This is a Family Supplement to our history series, so if you history buffs want to skip, feel free. Unless, by now, you actually feel like a member of the family, in which case, read on!

While connecting with family and old friends (who are for all intents and purposes, family), we put our full day and a half to good use.

We started with a self-guided tour of the Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves in Woodstock New Hampshire. The Lost River gets its name by getting lost, literally. It disappears underground for a while and re-emerges into Lost River Gorge, a natural feature in the White Mountains that was shaped over millions of years by erosion, then dramatically carved by glaciers during the Ice Age. Its first documented exploration was in 1852, when the Jackman brothers reportedly discovered the caves after one brother fell into what became known as Shadow Cave. In the early 1900s, logging threatened the area, so the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests bought Lost River in 1912 to preserve it. Over time a series of boardwalks has been constructed (and frequently re-constructed) to allow safe access to the gorge bottom and 11 caves created out of the boulders that fell from collapsed canyon walls. A ¾ mile long boardwalk path descends and climbs 1,000 steps in all for a beautiful, cool and fun family activity.

At the end of our boardwalk tour there is a photo spot, a gigantic eagles nest constructed out of saplings. We couldn’t resist, of course.

We spent the next day visiting two close-by covered bridges. The covered bridge is a New England fixture. Why covered? We asked the same question and got an answer. The cover over the bridge protects the structure and planking from rapid erosion due to weather. The superstructure and planking are the most difficult and expensive parts to build and would deteriorate in just a few years of harsh winter weather if unprotected. So an “expendable” cover, frequently with siding, is built to protect the expensive part as the roof and siding are easily replaced.

What is truly amazing is the construction of the bridge itself. No nails or screws in the original structure, just wooden pegs and interlocking structural components. Of course, lots of additional work has been done to preserve and renovate them using more modern materials, but the original stuff, mostly 100+ years old, is in pretty darn good shape!

Our bridge tour ended up in downtown Brattleboro and we took a walk through the historic district. There, as one would expect, are a lot of stone buildings, mostly churches, which look to have stood the test of time quite well.

We also found the usual main street stuff with restaurants and gift shops, and even this establishment directly across the street from a tattoo parlor.

This is likely our best use of 36 hours for the whole trip, and we’re pretty sure more trips with these folk will result.

Onward!

Tippy agrees.