10/10 to 10/16 - Ellacoya State Park - New Hampshire

 Ellacoya State Park

New Hampshire

October 10th to October 16th

Welcome. I guess this trip is the beginning of the end of my 2023 Summer season. I'm traveling solo in hopes of catching some of the leaf changing spectacles offered annually by Mother Nature here in New England with stops in New Hampshire and Vermont. I think my route is too far south and my timing is a tad off but we shall see. The scenery I left in Rhode Island was still plush with a vibrant green as temperature have only dipped down to the low 50's, not low enough to kill off the chlorophyll that's hiding the already present colors we associate with Fall. The Farmers Almanac indicated Sept. 28-Oct. 9 will be peak. Here are scenes while driving when...

...leaving Rhode Island...

...passing through Massachusetts...

...and arriving in New Hampshire.

The Ellacoya State Park Campground

Ellacoya State Park is located in Gilford on the southwest shore of Lake Winnipesaukee ("Smile of the Great Spirit" or “beautiful water in a high place.”), New Hampshire's largest lake. The 600-foot long sandy beach at the campground has views across the lake to the Sandwich and Ossipee mountains. There's an accessible bathhouse and a changing area for swimmers near the swimming area. A small park store offers refreshments and souvenirs for sale.

All sites are drive through or, in my case, "drive-ins"

Facing the woods afforded extra privacy though the campground was not crowded. Towels are out drying as I showered at the bath house before setting up. ($1.75 for 6 minutes. Two minutes wasted waiting for hot water.) 

The number of islands in the lake I've researched vary from 260, "at least 264", 274, to "365 ... of which 274 are habitable." Becky’s Garden is the smallest island having a 10 foot width on a good day. Loon is the name of three different islands on the Lake. “Winnipiseogee” is the Native American name for Lake Winnipesaukee, which was the most common named used by the earliest New Hampshire English settlers.

My stay here and this blog will be a tad different from previous in that dining excursions or any travel into nearby Laconia isn't going to take place. Reserving with Uber is not available in these parts and a trip with the closest local taxi services has a $60 round trip fare; I'm only 9 miles away. There is no public parking large enough to allow me to drive into the area and park. Alas, photos will have to do. What are the attractions I'm missing, you ask?

Winnipesaukee Scenic Railway A one-hour, $22.00, narrated round trip along the lake's western edge with views of the lake on the right side and vacation homes on the left. It operates on a rail system that was once the home of the Boston, Concord & Montreal line that dates back to 1848. I tried to book on line but all "sold out" for the dates I'd be here. Tried calling for two days...no answers to messages left.

M/S Mt. Washington.

Scenic boat ride on Lake Winnipesaukee. This 2½ hour narrated tour for $45.00 leaves Weirs Beach twice daily and passengers can enjoy breakfast or lunch at their quick service restaurant, sample beer, wine and cocktails from the full bar. 

There's a sister boat in their fleet. The 74' M/V Sophie C, the oldest floating post office in the country. This $40.00, 2-hour  tour  navigates smaller channels and waterways to provide postal service to the island residents of Lake Winnipesaukee. On each trip it visits a number of different islands, and the Skipper points out areas of interest along the way. Mail has been delivered to residents and summer campers this way since 1892. There are stops at four islands during the morning run and stops at five others in the afternoon.

So there you have it; three things I didn't do while in New Hampshire. For the interested, here are ten little known facts about Lake Winnipesaukee. The nights are chilly with temps dropping into the low 40's, so I expect a rapid change in the trees before I leave. The lake is huge and gorgeous. Some photos:

A sweeping panoramic view and then...

...point, click for a closer 180º view.

Welch Island

Sandwich Mountain in the distance

Ossipee Mountain

By the end of the week, changes were taking place. Friday, the 13th, with only 13 RVs remaining, the sun finally shined brightly, the winds picked up and the Fall of leaves began. Temps reached only the high 50's. There were white caps on waves on the Lake which you boaters would call a "moderate chop."

I leave Monday, the 16th for my next stop in Dorset, Vermont, about a three hour and 142 mile drive southwest toward New York State. Hope you'll join me for that stop.

“A fallen leaf is nothing more than a summer’s wave goodbye.”– Unknown