Live Free or Die

September 1, 2015

Grandma's Kitchen in Whitefield NH

"We're going to Grandma's for dinner." When we arrived at our campsite at Twin Mountain NH, we heard someone mention this. Images of driving through the forest to grandma's house came to mind. But here in New Hampshire, going to Grandma's means going to a home-style diner called Grandma's Kitchen, where the menu is full of comfort food. Cheri and I sampled a couple of dishes, one Italian and other seafood, as well as grandma's chowder. I kept looking for grandma to come out of the kitchen, but she must have been busy cooking up a storm.

I really didn't know what to expect from New Hampshire. My image was colonial New England, with lots of old style buildings and colonial style villages. Was I surprised. New Hampshire is a wonderland of mountains and beautiful scenery.

Welcome to New Hampshire. Live or Die?

I love the attitude of the state's slogan - Live Free or Die. The citizens of New Hampshire voted this as their state motto in 1945. It appears on the State emblem and on the state's license plates to mention a few places where you'll see it. The state motto is inspired by Patrick Henry's famous, "Give Me Liberty of Give Me Death" speech in 1775. The same motto is also used in France (Vivre Libre ou Mourir) and in Scotland, Macedonia, Uruguay, Brazil, and Greece (Ελευθερία ή Θάνατος). No matter what, it wins the award for the US state motto that has the most attitude.

The White Mountains cover about a fourth of the state of New Hampshire, as part of the Appalachian Mountains. They are mountains with a rugged and challenging terrain. The most prominent feature of the White Mountains is the Presidential Range; Mount Washington towers over the rest of the presidential mountains - Madison, Adams, Jefferson, Clay, Monroe, Franklin and Eisenhower. And, there's no Mount McKinley, here either. And just like the Black Hills in South Dakota are not really black, the White Mountains are not white. They're lush with green and full of trees. This entire area of the country had been stripped of lumber in the 1800s. What was replanted was very carefully planned, from the valleys to the high ridges. It's like a planned community for trees.

New Hampshire is full of mountains and beauty

His & Hers Outhouses in NH

Hiking in the White Mountains is what many people from nearby Boston and New York do during the summer. We stopped for a picnic in the Presidental Range. Satch and Bebop loved discovering the new smells and fragrances of this new land. While out on an adventure with them, I came across these matching his and hers outhouses. I was tempted to switch the signs between the two because there was no difference between them.

Recreating Old Man of the Mountain.

New Hampshire's road signs, the State Quarter, stamps and other mementos all pay tribute to the Old Man of the Mountain, a natural granite formation that looks like the profile of an old man. Unfortunately, the old man lost face when the elements finally ate away at the granite and knocked it off the mountain after a late Spring snowstorm in May 2003. We hiked back to a viewing area where you can recreate the look of what it was like.

It seems there are more Moose in New Hampshire than people. We saw "Moose Crossing" signs all over on the roads, and warnings about driving and how people get killed when they run into a moose. Moose items are big sellers in all the tourist shops, with t-shirts, hats, and other wearables. Cheri saw a set of campy Moose Lights to hang on the awning of the RV when we're camped. I discouraged the purchase, which she has dwelled on it several times since we left the store.

Littleton NH Street Pianos

One day, we decided to drive into the largest nearby town - Littleton, NH. We had read that they were recognized as having one of the best small town downtowns. It certainly was charming.

As we've traveled around the country, we've noticed various themes in small towns. Some have statues of cows all over the place, but in Littleton, they have pianos. Throughout the town, there are pianos set up, and you can sit down and play to your hearts content. All of the pianos were decked out with artwork.

One-lane freeway in NH

In California, it's not uncommon to see freeways of at least four lanes on each side of the road. In certain parts of LA, you will find up to ten lanes in each direction. However, in a state like New Hampshire, one of the least populace states in the nation, you will find freeways are only one lane in each direction. This compromise was made when environmentalists stopped the major destruction of some of the beautiful mountain scenery that would have been required to build a four-lane freeway. How often have you seen an interstate highway with only one lane on each side? Come to New Hampshire and see for yourself.

We now continue on our journey East. Next, the coast of Maine.