by Thomas Best
Although I had taught about the geography and history of New England for over three decades, I must admit I was still stunned by the allure of the scenery and the captivating history and culture of New England; specifically, New Hampshire and Vermont.
First, dealing with New Hampshire, while this state is the fifth smallest in size, it packs in a multitude of diverse tourist sites. For instance, consider the short Atlantic Coastline near Portsmouth. With the shortest ocean coastline among all states—at just 18 miles, this area’s lengthy sandy “Hampton Beach” is a seemingly endless stretch of lobster and crab shacks and summer homes and hotels. In the south-central part of the state, you’ll encounter the more urban portion of the state with its capitol, Concord, and the city of Manchester. Stately museums, lake side amusement parks, farmers markets, classic theaters, and one of the best remaining 18th to 19th century Shaker villages at Canterbury dot this landscape. These “Shakers”—a utopian sect born in England that espoused egalitarian treatment and leadership among both men and women in their model homesteads, along with a celibate lifestyle—are best known for their exquisite, yet practical, furniture.
However, the region of the state which we most enjoyed was that identified with the towering White Mountains. In this northeastern region, you find Mount Washington, the highest mountain in the Presidential Range and in the entire northeastern U.S. The most astounding human engineering features here are the serpentine eight-mile touring road going to the top, along with the 1860s classic cog traction railroad—the second steepest railroad in the world at as much as a 38% grade. Both are private operations to which you must pay to travel to the summit. Some choose to drive their own vehicle to the 6,288 foot summit. An advantage here is that you can take your time stopping to snap photographs at key turnouts and linger at the summit as long as you want to eat at the mountain top restaurant, shop at their gift shops, tour the visitor center’s museum, mail a postcard at what has to be the highest post office in the nation, and admire the scenery from the spacious outdoor observation decks. While, the trees were still green and it was in the 60s at the base, upon reaching the summit—over a mile high—we were greeted with snow and unique strands of “rime” ice which arch over with the winds. The disadvantage for taking your own vehicle is that this road will seriously test your breaks on the way down. We chose, instead, to ride up in one of the private vans which afforded us opportunities to capture picturesque images of the rock-strewn mountainous scenery, and listen to intriguing stories from our guide. For instance, we learned only one person has ever died driving down the mountain (and that was related to a careless driver in the final more-gentle decline). Moreover, we were informed that climbers preparing to assault the world’s highest peaks—like Mt. Everest—come here to train on the treacherous windy and icy trails. Indeed, the deadly reputation of the mountain is no exaggeration; but such tragedies are usually credited to amateur hikers not prepared for the sudden weather changes in which temperatures can rapidly drop, snow and ice rapidly accumulate, and vicious winds can accelerate to over 200 miles per hour—as they did on April 12, 1934 when the highest winds ever recorded in the continental U.S. were recorded at 231 mph. We were so fortunate to visit on a day when clear skies afforded us panoramic views as far as 130 miles away of the Atlantic Ocean and distant mountains in surrounded states. I was also lucky to spend some time talking to a host of grubby and icy-faced but still enthusiastic north bound Appalachian Trail hikers, who after starting in Georgia last spring, had survived recent freezing conditions to reach the summit. They were descending later that day to head for the northern terminus of the trail at Mount Katahdin in Maine. Note: no hikers are allowed to stay the night at the visitor’s center even during the worst weather. This mystical mountain with sculpted hiking trails dating to the 1820s and the graded-rock eight-mile carriage road called the “Road to the Sky” opened in the 1860s, is a must visit.
Our next to last stop in this “Granite State, was the area of Franconia Notch (a “notch” being a mountain gap). The most popular attraction is a narrow gorge known as the “flume.” Bespeckled with gorgeous cascading waterfalls and immense glacial erratic rocks; here, you will can cross streams via covered bridges and stroll along roller coaster-like forested trails.
The last stop for us in New Hampshire was the city of Littleton. Branded one of “America’s best main streets,” you must satisfy your sweet tooth at Chutters” the candy store with the world’s longest candy counter. From dozens of flavors of jelly beans, malted milk balls, nostalgic candy, and endless varieties of taffy, “Chutters” is a one-of-a-kind shop. Next, travel up and down the streets to unique vintage toy shops, coin shops, and book stores (all tax free) before driving to the nearby “Great Vermont Corn Maze”—awarded a prize as being one of this nation’s top five corn mazes.
When you leave Littleton driving west, you are in Vermont in a few short miles. Vermont, the “Green Mountain State.” Vermont has its own branch of the Appalachian Mountains with arching and rolling forested peaks, classic small towns with their signature church spires, country stores, stands selling maple syrup, fifty-two state parks with recreation areas for hiking and mountain biking, and the picturesque and historic Lake Champlain where biking trails and sail boating reign supreme. Despite the rainy weather, we packed in a day with a first stop at Montpelier, the state capitol featuring a classic old state capitol stocked with vivid history displays, panoramic paintings, and some of the most impressive statuary of state heroes—including one honoring our own hair-tossed President Lincoln for his role in saving the Union. Next, it was on to Stowe—a scenic town featured on many calendars. This is where I bought the most absolute savory maple syrup I have ever tasted. On to Burlington, we had our first ever taste of Ben and Jerry’s delicious ice cream—don’t pass up their “chunky monkey.” This eclectically-designed ice cream shop is part of the walking tour of the “Church Street” Marketplace with everything from exotic imported goods and cozy bookstores to clothing boutiques, addictive chocolate shops, and one store appropriately deemed “Keep Vermont Weird.” We finished the day driving the scenic highway route 100 byway. This is where I lost count of how many “oohs and ahhs” we voiced, weaving around one mountain curve after another. It’s no wonder motorcyclists love this state’s winding touring roads marked by waterfalls, covered bridges, unique art centers, and “maple creamy” shops. For those not in the know, a “maple creamy” must be their state desert—a smooth maple flavored soft serve ice cream.
Of course, we didn’t have time over two days to visit more of these states’ fantastic sites from New Hampshire’s “Kancamagus Highway”—described as one of the best fall leaf viewing roads in America—and Vermont’s Ben and Jerry’s Factory in Waterbury. We are definitely going back so I can hike more of the Appalachian Trail in the White Mountains. Likewise, I bet a return trip to the “Chutters” Candy Store is on Pam’s agenda.
Thanks for your interest. Next week is my take on the Revolutionary War Historic Sites across New England and New York.
