It rained; it snowed; and then the sun emerged from behind the clouds. We came to see the vibrant colors of fall to New Hampshire; but it generously offered more than that. In pursuit of fall peeping, we drove the Kancamagus scenic byway (from Conway to Lincoln) that goes around the White Mountain National Forest. We made numerous number of stops along the byway to take in the view embellished by yellow, orange, and red leaves. We passed by small settlements in which everyone seemed to agree to paint their houses white. The crunchy yellowy leaves in the front yard of these houses contrasting the white walls beautifully. Small breakfast places, antique shops, and cozy coffee shops; they all were indicating existence of a close-knit community. The cozy feeling of fall encapsulated us. We stopped grieving over the end of summer; in fact, we craved for the breezy weather so that we can snuggle up in our cozy sweaters, and drink a hot cup of coffee with a book while occasionally glimpsing over at trees that are shredding off their dead leaves in preparation of winter.
We started our journey at North Conway Village, where we had our breakfast, since we were told that there is no place for food, or gas once we embark on our journey. I preferred a light European-style breakfast, the French open, with yoghurt and fruits at Peach’s Restaurant. There are a few unique shops and restaurants in here. Make sure you start or end your trip here. We made a quick stop at Frontside Coffee Roasters for a cup of coffee. What surprised me here was to see a variety of coffee options with a touch of local ingredients. I ordered maple latte, made with local maple, which was just for my taste: not too sweet. Then we headed to Kancamagus byway, 34.5-mile scenic drive along Highway 112 in New Hampshire. The rest of trip mainly consists of pulling over at every stop. A mixture of research and an improv would suffice to explore the area. In any case, I took note of places you shouldn’t miss on this trip:
- Falls Pond
- Franconia Notch
- Crawford Notch
- Rocky Gorge
- The Flume Gorge
Another thing I wouldn’t have missed if I had more time is Conway scenic railroad excursions. These excursions take you around historic rail routes in vintage passenger cars.
When we completed the loop around the forest, we decided to stay the night in Lake Winnipesaukee area to be close to Boston area for our flight the next day. Around the White Mountain National Forest, we saw cute cabins, so we were hoping to find a similar one in this area. We stopped by a couple of lodges and hotels to check out if they had any rooms available with no luck. As we were losing our hope, we came across Crescent Hotel right in front of the lake that had available rooms.
We settled in our room and rested before we explore the neighborhood. Since the travel chronicles of a PhD student cannot be complete without doing some research, I had a phone call with my advisor and did a little bit of coding in the hotel room. When I was done with my obligations, it was 8:20pm. So, we really didn’t have much time before the restaurants in the area close. We rushed to the downtown area where most of the restaurants were located. We had some bad luck because the restaurants didn’t want take us in after 8:30pm. Although we were annoyed by that, we forgot about it once we found a place called Wolfetrap Grill&Rawbar that accepted us. The food was okay though. The next morning, we woke up to the stagnant scene of the lake, that was brought to life with morning lights while fall colors in the background. Before we headed back to Boston, we stopped at another local coffee shop, Downtown Grille Cafe, with great coffee and muffin options. We got the pistachio muffin, which I never had before, and they grill the muffins, which I find amusing. The banana latte, again a new taste for me, complemented the muffin. Overall, I really enjoyed my breakfast.
It was time to leave all good things about fall behind, as harsh winter was already around the corner in Chicago. The fall in New Hampshire reminded me of the necessity of having four seasons in a year. Summer has to end so that fall can come by. I still have doubts about the winter tough having lived under zero degree in Chicago. Fall would eventually grant its place over to winter, so I better find reasons to love winter in Chicago when I am not traveling.
Cheers,
Gokce
Comments