I don’t get home to New Hampshire all that often and now that both my parents are gone the connection to “home” is less, or is it? I suspect most everyone has a strong connection to the place they grew up in beyond just the people; though people are surely a bond I find is still there.

For me, if I have to go home I try to get there in the fall. New England in the fall gives tremendous opportunities for delighting the senses. The fall colors are non like anywhere I have lived. The vibrancy of the colors all depends on how much water the trees had over the summer and the timing of the cold weather so if you hit it right, the colors are spectacular, and this year I got it right.

Typically my trip home was spent, seeing friends for the first few days, helping my parents around the house, and when that was done doing nothing boredom would set in. But we just had moved my parents into a retirement apartment, so there were no chores to be had.

I planned the trip for the first 10 days of October 2016, during which I made sure I had done some pre-planning to ensure I occupied myself. I planned hikes with my friend Meg and a few days spent in Ogunquit ME, one of my favorite places to stay for a few days and if the colors were out, I’d try to capture a few pictures.

Fall Colors

Some of the best colors can be found in and around swamps, or in this case a pond. I was a tad early for the full breadth of the colors, but the trees around the swamps and ponds were pretty spectacular. I just loved this view of Mount Monadnock and spent a lot of time trying to capture the best photos.

Hikes with Meg

I hadn’t climbed Mount Monadnock in years and it took us a while to climb her, but the day was beautiful and it gave us a good chance to catch up and enjoy some sights.

Mount Monadnock is located in southern New Hampshire and is the most prominent peak. It stands at 3,165 feet high and is known to be the most climbed mountain in the world.

Maine

I don’t get to Maine often enough, but it’s an easy trip from where I live in New Hampshire. A town I love to visit is Ogunquit. When I lived in Boston it was an easy 1-hour drive north and holds some really fond memories. From Oqunquit it’s easy to get to other towns along the ocean such as York where the Nubble Lighthouse is located. This lighthouse has probably been photographed and painted as much as Mount Monadnock has been climbed.

The little town of Ogunquit is very touristy in the summer and it’s hard to find a place to stay. I lucked out, I hit the last real weekend the town was open before closing up for the season. I did a lot of driving around and eating seafood; there’s nothing like Maine seafood, sorry California.