Tag: New England

Manchester … The Zimmerman House!

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When I realised we would be driving past a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright on the way to the airport and that it was one of the few open to the public, we just had to fit it in and I booked places on their popular tour months ago.

Wright believed in designing structures that were in harmony with humanity and the environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture. He was the pioneer of what came to be called the Prairie School with its horizontal lines, flat roofs with broad eaves and integration into the landscape. Later he scaled these ideas down into more modest low cost housing he called Usonian homes. It was just such a home he designed for Dr Isadore and Lucille Zimmerman in 1952.

During the tour we heard how the Zimmermans approached Wright, the design process and the features of the house including the interior design, furnishings and the planting for the garden. Wright insisted that nothing should be changed after completion and this together with the fact that the Zimmerman’s left their house to the Currier Museum is why the house can be seen today almost as it was originally built.

The cypress wood used throughout, the exposed brickwork, snug size and warm colours make this a very cosy house considering its open plan design, but apparently the seats are not particularly comfortable and the chimney is smokey so not all is perfect!

Chris had a last treat too as the Currier Museum had a couple of Hoppers on display, including this one called The Bootleggers.

Well our trip has ticked all the boxes! One of the highlights had to be the whale watching as we felt so lucky to see so many whale antics. As for the leaf peeping, we thought we saw the best of the colour in Rangeley and the White Mountains as we’ve caught the Lakes a little early. But everyone here has something to say about it … we need more frost, it’s been a bit warm this year, the reds are starting to pop, it might have reached peak, seen better reds, must catch it before it rains, not quite so vibrant this year! Well we were impressed! With nothing to compare it with, we thought we saw fabulous foliage but it does look best in the sunshine and a couple more sunny days would have been nice.

Chris always likes a count up so here we go – 1570 miles driven and 80 miles walked in 20 days across 6 states where we have seen 14 lighthouses and 14 waterfalls, crossed 14 covered bridges and attained 7 summits but not all on foot … fuelled by quite a few bagels!

Anyway, it has got a bit chilly here now and we woke to a flurry of snow today…

… so it’s definitely time to wrap this trip up … until next time!

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Moultonborough … Castle in the Clouds!

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This was a day out that kept giving! We arrived at the gates at the base of a narrow autoroad that took us to the summit. On the way we stopped and walked to the Fall of Song, a 40ft plunging waterfall …

… then headed via a viewpoint to the top where the views were even better, but the photos just don’t do it justice.

This is Lucknow, the mountaintop estate of Tom and Olive Plant, built in 1914 and called the Castle in the Clouds when it was opened to the public in 1959. He made his fortune in shoe manufacturing and newly married, spent around $1m building a dream house in the Arts and Crafts style drawing influences from his many travels designed by the architectural firm of J. Williams Beal & Sons of Boston.

The 16 room mansion commands amazing views of the lakes below from every window and the interiors were stylish and almost timeless.

It was fitted with the latest technology like needle showers, central vacuuming, ammonia refrigeration and an internal telephone system. It also had some lovely design touches like these stained glass roundels set into many of the windows and some with scenes from the estate.

We walked back to the carriage house for hot drinks then took one of the many hiking paths not far, just along Shannon brook to see a succession of waterfalls with the most impressive being Bridal Veil Falls at the end.

On the way back we stopped at the Squam River bridge, built just like a traditional covered bridge, but only in 1990.

Dinner at Walters Basin overlooking the moonlit lake was a lovely end to the day as was my excellent coffee bbq steak.

The following day was spent at Canterbury Shaker Village, now a museum, learning all about the Shakers before returning to Squam Lake Inn Kitchen for our last dinner.

Tomorrow, we set off homewards … with one last treat remaining …

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Weirs Beach … Lake Winnipesaukee!

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We woke on our 7th wedding anniversary to a chilly morning with mist on Squam Lake.

When we got to Weirs Beach, there was just as much mist on Lake Winnipesaukee and not the best day for a boat trip but our wedding reception was held on a boat on the Thames and we have celebrated on the water ever since … no day too grey!

We went aboard the MS Mount Washington and took a few atmospheric photos then retreated indoors for hot breakfast rolls and coffee.

The lake covers 72 sq miles and contains some 365 islands, albeit a few only the size of a rock, but we really didn’t see it at its best. Some people disembarked at Wolfboro which claims to be the oldest summer resort in America, but we stayed onboard and returned to Weirs Beach.

The day didn’t look likely to improve, so we stopped at Squam Lake Marketplace for essential provisions of prosecco, homemade soup to reheat later, feta pies and broccoli salad and retreated to our cosy cottage for the rest of the day!

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Holderness … Squam Lake!

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Awaking to a chilly but sunny morning, we saw a dusting of snow on the mountains as we drove to Benton’s Sugar Shack for breakfast.

The Benton’s have been making maple syrup for five generations then 30 years ago opened a small eating place for skiers which looks like its hardly changed and now they open year round for breakfast at the weekend. We waited a while for a table which we then shared with another couple and breakfast certainly kept us going all day.

We made a quick stop for Blair Bridge …

… then continued to Holdness where we are staying at Cottage Place on the edge of Squam Lake, in a cute little cottage all to ourselves.

We were quickly out again, not wanting to waste any of the sunshine and drove a short way so we could take a hike with views of the lake. It was just a couple of miles on the flat to explore the Five Fingers Trail but we got some lovely pics.

Still on pancake power, we went for a viewpoint too, a half mile up to Eagle Cliff where we could look out on the lake from above.

We went to Squam Lake Inn Kitchen for a very cosy dinner with a portobello mushroom stack for Chris and pork chop for me. Across the room, some of the Autumn Watch crew including Chris Packham were having dinner. They have been here in Squam Lake for a week or so and will be broadcasting a New England special from 17-19 October, so with the wonders of science and the Virgin app I’ve managed to set it up to record so we won’t miss it! It does seem that the best of the fall foliage colour has yet to arrive here as we haven’t seen the the vibrant reds that we saw in the mountains.

Fortunately our cottage has an efficient heater and plenty of blankets as the temperature tonight might hit freezing again.

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Littleton … Franconia Notch!

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Littleton is a convenient base to explore the Franconia Notch State Park together with its attractions which have been drawing tourists here since a surveyor noticed a rock formation resembling a man’s head in 1805.

Word quickly spread about the great stone face and soon, thousands of visitors were flocking to Franconia Notch to catch a glimpse. He became known as The Old Man of the Mountain, and the profile has been New Hampshire’s state emblem since 1945, appearing on license plates, road signs, stamps and the state quarter. Unfortunately, erosion caused the formation to collapse in 2003 and it is no more.

Today the greater attraction, apart from the general size and beauty of the mountains, is the Cannon Mountain Flume, a natural granite gorge containing a cascading waterfall. We took the 2 mile path through the woods and along a wooden walkway along its length of the gorge right beside the gushing water.

The covered footbridge was only built in 1939, but the Flume Bridge dates to 1886.

Later we took the cable car to the 4080 ft summit of Cannon Mountain. on a clear day, apparently we could see the mountains of four states and Canada, but today we had to make do with a fair view on the way up but a summit in the clouds.

We are staying at Country Squire Motel, a traditional motel with lovely bright rooms just a short way off the Main Street.

We immediately liked Littleton.

The Main Street has some surprisingly grand buildings for a modest town but also lots of local shops rather than having been taken over by shops catering purely for tourists.

Chutter’s Candy Store may be the exception, claiming to hold the world record for Longest Candy Counter as well as a huge range of homemade fudge including a mean maple walnut!

The Library has a bronze statue of Pollyanna outside, the creation of Littleton-born Author Eleanor H Porter. The town has adopted Pollyanna’s excessively cheerful nature and rebranded itself the Glad Town, using the motif liberally.

Thayers Inn provided unheard of service and comfort to its patrons when it opened in 1850, catering to the new commercial traveller and the vacationer, and we can report still provides a very tasty dinner in its restaurant.

The Littleton Diner is another institution, albeit only since 1930 and it also turns out delicious food for both breakfast and dinner!

There is even a covered bridge, however this one doesn’t make the historic register as it was only built in 2004.

O there was another little town we passed, incorporated on Christmas Day …

… reminding us of the rector in Trinity Church Boston who wrote the carol. They had obviously had a craft afternoon decorating benches …

… and this one is especially for Joanna!

After criss-crossing the White Mountains in every direction it is time to move on and tomorrow we drive south to New Hampshire’s Lakes.

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North Conway … Kancamagus Highway!

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Two warm sunny days were forecast so we replanned a little to make the most of them. Up early and full of breakfast bagels, we set out to hike the Middle Sugarloaf Trail, a 2.3 miles moderate return hike with an ascent of 866ft and a promise of fab views. The blanket of fallen leaves changed colour as we hiked on …

… and the view certainly was worth it!

There are high passes in the White Mountains called notches and we drove through Crawford Notch passing a viewpoint …

… the gigantic and hugely expensive Mount Washington Hotel …

… Silver Cascade Falls which are right by the road …

… a convenient lunch stop … oh no more apple, peanut butter & crackers …

… and a tourist train on the Conway Scenic Railway.

There was another covered bridge, Bartlett Bridge, this one repurposed as a gift shop …

… and the last stop was Jackson falls, more of a laid back set of rapids than a huge cascade, but pretty nonetheless.

We are spending the next two nights at The Spruce Moose, a lovely B&B in North Conway village and enjoyed drinking our tea on a rocker on the porch.

It was also close enough to walk into town to eat and we tried two family run places, Horsefeathers and Deacon Street and enjoyed dinner in both.

Next day we drove along the Kancamagus Highway, the first National Scenic Byway in the US, which follows the course of the Swift River and has plenty of stopping places.

First was The Albany Covered Bridge…

… Lower Falls …

… Rocky Gorge …

… Sabbaday Falls …

… The Sugar Hill Overlook …

… Kancamagus Pass at 2955ft …

… and Hancock Overlook.

At this point we stopped and turned because we wanted to take a bit of a hike before the end of the day, and returned to do the Boulder Loop Trail – 3.1 miles with an ascent of 912ft … and yet another view!

Tired, we returned for supper and bed.

As expected the next day dawned wet, very wet and we were glad we had seen ‘the Kank’ in the sunshine, but our onward route means we will drive it again in the rain.

A couple of bridges in Conway, the Saco River Bridge …

… and the Swift River Bridge and then we were off.

Chris had great fun stopping and taking pictures in the rain while I preferred to remain dry.

We took it all the way to its end in Lincoln but these pics show the striking contrast so now you’ve seen it wet and dry!

A slight detour took to another pair of bridges … the Haverhill Bath Bridge …

… and Bath Bridge, the longest one so far at 375ft.

Just time to pop into Vermont long enough to say we have visited all the New England states …

… and time to move along and check in for the night …

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Gorham … Mt Washington!

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We picked the route for scenic attraction and interest rather than speed and the first treat of the day was to see our first covered bridge. They were designed to protect the wooden structural timbers from the weather, and there are only 8 remaining in Maine. This is a Paddleford truss bridge called Bennett Bean Bridge, built in 1898 and spanning the Magalloway River. We took pics from every angle!

The road also took us passed Smokey, probably the only bear we’ll see this trip …

… lots of water including Umbagog Lake …

… and from Maine to New Hampshire and back to Maine.

Grafton Notch State Park provided a chance to stretch our legs and I ran into Chippy having lunch …

….before we had lunch ourselves …

… then admired Screw Auger Falls.

Last stop was at Sunday River Bridge which was built in 1872.

Gorham New Hampshire, was our destination, in the north east corner of the White Mountains and we are staying at the Moose Brook Motel.

We’re white on the left!

file-99976135-f7ae-45fa-b524-9947fd5626b1-2790-0000016794620b63This is the Columbia Day weekend, the last hoorah at the end of the season with a bank holiday tomorrow so restaurants were busy and we ended up at Mountain Fired pizza for dinner.

We had our fingers crossed that the weather would be kind for our trip on the cog railway up Mount Washington, which at 6,288.2 ft is the highest peak in NE USA, but in the morning there was very low cloud and we got an email saying the train would only be going halfway up the mountain. We were offered a reduced rate or a refund.

We chewed it over, while also consuming delicious breakfast bagels at the White Mountain Cafe …

… and decided there’s no point going only halfway up so we cancelled and instead drove up the auto road. We were warned when we arrived at the bottom that the summit was in cloud – as it is 60% of the time and saw the summit forecast …

… and there were safety warnings about the drive …

… but we paid our toll and went anyway!

The road is 7.6 miles long, with an average gradient of 11.6%. It was completed in 1861 for horse-drawn carriages and today is wide enough for two cars to pass so in fact it wasn’t too bad … with some pretty foliage to admire.

As we rose, it began to get a bit cloudy …

… then it was like thick fog as we drove through the cloud, only to pop out above in a clearer patch where we could park and admire the scenery.

The cloud came …

… and went …

… and mountain summits suddenly appeared …

A bit higher and the alpine plants showed as much fall colour as the trees …

… and we could see the road below.

We were back in cloud then reached the summit and parked and made the final ascent.

The Auto Road Stage Office is actually chained down for safety and bears this sign …

In fact the weather is notoriously erratic on the mountain and is called the Home of the Worlds Worst Weather with sub-zero temperatures, hurricane-force winds, snow and ice that essentially turn the peak into an Arctic outpost as this archive pic shows.

Tip Top House was built in 1853 as a mountain-top hostelry and has been restored to show how it would have been …

A quick photo at the summit then we went into the visitor centre to warm up with coffee and hot apple cider. In the short time we had been out on the summit with the air being so wet and the wind so strong, my hands felt numb like I’d been playing in the snow and 8 worked out later that with the wind chill it was -11°C!

The descent had to be made in low gear, but otherwise was quite manageable … even taking into consideration those who couldn’t quite manage to stay on their side of the road and those who couldn’t figure out how to turn on their headlights.

While we didn’t see the beautiful views we might have hoped for, it was still a great experience, enhanced by the audio cd which gave us a commentary throughout the trip and our very own car sticker.

When we got down, the weather, was possibly more miserable than when we went up so we ditched the idea of an afternoon hike and lunched on last night’s leftover pizza and an apple in the car looking at the cloudy mountain. Refusing to be completely beaten by a bit of drizzle, we went to photograph the another covered bridge, Honeymoon Bridge in Jackson, built in 1876. This one was still open to traffic so taking pictures was harder, and it had a pedestrian walkway on one side.

A bit of shopping …

… and we called it a day, went back to the motel and drank tea then went for an early dinner. We are moving on tomorrow and the forecast looks much better, so let’s wait and see!

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Rangeley … Viewpoints!

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Hope, Unity, Washington, Jefferson, Windsor, Chelsea, Augusta, Belgrade, Rome, Farmington, Strong, Phillips … no this is not a quiz question … these are the towns we passed on our drive just of around 100 miles inland. We took a few pics on the way and the leaves were certainly getting more colourful.

We kept our eyes peeled for moose …

… crossed the long distance Appalachian Trail …

… and stopped at Smalls Falls to stretch our legs.

Finally we reached Rangeley, which according to the sign on Main Street is equidistant from the North Pole and the Equator.

It has always been a resort, served in 1900 by the railroad and steamboats, bringing people to fish the spectacularly named Mooselookmeguntic Lake. Today there is year round appeal with fishing, hunting, boating, off-roading and skiing.

The first viewpoint was overlooking Rangeley Lake as we drove into town.

We are staying in the very lovely Rangeley Inn which was first opened in 1877 but has since been moved and expanded and recently restored.

To take advantage of the last of the light we drove up Quill Hill to their 360° viewpoint. The top has been cleared and you can see in every direction – well worth the $10 toll to drive to the top!

You can see Rangeley Lake in the distance in this last one.

returning to town, here is Haley Pond behind the hotel.

Next day we drove the scenic route all the way round Rangeley Lake taking a few pics and making a couple of stops.

Bald Mountain offered a family-friendly hike of 1.3 mile each way, with an ascent of 930ft.

The guidebook suggests wearing orange in hunting season so not to be mistaken for a moose, and Pippin was dressed up for his hike, but we were told not to worry on such a popular route.

The trail started easily enough with a gravel path …

… slowly became tougher with tree roots and stones …

… then having lulled us into a false sense of security, from around halfway became a rocky scramble to the summit … but we made it!

The 360° viewpoint at the top of the fire tower was much more rewarding for having got there under our own steam!

The last viewpoint was at the Height of Land Overlook, but by now it was a little overcast.

… and here’s Rangeley Lake again!

Dee in the gift shop recommended The Hungry Trout – Come Hungry, Leave Happy – and we did, on both evenings! Chris had exhausted the veggie options with mac ‘n’ cheese on the first night but Brian cooked up Asian Tofu just for him while the Saturday night prime rib was to die for.

Tomorrow we leave Maine and head to New Hampshire.

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Camden … More Lighthouses!

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We drove northwards … first up was Eartha, the world’s largest rotating and revolving globe at the DeLorme mapping corporation in Yarmouth. It’s huge… hello Joanna!

Next was the Desert of Maine, a 40 acre expanse of glacial silt which has been a tourist attraction in Freeport since 1925. This became exposed in the C19th through soil erosion when the Tuttle family failed to rotate their crops then over grazed the land, eventually overtaking the whole farm. It has been preserved as a curiosity but slowly vegetation is becoming established once more and covering the sand.

I hadn’t heard of LLBean, but this store was founded in 1912 by its namesake, hunter and fisherman Leon Leonwood Bean in Freeport. Today there is a huge shopping campus open 24hrs daily selling clothing and equipment for every outdoors pursuit imaginable.

Just as we were feeling peckish we saw a huge lobster and had to stop! I had a cup of lobster stew, but I have to admit, having had Maine lobster twice now, that I would still prefer a crab sandwich any day!

All along this part of the coast fingers of land stretch into the sea. We took a detour down to the end of Pemaquid Point to visit the lighthouse, which was looking splendid against the blue sky in the sunshine.

Moody’s diner had been recommended to us by Christopher in Gloucester who said their choice of pies had to be seen to be believed … and he was right! I chose a four berry pie, while Chris opted for the peanut butter cream pie … a deliciously indulgent afternoon treat for us both … thanks Christopher!

Just a little further and we reached Camden, where we had booked a room at the Towne Motel which has been welcoming guests since 1955.It was great to be able to take a short walk into the village for dinner and eat at the Seadog Brewing Co and in the morning breakfast was served in the parlor of the original 1853 house.

We thought we might start with the Mount Battie viewpoint in Camden State Park, but one look out of the window and we realised the summit was shrouded in mist … another grey day in Maine! Instead we headed down the St George Peninsular, catching views along the way.

Marshall Point Lighthouse is at the bottom and has a wooden runway linking the light with the keepers house which makes for a great photo op.

We also took a detour from Spruce Head to Spruce Head Island …

… and stopped at Owls Head Lighthouse accessed by a short walk through the State Park.

The next lighthouse required a little more energy, as Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse is at the end of the breakwater, almost a mile in length, and boy was it blowy!

Last stop for the day was at Rockport, with a small harbour and a statue of Andre the Seal.

The sunshine is back so this is the view from the top of Mt Battie in Camden State Park towards Camden …

… and out to Penobscot Bay.

Changing direction, we are now heading inland to Rangeley.

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Portland … Lighthouses!

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After the fabulously sunny day yesterday, today is grey as we set out north on Highway 1, passing very familiar places in a very unfamiliar order – Essex, Ipswich, Newbury, Salisbury, Amesbury, Rye, Portsmouth, York! Along the way there was marshy sort of land on the coast side, small towns with clapperboard buildings in a range of Farrow & Ball colours and drizzle for much of the day. Despite this, we’ve noticed a few changing leaves along the way …

… and a change in the license plate logos from Spirit of America in Massachusetts to Live Free in New Hampshire and now Vacationland in Maine.

We took a detour on the coast road to the Nubble Lighthouse which was undergoing refurbishment, so was not looking its best.

This dramatic coastline has attracted artists who have congregated in several artists colonies in the early C20th, one being in Ogunqit and we stopped to look round their museum, but actually found the sculpture garden more appealing.

We drove a way on the I-95, then took another detour to Cape Elizabeth to see her lighthouse …

… and further round the headland to see Portland Head Lighthouse at the entrance to the harbour at Portland, the most impressive so far.

Portland is the largest city in Maine and we are staying at Inn on St John, which was built in 1897 to accommodate passengers arriving by railroad at Union Station. It is very Victorian and very quaint, with comfy beds and another great breakfast.

The morning dawned just as miserable, but dry at least, and we wandered into town, first through the Arts quarter, where we would have visited the Portland Art Museum but when we found the one Hopper was not on show we saved our money and spent it on a lovely piece of Campbell Pottery for our new kitchen instead.

We passed a Richardson Romanesque church …

… a mini flat iron …

… a very colourful lighthouse …

… evidence of another Freedom Trail …

… and a red Mini … sorry Longfellow’s House …

… together with one of his rhymes.

Time for another boat trip, this time to see some of Maine’s finest lighthouses, if we can find them through the mist and drizzle.

So there was Portland Harbour Breakwater Light, affectionately called Bug Light as it is cute as a bug …

… Spring Point Ledge Light …

… and a distant Portland Head Lighthouse we saw yesterday.

We took a bit of a turn round Casco Bay which has 137 islands although only a few are inhabited.

On the way we saw several coloured buoys. Maine is famed for its lobster as they come into the warm shallow water to shed their shells every year or two. Lobster fishermen are registered for up to 800 traps which they mark with personal coloured coded buoys. The traps have two parts and the ‘kitchen’ is baited with smelly herring and when the lobster moves into the ‘parlour’ it is trapped. The fishermen check and rebait their traps every few days but release any breeding females or males that are too large or small. A lobster is 5-7 years old before it is the legal minimum to harvest at about 1lb in weight. You only get around 20% meat from a cooked lobster so this gives 3oz meat, and a lobster roll with around 3oz lobster will be $10-20 depending where you eat, so still a treat even in lobster central.

There was also a tiny lighthouse in a garden, which is lit nightly by the owners, but hasn’t quite made it onto the lighthouse register.

So Pizza Villa opposite the inn is a local institution – one side is a pizza parlour with family friendly booths and the other is a bar with pints of local IPA, a nice little merlot, fab tunes and 5 screens showing football on a Monday and a ball game in a Tuesday … I know this because with the wet weather we ate there both nights and Chris was in Pizza heaven!

Tomorrow the forecast is better and we drive further north.

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