Live Free or Whatever

Fact: This mountain fell apart after I left New Hampshire.
Hello, TW, I am your husband.

That's how it felt Friday afternoon when she came back from taking a test at school. Though she got home from Florida six days earlier, we hadn't seen each other while both of us were conscious since Sunday night. Some guys would call that an ideal marriage. I am not one of those guys.

TW had the brilliant idea to go on a two-night trip months ago, as a way to go enjoy fall in New England. Unfortunately, neither of us did anything to procure a room until two weeks ago. This just in: New England is a popular destination in the fall for some reason.
These statues are in North Conway, N.H. I don't know why
but we can assume the reasons are quaint.

For those that have not visited New England in the fall, it's pretty spectacular for two reasons: maple trees are everywhere up here and there are mountains. The combination can be breathtaking. More on that in weeks to come (with photos!).

As a result of fall's enduring popularity, all the hotel rooms we were interested in were booked, so we went for a sub-par option: 1 night in a hotel room in Conway, N.H.

New Hampshire is a strange state. I used to live there, so I say this with some level of authority. It's not quite Vermont, which is a bit more picturesque and quaint. It's not quite Maine, with its myriad islands and convenient access to Boston. No, it's New Hampshire. You know, the state where The Man on the Mountain fell down a few years ago. It's a state with no personal income tax and no sales tax ... but astronomical estate taxes and one of the highest overall tax burdens in the nation. The state motto is "Live Free or Die."

New Hampshire is a strange state. So, in a way, the Sunny Brook Cabins in Conway fit in perfectly. Let me be clear that the Sunny Brook Cabins are just fine. The rooms are relatively clean and its location on a creek is idyllic ... except for the fairly busy state highway that runs right next to the cabins.

Says it all.
We arrived Friday for a one-night stay and immediately headed to town for dinner. Except, the way to North Conway was jammed with cars. So we ended up at a locals dive bar. Dive bars are kind of awesome, in a way. Where else will you see the guy in the parking lot wearing a "Parking Nazi" jacket?

This was not a fancy steak restaurant.

Fortunately, TW is not a fancy girl. Nachos and a mixed drink are her only requirements. This place met those requirements and we headed a couple miles back to our room, located about 50 feet off the main thoroughfare, which is actually kind of convenient.

Amy enjoyed an Arbor Mist, then The Dog jumped on and off the bed/couch/our heads a dozen times. Then The Dog was escorted out to the car at 3:30 a.m. Then we left the state of New Hampshire at 9:30 a.m., Portland-bound. That's right. We did nothing in New Hampshire. By 12:30 p.m., we were both napping in our house. It's good to be home, even after 23 hours of the strangest vacation I've ever had.

Comments

  1. BobOctober 3, 2011 at 3:28 PM

    Had one of those trips as a teen, when Dad decided to visit Vancouver Island, B.C., on a whim. Drove onto a ferry, then drove half the night looking for a vacant room. Finally got one when there was a no-show, at 2 a.m. Up at 8 a.m. and back on the ferry next day. I remember seeing metric traffic signs and hearing the Pacific crash on the rocks. That's about it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. JillOctober 6, 2011 at 8:22 AM

    Mmmm...nachos. At least you gave the whole night away thing a shot. Parking Nazi. Ha ha. 79-5-8.

    ReplyDelete

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