Searching For Color and Sculpture

Today was all about the drive.  Our goal was to take scenic byways and back roads to seek out fall colors in New Hampshire.  So far, Tim and I have not seen a lot of color.  Perhaps we are too early, the rains from Hurricanes Irene and Ophelia have muted the color or global warming is taking its toll.  For whatever reason, we’re seeing less color, especially fewer bright colors, than I remember seeing on previous visits.  Today that would change.

I was a bit nervous about traffic when we started out this weekend.  It is Columbus Day weekend, the busiest weekend of the year in New England, and here we are.  We headed for the Kancamagus Highway, one of the most heavily traveled roads in New Hampshire in the fall and hoped for the best.

We were pleasantly surprised as we entered the east end of the highway.  Most of the traffic seemed to be heading to the shopping outlets in North Conway.  As we climbed in elevation, the colors did intensify, and I was finally able to show Tim the beautiful New England fall that I love.  Our timing was perfect, since we encountered an endless line of traffic trying to turn onto the highway as we were departing.



Color on the Kancamagus Highway

We continued our drive on back roads through New Hampshire and enjoyed the views.  A lunch stop beside the road gave Kitty an opportunity to climb fences and walk around pumpkins larger than she is.  At our stop there was a group of pumpkins for sale.  They were priced according to size, with a box in which to place the money sitting on a sawhorse.  There was even money in the box.  As a former resident of Miami, I continue to be amazed at how trusting the people in New England can be.


I Can Walk the Balance Beam



What Are These Big Orange Things?

Pumpkins For Sale

We finally made it to the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish, New Hampshire, despite Lucy, our harebrained GPS unit, who sent us there via five miles of dirt roads.  The site preserves and interprets the home, gardens and studios of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, one of America’s greatest sculptors.  He is perhaps best known for his public monuments, including the Sherman Monument in Central Park in New York, the Standing Lincoln in Chicago and the Shaw Memorial in Boston.



Shaw Memorial at Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site

This property was Saint-Gaudens’ summer home in the late nineteenth century and his permanent home from 1900 to 1907.  It’s a fascinating site, particularly since so many of his works are on display here.  We couldn’t have had a more perfect day to explore the grounds.


Little Studio on the Left, and the Residence on the Right



Tim Thinking, "I'm Glad I Don't Have to Mow This"



Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge Over the Connecticut River,
the Longest Wooden Covered Bridge in America



Heaven On Earth

Our main destination for the day was the Canterbury Shaker Village in Canterbury, New Hampshire, where we were made “kindly welcome.”  Canterbury Shaker Village was founded in 1792 and was the sixth of nineteen Shaker communities from Maine to Kentucky.  The Shakers lived apart from the world in self-contained communities, and their goal was to make their villages a “heaven on earth.”  Shaker beliefs were revolutionary for the era and included common ownership of goods, pacifism, dancing in worship, equality of the sexes and races, celibacy and living simply. 



Meeting House



Brothers Enter Through the Door On the Left,
Sisters Enter On the Right

Canterbury Shaker Village is now preserved as a museum, and we took a wonderful tour with Jim, our knowledgeable guide.  Our tour included the 1792 Meeting House, Dwelling House and Laundry.  What I found most interesting is that the buildings have not been restored to a particular period.  Various rooms in the Dwelling House, for example, interpret not only the nineteenth century period of significance, but also the early twentieth century period as well. Many of the other 25 original buildings are open to the public for self-guided touring.



Dwelling House



Trustees' Offices

We sampled Shaker fare at lunch, including corn pudding and chicken pot pie.  Although the meal was very good, it took what seemed like an eternity to get our food, thus cutting into our time for touring for the afternoon.

We did have time to drive through the lakes region of New Hampshire, including a loop around Lake Winnipesaukee.  We’ll save the Kancamagus Highway for tomorrow.



Fall Reflections

Kitty has been enjoying her walks at our last two campgrounds, both of which have been heavily wooded with lots of small critters.  Kitty is particularly fascinated by chipmunks and is hoping to get her paws on one of them.  We hate to disappoint her, but that’s just not going to happen.


Where Did That Chipmunk Go?



I Can Hide In These Leaves

Pancakes and A Party

Today is Tim’s last day of work.  I can’t imagine what must be going through his mind, knowing that for the first time in his career he will be off for nine months.  We’ll be together soon when he flies to Bangor on Monday.

Polly’s Pancake Parlour in Sugar Hill, New Hampshire, was the first stop for Kevin and me this morning.  The restaurant has been featured in Roadfood and other publications, and its reputation is well-deserved.  There were so many choices, and that was just the pancakes – buckwheat, cornmeal, oatmeal-buttermilk and whole wheat batter with fillings like blueberries, pecans and coconut.  We decided on sampler platters, and I picked buckwheat with blueberries, cornmeal and oatmeal-buttermilk, all with pure maple syrup.  Fabulous!



Pancakes at Polly's

One of the most famous fall foliage drives in New Hampshire is the Kancamagus Highway over the White Mountains.  Fall colors are just starting to turn, but I love the early mix of reds, oranges and greens.



Streeter Pond in Sugar Hill, New Hampshire



Fall Color



Fall Has Arrived



On the Kancamagus Highway



The White Mountains

Kevin and I made our way to Portland, Maine, this afternoon, where Jane’s sister Mary will join us tonight.  She arrived in the evening with enough food to feed the entire campground – wonderful Italian breads and cheeses, calzones and spinach pie, accompanied by Kevin’s wine selections.  The weather finally cooperated, and we could actually sit outside and enjoy ourselves.  Kevin leaves with Mary tomorrow, but tonight we party.

Cheese, Bridges and Cogs

Kevin and I planned a stop this morning at Cabot Creamery, a farm-family owned cooperative since 1919.  Vermont produces wonderful cheeses, particularly cheddars, and we wanted to taste a few.  As we were waiting in the parking lot for the visitor center to open, we started to chat with an interesting couple from Moscow, Idaho.  The woman commented on the RV and was intrigued that I travel with a cat.  She also travels with her cat, but in a car, and had never considered the possibility of owning an RV. 



Cabot Creamery

Kevin and I were the only two people on the tour at Cabot Creamery.  Thank goodness the tour bus was late.  During the tour, Kevin asked the guide, “What if one of your cheese tasters becomes lactose intolerant?  Do they get disability?”  Without batting an eye, the guide smugly pointed to one of the brochures in the rack that read, “Our Cheese Is Lactose Free.”  Touché!

We made a quick detour to the north to visit a concentration of covered bridges.  Mosquitos were vicious, but the locals were friendly.  One gentleman who had lived in the Northeast Kingdom all his life offered to take our photograph and pointed us in the direction of another bridge.  Another man called to us from his truck, commented on my Colorado license plate and noted that his daughter lives in Colorado.  We found three of the bridges and even drove the RV through the last one.



School House Bridge



Chamberlin Bridge



Sarah and Kevin at the Chamberlin Bridge



Miller's Run Bridge

Every day the autumn colors become more and more pronounced, and driving the back roads is glorious.  As we crossed into New Hampshire, however, it started to rain.  We had hoped to ride the Mount Washington Cog Railway this afternoon and headed that way just in case the weather cleared.  The rain never stopped, but it wasn’t too bad, and we decided to take the train anyway.  This is the world’s first mountain-climbing cog railway, and has operated continuously since 1869.  It climbs steeply to the summit of Mount Washington, elevation 6,288 feet.


Mount Washington Cog Railway



Our Train

Kevin is a train nut, and was in his element.  The weather deteriorated as we climbed, and the visibility at the top was only 50 feet.  That was fitting for Mount Washington, however, home of the world’s worst weather.  We had a great time anyway and enjoyed the ride.



Climbing Through the Raindrops

The View On the Way Down

Tonight we parked the RV in front of the ski house that belongs to Jane’s sister Mary.  Located in Sugar Hill, New Hampshire, the house was just a short drive from the Cog Railway.  Thanks, Mary.