Maritimes & New England - 2015
Glen Margaret, Nova Scotia
to Bangor, Maine
Day 18 - October 5
It was a colorful road trip today!
New Brunswick
New Brunswick countryside - the Trans Canada Highway
Saint John River, New Brunswick
Back to America - 11 days gone!
Bangor, Maine - the Penobscot River
Day 18 - October 5
Glen Margaret, Nova Scotia to Bangor, Maine
Today was a driving day. We had another wonderful breakfast, said goodbye to By-The-Bay Bed & Breakfast and our hostess Cathie, and drove 7 hours across Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, to Bangor, Maine. We will stay the night here, then make our way 4 hours to New Hampshire.
The drive was beautiful - the colors are starting to come out quickly now. There are pockets where the color is just amazing. The foliage is changing late this year - mostly due to a warm Fall. There is a good chance we will not experience the peak this trip, but it has been amazing to see the change over the last 2+ weeks!
Bangor, Maine to
Sugar Hill, New Hampshire
Day 19 - October 6
On the way from Bangor, Maine to Sugar Hill, New Hampshire we made a quick stop at the Maine capitol building in Augusta. We think the flags are half staff for either the lost Americans from the cargo ship or the those who lost their lives in the South Carolina floods, both caused by Hurricane Joaquin.
Along Maine State Highway 219, west of Augusta
There were two of these steel trusses - this is the short one. The police eventually let us pass. This happened at least 4 times - we would pass them, then stop to sight see, at which time they passed us. Where are they going?
Bryant Pond, Maine. This was sculpted in memory of the couple who ran the last hand crank magneto telephone system in America - they finally gave up the ghost in 1981
Round Pond, Maine
Androscoggin River, Maine
Mt, Washington, New Hampshire, the highest point east of the Mississippi, at 6,288 feet. Looks pretty clear today, We plan to drive to the top in the next couple of days
One of the northernmost trailheads to the Appalachian Trail
There’s some color! The Grover Cleveland Scenic Viewpoint in the White Mountains of New Hampshire
Our room at The Hilltop Inn in Sugar Hill, New Hampshire. Our last stop!
We stayed at The Hilltop Inn in 1992 with Jordan when he was 8. Incredibly, it’s the same owners; B&B owners just never last that long. We found our 1992 entry in the guest book!
Day 19 - October 6
Bangor, Maine to Sugar Hill, New Hampshire
Another drive day. Leaving Bangor, we headed south to Augusta. The route was the shortest, according to Google, and allowed us to make a quick picture stop at the Maine capitol building.
From there we headed west into the Maine countryside, toward New Hampshire. A beautiful drive, and we are starting to see much more color. At one of our stops, we talked to a local, who told us he thought the colors were about 40% along. If so, we will miss the peak - but they sure are pretty anyway! So many different colors. The hills are not awash in color, but certain spots are gorgeous.
The best color we have seen was today, when we entered into White Mountains National Forest. Our next stop is Sugar Hill, in the middle of the White Mountains. We are hopeful the colors will become more vibrant in the 4 days we are here.
We arrived at The Hilltop Inn mid-afternoon and spent the next few hours catching up with Mike and Meri, who have owned this B&B since 1984, and were here when we stayed with Jordan in 1992. We showed them some of our pictures of their place from back then - it was a fun memory for them!
White Mountains &
Mt. Washington,
New Hampshire
Day 20 - October 7
Ready for breakfast!
The Sugar Hill Sampler and Museum, Sugar Hill, New Hampshire. A huge old barn - the first floor was a gift shop, the basement a museum of town history and old artifacts
Looks like a painting, doesn’t it? A farm in Sugar Hill
White Mountiains - Elephant Head Rock
Silver Cascades in Crawford Notch, part of the White Mountains
At the entrance to the Mt. Washington Auto Road. They warned us!
Scary road. In sections, the grade had to be over 20 degrees. No guardrails
The parking lot at the top - we think
It was only a 45 mph wind for us…
23 years later - check the hat!
The best foliage colors are found here - and we hear they will get better in the next couple of days
Beautiful river in the White Mountains
The longest covered bridge in New Hampshire - 390 feet - in the village of Bath
Day 20 - October 7
White Mountains & Mt. Washington, New Hampshire
We spent most of the day driving a good portion of the White Mountains loop. We stopped many times to enjoy the views & foliage (starting to pop!).
We had decided to take the auto road to the top of Mt. Washington, the highest point west of the Mississippi, at 6,288 feet. It boasts some of the worst weather in the country, and has recorded the highest wind velocity every recorded - 231 miles per hour.
The auto road is 8 miles long, and HAIRY. It is very narrow - opposing traffic is scary. There are no guardrails, some of it is dirt, and I’m sure the incline exceeds 20% in many places. Then add to it the fact that on this day, we entered a cloud about 2/3 the way up, and visibility went to about 40 feet. One lady had stopped completely - I think she freaked out and froze. We had to go around her. I was probably driving under 20 mph most of the way.
The top was 35 degrees, wind 45 mph - so I’m sure the wind chill was in the teens. Visibility was a stated 100 feet - generous. We heard the previous day visibility was over 100 MILES. Did we pick the wrong day? Nah - wouldn’t have traded the experience. And it was just the same 23 years ago!
Franconia Notch State Park,
New Hampshire
Day 21 - October 8
The Hilltop Inn, our Bed & Breakfast in 1992, and again in 2015
Red squirrel
Franconia Notch State Park, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. We will spend our day here
The hike up to the Bald Nob. I had to come down this, too - partly on the seat of my pants
From the top of Bald Nob. Again, the camera doesn’t do it justice; the foliage is really popping now, and the sunny day really helps
View from Bald Nob
Panorama from Bald Nob
Back down,
half a foot at a time…
The famous Old Man of the Mountain. The top picture was from our visit in 1992. In the meantime, the Old Man collapsed - in 2003 - after over 100 years of attempts to keep him up there
The locals came up with a way to “see” the Old Man back on the mountain. It’s a little hokey, but actually pretty clever, and the best they could do. Better than the first idea proposed to the New Hampshire legislature - build a “fake” Old Man” and put it up on the mountain
From the top of Cannon Mountain in Franconia Notch, which we ascended via tram
From Cannon Mountain. Those are very red hills…
From Cannon Mountain
From Cannon Mountain. Elevation is about 4,100
It was a very clear day (fuzzy picture due to telephoto lens). To the left of the “U” is Quebec, about 120 miles away
Kathy from the Cannon Mountain Observation Tower
One more from Cannon Mountain.
That’s the Franconia Notch Parkway, Interstate 93
First of two covered bridges in The Flume Gorge, Franconia Notch State Park
The Flume. This is one giant rock, probably 100 feet across and at least ¼ mile long. The water from The Flume Gorge fans out here. I imagine that’s one slippery rock!
The Flume Gorge - very narrow. The boardwalk traverses one side of the gorge to the other. It looks crowded, but it really wasn’t too bad. And the park has done a great job of positioning the trail so you are not fighting people for a view
Avalanche Falls, at the upper end of The Flume Gorge
The Flume Gorge Trail, about 2 ½ miles long, was full of color
The Flume Gorge Trail - Sentinel Pine Covered Bridge
The Flume Gorge Trail - The Pool. Just below the covered bridge
Along The Flume Gorge Trail
Along The Flume Gorge Trail. These trees will grow anywhere!
The view out the window from our dinner table at The Inn at Sunset Hill, about 1 mile from our Bed & Breakfast. I would love to eat here in the dead of Winter - those White Mountains would be very white!
Day 21 - October 8
Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire
We awoke to a glorious, sun-filled day. Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy all day, so we’d better take advantage of this!!
And we did - we spent the day in Franconia Notch State Park, about 10 miles south of where we are staying. Thankfully, no long drives today!
We hiked the combined Artists Bluff and Bald Nob trails. Artists Bluff is fairly steep and about 1 mile long. Both of us took that hike. I hiked Bald Nob - it is a short hike, but the last part is very steep up granite. But what views - lots of red hills!
Next, we visited the Old Man in the Mountain, a natural rock face high up on one of White Mountains’ cliffs. It was one of the state’s sites of pride. For over 100 years, they had been working feverishly to shore it up, using hundreds of turnbuckles. But finally, in 2003, in the dead of night, the Old Man gave up and crashed to the mountain floor. Now, there is a memorial at the view site, and a “re-enactment” of sorts of where the Old Man used to be.
Next door to the Old Man is an aerial tram to the top of Cannon Mountain, with a short Rim Trail and Observation Tower, with spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. We were told that this was the clearest day of the fall - visibility 120 miles.
Lastly, to The Flume Gorge. A 2 ½ mile loop trail through some of the most gorgeous country you’ll see. Part of it is a narrow “flume” through which Flume Brook cascades. The gorge is perhaps 20 feet at its narrowest, I’d say about 100 feet at its deepest, and about ½ mile long. A boardwalk has been built along the cliff walls for incredible views.
Mike and Meri at The Hilltop Inn, our Bed & Breakfast hosts, recommended The Inn at Sunset Hill for dinner. Great food - but the view of the White Mountains - wow! We couldn’t take our eyes off those mountains!
The Hilltop Inn
Sugar Hill, New Hampshire
Day 22 - October 9
Mike & Meri, owners of The Hilltop Inn. The best!
A rainy day…
And so we spent the day in front of this…
Day 22 - October 9
The Hilltop Inn, Sugar Hill, New Hampshire
As predicted, it was a rainy day - all day. And we were pretty weary of 21 days of non-stop. So we stayed at The Hilltop Inn B&B - it was a nice, lazy break.
Sugar Hill, New Hampshire
to Boston, Massachusetts
to Yorba Linda, California
Day 23 - October 10
Our final breakfast at The Hilltop Inn. Chock full o’ blueberries! And that bacon!
One last ride through the peak of the Fall colors. Yesterday’s rain left the leaves still wet, and with the sun out today, they were really shimmering
Day 23 - October 10
Sugar Hill, New Hampshire to Boston, Massachusetts to Yorba Linda, California
Sadly, our last day. I asked Kathy if she was ready to go home? Yes and no - me, too.
After a wonderful send-off breakfast at The Hilltop Inn, we drove south towards Boston and our late afternoon flight home.
We pass through Manchester, NH, and that’s where Drew and Shelby (the newlyweds) are living. Shelby was auto racing with her dad, so Kathy and I met Drew for lunch. He told us all about their honeymoon in France - what stories and memories they will have, including a 20 mile drive that took them 4 ½ hours, due to heavy rain and flooding in the Cannes area.
Kathy and I have our stories and our memories too! What a wonderful trip!
Thanks for joining us along the way!!!