Mt. Major

Just about everyone who visits Lake Winnipesauke knows Mt. Major, one of the Belknap Mountains. Climb to the summit for an exquisite view of nearly all of Winni, Lake Wentworth, and some of the Ossipee and White Mountains too.

I’ve climbed it several times, but never knew until this year that there are three trails to the summit. Without a map, I’d always used the heavily traveled main Mt. Major trail that leaves at the back right of the parking lot. Many groups hike this mountain, so it is handy to know about the Boulder Trail and the Brook Trail. Take these to enjoy less foot traffic. You may still encounter a crowd at the top but at least your ascent and descent will be more quiet.

The Boulder Trail, blazed in orange, leaves from the left rear of the lot. Fewer spectacular views, but the summit makes up for that. The reasonable grade makes it a good choice for the ascent. You’ll have to scramble through a section of boulders before reaching the ledges near the summit.

At the top you’ll find the ruins of an old stone summit house and spectacular views. If you’re going on a weekend between Memorial Day and Columbus Day, you’ll probably have plenty of company. Weekdays during the school year you might run into groups of kids or teens. Most groups use the more heavily traveled Mt. Major trail, so while the summit may be populated, your chances of a quieter hike like with taking the Boulder and/or Brook Trails.

From the summit, walk away from the lake and toward the Belknap Range to find the well-marked Brook Trail. This trail leads you down through the woods roughly paralleling the ledgey Mt. Major trail and then joins up with it after turning onto a wide former logging road.

I finally got a new camera but still need to upload photos of my September hike. Coming soon!

Butter and Sugar Corn

New England's yummiest corn on the cob is Butter & Sugar, that variety with a mixture of small light yellow and white kernels. I moved the California before I realized that Butter & Sugar is just one kind of corn, and I had to return to New England during mid to late summer in order to enjoy it.

Butter & Sugar tastes sweeter than regular bright yellow corn and has more flavor that white corn, in my opinion. Ask any number of New England cooks how long this corn should be cooked and what if anything to add to the water. You'll get the same number of different responses. I'm not going to weigh in except to say not to boil it too long. Butter and salt to taste. Enjoy!

Rockingham Rail Trail – Fremont, NH

For a scenic and quiet walk, bike ride, or outing on horseback, try the Rockingham Rail Trail in southern NH. The Windham to Epping portion runs 18 miles. We chose the stretch beginning in Route 107 in Fremont (Map) because it runs through conservation land and ATVs and dirt bikes are not allowed on this portion of the trail, providing a serene alternative to the portion of the trail running south from 107 toward Windham.

Park in the large parking area on Route 107 across from the Fremont Public Library and a house that was once a rail depot. ATVs will take the path beginning at the end of the lot. We crossed the street, walked past the depot and headed into the woods for a lovely treat. You will find the going easy because of the level grade and fairly hard ground. A long stretch of dry weather preceded our visit here, so I can’t say how muddy it may get.

Shady pine woods, deciduous woods, a huge area of wetlands and smaller swamps alternate along the way for varying scenery. Looking down the path, you gaze through a tunnel of green in the spring through late summer. Though the tracks were pulled up years ago, artifacts of the era remain, including piles of railroad ties and vestiges of cinders. One can easily imagine a locomotive chugging along through the woods.

The path crosses North Rd. about 3 miles from the parking area; we continued a bit further before reluctantly turning around. The portion ahead toward Epping looked worthwhile to explore too.

I imagine this path is lovely in the fall, with its hardwoods and marshlands. This would also be a fantastic place for snowshoeing and cross country skiing in the winter.

Cellar Holes

Cellar holes, or foundations of abandoned and disintegrated houses, lay partially buried in forests throughout New England. Most date from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, although some could date back earlier. It is gratifying to find these fascinating artifacts of early American life, and they can be found if you know where to look.

Miles of country roads wind through the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. Some are unpaved and peter out after the last farmhouse. Sometimes they continue on, impassable to nearly all vehicles except ATVs, snowmobiles, and curious hikers like myself. Indeed, I have a fascination for abandoned roads because they used to lead somewhere – often to a house or two. Perhaps the owners couldn’t make a go of it in this difficult to farm rocky area. The family may have simply died off or left to build a better life elsewhere. In any case, the houses rotted away, and all that remain are the stone foundation and the remnants of a brick chimney.

Recently I hiked a familiar road leading to a small mountain called Tumbledown Dick. This road has houses on it but gradually becomes rougher, with mysterious divergences marked with numbers and occasionally a name too. Eventually the electrical lines stop and the road becomes laden with large rocks and ruts. I’ve learned to park in a particular spot off the road that appears to be a snowmobile route. Going beyond this point without a very rugged vehicle is risky, as there is nowhere to turn around. I have an unpleasant memory of having to drive a rental car in reverse on this stretch of road for a good quarter mile, after encountering a part of the road that was actually a rocky ledge.

Many years ago after parking in this spot and hiking to the top of Tumbledown Dick, I returned to the car and stood beside it staring into the woods, much to my hiking partner’s annoyance. The area is thickly wooded with second growth trees. I took a few steps into a particularly thick and dark area at the corner of the road and the path where we parked. There, surrounded and protected by closely growing pine and maple trees, was a largely intact cellar hole. As I looked more closely, I could see where the chimney stood, now replaced by a mature birch tree. A few bricks are still visible. Moving in to examine the hole more closely, I saw that in this house, the chimney was located in the middle of the house; more foundation lay on the other side of it, though in poor condition. Layer of leaves from decades of season fill the cellar hole; about three feet of mortarless stone foundation is visible.

This cellar hole still intrigues me, all the more so because on a subsequent hike, I walked up the logging path and found a tiny cemetery with one gravestone. There may be other unmarked graves in it as well. An intact stone wall surrounds the cemetery. A small faded American flag placed at the grave shows that someone knows it exists and has bothered to honor someone long dead.

The Norman Rockwell Museum

People of all ages can spend a fun day at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Children will enjoy the whimsical nature of Rockwell’s art, but adults will find meaning and messages in the everyday situations, objects, and people Rockwell depicted.

Many of the paintings that later became Saturday Evening Post covers are displayed on the main level, and you can easily discover details in the large paintings that people picking up the magazine years ago may have missed. The free docent talks held throughout the day provide a fascinating and worthwhile introduction. I highly recommend renting the audio tour as well. Rockwell used ordinary people, including his family, friends, and neighbors as models. Some narrate descriptions of the works they modeled for, providing insight into Rockwell’s process and personality as well as intriguing personal perspectives.

The main floor also has revolving exhibits, a wonderful gift shop, and a simple terrace café featuring sandwiches and salads brought in from the Red Lion Inn. In good weather, you can wonder around the lovely grounds, eventually happening upon Rockwell’s studio, moved here from its original location in downtown Stockbridge. The studio is set up just as he used it, with easels, paints, books and furnishings. A docent stationed there answers questions.

The lower level gallery houses all of Rockwell’s Saturday Evening Post magazine covers. Examining the covers from the first in 1916 all the way through to the last in 1963, you can trace the growth of Rockwell as an artist affected by world and life events, love, and the people around him. If your arrival timing isn’t right for the document talk, you might begin your visit with the excellent video narrated by Rockwell’s son Peter shown in this gallery. The lower level also features an exhibit on Rockwell’s involvement with the Boy Scouts and Boy’s Life magazine that got him started, and some Boy Scout memorabilia.

I’ve often dismissed Rockwell’s illustrations as unfailingly “feel good” and idealistic, but touring the Norman Rockwell Museum proved me wrong. Although it is true that the Post required Rockwell to create illustrations depicting happy scenes during difficult times such as The Great Depression and WWII, he displays the emotional impact the Civil Rights Movement in some of his most powerful work. Four paintings illustrating Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms (freedom to worship, freedom of speech, freedom from want, and freedom from fear, displayed in a central dedicated area rate among my favorite Rockwell works. Rockwell’s “The Four Freedoms” later appeared on U.S. war bonds.

Rockport on a Wintry Saturday

A few weeks ago, on a day just before a major snowstorm, my sister and I headed up to Rockport. She had been talking about Halibut Point State Park, and we visited it despite the cold weather. Because the ice-encrusted snow made walking difficult, we couldn't see the entire park, but it was still worth the visit. The old quarry is filled with water and a delight to view on this nearly cloudless morning with the ocean in the background. A study in blue, gray and white. Since there are no fences or other protective enclosures, we didn't go too close to the quarry as it has rained and frozen recently, creating icy paths. I had nightmare fantasies of slipping and then tumbling into the freezing water of the quarry. I certainly wouldn't recommend that anyone bring small children here in these conditions.

With the walking conditions as they were, the cold (windy, in the 20's) and the visitor center closed (although the restrooms were open), our visit was short. I look forward to returning in the spring and taking the walking tour mentioned on the website.

Afterwards we ate lunch in Rockport. At this time of the year there isn't a huge selection of open eateries, but they're not crowded as they are in the summer. Wish I could remember the name of the restaurant we ate at. It was on or near the corner of Bear Neck and the main cross street. We could look out the back and see Motif #1. We ordered clam chowder (New England, of course!) but were disappointed when it arrived - instead of being thick and creamy, it had more of a broth. It wasn't watery or thin and tasted pretty good but still not what we had expected. We both had spinach salads with maple vinegarette dressing, also good. The bacon was in pieces rather than crumbles, also a bit odd but nothing horrible. I asked about having shrimp in mine but decline when told that it would cost $6.75 extra. Wow.

We walked off lunch by strolling down Bear Neck and stopping in some of the open shops. The shell and pewter shops were particularly interesting. By this time the sky was beginning to cloud over in that way which clearly presages a storm. One knows these things when one has spent time in an area, and it looked ominous to me, having recently returned after 15 years in much sunnier California.

I loved our few hours in Rockport. An old quarry, nearly deserted Rockport, clever and beautiful pewter and sea shell creations. The first signs of a major storm seen just offshore, bringing up images of long-ago settlers and seafarers battening down the hatches. All pure New England.

I Love New England

I have a passion for New England.

After living for 15 years in California, I have returned to New England, my Old Country, Native Land, Old Stomping Ground. I came back for a wide variety of reasons, a good job, family, the ability to actually purchase real estate, the inheritance of a summer home in New Hampshire. And because I love it here. I was away for 15 years and lost my accent years ago but never stopped missing New England.

I grew up here, just west of Boston, in the 1960's and 70's. In the mid 70's, I left for college in Western New York and didn't return to live here until 1987. After earning my Master's at Simmons College in Boston, I relocated to California. I believe these two extended periods of time away provide me with a rich perspective on my love for New England. Natives here may or may not recognize the unique aspects of this place. If they do recognize these special things, they may or may not appreciate them. For me these differences from other areas of the country strike me acutely now. I want to write about them, point them out, celebrate them. I hope that readers of this blog will develop an enhanced appreciation for this incredibly special place, or at least learn something new, maybe a beautiful spot, an fun activity or an interesting fact.