Update 25: Hampton Falls, NH August 27 to August 30
In Hampton Falls, we stayed at Wabeki RV Resort. For a park closer to Hampton and to the beach, I could have chosen Tidewater RV, but I didn't. Wabeki sat back on a large acreage up Highway 88, which helped us move easily to and from our touring destinations.
The American Stonehenge captured our curiosity, so we set off for there first. To get to Salem, NH the quickest way took us into Massachusetts and back into New Hampshire. The literature claimed a 4000 year old site, yet on the tour we learned that at least three other people had lived over the site, moving rocks to build homes and other structures. We felt that compromised the validity of the site. Many questions remain regarding the site. The carbon dating of 4000 years old artifacts indicate that someone existed here during that time period. The directional markers, drainage gouges in stone, altar formation, "house" area stimulate our thinking of just who put these rocks in perfect astronomical alignment.
We found an abandoned business complex and ate our lunch on a picnic bench next to a pond. A blue heron stood poised on one foot in the water. Occasionally s/he dipped quickly into the pond for a bite of lunch.
Canadian Geese paddled around the hunting heron. A turtle even came out to bask in the sun.
Winding through the back roads of southern New Hampshire showed us many little villages. The village of Temple included a memorial to the local men who served in the Revolutionary War. It caught our eye, so we stopped to take a look.
Next we found the Fry Measure Mill and Museum. A small complex of buildings stands where a town used to be. The water driven mill remains active and used by gifted artisans to create Shaker style boxes. Some artisans make tin creations in the Colonial motifs. Other wood crafters make toys that children used in the 19th century. Soft cloth dolls dressed in 1800's attire, sit on shelves waiting for new homes. Jewelry, candles, home decor, some antiques name a few of the fascinating items we found among their unique gifts. Of course Lynn and I left with a few things in hand. We enjoyed just wandering through the museum/shop. The mill offers tours on some days to see how the machinery works.
We left the mill and drove through Peterborough the inspiration for the play "Our Town". Several well known authors seem to have lived or spent time in New England.
Last spring in Sun City, AZ, the girl who cut my hair came from this area. She suggested we stop by the city of Walpole, NH for chocolate. L.A. Burdick begin making chocolate in 1987. We found their products very small and very pricey. A variety of flavorings, often liquors, make their chocolate distinctive. They may put 2 or 3 of their candy in the wrappers that other chocolatiers use for a single piece of chocolate. Lynn and I each purchased three little pieces. I didn't care for the taste. The chocolate we bought at Monica's in Lubec and Anne's in PEI tasted many times better to me. Next to the candy shop we found a very upscale restaurant, according to the menu and what we saw on the dinner plates.
The city of Keene claims to have the widest Main Street in the United States. So...we went to see it. We felt the claim to be a bit misleading. We expected a width swath of asphalt. We found cars parked on each side of Main Street. On the east side two driving lanes go north. On the west side, two driving lanes go south. A grass median separates the north and south lanes. PLUS diagonal parking spaces nose into the grass median on both sides of the street. Thus for the officaial count: four driving lanes, four parking lanes and a grassy median make it the widest Main Street in the United States. The length of Main Street measures just a few blocks in this small size town.
The day promised to be a scorcher for the Northeast by rising to the high 90's. We decided to take a look at Hampton Beach first. People flocked to the beach carrying umbrellas, coolers, totes, mats etc. The white sand glistened in the mid morning sun. Small white capped waves rolled lazily into shore. The flat Atlantic sea floor reduces the size and number of waves created in comparison to the Pacific: Unless of course a hurricane or big storm is stirring up trouble. Then rip tides are created. When Hurricane Earl was passing by the lifeguards pulled about five people or more a day from the surf.
On the day we visited the beach sported a rainbow array of beach umbrellas. People sat in beach chairs or on towels under the protection of the umbrellas. Other people laid on beach towels to soak up the sun. Many will "feel" it later. Toned young men and bikini clad young women played beach volleyball on the four courts near the bulkhead.
People hurried along the promenade toward a beach access point to claim their patch of sand. Traffic crawled along the waterfront road, people enjoying the sights or looking for a parking place. The colorful ares of beach shops beckon shoppers from their open store front locations. Restaurants already had customers, especially in the outside deck areas. About 80% of adults walking by carried a latte while balancing their beach gear. Further down the beach a 4' high by 4' wide cement wall separates the road from the beach. A few people recline in beach chairs on the top of the wall. Some sun bathers had coolers and music with them. Below the wall the beach isn't as crowded, but out in the water surfers wait for "the" wave. The waves looked less than optimum here, but then, so did the surfers. Beyond this area the beaches dissolved into condos, apartments and rentals.
For people not within walking distance of the beach, people need to add parking costs to their daily expenditures. Mid-beach metered parking spots along the water front cost $1.75/hr. At the surfing beach, meters costs $1.50/hr. All day parking depends on the lot. Those parking lots closer to the beach cost $15-$20 for all day. Farther from the beach, a lot may offer $10/day. The crowded beach housing prevents any free parking within walking distance of the sand. We turned and headed inland.
We paused in Manchester to admire the mile long brick buildings.The American Cotton & Woolen Factory built the 8 million square foot structure in 1818. From 1831-1920 The Amoskeag Manufacturing Company took over the facility. They shipped 5 million yards of cloth each week!
Today the Manchester Historical Association Millyard houses a variety of businesses. Southern New Hampshire University uses some of the space. Other areas include restaurants, Texas Instruments, publishers, lawyers, a medical center and other small businesses. To view rows and rows of four storied red brick buildings on both sides of the river creates an impressive visual memory.
We passed through Concord with its gold dome capital on our way to Camping World. We didn't find what we were looking for at Camping World, so we headed NW again.
The Sunapee Lake area provides locals and visitors with a winter ski resort and a summer boating destination. The ragged shaped lake even has two lighthouses, although we aren't sure exactly "why". We arrived at the Sunapee Lake harbor on a late Sunday afternoon. The harbor bustled with people boating, people pulling their boats out of the water, people sitting on the lawn watching people. We stood by the boat ramp and watched the various ways owners pulled their boats out. As soon as one boat came out of the small ramp, another car and trailer waited for the next turn.
Sightseeing and dinner cruise boats tugged at their mooring lines just beyond the boat ramp area.
We decided to check out Hanover, NH and Dartmouth College next. The college lies about 28 miles NW of Sunapee. Lynn and Jay's granddaughter had considered Dartmouth before choosing the University of San Diego. She likes Dartmouth, so we drove up to look around. The campus full of dignified old buildings, lawns and big trees looked lovely.
Unlike most schools of higher learning, Dartmouth does not have a main entry with its name emblazoned for all to see. We could only find small signs with the word Dartmouth printed on them.
Next: Bridgewater, Vermont.
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) . 
Further down the trail a pond is featured and a second covered bridge. 
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. 
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 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.
