A Week in New Hampshire

The week of the fourth of July we traveled west to New Hampshire. We had reserved a two bedroom condo in the White Mountains, near Plymouth. Our son, Brian and his wife, Laura, opted to join us.  Our drive was about 240 miles while they had a longer drive of over 1,000 miles. 

Portland, Maine

Our first full day in New Hampshire was a rainy one, so we drove straight east to the coast of Maine to visit some lighthouses and enjoy seafood on the fourth of July.

Portland Head Lighthouse

Cape Elizabeth Head Lighthouse

Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves

The weather the next day looked better, so we decided to take a hike. The Lost River Gorge is located in the Kinsman Notch in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. We followed a one mile long boardwalk trail, containing over a thousand stairs, through the gorge as it wound its way along the Lost River, named so because parts of it are underground. There were many boulder caves, which were fun to climb into. One, called the Lemon Squeeze, only Laura could squeeze through.

This extensive boardwalk allowed hiking through this rocky gorge.

The White Mountains from the top of the Gorge

Peaking out of one of the boulder caves.

The Kancamagus Scenic Highway 

This highway through the White Mountains National Forest had many trails and hikes to waterfalls and overlooks.

Summit Turnout/Overlook

Concord, New Hampshire State Capital

This State House was constructed in 1819. The lobby of the State House contained a Memorial Hall of Flags flown in the Civil War, Spanish American War, WWI and WWII along with the Viet Nam War. While walking through the halls, we passed a friendly gentleman, whom we found out later was the Governor of New Hampshire, Chris Sununu. 

New Hampshire State House

New Hampshire Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary

While in Concord we visited the Audubon Sanctuary and their birds of prey exhibit. 

This Bald Eagle lost his wing when he was very young. He is now a permanent resident.

This Barred Owl was hit by a car and broke both of her wings. She now greats everyone who enters the Birds of Prey exhibit.

USS Albacore

Leaving Concord, we continued our drive to the coast of New Hampshire. The experimental submarine, AGSS-569, is permanently dry-docked in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. We decided to take the self-guided tour of the submarine and museum. This 205 foot submarine had a crew of 55 men. We marveled at the limited living space. Our RV seems spacious by comparison. 

Taking a test drive.

We drove the entire 18 mile sea coast of New Hampshire along Highway 1A with stops for scenic overlooks and excellent seafood. 

Mount Washington Drive to the top

Mt. Washington, in the White Mountains, is 6,688 feet. This is the highest peak in the Northeast. The weather at the summit rivals that of Antarctica. The average annual temperature is below freezing. The 7.6 mile road to the top is a private toll road. At times we were right on the edge with no guard rails. At the summit was an interesting museum that provided a welcome shelter out of the wind.

The Cog Railroad arrived as we approached the summit.

World Record Winds of 231 mph, this is an amazing fact.

The wind was blowing a steady 59 mph with gusts to 70 mph while we were there. The clouds went whipping past us as we struggled to stand.

Diana's Baths

Within the White Mountain National Forest is Diana's Baths. We hiked about half a mile to a scenic group of small waterfalls, rock ledges and pools along Lucy Brook.

Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, Cornish, NH

This is the only National Park in New Hampshire, it comprises the home, studios, grounds and artworks of Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907). He is one of America's greatest sculptors. He sculpted many Civil War monuments as well as designs for US ten and twenty dollar gold coins.

He named the main house, built in 1817, Aspet.

The Studio

Inside the studio. Casting of the horse used in the General Sherman Memorial which stands in Central Park, New York, placed in 1903.

Shaw Memorial exhibited in Bowling Green, Kentucky. This is a memorial for the 54th Massachusetts Regiment of African American Volunteers.

Atrium and Pool

Final Resting Place

The Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, NH

We had a rainy day, courtesy of Hurricane Elsa. This small museum had an interesting collection of European and American paintings and sculptures. After a late lunch in Manchester, the sun came out for our last day in New Hampshire.

Woman Seated in a Chair by Picasso

Capital Building, Augusta, Maine

Returning to Ellsworth on Saturday, we stopped in Augusta to tour the State House. We could only walk around it, since the building is closed on weekends.

Three Day Road Trip to Bath, Maine

Coastal Maine Botanical Garden 

This 275 acre botanical garden is in Boothbay, Maine. This was a gem in our AAA book, so it was a must see. We drove the 100 miles to Boothbay on Monday morning, and spent the rest of the day walking around these extensive gardens and forest trails before checking into our hotel in Brunswick, Maine. 

Forest Trail "Trolls", Guardians of the Seeds

The artist, Thomas Dambo, from Denmark is world renowned for his troll art. There are 5 giant trolls scattered throughout the forest trails.

Alliums, in the garlic family, are in full bloom.

Maine Maritime Museum

This is another gem in the AAA book. After a good nights sleep, we drove nine miles to Bath, Maine, to tour the Maritime Museum. The 20 acre Museum, is the site of a 19th century shipyard where large wooden sailing ships were constructed and launched. There are five original shipyard buildings. With the weather unpredictable, we purchased a two day pass which included all exhibits and a boat tour on the Kennebec River.

The museum had a number of displays and movies about the historic shipyard and lighthouses in the area.

Vintage Tugboat Pilothouse

What remains of the 1851 American Clipper Ship, Snow Squall, built in South Portland. It was damaged in 1864 going around Cape Horn and then abandoned in Port Stanley, Falkland Islands. This is the only remains of an American clipper ship in existence.

The original Mill & Joinery Shop and Paint & Treenail Shop along with the rebuilt Blacksmith Shop were part of the Percy and Small Shipyard, 1896 - 1920.

The Victorian home of the shipbuilding family, Donnell.

One building was dedicated to the Maine lobstering industry. 

The Schooner Mary E, constructed in Bath in 1906. Originally built as a fishing vessel, the Mary E has served many functions through the years. She is the oldest wooden vessel built on the Kennebec River that is still sailing. She takes passengers sailing 3 days a week. It is now fitted with a Cummins Diesel Engine.

The next day, we returned to finish touring the exhibits as well as take a boat tour down the Kennebec River.

Picture of the remains of the Percy Small Shipyard along with the life-size steel structure of the largest wooden schooner ever built in America, The Wyoming. When Percy and Small Shipyard completed construction of the Wyoming in 1909, the vessel had six masts reaching 177 feet in height. The ship carried a payload of up to 6600 tons of coal along the eastern coast until she sank in a storm off Cape Cod in 1924.

Doubling Point Lighthouse at a bend in the Kennebec River.

Fiddler's Reach Fog Bell stands between the Doubling Point Lighthouse and the Kennebec Range Lights

Kennebec Range Lights. 

As ships travel up the Kennebec River, the captains align with the lights to ensure that the ship is traveling down the center of the river.

The boat tour included water viewing of the Bath Iron Works (General Dynamics) one of two American shipyards that build surface combatant vessels for the U.S. Navy. The large blue vessel carries the destroyer into the middle of the river before being sunk to allow the destroyer to float freely away. After the destroyer is launched, the blue drydock is then raised from the bottom of the river and moved back to the shipyard for future use.

Zumwalt Class Destroyer

Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer

Fort William Henry

This remains of the British fort, 1692-1696 on the Pemaquid Peninsula. 

The  remains of the officers quarters foundation

The Main Gate of the Fort

Father's Day at Union River Lobster Pot

The restaurants are beginning to open for the summer season. The Union River Lobster Pot in Ellsworth was recommended by the locals for great fresh caught lobster. We decided to go there for Father's Day.  They open at 5 pm, but when we arrived 15 minutes early, there was already a line. It was a beautiful day so we opted to eat outside at the picnic table with a view of the Union River. 

Live lobsters were orderable in 1/4 pound increments from 1 pound to 2-1/2 pounds.

A plate of steamer clams for an appetizer.

This 2-1/4 pound lobster took an hour to eat.  To enjoy this meal, you have to have time and patience. Virginia had a nice steak.