New England States Road Trip part 5.....Day 5 New Hampshire and Vermont

The morning of day 5 we woke up, packed all our stuff, checked out of the hotel and hit the White Mountain Coffee Shop one more time before we headed back towards the Kancamangus Highway. This day we were going to head east on the highway before heading to Vermont. We decided that instead of backtracking the direction we had gone the day before, we would head SW and take some scenic backroads before entering Vermont. 

As I mentioned in my previous posts I feel like I'm forgetting things so I'm needing to consult a lot of notes (that I'm realizing could've been much better) and my photos on my phone for locations. 

We found a few spots that we were able to stop on the side of the road and walk a small trail to a river or creek and enjoy the scenery. We did a lot of "winging it" at times..."oh hey, let's see where this goes".

There were a few spots on the Kancamangus highway that we couldn't get reception so we had to rely on good ole' maps.

I loved this house on the pond. I could live here.

I don't remember where this was. I think we took a side road and this took us to a ski area. I believe this was Ragged Mountain ski resort. 

One of my other highlights was the journey to finding covered bridges. My hubby had made a list of various ones to see. In Jackson, NH, we stopped to photograph one bridge, named the Honeymoon bridge. Built in 1876 by Charles Broughton. There is a sidewalk on one side of the bridge that was built in 1930. It was given the name because of couples kissing under it for good luck. It is designated at "Covered Bridge 51" by the state. 

We noticed that the majority of the bridges still had most of the old framework, wood pegs, etc. I'm sure they've all had renovations done and more fortification, but they are absolutely amazing. 

We wanted to make it to our next destination before dark which was in Quechee, VT so we didn't dawdle too many place. We stopped at Rocky Gorge scenic area, in Albany, NH. Apparently there is a footbridge that goes over a gorge, but we didn't venture out to find it. We did however, get out, stretch our legs and walk out onto some rocks. 

Next we stopped at Chocorua Lake, which is in the town of Tamworth. The foliage here was beautiful. Here is a link with information. It apparently gets cold enough in the winter that they have sled dog races on it. 

The New England States in the fall definitely brought out the artists. 

There are houses around this lake, however by agreement, they are all built so as not to be seen from the lake. 

Next, we stopped in a little town called Sandwich, est. 1763. This was probably the coolest stop we made on that day. We saw a sign on the side of a building that said "Sandwich Creamery" and referenced ice cream. My husband had been craving ice cream. We walked in to a front door, to find a small hallway with a door at the end. The sign on the door that said hours and please close door behind you. When we walked in we were surprised to see no counter, and no people other than two ladies who were leaving. They must have seen our confused looks and took the time to explain that this darling room that held the "creamery" was completely self serve. We found ourselves thinking "wait, what? Really?". That would be unheard of where we live. So we explored...sure enough, there was a vintage fridge that held things like eggs, cheese and sausage. There was a table with styrofoam coolers you could use, and two coolers that were filled with a variety of ice cream flavors and ice cream sandwiches. There were tables, and a vintage stove with flower arrangements for purchase. On another wall was a book to list what you purchased, along with a money box. You could pay cash, or Venmo. We purchased some cheese, sausage, pints of ice cream and an ice cream sandwich.

This was a house across the street from the creamery that I thought was pretty cool. 

Above is where you wrote down what you purchased and paid for your goodies. 

 

From there we hit the road to head to Vermont. We had time to kill before check in so we stopped in West Lebanon, NH. My hubby had to make a phone call for work, so I ran into Target for something and then browsed a few shops. 

We arrived in Quechee, VT before dark. We stayed at The Inn at Clearwater Pond, which is located no 7 acres. The owner Tina was so kind and helpful. We stayed in the Skylar Rose Room. It had 4 guest rooms and a cottage. We were staying here for 3 nights. She had amazing photo books filled with local information, and each morning a self serve breakfast was put out as well as granola bars and coffee throughout the day. At the top of the stairs was a small refrigerator that guests could store food in. Once we checked in and situated our rooms, we ventured out to see what we could find for dinner. First we stopped and walked out onto the bridge over Queechee Gorge. We spoke with a gentleman from the area who was kind enough to tell us a bit about the area and the gorge itself. Hot air balloons regularly fly over the gorge as part of a tour and they often use the property of our airbnb as a take off/landing spot. We considered doing this but the weather wasn't cooperative on the day we thought about it. 

Pond outside the bed and breakfast. 

Front entrance to the bed and breakfast. the back of the property actually butts up to the gorge.

The gorge is 168 feet below a viewing bridge. It is said to have been carved out from a glacier 13,000 years ago. It is called Vermonts Little Grand Canyon. The state park which was nearby has camp sites and I believe you can hike down to the bottom of the canyon. Here is some more information. 

We chose to have dinner at The Public House Pub just down the road from the airbnb and the gorge. We actually enjoyed the food so much, we ate here twice. Here were our favorite dishes: Appetizers...Bourbon bacon brussel sprouts, Loaded tater tots and their PH Reuben Eggrolls. Main meal: Lobster Mac and Cheese, Chicken Schnitzel, Steak Tip Salad. We did share a dessert, but I can't remember what it was. It was a seasonal one. 

After dinner we headed back to settle in for the evening and plan our next day. 

We definitely recommend taking scenic routes and talking to the locals whenever possible. Find their favorite places. 

 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin