October 2026 New Hampshire Adventure

I went on a little adventure the first full week of October. It was a nice get-away! Not too long and not too “busy” – oh, we definitely crammed a lot into the week, but it was a lot more relaxing than most trips I’ve been on. Just what I needed after a very stressful couple of months – full of several unexpected issues, including a pretty serious health scare that landed me in the ER just three week ago and had me wondering if I was going to have to cancel the trip! But – I’m fine – the doctors are on top of it – and I took the much needed time away……with someone else driving to get me there and back safely and someone to tell me when to get up, when to eat, and where to go! LOL

It was a Diamond Tours bus trip offered by First Choice Travel to the White Mountains in New Hampshire! In summary, it was two travel days, three adventure days, and four nights in the same hotel! Perfect! We left Batavia on Monday morning, got to our hotel in Manchester, New Hampshire that evening. Then, spent Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday exploring and headed back home on Friday. I like that timeline – in fact, if you’ve read my other adventure posts, you may have noticed that I often schedule my little “just wing it” adventures that way…..travel “somewhere” on a Monday, get a rental car, explore whatever catches my eye for three days, and travel back home on a Friday. It works well…..for most things….and certainly did this time, too!

Our Tour Manager Extraordinaire, Kathy – love her – and our driver, Nick – the Back-Up King – that man could back that big bus up through the eye of a needle blindfolded!!! He got us into and out of several spots that were definitely not designed for bus access and didn’t break a sweat!!!

This group photo was taken on the day we did the lake cruise — more on that later! I believe we had just shy of 50, including Kathy and Nick, on the bus. Many were folks I’ve traveled with before and have become good friends with. It’s always a great group on these trips….fun, friendly, and caring people who end up like a family as we get to know each other and see on other trips again and again. It’s a major reason I really like doing these trips with First Choice Travel – I know I’m not traveling alone, even if I’m going solo!

Kathy always has a “theme” for each day of any trip she manages and puts an appropriate sticker on our name tags…..I’ll start the details of each day with them as I write this post.

DAY ONE

We boarded the bus and were ready to leave Batavia by 8:00 am.

Our Theme of the Day was: Be Kinder Than Necessary – if you see someone without a smile, give them yours! and the name tag sticker was a Smiley Face.

It was a travel day, so nothing too exciting was planned….we had a pit-stop in Mattydale, NY on the thruway about 10:00 am. We did run into a bit of a storm….and when I say “a bit of a storm”, I mean a wild one! The winds kicked up and it started pouring — the bus was rocking (not in the way the VW busses rocked in the ’60s) and it was pretty tense for a ways!!! Kathy was looking for a place for lunch – it’s not as easy as it sounds to find a place that will accommodate a motor coach full for 40-50 or so people without notice within a reasonable distance off the planned route! The storm was so intense and she wasn’t having much luck, so she and Nick decided to just get off at the next exit and take what we could get — it turned out that there was a McDonald’s just off the exit, so McDonald’s it was! We were all relieved to be getting off the bus in that horrid wind – no one more so than Nick, I’m sure! As luck would have it, the rain slowed to a drizzle for us just as we started getting off the bus – we seem to typically have good luck that way! The wind was still pretty intense – Kathy’s umbrella ended up inside out and she almost lost it! But, by the time we finished lunch, the sun was out and the wind had died down and we went on our way with less tension and rocking!

I feel the need to include a note, here about the McDonald/s we stopped at. It was a small McD’s stuck beside the exit of whatever interstate we were on — the town was, I believe, Fultonville (or near there). When our bus load filed into the lobby and formed a line to order our lunch, it was noted that there was only one young girl at the register and 2 or 3 in the back – one on the drive-thru and a couple prepping food. But, believe me when I say that these were the most impressive fast-food employees I’ve ever seen! The girl who took all our orders smiled and was friendly to everyone and didn’t look at all overwhelmed. The crew in the back got out orders out quickly and without any mistakes (that I heard about). They got us all served and on our way in record time!!! BRAVO to that efficient and friendly crew!!!

Dinner was at Bertucci’s Restaurant in Framingham, Massachusetts. They put out a selection of salad and Italian food for us (there was more set out after the serving table photo was taken). If you know me, you know I’m allergic to cheese…..I usually don’t have a big problem – I can typically find “something” to eat or I make due somehow. But, every dish on the serving line – including the salad – had cheese on it! And, I was pretty darned hungry — as a side-result of the health scare I mentioned in the beginning, I was on prednisone, so I was even MORE hungry than I would have normally been! So, I went to one of the waiters and told him my predicament and asked if it would be possible to get a plate of spaghetti with just sauce and no cheese — they very kindly apologized and brought one right out — it was enough to feed a growing family of 4, but it was soooooo good!!! I felt bad they gave me way too much to eat – I ate a little less than 1/2 of it!

Our hotel was the Hampton Inn in Manchester, NH. It was a beautiful hotel – clean, comfortable, and friendly staff. My room had two beds and was HUGE!!! AND – I didn’t have to request a step stool to get into the bed – it was just on the verge of being too high, but I was able to get into it without assistance — as you’ve likely read in previous adventure posts, I have had to get step stools to get into beds that were so high, the top of the mattress was about chest high on my 4’10” body!!! LOL And, the bed was very comfortable — I slept well every night I was there!

DAY TWO

Their breakfast buffet was very nice, too – each day had slightly different offerings. I was happy to see they had bananas every day – when traveling, I like to start the day off with a banana, a bagel or some sort of starch like that, an yogurt or some protein. They satisfied that for me every day we were there.

We boarded the bus at 7:45…..7:45……7:45…..(inside joke – my fellow travelers will get it).

The Theme of the Day was a long one…..what I able to write down was: A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition and the Name Tag Sticker was a Cloud with a Smiley Face — the “cloud” theme was in honor of our first stop of the day: “Castle in the Clouds”!

Castle in the Clouds is the Lucknow Mansion in Moultonborough, NH high on a mountain top overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee. The mansion was built in 1914 – the home of newly weds Thomas and Olive Plant. Mr. Plant was the proprietor of the Thomas G. Plant Shoe Company, which by his retirement in 1910 was the largest shoe factory in the world. He married Olive in 1913 and they moved into Lucknow Mansion a year later. Over the years, overspending and poor investments left the couple in financial difficulty and after Thomas’ death, the estate was foreclosed on and Olive returned to her family home in Illinois. The estate has been restored and is now open to the public for tours – a docent told us that approximately 90% of the furnishings in the estate are original pieces. It is a stunning home with magnificent views.

The home included a 1914 player pipe organ with a platform that held other musicians to form a small orchestra for gatherings. The left hand photo above shows the façade of pipes for the pipe organ – the actual working pipes are in the wall behind the “fake” pipes that are only for show. In the photo on the left below, the steps lead to the orchestra platform and organ console. The photo on the right below shows the stairs that go to the second floor – inside the wall between the stairway wall and the “fake” pipes, are the working pipes for the pipe organ that span both floors of the mansion.

The Carriage House now has a restaurant in it with seating areas in the former stables and a massive fireplace.

After we left the Castle in the Clouds, we went to downtown Wolfeboro where we had free time to shop and have lunch on our own. A friend told me about a place in Wolfeboro called the Wicked Loon that she recommended for lunch, so I set out to find it and told a couple others who were trying to decide where to eat about it. We were all so happy with the choice! I got excited when I saw mussels as a sharable appetizer and decided to have that with a shrimp cocktail —- OMG —- it was soooooo good!!! I ate and thoroughly enjoyed every bite!!! My only negative was that it was a bit too windy and chilly to sit outside on the deck to eat and enjoy the view of Lake Winnipesaukee!

Wolfeboro, NH is a quaint little harbor town on Lake Winnipesaukee with lots of lovely shops and views. I spent most of my time enjoying lunch and sitting in the sun looking at the lake. I wandered around some, but I’m not a huge shopper, so I prefer to take in the character of the towns I visit. Wolfeboro (and I noticed at least one other town) had patriotic crosswalks of red, white, and blue stripes and stars. It was a sweet town and I enjoyed my time just looking and snapping photos!

I would have liked to go in to the wine tasting room that the pumpkin people were sitting in front of, but it didn’t open till 2:00 and we were going to be gone by then.

Our next stop on Day Two was the Wright Museum of World War II – WOW! WWII museums are usually very well done and full of wonderful information – always a good choice to explore! But, this one not only focused on the war, but on how the war impacted the culture and life at home in the United States. It was amazing!

Dinner that night was at the Camp Restaurant in Meredith, NH – a VERY nice place – very rustic atmosphere and delicious food…..however, it was nearly impossible for a bus to get into…..but, remember, I said our driver, Nick, was the back-up king…..he backed in from the road up a hill and around a tight turn to get into the parking area designated for busses with no easy way for a bus to make it into – three cheers to Nick!

We had several choices for dinner – I chose the pot roast and it was VERY good – so tender and moist and full of flavor!

DAY THREE

After another good night’s sleep and leisurely breakfast at the hotel, we had a later than usual start – we boarded the bus at 9:30…..9:30……9:30!!!

The Theme of the Day went something like this: Without an anchor in our lives, we can drift aimlessly from shore to shore – the strongest anchor in our lives is hope! Our name tag sticker was…..drum roll…..an anchor! All in honor of the afternoon lake cruise that was planned for that day.

Before the cruise, our morning activity was the New Hampshire Telephone Museum in Warner, NH! You might think – um, OK – that sounds a bit lame…..but it was actually extremely interesting!!!

Copied from their website:

“The New Hampshire Telephone Museum brings the history of communication to life through one of the region’s most fascinating collections of telecommunications artifacts. Visitors can explore the Museum at their own pace or enjoy a guided tour filled with stories, humor, and surprising moments from telephone history. Our knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff share unforgettable stories — from the famous race to the patent office, to the undertaker who invented the rotary dial system, to the operators and innovators who helped connect the world long before smartphones existed. The Museum proudly features the lifelong collections of the Violette and Bartlett families, who together devoted more than 85 years to the telephone industry here in Warner, NH, along with the remarkable collection of longtime telephone worker Garry Mitchell of Woodbury, Connecticut. The collection continues to grow through generous donations from the public, preserving the technology and stories that shaped generations. More than just a museum of old telephones, the New Hampshire Telephone Museum is an interactive journey through innovation, human connection, and rapidly changing technology. With hands-on exhibits, engaging storytelling, and thousands of artifacts, it has become one of New Hampshire’s “must-see” attractions and a valuable educational resource for visitors of all ages. Stop in and discover why so many visitors walk through the doors and immediately say: “WOW!””

And we sure did say “WOW!!!” The docents at the museum talked at length about the history and fascinating stories about telephones and communications. I was so amazed at the 1000’s of artifacts that was collected by Alderic O. “Dick” Violette, who worked in the telephone / communications industry for over 50 years, that I missed some of the wonderful talk that a lady gave our group…..but, I heard most of it between listening as I walked through the museum and then joining in the group to pay closer attention about 1/2 way through it. She was incredible – the stories and knowledge she shared was impressive, to say the least.

The crows on the telephone wires……LOL…..reminded me of the Alfred Hitchcock movie “The Birds”!!!

I saw these and remembered the blue one I had in my room as a teen…..but, was disappointed there wasn’t a “Pink Princess” phone on display……I thought I had seen all the displays and didn’t see one…..and then…..just as I was about to leave, I went around a corner and there in a prominent spot was the coveted Pink Princess phone — my first phone in my room so that I could talk to my friends with privacy (yeah, it was still just an extension and not really my own private phone, but it was a close to private conversations a teen could have in those days!!!)!!! This display model was dated 1959…..I got mine several years later (I was only 3 years old in 1959), but it was still a major milestone and memory for a young girl in the 60s!!! The blue one above came later – probably early 70s!

Downstairs, they also had the Warner Fire Fighters Museum…..that was small, but very nice, too! Two museums in one and both well worth the time to explore them!

Some of our group also went across the street with one of the docents to tour the Pillsbury Free Library established in 1892 by George Alfred Pillsbury – of the Pillsbury Company – who had lived in Warner for some time and wanted to give back to the community. The building was a unique structure and the group that want inside said that was an added treat! Sorry I missed it…..

Lunch was on our own in Sunapee Harbor in Sunapee, NH. Time was kinda tight and all the restaurants were very crowed with our bus and at least two other busses (I think I heard there were four total in the area), so no time for shopping and barely enough time to have lunch before our scheduled lake cruise. I went with a few friends to the Blue Canoe and had a lobster roll — it was very good!

We sat outside to eat with a wonderful view of the harbor and the boat we were going to be cruising on.

This was our boat — it was also the location where our group photo was taken (the one at the beginning of the post). At first I was disappointed that it wasn’t an open top boat…..I was concerned we would be stuck inside with limited views. But, once the cruise began, we could go outside for better views and photos and go in when we wanted….it was a free-range ride and turned out to be perfect!!! The cruise was on beautiful Lake Sunapee that took over 2 hours and was just lovely! I do love being on or near the water and always get excited when I see there is a boat ride of some kind on the itinerary!!!

And it was a beautiful day for it!!! The cruise was narrated by the Captain and the views included many stunning homes, beautiful blue skies, mountains, and fall colors!

Leaving the harbor…..

Dinner was at Applebee’s in Concord, NH that evening…..I chose the Double Crunch Shrimp from the options we were given and it was another very good meal. They put us at all high-top tables and I wasn’t the only one who struggled to get up on the very high chairs, but I got up there and enjoyed the food and the company I sat with that evening.

DAY FOUR

Another good night’s sleep and breakfast of champions, we headed out to board the bus at 8:00….8:00…..8:00!!! While eating breakfast with Don – one of my fellow travelers, he told me to keep my camera ready today….I didn’t think much of it and just said, yeah – today should be a good day for photos and he didn’t elaborate…..

Leading up to our last full day in New Hampshire, we had a lot of fun wondering about the dinner location for that evening….The Common Man Inn & Spa with Entertainment….the jokes and speculations about what the place would be like and what the entertainment might be based on the name were rampant throughout the week. On the way back to the hotel the night before, Kathy fueled the curiosity by announcing that she called the Common Man Inn & Spa and found out there would be a dress code — that all the men would be required to wear TOGAs!!! We all laughed and figured it was just another joke in the saga of our talks about the location.

Normally, what happens on the bus stays on the bus and I try to respect the privacy of my fellow travelers by not posting photos on this public site where they can be recognized…..but, the next part didn’t happen ON the bus and the guys really did look cute….so, here it is included in the post…..as the best entertainment of the trip!!!

As we were boarding the bus, we heard some male voices coming up from behind chanting “TOGA….TOGA….TOGA!” over and over…..we looked around and here came three guys from our group marching toward the bus dressed in togas!!! OMG — what a riot!!! Kathy was absolutely gobsmacked!!! She had no idea that her little joke would turn into the best thing that happen all week……the look on her face when she spotted them marching up to the bus was priceless!!! Nick said he saw them earlier in the hotel — he said seeing three grown white men in togas going down the hallway and entering a room together gave him a memory for a lifetime!

Don, Bob, and Marty posing with Kathy! The togas were sheets from their rooms and the crowns were made from coffee cups and greens they clipped from the bushes. (this photo was courtesy of Bob’s wife – I thought I got a good shot, but my angle was off, so she happily shared hers)

The guys went back in to change — they didn’t want the hotel security to chase the bus down to get their sheets back! hahaha And we boarded the bus to start our day…..but not without a TON of laughing and appreciation for the creativity and courage of these three guys!!! It was talked about throughout the next two days…..and other busses at our stops said they heard about it and wondered if it was true…..yep — true story….we have photo evidence!!!

The Theme of the Day for last full day in NH was “Grow strong, stay curious, and let your spirit wander like a bear in the woods” (it was in honor of the bear show we had on the schedule, but it also kinda plays into the actions of Don, Bob, and Marty….without Kathy knowing it was going to happen) and our sticker was a bear! I think I need to find a toga sticker to add to mine just for the memory!

So, with no way to top the morning’s entertainment, we were off to our first stop of the day: Clark’s Bears in Lincoln, NH. This is a sweet theme park with rides and an old-time street full of shops and places to eat. they have a train ride and a live bear show that repeats throughout the day – we did both after free time to visit the shops (the rides weren’t open).

The next photos was of a cool thing they had…..you can go behind this “wall” and press yourself into the back of it and it makes a silhouette of your body…..interesting!!! I’ve never seen anything like that before! The one on the left is of a couple ladies from our group and the one on the right is ME!!! It felt really strange to do it, but it was fun!!!

The train had an old fashioned calliope that played music like the old carousels played — lovely!!! Our group — the ever fun loving gang — added the lyrics to some of the songs – including “The Last Train to Clarksville” and “I’m a Believer” both Monkees songs!

The train was a short ride through the woods and a covered bridge. We were warned to watch out for the Wolfman who chases anyone who goes on “his land”…..it was a lovely ride and a fun time trading barbs with the Wolfman as he chased along side of the train on foot and in his rusty old jeep, shooting at us, lighting a bomb to stop us, and yelling out threats…..which we responded to! LOL

The live bear show was wonderful….they had two bears named Darla and Hildie that they had trained from cubs to do tricks and they were amazing! It was very hard to get any decent photos because of the chain link fencing around the performance arena, but here are a few……suffice it to say that the show was very entertaining and I got my “critter fix” – I was a happy camper!!!

Then, we were served a picnic lunch of sandwiches, chips, a cookie, and water. I chose PB&J cause I was surprised to see it as an option and I love PB&J!!! But, I was surprised to see that they were “Crustables” – not that I complained – I LOVE Crustables and usually have a box of them in my freezer…..just was surprised to see they didn’t make PB&Js (the other sandwich choices were meat and cheese on Kaiser type buns)……the good thing was I got TWO – a strawberry one and a grape one…..jackpot (I did mention earlier in this post that I was on prednisone this week and wanted to eat everything in sight, didn’t I?)!!!

And, the Wolfman put in an appearance for photo ops during lunch…a bit hairy for my taste, but he was a nice enough guy when he wasn’t chasing us off his land:

This stunning red-roofed hotel was seen on the way to our next stop — it seemed to go on forever – there were other similar buildings.

Next up was a gondola ride up to the summit of Loon Mountain…..unfortunately, it was drizzly when we got there and for the start of our time at the top, but it cleared up before we headed down. It was pretty up there and the 15 minute ride up was very nice, indeed!

Loon Mountain has an average elevation of 2,441 feet, with its summit reaching 3,050 feet. This makes it one of the notable ski areas in New Hampshire, offering a vertical drop of 2,190 feet. This sign at the top states that where we were the elevation was 2733 ft.

I did NOT climb the observation tower…..there were other observation decks to use to see the beautiful views!

The agenda also included a drive along the scenic Kancamagus Highway with an overlook stop…..we did drive down the scenic highway, but all the overlooks were crowed with nowhere for the bus to safely let us out…..we could see the views from the bus and we saw as good or better on Loon Mountain…..and, we had to get to dinner, so we didn’t stop.

Now….the activity we all waited for and wondered and joked about…..dinner at the Common Man Inn & Spa with Entertainment! It ended up being a great place – good buffet dinner with a DJ after. There were three Diamond Tours busses there – ours from WNY, one from Alabama, and one from Ohio. After dinner there was dancing and singing along….great fun!

YMCA

On the way back to the hotel, we were all wound up, so Nick turned on music for us to sing along to…..it was a good last day of the trip!!!

DAY FIVE

After our last breakfast, we boarded the bus for the last time at 8:15…..8:15….8:15! And we were on our way home! Bittersweet…..always sad for a trip to end, but happy to be getting back home to my own bed and familiar routine!

Theme of the Day: “‘Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home” Sticker: a Piggy — to help us to always remember our fearless leader: Kathy Hamm (as if we need anything to help us remember her…..she’s amazing!)

We had a lunch stop somewhere on the thruway that had both a Chic-fil-A and a Panera Bread — I made a bee-line for the Panera Bread to get their wonderful tomato soup for lunch.

On the long drive home, we played BINGO — something we typically play on these trips — and, as usual, I did NOT win!!!

Another welcomed staple of these trips is Kathy’s Candy Basket…..I always get my fill of Tootsie Rolls!!!

Some scenery along the thruway on the way home:

It was another GREAT trip — wonderful group of travel buddies — fun times — interesting places — good food — and amazing memories!!! The weather cooperated – for the most part – it was mid-60s and sunny most of the time (the storm on the first travel day was nasty, but didn’t last long…..and the drizzle at the top of Loon Mountain didn’t really hinder anything, either). The fall colors were beautiful — some places weren’t quite there, yet, but others were spectacular! They have a lot of pines, so the photos don’t really do the reality justice, but take my word for it — it was worth the trip….and, even if it wasn’t, we did so many fabulous activities that it wouldn’t have mattered!!!

I’m so glad that my health scare didn’t stop me from going and that I decided to go in the first place…..it was a very nice, relaxing trip and it was just what I needed right now!!!

That last morning, the news on the TV in the lobby showed the hurricane getting ready to hit the gulf coast – the other Diamond Tours bus in the area from Alabama was in our hotel — we hope they returned home safely and without major damage to their homes.

One more thing before I sign off and publish this post……when we started the BINGO games, Kathy said I needed to win cause she had a special prize that was “just for me” and that no one else can win it…..hhhmmm — of course, I didn’t win……BUT, she gave it to me, anyway…..this zipper pouch is PERFECT!!! I really need this on a tee shirt that I can wear under everything and rip open to it whenever I need to remind people of this little fact of life! hehehe

And, with that, I’ll post and put this trip in the memory books!

Until the next adventure —- happy travels to you all!