The Distracted Wanderer

I recently had occasion to vacate my humble abode while some renovations were being done so decided that was the perfect excuse to finally wander north to New Hampshire to stay at a historic hotel that had long been on my 'Bucket List of Places I Want to Stay' - which, when you get right down to it, is actually more like a book than a list! Eagle Mountain House & Golf Club  is nestled in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in bucolic Jackson Village just up Carter Notch Road from the beautiful Jackson Falls. Pictured below, the photo of the Wildcat River tumbling along part of the falls is from an earlier wandering to Jackson which you can find  here  if you're interested in learning more about the area which includes the beautiful circa 1876 Honeymoon Covered Bridge that crosses the Ellis River. Waterfalls, covered bridges, beautiful mountains ... is it any wonder I wanted to wander back up to Jackson?  Definitely not but, anyway, back to the Eagle Mountain Hou...

I remember it very well - the very first time I laid eyes on the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods , New Hampshire and told myself that someday I was going to stay there. It was August 20th, 1991 and I was on my honeymoon with my now-ex husband; we had spent the day at the Mount Washington Cog Railway and had decided to return to our Franconia inn via the Kancamagus Highway to take in the scenic views. To get there we had to travel down Route 302 and as I looked to the left I saw it - the grandest of the White Mountain's grand hotels. Like something out of a fairy tale, the huge white castle-like structure with its bright red roof sat at the base of Mount Washington and spoke of bygone days when families would arrive via train to spend long, leisurely summers enjoying the spectacular beauty of the White Mountain region. It reminded me of one of my favorite romantic movies - "Somewhere In Time" - and one of the scariest - "The Shining" - and I k...