Friday, July 22nd, 2022 … Two Lane Adventures Continue!

Today we moved from Hanover Maine to Littleton New Hampshire. Before we departed Stoney Brook Recreation Area I was able to get one last walk in. 

The flowers in this campground are beautiful! The hills were getting easier, by the time we left! We followed Route 2 for most of the drive today.

The first town we came through was Bethel Maine. Originally a logging and farming settlement, the town has become a tourist spot popular for its recreational activities, such as hiking, kayaking, and skiing. The Sunday River Bridge, also known locally as the Artists Bridge, is a historic covered bridge near Bethel.

The Androscoggin River runs through the heart of Maine, From Gilead, at the New Hampshire border, to Merrymeeting Bay, where it’s waters combine with the Kennebec River. It is the third largest river, 178 miles, in the state and one of the largest in all of New England. The river, long ago was one of the most polluted rivers in the Northeast.

The town of Gilead was incorporated in 1804, and, unlike many small Maine towns, has managed to maintain its small population of several hundred people over the years. The narrow area of the town borders New Hampshire and clings to the Androscoggin River as it flows east, with Route 2 along its banks. It it was named for the large quantity of Balm of Gilead trees in the town center.

We crossed from Maine into New Hampshire. 

The Moose sign reminded me of being in the Canadian Maritimes.

Nestled on the banks of the Androscoggin River, on the northern end of the Mount Washington Valley, sits the quiet, rural town of Shelburne, New Hampshire. Founded in 1769, the town was named for William Petty Fitzmaurice, Earl of Shelburne. Shelburne is located on the scenic byway known as the Presidential Range Trail.

Jefferson is home to parts of the White Mountain National Forest in the south and northeast, the remarkably beautiful Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge, the oldest 18-hole golf course in the state, one of New England’s oldest and best loved amusement parks, Santa's Village, endless miles of trails, and panoramic views of the Presidential Mountains.

Near Jefferson, we saw a bear crossing the road. But I was not fast enough to capture a picture of it.

We turned onto NH 116. It is a scenic rural highway stretching from Jefferson, in the White Mountains Region to Haverhill, which lies along the Connecticut River.

We passed through Whitefield New Hampshire and I found a purple house. For those of you that really know me, know that I love everything purple!

NH 116 brings right into Littleton New Hampshire. 

We arrived at Larry & Gail’s our home for the next few days! We enjoyed a fire with these great friends!

Monday - Thursday, July 18th - 21st, 2022 … Two Lane Adventures Continue!

Today, we left The Birches Lakeside Campground, where Peter & Becky call home for the summer. We headed west, toward New Hampshire. Our destination for today was Hanover Maine at the Stony Brook Recreation Area. We took Route 108 to Route 2. It was a short 60 mile trip.

The $7.7 million bridge, which spans the Androscoggin River between Peru and Mexico, is a tribute to the US Army cavalry scout from Mexico who died while serving in Afghanistan. A member of the 101st Airborne Division, McLain died of wounds suffered during Operation Enduring Freedom. He was 24 years old. US Army Private First Class Buddy Wendell McLain joined the Army in May 2009. He was on his first deployment to Afghanistan when he and five others were killed in an insider attack on November 29, 2010. He left behind his wife, Chelsea, and their son Owen. The Tunnel to Towers charity paid off the mortgage on the family’s Peru, Maine home on Memorial Day 2021. Staying in their hometown was very important to Chelsea.

We drove through Mexico Maine and stopped at Walmart to purchase a few items. We will talk about Mexico more later, as we will be back to visit it! I will tell you about the “Town of Mexico” sign that greeted people for decades has seen a patriotic makeover. Red, white and blue bricks are on the hillside of the Veterans Memorial Green on Main Street. The 48-by-25-foot American flag was constructed by White Yardworks out of Rumford.

We also passed through Rumford Falls Maine. The town is located in the foothills of the White Mountains, Rumford is the site of Pennacook (now called Rumford) Falls. It is where the Androscoggin River drops 177 feet over solid granite.

We will be back to check out the falls and everything that Rumford Falls has to offer!

We arrived at Stony Brook Recreation Area. It is a quiet, family campground nestled along the beautiful Androscoggin River and surrounded by the foothills of the White Mountains. You can certainly relax and enjoy nature at its fullest. It’s the closest full service campground to Grafton Notch State Park.

Over the next few days, we took in the sights of nearby towns and sights.

July 19th, we checked out Step Falls. It is a spectacular long chain of descending horsetails and cascades that lies a few miles outside of the eastern border of Grafton Notch State Park. 

It is situated on a 24-acre property managed by the Mahoosuc Land Trust, a local organization dedicated to protecting and conserving land and traditional land uses. Step Falls was acquired in 1962 by The Nature Conservancy and transferred to the Mahoosuc Land Trust in 2012. It has been a popular attraction for waterfall fanatics and swimming hole lovers for decades.

At Step Falls, Wight Brook, a wide mountain stream, meanders its way down several hundred feet of sunny granite slabs. During spring runoff, the water volume has been known to reach up to 500 cubic feet per second. In the summer months, however, horsetails and plunges transform into skinny, nearly powerless slides, and dozens of water-sculpted paths that existed in spring often dry up.

As if being one of the tallest falls in Maine is not enough, Step Falls also has numerous shallow pools, many of which offer fine places to wade and, in the slightly deeper of the pools, swim. The yellow-tinted water in the pools has a very clear and clean appearance. The largest pool at the site, approximately 40 feet long by 12 feet wide, is bounded by several moss-surrounded horsetails that empty into the pool. 

From Step Falls, we headed to Grafton Notch State Park. Grafton Notch State Park and the Mahoosuc Public Lands are a premier recreational destination lying amidst some of Maine's most spectacular mountains the Mahoosuc Range. These lands offer rugged terrain for backcountry hikers and include 12 of the most challenging miles along the entire Appalachian Trail. Hikers who negotiate the steep summit trails are rewarded with spectacular views, particularly on Old Speck (4,180 feet).

 

Those who seek tamer adventures can find short walks leading to impressive waterfalls and gorges. The small fall area that you first come to is deceiving. You arrive and see the falls with a great photo op. Only then do you realize that the main falls are further down the trail! Screw Auger Falls of Grafton Notch is a 25-foot plunge over the lip of a broad granite ledge into a gorge. 

A transparent curtain of whitewater is created by the plunge. Below the main plunge, the Bear River travels through a curvaceous gorge, dropping an additional thirty feet in a series of cascades past giant potholes, shallow pools and grottoes. There is also a small natural arch here, a rarity for New England. This waterfall is arguably Maine's most heavily visited. On a hot weekend day in July or August, you may share the falls and gorge with a hundred others. 

The breadth of sunny ledges and sunbathing spots, together with the ability to explore above and below the gorge, will allow you to enjoy this site immensely. Wooden fencing marks the gorge walls with stone steps to an upper wading area. As you walk along the gorge to the best view point of the waterfall, historical information boards add to the fun experience. Here you will learn about settlers in the 1800's who built a saw mill directly over the falls in the 1850's. The mill was run by the power of the current and produced lumber until it burned in the 1860's. You also have the opportunity to learn about how the falls were initially formed. As glaciers began to melt thousands of years ago, excessive amounts of water flowed into the Bear River carrying rocks and sand along with the current. The consistent abrasion of these sediments smoothed away the gorge walls to create potholes that are still visible today from the gorge above.

We headed Moose Cave, it is located within a 45-foot-deep canyon of bedrock where water skirts boulders and temporarily disappears into a cave beneath a granite slab. 

The trail follows a 600-foot long gorge carved through granite by glacial meltwater. 

Hikers are urged to show caution on the slippery rocks so that one will not fall in the gorge like the unlucky moose for whom Moose Cove was named. 

The trail also loops through a moss garden located on the ledges of the mixed growth forest. Several species of lichen inhabit this garden including "Reindeer Moss" which is native to the Arctic Tundra. 

We enjoyed beautiful sunset at the campground.

On July 20th, we went back to Mexico. It was laundry day and hopefully hair cut day! We found a barber for Charlie. He is going to get his hair cut, while I start the laundry. It has been several weeks since we have done laundry. So, it will be a good half of day affair!

The place we found on line for Charlie, was Lisa's Barber Shop. It was just down the road from the laundry. Charlie did not find it, but he did find TA-DAH Hairstyling. Tammy got Charlie in as a a walk-in. She told him to bring me back around noon and she would try and fit me in between appointments for me. She was very customer oriented and wanted to be sure that each customer was satisfied. Did I mention she was fun and full of life? I wished we lived closer, she would be our go to girl! 

I LOVE my cut! Thanks again Tammy! Good luck in your election, we know you must be a bit crazy to be going into politics! But, your heart is in the right place!

On July 21st, we went back into Rumford Falls. Originally referred to as Pennacook Falls or New Pennacook Falls, Rumford Falls is chain of massive drops of the Androscoggin River. Although the waterfall drops a total of 176 feet, dams have split the once continuous cascading waters into several distinct sections.

The beauty of the scenic upper falls ensured it a spot in this guide. Worthy of drawing the attention of any form of artist, Rumford Falls is quite spectacular in strength and setting when it is actually flowing. The problem is that the dam often diverts most of the water. The artificial lake below offers popular fishing for three species of trout and landlocked salmon. The best time to visit these falls is during the spring snowmelt as the water flow often reduces to a trickle during the summer months because of the dams.

The lower falls are natural and feature cascades that drop a total of about 20 feet. These wide cascades are visible both upstream and downstream from the Portland St bridge.

A 20-foot statue of Paul Bunyan stands tall at the parking area for the middle and upper falls. This is a fun sight to see for those who appreciate roadside attractions. The local lore says that Paul Bunyan and Babe settled here after touring the River Valley area. They loved the falls, the fishing, the paper mill and the town!

I did walk every day in the campground, Charlie even walked one morning!

                         

Thursday, July 14th – July 17th, 2022 … Two Lane Adventures Continue!

We are spending 4 nights at the Birches Lakeside Campground in Litchfield ME, with our friends Peter & Becky. The first 2 nights, we had our own “lakeside” site. But little did we know, we were coming on “Christmas in July” weekend. So, for our last 2 nights, we camped on Peter & Becky’s extra-large site, which was just fine!

I have been very diligent in my walking since the end of May, but I was not sure I was ready for walking with Becky and her “Litchfield” gang. She started me out gently … the first day, it was just the two of us … but we still did 4-miles!

The next day, we added Bill to our group … damn, he has long legs! We did the same loop, which still remained 4-miles!

The 3^rd walk, we added Anita to the group. Becky warned me that she would “keep the conversation going” … that is good, because I spent most of the walk, trying to catch my breath! We did the 4-mile loop and I survived!

The 4^th walk, it was getting a bit easier … even the BIG hill! But, it did not get any shorter, it was still 4-miles! At least, it is a loop so there is no backtracking!

The 5^th and final walk with the “Litchfield” gang, Bucky joined us! Thank God, because he had not been walking, so we took a slower pace! Where have you been for these past 4 days, Bucky! All kidding aside, walking with Becky and her gang has renewed my desire to pick up the pace and extend my distance!

We took a boat tour of Cobbossee Lake. It is a treasured vacation destination with over 62 miles of shoreline, dotted with many islands, and valued as one of the best lakes in Maine. Its 1600s original name of Lake Cobbosseecontee was shortened and means “the place of many sturgeon,” purportedly named by Abenaki Indians. 

Cobbossee Lake has the prestige of being the site of the only freshwater land-locked lighthouse in the state of Maine. The gorgeous 5,500 acre lake has many coves and inlets and is known for its fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities. A state-owned public launch is located on the southwest shore of the lake in East Monmouth. The Lake is also a secondary source of drinking water for the City of Augusta.

As one might expect, fishing is a dominant activity with major species including brown trout, brook trout, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, white perch, and yellow perch. The largest fish now inhabiting the lake are northern pike and, for the bass angler, many tournaments are regularly held on Cobbossee Lake. Anglers can have a field day here! Sailing doesn’t take a back seat, with the Cobbossee Yacht Club having many regattas and races. Birders can really enjoy the lake area with species to be seen such as Bald Eagles, Great Blue Heron, Least Bittern, Osprey and Loons.

 

We enjoyed lunch of the lake. We purchase our lunch at the North End Café and docked at a friend’s house, to enjoy our lunch!

One day, while Becky was visiting her Mom, Peter gave us a tour of Maine’s State Capital, Augusta. We spent time driving around his former place of employment. The Kennebec Arsenal in Augusta is a historic landmark that has a confusing and somewhat controversial history. The original large stone building was built to serve as a major arsenal after the War of 1812 brought to light the need to better protect the coastal borders of the United States. The site in Augusta was chosen because of its easy access to the Kennebec River.

The arsenal was in use until 1901 when it closed its doors. The property was then sold to the Maine State Hospital, which planned to use the arsenal as an expansion. The arsenal then became home to Maine's mentally-ill, including children. Built in 1840 to help Maine's mentally ill, it had promise of being a savior for those in need. But, the reality is much different. The Maine State Hospital, later renamed the Augusta Mental Health Institute, closed the operations of the arsenal in 2004. The site was then sold to a developer. Today, the surviving buildings are some of the oldest examples of mental care facilities in America. And, despite having been replaced by a much more competent facility, much of what remains is intact. In some ways, it feels like the grounds have simply been deserted.

We enjoyed dinner and a visit with Gail & Larry, before we enjoyed the Christmas Boat parade. We had to wait until dark, so we enjoyed another sunset!

Did I mention that we are camping here during their Christmas in July weekend? 

Peter & Charlie decorated the boat one morning while

Our last day was spent on the lake, floating with the girls! 

It has been a great visit with Peter and Becky!