Monday, January 19, 2009

Familiar territory

Today Jack and I enjoyed a local snowmobile ride....one we have done many, many times and we never tire of it. We trailered to a dairy farm in Westmoreland, Windyhurst Farm, where we began the ride. It is without a doubt one of the prettiest farms in the state and has earned the NH Farm of Distinction award. Windyhurst Farm is a working dairy farm, milking holsteins. Owned for many generations by the Adams, they also operate the best pancake house around, Stuart and John's. Starting February 15th the pancakes are once again on the griddle along with unbelieveable waffles, french toast and Grampy's homemade donuts. Stuart Adams and John Matthews started the business as teenagers and it is now a thriving business. They have a large maple syrup business and so as you can imagine the pancake house serves all that great food smothered in pure NH made maple syrup. Oh my it is the best!

So we took off from Windyhurst and wound our way around Westmoreland and up into Walpole across some of the prettiest farmland the state offers. This is a view of Derry Hill in Walpole. We stopped on top of a huge field to take in the view and way down below the County Road winds through the fields. An old pickup drove along the road and from so far away gave a big toot on the horn to say hello as we waved back. Nice.

Winding down from these high field we came to the Graves Farm in Walpole. Also a working dairy farm, milking holsteins and raising some beef cows also. To the right and out of view was another group of cows around a feed bunk and there was a huge flock of wild turkeys with them, eating the left over feed the cows didn't eat. Tranquil.

And yet another field just off from the Graves Farm. Beautiful. I can also visualize a summer day, the grass so green and a breeze out of the Southwest, cows grazing and bees buzzing.

We continued down to the railroad bed and rode up to Diamond Pizza in Walpole for a refresher. It was a busy day there...the place was packed with snowmobilers enjoying the day on trail.

Heading home we traveled along a huge corn field owned by the Malnati Farm in Walpole, also a working dairy milking holsteins, and another NH Farm of Distinction...just beautiful.

The trails travel through field after field after field....this is the Chickering horse farm in Walpole....as I stopped to take the picture, the horses were all so frisky. Was it my presence or were they having some fun themselves?

And finally we arrived back at Windyhurst Farm....such a pretty spot.
We felt so fortunate to live in such a beautiful town and area, still steeped in farming and the lifestyle it offers.

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:12 AM

    ...Thanks for the travelogue ... makes me want to "hit the road" :^) ~ m

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  2. Thanks for the visual tour - looks like an absolutely gorgeous set of vistas!

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  3. Anonymous5:35 PM

    that hill isn't Derry Hill, but you're close. That particular hill lies between County Rd. and Watkins Hill. Derry Hill is just to the northeast of there. I should know, I'm all over those hills nearly every day...on snowshoes. It's beautiful. There are some awesome falls nearby as well.

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  4. I stand corrected! I'll never argue with Mary! (<:

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