Kancamagus Scenic Highway

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When I got up this morning it was almost overwhelming the options I had open to me. Unlike most of my vacation trips I did not commit to any reservations or tours in advance so everyday will be like a blank canvas. What to put on each one???

After tea and a cinnamon roll I headed to the car to drive to the Cog Railway however I am easily side-tracked and today was no different. Before I got to the exit for Mount Washington I saw an exit for the Kancamagus Highway. You guessed it. I decided to get off there and follow that route. I wasn’t sure where  it came out. I thought somewhere near Conway or Bretton Woods but since the day was all mine it really didn’t make any difference where it stopped.

The lower end wasn’t much. It was like a main street through what I think was Lincoln, NH but it wasn’t long before it began to climb.

I made a brief stop at the ranger station on the Pemigewasset River. This is the Lincoln Woods Trailhead.

I looked around a little but didn’t take the time to really hike. I wasn’t prepared but I did have to explore the  Pemigewasset Suspension Bridge where several of the trails start.

The bridge is pretty cool. You can feel it sway in the wind or when other hikers are crossing it. Since it looks very sturdy it’s a funny feeling.

 The water in the river was low but even so there were fishermen trying to tease out a trout or two.

The Ranger told me that there is a fee to park at each trailhead or you can get a day pass if you’re going to go to several different ones. Since it’s the National Forest my annual pass covered my parking. I just had to be sure to leave it on the dashboard so the rangers could see it when the made their rounds.

The last time I was on the Kancamagus it was on the back of a motorcycle and it was clear that the allure of this road to bikers was still there. At one of the scenic overlooks where the parking lot looked over one of the hairpin curves, I set up shop with the camera to try to catch a cycle coming around that curve. It didn’t take long.

Leaving that stop the road began to climb in earnest. The thermometer was hovering right around 100 even here in the mountains. Seriously HOT! That’s when I spotted the bicycles. Who would be out riding up a mountain in this heat! I had a case of water in the car. When I came to a small pull off I stopped to get more pictures and the first of the riders slowly peddled past.

I held out a warm but wet bottle of water. It earned me a smile but a shake of the head. The same with the ones following. Ok, at least I made the offer.

We leapfrogged a bit as I would drive by them then stop for pictures and they would pass me. Then I would pass them again and so on. Finally I reached the top of the Kancamagus Pass, elevation 2855. At least it would be downhill for those cyclists from this point on.

The next scenic overlook had a shelter and a large parking lot. As I pulled in I spotted the cyclists  again. They were gathered in the shelter having lunch. When they saw me they called me over and insisted on having a picture taken with me. As you can see, everyone was in good spirits.

 They said most people think they are nuts. But I just think it’s amazing. What dedication it took to get in good enough shape to make it up these mountains! And in this heat on top of it!

I left my new friends taking a well-earned break in the shade and headed back out to finish the downhill side of the Kancamagus.

I had forgotten about the waterfall I’d read about until I saw a sign for the Sabbaday Falls picnic area. It’s a National Forest site so I plopped my pass on the dashboard and locked up. I took just the camera, leaving the backpack in the car so the walk would be cooler. I now think that was a mistake. Without the backpack I didn’t have anyplace for a water bottle. Since the trail was only .5 miles I didn’t think I’d miss the water.

That was not true! I was sweating almost before I got up the first incline.

The trail was mostly uphill. It wasn’t long before I was drenched in sweat even though the trail is mostly shaded. I stopped a few times to get pictures before I reached the falls.

It was nice and cool near the waterfall. There were stone steps carved out of the rocks beside the falls that led up to a bridge that crossed the stream next to the falls. I had a blast taking pictures there. So much so I forgot how hot and thirsty I was. 🙂

Soon enough it was time to move on and return to the car. It was past lunch time too, even though I wasn’t feeling hungry I wasn’t sure how far it would be to the end and a restaurant or store.

When you start the Kancamagus a sign  says “no gas for 32 miles.” I wasn’t sure how far along I was. I wish I’d brought a cooler and packed a lunch. That would have been fun.

Back at the car I downed a whole bottle of water then it was time to head out. I didn’t stop at many more scenic pull outs due to the time but on the lower end I began to see cars lining the sides of the road. As I peered through the trees I could see another river and there were all the people…loads of them…all splashing and swimming and enjoying the cool river water. What a great way to beat the heat.

I was beginning to see signs of civilization and a sign said I was entering Conway, NH. Time to find someplace to eat.

So I’ll leave you right here where I’ll join you again after lunch.

The Valley Inn and Town Square, Waterville Valley, NH

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Thanks to my friend Eric I have the lyrics to that song that kept running through my head. Willie Nelson’s On the Road Again. I think the 2nd verse says it all!

 On the road again
Goin’ places that I’ve never been
Seein’ things that I may never see again
And I can’t wait to get on the road again

I think that should be my theme song.

But today’s post is a little housekeeping. I didn’t take the time to have pictures ready to share when I told you about the adventures I had just getting “on the road again” to get here. I had some pictures of the interior but I was lazy and did not take any outside. Well, I’m going to rectify that omission now.

Here’s the Valley Inn.

That’s just the entrance . The building spreads out from the entrance.

My unit is the 2nd floor just to the left of the entrance as you look at the picture.

One more picture of the front. I had to get the sign in.

Around the back is the swimming pool.

There’s a pool table and game room next to the towel room and changing rooms for the pool and that about sums up the resort. So let’s get to the Town Square.

The Town Square is basically a liitle shopping mall but it’s designed to function as more of a gathering place. It’s right next to a little pond called Corcoran’s Pond that has certainly been very popular with this hot weather.

Here’s the pond.

Ahhhh Summer on a pond..can’t beat it.

These kids know how to keep cool!

And there you have it. This was my introduction to Waterville Valley.

Practice Picture #1

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I was fooling around with the remote release on the camera so I will be sure it will work when I need it most to get that prize-winning picture!  So here’s practice picture #1. It’s of Covered bridge #44 which was restored or rebuilt just a few years ago. So there’s the bridge and there I am and I have the  sign.

It was really a neat place. When I decided to practice here I didn’t know there was a swimming hole with an old-fashioned rope swing under the bridge.

I tried to get a shot with these boys jumping from the rope with me holding the sign but once they knew I was taking their pictures they kept falling off or dragging their feet. We couldn’t get another clean shot no matter what we tried. Stage fright? 🙂

On the road again….

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I think those are the lyrics of a song but right now the rest of it escapes me. That one phrase kept running through my head off and on all afternoon. 

There’s something to be said for far away vacations where you have to catch a plane to get there. It gets you out of the house and on your way unless you want to miss your flight. I think I needed something like that today.

The morning started out ok. I did some last-minute housework, tossed in a last load of laundry, and ran the dishwasher. At that point I should have been just about ready to leave. The first delay was Rocky. Although I was prepared for his antics ( he does it every trip) it still takes up time. He gets in the suit case then on the suitcase then runs out the door and I have to chase him. He was especially persistent today for some reason.

Finally I got everything in the car. I had to drop off a pet bed at the tailor for a new zipper and I wanted to pick up another bag of dry cat food. The only other thing was to stop at the bank for my new debit card. That shouldn’t have taken more than 30 minutes tops for all 3 errands.

The first 2 went well but I ran into a snag at the bank. Thier machine was down so they couldn’t “pin” the card. Without a pin I couldn’t activate it and if I couldn’t activate it I couldn’t use it and that would mean no money for vacation.

The teller assisting me called the other branches to find one whose pin machine was working. So back to the car to drive to the Raynham Branch. I figured that was a good one because I planned to take RT 93 right through Boston and into New Hampshire. As I left the bank, pin activated and card in hand, I realized that all this extra running around had put me way behind. It was 1:30 and I needed to get some lunch before I tackled the drive. 

There was a Papa Gino’s right there so I popped in thinking it would be quick. It wasn’t so by the time I left there it was after  2:00. As I got into the car I happened to look at my rear view mirror. I hang the house keys on it so I don’t lose them. They weren’t there. My first thought was  to just go and deal with the missing keys when I got back but that’s not me. So I filled the gas tank ($46.00) and turned around to go home.

At the condo I rang bells until one of my neighbors let me in. I had a door key stashed so I could get into my unit but my neighbor wanted to visit. As I chatted with him and opened my door an orange streak shot out from the doorway. My neighbor said “man, he’s fast !” So much for getting in, grabbing my keys and getting out. By the time I finally picked up my keys and got back out to the car it was 3 pm . According to mapquest it was a 3 hour drive.

Which way to go…RT 93 through Boston? It’s rush hour now ..on a Friday! RT 128? Longer and still bottlenecks with the traffic out of Boston. Rt 495? It’s a bigger loop, longer mile-wise but there might not be as much traffic. So RT 495 it was.

At first I made pretty good time. I thought I might only be an extra 1/2 hour but almost as soon as that thought crossed my mind I saw brake lights. We slowed to a crawl  for the RT 90 (Mass Pike) exit. We picked up speed again after that exit but then we hit the exit for RT 290 around Worcester. Once again stop and go. Once past that exit we began to cruise again until we got to Lowell. In Lowell RT 3 merges with Rt 495 and by now we were in the heart of rush hour. From Lowell to New Hampshire line and then 2 exits further north all we did was crawl. It was over 100 degrees and there were cars on the side of the road with their hoods up..over heated? There was also a 3 car accident that slowed  traffic down. I began to wonder if I’d ever get to the mountains.

Finally I hit Concord, NH and from there on the traffic was pretty light so I was able to do the speed limit. I rolled into the Valley Inn parking lot at 7 pm, only and hour more than mapquest estimated. Not too bad but it sure felt like a lot longer than that.

Check in went smoothly. I have a unit on the 2nd floor. My windows overlook the parking lot but the unit is cute. It’s a 1 bedroom.

 There’s a refrigerator, stove and microwave. The AC is kind of questionable. When it kicked on it rattled so badly I didn’t know what it was. I suppose they don’t use AC much here in the mountains.  Waterville Valley is better know as a ski resort.

The bathroom is equipped with a whirlpool bath.  I used my point and shoot to take a few pictures of the interior.

 Tomorrow I’ll get out the DSLR and take some outdoor shots of the exterior so you can see it.

The desk clerk sent me to “The Village Square” for dinner.

 He recommended “Diamond’s Edge” restaurant. I wish I had brought my camera then.

 The Village square is a mall that is built around a “green”. There’s also a pond where you can swim and kayak and there were picnic tables where  people were eating pizzas. I can see why it’s called The Village Square. The Diamond Edge is on the 2nd floor of one of the buildings and looks out over the “square”. The restaurant is really pretty and I was afraid that I was under-dressed until the host greeted me. He was wearing shorts.

I was seated at a window table. And wonder of wonders, the window was wide open! I am so used to buildings where the windows are sealed shut that this alone made it a treat. The waitress’s name was  Amanda and she was excellent too. I didn’t have anything fancy. Some fish and chips (also excellent), a glass of Alice White Chardonnay and for dessert chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream on the side…and a cup of tea. I know I was very bad eating like that but it was very, very good. And I want to mention that I did not finish the lava cake. It was just too rich. It would have been perfect if it had been 1/2 the size. I’ll have to walk it off tomorrow.

I’m not sure which direction I’m going in tomorrow. I’m playing it by ear. I do expect to return to the “Town Square” to get some pictures. Maybe tomorrow would be a good day to check out the waterfall near the Kancamangus Highway. We’ll just have to see what the day brings for now, at least I’m here in the White Mountains. Finally! 🙂

Vacation!

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It’s official. I am on vacation from now until next Friday. A whole 7 days to pursue whatever I want to pursue.

I’m sure the posts will get more interesting now. You’ve all been very patient. Probably more patient than I have been. I hate being stuck at home. I like to be on the go especially in the summer because the good weather only lasts so long in New England and then we’re back into the cold and snow.

There isn’t much to report today. Just getting myself together. It’s hard to say goodbye to the kitties but maybe I should think of it as their vacation from me. Mapquest says I’m looking at a 3 1/2 hour drive. I don’t think I can check in before 4pm so I’ll do a last load of laundry and run a few errands before I head out.