Gary &
Sheryl and Charlie & I spent three nights at Larry & Gail’s place in
Littleton New Hampshire. They were excellent hosts and we enjoyed our time
together, by touring around the area. Gary & Sheryl got to see their first
view of the lupines in NH.
We were lucky
enough to find artists working on stills of the mountain and the lupines.
I love
lupines and was very happy to capture this awesome shots of them with the
mountain in the background!
We headed to
see the “Old Man.” The Old Man of the Mountain was a rocky outcropping on
Cannon Mountain, White Mountains that, when viewed from the floor of Franconia
Notch, resembled the profile of a man.
First
reported in 1805, the Old Man of the Mountain served as an inspiration,
guardian of the environment, and New Hampshire tourist attraction for almost
two hundred years until its fatal collapse on May 3, 2003.
Thirty ideas
were submitted to honor the fallen Old Man, one being finally accepted. Seven
years after "the fall," on June 7, 2010, ground was broken for the
Old Man memorial overlooking Profile Lake in Franconia Notch.
The project
consists of seven profilers at the edge of Profile Lake. By standing in the
correct spot behind the profiler and looking up toward where the old man used
jut out from the rocks, his image is put right back in the very location where
he lived for centuries, a spot that attracted millions of tourist to this area
every year.
Phase one of
the project was completed in 2011. It consisted of a series of steel rods
pointing at Cannon Mountain that, when viewed from a certain angle, show an
outline of the profile against the cliff.
We visited
The Mount Washington Resort. The Mount Washington Hotel is a hotel near Mount
Washington. It was designed by Charles Alling Gifford. It is located at the
northern end of Crawford Notch along Route 302.
The hotel was
constructed between 1900 and 1902 at a cost of $1.7 million by Joseph Stickney,
a native of Concord, New Hampshire who had made a fortune as a coal broker in
Pennsylvania. In 1881 Stickney and his partner, John N. Conyngham, had
purchased the nearby Mount Pleasant Hotel. Subsequently, Stickney began work on
his Mount Washington Hotel. He had envisioned the hotel to be a luxurious
getaway for urban dwellers looking to escape the city. He brought in 250
Italian artisans to build it, particularly the granite and stucco masonry.
Construction started in 1900 on the Y-shaped hotel, which opened on July 28,
1902. At its completion, the hotel boasted over 2,000 doors, 12,000 windows,
and over eleven miles of plumbing.
In the fall
of 1825, the Notch House was acquired by Samuel Willey, who moved into the
house with his wife Polly and their five children, who ranged in age from 2 to
11 years old. At the time, the property had been abandoned for several months,
so Samuel spent much of the fall repairing the house, enlarging the stables,
and making preparations for winter. The tavern was ready in time for the
winter, and, despite its modest size and appearance, it was a welcome shelter
for cold, weary travelers on their way through the mountains. Willey continued
to operate the tavern throughout the spring and summer of 1826.
Over the next
two months, the region experienced a severe drought. However, the drought came to a sudden end on
the night of August 28, when a severe storm passed through. The torrential
rainfall destroyed nearly all of the bridges in the notch, and it also made the ground susceptible to
landslides in the steep cliffs. One such slide occurred at the Notch
House, but, the building was narrowly spared. It stood
right in the path of the landslide, but the falling debris caused it to split into two streams. As a result, the
landslide passed on both sides of the house, destroying the stables but
otherwise leaving the building miraculously intact before reuniting into a
single stream just below the house.
Over the next
few days, though, the nearby residents of the notch could find no sign of the
seven members of the Willey family, or the two hired men who lived here. Inside
the house, there was evidence that the occupants had left in a hurry,
suggesting that they had tried to flee to safety in advance of the landslide.
Subsequent searches of the area uncovered the bodies of Polly Willey and one of
the hired men, David Allen, in the debris below the house. Samuel’s remains
were soon discovered as well, along with those of their youngest child, Sally.
The body of David Nicholson, the other hired man, was found five days after the
disaster, and a day later the body of twelve-year-old Eliza Willey was found.
However, the other three children—eleven-year-old Jeremiah, nine-year-old
Martha, and seven-year-old Elbridge—were never found.
We enjoyed a
treat of Gifford’s Ice cream here. Oh boy, was it ever delicious! Gifford’s Ice Cream began to take shape in
New England on a small Maine dairy farm. Audrey and Randall Gifford started
whipping up small batches of ice cream using Audrey’s parents’ simple recipes.
The neighbors clambered for a taste, and soon the family was making ice cream
year-round to keep up with demand. Gifford’s has 100 unique ice cream flavors,
frozen yogurts, sherbets, and sorbets, and each and every flavor is real New
England. They source fresh cream and milk from local dairy farms, and get their
wild berries from just up the road. They don’t take shortcuts, maybe that’s why
Gifford’s Ice Cream has won awards across the country and around the world,
including being named Ice Cream Grand Champion for 5 straight years at the
World Dairy Expo.
The town of
Littleton New Hampshire can capture your imagination even before you find a
parking spot. In front of the town library is where the effervescent Pollyanna
statue stands shining. If you have never read the Pollyanna story as a kid, you
should as an adult! If you visit, don’t forget to rub her boot for good luck.
The street
posts around town have banners calling Littleton the Glad Town and we sure felt
Glad to be there. The crosswalks are the cutest we have ever seen, freshly painted
a pretty green with a Pollyanna outline that says “Stop Look Wave.”
The stunning
Pollyanna Gateway was awesome, something as simple as some brightly colored
umbrellas really had a magical feel. Bright colors, happy summer vibes, travel
and Sheryl posing! Ahhhhh, life is good!
Of course
Chutters was impressive, so many candy options and a looooooong candy counter. While
the candy selection is an impressive treat, the fudge is the real star here.
It’s delicious and there were so many flavor choices to choose from.
Music on Main
Street, a Unique Littleton NH Experience - Piano Project - Music has a unique
and unparalleled ability to influence our attitudes and internal reflections,
often near-instantaneously. Some active citizens of Littleton, NH have
recognized this and chosen to use it to enhance the experience of walking down
their hometown’s Main Street. The Piano Project on Main Street makes you want
to sit down and play a tune!
The 352 foot Riverwalk Covered Bridge is a
Warren Truss bridge. It was completed in September 2004. Partly developed as a tourist attraction, it allows easy access to the Riverglen House, a senior center. The main street side is adjacent to Millers Café & Bakery. The far side side connects to trails paralleling the river in both directions, and is a very pleasant walk.
The bridge also offers beautiful views of the Ammonoosuc River.
Naturally, we had to take pictures with the angel wings! Stay tuned as we continue on our #TwoLaneAdventure
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