1985 Sunapee, NH (10/13-14/1985)

Sunday, October 13, 1985

After lunch we drove to New Hampshire in the pouring rain. It took us only a couple hours to get to Sunapee, then probably another hour to find the Inn at Sunapee!

Inn at Sunapee brochure

I finally saw a sign, and we followed a couple, but lost them when we rounded the lake. We retraced our path, and eventually found the inn in the hills behind the town. We checked in and were taken through the wood alpine-type dining room to our simple bedroom upstairs. There was a double and a single bed, and a bathroom with a molded acrylic shower. One corner had wicker furniture and an old dresser on which sat a little black and white TV that Kent immediately turned on!

Inn at Sunapee

Soon we left to make our way to the Follansbee Inn. It was still light enough to follow the north edge of Lake Sunapee. We plunged into a dark forest and came to Kezar Lake, where a seaplane was parked. We arrived early at the lakefront inn, an early 1800s farmhouse of two stories. Two more stories were added in 1928. The entry hallway was full of antiques, and they were okay to seat us before our 19:00 reservation, in the back of the dining room. There was a hurricane lamp on the table. The waitress brought over the menu which was written on a blackboard on an easel. Kent ordered a bottle of wine that was brought by our host, Dick. He didn’t have exactly the wine we wanted, and explained the intricacies of buying alcohol in New Hampshire. At least it was a Chardonnay. We shared a couple appetizers, a spinach-filled filo dough and clam chowder. There was a loaf of freshly baked bread with whipped butter, and salads. Kent had goose with raspberry sauce and rice pilaf. I had stuffed shrimp and a baked potato. For dessert was chocolate pecan pie à la mode! Sandy, our hostess, brought the bill. We returned to our lodgings and Kent watched a baseball game on TV.

Monday, October 14, 1985

Happy Columbus Day!

The $55/night charge for the room included breakfast that was served at 9:30. There was orange juice and coffee. We had blueberry pancakes over the egg entrées, and I had bacon while Kent had sausage.

We checked out and drove back to Kezar Lake to take a photo of Follansbee Inn.

Follansbee Inn

The fall foliage was pretty with the nearby cemetery.

Fall foliage at cemetery

Kezar Lake

We continued south to an area full of lakes that was a summer resort, and the surrounding hills were for skiing in the winter. There is also cross country skiing across frozen lakes in the winter.

We traveled through hilly wooded areas and small towns. In one college town, Henniker, we saw a covered bridge farther down a stream from the main road. It was not easy to get to, but Kent found the way by driving around the town and into the New England College athletic fields area!

View from the covered bridge

Covered bridge

Covered bridge

Magenta colored tree

We continued south, and as the land flattened out, we began seeing antique shops. We stopped at a few that were open. We did buy a small oak table for $25 in Goffstown. The woman proprietor had put her baby down for a nap, and we could hear him on an intercom. The woman called her grandfather to find out the kind of finish that was on the table. She also gave us directions for the antique route. We drove along SR 13 and stopped at a couple shops in Mont Vernon. One guy had some remarkable pieces hidden amongst his junk, but according to the price stickers, he knew it. Farther on in Milford, there was an antique co-op, which seemed to have good prices, and had every type of antique and collectible possible.
We headed west to Peterborough and stopped for lunch at a new restaurant called Jake Copley’s that was in a greenhouse. The menu was amusing with items named after current stars, such as the Tuna Turner Sandwich, etc. One had to read the entire menu! Kent had a Royal Canadian Mounted Baconburger, and I had a BLT. An antique car in the parking lot drew a lot of attention.
We found the Brookstone outlet, to check out all their gadgetry, and the Eastern Mountain Sportswear outlet. We continued home, arriving about 16:00.