Camping at Spacious Skies French Pond
One of the many interesting cultural facets in New England, USA, is the term “ponds”, which would be considered lakes in Texas! So was the case at the Spacious Skies French Pond campground’s body of water, which was so big I could not see the end of it.
Kayaks were readily available, but most visitors sat in colorful Adirondack chairs, watching the sunset every night to the sound of bullfrogs.
One of Tipper’s, my four-legged traveling companion, favorite walks was by the office and store, which must have been a family farmhouse before becoming a campground. It was beautiful, and nearby was a covered pavilion for large gatherings.
Day trips near the campground
One of the advantages of planning this trip many months in advance was that I had an amazing campsite facing the lake with sunset views from my own picnic table. It was hard to leave my little spot to explore the area, but I was glad I did. There were so many wonderful places just a short drive away.
Exploring Henniker, New Hampshire
A charming village hosting a New England College branch, Henniker is a small college with a big attitude. Founded in 1946 to serve the people on the GI bill after World War II, it is well worth a trip to the university to stroll around the architecturally stunning campus, built around a historic covered bridge.
It was a cold, rainy morning when I visited, so I only got a peek of the bridge through trees and fog.
Instead, I headed to the Intervale Farm Pancake House just a few miles further and had the most amazing blueberry and cranberry pancakes with their signature maple syrup, made by the owners on their own maple tree farm. I bought two pint-sized jugs to take home, only one didn’t make it back to my doorstep — pancakes are my favorite camping go-to breakfast.
Driving the Currier & Ives Scenic Byway
North of my campground was the Currier & Ives Scenic Byway, and the first must-take-a-photo stop will be the Rowell covered bridge.
The byway continues to wind through heavily wooded valleys of farms with huge barns standing proudly next to three-story homes and silos tall enough to be considered skyscrapers. Following the Contoocook River that runs across New Hampshire for 71 miles, the river eventually ends up at Contoocook Lake. The Contoocook River is wide and wild, and very popular with serious kayakers.
From scenic byways to hidden small towns, Family RV Association supports RVers who love exploring beyond the highway. Learn more about Family RV Association and see how membership supports your travels, wherever the road leads.
Discovering Contoocook and its covered bridges
There are four historic covered bridges in the area, but the granddaddy of them all was in the village of Contoocook, designed for the iron horse. Long and sturdy, this bridge was built strong enough to support a train. The Contoocook Railroad Bridge is possibly the oldest surviving covered railroad bridge in the world. Built in 1889, this massive bridge is used today as a Rails to Trails Conservancy project.
Shopping, dining, and local finds in Contoocook
The surrounding residential homes were beautifully restored New England homes, and I thoroughly enjoyed a short drive through shady neighborhoods full of spring flowers. Heading to the center of this quaint village with hunger pangs, I spent the better part of an afternoon shopping at unique stores, starting with lunch and the best carrot cake ever at the Main Street Mercantile.
I went next door to buy Tipper, who was waiting patiently for me back at the campground, a lot of healthy snacks at the Rue Bakers Pet Supply. Across the street, I stopped to chat about sewing quilts at the Quilt Works and nearby found the latest eco-friendly goods at the Witching Hour store. There was more, but time flew by, and I had snacks to deliver!
A Morning in Warner and the Waterloo Covered Bridge
Back on the covered bridge trail early the next morning, I ended the day in the town of Warner at the Waterloo covered bridge. Built in 1859, the lattice truss bridge carried passengers from foot to horse to wagon to car traffic over the Warner River near Waterloo Falls and is still in service today.
A Surprise Stop at the New Hampshire Telephone Museum
After taking a hundred photos, I passed through the small town of Warner — a genuinely nice historic town — and to my surprise discovered the New Hampshire Telephone Museum. This fun museum displays the collections of the Violette and Bartlett families, who worked in the NH telephone industry for 85 years, plus artifacts from long-time collectors from New England. Housed in a historic home with many rooms, all were jammed packed with a wide variety of telecommunication apparatus. The self-guided tour follows the timeline from the invention of telecommunication devices to today’s cell phones.
Final thoughts on traveling through New Hampshire
The nearby town of Hancock was also a joy with many surprises, but that is another story. New Hampshire turned out to be one of my favorite states during this New England journey from Texas to Maine.
Related Reads
Enjoy Ann Bush’s travel style? Read more of her RV adventures featuring scenic byways, charming towns, and thoughtful reflections from the road.
- Colorado Fall Road Trip: Detours Along the Great Divide
- Dreaming Away Winter in Texas
- How I Travel Solo And Enjoy Every Minute
Ann is a freelance writer drawing attention to the natural beauty of our planet, amazing historic sites and eco-tourism. A forever explorer, Ann has traveled worldwide since 1974 for either business or personal reasons. Raised in small West Texas towns, Ann has moved to other places around the world during her lifetime but returned to Texas often. Spending ten years in Houston during the 1980’s, she earned an MBA in marketing from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. Ann fulfilled a rewarding 30-year career giving her best to non-profit organizations such as Preserve South Dakota, Easter Seals, Mercy Ships and the Lighthouse for the Blind. Soon after retirement, she found her best job ever, freelance writing. Her specialty in marketing and public relations shaped her skills which led nicely into a writing business. Ann loves to tell her amazing stories of the places she saw and people she met along the way. As a member of SATW (Society of American Travel Writers), her suitcase is always packed ready to zoom to interesting places to do crazy things and tell her story – often taking her dog Tipper along for the ride. She never misses an opportunity to hike a hill, watch a bird, dance with the locals, ride a motorcycle, photograph a sunset or kayak down a river. Most of her articles can be found with the following publications: Family RVing (FRVA membership magazine); TravelAwaits.com; Inspired 55+ (Canada), EastWestNews Service; Lifestyles Magazine, InMagazine, The Tyler Loop, Texas Living, The City Paper Bogota and Bird Watcher’s Digest. Articles are usually found in the travel, art, history or cultural sections. Ann posts her adventures on a Facebook group page titled Green Gypsy Travel. Her website is under construction but in the meantime, she can be reached at greengypsytravel@gmail.com. |
Leave a Reply