By now, I’ve grown quite accustomed to receiving The Look. The first time it came my way was in North Dakota when I asked about barbecue. I got it again in South Carolina with fat back. Most recently, it was in New England. It doesn’t matter which state we’re in — The Look is always the same. The head tilts just slightly to the side, one eyebrow is raised just slightly higher than the other, and the jaw drops just briefly, as a muffled gasp is exclaimed. Generally, the words expressed include some polite variation of “Are you from out-of-town?” But I know, that what the wearer of The Look is really saying is: “Crazy lady, what planet are you from? You sure ain’t from around here or you wouldn’t be asking that ridiculous question”.

Somewhat shockingly, it was my idea to visit New England during the wintertime, when the place is buried under 300 feet of snow. Driving in snow and ice is not exactly Bill’s favorite thing. I’m not even that good at walking in snow and ice. Still, we decided to spend a long weekend in New England smack in the middle of January to experience a true winter wonderland. The problem was, it had snowed just about every day since August in New Hampshire. Just to prove the point, a huge blizzard dumped tons of snow two days before our arrival. Fortunately, we were able to fly into Manchester without incident. Retrieving our rental car, however, was where I once again encountered The Look.

Because of the aforementioned blizzard, we could see as we landed that snow was quite abundant. And, this being the 50/50 tour, we had several hours of driving ahead of us. The weather forecast was not especially helpful. It might snow. And then again, it might not, depending on the weather.

The woman at the rental car counter was friendly and helpful, unaware of the depth of our fear at facing the potentially treacherous New Hampshire roads. As is typical with rental cars, she prepared a mountain of paperwork almost as tall as the mountain of snow outside. This gave us time to chat.

“So”, I began. “Do you think it’s going to snow again this weekend”?
Now there’s a question she probably only gets 200 times a day.

“Well,” she said, ”yes, they said on the news that we’re in for some more snow tomorrow.”

Terror strikes at our hearts. For once, Bill opts for the insurance damage coverage on the rental car.

“So”, I continued. “What kind of car will we have?” An innocent question. “It has good tires and will be easy to drive in snow, right?”

Ok, so maybe I was pushing it a bit here. But I was on edge. Let’s not forget that New Hampshire is known as the Granite State, partly for the rock in the area, and partly for the local tradition of self-sufficiency. Like knowing how to survive in your car for 265 days or until you are dug out of a snowdrift. I won’t even mention the state motto: Live Free or Die.

I was simply attempting to assess our safety and determine the odds for our survival. I merely wanted an accurate, 100 percent reliable weather forecast and also to verify the worthiness of the car that would seal our fate and portend our doom. Is this too much to ask? I was asking about the tires, but what I really wanted to say, was:

“Will there be a blizzard tomorrow that strands us in the middle of nowhere? Will our tires screech as we are thrown headlong into a 20-foot snowdrift only to be buried by snow and left there for days on end?”

Ok, that’s not really what I wanted to ask. Truth is, and perhaps she could tell by my quivering voice and the petrified look in my eyes, that hidden in my innocent question about tires, I was really asking:

“Car rental lady, ARE WE GONNA DIE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE?”

Ok, so maybe I overreacted just a little. And maybe I shouldn’t be surprised that she gave me The Look. But how was I to know that the hearty folks of New Hampshire actually like snow? How was I to know that they have serious snow removal equipment, and that the roads are meticulously free of snow mere moments after the flakes fall? How was I to know that the wise people of New Hampshire are probably a lot more fearful of visitors like us driving their roads than slick ice and snow?

I guess she could tell that I was from out-of-town….

* * * * *

In addition to abundant snow and verdant forests, New Hampshire is famous for holding the first primary in the presidential election cycle every four years. Visitors to the airport are reminded of New Hampshire’s prominence on the political stage:

The State Capitol of Concord even boasts a Political Library …


… which the kids were greatly relieved to learn was closed the day we arrived. Still, we saw the Capitol building:

Just across the street from the Capitol, this window sign caught our eyes:



Here’s one of life’s non-negotiable rules. If you pass by a shop with a large homemade sign in the window advertising pies, you must go inside. Non-negotiable. We actually skipped the pie and feasted on sumptuous candied apples. This one is called a “snowball” — an apple covered in white chocolate and coconut! Need I point out that he’s wearing his jacket and hat — and we were inside? And, need I point out that the only thing surlier than a teenager on a family trip is a teenager with a broken arm on a family trip? At least the snowball helped.

* * * * *

Our travels through New Hampshire took us past miles of that sturdy granite. We loved the effect of the snow and ice on the sheer granite rock faces — frozen waterfalls!

New England is famous for its covered bridges. We drove through the Cornish-Windsor bridge, which links the towns of Cornish, New Hampshire and Windsor, Vermont, crossing the Connecticut river. The bridge was built in 1866 and is the longest covered bridge in the United States, at 460 feet.



Be sure to hop out of the saddle.

We drove along I-89 and I-93 in New Hampshire, and luckily, we didn’t spot any of the wildlife mentioned in these signs:



We wondered about a different kind of wildlife when we saw this sign:

Turns out, this tax-free liquor store is known for its wide selection and fair prices. Still, a liquor store and safety rest stop all in one?

* * * * *

Thank you, kind snowpeople of New Hampshire, for delivering us safely back home after a delightful winter weekend. We managed to actually enjoy the few flakes that fell during our visit, especially since they didn’t impede our driving -or walking – abilities. As we stopped at a gas station to fill up the tank in our sturdy, snow-defying, family-protecting rental car, we noticed cases and cases and cases of antifreeze and windshield washer fluid for sale. Good to know, in case we’re ever driving in New Hampshire during a winter snowstorm, and we are thrown headlong into a snowdrift……

* * * * *

For the second time on our odyssey, we saw a familiar face far from home. While awaiting our departure at the Manchester airport, we spotted one of the teachers from our local middle school. She and her family were visiting friends in New England for the weekend. As far as I know, they had no problems with icy roads or car-eating snowdrifts.

And, once again we were a bit stymied when it came to selecting an appropriate song for this state. Believe it or not, a couple of people have actually written “Live Free or Die” songs. You can even find a ballad or two about “my girl from New Hampshire…” We just couldn’t go there. And we didn’t want you to, either. So we came as close as we could. We’re not sure how Paul McCartney feels about snow, but perhaps he found his inspiration in New Hampshire….

25. New Hampshire
The Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge