More fun, before most people have had their coffee

It has been a busy summer!  Due to family obligations and work schedules we decided that it was time to attempt a covered bridge hunt at sunrise to help cross a few more bridges off the list.  So, we got up at 4:30 and headed westward to the Bedford/Merrimack line.

It is still dark at 5:15.

More darkness over the Stowell Road Bridge.  It was built in 1990.

The sun is trying to poke it's way through the trees.  This might not be a recognized bridge, but they know bridges.  They painted it using flame retardant paint.  No arsons here!

Bridge or Barn?

Here comes the sun...do do do.

Bridge Pose on the Stowell Covered Bridge.

There's not too much to see when the sun has not risen yet.  It wasn't as dark as it looks in the pictures.  There was a cute little path to the brook.  The bridge was practically in someone's backyard.

We have seen bridges that were more narrow, that were not labelled with this warning.  There should have been a warning for lots of mosquitos!

Next we travelled east on 101 with the sun in our eyes.  We ended up in Chester at the Wason Pond Area.

This was a great place to start the day.  Here is the pond.  There was a trail to walk or bike around the pond.  There was also a picnic area and playground.

Oh yeah, and a COVERED BRIDGE!

Under the covered bridge was a tunnel...Hello, trolls!

Welcome to the Chester Bridge, the newest bridge in NH (or so we think.)

Here is another view of the Wason Pond.

We know the Prentiss is the recognized shortest covered bridge, but based on our calculations we think that the Chester Bridge has taken that title.

This is the sunrise I thought we would see at the Stowell Road Bridge.

The cute, Chester Bridge.

A cute blogger, on the cute, Chester Bridge.

The floor of the Chester is ramp like.

There is lots of detailing on the Chester.

Pat and Jesse were here.  

Natalie searching for bridges in the 603.

At this point, it was about 6:40.  We were hungry and needed our second cup of coffee.  

We both wore our purple shirts, so we made the obvious choice and headed to The Purple Finch.  For those of you who don't know.  The purple finch is the state bird of NH.  The Purple Finch celebrates the joy of NH.  Hmmm who else does that?

Sunrise Special

Ellen has always wanted to visit a covered bridge at sunrise, so we decided that today was a good day to get two bridges and breakfast in before she went to work.

We picked two unofficial bridges: the Stowell Road (G) in Merrimack and the Chester (C) in Chester.

Stowell Road (G)

The Stowell Road bridge is not so much a covered bridge, instead it is more like a bridge with a cover on it.  It was built in 1990.

We got there with time to spare for the sunrise, so our first pictures are very dark.

Can you see the bridge?

Ellen is searching for the sun.

Here comes the sun!

Notice the supports on this bridge.  It does not seem to have the construction of a traditional covered bridge.  That could be why it does not have official status. 

Chester (C)

After our trip to Merrimack, we headed north to Chester.  The Chester bridge is the newest covered bridge in New Hampshire.  It was built in 2011.  Maybe it will get a number some day.  We are still not sure who gives out those numbers.... and we still volunteer to help out.

The Chester is a pedestrian bridge, so park at the community center and walk over!

It's tiny.  If it becomes an official bridge, we think it will be the smallest in the state.  It seems smaller than the Prentiss.  We forgot our measuring tape!

This bridge smells like fresh cut wood.

This website shows pictures of the construction of the bridge.

This bridge is over Wason Pond. 

Hey Mom, this would be a cute painting....if only it had a lattice truss....

Ellen's on the bridge!

Just another summer in the 603.

Two Towns that Share One Bridge

Still coming down from our 23 bridge high, we headed out to find the County.  We had put the County on our schedule for several outings, but it was never light enough by the time we were to arrive at the County.  So we decided to up the ante by adding a couple other landmarks to this adventure!

 Landmark #1 The Shieling Forest.

It's hard to see the forest through the trees...

Ooo...a path in the woods at 6:00 PM.  We are both wearing flip flops and don't have water so this is a sure fire way to make the news...

This is the view inside the forest.

Oh look an opening.... Little Red Riding Hood?  

Nope, but we did find Natalie's Christmas card for this year...

The American Chestnut Nursery outside of the Shieling Forest.

Look at the cute baby American Chestnut!

This sign informed us that many of American Chestnuts were killed off because they could not survive the blight disease.  You can learn more about The American Chestnut Foundation.  You may want to help the fight or support their work.  

Landmark #2 The McDowell Colony

Here is the sunsetting on the MacDowell Colony.

The MacDowell Colony is a retreat for artists of many kinds to come and be inspired and work on great works of art.

Think of all the conversations and writings that happened in these chairs.

Such great inspiration around each corner.

Perhaps someday these two bloggers will be invited to stay at the Colony.

There is so much to see here.  

What a great place to be!

I would love to stay and explore here...Alas, there is not enough time for that.

 Landmark #3 The County Bridge

The sun shines on the County Bridge.

A closer look at the County, constructed in 1937.

The County overlooks the beautiful Contoocook River.  

Notice the raised sides on the inside of the bridge.

Natalie poses on the side of the bridge.

This bridge is located in Hancock...located outside of Peterborough.

The County is also located in Greenfield.

The peaceful view of the Contoocook River.

The Contoocook is a NH Protected River.

An artistic shot of the County.

This was a very full afternoon/evening tour of the Peterborough area.  It was rewarding to learn about the different attractions that this area has to offer.  It was enjoyable to take in the simple beauty of this region.