Before leaving Conway, NH today, I stopped by the two covered bridges in town. This one is the Saco
River Covered Bridge: (GPS coordinates for this bridge: N43 58.980, W71 07.000)
NOTE: You do not need to own a GPS unit to utilize the coordinates. To see any GPS coordinates on a
map or to obtain directions to the specific location, simply copy the coordinates and paste them into Google
Maps: HERE
Just down the road is the Swift River Covered Bridge (GPS: N43 59.080, W71 07.170):
Last week while I was at a covered bridge eating lunch, I met a lady who suggested I “go meet a few Pumpkin
People” while I was in New Hampshire.
Since I'd never met a Pumpkin Person or even had a conversation with someone who had, I considered maybe the
grandeur of the fall colors had perhaps clouded the woman's thinking.
However, she did mention the general area where I could find these Pumpkin People, so I made note of the place
before I left the bridge. Last night while I was planning my route today, I noticed the same town she
mentioned (Jackson Falls) was just north of me. I had asked a few non-pumpkin people during the week about
this said appearance of these pumpkins, and each person looked at me like I was the one with clouded thinking! So,
I wasn't feeling too hopeful about meeting any of the orange fruits (yes, folks, pumpkins are fruits, not
vegetables). However, after arriving at this covered bridge:
...which is called the Bartlett Covered Bridge (GPS coordinates: N44 05.719, W71 12.235), I walked around the
construction area....:
... and came upon: 
Pumpkin People!!
Yippee!! Someone working nearby gave me the scoop on what the Pumpkin People are all about: Over 50
businesses and homeowners in the small village of Jackson, NH and surrounding towns display creative “Pumpkin
People” outside their storefronts and homes from the 1st to 21st of October. Since today was the first
day of the event I was told it was unlikely all the pumpkins, er, people, were ready for display. Nonetheless,
I jumped back on the bike and decided to just wander around and see what – or who - I could find. This didn't
make my GPS very happy as it continuously choked “Off-route, Recalculating”, for the next half hour, but this was
worth the detour! Here are the Pumpkin People I met today:
Outside “Three Bears Realty”, I met little man “Reed” who was meeting Baby Bear Pumpkin:
In front of an apre ski establishment:
It'd probably be rude to say the pumpkin chick on the ground reminds me of someone, but... um, Karen?
Wonder what Bubba back in Tennessee is going to say about the fees for the guide service?
Mo (my moose passenger) wasn't sure what to think of Little Miss Muffet or her companion:
I'll bet the Matriarch, who plays bridge regularly, will vote this as her favorite:
For more information, maps of the businesses participating in this creativity community event go the Jackson,
NH website: HERE. I'd highly
recommend adding this to your leaf peeping itinerary! What a fun and creative community event!
While wandering around looking for Pumpkin People on road 16-A (or Intervale Resort Loop), I came upon a
covered bridge to add to my collection:
GPS coordinates for the Jackson Covered Bridge are: N44 08.481,W71 11.211
As I continued north towards on Hwy 16 towards Errol, NH, I thought about how life in small towns offers
an expression of creativity. Maybe it's the lack of corporate giants and mega malls and neon flashing
signs, but it sure seems like as the population decreases that the expressed creativity increases. I wonder
if pumpkins would remain intact displayed outside of businesses in Phoenix or LA for one day? Any bets for
going the full 21 days like they do in Jackson (without armed security)?
Found another bridge on a golf course. This time the Wentworth Covered BRidge, which is on Hole #9:
(GPS: N44 08.730, W71 11.310)
Don't know why this one is on the list of official covered bridges. There must be a story behind it since
it's not exactly bridging anything. Nonetheless, for other covered bridge hunters out there who would like
to know what the Heritage Covered Bridge looks like, here ya go: (GPS: N44 07.070, W71 11.020)
The more north I headed, the more the colors intensified. Took this pic while following the “I wonder where
that road goes” thought, which was near Dolly Kopp Campground:
I am riding a 2007 Yamaha FJR1300, which I have owned since February. My brand new bike (which now has close to
25,000 miles) has had an altitude sickness problem, meaning it has great difficulty in elevation changes (surges, loss
of power, etc). A plethora of other 07 owners have reported the same problem to Yamaha and we have all been
waiting (some more patiently than others) for Yamaha to produce a solution.
I was hoping the “fix” would be available by the time I returned from Alaska (on a different bike) and started this
Fall Foliage Frolic in September, but that has not been the case. At current, Yamaha is not high on my recommend
list for product or customer service. In fact, if you are considering a 2008 FJR, I'd reconsider. Though I
spend more time on a motorcycle than 99.9% of people, I'm really not finicky about what I ride since riding is about
the journey, not about the bike. The most important factor for me in choosing a bike is that it doesn't get in
my way, meaning I can go where and how I want to go... including up mountains. Since the famous Mount Washington
Auto Road is steep (and mostly gravel) – I did it last year on a different bike - I did not attempt a summit on my
altitude sick FJR today, which is sad given the views of the fall foliage that would have been offered. So, I had
to settle for a photo in front of the sign:
Views just past the sign:
... and in the area:
As I approached this sign, Mo yelled “AMEN!!” until he read the bottom line; he then asked for a tissue:
The recent foliage reports stating the northern section of the state had strong color were indeed
accurate. WOW! Took these near Dixville Notch on NH-26:
Be prepared for a short delay and bumpy ride but it's worth it. The New Yorker in front of me apparently agreed:
On NH-26, the Dixville Notch Resort (GPS coordinates: N44 52.012, W71 18.363)
... and a lake house nearby:
Bagged the Columbia Covered Bridge (GPS: N44 51.210 W71 33.100) off US-3:
The west end of NH-26 meets the Vermont state line, so I crossed back into Vermont's northern section which
is known as “The Northeast Kingdom”. I was struck with the varying colors of orange in the Kingdom area,
specifically off VT-114:
Near the US/Canadian border on 114:
A detour over to Orne Covered Bridge in the town of Irasburg, VT: (GPS: N44 51.661, W72 16.393)
It seems like every church scene I come across has power lines in it. This one was no different: (Where are
the Amish churches 'round here??)
Pulling in to Brighton State Park Campground, near Island Pond, VT:
....where I'll be sleeping by the lake tonight. I specifically picked this park because it's said that loons
abound here. I discovered on my recent journey to Alaska (full report:
HERE) that I simply love camping and
falling asleep to the sound of loons!:
Took this during my evening hike... kind whispers peace and serenity huh?:
End of day GPS, (which screams my GPS has a max speed problem... or else I have the Mach-1 version of the FJR!):
What a fabulous 250 mile day! Here's a map of my route for the geographically challenged:
Thanks to all those who are sending suggestions of places to see while I'm in this region!
If you wish to receive direct emails from me whenever a new Journey Report has been posted than simply click:
