Chocorua & The Lakes Region 7/13 – 7/20 (Part 1 – 7/13-15)

We left the White Mountains Region of New Hampshire this morning (7/13), and now we’re at our next campground on the Chocorua River. This is our second riverside campsite! I don’t know how we got so lucky (probably because Doug made reservations months in advance).

Doug’s #1 item on the activities list is a ride on the Conway Scenic Railroad, which is scheduled for Wednesday. Today, though, we’re relaxing and enjoying the beautiful view at our campsite.

Tuesday (7/14) – a very cloudy morning, which may be why we slept in (again).

We had coffee by the campfire….

We did take an afternoon drive to Lake Winnipesaukee and stopped in Weirs Beach to inquire about cruises aboard the M/S Mount Washington. On our way there, a small bear decided to cross the road in front of our truck. We stopped suddenly, as did the oncoming cars, and he scurried under the guardrail and into the woods.

Beautiful waterfront, despite hazy skies
M/S Mt. Washington
Homes overlooking the lake – we learned later in the day that the sun and sky look strange because of smoke from the wildfires in Canada (we have not watched the news or any TV in over three weeks)

Wednesday, 7/15 – Train Day! We arrived at the train station in North Conway with plenty of time to spare, so we stopped in at the Mystic Sugar Bakery for blueberry muffins. Our train left the station at 1:30 for our 4 1/2 hour Mountaineer excursion, which travels through Crawford Notch and the White Mountains up to Saco Lake, where the 136-mile Saco river originates (elev. gain -1,600’).

Our car was in “Comfort Class”
Steps to “Observation Class” on the right
We crossed the Saco River several times on our trip. Attitash Mountain is in the distance.
Saco River
Nancy Brook (some say it’s haunted – see/Google the legend of Nancy Barton)
In the upper left, you can see the path the train will take
At times, the mountains were right alongside our train
Beautiful White Birch Trees
Mt. Webster in Crawford Notch State Park, named after Daniel Webster; the Appalachian Trail crosses the summit
Mt. Webster
Doug took these shots as we traveled across a high trestle
Approaching the top
Arriving at Crawford Station
Saco Lake

Tomorrow (7/16) we’ll travel south to Lake Winnipesaukee for a tour aboard the Mt. Washington, with (hopefully) blue skies (not hazy or smoky).

8 thoughts on “Chocorua & The Lakes Region 7/13 – 7/20 (Part 1 – 7/13-15)”

    1. Ummm, my realistic goal is to do a couple of miles in every state. 😄 We’ve actually covered that goal in NH, since the trail goes right through downtown Hanover, but does that really count??!! I do recommend Bill Bryson’s book on his AT experience, though. 🙂

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      1. That counts in my book! I’ve seen excerpts of Bryson’s book, but never read it. I have a couple friends who are big fans of him.

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      2. The book is very funny, and now I want to read it again since we’ve been to more places on or near the Trail. I hope to update tonight, our last post from NH. 😦 Thanks so much for keeping track of us along the way this summer ❣️

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