Day 4: Mt Moosilauke Highway - Kancamagus Highway - White Mountain National Forest - Settlers Green Outlet Village in North Conway - Bangor

Wow, today was a beeeaaautiful autumn day, as you can see in the pictures. After eleven hours of sleep (I was exhausted from yesterday!! Applause to all professional drivers, driving is really exhausting), I left at 7:45 am. It was foggy at first, but after about ten minutes I was above the fog line and it was soooo sunny! (By the way, yesterday's rain was the third rainy day for me in 3 months, unimaginable in Switzerland!)

I enjoyed driving on the 'Scenic Highways' that the internet recommended. I saw many hikers, the area is also a ski and cross-country skiing area in winter (White Mountains). On the way, there was a tax-free outlet where I bought a top at Banana Republic😜 (haha, Banana Republic) and almost the same hiking shoes that I previously had. They were really a bargain for $109. There was also a great store for kitchen utensils (I always find something there!🙈), where I found the funny ice cube tray (I only have about 4 😋) and the 2 spatulas or spoons for a total of $5. (By the way, writing this blog has improved my vocabulary, I'm always about to write 'ice cube thingy' or 'pan thingy' and then I google these words 😂 German is such a great language. So diverse!)

Next to the outlet, there were various fast-food restaurants, and that was finally a good opportunity for my first Taco Bell visit. It was deeeeelicious! They have all sorts of tacos and burritos, and I chose the Quesarito, a burrito with loooots of cheese. And for dessert, cinnamon balls with filling 😍

The drive from the outlet to the hotel took about 3 hours. I had to refuel for the second time since the 'start of the tour' - for those who are interested: I always paid about $40 for a full tank, which is much less than what I usually spend on refueling at home! Although I have no idea how many liters that was exactly, they calculate it in gallons here. One gallon costs about $2.65. But I think the tank of this car is about the same size as the one in my car.

Next to the gas station - oh surprise - there was a Tim Hortons!!! What joy. The state of Maine is right on the Canadian border, so this chain probably exists here... but there were hardly any people inside 😋In the last two days, some things reminded me of Canada again: maple syrup and warnings about moose or signs about bears ☺️

Something else that caught my attention on the trip: Many farms with displayed pumpkins and scarecrows (typical America!) and pretty little churches in the villages. And I drove past some amusing towns again: Paris, Belgrade, Lisbon, Sydney...😃

The accommodation was superbly located, right at a highway exit. I took advantage of the fact that I wasn't tired yet to pack my two suitcases and sort the receipts... Yes, that also has to be done. By the way, I remembered today that yesterday I didn't write down a funny story because I was so tired, I had another encounter with the police yesterday! But don't worry, everything is fine. Suddenly, a police car in front of me started flashing all its lights on the interstate. With my last police encounter from July still vivid in my mind, I thought, 'Oh no, I have to stop!' The car drove into one of the turnouts where only police and other special vehicles were allowed to make a U-turn (after all, we were driving 100 mph!). So I also drove in there. I obediently rolled down the window, the officer approached me: 'Hello Miss, what are you doing? Why are you making a U-turn?' I explained to him that I'm not from here and I thought that when a police car turns on its lights, I should stop. He then explained: Noooo, only if the car is behind you! He was just signaling that he was turning. 😂😂 Haha, typical me!🙈 Suspicious when someone is so overly cautious 😇 But at least the police officer was nice, in fact, I always meet such nice people, like friendly salespeople or other staff, who always politely call me 'Miss' or 'Ma'am'. ☺️ Not like in Switzerland where they always say 'MISSSSS'!! 😂😂