Well, nothing like going on a fall foliage trip 1 or 2 weeks early. I can never time these things right. A few years ago we went to Washington DC for the cherry blossoms and we were a week late. Now in New Hampshire we are a week early. What can you do…..Enjoy the Ride!

No matter what you do or what happens, you always need to think how lucky you are to be spending this time with someone that cares about you and that you care a lot about. Nothing can get in between a good time and you, not the weather or car problems, green foliage or anything else. No,  no car problems thankfully.

We started our trip on Friday morning at 5 AM for the drive to New Hampshire. A little background on the choice of destination. A few weeks ago we watched the movie On Golden Pond which was filmed in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. Betty loved the movie as well as the location. What better way to see it than in the fall with the changing leaves. Another adventure begins! As planned as they are they are inspired by the craziest things. Don’t be afraid to go on a limb and do something new and different.

We were able to check in the hotel early and get rid of our things and take a 30 minute breather. We were staying in a beautiful resort hotel right on the lake, The Margate Resort on Lake Winnipesaukee. Then we decided to start scoping out the area, Laconia, Weirs Beach, Meredith and Gunstock Mountain. We always like to drive because it gives us total flexibility. We can stop wherever we want, even just to take a picture. We are not limited by groups or buses or anything else. In order to do that you have to have somewhat of an idea of where you are going.

In Weirs Beach, you can see the remnants of the summer gone by. The shops and restaurants, those that remained open, seemed to be in slow motion. They were catering to the locals and regulars. No more rushing after the tourists during the summer. The people seem friendlier and more open to talk and give you directions or advice. No worries, we are used to both ends of that scene living close to the Jersey shore. It’s crazy, crazy during the summer and then its quiet and enjoyable to walk on the beach with a jacket and maybe your dog in the fall or spring.

Relish the brisk breeze on your face. It’s that refreshing air that keeps you going. The summer heat just drags me down. My favorite times of the year are the spring and summer. In the spring you see the new life, buds all over the bushes and trees, flowers and grass starting to grow and birds all over the place, nesting and gathering for the future families. The autumn is the wind down. It’s time to refresh the air and the ground, let it rekindle its fire during the winter in order to have the energy to sprout forth the new life that’s coming next spring.

Well enough of that. Off to Meredith. A quaint little town of shops and antique stores and little diners , cafes and taverns. We had a late lunch in a cute little sandwich place. They treated us like we were the only people there even though we weren’t. After a nice lunch and a walk around town and the lake, we notice a few peaks around us and decided to head for one of them for a nice view of the lakes and mountains around us.

We got lost a little, but that didn’t matter. We weren’t in a hurry and we weren’t late for anything. We finally reached the summit of Belknap Mountain. The views were incredible although someone there said they were better at Gunstock. The most amazing thing that we noticed throughout the entire trip was the amount of trails that there are. By each trailhead there had to be dozens of cars parked with eager hikers and bikers taking to the trails to enjoy these glorious fall days.

On Saturday morning we were off to Mount Washington to take the Cog Railway to the top. Luckily we had reservations because when we got there they told us it was all sold out for the day and they were turning people away. Wo would have known that! luckily we had our smartphones and had made the reservations on the way. Technology. Where would we be without it?

Getting late. I’ll finish this tomorrow night. Make sure you take a look at the photo gallery!