Category Archives: views

December 20, 2015

Pawtuckaway State Park (Nottingham, NH)

Date visited: December 12, 2015

As fall made one more last gasp, I took advantage of the unseasonably warm (50 degrees) weather and made my way up north to the picturesque Pawtuckaway State Park in Nottingham, New Hampshire.

Located about an hour and a half north of Boston, MA, Pawtuckaway is a 5,000 acre preserve with a camp site, lakes, a beach, a spectacular view of the Pawtuckaway Mountains and 15 miles of trails. The parking lot is pretty big so parking shouldn’t be a problem if you get there early in the day during the spring and summer. There were only 4 cars there when I went in December. It costs $5 for adults and $2 for children ages 6-11. It is free when it is not staffed (from 11/2 until 5/1). The park hours are 8 am-7 pm.

The trails can be challenging not so much because of their inclines, which can be tricky at parts, but because of the rocks which are randomly placed throughout the trails. They can come in handy, though, when you have to cross the puddles along the trails.

I arrived at Pawtuckaway early in the morning. Mist and frost was still visible on the way to the lake.

Looking into the pond was like looking into a mirror.

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The views from the rocks trail on the Fire Tower make the long ascent (about 3 miles from the entrance) worthwhile.

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The fire tower is located a short distance (about a quarter of a mile) from the rocky ledge with all of the beautiful views.

While I preferred the views from the ledge, the fire tower offered views from every angle and both sides of the vista.

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There were also many pretty trees at Pawtuckaway.

There is also a beach at Pawtuckaway. I got there just in time for the sunset.

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Pawtuckaway is said to have been derived from a Native American word meaning, “big buck.” I didn’t see any bucks but I did some dogs! From top to bottom Artie, Lulu (on the left), Rooster (on the right), Tucker and Duke.

Video from the fire tower at Pawtuckaway. As you can tell by the audio it was quite a windy day.

Video from the rocky ledge it was less windy there)

13 Comments | tags: beach, fire tower, Hiking, mountains, Nature, New England, new hampshire, Photography, pond, sunset, video, views | posted in dogs, fire tower, hiking, mountains, nature, New England, new hampshire, park, photographs, photography, photos, pond, sunset, Uncategorized, video, views

November 17, 2015

Plymouth Rock (Plymouth, MA)

By New England Nomad

Who would ever think people would travel from all over the country and all over the world just to see a rock? Yes, a rock. This is not just any rock, though.

The rumored landing spot of the Mayflower, Plymouth Rock is one of the more disappointing yet often visited sites south of Boston, MA.

Despite it’s popularity, the rock at Plymouth Rock is not the actual rock the Mayflower struck. In fact, the rock has been said to have been moved at least three different times and the rock has been said to have been damaged several times, breaking in half at one point. Not only that, but the passengers of the Mayflower initially landed in Provincetown in Cape Cod.

While the rock itself probably isn’t the actual rock the Mayflower struck upon its landing and it’s not the actual initial landing spot of the Pilgrims, it is symbolic of the voyage the persistence of the people who landed there.

Located in walking distance of the Mayflower II, the rock is located at the bottom of a pit and protected by a fence.

The rock is located in a structure with pillar columns.

The harbor is usually teaming with activity.

There is also a monument located across the street from Plymouth Rock. The Pilgrim Mother was donated in 1921 to celebrate the Tercentenary of the Mayflower landing by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

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I met Bo while I was visiting the memorial.

and these two cuties

14 Comments | tags: boats, dogs, ducks, Massachusetts, memorial, New England, photographs, Photography, photos, Plymouth, statue, water | posted in dogs, ducks, historical, history, massachusetts, memorial, New England, photographs, photography, photos, Plymouth, statues, Uncategorized, views

October 21, 2015

Mystery Hill – a.k.a. “America’s Stonehenge” (Salem, NH)

By New England Nomad

From the moment you drive into the parking lot of Mystery Hill, (a.k.a “America’s Stonehenge”) in Salem, New Hampshire,(the other Salem in the New England region) you know it’s a special place.

There are strange rock formations and….

…a bridge in the front entrance welcomes you from the past.

and brings you to the future

But, the front entrance of America’s Stonehenge is only a tease. Once you exit the gift shop (it costs $12 for adults and $7.50 for kids), you are greeted by some Alpacas on the right. They are fenced but they are very friendly.

There are also a variety of time keeping devices which, to this day, still keep correct time.

But, some of the things I liked best were not the structures or rock formations but the statues, flowers, decor and the hollowed out canoe.

But, the main attraction are the rocks and rock formations. The name “America’s Stonehenge” is somewhat misleading. There are no structures that bear any real resemblance to the actual Stonehenge.

Even though Mystery Hill bears no resemblance to Stonehenge, there are some interesting facts about the site. Some of the rocks used in the structures at Mystery Hill were quarried using primitive stone-on-stone techniques and have been carbon dated as far back as 2,000 B.C.

Mystery Hill is a children’s play land. Forget about all of the rock climbing. They are also able to walk in some of the structures, such as, the Oracle Chamber and they wouldn’t have to duck to be able to walk in the smaller spaces.

There is a sinister legend that overshadows the light atmosphere of the attraction. According to legend, the area here was a spot for sacrifices. Stories of ghostly apparitions and huantings have been reported. I decided to go and see for myself.

I didn’t see or hear anything unusual, at least not of the other worldly variety. But, the legends still persist.

The area is pretty expansive. It claims to be 30 acres but feels much longer. The best parts of the area were the random rock structures and the views. And, of course, the foliage.

There is also an area where it is believed the Nov. 1st sunrise was watched from. It is amazing when you consider they could identifty the best place to view the sunrise, way before we had scientific devices to use.

Although the rocks and rock formations were impressive, my favorite part of the attraction was the alpacas.

30 Comments | tags: alpacas, America's Stonehenge, foliage, Mystery Hill, New England, new hampshire, Photography, photos, rocks, stones, trees, views | posted in alpacas, foliage, New England, new hampshire, photography, photos, rocks, stones, trees, views

September 25, 2015

Nobska Beach (Woods Hole, MA)

By New England Nomad

After a short stay at Scraggy Neck, it was time for our next stop on our Cape Cod Farewell Summer trip.

Our next destination was the Nobska Beach in the quaint village of Woods Hole in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The Nobska area is so pretty and there are so many attractions because of its sheer beauty, I decided cover the Nobska area in two separate blogs.

The first thing that stands out at Nobska beach are the array of flowers and the makeshift trails at the beach (that and the lack of parking). The only parking available is on the side of the road along the beach and a scant few spots in front of the light house (I’ll be posting photos of the light house in the second part of the Nobska photo blogs).

Nobska Beach offers views of both Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Island.

Boats and the ferry make frequent trips to the islands

If you hadn’t noticed, one of the treasures of Nobska Beach are the rocks and the rock formations.

But, to capture the real beauty of the views from the beach, it was necessary to walk down a narrow trail down to this modest rocky ledge.

But, the ledge was wide enough for me and my camera. And the views were well worth the extra effort.

Nobska Beach is also home to a variety of wildlife.

At the base of the beach there are two memorials. A memorial for Dennis Jeff Sabo lies under some plants, almost unnoticed. The memorial does not give any more information than his date of birth, date of death and name. A Google search yielded no results. The lack of details about Dennis adds to the memorials’ mystique.

The other memorial is dedicated to Neilie Anne Heffernan Casey. Neilie was a passenger on Flight 11 on September 11, 2001. A memorial and bench bearing her name lay in the area now dubbed “Neilie Point”. A beautiful reminder of an awful day.

1 Comment | tags: attractions, beach, besutiful, birds, boats, cape cod, clouds, flowers, landscape, landscapes, memorial, memorials, Photography, photos, road trip, rocks, sand, summer, sun, travel, traveling, view, views, water | posted in beach, beautiful, birds, boat, boats, cape cod, flowers, memorial, photography, photos, road trip, rocks, travel, traveling, trip, views, water

September 23, 2015

Scraggy Neck (Cataumet, MA)

By New England Nomad

After a brief but rewarding stay at Amrita Island, it was on the next destination on my Farewell Summer Cape Cod trip. Scraggy Neck is a private beach in Cataumet, a village in Bourne, Massachusetts.

The beach is usually monitored by guards during the summer season. But, since summer was basically over, there were no guards when I arrived at the beach.

The entrance to the beach is grassy. But, there is a makeshift trail you can follow. The occasional flower stand in the grass

The beach is long and it was high tide when I visited. But, there wasn’t much of a beach head when I was visited. The water did look clean and clear.

Seaweed and shells littered the beach.

Scraggy Neck is divided into two sides by a road that is frequented by joggers, bikers and cars. It was on the other side of the road that showed off Scraggy Neck’s more scenic views.

A narrow path leads to the water.