffees and bagel sandwiches at our favorite Farmhouse Roasters in Salem and sailed up 93N.  Our first destination was the Flume Gorge in Franconia Notch State Park.  We made a reservation on the NH State Parks website.  It's super helpful, because you can see the hourly time slots and how many people are on the trail at that time.  Since the foliage hasn't really started yet, there was plenty of availability.  The trail is about 2 miles round trip, and either paved or smooth trail, so no roots to watch out for.  There is a little elevation and stairs to climb, but the pace is leisurely due to your friends on the trail, it's a nice morning walk in the woods.  After our walk we spent some time in the Visitor Center which has some exhibits on the history of the Flume Gorge, and we learned about Concord Coach, very cool!

Next stop: Rek-lis Brewing Company in Bethlehem, which came highly recommended by a fellow trails and ales fan.  We pulled off on our way there to see the Basin, a free stop in the FSP, and noted that there were many trailheads there, good to know for another time.

Rek-lis is on the main street of quirky Bethlehem, well worth the scenic drive.  It has indoor and outdoor seating, has great music (if you're of a certain age), and is dog friendly.  We were both happy with our beer choices and the food.  We meandered up the street after our lunch and found a couple of cool spots.  The Yonder Mountain Nursery was closed, but the garden was open  - I think that just meant we couldn't buy plants that day, but it was worth walking through.

The Lonesome Woods shop was definitely the find of the day!  It was an antique/vintage gift shop with the feel of your grandpa's garage.  The owner/curator was welcoming, chatty, and knowledgeable about the community in Bethlehem and beyond.  Of course when visiting locally owned businesses of this sort, I had to buy a few items including a book with vintage ski photos, a handmade candle (which he was burning in the shop so I had to buy), and some fig jam for my next charcuterie board, or whoever I decide to gift that to.  

Happy Trails!