Day 4- "The Rocks"

A month before my parents arrived I received my Family Fun Mag. in the mail. It had a article about "the Rocks" and maple sugaring. And the best part...it was in New Hampshire. I couldn't believe when I read the only maple sugaring tours would be in March and we would get to take my Mom and Dad to one of them.

The drive was beautiful and "the Rocks" was a charming place with old barns and lots of history. In December you can go and buy a Christmas tree there and they hold other events throughout the year. The weather was great, just a little mud. But as we learned "mud season is great for maple sugaring."
We started the tour with a horse drawn carriage, then we learned all the in's and out's of modern maple sugaring. We then watched a great video about the history of maple sugaring, then learned how to identify a sugar maple tree. The next part was interactive...tapping a tree. I got to hang the bucket up and each of the kids got to turn the drill (they use a regular drill for the real work). The best part was the treat at the end. Homemade donuts and waffles dipped in maple syrup, followed up with Sour Pickles to balance out the sweetness. Grandpa and Elliot think drinking the syrup is much better than dipping.