The Granite State

Departing Maine we moved on to North Conway, New Hampshire. It was dark and rainy when we finally found our campground, a less than desirable respite. It was sandy with tall pines, and as the water rose in a deep pit behind us, our levelers sank a couple of inches into the wet sand. We attended services at First Baptist Church the next day and visited the old covered bridge (1890) over the Saco River. More rain drove us back to the campground. Next morning, we pulled our rigs out of the muck and parked in North Conway to take a scenic train ride in greatly improved weather. Along the rails were glimpses of water and sweeping terrain, but trees precluded multiple photo shots. We drove on to awesome Lake Winnipesaukee, a glorious New Hampshire treasure, and were pleased to enter a half-price Campground USA RV park. Both we and travel mates had bubbling streams bordering our respective serene, shady sites, and we agreed that it would be great to spend a week there. Shhhhh! Maybe we’ll try it the next time the International Airstream Rally is held in the Northeast.

We really took advantage of Lake Winnipesaukee the next two days. The lakeside rail ride was much better than the one we had experienced in North Conway. Lovely cottages and docks made us wish we could spend a full summer there. We toured Lucknow, known as the Castle In The Clouds, located on 5500 acres in the Ossippee mountain range. Thomas Plant, a diminutive French-Canadian immigrant who made his fortune manufacturing shoes in Roxbury, MA, built his grand mansion overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee Valley during 1913-14. He retired at the age of 51 but lost his fortune during the Great Depression and had only his home by the time of his death in 1941. His widow, Olive, continued to live at “Lucknow” until her death years later. The mansion, complete with carriage house, is still in its original condition and maintained by a foundation. Mr. Plant was known for his concern for his employees, and he endowed The Plant Home, an assisted living facility. His reasons for doing so have become the vision of the home. "This home is founded on my sincere belief that those who have lived honest, industrious lives and are wtihout means or friends to care for them, have earned the right to be cared for. Only through the labor and expenditures of others is it possible." Mr. Plant endowed the home with 3,300 shares of his shoe company, equating to $400,000 at the time. The home located on the banks of the Kennebec River in Bath, ME still provides private apartments and assisted living care to low-income elders. Thomas Plant was a kind, generous man born before his time.

On the historic morning of Senator Kennedy’s death we elected to take a relaxing two and one-half hour cruise on a large vessel across the magnificent lake. We observed the flags at half-staff as new passengers boarded at Wolfeboro, supposedly America’s oldest summer resort. There was some sunshine during our cruise, but the sky was mostly overcast. We kept wondering as we peered at over 100 little islands on the lake how history might have been changed had it not been for that fateful night at Chappaquiddick. Our last day near the lake was spent doing a morning tour and relaxing in the afternoon. Several times we had driven by abandoned Bob’s Repair Shop located a couple of miles from our campground. Jerry could not resist going back for a photo before leaving the area. While shooting, as fate would have it, a man pulling a big brown cow on a long rope emerged from behind the dilapidated old garage. “Is this your building?” Jerry asked. “Yep” replied the man. “Ok to get a photo?” “I don’t care,” said Bob. “I’d like to get one of you too,” said a smiling Jerry. “Nope, can’t do that,” Bob retorted as he disappeared behind his house. Shucks, folks up here are so independent. “Live free or die” is their motto. There was probably an interesting story there about stoical farmer Bob and his defunct business, but Jerry will never know it.

A New Hampshire visit is not complete without a trip to Concord. On our way to Massachusetts, we parked in a strip mall that Lloyd and Elaine discovered near the State House. It seemed to be the only place two big rigs could find enough room to get off the busy streets. We were touched by the Capitol’s simple wooden interior. It does not boast the rich imported marble that adorns many capitol buildings. Its original legislative chambers have been used since the building was constructed (1816-1819), the only capitol to boast that record. The exterior of the building is of granite—tough like its native residents—and is of Greek revival style. Favorite sons include President Franklin Pierce, Astronaut Alan Shepard, and Daniel Webster. The first statesmen to shout out against slavery were from New Hampshire. Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Christian Science Church, was from New Hampshire. Near the Capitol were a master craftsman furniture exhibit and a Lincoln exhibition. We took those in before departing the area. We learned that when he was a Congressman, Lincoln was friendly with New Hampshire abolitionists, who perhaps indirectly influenced the Emancipation Proclamation several years later.