GST Season IV - Chapter 9

Mardi Gras to Maine

“Live Free or Die in New Hampshire... or Just Live!”

New Hampshire was not on the program for this pageant we call the Grand Shamrock Tour, but life will throw you a curve and it helps to know how to bunt. Pennsylvania and Massachusetts were next, but an opportunity to camp lakeside in the Granite State was too much to pass up. Great East Lake near Wakefield became our home for two weeks in June.

We had been to New Hampshire before, but this is the first time our tires have touched its soil. Our arrival comes with lofty ambition. New Englands mountains and roads ignite our imagination with 48 Peaks over 4000 feet and their corresponding notches, it becomes a noble quest. Hiking here is plentiful, but can be challenging. Conditions on a granite slope can be ideal when dry then change dramatically when Mother Nature changes her mind! We traipsed up several trails around Lake Winnipesaukee, hiking trails like Firescrew, Eagle’s Cliff, and Cardigan. With the view from above, we longed to ride the river valleys below.

Motorcyclists were trickling in for the 100th Anniversary of Laconia Bike Week, the oldest motorcycle rally in the country. Many of them joined us for our ascent of Mount Washington, all 6288 feet of her. We choose to inspire travels to iconic locations and Mount Washington is that! There are three ways to reach the summit: Drive the Auto Road, hike, or the ride Cog Railway. Put it on your bucket list as it does not disappoint!

New Hampshires history runs deep, from its oldest town Portsmouth (1623) to its many notches, rivers, and lakes. The scrappy nature of its citizens embody the spirit of the states Moto... “Live Free or Die.” Perhaps that is why they were the first colony to declare Independence, six months before our nation did! It is the warmth of that accompanies those same people that allows them to survive its harsh and alluring landscape. It is with that understanding that its citizens chose to...

“Live Free or Die in New Hampshire... or Just Live!”

Points of Interest:

Hiking: 48 of New Hampshire’s mountains are higher than 4,000 feet. Those who have succeeded climbing all 48 of those are in a special club. Many of the peaks in the White Mountains are under 4000 feet and are definitely worth the effort as well. Our hikes were limited by rain and weather but we did hike the following:

Rattlesnake Mountain for views of Lake Winnipisaukee
Eagle Cliff near the town of Sandwich with views of Squam Lake
Cardigan Mountain via Firescrew - A fun and challenging granite peak hike!
Mount Willard in the White Mountains offers one of the best views of Crawford Notch. We hiked this with our son in the snow with our son back in 2022. Very fun! (See photo below.)

View of Crawford Notch - Winter 2022 with our son Duncan.

Other suggested New Hampshire hikes:

Chocura Lake via Champney Falls
Bald Knob Mountain
The Flume Gorge
Franconia Notch
Mount Major
Mount Morgan
Mount Tom
Mount Kearsarge
Percival Loop

2. Biking: The downtown area of Sanbornville has a small park called Turn Table Park as the start of the Cotton Valley Trail that will take you all the way to Wolfeboro. A fun, easy, 12 mile ride.

3. There is a local pub call “Poor People’s Pub” that has good food and pitchers of beer at a great price. Be sure and shake hands with the many locals that drop in for a visit.

4. Visit the town of Portsmouth. The town is a fun place to walk, view the buildings, shop, or find a good restaurants. We were lucky enough to spend the afternoon with our son and we all enjoyed Portsmouth very much. We chose the Gaslight for our meal stop.

5. We did our grocery shopping in the town of Rochester. Be sure and check out the Market Basket as it is a special store with great pricing with wonderful staff and service.

6. Our focus while in New Hampshire was to be available to spend time with our son. There is simply so much to explore in New Hampshire we are confident you will enjoy your visit.

7. Suggestions from others that we did not get to:

Lake Glorietta - “The Switzerland of America”
Keystone Truck Museum
Chris Craft Museum
Hamilton Beach on the South Coast of New Hampshire
Take a boat ride on Lake Winnipesaukee
Ride the Cog Train to the top of Mount Washington

Scenic Motorcycle Routes in New Hampshire:

1. Ride the Mount Washington Auto Road. This is the one “must ride” road in the lakes region of New Hampshire: The main reason to ride this road is the reward of the views from the top. The road has plenty of curves but be aware that the speed limit is 25 and can be even slower with the numerous other cars and motorcycles. Take your time and enjoy the scenery. We certainly did.

2. Ride: The Kancamagus Highway, Crawford Notch, and Bear Notch. All three interconnect and are well worth the effort. There are plenty of stops along the way for waterfalls, a covered bridge, the Rocky Gorge, and several stops for incredible views or a stop for lunch.

3. Take the scenic loop around Lake Winnipesaukee. If you have time, hike any trail that gets you up over the trees in order to take in the beauty with a view of the lake below.

4. We finished our time in New Hampshire with a ride to Portland, Maine to view the Portland Light Head and Port Elizabeth. We rode the coast south to Kennebunkport and Portsmouth to finish out our day.

Is there ever a coastal ride that is not just scenic and wonderful?

RV Locations for New Hampshire:

Lake Forest Campground

150 Dearborn Road

Wakefield, New Hampshire

603-522-3306

*This is a different type of campground. It is located on a small lake with access for your own canoe or SUP. It has a laundry and “Cayman Golf” for a small fee. This campground includes several park model homes that are in service for the season only as the water and electricity is turned off by November for the winter. Be sure and call ahead for any reservation as the website does not advertise or have on-line reservations.

Please note: The above map for our travel from Virginia to New Hampshire. Our entire goal was to bypass the 95 as it passes through New York. We met a kind couple that gave us wonderful instructions on our path through 8 states.

We also took the time to plan three “boondocking” options on the way to Maine in order to decrease our daily drive time and off set some of our travel costs:

Harvest Host RV Locations:

Aces BBQ

668 Firehouse Road

Grantsville, Pennsylvania

Old Factory Brewery

628 Main Street

Cairo, NY 12443

Kittery Trading Post *

301 US 1

Kittery, Maine

608-334-1157

*Call ahead as this is a first come- first serve RV location in the back parking lot. This is a huge sporting goods store with so much to offer and the parking area is large.