The Beauty Around Us

Showcases Portraiture, Scenic & Nature Photography and Feaures a Photo Journal Blog

Posts tagged ‘Kancamagus Highway’

More of New Hampshire’s White Mountains Region

On August 2, at 7:10 am, we departed our hotel for another drive around the White Mountains region.  We had much better weather this day than we did the previous day.    We began our drive in the opposite direction of yesterday’s drive. We drove the Kancamagus Highway from west to east, but not all the way to Conway. We turned off at Bear Notch Road.

We made several stops along the Kancamagus Highway.

This is a panoramic view from a pull off, located soon after the Hancock Overlook.

Pemigewasset Overlook

Lily Pond

Ledge Brook Falls

Bob climbed down to the creek bed to photograph Ledge Brook Falls through the underpass.

Sugar Hill Scenic Vista

 

Our next stop was at Sabbaday Falls.  According to a sign near the trail head, this is how Sabbaday Falls got its name.

Legend has it that one Saturday night, with winter rapidly approaching, workmen building a road from Albany Intervale to Waterville decided it was time to call it quits.  They hid their tools, planning to return the following spring.  Before leaving on Sunday morning, they named the brook Sabbady Brook for the Sabbath Day…The workers never returned to complete the road, but the name has endured.

Sabbady Falls, 0.3 miles straight ahead

Sabbaday Brook

Sabbaday Falls
See the bridge above the falls?
We climbed the trail to the bridge.

Sabbaday Falls, during our ascent

Sabbaday Falls, as viewed from the footbridge

 

Our last stop on the Kancamagus Highway was at the Russell-Colbath Historic Site.  The Historic Site includes the Russell-Colbath House, a timber frame barn, and a cemetery.

The Russell-Colbath House was built in 1832.

The house is the only original structure left from the town of Passaconaway.  Inside the house are old photos and household items of the time that show how life might have been in the early to mid 1800’s.

The barn was constructed in 2003 from rough sawn timbers,
milled from trees at this site using a portable saw mill.

The White Mountains National Forest employees were holding a meeting at the barn on the day we visited.

Passaconaway Cemetery

We reached Bear Notch Road at 10:00 am. Bear Notch Road also allows us to bypass Conway.  You might recall from my previous blog post that traffic in Conway is heavy and stop and go all the way through the town.  There are several scenic turnoffs along the road, none of which identified what you were looking at.

One of several scenic overlooks along Bear Notch Road

At the end of Bear Notch Road we turned right onto Route 302, toward Conway.  We drove only as far as the Intervale Scenic Vista. The view was outstanding! We could see Mt. Washington way off in the distance.

The Intervale Scenic Vista provides a stunning overlook of Mt. Washington.

Intervale Scenic Vista
The clouds lifted enough that we could see the towers on top of Mt. Washington!

From Intervale we followed Route 16 north and soon reached the town of Jackson, where we saw two covered bridges.

the Honeymoon Bridge

This “honeymoon” or “kissing bridge” received its nickname from the tradition of lovers kissing under it for good luck. Jackson’s endearing symbol for over a century, the Paddleford truss bridge was constructed about 1876 by Charles Broughton and his son Frank.

The Honeymoon Bridge spans the Ellis River.

Jackson’s second covered bridge is located on a golf course.

Wentworth Golf Club Covered Bridge

A little farther north on Route 16 we saw a female moose alongside the road. I just caught a glimpse of her, as Bob drove by. We turned around and passed by the moose. She had not moved. We both saw her. We turned around again so that we would be on the same side of the road as the moose. When we returned to the spot where we had seen her, she was no longer there.  I didn’t capture a photograph of the moose, but I can at least say I saw a moose!

Our two longest stops along Route 16 were at Glen Ellis Falls and Wildcat Mountain.

Glen Ellis Falls plunges 64 feet into a deep green pool.  The waterfall is popular, based on the number of people that were there the day we visited.  The trail is short (0.6 mi round trip) and not exceptionally difficult.  The most difficult part for me was walking up and down the steps.  When we were there three young men were jumping into the water at and near the falls.

My walking stick was useful on the uneven trail and on the stairs.
(Photo by Bob)

Glen Ellis Falls

At Wildcat Mountain Bob rode a zipline. It was Bob’s first time on a zipline.  I refused to ride the zipline.  I am quite happy to fly only in an airplane!

 

Bob’s zipline adventure began at the Snowcat Triple chairlift at the base of Wildcat Mountain.

The chairlift takes you to the Ziprider start platform.

Ziprider Start Platform

Bob, soaring through the air

We ate a picnic lunch at Wildcat Mountain.  Bob said he really liked his zipline ride and wanted to go again.  While he made his way back to the Ziprider start platform, I went to the car to change camera lenses from a 12-40mm lens to a 40-150mm lens.

Bob’s second zipline ride

With a longer lens I was able to capture Bob’s abrupt stop at the landing platform.

Ziprider Landing Platform

Oh, yes.  I am glad that I did not go for a ride on the zipline.  I would NOT have liked the stop at the end of the line!

Bob’s first zipline ride cost $20.00; the second ride cost $10.00. A third ride would have cost $5.00.

Departing Wildcat Mountain, we turned right to continue driving north on Route 16.  At Gorham we turned left onto Route 2, which we followed through Randolph.  We turned left onto Route 115.  From Route 115 we made out way to Route 3 and then to Route 302.  We found ourselves back at the overlook of the Mount Washington Hotel.  I photographed the hotel from this overlook the previous day, which was a gloomy and rainy day.

What a difference a day makes!

Here’s a photograph of the hotel from a slightly different vantage point.

Mount Washington Hotel
How grand!

Leaving the overlook of Mount Washington Hotel we turned left onto Route 302, retracing our steps back to Route 3.  Heading south on Route 3, the road soon joins I-93/Franconia Notch Parkway.  Our next stop was at the Hugh J. Gallen scenic overlook bridge.  Mr. Gallen was Governor of New Hampshire from January 4, 1979 through December 29, 1982.

Hugh J. Gallen scenic overlook bridge

On the right-hand side of the bridge you can see Mount Lafayette.

Mount Lafayette
Its summit, at 5,249 feet, is the highest point in the Franconia Notch and the
ninth highest peak in the White Mountains.

Mount Lafayette is named to honor General Marquis de Lafayette, a French military hero who fought with and significantly aided the Continental Army and was loved and adopted by George Washington during the American Revolutionary War.  Lafayette re-visited New Hampshire during 1824-1825, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Our last sightseeing stop was at the former site of the Old Man of the Mountain natural stone profile.  We visited this attraction the previous day but wanted to see the Old Man of the Mountain Profiler Plaza, when it wasn’t raining. The Old Man of the Mountain collapsed on May 3, 2003.  Today the Old Man of the Mountain Profiler Plaza honors the memory of the Old Man of the Mountain.

Old Man of the Mountain Profiler Plaza

The Old Man of the Mountain Profiler Plaza includes seven steel “profilers”
that recreate the visage of the Old Man looking over Franconia Notch.

You stand on the footprints that match your height, squint with one eye and magically the Old Man of the Mountain returns!

Return of the Old Man of the Mountain

It was dinner time, when we left the Old Man of the Mountain Profiler Plaza.  We ate dinner at the El Charro Mexican Restaurant in Lincoln.   It was an expensive, but excellent choice for dinner.  We ordered Chicken Enchiladas (me) and Pechuga A La Diabla (Bob), which was grilled chicken smothered in a chipotle mayo sauce.  We split a Helado Frito ice cream dessert.  The food was delicious; service was great.

Helado Frito, a yummy Mexican ice cream dessert

This blog post concludes Day 4 of our 7-day New Hampshire vacation.

The White Mountains Trail

We spent the day on August 1 exploring New Hampshire’s White Mountains region.

We began our day with a breakfast of hard-boiled eggs, cinnamon raisin bagels, an orange and coffee/tea…all of which we brought from home. We sat at a small table inside our hotel room and ate breakfast.  Shortly before 8:00 am we left on our tour of the White Mountains region.  Our tour of choice was the White Mountains Trail.

The White Mountains Trail begins and ends at the White Mountains Visitor Center in North Woodstock.  The trail is a 100 mile loop through sections of the 800,000-acre White Mountain National Forest and past many of the region’s most popular attractions.  We drove the entire trail, making many photo stops along the way.  We had a good day, although it was a rainy and gloomy day.

We began our tour of the White Mountains region from the Rodeway Inn, located along Route 3, 2.9 miles north of the White Mountains Visitor Center. Turning north onto Route 3 our first stop was 1.8 miles from our hotel.  Seen on the western (left) side of Route 3 is the Indian Head Profile on Mt. Pemigewasset.

Natural rock profile resembling Indian Chief

Continuing our drive, we entered the Franconia Notch State Park,  We learned that a “notch” is the pass between two mountain ranges.  The lofty peaks of the Kinsman range on our left and the Franconia range on our right framed our passage through the park.

Our second stop was 2.4 miles farther north.  We passed up The Flume Gorge, as it had not yet opened for the day.  We planned to visit The Flume Gorge later during our vacation, but that visit never happened.  Heading north on Rotue 3, the road joined I-93/Franconia Notch Parkway.  Our second stop was at the Basin.  It was a short and easy hike from the parking lot to the Basin.  It had not yet begun to rain.  We spent about an hour exploring the Basin area.

the Basin

A sign at this site provided information about the Basin.

This large pothole in the Pemigewasset River, 30 feet in diameter and 15 feet deep, had its beginning some 25,000 years ago as the Ice Age came to a close. Water flowing from the melting glacier that filled Franconia Notch eroded the solid granite bedrock. During the thousands of years that followed sand and stones were whirled around by the force of the river causing a boring action that left the sidewalls smooth. The rock formation seen in the stream bed at the outlet has been known for generations as “The Old Man’s Foot”.

The great American naturalist, Henry David Thoreau (1817-62), on his first trip to the White Mountains in September of 1839 stood here, as you do, and watched the water cascade into the granite bowl and whirlpool around its walls. He would later write in his Journal, “this pothole is perhaps the most remarkable curiosity of its kind in New England.”

Samuel Eastman in his 1858 White Mountain Guide called this spot “One of the beautiful haunts of Nature, a luxurious and delicious bath fit for the ablutions of a goddess.”

From the Basin we drove another 2.4 miles and stopped at Boise Rock.

Boise Rock

According to a sign at this site, Boise Rock has been a part of the history and folklore of Franconia Notch for generations.

Thomas Boise, a noted teamster of this region was sledding through the Notch in mid-winter, soon after the first road was built. Overtaken by a fierce snowstorm, he was unable to continue on. Realizing he must take drastic action to survive, he killed and skinned his horse. Crawling under the overhang of this rock, he wrapped himself in the hide and spent the night.  Men sent out the next day to search for him found Tom still alive but encased in the frozen hide that had to be cut away with axes in order to release him.

Cannon Cliff is visible from Boise Rock.

Cannon Cliff, on the left
This is the direction we drove, when we left Boise Rock.

A mile further we stopped at the former site of the Old Man of the Mountain natural stone profile.

Old Man of the Mountain
August 10, 1999

The Old Man of the Mountain collapsed on May 3, 2003.

Today the Old Man of the Mountain Profiler Plaza honors the memory of the Old Man of the Mountain.

 

It was a short walk, along a paved path, from the parking lot to the Old Man of the Mountain Profiler Plaza.

The Old Man of the Mountain is back!

We returned to the Old Man of the Mountain Profiler Plaza on another day of our vacation.  Other photographs will be shared in a future blog post.

It was raining, as we walked back to our car
from the Old Man of the Mountain Profiler Plaza.

Traveling north again on I-93, we took Exit 35 onto Route 3N.  We passed by the Mt. Cleveland Overlook, the Beaver Brook Rest Area and trails and through the village of Twin Mountain.  We turned right onto Route 302E.  Our next photo stop was 18.1 miles from Old Man of the Mountain Profiler Plaza.  We stopped an overlook of the Mount Washington Hotel.

Mount Washington Hotel

It was raining hard, when I took this picture.  We returned to this overlook on another day of our vacation.  Other photographs of this grand hotel will be shared in a future blog post.

We continued on Route 302 through Crawford Notch and Crawford Notch State Park.  Our next two photo stops were within 4.2 miles of Mount Washington Hotel.

Elephant Head
This natural rock formation is located 3.5 miles from the Mount Washington Hotel.

Silver Cascade Falls
This waterfall is located 0.7 miles from the Elephant Head.

If I recall correctly, it was drizzling rain when we stopped at the Elephant Head and Silver Cascade Falls.  There was a heavy mist all around us.

We continued on Route 302 past Bear Notch Road east to the Bartlett Covered Bridge, located 18 miles from our last stop.

Bartlett Covered Bridge with its unusual shop

Back on Route 302 we continued east to Glen, where it joined Route 16 south.  Our next stop, which was 5.4 miles from Bartlett, was at the Intervale Scenic Vista from which one can see Mt. Washington.

Intervale Scenic Vista
Somewhere out there is Mt. Washington.

We ate a picnic lunch at the Intervale Scenic Vista.  We sat in our car because it was raining.

After lunch, we continued on Route 16 through Conway.    We stopped at the L.L. Bean Outlet store, where I purchased a raincoat.  We avoided Conway for the rest of our vacation, as traffic was heavy and stop and go all the way through the town.

Our next photo stop was at the Saco Covered Bridge, located 7.2 miles from Intervale.  The bridge is visible from Route 16; however, you have to leave that roadway to see the bridge up close and personal.

Saco Covered Bridge is located on East Side Road (N.H. Route 153).

Saco Covered Bridge

We returned to Route 16.  At the junction of Routes 16 and 113 we turned right onto Route 113. We turned right onto Route 112, the Kancamagus Highway.  We had to pay close attention to the road, as Kancamagus Highway was located only 1 mile from Saco Covered Bridge.

We reached the Kancamagus Highway at 3:12 pm. The highway is a 34.5 mile scenic drive between the towns of Conway in the east and North Woodstock in the west.  The Kancamagus Highway was named for an early Indian Chief of the Penacook Confederacy.  We made several stops along the highway, as we made our way east to west.

It does not cost anything to drive on the Kancamagus Highway.
However, if you stop at any of the recreational areas, a recreation pass is required.

Our first stop on the Kancamagus Highway was at the Albany Covered Bridge.

The Albany Covered Bridge is located 6.2 miles west along the Kancamagus Highway.

The Albany Covered Bridge spans the Swift River.

Our second stop on the Kancamagus Highway was at Lower Falls Scenic Area, a short 0.7 mile drive from the Albany Covered Bridge.  The Lower Falls Scenic Area, located on the Swift River, is one of several wonderful places to swim along the Kancamagus Highway.

Look at the low-lying clouds.
It was drizzling rain, when we stopped here.

Did the rain / the weather stop people from spending the afternoon swimming?

Not at all!

 

When we left the Lower Falls Scenic Area we passed by several points of interest, as the weather, for the most part, was not conducive for taking quality pictures. We did, however, make three more photo stops along the Kancamagus Highway..

Our next two stops were at scenic overlooks: the Sugar Hill Scenic Vista and the C.L. Graham Wangan Ground scenic overlook.  The Sugar Hill overlook was 10.6 miles from the Lower Falls Scenic Area, and the C.L. Graham overlook was 4.4 miles farther east on the Kancamagus Highway.

Sugar Hill Scenic Vista

C.L. Graham Wangan Ground Scenic Overlook

I wanted to stop at these two scenic overlooks because the low-lying clouds over the mountains were beautiful!

Our final stop on the Kancamagus Highway was 8.3 miles from the C.L. Graham Wangan Overlook.  We stopped at the Lincoln Woods trailhead, where we discovered a suspension bridge spanning the Pemigewasset River.

The Lincoln Woods Trail crosses the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River
via this 160-foot-long suspension bridge.

We walked across the suspension bridge.

Halfway across the bridge I took this photograph of the Pemigewasset River.
The bridge in the distance is the Kancamagus Highway.

It was less than a 6-mile drive to Truants Tavern in North Woodstock, where we ate dinner.  Bob ordered a Mushroom and Onion Burger with Onion Rings; I ordered a BBQ Bacon Burger with French fries.  Dinner was good.  We returned to our hotel, after dinner, and were in bed by 8:00 pm!

This blog post concludes Day 3 of our 7-day New Hampshire vacation.

Chambers on the Road

RV, other Travels and Home Life in Retirement

Strafari

Travel blog & Strasbourg city guide

AfterKC.com

Enjoying Life In New Ways

The Frog and PenguINN

Showcases Portraiture, Scenic & Nature Photography and Feaures a Photo Journal Blog

Bicycling the beauty around us

This is a bicycling journal.

FabFourBlog

Notes on Seeing, Reading & Writing, Living & Loving in The North

Skid and Sandy On The Road

Showcases Portraiture, Scenic & Nature Photography and Feaures a Photo Journal Blog

vivacioushoopster

Showcases Portraiture, Scenic & Nature Photography and Feaures a Photo Journal Blog

My Mommy's Place

Showcases Portraiture, Scenic & Nature Photography and Feaures a Photo Journal Blog

Viewing nature with Eileen

Showcases Portraiture, Scenic & Nature Photography and Feaures a Photo Journal Blog

Deep Thoughts

Showcases Portraiture, Scenic & Nature Photography and Feaures a Photo Journal Blog

Rambling On

Showcases Portraiture, Scenic & Nature Photography and Feaures a Photo Journal Blog

Talk and Chatter

Reviews, talk, and fun

Senior Moments

The random musings of a fairly active Tennessee retiree

Pics & Pieces

Showcases Portraiture, Scenic & Nature Photography and Feaures a Photo Journal Blog

PHOTOJOURNAL OF CORKER2

TRYING TO DO THIS WITHOUT A DEGREE!

Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer

Showcases Portraiture, Scenic & Nature Photography and Feaures a Photo Journal Blog

MY QUALITY TIME

Showcases Portraiture, Scenic & Nature Photography and Feaures a Photo Journal Blog

Linda's Peaceful Place

Showcases Portraiture, Scenic & Nature Photography and Feaures a Photo Journal Blog

Life's Funny Like That

Showcases Portraiture, Scenic & Nature Photography and Feaures a Photo Journal Blog

JOYFUL REFLECTIONS

Showcases Portraiture, Scenic & Nature Photography and Feaures a Photo Journal Blog

I'll give you a piece of my mind

Showcases Portraiture, Scenic & Nature Photography and Feaures a Photo Journal Blog

Hospitality Lane

Showcases Portraiture, Scenic & Nature Photography and Feaures a Photo Journal Blog

Gretchen's Traveling

Showcases Portraiture, Scenic & Nature Photography and Feaures a Photo Journal Blog

An English Girl Rambles from 2016 to ....

Showcases Portraiture, Scenic & Nature Photography and Feaures a Photo Journal Blog