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.

Massachusetts - Littleton

Littleton

Our move on July 5, 2018 took us to Littleton, MA which is just outside of Boston. We stayed at the Boston Minuteman Campground. This is a very pretty park with a mix of RV sites, pull-throughs and back-ins, cabins and tent sites.

We were in Site A, a back-in with full hook ups. The sites are a little wider than normal and have a picnic table and the coolest fire pits we have seen.



There is a pool, playground, game room and an activity area with Bocce Balls, Ladderball and Cornhole.
The fenced dog park is nice and big with shade trees. WiFi was good and our Verizon signal was strong. Laundry and bathrooms were clean. We paid $54.90 a night with no discount.

We toured the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston, MA, which means we have now been in all of the Presidential Libraries and Museums. Jimmy Carter's in Atlanta, that we visited in March 2016, is still our favorite.






The exhibits included his campaign, with videos of his and Nixon's debates. We liked the Michigan connection!


While his time in office was cut short, he certainly made an impact on our country. Displays included copies of his speeches with corrections typed in red. Of course the most famous was his quote of what you can do for your country. His appeal to the rest of the politicians is one that can certainly still be made today.
One alcove was dedicated to the Space Program. What are your memories of man landing on the moon?

November 22, 1963. Everyone has a story of where they were when Kennedy was shot. Such a sad day. 

Nancy was six years old and can still remember coming home from school and her mom sitting in the basement in front of the TV, crying so hard. 

Les was 14 and remembers the President of the School Board coming to his classroom to tell them. Everyone was shocked by the news.

They have a darkened hallway with small video screens that show the TV coverage and Walter Cronkite choking up while announcing Kennedy's death.

Jacqueline Kennedy was born on July 28, 1929. She worked as the "Inquiring Camera Girl" for the Washington Times-Herald. During the Presidential campaign she wrote a weekly newspaper column entitled "Campaign Wife."

The upper left picture is when she was three years old, The upper right is her writing one of her columns. Bottom left is a cartoon she did for the paper of JFK washing out his socks in a hotel room. Bottom right is her wedding day.



Outside of the museum there is a large platform where you can see across the bay to downtown Boston and watch the airplanes come in for a landing.
This is one of the most scariest places we have landed, flew here in the Winter and the whole place was a sheet of ice - thought for sure we were going to slide right off the runway and into the water!
JKF's boat, "Victura" sits on the lawn, Les got a great shot of the skyline with the boat. In 1986 the Amvets dedicated the Carillon Bell as a living memorial to all Veterans.

L: Plane coming in ~~ C: Carrillon Bells ~~ R: JFK's sail boat. 

There was a special exhibit called JFK 100. It has 100 different items from his life, starting with his first formal photo from November 1917. There was a drawing of a tree from the early 1920's. Family items were included, his mother kept a file box that had information about each child, listing their health info, school accomplishments etc.

We loved this banner that
 hangs outside the museum.

The Garden Gnomes were from a set of six, each one a caricature of a Cold War Leader. They were a gift from a citizen of West Germany.


After touring the JFK Library we headed to Salem, MA. Every time we get into a touristy town we realize what horrible tourists we are! Considering our lifestyle we find this rather funny.
There are a number of museums you can tour and of course blocks and blocks of stores and resturarnts. We had planned to park and wander but we could never find a parking spot.

The Old Burying Point was on our list, we know this shocks you! At the entrance to the cemetery is a courtyard with stone memorials to the 19 women and men who were killed for practicing witchcraft. Most were hung but a couple were pressed to death. Fear will lead people to do some crazy things.

There is another memorial to them, Protector's Ledge, at the spot it is believed they were hung. There is a plaque for each of the nineteen, with their name and the date they died. There were 13 women and 6 men, one of them a Reverend.

The Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, MA is the final resting place for Thoreau, Hawthorne, Alcott and Emerson. Their family plots are all close together on what is called the Authors Ridge. Can you imagine the conversations at a book group with all of them?

Henry Thoreau (1817-1862) lived in Concord and along with his writing he was a staunch abolitionist. He was also a historian and naturalist.


Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) was born in Pennsylvania, but grew up in Concord. She was also an abolitionist and strong feminist. She never married and stayed in the Concord/Boston area.




Both of their graves were decorated with small rocks and pens and pencils left as a memorial to them. On Henry's grave is a note of thanks in a small plastic bag with a pencil stub. "Thank you for inspiring me." Brent McCleary










Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) lived and traveled world wide, with his last residence being in Concord, MA. He died while on a recuperative trip to the White Mountains in NH. His pallbearers included Longfellow, Emerson, Alcott Sr (Louisa May's father) and Holmes.

Ralph Waldo Emerson's (1803-1882) is the most elaborate and his two wives are buried on either side of him. He was born in Boston and after living in England he returned to Concord, MA. He was one of the founders of the Transcendentalist Movement. All of the authors buried here were members.




In our travels to get Roadside Oddities we were in three states in one day! Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
We checked two more Peter "Wolf" Toth Indian carvings off our list.



"Enishkeetompauog" stands in Sprague Park in Narragansett, RI. He was carved in 1982 and is the 42nd carving. He is 20-feet tall and is made from a Douglas Fir.

The second one is in Plymouth, MA. The first one we have found in front of a McDonald's. This one was carved in 1983 from a Red Oak tree. He is the 45th carving and stands 30-feet tall. He is titled "Enisketomp."

While in Plymouth, MA we of course had to check out the Plymouth Rock. It is housed in a pillared pavilion to protect it from the elements. It sits a few feet below the platform you stand on, assuming to protect it from the people who come to see it! There is a Park Ranger on duty who tells the history of the rock. The Mayflower Ship usually sits in the bay but it has been removed for repairs, there were still lots of beautiful boats to admire.




The Irish Round Tower in the St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Milford, MA  was designed by Reverend Patrick Cuddihy in 1894. It is said to be a replica of the famous Glendaloungh Tower in Ireland and was built to commemorate the Irish immigrants of Milford.

There is much discussion as to what the towers were originally built for. Some say they were Watch Towers, other say they were Bell Towers, and some others say they were where the Monks hid important documents to keep them safe from invasions. Whatever the reason the landscape of Ireland is dotted with them.

There were a few other cool headstones as well.











Quirky and more historical Roadsides were on our route.
The John Brown Bell is in a park in Marlborough, MA. Soldiers from Marlborough were part of the group that surrounded and captured insurrectionist John Brown in Harper's Ferry in 1859. Their reward was the arsenal bell, which was brought home and enshrined in this tower. We visited Harper's Ferry back in May.
Just down the road from the Bell is a Carved Ant that sits at the entrance to an exterminator.
The overpasses in Pawtucket, RI are all painted to look like the outside of houses! We loved these signs we kept seeing everywhere, Thickly Settled!!



The "Modern Diner" is a customized and factory-built "Sterling Streamliner". They were manufactured in the late 1930's and early 1940's. It was chosen to be the first diner in the nation to be accepted on the National Register for Historic Places.
Diners originated in Providence, RI with the first ones being horse-drawn canteens created by Walter Scott in 1872. They sold pies, coffee and light food to people who worked at night when restaurants were closed.


While the lines on the road probably aren't really a Roadside, they are an Oddity! These Patriotic Lines are in Chelsea, MA, just across the river from Boston.

This really was a multi state stop. One of our days took us into New Hampshire and Maine, and down memory lane. Our daughter Katrina lived in Dover and Newmarket, NH, while attending graduate school at the University of New Hampshire in Durham.
The top left picture from 2006, is one we took as we pulled away to head back to MI after moving her into her apartment, top right picture. Yes, Nancy cried like a baby. Bottom left is Dover, NH and she worked at Rite Aid in Newmarket.







She also worked at the York's Wild Kingdom in York, ME before moving back to Michigan. It was fun to visit the Zoo and her old stomping grounds.

The entrance road into the zoo is lined with boards that have a silhouette of an animal with a question to answer. Do you know the answers?

We of course had the dog with us so Nancy went into the zoo and Les and Mielikki went in search of a dog park.







Nancy laughed at the Baby Goat laying on top of its mother. It doesn't matter what species, kids will be kids! The Prairie Dogs were one of Katrina's favorites.












The Butterfly House is always a favorite and this one didn't disappoint. There are Baby Alligators and a Black Headed Swan as well.









Nancy even caught a pair of butterflies mating.

Up next is Bristol, New Hampshire and the White Mountains.

Till we meet again...

Happy Trails to You!

Tips and things we have learned along the way.
~ Check Lists
We have discussed check lists in previous posts to help us remember everything that needs to be done setting up and taking down. You would think after all this time we wouldn't need them anymore. But it is always a safety net for us.
Nancy has discovered she needs one when making reservations.The last few stops have held some surprises for us. She has a notebook that she lists everything in for each stop: Camp name, address, phone, cost, site information, special directions, and the local sites to see.

 There are certain things we always look for in a campground and ask about.
First is a decent price and any discounts they may offer. Then we move on from there:
~ Pull through site - much easier then having to unhook the tow dolly.
~ Full hook-ups. Water, 50 amp electric, and sewer hook-ups. Our current site does not have the last item and we thought it did.
~ Is there a shady spot, it helps to keep the RV cooler.
~ WiFi, again our current place does not have this and Nancy forgot to ask.
~ Laundry on site, again our current place does not have this and the question wasn't asked.
The last question we ask is:
~ Will our GPS bring us right to the campground. Many times it will take us past or not quite far enough.

Nancy has now made a list on the inside cover of her notebook to keep her on track!