Initial Impressions
Christopher Setterlund
54 – In My Footsteps Trip
5/25/11
Today was a long overdue trip up to Portsmouth and Rye, NH. There was also an unplanned stop it the little town of Stratham which will be explained later. $35 in gas, stupid gas prices. Total of 286 miles.
Summer is close, which I could tell by the sheer number of cars on the road, so many of them driven by people who need to get their licenses revoked. Way too much traffic too, ugh, started tiring me out before I got into Boston. Not good for a 2h 20min drive.
By the way Rt. 1 past Boston may be the worst paved road in the state. I mean, can’t we spend a little money on filling the billion pot holes that I was fumbling all over? Especially after being stuck in traffic and knowing I needed to go faster to make up time. It was amazing that I didn’t blow a tire or 2 or 3.
Once past Newburyport this was the furthest north I had gone since I went to Maine last October. As soon as I got into New Hampshire I remembered why I love that state so much. It’s like immediately entering a better place, the sun got brighter, everything smelled sweeter, and there were rolling green hills, no lie this all happened.
Today marked the return of the ‘driving arm tan.’ Got some color/red on my face/neck, but the left arm is pretty bright, that’s what 9+ hours in the sun will do to a body part.
Stratham Hill Park was an unexpected stop. After seeing some cool photos of a fire tower at the top of a 230+ foot hill I knew I had to check it out for myself. The hike up Lincoln Hill as the trail is called was tough, pretty steep, but the views were amazing. The only way I knew which direction was which was thanks to a marker at the highest elevation of the hill with a compass on it. It was such a great spot to visit, thank you to Emily for pointing me in the right direction! Stratham Hill Park - YouTube.com
It was 15 minutes to get to Portsmouth, a place I had planned on visiting during my Maine trip from last October along with Portland and Rye, NH. The monsoon rains stopped that from happening but it was worth the wait. By only choosing to visit two towns I was able to really take my time and enjoy both, it might be the way to go for me from now on.
Parked in front of a paid meter which was great. I got to walk out to a drawbridge which leads to Badger Island in Maine. I got to see a couple of cool old VW buses near the water, neither was driven by a stereotypical burned out hippie though, little disappointed.
Another unexpected stop was a place known as Prescott Park. It was on my way to the Strawberry Banke Museum across the street but the park took center stage very quickly. There I caught sight of a small garden with fountains through a white fence. It was simply fantastic coming close to rivaling the rose garden at Lynch Park in Beverly. There were three fountains and these awesome trees that cast half of the garden in shadows. The photo will show you what I mean. It was so incredible that I basically passed over what I had gone there for to spend more time sitting among the flowers and trees.
On a side note there was a house next to the park which was also next to a cemetery. The crazy part was the huge marble casket no more than 3 feet from the fence, I mean how freakin’ scary would that be out there every night? Oh and I never went to the Strawberry Banke Museum. It looked cool, like an old village, but there wasn’t enough time to see it all, plus there was a field trip going on and I didn’t feel like waiting to take photos to avoid the kids.
Portsmouth Lighthouse was awesome, and getting the photos of it was so dangerous. The lighthouse is on the grounds of a Coast Guard station, but so is Fort Constitution. I was able to go in walking on a blue line. The lighthouse was obstructed by the fort and Coast Guard buildings so how did I get the clear photos? I leaned out of a small window of the fort, nothing between me and the rocks below but air, the photos were great though.
I stayed in Portsmouth for 3 hours and still felt like there was stuff I had missed. I went to Rye next which was all about the beaches. Wallis Sands, Rye Beach, and Rye Harbor State Park. They were mowing the grass at Rye Harbor State Park which was one big mass of dandelions. Isn’t it when you mow them that they multiply? Thought that was the case.
When it was time to leave Rye I decided to make a special stop at Mike’s Pastry in the North End of Boston. The traffic was hellacious, more than 2 hours stuck in and around Boston, guess that’s what I get for going there just before rush hour, smart. I will tell you that the trip was absolutely worthwhile though and I would do it again in a heartbeat if I get the chance.
In the end reducing the number of places to see made the day better, no more feeling like I was being rushed. The photos will show just what a great place New Hampshire is to visit which is why I need to go back really soon.
Photos of the Day:
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| View from the top of Stratham Hill Park's tower. |
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| Awesome shot from Prescott Park. |
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| Portsmouth Light |
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| An old man fishing at Rye Harbor State Park. |
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