Since neither Sue or I have really explored the south western part of New Hampshire, I decided that would make a wonderful anniversary Fall foliage trip 10/13/21.

It turned out to be a wonderful trip with great weather, and pretty good foliage despite the fact that it was a little muted due to the really wet late Fall and early Autumn. But we found some spectacular colors in many places, and enjoyed waling through the woods everywhere, and kicking through the fallen leaves.

Sue made up the following proposed general route itinerary that we actually were able to follow pretty well:

10/13/21 Wednesday
Our friend Gail arrived at the house a few hours after we had left to stay over a couple of days, and watch The Beau Dog for us. She and Beau have a great time together, and they did.

Sanborn Mills Farm
After a wonderful wandering over the back roads as opposed to a more direct major route, we arrived at our first destination: the beautiful Sanborn Mills Farm in Loudon, NH.

As described in their mission statement: "Sanborn Mills Farm's mission is to teach traditional crafts and farming methods while sustainably using its field and forest resources for its workshops and events."

Loudon
Our next stop was to the small, but still really interesting Sanborn Mills Farm in Loudon, NH.

Wilton, NH
Our next stop was at the Frye's Measure Mill in Wilton, NH. What an interesting place that is, and the shop is so interesting; so many neat things to look at.

Mason, NH
Mason is a small but very pretty area. Our interest was in visiting the Pickity Place restaurant and gardens.

We had considered having lunch there, but reservations were required for specific seating times, and we just weren't sure when we'd be there.

But we had a great time waling through the gardens and a couple of the shops that are part of Pickity Place. That alone is worth the visit.

Woodbound Inn, Rindge, NH
From Mason, we had a lovely drive to the Woodbound Inn in Rindge, NH.

Even in the waning light of the day, the exterior of the inn was classic New England. We'd be not only staying here for 2 nights, but also having dinner here both nights because I'd heard that the food was exceptional.

And it was, though we didn't care too much for the decor in their main Grove restaurant so we ate in the comfy bar area the second night. In fact, because it was so chilly out the second night, we went into the bar area to have a drink and play backgammon there.

First up though after getting our gear to the room was to shake the road dust off, get glasses of wine, and head out to one of the outside sitting areas to play some backgammon before dinner. Wonderful evening.

10/14/21 Thursday
In search of bridges....
The plan for Thursday was to do a broad loop north west, swing east, and then return to Rindge down through Peterborough, and Jaffrey.

We wanted to not only visit many of the small towns and villages that are so classic New England, but also to find several covered bridges that Sue had thought would be interesting.

Denman Thompson Bridge, Swanzey, NH

Another view of the Thompson Bridge, dodging through traffic to get the shot.

A view of our car in the neat little town park across from the Thompson Bridge.

Next up was to take a look at the Homestead Woolen Mills bridge area, also in the Swanzey area.

And then this massive stone bridge just outside of Keene, NH: the Cheshire Railroad Stone Arch Bridge.

Sue got this great shot of Mount Monadnock, Jaffrey, NH. We had to park the car and walk out to the middle of a bridgeway across a swamp area.

The spot where Sue took the picture of Monadnock showing that we were entering the Jaffrey area.

Harrisville, NH
All I can say is that Harrisville, NH is absolutely one of the most scenic and beautiful little villages I've ever been in. Sue almost couldn't get me to leave, but we still wanted to have time for a visit to Peterborough.

As the town's web site puts it: "Harrisville is a small New Hampshire town centered around a uniquely preserved and historic 19th century industrial mill complex. Located in the heart of the Monadnock region, it is comprised of 10 lakes and ponds, and a rehabilitated brick and granite mill surrounded by a quaint village with a traditional New England general store."

Heading back to Rindge
Leaving Harrisville, we wound our way down 101, and into Peterborough, NH. We were amazed at the major bridge reconstruction project going on in the center of town. When it's done, it'll be quite impressive.

Sue didn't find anything about it 'picture worthy', and because no 'tourist shots' are allowed: no pictures.

We walked around the site, and along the shops on Main Street, working our way to a small plaza where Toadstool Bookshops is located. Sue sent a picture she took inside the store to Lucas and asked him to guess where we were. He came back right away with the answer as it was one of his favorite book stores to visit when he was growing up in Tamworth, NH, about 2 hours away, but not too far to go for a great bookstore.

Before going to the inn, Sue directed me to the Cathedral of the Pines. She had gotten up early this morning to drive over to see if she could catch the sun rise, and thought I'd really enjoy it. It is a spectacular place. As the park's web site describes it: "Situated on a hilltop with a panoramic view of the Grand Monadnock, the Cathedral of the Pines is a breathtaking open-air cathedral and meeting space on 236 acres."

Entrance tower at Cathedral of the Pines.

Vies of the surrounding hills from the parking lot for Cathedral of the Pines.

As we were walking from the parking lot of the Woodbound Inn, Sue spotted this wonderfully blossomed Rose, and just had to stop and get a picture of it.

10/15/21 Friday
After having a nice breakfast and coffee, we checked out of the Woodbound Inn, and headed for home — just over 2 hours... if we would have gone straight home....

Brookline, NH
But sue wanted to drop south to Brookline, NH and see the Studio at Andres Institute of Art

What an interesting place that turned out to be, trails wandering through the woods with all sorts of wonderful sculptures around every turn; check out the website link!

One of the sculptures at Andres Institute of Art.

Final Stop For Pumpkins
We saw this great shop along the side of the road with huge displays of pumpkins, gourds, stalks, and all sorts of neat stuff, so: of course we had to pull over and check it out!

No problem finding a pumpkin here!

Home!
We got back to the house around 4:00 pm, and Beau was so excited to see Sue that he ran around outside in the grass a zillion miles an hour, crashing into her with each pass. It was a happy sight to see!

Despite being pretty beat, we emptied our bags, and squared things away before settling down for the evening. It was an early night, though.