Too Late, Too Early, Just Right

Too Late, Too Early, Just Right

Sept 11, 2012  

Leaving the southern coast of Maine, we decided to take the secondary roads, the noted “blue highways” that William Least Heat Moon used as the subject of his travel book of the same name. 

After passing through a number of quaint Maine mill towns, villages and farms, we crossed into New Hampshire for our first real destination, Wolfeboro.  The town is located in the Lake Country of that state and borders a number of lakes including a very large lake, Winnipesaukee.  The lakes in this region are quite popular as summer vacation destinations for people living in the larger metropolitan areas of New England and New York.  Fortunately for us, we were a week “too late” and the winding country roads were nearly empty.  Most of the resorts and tourist attractions were also closed for the season. The next invasion of city folks would take place several weeks from now as the Leaf Peepers, would pack the byways of the area as soon as cooler weather caused the leaves on the millions of hardwood trees in the area to change color.  We were “too early.”

We thoroughly enjoyed the nice, sunny weather and the slow pace as we traversed the back roads that wound from villages to farmsteads, up and down the mountainsides and around the lakes. The rock walls, reminiscent of Robert Frost’s classic poem, have been worked on since the time of the first pioneer farmers came to the area.  They are still used and maintained.

Those of us who hail from the Pacific Northwest are astonished by the historic heritage of New England.  Homes, barns, churches and villages that date from the Colonial period are not rare.  Buildings that predate the Civil War are common.  With the exception of power lines and asphalt roads, it would be easy to imagine oneself in the Age of the Horse.

We stopped for a picnic lunch in the town of Meredith, a beautiful resort town on the far shores of Lake Winnipesaukee.  We witnessed a 9-11 memorial taking place at lakeside. Because of the season, all lakeside recreational facilities were closed on weekdays.

The end of the day found us in Concord, New Hampshire’s quaint capital, where we enjoyed a short walk around the grounds of the Statehouse.  

We were pleased to be able to wish Kari and Jim a happy third anniversary on the phone!

Off to Connecticut tomorrow!