Buck, I was going to ask about the fishing. It seems there are some great trout streams all around; however, I don’t see anybody fishing anywhere. Must be secret spots.
Hi Boo,
Funny, no lady with purple hair; however, I think I saw Normal Rockwell walking….lol
Hello all,
Day 2:
Another warm sunny day in NH today, deep in the 70s. I start out a little later today and head back over to Polly’s for breakfast and conversation. This time I talk to two of the employee/owners for over an hour and explain my mission and intent. I was surprised how friendly and encouraging they were. They explained the ‘Granite Curtin” to me and showed me how this place relates to the rest of the world…lol
The one topic that seems to be the “hot button” issue up here is schooling. I have learned the schools out here all have a reputation, good or bad and it is really all based on not only the tax rate but also how the local school administrators decide to spend the tax money. Some communities have a school bond forced on them because they do not have the voters to overturn a more affluent community next door. Some schools, I have been told, save money by not hiring certified teachers and the drop out rate is much higher. This will end up being the primary consideration when deciding to move. I also learned about a school called the St Johnsbury Academy across the Connecticut River in Vermont. Tuition is expensive; however, paid if you are a resident of St Johnsbury. I will be checking on this tomorrow.
Anyway, after Polly’s I headed back into Lisbon to check out some home sites. Nice, green, very quiet….and hello black flies. Some sites had great views and I liked the overall location between Lisbon and Littleton. Again, I didn’t get bit.
I passed through Littleton again and headed for “The Flume” When I arrived, there were a few local hikers around so I joined them on the 2-mile hike around The Flume.
Incredible is all I can say. 90’ towering cliffs as you walk along a narrow river between the rock beds. The water spray and the sounds are not to be missed. A very peaceful place. Unfortunately, I asked about taking the trail in the fall and the lady said the lines and wait can exceed two hours so I may have to pass on my next visit.
After the flume it was south to Plymouth. Upon arrival, I could tell this was somewhat different. A college town, I immiediatly noticed a more hurried pace and a much younger crowd. Suddenly, I was getting tailgated by the suped up Hondas with the loud tailpipes and the blasting stereos…….now it feels like home again.
Several kids decided to pass across the double yellows in an attempt to hurry up to the next slow car traveling the speed limit. This driving display also coincided with the sudden observation of memorials and crosses aligning the roads around Plymouth as the accident and fatality rate must be an issue here.
I moved on to Ashland and then Holderness. Again, very nice small towns and my first view of Squam lake.
Hey, this looks like my screen saver!
I took lots of pictures and headed over to Meredith. In Meredith I found Hart’s Turkey Restaurant and settled right in for lunch as the “only customer.” First, I ordered the full turkey meal
(Just like mom used to make…no really) and began asking the nice waitress a slew of questions. Because I was the only one in the restaurant, she graciously sat down and took to my interview questions as if I were a reporter. I learned all about Meredith, the development, the changes, the little lakes school district, (not recommended) the incredible lake, weirs beach and boardwalk, the water slides and the 2-week biker convention.
Meredith overall was busy. There is much more traffic over here and a more hurried pace. Although small based on what I am used to, this is a tourist town that floods with people in the summer and there is a stark competition between the rich, “out of staters” that invade this area all summer and the way they treat the locals. You can feel the resentment in the air. 10–20 million dollar homes dot the shore-side mixed in with 150-year-old homes in the 200-300 dollar range. Interesting place.
I then passed through Gilford and made a u-turn and headed up to Center Harbor, Moultonborough Falls, East Sandwich, and West Ossipee on my way to Madison to look at more property. Once in the very small town of Madison, I looked at some very nice lots, some with a view of Silver Lake. This is another place right out of a post card.
Watch out! Black fly attack!
They are swarming my head as I run back to the rental car swatting like a mad man.
Can you picture this? So much for the view. Ok, I made it. No bites; however, I am sure I breathed in half the fly colony during my run….mmmmm taste like chicken.
After Madison, I timed how long it took to get to Conway and North Conway. 15-minutes tops. In Conway you find civilization again. Lowes, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Shaus, Hannaford’s, JC Penny’s, Sears, Theaters, even a Starbucks. Just about anything you could need. I also found Kennett High School. A very nice modern school with an active athletic program. Does anyone know anything about this school or school district?
I really enjoy the Conway, North Conway area it seems like my kind of place.
I then took the 302 through the notch, all the small towns and back into Littleton. I stopped at a small Mexican place called “Alburritos” I am glad they were open as it was almost 9 pm at this point. Not bad Mexican food. Great taquitos!
Another full day and 200 miles completed. I like both sides of the White Mountains so far. The Littleton/Bethlehem area and/or the Conway side would do nicely.
The Northern part of this state is incredible and is more than I hoped for. The people up here are genuine and really nice. They also encourage me to move my family up here…..not what I expected. Turkeys run wild all over the place and the locals consider them like pigeons. It seems they need to be hunted more! Have not seen a moose yet; however, heed the warnings as over 200 moose are hit and killed on the highway every year not to mention the drivers.
I have learned more than I can possibly write down here. I will add more as it comes. Tomorrow, more land and explorations.
More advice welcome.
Captjob
Welcome to City-Data.com forum! Make sure to register - it's free and very quick! You have to register before you can post and participate in our discussions with 700,000 other registered members. User profiles and some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your free account you will be able to customize many options, you will have the full access to over 15,000 posts/day about local topics and you will see fewer ads. 
Scouting NH - The Trip
Thank You Captjob!!
Linear Mode
