Ford Von Reyn, Author at Valley News

Above: The view from Mount LeConte, the third-highest peak in Great Smoky Mountains National Park at an elevation of 6,593 feet. Top right: A blanket of crested dwarf iris, one of the more than 1,500 flowering plants that grow in the national park. Bottom right: The trout lily can be found mostly in the Smokies lower elevations.

Hiking in the Smokies for New Englanders

by Ford Von Reyn Special to the Valley NewsMay 15, 2021

For Upper Valley hiking enthusiasts looking to break out on a COVID-19 era adventure, now might be the time to think big. Exploring a designated “national park” along the lines of the Grand Canyon, Glacier, Yellowstone or maybe Grand Teton could be…

The former train station at Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec is one of many repurposed stations along the route of the P'tit Train du Nord "linear park," a rail trail open for biking in the warmer months and skiing in the winter. (Courtesy Ford von Reyn)

Tous à board: Cycling along Quebec’s P’tit Train du Nord

by Ford Von Reyn For the Valley NewsNovember 13, 2019

A traditional Finnish pastry, korvapuusti, which translates to "slapped ear." (Sandra Lamppu photograph)

A Look at What Makes Finland the World’s Happiest Country

by Ford Von Reyn For the Valley NewsJanuary 18, 2019