Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire
Lake Sunapee (photo credit - Christina Query Shea)
This post was originally published August 3, 2018.
Here's a not well kept secret: I didn't have a car. Not my own, anyway. I frequently borrowed my parents car to go on my adventures or I would carpool (usually with my parents). But I'm a big kid now with big dreams, and I needed a ride of my own to take me to all the places I wanted to go.
Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire was not on my list.
About a month ago, my aunt messaged me, explaining that a relative was selling a car that matched what I was looking for. This car was in New Hampshire. I'm not the kind of person who typically hops state borders to do any kind of shopping, let alone car shopping, but I am the kind of person, who will take unexpected, positive developments as a sign from God. The heavens were shining a light down the road to New Hampshire.
I found out I was going to look at the car not even two days prior. I said yes, and consequently spent the next day, running around like a headless chicken, trying to prepare. I booked a bus ticket and bounced between email and phone calls with insurance all day, until I managed to get covered to drive the car back home 15 minutes before the insurance company closed for the weekend. 24 hours later, I was on a bus to Portland, where my aunt would pick me up.
Once I took the Greyhound down to Virginia. It was a terrible experience, but that's a story for another day. This bus ride was much better. I rode on the Concord line with only one interrupting stop. I chose a seat in the middle, one row back from one of the hanging television screens. Feeling successful in claiming one of the best seats on the bus, I settled in to view the free movie. Last time I took the Concord bus was my ride to Logan Airport to fly to Cork city. I watched The Jungle Book on that ride (my own unqualified rating: 10/10). This time, the bus played The Intern over it's television screens (my own unqualified rating: 2/10). I arrived in Portland just as the movie ended.
Let's speed forward to the following morning. I'm on the road to New Hampshire; I arrive around noon. While there I eat a hot dog, buy a car, and wade into the waters of Lake Sunapee—roughly in that order. It would be a shame to go to an entirely different state and not take at least one moment to stop and appreciate it.
Lake Sunapee was a good place to do it.
The lake got its name from area Native Americans. Originally, it was called "Soo-Nipi," meaning "Wild Goose Waters." I did not see any geese when I was there, but I did see lots of people. It so happened that I visited on the annual pie making contest. I did not get a chance to try any of the winning pies, due to the time crunch I was on, but they sounded delicious, with apple cinnamon role pies and peanut butter chocolate pies. It's probably for the better—my diet that night consisted of gold fish, McDonalds, and two diet cokes.
It was a beautiful day though. The water was comfortable and clean enough to drink. The kids splashed as they jumped off the dock, and I enjoyed sitting in the sun, new keys in hand, thinking of all the places I'll go to next.