For
our first excursion we drove into Campton for lunch then south towards
Plymouth, the largest town in the area with a university college and
larger shops, then we continued west to Rumney, a spread out town of
white clapboard houses, one of which was a home of Mary Baker Eddy,
founder of the Christian Science sect, now a small museum. We headed
for
Stinson Lake but it was mostly surrounded by private houses so
we took the dirt road through the woods passing a small waterfall and
on to
Ellsworth where there was a traditional white wooden church and school
house, then back to the
condo.
Ellsworth church
The next day was bright and sunny but rather cold with snow on the
hilltops. We set off to Lincoln and the excellent visitor centre for
the White Mountains National Forest. Armed with leaflets and a $5 one
week parking permit we drove past the many holiday residences
by the popular skiing area of Loon Mountain and joined the famous
Kancamagus (locally called the Kanc) Highway, a picturesque 34 mile
road which climbs to over 3000 feet through
wooded hills to Conway. The road is now a good two lane surface with
easy bends and
gradients and with many stopping places and overlooks. It is
best
to get the free map as some of the turnouts aren't well
signposted
in advance. This is one of the main tourist trips in New Hampshire with
many cars and coaches. After admiring the view from the Pemigewasset
Overlook across to the snow capped hills we pulled in for a
short
walk up to the Sabbaday Falls. The information boards told us they were
one of the first tourist attractions dating back to the 19th
century. After a further stop to look at the Rocky Gorge Falls
and tranquil Falls Pond we reached the end of the highway at
Conway where we stopped at the Swift River covered bridge. Rather than
the long drive north to Crawford Notch and Mount Washington
we retraced our route along the Kanc.
Swift River covered bridge near Conway
The Saturday started sunny but very cold as we drove up to Franconia
Notch State Park and took a ride on the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway
(cable car) up to 4100 ft to be greeted by snow and -4C. After a quick
venture outside to admire the extensive views across to Mount
Washington, at 6288ft the highest point in New Hampshire, we returned
to
the base station and a tour around the interesting ski museum. After
lunch we drove on a winding circuit on back
roads, thanks to our Garmin sat nav, to arrive at the town of Lisbon
and
on to Bath where the Brick Store, the USA's oldest continuously open
general
store was located. This is a popular tourist stop with a mix of
homemade fudge, maple syrup and gift items for sale alongside clothing
and
everyday provisions. Adjacent was the At the Hop ice cream
parlour with an amazing interior covered with pop records and posters,
signed photos and other memorabilia. On the way back from Bath we came
across a Redstone missile on the green at Warren, anoher small town of
white clapboard buildings. It was bought as Army
surplus and transported to the town by a retired army officer in
1971.
More
grey skies the next morning so rather than elusive mountain
views
we drove to Lake Winnipesaukee, the largest lake in New Hampshire. It is
mostly surrounded by private land but there is public access at
Wolfeboro, the largest town on the lake. We were able to take the last
trip of the season on the Winnipesaukee Belle, a small replica paddle
steamer. Although by now the rain had set in we enjoyed
the cruise
passing many exclusive residences including the grand summer house of
Mitt Romney (the losing Republican Presidential candidate in the 2012
election) and some of the picturesque islands. Despite its vast size of
21 by 9 miles the lake freezes in winter usually from December to April.
The Winnipesaukee Belle
Wolfeboro
After
lunch and a walk around the pleasant town centre with an interesting
statue in the gardens we visited the
fascinating Wright Museum of American Life during World War 2.
There
were several room settings depicting life in the 1940's and
many posters, displays of items from homes and schools and a timeline explaining the increasing
involvement
of the USA in the war effort - certainly a different take on events
compared to similar museums in Britain. They also have an impressive collection
of military vehicles many in full working order. Driving back
to Campton we passed many Halloween displays of pumpkins, witches and ghosts.