Wandering New Hampshire

Despite popular belief, Josh and I have not limited ourselves to travel only within Massachusetts, even if this exploration has dominated most of our travel time as of late. The weekend before Christmas, we drove up to North Conway in New Hampshire, to explore the offerings of the Granite State. Josh knows this area well, and served as an excellent tour guide, shuttling me to all the most stunning natural wonders and satisfying culinary treats. Here are a few highlights.

1) Lodging. We stayed at the 1785 Inn, named so because the original part of the building was built that year. Talk about charming. You can choose from rooms with or without private bathrooms and/or views of Mt. Washington in the distance. With simple furnishing and cozy beds, the rooms stay partly true to the 18th century and are free of televisions (but with indoor plumbing, electricity and Wifi!). The walls are thin, so you'd best hope the neighbors next door are quiet. Wonderfully though, there was no noise from the restaurant downstairs, which brings me to my next point....

The restaurant. It's highly ranked and well known in the area for its exceptional menu and unusual offerings. The wine lists boasts hundreds of choices, and if the $500 bill in your wallet is troublesome, you can easily dispose of it here on a single bottle. We started with elk sausage, cooked rare and served over shitake mushrooms and cheddar cheese. Our main courses were more traditional-- veal cutlets and bacon-wrapped beef tenderloin, but if you wanted rabbit or venison, you could get it here. The dessert menu features flaming cocktails (lit on fire tableside), and the bar across the hall had dozens of warm winter booze-infused coffee and cider drinks. Happy Holidays indeed!

2) Food about town. I could not write about this trip with any sort of journalistic integrity without telling you that we ate ourselves silly. I never imagined the White Mountains to be an outstanding food destination, but there's certainly an abundance of excellent meals to be had here. One recommendation would be ribs at the Red Parka. Now, when traveling with a Boston-accented companion, you might assume he is saying "Red Parker" but indeed, the name refers to the winter jacket. We dined in an old caboose and devoured the best ribs I've ever had.

And a note on the drinks about town... carding is not really a thing in the Granite State. Either my crow's feet are growing more prominent, or they simply do not care to enforce drinking laws. I think it's the latter-- we were in the Live Free or Die state, after all.

3) Sights and hikes. Josh, in all of his innocent wonder, is slowly trying to turn me into a lover of snow and winter weather, and this trip marked a serious transition. When properly attired, a hike in the snow really does hold a magic all its own. We visited Diana's Bath, a beautiful rocky waterfall in Bartlett. Afterward, we went on a longer hike on trails nearby the Willey House, another local landmark. In 1826, the nearby Saco River began to rise, and the family left the home to escape. Then they were buried in a landslide and the house ended up being untouched. Woopsie Daisy. 

4) Adventure Before a reluctant return home on Sunday, we headed to Gorham, NH to snowmobile. I'd never been and was quietly unconvinced that this was a very interesting activity to be doing. BUT WOW IS IT FUN. We rented a double, and took turns driving, although I was more than happy to spend most of my time in the back seat. More snow coated the ground there, only about 20 minutes north from where we were staying, but it made for some good snowmobiling conditions. I was rather alarmed by the lack of instruction by the guide ("This one's go, this one's stop... see you back here at 1pm"). But alas, Josh knew what he was doing, so we were able to take in some stunning mountain views, spot fresh moose tracks and generally enjoy the day without incident.

5) The Ultimate Winter Wonderland Adventure at Nestlenook Farm We went on a horse-drawn sleigh ride, led by two horses (complete with jingle bells) through wooded paths lit by lanterns. It was pretty much the most charming thing ever.