New Hampshire Official Travelers Handbook 2009-2010 - (Page 55) By Marty Basch The natural way to see New Hampshire The moose is big. He easily outweighs me by 800 pounds. He is munching in the muck on a salad of leaves and twigs. I hope I’m not bothering the antlered king here in Pittsburg’s “Moose Alley, by the Canadian border. The only thing ” between him and me is lots of air and my pounding heart, which has moved into my head. I’ve seen the “Brake for Moose” signs. Yeah right, I’ve thought. Yet I crest a hill on my bicycle, and there he is dining. Others brake for moose, too, in their comfortable vehicles. Cameras focus on the moose from rolled down windows. Children point, parents exclaim. I amble behind an SUV for protection. The moose finishes, eyes the onlookers and nonchalantly re-enters the forest. Backwoods dinner theater’s over, and my heart returns to its chest. I’m awed by New Hampshire’s natural world. Moose live here. So do deer and black bear. Migratory and nesting birds fly here. Wildflowers and manicured gardens springing with luscious rhododendrons, stately roses and returning perennials are rooted here. In my adopted home of New Hampshire, I am awed by its natural world. Though I must admit, it is sometimes better not to be on a bicycle while spotting moose. That’s where a guided tour to popular northern moose haunts comes in. From mountain towns like Lincoln, Gorham and North A WALK IN THE PARK Delve into the natural world at a state park. Wildflowers and rhododendrons color RHODODENDRON STATE PARK in Fitzwilliam. A gentle ramble there is a botanical education in identifying natural plants. Sunbathing frogs and turtles like murky FUNDY COVE in Pawtuckaway State Park near Manchester. A sharp eye might spot great blue herons, beaver and deer. The state’s coastline teems with wildlife. Gulls and egrets fly overhead at ODIORNE POINT STATE PARK in Rye, while low tide reveals hints of sea life in kelp, mussels and sponge. www.nhstateparks.org Odiorne Point State Park www.visitnh.gov 55 < < http://www.nhstateparks.org http://www.visitnh.gov
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