New Hampshire

Today was another busy day!

Our show yesterday was in Vermont.  Ever been there?  We didn't really have time yesterday to see very much.  Today, however, we drove across the entire state.  They call it "The Green Mountain State", and I now understand why.  I've never seen mountains so densely filled with trees:

Look closely.  In the rare spots where you can see the edges of a growth of trees, you can see that they're so close together that it's almost dark inside.  Isn't that amazing?  Truly, one of the greatest blessings on this tour is that we get to see so many incredible places.

We made it to New Hampshire relatively quickly.  I like these Eastern states- easy to drive across!  Everything was going just fine until we drove alongside a construction zone.  Suddenly, there was a loud WHUMP from the trailer followed quickly by another WHUMP.  I looked back and saw the metal fender, which is normally secured over the wheels, and it was flopping around free in the wind.  we pulled over to find the fender almost completely ripped free from the trailer and the fender light torn off and gone.  Turns out that a couple of construction cones somehow flew up and got lodged between the wheels and fender, and at that speed, it was enough to do some damage.

Thankfully, I was able to "band-aid" it on the side of the highway.  I used some self-drilling screws and it's held so far today, but the plan is to fix it correctly tomorrow and replace the missing light assembly.  We only have about an hour to drive so it shouldn't be an issue.

The show today was outdoors in beautiful downtown Concord, New Hampshire.  Outdoor shows can be a challenge but we've done quite a few for the Cincinnati Zoo over the years.  The crowd was lots of fun!

After the show, we got to go somewhere that Cincinnati has been missing for almost 20 years.  Remember Friendly's?

Paula and I both grew up eating at Friendly's.  Our kids have only had it when we're out on the road somewhere, so over the years, we've made sure to seek it out whenever we're in a state where Friendly's still lives on.  If you've never been there, they are famous for their ice cream.  It's truly some of the best you'll ever have!

As a side note, I'm writing this from our hotel in Concord, New Hampshire.  I just googled my name and I'm shocked at how many of these venues have listed our information online!  Click here for a newspaper story that a reporter did for our New York appearance, and click here for a radio ad that they're running for our upcoming show in Tennessee.  Lots out there!

So, tomorrow, it's Springvale, Maine.  We're excited about going over to the East coast, having just recently been in the West.  Atlantic Ocean, here we come!