Saying Goodbye to the Granite State

For our spent our last weekend in the 603 (that's, uh, the entire state of New Hampshire's area code, by the way), Nate & I traveled up to the White Mountains with our friends Mike & Jill. First, I'd like to note that these two are friends I made all by myself, as adults, on the Internet, & successfully transitioned with them into real-life friendship, both individually & as couples. I spent all this time whining about having no friends in the Granite State, but when it came time to move, I was crazy disappointed to leave Mike & Jill behind. Luckily, Mike is from the Hamptons & they travel back regularly, so we're bound to see them again soon!

Back to the roadtrip: Neither Nate nor I had ever been up north, but Jill is a lifelong New Hampshirite, so they knew the ropes. We first stopped along the Kancamagus Highway to wade in the Swift River on a morning when the water was particularly low. The big, smooth rocks were covered in butterflies!

We also spent some time Googling a criminal we dubbed "Kanc Man," a dude who stationed himself in the women's latrines along the highway so he could watch ladies doing their, um, business. Twice. He was arrested for this two times. We also realized that the only two movies we can think of that involve children standing waist-high in feces have both won Oscars for Best Picture. Two points to you if you can name them.

We got stuck in a monster hailstorm driving up Mount Washington, so bad that lesser drivers than Mike pulled off the road to wait it out. I wished we could take every vulnerable motorcyclist into our car for shelter!

We visited Attitash Mountain Resort, where we were among the last to ride the Mountain Coaster before it closed for an incoming storm. This rickety, roller coastery thing carries you up into the woods, then you control your speed on the way down; I, of course, wobbled my way down, never hitting max speed, & accidentally took the last turn so quickly that I thought I'd fly off the tracks & die in the woods of New Hampshire.

We also got stopped by a state trooper but didn't get a ticket, got thisclose to a chipmunk, witnessed one hundred & seven Mini Coopers caravaning down the mountain together, ate cake balls from the Vintage Baking Co., shopped at a general store, & geocached at a covered bridge. The only downside was that I sat in gum. While wearing black pants. And still can't get it out.

All in all, a good day. The perfect way to see off the Granite State!