---Who wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
New Hampshire isn't a very large state, but it packs a
tremendous variety into its small borders.
I love the fact that from my home in Manchester, which is in the
southern part of the state, if I want to walk on the beach, I can be at our eighteen
mile long seacoast in about an hour. If I want mountains, the White Mountains
are only two hours away. If I want the opportunities
of a large city, Boston, MA is only an hour away. Our own major cities, Nashua,
Manchester, and Concord 
offer a variety of cultural events, sports, shopping,
and thanks to a long history of welcoming immigrants, ethnic foods from many
cultures.
New Hampshire is famed for its spectacular fall foliage. The
season starts in mid-September, and generally peaks in early October. If you
want to visit, make reservations early.
If you do come to the White Mountains in the summer or fall, don't miss
visiting Mount Washington. At 6,288 feet
above sea
level, it's the highest peak east of the Rocky Mountains. It's famous
for its bad weather at the summit – until 2010 it held the world's record for
highest surface wind speed with 234 MPH recorded at the summit observatory in
1934. For comparison, a category 5 hurricane has sustained wind speeds of more
than 156 MPH.
There are many ways to visit
the summit of Mount Washington. Personally I like the cog railway (http://www.thecog.com/ ) or the auto road (http://mtwashingtonautoroad.com/). You can drive the auto road, weather
permitting, or take a guided van tour. I
recommend the van. The road is beautiful, but more than a little scary, even if
you're used to curvy mountain roads and heights. Bear in mind that weather may throw a monkey
wrench into your plans. On the day I'm writing this post, a beautiful, sunny
day in late September, there's a 20 degree temperature difference between the base
of the road and the summit. If it were a
windy day, that difference would be greater. It's not unusual to have temperatures
in the 80's in June or July in the valley, and snow squalls on the summit. So, if the road is closed on what looks like
a nice day, there's probably an excellent reason for it. The weather observatory station web site is
full of fascinating http://www.mountwashington.org/weather/
Hiking, either one way or round trip is possible too. There
are Appalachian Mountain Club huts and numerous trails. Please, don't try it without doing your research, making good preparations
and having good emergency equipment. Take the mountain very seriously. There
have been 137 deaths on it since record keeping began in 1849, mostly from hypothermia,
and many of those were not in the winter.
I've barely scratched the surface of all the wonders you'll
find if you visit New Hampshire. I hope this has whetted your appetite.
I'm proud to be participating in Torquere Books annual charity
story sale. All proceeds will benefit OutServe, a non-profit group supporting
gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender members of all branches of the US
military. It's a great way to check out new authors while benefiting a
worthwhile cause: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=79_111
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(All photos are copyright Kathryn Smith, with the exception of
the tree next to the pond, which is copyright Michael MacDonald, used with his
kind permission.)
Thank you for your wonderful 'tip of the iceberg' review of New Hampshire today. I've never visited the New England states, but it is something I plan on doing one day. I've heard a lot about Mt. Washington and would really enjoy a trip to the top. That train looks like an interesting way to view the vistas.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful - and that picture of the trees - wonderful. My home town was Manchester (UK) too and we used to do business with Manchester NH. When I was coming back from Tampa they at first pulled out a label for your Manchester but my daughter in law spotted it.
ReplyDeleteIt must be glorious up there in the Fall and I am guessing with that nice beach, at other times too.
A beautiful state! Thanks for sharing info with us.
ReplyDeleteNew Hampshire is one of the New England states I haven't visited yet. You provide some good incentives for making the journey.
ReplyDeleteI have been to New Hampshire several times and have always been amazed at its beauty and diversity. I love its hometown feel. It's a magnificent state.
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to visit the White Mountains. :) They sound beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for the comments. It's actually been a little over a month since I wrote this post, and in the meantime I've taken my own advice and spent a long weekend in the White Mountains, including a trip to the top of Mount Washington on the cog railway. We went after the end of the foliage season, but were lucky and had perfect weather. High winds had prevented the trail from going all the way to the summit the day before. The summit was already snow covered, but the sky was mostly clear, and the view was amazing.
ReplyDeleteHi Kathryn,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like your state is a lovely place to visit.
Janice~
Hi Kathryn
ReplyDeleteLoved your post. Your state sounds amazing and one that I would love to visit some day.
Thanks for sharing.
Lynda
Sounds like there might be some great camping spots in your state. Guess I'll have to add it to the list of places to drag our camper to, when (if?) we are able to retire. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYour altitude and those winds are mind-boggling. Still, you paint a picture of a place that would be exciting to visit; great for someone who likes added excitement to simple sight-seeing.
ReplyDeleteI've been to New Hampshire several times, but I learned a lot more about it from your great blog. Good information for those brave enough to ascend mountains, not so much for me anymore. Lots of luck with your writing.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I have loved our visits to New Hampshire and New England in general. Thanks for reminding me. Wish I could head there tomorrow!
ReplyDelete