White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire

Friday was our day off, so we decided to see the White Mountain area. Along the way we passed through lots of small New England towns.

North Conway is home to the Conway Scenic Railway. We were originally going to take a five-hour train ride, but decided it was going to cost more than we wanted to spend. We were glad we did not make reservations since it would have been on Friday, and it turned out to be raining and foggy, so visibility would have been limited.



Jackson, a little further northeast, was very beautiful, with a covered bridge

and wonderful waterfalls


Can you see Paul in the distance?


Jackson residents also had a sense of humor and displayed a lot of pumpkin people, set up at numerous business. We enjoyed looking for them!



Even the school had a display.

And they even included smurfs!

Traveling further north, we decided to take the Mt. Washington Auto Road , but when we got there, the road was closed due to the rain making a portion of the gravel road unsafe. On the way, it was a beautiful drive.





We found a short, beautiful hike to take...but it was not the Appalachian Trail. We just keep crossing it as we travel!


Paul decided to take the road less travelled, and we saw even more colorful landscape!




But pictures are not as beautiful as being here. Locals are telling us we need to come back, because color is not as bright because there was too much rain and lack of sun in September.
After returning to the main road, we came across the magnificent Mt. Washington Hotel Resort

a railroad track we would have gone over if we had taken the train ride.

and more waterfalls,
the Flume Cascade,


and Silver Cascade


Another covered bridge, that was made into a gift shop, and had a display of the pumpkin people,

The Saco River covered bridge

and the Swift River covered bridge were along Route 302,



as well as Chocorua Mountain, and Chocorua Lake


At one corner, Paul asked me if we turned the other way, where would it take us... I checked the map, and it would take us into Quebec..... too bad we didn’t have our passports with us! It would have been tempting..... we need to wait for another trip!