Live Free or Die!

August 14-19, 2022

Every once in a while, we just need to slow down, catch up and rest up for a bit!  New Hampshire provided just the spot we needed to rejuvenate ourselves.  Our stay at Pine Acres Resort in Raymond was perfect!  The aroma of fresh pine filled the air, the campsites were large and well-spaced and we filled most of our time with details such as bathing the dog and planning future adventures!!  We also had the pleasure of meeting neighbors Donna and Joe who gave us some great tips for our upcoming trip to the Boston area!

Our actual first visit to New Hampshire was a day trip to Littleton a couple of weeks ago.  Littleton certainly is a town worth spending some time in!  Although we had strolled the streets and eaten at one of their great restaurants, we hadn’t spent the night, so it didn’t officially count for our state map.  Our stay at Pine Acres solved that!

We did get out for a little bit of exploring, however.  Pawtuckaway State Park was only five miles down the road from the campground and offered great hiking trails!  We chose to hike the Pawtuckaway South Mountain Lookout Tower trail where we followed the rocky, root-lined trail to … their lookout tower!  Some adventurous park ranger managed to hang a humming bird feeder at the top level of the tower and we are so appreciative of their effort!  Also appreciative was the swarm of hummingbirds feeding at it!  The entire time we were up there, four or five hummers were simultaneously feeding!  While we weren’t enjoying the hummers, we were soaking up the view of Pawtuckaway Lake and the surrounding, 360° scenery!



A blue heron was looking for dinner as we began our hike!

I couldn’t help but smile at one of the signs posted along the trail to the tower.  I don’t think there is a trail we have hiked on that doesn’t have a sign posted “Stay on the trail”.  Well, this one was a little more specific!  “Stay on Trail or Stay Home” was this state park’s message!  New Hampshire strikes us as a state quite proud of its identity.  New Hampshire’s license plate proudly beckons back to their fight for independence with their “Live Free or Die” slogan and we commonly saw Ben Franklin’s “Join or Die” flag flying with its image of a severed snake on it.  I like it!  They remember where they came from and the sacrifices made for the liberties we have.

Yes, I have a death grip on the railing!  I don't like heights!

By the time we got back to the truck, we had hiked seven miles with 850 feet of elevation gain.  This is a little longer than our typical hike, but it was truly a wonderful hike.  The AllTrails app rarely lets us down!  

A cairn marks the trail near the top

Wason Pond was the other hike we went on during our stay there.  Again, the park was only a few miles from our campground and offered us a one-and-a-half-mile hike around Wason Pond.  It was just enough to get a little exercise and still not be worn out.  Perfect!

                   

I had found Mainely Mimi Quilt Shop while we were in Wells, ME and had picked up a pattern for a table runner there.  The runner is adorned with lobster trap buoys!  I took advantage of our low-key stay here to sort through my stash of fabric and get started on this project.  It will be a fun memento of our stay in the upper northeastern states!

Refueled and refreshed, we are ready to head out again!

Next up:  Massachusetts!


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