Everywhere I looked there was a beautiful picture waiting to be taken.
.
.
Not to mention videos.
.
.
I love these kind of places. Easy hiking with railed bridges and paths that criss cross over the natural splendor.
.
.
And these were extremely well made, designed to withstand water and rough weather. I can only imagine the force of the falls in the spring, it must be epic.
.
.
For those who are interested:
.
.
And for those of us with bad knees?
.
.
Random benches to take a break.
.
.
While I agree with the ❤️ sentiment, I dislike the defacement.
Every time we stay in the White Mountains of New Hampshire we try to explore a new town. This trip it was Littleton….
.
.
A charming place with a delightfully quirky downtown area.
.
.
They’ve been voted Best American Main Street numerous times and once you stroll around… it’s easy to see why.
.
.
Of course when you’re strolling with my husband that means ducking into every antique store you see.
.
.
Clearly this fellow takes his wine selection seriously.
.
.
But wait… what’s that on the floor in the back?
.
.
Weeee! Another vintage alcohol related crate for my vinyl collection. I paid more for this one than any of the others, but we haggled 20% off and there’s no sales tax in New Hampshire so I’m calling it a win.
Husband doing the dishes in our resort condo as well? Score!!!
.
.
Heading to the riverfront area we discovered a pedestrian covered bridge.
.
.
Which afforded some great views..
.
.
And that old red building with the waterwheel on the left?
.
.
Turned out to be Schilling brewery which made yours truly very happy.
.
.
They kept the feel of the old mill with a rustic interior…
.
.
And served a fabulous wood fired artisan pizza with chicken, bacon, cheese, spinach, tart apples and maple syrup. Sound weird? Yes… but it was heavenly.
.
.
As was their beer, which they take very seriously. The bartender was extremely knowledgeable and quizzed you before you chose. It wasn’t pass or fail, but it definitely resulted in him pouring you the perfect beer suited to your tastes.
My liquid ambrosia this visit? Schlaumeier – a Hefeweizen (wheat beer) with delicate notes of banana and clove. It sounds bizarre was positively grand.
One of the nicest things about our resort in the mountains? Beautiful fall foliage right outside our door.
.
.
We were a little past peak for this trip but it was still a lovely palette of color to wake up to.
.
.
This quirky coffee house right down the road only opened the day we left which was disappointing. I haven’t been half baked in decades.
.
.
First day of our trip? We drove…
.
.
Here.
There.
Wherever the leaves took us.
.
.
And if you’re driving with my husband that means traveling on some pretty obscure back roads. Often ones that turn to dirt.
Miles and miles, up and over mountains where there’s nothing but glorious foliage, nature….
.
.
Bear warnings….
.
.
And a randomly placed portapotty.
( Spellcheck kept changing this to portal Otto. I may have missed a prime Tardis opportunity there.)
Here’s a short clip of the splendor. Yours truly is announcing the sighting of turkeys on the left, repeatedly and quite loudly. I do this when I spot cows as well, though in the deeper audible resonance they deserve.
After traversing the Green Mountains in Vermont, we entered New Hampshire.
.
.
Still mountains, but now they’re White. Although technically right now they’re red, orange and gold.
.
.
This is a beautiful section of NH and one we drive through quite a bit in the autumn.
.
.
There are random wooden moose.
.
.
Glorious fall foliage.
.
.
Random skeleton coffee house greeters.
.
.
And more colorful scenery.
.
.
I think my husband shed a tear over the state of this neglected barn.
.
.
Common to this area? Random filling stations for crystal clear mountain fed spring water. Bring your bottles, fill for free and make some amazing tea or coffee when you get home.
I sampled heavily at the distillery while my other half was busy talking.
I sampled lightly and drank heartily at the Whippletree winery.
And now, I was ready for a late lunch. But sadly, late lunch wasn’t ready for me because every single restaurant we tried in North Conway New Hampshire on a Saturday afternoon in December was filled to bursting. Damn those hungry Christmas shoppers!
Wasting a good hour hopping from place to place to no avail, we said to hell with it and drove.
.
.
Through the White Mountains and over to Mount Washington.
.
.
The closer we got the darker it became, and we arrived at the Notch Grill in the Glen House just as flurries started to fall.
.
.
Thankfully they weren’t crowded and we settled in.
.
.
Hibiscus rose margarita …
.
.
With a view isn’t a bad way to end the day.
.
.
Crispy pork pot stickers with Thai ginger dipping sauce to share…
.
.
Followed by pan seared duck breast with apple rosemary jam, roasted fingerling potatoes and squash rings for me… baked haddock in white wine and buttered crumbs with mashed potatoes and carrots for the hubs.
It was all delicious and we were too full for dessert.
.
.
I was also too full to sit and watch a slightly out of date Christmas program on the bar television.
Our annual pilgrimage to Tamworth Distillers in New Hampshire took place recently. The day was clear and cold and we found snow upon arrival.
.
.
But no one cares about that.
.
.
It’s a building filled with alcohol. Let’s shop!
.
.
I made a beeline to my very favorite gin, Damson plum… and gathered enough to make my checkbook squeal.
.
.
I passed on the whiskey made with beaver castoreum.
.
.
Because if he mixes it with urine to scent mark his territory ? I’m not using it to mix a cocktail.
Nope.
Not going to happen.
.
.
I did try their extremely unique brandy.
.
.
Made with the durian fruit. You know … the one that smells like rotting flesh?
While the aroma wasn’t that horrible, it was a bit too potent for my taste.
.
.
We spent a good deal of time in the store because naturally the husband found a Marine to talk to. They were stationed in the same place, with the same squadron and knew a lot of the same people… which meant yours truly wandered aimlessly back and forth, trying more free samples than she should have.
Since we were unable to ride the actual train, we had to check out the little Cog Railway museum while we were there. I won’t drone on about the engineering wonder it was….
.
.
But I will draw your attention to this…
.
.
I simply can not imagine flying down the mountainside on a small piece of wood.
.
.
And trust me, it was small. It’s hard to tell from that picture but look closely and you’ll realize big butt people need not apply.
The final stop on our leaf peeping day trip tour was the Cog Railway on Mount Washington.
.
.
This is one of those “must do” tourist things that we’ve never managed to do and since we were in the area, we thought… why not?
.
.
The answer to that question was hundreds of other tourists who thought the same thing. The place was packed and there was no space available on the trains for the next 3 days without reservations.
The Cog is a strange beast.
.
.
And like no other train ride you’re ever apt to take.
.
.
So even though we couldn’t find a seat, we stayed to watch.
.
.
With a slowly dying beautiful remnant of summer.
.
.
That’s the husband taking a closer look at the bridge.
.
.
And this is the Cog.
.
.
Beginning it’s climb up the mountain at a breath taking 2.7 mph.
.
.
Here’s a shot of the unique rail line.
.
.
I won’t bore those who don’t care about trains or history, but if you’re interested you can check this out:
River's world..... 