Spring Fling 2026: Days 41 - 42 Visiting Friends in New Hampshire

Monday, Jun 8

We got to the small town of Jaffrey, NH shortly after noon after Martha perused the contents of the Yankee Candle Village in South Deerfield, MA.  (I didn't go in, electing instead to repair a broken wire in the tow lights).

I've known Otto B. since the summer of 1981 while we were both ROTC cadets at the University of Miami, FL.  He and the lovely Joanna live in a gorgeous old home that was built in 1864 and which has been refurbished by them.

Tuesday, June 9

Otto guided us in the Honda CR-V to nearby Temple, NH to check out the offerings of Ben's Sugar Shack.  Specializing in New Hampshire Maple Syrup but also quite the foodie destination!

You can check out some of the distilling? machinery used to convert sap to sugary syrup:

Samples of last year's and this year's "crop" of maple syrup:

Maple Syrup and such were procured for eventual comparison to Vermont Maple Syrup.

Next was a short drive to the Miller State Park, New Hampshire's first State Park and what used to be the highest motorable road to the top of Pack Monadnock Mountain. 

It was a short but steep drive up a narrow paved road, the Honda CR-V was working hard.  Still, the top was achieved with no issues.  It was a hazy day so this is the best picture I could get of Mount Monadnock in the distance.

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We climbed to the bottom of the observation shack (it was locked) to look around but the haze made pictures not worthwhile.

We would also spend time perusing the shops and a nice bookstore in Peterborough, NH after a nice lunch at the Irish Pub located there in.  The town is apparently a popular weekend destination for New York City dwellers and according to Otto, highly yuppiefied 

Later, after naps back in Jeffrey, we motored to the town of Keene where Joanna works to say hi and have drinks.  

No dinner, just snacks at two different bars as we were still full from lunch. The second bar had a cool " speakeasy" theme.  You had to pick up the public phone outside and then gain entrance to the "Shoe Store".

The inside was a cozy, nicely decorated bar with a couple of friendly and highly skilled bartenders.  

Photo by Martha 

Photo by Martha

We were all tired and so retired soon after returning to Otto's home in Jaffrey.