Eye Candy

Monday I drove about 250 miles in search of foliage and crafts. Random, yes. I drove north to go to a craft show. It turned out that the craft show was sub par, but discovering this was well worth the drive. I went up to Franconia notch state park, and enjoyed ogling at the white mountains. I hadn’t been in this part of the state for probably more than ten years, when I came here on vacation with the fam. That’s when I got to see the old man in the mountain, God rest his soul. I drove for miles in the White Mountains National Forest, lost the other tourists and found Zen.

I decided to get home without using the highways, so I picked my way carefully through many towns, and beautiful autumn scenes. I found lots of hikes that I’d like to do whenever I’m not alone, and eventually stumbled upon Lake Winnipesaukee. At 72 square miles, and with a shoreline of about 288 miles, it is one of the largest lakes in the country. I managed to find one of the public boat launches (thank you Alton Bay!) although I think I technically needed a permit of some sort, but information was limited. It turned out that after searching for a boat launch, and then dodging the innumerable speed/recreational boats and their wakes, it was more trouble than it was worth. But, I’m glad I went.

So, I can say I found a lot of New Hampshire, the New Hampshire that tourists see and enjoy. I can see what brought hundreds of thousands of cars to the lakes and white mountain regions.