New Hampshire, Another “Notch” on the Map
07/21/2024 – 07/28/2024
After bidding farewell to the Green Mountains of Vermont we travelled two short hours and were greeted by the White Mountains of New Hampshire and another notch on our travel map. We have now been in 41 states (and a few of those states more than once) since we started this crazy adventure 3 years ago! Can you believe it’s been 3 years already?
What’s Been Your Favorite Place?
The one question we are most often asked is, “What is the best place you’ve been to?” and that is really hard to answer because there are so many. And… we’ve actually forgotten about some of the places we’ve seen. Thank goodness I can go back and read about them. 😉
Here are our top 10 and a few pics of each: Page AZ, Monument Valley AZ/UT, Moab UT, The Upper Peninsula of Michigan, The Black Hills of SD, Glacier National Park, The Adirondacks, The Grand Tetons WY, Itasca MN and Savannah GA
Moose?
I hear there are a lot of moose in New Hampshire and there are signs everywhere to brake for them. Bill even informed me he had a really good feeling and we were going to see at least three. Every night around dusk we would hop in the truck and go scouting. We drove the back roads, we drove on some forestry roads, we drove near rivers and creeks and we looked for swampy bogs. We literally drove from one side of the state to the other looking for moose. Nothing, nada, zilch! The only moose we saw were in gift shops, on postcards and statues in a park. We did, however, see a couple of foxes and a bear! I was very happy with the bear sighting!
Crawford Notch
Our first outing of the week was a ride over to Conway NH via Crawford Notch through the heart of the White Mountains. Crawford Notch was discovered in 1771 by a hunter in Lancaster who was tracking a moose over Cherry Mountain. That must have been some moose he was tracking because Cherry Mountain is over 20 miles away from Lancaster. By today’s travel means, that’s not far but in 1771, I imagine that’s a few days journey.
While tracking that moose, the hunter noticed the notch and saw it as a way to travel through the mountains. He continued on to Portsmouth, where he told the governor of his discovery. The governor told him if he could get a horse through from Lancaster, he would grant him a large parcel of land at the head of the notch. In return Nash would build a road through the notch. The deal with the governor was kept and a very narrow road, not much bigger than a trail, was opened in 1775.
Mount Washington
The ride was very scenic, first we passed by the Presidential Range with Mount Washington standing out proudly. At 6,288’, it is the highest peak in the northeastern US and known for its erratic weather. Windspeeds of over 230 mph have been recorded at its summit. All week the mountains have been covered by clouds. Today we were lucky and the peak peeked out for just a minute.
Located just east of the mountains is the beautiful Mount Washington Hotel. This grand hotel was completed in 1902. At that time it was the largest and most modern hotel in the White Mountains. Fifty-seven trains A DAY brought guests to this luxurious hotel. I told Bill I have a new travel idea for us. Once we finish traveling around in our coach, we can visit and stay at all of America’s grand hotels and lodges. Sounds fun, right? I need to start making my list…
The Notch
We continued on Route 302 and made it over the notch and the views on the other side were fabulous! As we made our way down the notch, I noticed a waterfall right on the side of the road. On our way home we stopped at the pull-out and walked over to the cascade. Very pretty.
A Day on “The Kanc”
Our free day this week was dedicated to driving the Kancamagus Scenic Byway aka “The Kanc”. First let’s start with the pronunciation it’s “kan-ka-MAW-gus”. This scenic drive is 34-miles long and connects Conway on the eastern side of the state to Lincoln on the western side of the state and follows the Swift River most of the way.
After a nice breakfast of pancakes and real Vermont maple syrup, we head out. The plan is to take VT-16 out of Gorham south to Conway, a scenic drive along the east side of the Presidential range. We’re driving along, I’m scouting for critters and I look up and see the Maine State Line sign. Huh? What are we doing in Maine? I immediately get out my phone and look us up on Google maps… seems we missed the turn in Gorham for VT-16. We backtracked about 10 miles and got back on the correct route. It was a beautiful drive down to Conway and it reminded me a lot of driving through the Cascades out in Oregon (minus Mt Hood).
Mt Washington Auto Road
There is a road that takes you to the summit of Mt Washington if you want to go. The Mt Washington Auto Road is a 7.6 mile ride with an elevation gain of 4,000’. It is a private road, so guess what? There is a fee to drive it. Any guesses what that fee might be? $45 for car and driver, $20 for adult passengers and $10 for 12 and younger. As we drove by, there was a line of cars waiting to go up. Someone is raking in the dough.
Driving “The Kanc”
I read a couple of fellow traveler’s blogs on exploring the Kanc and decided we would drive it east to west. Again, as soon as we get on the highway there is a big HUGE sign warning us to Brake for Moose. Yeah, uh-huh.
Albany Covered Bridge
Our first stop is the Albany Covered Bridge. The original bridge was built in 1858 but was destroyed in a storm that flooded the Swift River around 1870. A new bridge was quickly built and remained operational for 100 years before being renovated in 1970. We love to stop and either walk or drive through covered bridges when we see them and this was no exception. There’s just something about them. Right? We parked the truck and walked down to the river and were surprised by how refreshing it was. I wouldn’t go swimming in it but putting my feet in felt nice.
Lower Falls
The next stop along the highway is Lower Falls. As we approached the pull-out there were tons of cars parked along the road, like half a mile long. We drove by and it was difficult to see the falls for all the people sunning on the rocks and swimming in the pools. Keep going, neither of us wanted to get out in this madhouse.
Rocky Gorge Scenic Area
The Rocky Gorge Scenic Area was a different story though. The parking lot was bigger, there were far less people here and, in my opinion, this was a more picturesque area. A short walk from the parking lot leads to a set of steps out to the river, waterfall and small gorge. Very pretty. There were a few people around, but it wasn’t hateful. We sat and watched this group of young “man-boys” grab large sticks, throw them in the river above the falls and watch them race through the flume. It was like they were 10-years old again. 😊 Then they climbed down the rocks and swam in the pool below the flume. A big no-no. Oh, well, not my problem. This was a nice spot and a perfect area to enjoy a picnic.
Sabbaday Falls
This is one of the most popular stops along the highway and I was praying it would not be crowded like Lower Falls was. We pulled into the parking lot and easily found a spot. Cool! A short 15-minute walk leads out to this gorgeous waterfall. Most people take the right fork in the trail which leads to the top of the falls but we decided to go left and are so happy we did. We came around the last corner and were greeted with a stunning crystal-clear green pool. And we were the only ones down there! Well for about 10 minutes anyway. But that was plenty of time to wander around, snap some pictures and enjoy the peacefulness.
We made our way up the stairs that overlooked the flume, turned another corner and saw the most beautiful sight, water flowing through a small opening in the rocks into a bowl and then over a large cascade down to the flume. This is one of the prettiest waterfalls I’ve seen.
Kancamagus Pass
After leaving the falls the road leaves the Swift River and begins to climb through the mountains and across Kancamagus Pass at an elevation of 2,855’. Here’s something I don’t understand, why are all the other passes out here called “notch” but this one is a “pass”? No clue and I can’t find any answers. It is what it is, I guess. There are a lot of overlooks along this stretch of highway and I advise stopping at each one, the views are all different.
Summing up the Drive
Driving the Kancamagus Highway was awesome and I can only imagine what it would be like in the fall with all the leaves changing color and that crisp fall air. But I think that will forever remain a thought. This area is extremely busy in the fall as the Kanc is one of the most popular fall drives in all of New England. Not my cup of tea, I’d rather find somewhere off the beaten path to leaf peep.
Old Man of the Mountain
After exiting The Kanc we continued on to US-3 and US-302, another scenic drive that would take us back to camp. US-3 travels through Franconia Notch State Park and by The Old Man of the Mountain, or should I say where the Old Man used to be.
The Old Man of the Mountain has been New Hampshire’s state symbol since 1945. It is on their license plates and their state highway signs. The profile was created by a series of five granite cliff ledges on the side of Cannon Mountain and looked like the profile of a human face. In 2003 the formation collapsed and the Old Man was gone. This is a picture of what he looked like.
Today a memorial stands along Profile Lake and a short walk from the former Old Man in the Mountain visitor center and museum. The memorial tells the story of the Old Man, including Native American legends. There is a viewing platform with “Steel Profilers”, allowing the viewer to stand on a particular rock, based on their height, and look up at the cliff. When lined up properly, the viewer will see what the profile looked like. It’s a little bit of a stretch, but artistic, nonetheless. What do you think?
Wrap Up
The White Mountains are awesome. All the small towns that surround them are awesome. Again, there is no shortage of things to do here, no matter what your interest is. I just wish we had seen a Moose! Didn’t we have a pretty great view from camp this week?
A New Project
While Bill is hard at work during the day, I decided to start a new project. I have wanted to make a patriotic quilt for quite a while. I bought this fabric when I was at some of my favorite quilt shops ever, Missouri Start Quilt Co almost 2 years ago. Yikes! I finally found a pattern I liked and started getting to work. It will be called “Stars and Stripes” and I can’t wait to see what it will look like when it is finished.
What’s Next?
Our next stop is the North Woods of Maine. Most of the tourism in Maine is focused on the coastline and we will get there in about a month but this week we will check out Mt. Katahdin and Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument and hopefully SEE SOME MOOSE (or is it meese? 😉)
