New Hampshire Beauty and Fun!

We packed a lot in a week and I took lots of photos, but I will show you some of the highlights. At one place a woman asked to take a photo of us and she must have hit the wrong buttons and I took a few photos before I realized they were messed up. Of course the photo she took was chopped off and looked horrible, so I won't show that one, lol.

One of the things I wanted to do was to drive along route 302 and see the tall waterfall that cascades down the mountain. Maybe my memory was bad, but it wasn't even worth a photo, just a small stream coming down but we enjoyed the ride and saw some other nice places along the way.

We found this roadside park and stopped to enjoy the views and a walk with Bean. It is a small pond and only kids are allowed to fish in it, a nice place to go with small children.

They also have a bridge and waterfall that goes to a nice picnic area and hiking trails.

We came around to route 3, where you can see the basin which is free and the flume which has a fee, but well worth it, if you have never been. We went to the basin for a walk around the main path, which follows the falls and river to the basin.

The next day we went for a paddle on Lake Chocorua. It is just right for an easy paddle, with wonderful views of the mountains.

Bean is loving going paddling. He realizes it means he can also play in the water when we find a quiet little island at the end.

We did a morning paddle and had all afternoon, so it was the perfect day to go to Diana's Baths. We just hiked along the trail along the falls and I did dip my feet in, but too cold for me to swim in. Lots of people were swimming, so not too many private spots, that day.

The next day we had a storm coming in, so we relaxed a little at the camp and then headed towards Center Harbor for some shopping and the sun was coming out by the time we got there. I planned it so we went through the storm and came out on the sunny side;)

We came back on the Kancamagus and had time to stop at Sabbaday falls. It is a short walk to the falls and a little climb up the stairways, but a magnificent view of the falls as you head up and at the top.

The last thing on my to do list, was to hike the Lincoln Trail to Franconia Falls. This is the path we took the kids on when they were little but we just walked a bit along the river and I wanted to make it to the falls this time.

The  hike goes along the river, love hearing the sound of the river as we walked along. The bad thing is, Bean hears water and he is constantly pulling me towards it.

The path is an old railroad, logging road and the woods are filled with beautiful white birch.

We got to the top of the falls and not only were the falls a wonderful series of cascades, there is a giant pool at the end where you can swim and beautiful views of the mountains.

We didn't do too much shopping, I wanted to enjoy being outside, but I did get a few things. At Center Harbor I stopped in Keepsake Quilting, they have a large sale room in the back so I treated myself to a few yards of shirting. Next door is a yarn shop that carries roving, so I got some blue and green shades to use in 2D pictures. On the way home we stopped at Elf Made, it is a wonderful prim shop that also carries local souvenirs and I love their scents. I got some of my favorites and some candles, as well as a few bags of balsam for my Christmas pillows. All of the stores pack your purchases in fun bags and fabric ribbons, a little something I can use in a special project.

I hope you enjoyed my visit to NH, I know I could spend the whole summer there, if I could.