New Hampshire ~ Bristol

Bristol

Bristol, NH was our destination on July 9, 2016.
New Hampshire is well known for its many toll roads. We have our GPS set up to avoid them, so when possible we are not going through them in the RV. This is the first time the GPS has done a maneuver like this. It had us get off the highway and then right back on, we missed the toll booth as it was on top of the overpass!

We stayed at the Newfound RV Park, just north of town. It is a smaller park with a number of permanent/seasonal residents. The park is well kept up and very quiet.


We were in Site 8 which is a gravel pull-through with full hook-ups and average width. We had a picnic table and fire ring. The WiFi was good. The laundry room was clean. We paid $28.20 a night with their weekly discount. They have a trail that takes you along the creek, the perfect place for our morning walk.

We had to chuckle when we pulled the campground up on Google Maps, the lake looks like a giant fish ready to eat the campground.

On our way to the grocery store we came across the Bristol Cemetery, so of course we had to check it out. There were a few unique headstones. We loved the giant rock and we have seen a few now that have the flag carved on it. The plaque with the face on it is for Richard Pattee (1872-1927). He was a pioneer in the dairy farming industry. Through his determination the New England Milk Producers Association was developed and grew to thousands of members.


Many of the graves had small metal flag holders on them with different designs. Not sure what they all mean, so if you know please leave a comment for us.










We were just south of the White Mountains and had planned to do a fair amount of hiking but Nancy's back had other plans for us. She had hurt her back the week before and we had been super busy and driving everyday straight for 6 days in a row. So, we laid a little low on this stop with hopes that the rest would help her back heal.

From left to right
1-East Peak Mountain ~ 2-Mt. Osceola ~ 3-East Scar Ridge ~ 4-Mt. Wolf in the back, Black Mtn in the front

While we couldn't hike we did drive through the White Mountains. It was a breathtaking drive. Once again the amazing views left us in awe of Mother Nature.





As you can imagine there are a number of Ski Lodges throughout the mountain area.

The drive along Hwy 112 from Lincoln, NH to Conway, NH offers a number of places to stop and enjoy the beauty. Many are trail heads and all of them have places to rest and enjoy a picnic.

We not only saw mountain ridges but waterfalls and plenty of creeks and rivers.

On our travels in every direction from the campground we found lots of Roadside Oddities.

In Plymouth, NH we found a statue of Nathaniel Hawthorne, he passed away in 1864 while on a recuperative trip to the White Mountains. We visited his grave in Concord, MA from our last stop in Littleton, MA.
Betty and Barney Hill had an exciting evening on September 19-20, 1961. They had a close encounter with a UFO and "lost" two hours of time while driving south on Route 3 just north of Lincoln, NH. There is a historical maker as this was the first widely-reported abduction in the U.S.
The Alien Abduction sign is also at the spot where you can see the Indian Head Mountain. The small white building on a rock is actually a Tiny Church. It appears that it is no longer used.



The Kancamagus Car Museum in North Woodstock, NH is a private collection of vintage and unique cars.

Along with the old cars and trucks, he also has a 1954 Kompac Trailer. This fiberglass trailer was designed to look like a 1953 Ford from the back. The top is actually a removable boat and the rear panel folds down to reveal a camping kitchen. Bottom left photo is a picture of it. Less than 200 of these were made, this one was #151, and less than 20 still exist.

In Northfield, NH we found the Memorial Arch of Tilton, or as locals call it "Tilton's Folly". The 55-foot tall arch sits on a hill overlooking the town of Tilton. Charles Tilton had the arch built in 1882, at the cost of $50,000. On his visit to Rome the previous year he was inspired by the architecture. It is constructed of Concord granite, the foundation goes into the earth 16-feet. The 50-ton sarcophagus and red granite lion was built as Tilton's final resting place. As happens in life those plans changed and he is buried in a nondescript grave about a mile away. The keystone of the arch is 5-feet tall and 12-feet deep. Inside is a lead box with then current newspapers, a copy of Successful Men of New Hampshire, and gold and silver coins. In the 1980's the monument was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, was repaired and the park around it was created.

Just down the road in Franklin, NH is a Trestle Train Bridge. It crosses the Winnnipesaukee River. It played an important role in the development of the Paper Mill Business in Franklin. The Harris Corliss Fly Wheel weighs 11-tons and was part of a the steam engine installed in July 1911 in the Franklin Mills Textile Building.

The trestle bridge is one of two that was used by the mills. We hiked to the second one. The Sulphite Railroad Bridge is locally known as the Upside Down Covered Bridge. The bridge was built in 1896-97. It is believed that it is the only surviving "upside down" covered railroad bridge in the U.S. The rail bed is laid on top of the bridge roof, whose purpose is to shelter the trusses below. The railroad line has not been used since 1973. This bridge is in need of some repairs and the overgrowth of brush made it hard to get a picture of the sides of it.


Also nearby we found these fun items. It seems the Dinosaur Creature may have scared customers away, as the business it is attached to closed up. The Frog Rock and the Tin Man Farmer were along Hwy 9. We love it when we find random things on our drives.








On one of Les's trips to the store he came upon a whole gaggle of oddities. Not sure if the people who live here make and sell these or just collect them. Either way it is eye catching.


This Peter "Wolf" Toth Indian Carving, "Keewakwa Abenaki Keenahbeh" is in the Opechee Park in Laconia, NH. Based on the looks of him he may not be around much longer.




He stands 36-feet tall, and was carved from a Red Oak tree in 1984. Making him the 48th carving on the Trail of the Whispering Giants.
It always make us sad to see one that is struggling.







After all of the exploring we stopped to wet our whistle at the Lone Wolf Brewing Company in Wolfeboro, NH. We loved the name as it reminded us of our nephew Eric, who uses "Lone Wolf" for his email and such. They have the cutest little patio, dog friendly and we loved the pallet planters, and the beer was good too! 


Next stop is Freeport, ME.

Till we meet again....

Happy Trails to You!


Tips and things we have learned along the way. 
~ Back aches are a pain in the, well back!
In hopes of improving Nancy's back issues we purchased a foam topper for our bed. We have discussed this for quite awhile now and finally broke down and got one. New Hampshire seemed like a good place as there is no sales tax!
We bought a 4" Gel Memory Foam Topper, it comes with a pillowtop cooling mattress pad.
It is super comfortable and has seemed to help not only Nancy's back but Les's shoulder pain as well.