A Birthday Filled With Surprises (Waterfalls, Mountains, and Bridges, Oh My!!)

 

On the morning of June 15th, a search was underway to find fun and adventure within an hour of our location. An online hunt revealed two waterfalls in Jackson, NH that seemed well worth the try.  We had no idea what surprises would be sprinkled into our day. 

Glen Ellis Falls

A 0.3 mile absolutely beautiful walk brought us to a 64-foot rushing waterfall. The trail begins under a highway which meant we'd have a fun tunnel to walk through. As we hiked along, we were treated to granite steps and breathtaking scenery at every turn. 

Jackson Falls

This barely hidden gem on the Wildcat River is located just off of Route 16. Two parking areas make the series of falls and rocky play area very accessible. 

Cathedral Ledge

A gorgeous lookout near North Conway, this 700-foot ledge offers astounding views of the Saco River Valley.  If a lengthy, steep hike is not on the agenda, visitors can use the road and parking area to get to the top.

The above is the view of Echo Lake from Cathedral Ledge

Echo Lake State Park

This stop was an impromptu one to say the least. We made our way down from the ledge, parked at the state park, and were amazed at what we saw next. This is definitely one of the most beautiful lake areas we have ever seen. We were more than "amazed" at the circumstances that followed considering no preparations were made to include swimming. Cannon was dressed in long sleeves and sweatpants as we started our day with pretty cool temperatures. Beach play was not exactly on the radar.  Once we were immersed in this setting, playing in the sand became inevitable, so the dry area was to be the limit. This led to going back and forth to and from the water's edge to fill a bucket. By that time, socks and shoes were history and pant legs had to be pushed up. How silly of us to assume he would not be swimming in that lake, within minutes, fully clothed as he was.

All of that excitement must not have been enough. We'd dried Cannon up and put a fresh, warm outfit on him, left the lake, and were driving along again. Before I knew what was happening, we had pulled over and parked next to the river and were crossing over by way of this metal grating sitting beneath a railway bridge😟

And the finale.........

A New England icon.....

What a beauty! Although not as exciting as one foot in front of the other on the metal grating over the river, this covered bridge seemed like a nice, peaceful endeavor and maybe a better way to end the day of action-packed amusement.