1. Day 2 of the road trip
began with a chilly but beautiful morning sitting on the screened-in
porch at the Pemi Cabins in Lincoln, New Hampshire. Despite going to
bed relatively late I was still up at 6am to enjoy as much of my time
there as I could. I did not want to leave but I had a ton to see.
2. This included finally
walking down to the river behind the cabins. I got some photos and
videos but also noticed to my right what looked like a bridge over
the river. It turns out it was a metal grating bridge leading down a
dirt road. The bridge had a chain across the entrance so no vehicles
could drive across, but I easily stepped over it to get some cool
photos of the Pemigewasset River.
3. Disappointment rained down
on me as I was getting set to venture out for breakfast. I wanted to
revisit Flapjacks which was a 5-minute drive away. Too bad they were
closed on that morning. Oh well, so I picked a popular diner that was
actually a shorter drive. This was a fine replacement. Until I got
there and the lot was full, cars were lined up across the street, and
people were lined up out the door. So yes, the story of it being
popular was true. I ended up going to White Mountain Bagel very close
by. I had an excellent sausage, egg, and cheese on a wheat bagel. So
my 3rd
option was still a good choice.
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| A worthwhile breakfast spot in Lincoln |
4. I packed up my stuff and
left the Pemi Cabins, but not before chatting briefly with another
woman from Massachusetts. I say briefly because she seemed to be
caught off guard that I was being friendly. Sorry, we’re from the
same state and I just wanted to say hi. I wasn’t looking to steal
your luggage.
5. Next up I drove out on the
Kancamagus Highway. This is one of the most scenic routes in all of
New England. In short, it’s a 34.5-mile stretch of road running
between Lincoln and North Conway. It would take a few days to see all
of the sites along that road.
6. Be prepared though. Driving
The Kanc means little to no cell service, inclines and declines on
the road sometimes at 9% grade, and also no gas, no stores.
7. I drove about halfway out
to Sabbaday Falls. I figured I’d start at the furthest point I
wanted to visit and work my way back. This is a short hike and a
beautiful waterfall. It’s easy enough for people of almost any age.
One thing I did do was not pay the parking fee which I saw when
coming back. Hey, I was there for not even 20 minutes and the lot had
maybe 5 cars in it so I didn’t steal a paying customer's spot.
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| Sabbaday Falls |
8. My car is creeping up
toward 150K miles. It has been paid off for 4 years and still runs
great. That being said, when driving up and down the steep grades of the road on The Kanc I did not risk it, I drove slowly just in case my
car decided today was the day it was going to mess with me.
9. The driving slowly and
carefully paid off. When heading back from Sabbaday Falls toward
Kancamagus Pass (the highest point on the road) I spotted a
motorcyclist around a corner with their arms up asking me to stop. Up
ahead another biker was on their back in the road. I’m not sure if
they got hit or fell off on their own. Luckily I had plenty of time
to stop. When I got to Kancamagus Pass I watched 2 police cruisers
and a fire truck heading toward the accident. Hopefully, the biker was
alright.
10. The wailing of the police
sirens was replaced by the wailing of a screaming child in a van that
pulled into the Kancamagus Pass parking lot a few minutes after me. I
was surprised I didn’t see a herd of moose or bears running away
from the area because of the noise. They didn’t stay too long and
soon it was perfect scenery and weather.
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| The view at Kancamagus Pass, minus the screaming child. |
11. Parking fees be damned
Part 2. My last stop along The Kanc was Lincoln Woods Trailhead. I
only wanted a few quick photos of the Pemigewasset River and a bridge
going over it. My plan? As opposed to plopping down $$$? Park as
close to the road as possible, take a side trail instead of the main
entrance and get my photos. I did succeed but I will say that there
was a park ranger standing on the bridge I wanted photos of. I had to
sneak onto the bridge and get my photos while also looking
inconspicuous. Done and done.
12. Next up was crossing from
New Hampshire into Vermont for my first extended time in the state
since 2000. This was the first time on my trip that I checked ‘avoid
highways’ on my GPS so I could really see the countryside.
13. It
was a total drive of 220 miles from Lincoln, NH down to Brattleboro,
VT. I spent that entire time on more scenic routes. However, I think
I’ve gone soft when it comes to disregarding my safety for photos.
Rather than pulling off the road or screeching to a halt when I saw
something I should shoot I ended up passing right by. This was mainly
because there would either be a few cars close behind me, or there
would be nowhere feasible to park. That wouldn’t have stopped me in
the past, but here we are.
14. A few places that stood
out in my backroads travel included a few historical sites in the
small town of Weathersfield. Their population is just over
2,800(2020), making it 1/10th the size of Yarmouth where I live, and
Yarmouth is a small town.
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| Weathersfield, VT is a very small town. |
15. I really enjoyed the
solitude of some of the places I stopped on this road trip. However, I
didn’t enjoy it when it came time to post updates to social media
and my phone would be on SOS mode.
16. I also stopped at the
Dummerston Center Cemetery in the town of Dummerston, VT. This spot
is home to a famous New England urban legend, the Dummerston Vine. In
short, it is a story of several members of the Spaulding Family dying
young. These deaths coincided with an ominous vine crossing over the
grave of the last family member to die. Each time the vine crossed a
Spaulding grave another member of the family would die.
17. The only other time I
spent any extended time in Vermont was in 2000 when I went camping
with a few friends in Jamaica State Park. On this trip, I visited a
few places from back then. First was the Dam Diner in Townshend. Back
in 2000, they had amazing bison burgers. This time they were closed
meaning they could really be called the damn diner. Second I went back
to Jamaica State Park. However, by this time I was hungry and a bit
punchy from driving so much. I had no desire to go hiking or to even
pay the fee to get in. A photo of me in front of the sign was good
enough.
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| My reaction to the Dam Diner being closed. |
18. The motel I stayed at in
Brattleboro was definitely not as nice as Pemi Cabins, but for the
price it was alright. That being said there were a few too many weird
people sitting outside of their motel rooms. I noticed them because I
immediately left after dropping off my stuff.
19. Where did I venture to?
Hannaford first because of course. It was also right across the
street so why not double my fun from the previous night? The
intersection had talking signals which were neat and told me when I
could walk. This Hannaford also had the big 16-ounce 5-Hour Energy.
I’d only seen them in one other store and not for a year. I
naturally grabbed a few.
20. Speaking of drinks I
visited a cool nearby dispensary as well. I saw a billboard for a
different dispensary on my way to Brattleboro which made me wonder if
there was one near my hotel. Oh, there was. They are named Cannabis Maximus and were maybe ½ mile away. The potency allowed in their
products is higher than in Massachusetts. That was another bonus.
21. Eating well was not on the
menu. Well, I should say eating healthy. I went to Brattleboro House of Pizza. They call themselves BHOP which is funny because on Cape
Cod one of my favorite pizza/sub places is Dennisport House of Pizza
which we call DHOP. I ordered online and literally walked in and out
with my meatball sub. Some of the people waiting to order seemed
confused by how I got my stuff before them but I didn’t have time
to explain the Internet.
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| The scent of meatball sub filled my car while taking this photo. |
22. Besides a large amount
of panhandlers I really enjoyed driving around Brattleboro. There was
a couple in front of a convenience store I stopped at after BHOP. I
didn’t have to pretend I didn’t see them since I was legit so
excited that they had pepperoni pizza flavored Potato Skins chips.
I’d never had them so this night was becoming more and more
legendary.
23. After eating I
surprisingly had the energy left to go find a spot to shoot the sunset.
It was also partially guilt since I didn’t know when the next time
is I’ll visit Vermont. Of course, being a sunset expert I found a
perfect location to venture out to.
24. It ended up being an
abandoned railroad bridge. How did I know it was abandoned? It had
grass and flowers growing out of it. The view was excellent as when
you’re in northern New England you typically have to shoot the
sunset a while before the sun goes down since most places are hilly,
or mountain-y. To my surprise, a cop saw me pull into a rocky parking
area next to an electrical generator but didn’t come back to tell
me to leave.
25. On that bridge I did take
my life in my hands a few times when trying to get as close to the
edge of the bridge to get certain vantage points for the sunset. In
addition to grass and flowers, the bridge has loads of small loose
stones. That meant that one false move and I’d be launched over the
side. I highly doubt the couple fishing down below would dive in to
save me either, more than likely they’d have snagged my camera and
car keys.
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| Sunset from the abandoned railroad bridge. |
26. I ended up with more time
to spare before sunset so I drove a little further south to the
Brattleboro Bridge. Why was this my choice? Because the bridge that’s
a part of Rt. 119 crosses the Connecticut River and includes the
border of Vermont and New Hampshire. Yes, that’s right, I was
shooting the sunset in 2 states at once. It was very exciting. Well,
except for the part where the bridge would rattle violently when more
than 3 cars would be on it at once.
27. Day 2 of the road trip was
filled with scenery, lots of hills, and tons of fun. My plan for Day
3 was another early morning, maybe a big breakfast, and crossing a
spot off of my Bucket List.
Read About Road Trip 2024 Day One
