This is the road you have to drive if you visit the White Mountains.
.
.
The Notch was famous for The Old Man in the Mountain, a natural stone outcropping that resembled a face. Sadly, it crumbled years ago but there’s a museum devoted to it at the Canon Mountain gondola sight where you can grab a glimpse.
.
.
Peak foliage was long past when we drove through and everything looked very grey.
.
.
But it’s still an impressive sight.
.
.
And a huge tourist destination.
.
.
This was the road the day we drove it. Below was the road two weeks before…
.
.
There’s something to be said for traveling off season. No traffic jams for us.
When you’re in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, you drive.
.
.
Here, there and everywhere if you’re with us.
.
.
And though peak foliage had passed, the faded colors still retained a certain beauty.
.
.
Anonymous mountain road?
.
.
Sure, we’ll take it. Up and over…
.
.
Until it narrowed down to the dirt path to nowhere and we had to implement a nail biting 3 point turn. Hey NH… would it kill you to post a dead end sign now and then?
.
.
The Bump Bridge.
.
.
Yes, that’s really it’s name.
.
.
Spanning a small stream it was less impressive than some…
.
.
With a redone roof which killed the historical appeal for me. But we didn’t plan on finding it, so no time was wasted.
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.
This is one of the timeshare resorts where I’ve been wanting to stay for some time and we were lucky to grab a few days in the fall because they’re usually booked solid.
.
.
Located in the White Mountains, right off the Kancamagus … you couldn’t ask for a more perfect spot.
.
.
Pro..
Nestled in the trees, on the side of a hill with mountain views from every side….
.
.
It was blissfully quiet yet within walking distance to town.
.
.
Our condo was nice. Comfortable furniture in muted autumn colors, a fireplace…
.
.
Full kitchen…
.
.
And two comfortable bedrooms.
.
.
No, the husband and I don’t sleep separately…
.
.
But booking a two bedroom unit means we have two bathrooms as well…. and that my friends, is the secret to a happy marriage.
Con…
Over looking the master bed?
.
.
A moose whose eyes followed you around the room. Very disturbing, that.
.
.
Pro…
The whirlpool bathtub was in the bathroom.
.
.
Con…
The fixtures were outdated and the only soap offered was in this environmentally friendly dispenser.
.
.
Ever try to shave your legs with liquid soap ladies? I don’t recommend it.
.
.
Pro…
Glorious foliage and mountains right outside our balcony.
.
.
And terraced rocks all around the property.
.
.
There was even the namesake Pollard Brook running right down the middle.
Results of review – adding it to my “would stay there again” list, I’ll just have to remember to bring my own bar of soap.
Yes, it’s true. We took another mini trip and I’m about to flood you with more travel photos.
.
.
This time we just jumped across the border and headed to the White Mountains of north western New Hampshire.
.
.
It’s one of my favorite areas… filled with scenic beauty and wondrous natural places to explore.
.
.
These photos are from the famous Kancamagus highway. A 30 odd mile stretch of road cut right through the mountains.
.
.
In peak foliage season it’s divine and while we were two weeks late for that, there was still some residual color.
.
.
Until you reached the top.
But back down the other side it brightened up again.
.
.
The resort we chose this time around was literally right off this road at the end of the National Forest.
.
.
And for us, you can’t get much better than that.
Since check in wasn’t until 4:00pm, we headed to Woodstock.
.
.
A quaint New England village…
.
.
With a big brewery/restaurant/inn.
.
.
You knew that was coming, right? The autumn beer on the far right was my pick. A rich, creamy amber with notes of pumpkin and nutmeg. Perfect!
.
.
And right above my head, teasing me with every glance? A vintage ale crate, damn it. The husband was determined to purchase it for me but the manager didn’t care how much beer we drank, the answer was always no.
.
.
And though our lunches didn’t appear appetizing?
.
.
They were both delicious. Baked haddock, garlic smashed red potatoes and squash for me. Charbroiled mushroom Swiss burger for the hubs.
.
.
A good start to the vacation… except for this uber creepy spare parts facsimile of a doll hovering alongside the bar.
Every fort needs a kitchen and while this one probably didn’t contain many time saving appliances, it was large.
.
.
This box was used for dough.
.
.
And this was the table to knead it on.
.
.
That’s a serious amount of bread.
.
.
The enlisted mens quarters seemed to go on forever, but ironically construction of the fort was never completed and only 20 to 54 troops were garrisoned here during the Civil War. When 575 troops were stationed here during the Spanish-American War, they bunked outside the fort in tents.
.
.
The powder magazine was found behind an extremely thick door and was heavily guarded.
.
.
I’m hoping there was a no smoking sign posted as well.
One last walk around outside, past the D Battery cannon mounts.
.
.
And we were done.
So that was Fort Knox. Impressive, well cared for and a big tourist draw.
These strange discs were lined up on the parade ground so the husband had to investigate.
.
.
Having had my fill of stairs that day, I let him.
.
.
Turns out they were storage vaults for ammunition.
.
.
Alongside of that wall was a room with a broken water line that fed from a 27,000 gallon cistern…
.
.
And next to that…
.
.
A room with a giant rock. Because who doesn’t love that?
.
.
The officer’s quarters were far from luxurious. Geesh, look at that lumpy mattress.
.
.
But as cold and damp as Maine can be, at least they had a fireplace.
Now let’s take a strange turn here shall we?
Please note the mock up of a Revolutionary War officer seated on the right and the blanket draped over his chair. I wanted a better look at him and took this untouched photo from his other side.
After visiting the Penobscot Narrows bridge observatory, we turned our attention to Maine’s largest historic fort which is literally right next door.
.
.
Fort Knox, named after General Henry Knox, America’s first Secretary of War and Commander of Artillery in the Revolution. He spent his final years just down the road in Thomaston. And yes, that other Fort Knox in Kentucky is named after him as well.
The first thing we saw upon entering the Fort’s grounds?
.
.
Proof!
I’m guessing this was a Halloween decoration as they host a big event here for the holiday. Or rather, I’m hoping.
.
.
The Fort sits on a peninsula jutting out into the Penobscot River and was deemed the perfect defensive spot in 1844. Almost a million dollars was spent on its construction, but it took Congress 25 years to allot those funds and as with most government run projects, it was never actually completed.
.
.
But no matter, it’s still an impressive place.
.
.
More Halloween decorations, which to be honest annoyed the photographer in me.
.
.
Yeah, Stephen King rules. We get it.
A diagram of the fort.
.
.
The minute you enter through the sally port you’re struck by how well designed this was.
.
.
The granite was local and expertly fitted.
.
.
Inside? It’s all about the canons.
.
.
Small cannons.
.
.
And Big Bertha ass cannons.
.
.
You know every single child ignores that sign.
.
.
Room after room of cannons. Two floors and four batteries contain mounts for 135 of those babies but only 74 were ever brought to the site. Not as many as it could hold, but that still requires a lot of balls. In more ways than one.
To be continued..
.
Where there's only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous.
River's world..... 