The Return to New Hampshire

What was I doing here again? Entering into the situation reminded me of John Cusack, but I am no where near being a contract killer for hire- furthermore there was no reunion going on, no distinct reason I would necessarily see anyone, and after around 5 or 6 years of not returning to a place, its odd to walk into a ghost town of sorts.

But there were no random encounters, no figures of the past hiding in the corners of bars that used to be frequented- in fact most of those bars were long gone, or renamed for that matter. What I did find, along with the one lone buddy i was looking forward to seeing up there, was the skeleton of a community that once was filled with people playing the roles i witnessed now. All the names and faces had changed, but the tactics and places all remained. This was the underwritten theme of the trip. The most interesting aspect was New Hampshire itself: a kaliedescope of deciduous trees with their deceased counterparts laying at their (and our) feet. So, to be concise (finally!) i went back to the woods. This was up in White Mountains National Forest at the Flume.

The forest immediately reminded me of my youth by the onslaught of black flies. Not that it was an overkill, but do i ever remember those little annoyances. Mosquito season had yet to hit, that's when it would've been simply too much I'd imagine. Below is the ice cream soda of New Hampshire summer tourist attractions- the covered bridge, in all it's glory.

Covered bridges never did a whole lot for me, to be honest, but I can recall maps for tourists to purchase that would lead them to every single covered bridge. Hopefully such a brochure came with a checklist, because theres a lot of those things all over New Hampshire. I drove over one, walked over another, and called it good for the trip. In hindsight I wished I'd found a NH COVERED BRIDGES t-shirt, because I'd wear it and it would make me laugh at least. Or a drink koozy for that matter...

I can recall the Kangamangus Highway from when I was very little, and all the natural water slides people would slide down. Back then the road was in awful shape, and it was very "Laissez Faire" national forest rules. Presently New Hampshire requires that all who park off the highway at these recreation sites pay a 3 dollar 'recreation fee'. Such things generally are handled by people paying taxes in my experience, but it's better to have these areas clean then trashed, so if 3 dollars is what it takes for those busy summer months then so be it. I, however, planned on packing out everything i brought in, and just parked off the road away from those ridiculous 3 dollar signs.

When it was all said and done the tried and true spots still remained, albeit changed in one way or another. A good sunset with a view is truly a thing to appreciate when had at the right spots. Below is at Ellacoya State Park, and above is a less-known spot (that has an open, empty house up there if anyone wants to go check it out/evaluate the purchase like we did) ill leave mysterious.

When will I go back to the lakes region? I can't say. It will be sooner than the last odyssey i spent away from it. Aside for a few friends still in the vicinity, there's not a lot up there for me anymore. Keeping these trips a good distance apart certainly makes them more interesting when looking at change, but staying away too long can be such a shock to return to- well, its like the area/memories violently put your life in perspective to where you are currently. Sometimes it's so powerful I think people purposely never want to return again.

There are places I definetly did not go back to on purpose, but maybe I just left that out for another adventure. Another time. Maybe...