Update 26: Bridgewater, NH

Update 26: Bridgewater, NH  Aug. 30- Sept. 3

From Hampton Falls we moved to Bridgewater, NH. This location allowed us to visit upstate New Hampshire and specifically the White Mountains. The Franconia Notch between the Carr Mountains and the White Mountains provides the main access through the White Mountain National Forest. The hardwood forests and granite outcroppings create a peaceful natural area.

The Flume of Franconia Notch began eons ago when basalt pushed through cracks in the granite creating a feature known as dikes. The ice age carved into the basalt and weathering occurred to erode the dike of basalt.

 A flume resulted. The very narrow granite canyon with 90 foot walls follows a stream as it climbs toward the interior of the forest. Visitors climb up a boardwalk part of the way (some areas are only about 10 feet wide) .

We stop in several places to just enjoy the beauty and coolness (its a very hot day) of the flume.

Beyond the flume on the return trail Derrille walks through the Foxes' Den. This narrow passageway through the rock necessitates crawling on hand and knees. Go Derrille! The rest of us stay on the main trail.

Further down the trail a pond is featured and a second covered bridge.

 

Several other stops including a boulder garden and several trees with root structures above ground  can be viewed before completing the two mile loop.

Continuing through the Franconia Notch we choose to stop at Canon Mountain and take the tram up the hills side. The two trams, one red, one yellow, have affectionately been named mustard and catsup. They offer a great view of the White Mountains, a lake and the highway.

 

Olympic Medalist, Bodie Miller calls Canon Mountain home. He loaned his medals and trophies to the Canon Mountain Ski Museum. We enjoyed seeing real Olympic Medals up close and personal.

From here we followed the road through Crawford Notch and through the towns of along the way. Conway looked like a good city to explore if we had the time. As darkness arrived we continued to look for moose on our return trip to Lincoln and home.

 We explored the lakes area. We stopped at Weir's Beach.  The beautiful beach looked very inviting, but to our surprise visitors can freely access the beach, only after paying $10 for parking.

We decided to try lunch at the Castle in the Clouds.  We passed on touring the castle, but went to the Carriage House.  We were not pleased with our meals.

 Jay and Derrille went to the Ruggle Mine, which is the largest open pit mine for mica,feldspar and beryl.

 

Derrille took the photos of the mine with its archways and open caves.

When they returned, we all took Ashley to the vet in Laconia. She needed to have some blood work done. Everyone at the office treated Ashley and us so well. The tests showed she is just fine.

We then hurried home for our scheduled moose tour. The small, comfortable tour bus holds 34 people plus the driver and a guide. They guarantee a "fun time", but obviously can't guarantee seeing a moose. However they average seeing at least one moose 95% of the time.

The guide and driver entertained us with moose jokes, moose songs, facts about moose, and a video.

The guide passed a moose antler and leg around for us to touch. I took out the strange guy with the leg in our copies, but I couldn't get him out for the blog. Jay and Derrille are holding the antler.We learned a great deal about moose. The bus came equipped with a bubble machine, and some red and green strobe lights. The exterior of the bus illuminates the highway on both sides with a series of white lights on each side. The driver and guide also use hand held spotlights.

The tour began at 7 pm. Our first sighting happened quickly. A guy in a moose suit jumped out from behind a tree. He boarded the bus and started the party. He left with us laughing. We found it affirming that the tour route included all the roads where we had looked for moose. Our guides used their knowledge of the area and moose habits, as well as spotlights to help find the dark as night moose.

Moose lose about 1/3 of their weight over the winter, since they need 45-60 pounds of vegetation per day. Salt retains weight. Road crews spread salt on the highway to melt the snow. Rain washes the salt off the road and into low muddy marsh areas that attract the moose. We saw eight moose during our 3 1/2 hour tour. The moose tour created some great memories.



Next: Vermont.