July 10, 2009

TRAVELOGUE: Down on the Farm

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Via Lactea farm

by Nathalie Strassheim

One of the last places I visited in New Hampshire was tucked away on a back road, one of those ribbons of asphalt barely wide enough for two cars but empty enough that you feel compelled to go fast anyway, despite the dips, curves, and possibility of meeting another car around the next bend. Anyway, Via Lactea farm is back there on Stoneham Road, and it comes complete with goats, chickens, and pigs. Jenny Tapper showed me around. The goats were being coy up in the higher meadow and wouldn’t come down to say hi, the chickens were pretty much oblivious to us, but the pigs … I didn’t see a pig until Jenny called out to another meadow from the barn fence. Then one piggy popped up, then a whole bunch of them came a’runnin’ up from the leafy, shady place out back. You can see them making a beeline for the trough in the pic up there. They seemed to be happy pigs. The Tappers sell fresh goat’s milk, goat cheeses, maple syrup, eggs, and assorted other items from their honor-system store off the front porch. There’s even goat’s milk soap!— Nathalie Strassheim

 

July 8, 2009

TRAVELOGUE: Misty Mountains

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Mount Washington in New Hampshire

Mount Washington in New Hampshire by Nathalie Strassheim

I spent 48 hours in the shadow of Mount Washington, the highest point in New Hampshire, and didn’t see the peak once from the valley floor. No spectacular backdrops for the Mount Washington Resort, no views from the 100-ft-high canopy tour platform, nothing. Too many clouds! If the peak’s not going to come to me, I might as well go to the peak. On a road, of course— the famous Mt. Washington Auto Road. Folks have been going to the top since horse-n-buggy days, so the path is well-worn, and it’s even mostly paved. I chose to take the “stage” (really a van, but the name hearkens to yesteryear). The drive itself isn’t especially harrowing, but I wanted to hear what the driver/guide had to say along the way. It was worth it: lots of details about the types of forest we climbed through, history of the road itself, anecdotes about midsummer hailstorms, all kinds of great stuff. Occasionally he’d pull over to let us passengers take pictures of particular views out the windows, as I did in that picture above. Van windows have to remain shut, but you can see that they keep them quite clean, so there’s really no issue with visibility. At least not on the window’s terms. Those clouds, however. The whole Auto Road operation works out of a nice building off Rte. 16, just north of the Pinkham Notch AMC Visitor Center. It also includes the Great Glen Trails recreation center, where you can bike and paddle with your own gear or rental equipment. All in all, well worth a morning’s stop.— Nathalie Strassheim

 

July 7, 2009

TRAVELOGUE: Bretton Woods, New Hampshire

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Moose

Moose spotted off Rte. 302 in New Hampshire by Nathalie Strassheim

This stretch of Rte. 302 offered some of my favorite New Hampshire experiences. First off: the moose! I’d been warned to slow down if I saw cars pulled over, and sure enough— pulled-over cars heralded the Moose Presence. I learned later that this specimen is considered “small.” I kept going after snapping the pix ’cause I needed to make my canopy tour appointment. The tour, offered by the Mount Washington Resort, consists of nine ziplines, two rope bridges, and three rappels through the trees at the Bretton Woods ski area. It may look crazy-terrifying in that video (below), but it’s really way-safe and way-cool. (You are always, always, always clipped to something, usually multiple times.) Down the road about 4 miles is the Highland Center, which features much more terrestrial ways to see the forest. Operated by the Appalachian Mountain Club, it offers “lodging and learning” to everyone interested in hiking the various trails, figuring out how to use a compass, powering up with a substantial breakfast, showering off the bug spray, and catching some zzzz’s between L.L.Bean-donated sheets. It’s a great place to be a beginner-hiker, especially with kids, as well as a seasoned trekker.— Nathalie Strassheim

Rte. 302

by Nathalie Strassheim

 

July 6, 2009

TRAVELOGUE, Lakeside in Meredith, New Hampshire

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After a long day with lots of driving, I met up with a representative from the Lakes Region Association for a stroll along the lakefront in Meredith. What a charming little town! The lake was quiet at the time, but you could imagine the village-length dock being packed with kids, ice cream cones, and PFDs dangling from elbows easily enough. Dinner was at Lago, a traditional-Tuscan place right on the lake. The food was scrumptious— I had a scallop dish— and the coffee actually arrived in a French press. I needed it; I was off to Crawford Notch via I-93 and the Franconia Notch Parkway, 1.5 hours of rainy driving away. But I wish I could have spent another day or two in Meredith enjoying lake activities and the lively small town.— Nathalie Strassheim

 

July 6, 2009

PHOTOS: Picture of the Week—Seattle, Washington

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Seattle, Washington

Seattle, Washington, by bensonkua

Want to submit a shot from your U.S. or Canada travels for consideration as a Picture of the Week selection? Please put a Creative Commons license on it, and add it to our Flickr pool, drop us a line, or post a link to it in the comments.

 

July 2, 2009

TRAVELOGUE: Lakes Region Ramble

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Eagle nest near Wolfeboro, New Hampshire

Eagle nest near Holderness, New Hampshire, by Nathalie Strassheim

My day started in Portsmouth, but by 9 I was on the shores of Lake Winnepesaukee, in Wolfeboro. It’s a compact little town brimming with shops just waiting for the summer visitor influx. I visited the Hampshire Pewter company and watched Christmas ornaments be turned out of their molds. Fascinating stuff—you can go behind the scenes in the pewter works that’s lodged in the same building as the shop. Then I buzzed west on 109, stopped by the Libby Museum and its taxidermic wonders, then turned uphill to visit an interpretive trail work-in-progress (the Lakes Region Conservation Trust is doing important work here) near the Castle in the Clouds. All too soon I had to bail out so I wouldn’t miss my Squam Lake boat ride. I found the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, regretted not being able to check out the trails, and boarded the boat, from which we all saw nesting eagles and a fluffy loon chick. Can you see the eagle in the picture up there? There’s also a chick visible, just barely, in the nest.— Nathalie Strassheim

 

July 1, 2009

VIDEO: Check out the NMSU Chile Pepper Institute, an Editor’s Pick of Rand McNally’s

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Row after row of mouth- (and eye-) watering chile peppers, in colors that range the spectrum, and the informative tour guides who impart their knowledge to visitors made the Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University one of Rand McNally’s Editor’s Picks from the 2010 Best of the Road trips. Check out the video below to see these beautiful plantings and learn more about the educational facility in Las Cruces. Click here if you’re looking to take your own trip, or want to know more about Rand McNally’s Best of the Road Trips.

 

June 30, 2009

PHOTOS: Picture of the Week—Half Moon Bay, California

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Half Moon Bay, California

Half Moon Bay, California, by jurvetson

Want to submit a shot from your U.S. or Canada travels for consideration as a Picture of the Week selection? Please put a Creative Commons license on it, and add it to our Flickr pool, drop us a line, or post a link to it in the comments.

 

June 26, 2009

TRAVELOGUE: Lake Winnipesaukee

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Lake Winnepesaukee

Lake Winnipesaukee by Nathalie Strassheim

I spent the better part of Tuesday circling Lake Winnipesaukee after driving up from Portsmouth. First I stopped in Wolfeboro, then I drove up to Castle in the Clouds and had a look at a “beta” version of a new interpretive trail that’s situated close to the architectural landmark, then I swung around to Squam Lake to see Large Birds (loons and eagles), followed by a wonderful dinner in Meredith. And then I drove to Crawford Notch! Crazy. The picture here was taken from the patio at the Castle in the Clouds cafe. You can see how extensive Lake Winnipesaukee is, and how many inlets and islands boaters have to navigate.— Nathalie Strassheim

 

June 23, 2009

TRAVELOGUE: Evening in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

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G. Willikers

G. Willikers in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, by Nathalie Strassheim

Portsmouth, N.H.—While there were certainly plenty of folks out and about in daytime Portsmouth, I sensed a palpable pickup in the liveliness factor as the sun set (behind the clouds). Folks seemed freed of the drizzle, somehow, and small groups roamed the sidewalks, peering at posted menus and settling into outdoor cafes. If I hadn’t already been slated to visit McMenemy’s Irish Restaurant & Pub, I would have had no problem finding other interesting dining spots. Portsmouth teems with restaurants. And the streets teem with people looking for them. Some of the shops stayed open, in part because it’s now officially summer, but also probably to snag a last few customers. I myself couldn’t resist G. Willikers, a toy shop on Market St. Don’t tell my son: there’s a bright red stuffed lobster waiting for him in my suitcase.— Nathalie Strassheim

 

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