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Monday, September 30, 2013

Sunday in New Hampshire

Another beautiful Indian summer day of mild weather and spectacular autumn colors!

 

We continued our drive along the Kancamagus Scenic Byway through the New Hampshire countryside and stopped at Sabbaday Falls. They were the prettiest falls we have seen in New Hampshire or Vermont! There was a very nice path/walkway with steps to get there, too:) The name means Sabbath Day Falls.

We didn't have internet this morning and didn't find a church. I missed attending a worship service. We were so blessed by the little church we worshipped with last Sunday in Vermont.


Sabbaday Falls

 

Our next stop along the byway was the Sugar Hill Scenic Vista which was also absolutely gorgeous.

 

The next scenic overlook was C L Graham Wangan Grounds.

 

We found a fun place called Lost River Gorge & Boulder Caves. It's like an obstacle course made of walkways, steps, and caves in a forested, rocky gorge full of large boulders with a few ponds and rushing water thrown in! You can choose to just stay on the boardwalk, but if you're adventurous (and we were) you descend ladders or climb down rocks into dark caves where you may have to squeeze between small openings, crawl under overhanging ledges, or wiggle on your stomach through a tunnel of rock. I wished our kids were there to share the fun. Mark got stuck a couple times, but It was too dark to get good pictures:)

On his hands and knees . . .
This cave had an entrance "gauge" to make sure you could get through the tight spots, but Mark still got kinda stuck inside because there was very little room to maneuver. It was an uh-oh moment :)
Yep. That's Mark on his stomach wiggling through a very small opening :)
I guess we proved we're not claustrophobic!

 

We also made a stop at the Beaver Pond Overlook . . .

 

. . . And the Robert Frost Home and Museum in Franconia, New Hampshire where he lived for five years with his family. He moved from here to Vermont where he lived for awhile in the house we stopped at earlier in our trip.

I memorized this poem in high school.

 

We spent the night at Fransted Family Campground near Franconia Notch State Park. Our first private campground this trip. $35 for a site without electricity.

We had a really nice talk with David on the phone. Deacon is already pulling himself to stand by the couch. He's not even seven months old yet! He was starting to crawl in September when we left and I said that he'd be walking by the time we got home. I was kidding! Slow down little guy, you're growing up too fast!

Deacon at the cottage in Holland (early September)

 

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Mount Washington

Saturday (28th) dawned foggy and overcast. Mark was concerned because we were headed to Mt Washington, the tallest peak in the northeast. He was worried that the low clouds would obscure the view from the mountain, but it didn't take long for the weather to clear. The sun came out and so did all the people! In droves. They were everywhere! We've gotten spoiled by some pretty serene, quiet sightseeing this trip. The sunshine and mild weather made the last Saturday in September the perfect day for everyone to get out and enjoy Indian summer and the beautiful fall colors on this scenic byway through the White Mountains in New Hampshire.

Our first stop was the Mt Washington Auto Road where we were chauffeured up the steep, eight-mile long "Road to the Sky" in a tour van with 6 other passengers. We spent an hour at the summit. It was cold and windy, but a hot chocolate in the summit visitor's center helped to warm me up.

A long line of cars entering Mt Washington Auto Road.
Looking forward through the windshield of the tour van.
Some folks choose to drive themselves to the top if their vehicle isn't too big.
You can also ride to the summit on the Cog Railway.
Due to the extreme weather, the plant life here is the same as you would find at the Arctic Circle

Our next stop was the Glen Ellis Falls.


Then we continued south . . .

. . . to Echo Lake-Cathedral Ledge State Park.

View of Echo Lake from Cathedral Ledge
Echo Lake

From there we took the Kancamagus Scenic Byway along the Swift River to the Lower Falls and the Rocky Gorge.

Swift River
The Rocky Gorge

We stopped for the night at the Jigger Johnson White Mountain National Forest Campground. (Try to say that 10x's fast :)