The Maple House B&B - A Sweet Memory

We broke down the tents at our New Hampshire campsite and got the camping gear packed up for the drive to the Maple House B&B in Rowe, Massachusetts, as we began our journey back to Pennsylvania. We arrived at the Maple House B&B early in the afternoon. The directions from Rebecca Bradley were great. Becky was there to greet us and give us the grand tour. She then gave us a local trail/tour-guide map and we headed to Pelham Lake only a mile or so from the B&B.

At Pelham Lake my daughters, Danielle, 6 and Samantha, 4, and my wife Amy, age top secret, got to do a little swimming.

The bugs were almost non existent, not as bad as they were in NH. After visiting with our hosts back at the B & B we called it a night. The girls had their own double bed and room and Amy and I had ours too. The third floor rooms were beautiful and immaculate. No air conditioning was needed here since the summer nights were cool and refreshing.

After a great night's sleep we went downstairs and had a nice big breakfast prepared for us by our hosts. After visiting some more we headed about 10 miles east to Shelburne for a tour of the Bridge of Flowers and the Shelburne Falls glacial potholes.

http://www.shelburnefalls.com/

We were there for several hours and the girls burned off lots of energy climbing on the rocks while my wife did some solo shopping in the quaint town of Shelburne.

Afterwards we went to the High Ledges spot which offers a view of the valley below. Only I made the hike to the ledges since Amy and the girls decided that the raspberries were more to their liking and they ate plenty during my absence. When I returned from my one-mile hike around the High Ledges Wildlife Sanctuary the raspberries were all gone!!! Then we headed for Mt. Greylock, the highest point in MA at 3,491' and 20 miles or so west from Rowe.

We made the 8-mile drive up the mountain and then hiked 1/4 mile up to the tower.

Amy and Danielle made the climb up the spiral staircase to the top for a great panoramic view of the valleys below. Afterwards, we went to the trail lodge where the Appalachian Trail cuts across the mountaintop. We had a few snacks there and then made the scenic drive back to the B&B. .

Danielle and Samantha tried to catch two young sheep, but to no avail. They got to pick up and hold some baby chickens and baby turkeys. They got to play with Ginger the dog. I got to lounge on the comfortable hammock. After visiting with the Bradleys some more we called it a night. A few other weekend visitors arrived later in the evening.

After a light breakfast for us due to too much food the day before, we said our good-byes to the Bradley family and headed back to Pennsylvania. Our stay at the Maple House B&B and visits to the surrounding locations were definitely a worthwhile and pleasurable part of our New England vacation, all without the hassles of pitching tents and making camp.

Daniel Leach