Dog friendly hikes and exploring, mostly around New England. Our Adventures includes: waterfalls, the beach, conservation land, lighthouses, state parks, the woods, the mountains, statues, and castles.
Today Wilma, Gus, and I Adventured to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The White Mountains are a mountain range that cover a large part of New Hampshire, and also a portion of western Maine. The White Mountains include 48 peaks at over 4,000 feet. The White Mountains are popular for skiing, hiking, and ATVing.
We had a refreshing Adventure to the White Mountains today. I was disappointed to find our locations were far past peak for Fall foliage, but as I look back on our photographs, I am reminded that we did find traces of the brilliant colors of the seasons. Our Adventure today included many walks, exploring, and of course photographs. Wilma seemed especially interested in the water, although barely dipping in her paws is impressive for this girl (haha!). Both pups loved walking, rock jumping, and an outing on this beautiful day! I decided to do some of our favorite locations, including: The Baisin, Echo Lake, the Littleton Riverwalk, Silver Cascades, and Wiley Pond, with several other stops along the route. The day was just right – another Adventure in the books! (This blog will not be rated).
Today Wilma, Gus, my Mom and I Adventured to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The White Mountains are a mountain range that cover a large part of New Hampshire, and also a portion of western Maine. The White Mountains include 48 peaks at over 4,000 feet. The White Mountains are popular for skiing, hiking, and ATVing.
We had a scenic adventure to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I was excited for a day in this beautiful location, and of course for the wonderful company of my Mom. We decided to visit some of my favorite spots, and I enjoyed some reminiscing of my weekend Inn job in Bethlehem. Overall the sun was shining and the clouds gorgeous, although we did have a spell of darkness sprinkles along the way. We walked and explored and stopped at several lovely roadside spots throughout the day. Although nothing compares to Fall in the White Mountains, the scenery was still lovely. So glad we could visit the White Mountains today (this blog will not be rated)
Today Wilma, Gus, and I Adventured to Albacore Park in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Albacore Park is home to the USS Albacore Submarine. The Albacore is a historic naval submarine has become a model for current submarines. The USS Albacore is now a museum, and the Park also has a gift shop and memorial garden. As you may suspect dogs are allowed on the grounds but not in the Submarine.
We had a unique Adventure to Albacore Park arriving right when darkness was setting in. I was impressed at the grand size of the USS Albacore. We walked around the USS Albacore several times, and wandered the small grounds. It was a little hard to capture fully in a photograph, but I did my best to photograph this massive structure. I debated posting this blog but really a fun location that I wanted to share. Glad to find this the USS Albacore Submarine on the way to our weekend destination (This blog will not be rated).
Today Wilma, Gus, and I Adventured to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The White Mountains are a mountain range that cover a large part of New Hampshire, and also a portion of western Maine. The White Mountains include 48 peaks at over 4,000 feet. The White Mountains are popular for skiing, hiking, and ATVing.
We had a foliage-filled Adventure to the White Mountains. I was thrilled to drive up to the White Mountains to see the Fall foliage as the colors in Massachusetts have barely started to show. Our Adventures today included: Boise Rock, Echo Lake, the town of Littleton, Wiley Pond, the Saco Trail, and the covered bridges of Jackson, New Hampshire. I was also planning on visiting Jackson Falls but after driving back and forth numerous times we were unable to locate parking. Additionally I stopped several times along the route to take some photographs. The scenery was gorgeous, the sun shining, and the weather perfect. The pups loved exploring, and sharing sticks. Gus had some surprising moments where he seemed interested in the water, which was quite fun. It was a long, wonderful, and tiring day, but I would not have had it any other way. Endless photographs you will see below summarizing this special day (Rating: 5).
Today Wilma, Gus, and I Adventured to Hayward’s Ice Cream in Nashua, New Hampshire. Hayward’s Ice Cream is a family owned business and have been making ice cream since 1940. Hayward’s Ice Cream is a well known location in Southern New Hampshire.
We had an interesting Adventure to Hayward’s Ice Cream. I had heard about Hayward’s Ice Cream many years ago and thought tonight would be the perfect time to check it out. We arrived to find a simple location, with reasonable lines. I was not planning on getting Gus ice cream due to his still sensitive stomach, however when I found out they offered dogs a small bowl of whip cream I thought that would work for him, and of course Wilma would be thrilled as well. I was excited to order a root beer float for myself! I decided to have Wilma and Gus eat their treats in the car before getting out to wander around. They were both quite pleased with this tasty treat gobbling it up in a hurry. We then walked around to check out the grounds. There were some swinging seats, seating, and a small playground. After finishing exploring we headed back to the car. I walked over to get a napkin and when I returned Gus had literally emptied my root beer all over the seat ice cream and soda. He was enjoying eating anything he could, not living me a bit of this delicious float. I was so disappointed, but yet a great story for after the fact. So glad we could enjoy Hayward’s Ice Cream tonight…well Wilma and Gus could enjoy Hayward’s Ice Cream (haha!) (Rating: 4).
Yesterday Wilma, Gus, and I Adventured to Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse in New Castle, New Hampshire. Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse was constructed in 1877 and is the only Lighthouse on the mainland of New Hampshire. It is also sometimes referred to as: New Castle Light, Fort Constitution Light and Fort Point Light. The Lighthouse is on Coast Guard property so can only viewed up-close when one signs up for an official tour. The tours do not allow dogs in the Lighthouse, but on the grounds only.
We had a peaceful Adventure to the Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse. I was thrilled to finally schedule a tour at this location so we could get up close for viewing. We immediately found a “volunteer” and followed the cars in to station. Upon arrival we had to climb up a couple stairs and then in front of us stood the Portsmouth Lighthouse. We followed the pathway to the bottom of the Lighthouse where the narration began. Afterwards the guests went up the stairs while I wandered around with the pups and the photo frenzy began (haha!). The kind volunteers offered to hold the pups for me so I could go up the tower but I decided it best to stay with my best buds.
I loved the peaceful location of this area. There were no others around except for the guests on the tour. There was a refreshing breeze, gorgeous boats from afar, sounds of the waves, and even a view of Whaleback Lighthouse from a distance. I was quite lucky when I was invited to the evening tour too to take in the sunset, and although setting in the opposite direction, still gorgeous! I was so proud of Wilma and Gus who jumped right into a hanging out versus an active adventure, although they continually did try to sneak in some play time. We were able to walk a little on the rocks but being a coast guard station we could not wander too far. However the pups enjoyed some sticks, tidal pools, and exploring all the coastal smells. No complaints from their snouts! We visited until the sun went down, the top of the tower turning a lovely color of green, and although my camera died before the end of our adventure I snuck in a couple cell phone photographs to attempt to capture the darkness.
One of the coolest things about this adventure was I met the author of my amazing Lighthouse book, The Lighthouse Handbook, New England, Jeremy D’Entremont! We had some good conversations and I learned more about some of his other books and photography. Definitely a special way to end a wonderful evening at the Portsmouth Lighthouse (Rating: 4).
Today Wilma and I Adventured to the Moffatt-Ladd/William Whipple House in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The home was the former home of William Whipple known as one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and is now a historical landmark and museum. The museum strives to share the history of all inhabitants of the home. The museum and gardens are open for limited hours, and guided tours of the home are available.
Wilma and I had a lovely Adventure to the Moffatt-Ladd House. I decided to take Wilma on a private adventure today, and we were quite pleased that the weather was just right. Wilma, Gus, and I enjoyed a two hour family walk this morning, and have been mostly appreciating our “normal”, local locations this week. However today I decided to return to the Moffatt-Ladd House. Wilma and I had actually tried to visit one other time but the hours were changed and they were closed, so today we returned for a second attempt. Since parking was not available, and because I wanted to get a walk in on the way we parked a little distance away from the House. We were pleased to arrive to find the doors open. The property was very quiet with few other visitors in sight. I am assuming dogs are not allowed inside the buildings, although did not formally inquire, so we just explore the grounds. The gardens were very small, but quite beautiful with variety of vibrant colors, and some unusual flowers. The garden was highlighted by lovely trellis-like arches which really added quite the touch. It did not take us long to finish exploring but we took our time, myself enjoying taking some photographs while Wilma enjoyed lounging and rolling in the perfect green grass. So glad we could visit the dog-friendly garden at the Moffatt-Ladd House today (This blog will not be rated).
Today Wilma and I Adventured to Profile Falls in Bristol, New Hampshire. Profile Falls is a cascade falls of approximately 40 feet. It is sourced from the Smith River. The trail to the Falls is just .2 miles in length. The Falls is popular for swimming, and fishing, and is known as a popular summer location.
We had a roaring Adventure to Profile Falls. This was our main destination, and I decided to share this blog last as it was the highlight of todays Adventures. I had been wanting to visit Profile Falls, and today was finally the day! I pulled out my New England Waterfalls book to check on directions before heading out before the sun was up. I was thrilled to find ourselves the only ones on site, a perk of a 6am arrival. The parking lot to the Falls was closed but the adjacent parking was open. We began our journey crossing over a the rushing Smith River. The signs were clear and the trail was short. The trail down the Fall edge was steep, especially when with an exuberant dog in lead! Profile Falls was gorgeous, the rushing water leftover from days of rain, perfect timing for this Adventure. The water was high and the rocks slippery so there were not too many options to explore, but we enjoyed the grand view.
After taking in the beauty of Profile Falls I attempted to walk to the top, with no luck, a huge drop off below. However I am guessing if we continued to hike on the nearby trails we may have eventually have made it to this spot. We found some views from high above before heading back to the car. Unfortunately on the way out we were chased by a barking dog, no owner in sight. Luckily he did not seem aggressive, and we had no incident. Besides that little moment we had a wonderful Adventure to Profile Falls. A fun way to start our day (Rating: 3.5).
Today Wilma and I Adventured to Downtown Franklin in New Hampshire. Franklin, New Hampshire is in South Central, New Hampshire. It is located at the merging of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee Rivers, and is known for its Mill history. Well known lawyer and statesman Daniel Webster was born in the town of Franklin.
We had a nice Adventure to Downtown Franklin, our second Adventure of the day. Downtown Franklin is a small area that includes churches, businesses, several gas station, and social service agencies. We also walked through Trestle View Park, visited the Sulphite bridge, and explored the beginning of the Winnipesaukee River Trail. These three parts of Downtown I had been to before with Shadow and Buster but it was Wilma’s first visit. We took our time exploring, and were quite pleased to see many colors of spring. The town was quiet, but it was early, so to be expected. My camera only took a couple shots here before the battery officially died but I did my best to capture the feel of this town on my cell phone. Glad we could stretch our legs on our Adventure to Downtown Franklin (This blog will not be rated).
