New Hampshire people are tough! We camped right in the middle of the White Mountains National Forest, close to Lake Placid the place of the 1980 Winter Olympics and still used as a training ground. Our campsite was right by the river. This area is soooo pretty. It was a very rainy and misty day, but still lots of people out & about. Tough bunch. We couldn't be upstaged, so we decided to seek out the trail around our campsite. Usually trails around campsites are very easy to navigate, especially for old folks, but we should have known... this trail is not your regular 'old people' trail. Up and down and around rocks, trees, creeks and even waterfalls... but what a sight.. especially, we found our reward at the end of the trail... Fine Dining with a view... sweet! See for yourself: |
Driving in the White Mountains is not just beautiful, it's pretty tricky, especially on a rainy misty day. The roads are narrow, extremely windy and many many low and covered bridges. Even though these bridges are absolutely historically beautiful, it is not something we can even entertain to go through. Remember Gertrude's headache! Yikes, it was real tricky to find the right roads (without going to the freeway), as Ms. GPS has no idea where these bridges are! Another interesting tid-bit about NH is that their liquor stores are right off the freeway... and they are aggressively advertised... Hmmm, what about drinking and driving don't they understand?
A beached whale... no, not me in a bathing suit!
When we were at the south shores of NH, we happen to be there when Snow Plow, a 45 ft young Humpback Whale, was found dead on shore. She apparently died and washed ashore. She was well known in those waters. It was a sad day to see such a magnificent creature in the prime of her life, otherwise known to be healthy, dead and washed ashore. Her death has not been determined at the time when we were there. |
Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site
Since a criteria of our bucket list was that we must at least visit one National Park per State, New Hampshire's sole National Park is Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site. Lastri, you would have been proud that we're now educated in the fine arts.
Augustus Saint-Gaudens, born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1848, was a son to a French shoemaker and his Irish wife. Augustus became THE sculptor of the American Renaissance. Saint-Gaudens' greatest legacy may be his public monuments, such as the Sherman Monument in New York's Central Park and his "Standing Lincoln" in Chicago. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1900 and past away in 1907. His wife and son established his Memorial and in 1965 the Memorial became a National Historic Site. Even though neither Allan nor I are artistically inclined, you can't but be in awe of these masterpieces.
Augustus Saint-Gaudens, born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1848, was a son to a French shoemaker and his Irish wife. Augustus became THE sculptor of the American Renaissance. Saint-Gaudens' greatest legacy may be his public monuments, such as the Sherman Monument in New York's Central Park and his "Standing Lincoln" in Chicago. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1900 and past away in 1907. His wife and son established his Memorial and in 1965 the Memorial became a National Historic Site. Even though neither Allan nor I are artistically inclined, you can't but be in awe of these masterpieces.