8/15/24 – We drove the 56 miles from Montpelier to Littleton, NH with the possibility of returning if the RV parts could be delivered to the dealer there by Monday.  If they couldn’t, then we would have to make new a Plan C or even D to get the leveler fixed and keep moving east.  If you look at the map, you will see Littleton is just across the border and it would be easy to back track.  So, stay tuned!

Our RV park was just north of town off the Interstate and in the woods.  It was a quiet place called Crazy Horse Campground and our site was surrounded by trees.  We got settled and headed out.

We had things to do in the Littleton and White Mountain area.  Gail had lived in Littleton in 1977 with her first husband while he attended school at the nearby Franconia College.  So, the first thing on the agenda was to go into Littleton to see if anything Gail remembered was still there. 

We went downtown for a quick bite at The Littleton Diner of buckwheat pancakes, eggs, sausage and bacon! Oh!  Then we walked the main street to work off the meal!  The street was crowded and full of late summer tourists checking out the stores and scenery.  We found Jackson Street off of Main St. and with a little stretch of the memory and a squint of her eyes, she recognized the 4^th house up the hill, and the back door to the second story apartment.   It had only been 47 years since she had seen it last.  The more she thought, the more she was sure that it was the right house.

Reassured with that memory, we continued back down Main Street and found the movie theater still there and still a theater, but the Police Station across the street had moved.  And that was it!  Nothing else sparked any memories. 

Next, we went looking for the Clam Shell Restaurant where she had worked.  After a little checking on the address and some “umm-ing”, we found the right location but it was now a Walgreens at the intersection with I-93 and Littleton Rd where the restaurant had been.  Another nostalgic moment gone. 

The next day, we drove to Franconia to see where the college had been located.  Gail had found that there was a historical marker where the college had been, and it was easy to find.   The college too was gone as she already knew.  But we walked the woods where it had been, and the only thing we found were the remnants of a paved road now covered with grass and flowers, and surrounded by the about 47 year old trees.

Before we left town, we stopped briefly at the Franconia Museum hoping to find some additional information on the college, plus there was a Quilt exhibit currently showing.  We ended up spending over an hour there!  Unfortunately, they did not have anything on the college on display (they were working on that area of the museum) but the curators knew of the college and also the Clam Shell restaurant. 

The quilt exhibit was interesting.  It was 46 signature squares made by the women of one family in the late 1880’s.  The squares had been lost and recently were discovered in a wooden box in an attic.  Because the storage had been in the box, the fabric colors were almost as brilliant as new.  A real treat.  The history of each woman was listed with a picture of their square.  There were also other quilts on display made around the same time as the newly found squares.  Nice stop and good memories.

We continued driving south down I-93 through the Franconia Notch and to see the Old Man in the Mountain “memorial”.  After years of trying to shore up the rocks, they finally let go about 20 years ago and left the mountain with just a cliff now.  The Old Man profile had been a huge part of the lore of New Hampshire and is still used as the official cultural icon of the state on the highway signs and license plates among other things.  And at Profile Lake Park, where the viewing was best, there is a memorial (for lack of a better word) including “profile poles” that you can see the old profile superimposed on the mountain where the old face had been.  All a very well-done explanation and historical site.

The next day our plan was to reach the top of the famous Mt. Washington, the highest point in New Hampshire and the oldest public attraction in the US.  There are several ways to reach the top and from several starting points and altitudes.  We chose the Auto Toll Road again but this time it was paved all the way up and ended in the parking lot at the summit!  Well, not exactly the summit as there were still about 100 steps up to the visitor center then another few steps to get in line to take your picture at the summit marker.  Stil much easier than Mt. Mansfield!

A few more things about Mt. Washington that I found interesting.  There are all kinds of records set for different methods of ascent.  After driving up the 7.2 miles myself, I could not picture the motor car record to drive up of under 6 minutes!   Look at the photos.  Other records are running up in 56 min/24 sec.  Bicycle in 49 min/24 sec.  Horse drawn carriage in 1 hr/9 min. Other methods were with a segue, roller skates, Llama, and unicycles.  You get the picture.

Our day at the top was clear and calm by some standards with only a wind of 23-33 mph at 46 deg with a wind chill of 38 deg.  At the bottom it was still 75 deg.  The world record for wind speed was set there in 1932 with a recorded 231 mph.  Another reason this place is so famous.

 It is also famous for how fast the weather can change.  And within the time we were there, the clouds came in and covered the mountain top. So it was time to head down.  But we were happy and we had seen highest state point #6.  (FL, AR, DE, GA, VT, and NH)

The next day was D-Day or Delivery Day, and we found out there would be no delivery to the dealer in Montpelier, so we reset the plan to ship the parts to a dealer in Bangor.   We knew we were going there and that gave them a week to get things shipped!  And I bought a ratchet strap to keep the leveler up while driving so that should help.

We also stayed in the whole day.  First time probably during the trip.  We did finances, did some work, made a few more reservations, went for a short walk around the park and relaxed. 

Our last 2 days in New Hampshire were hiking around the area to find some waterfalls.  Or at least some cascades.  We went back to Crawford Notch and found a small falls, but the trail did not allow a good view.  Up the road a bit was another trail called the Lower Ammonosuc Falls.  It was a short easy walk but a much better falls area.  Very pretty and peaceful.

As a treat, we ended our visit to New Hampshire with a walk around downtown Littleton again and a nice dinner at a Shillings Brewery/Restaurant on the Ammonosuc River.  Yes, the same river.  Dinner was very nice and a fine end to our time in Littleton.

So, now on the Maine and the last state we can add to our list for a while. 

PS – we found out the parts did ship and were delivered and verified to be the right parts during the week.  Yea!