Sunday the 5th
Robin and I woke up mid-morning on Sunday, the 5th and packed our cloths and other items we would need for the honeymoon and set off to North Conway, New Hampshire. We started off on I-95 South and got onto Rt. 202 from Augusta and then onto Rt. 302 all the way into Conway, NH, the entire drive took roughly 4 hours.
While on the White Mountain Highway in North Conway Robin was looking for our hotel I signed up for (she only knew about the later hotel), I drove by it without her knowing as I directed her attention to a store on the opposite side. I turned into the "Stonehurst Manor" driveway which winds up a hill into an opening that overlooks the White Mountains; as I we made our way into the Manor parking lot I told her that I was lost and that we should go in and ask for directions with a sly smirk on my face. When inside I stated, "Checking in, under Ogden"; when Robin heard that her eyes lit up and a big smile followed. As we walked up the three flights of stairs, we looked around at the Victorian Manor's beauty, it looked much like it did 100 years ago, it was kept up very nice, the only hint of modernism in the hallway were the electrical lights. We arrived at room 33, I opened the door, swung it open and walked in with Robin in my arms. To her astonishment she looked around the suite, king sized bed, personal washroom, jacuzzi, it was beautiful and totally unexpected to her.
After settling in, we headed downstairs into the dining area which has thus far been the most fancy place we have dined- and we have ate at fancy restaurants. The lounge which hosts the waiting area has the original fireplace with bay window seating and tables; while talking, we were greeted by a waiter and were escorted to our seats where we were served 3 course (in my opinion) 5 star meal. Since we were guests the food was on the house. Later that evening we enjoyed a relaxing time in the jacuzzi.
Monday the 6th
The next morning we headed downstairs for our complimentary breakfast which was no less than excellent. The Manor has several connecting trails which we walked through, one of which crosses the North Conway Scenic Railroads. The majority of the day was overcast but at one point the sun came out just enough to light up a few leaves. Throughout certain portions of the trail, the leaf colors varied, ranging from green to brown, my favorite part of our walk was near the end where one section looked as if I were walking through Lothlorien Forest on Lord of the Rings; the ground was covered in freshly fallen golden yellow leaves, the sides of the trail were walled with the same leaves and when I looked up a canopy of the tree tops glistened in the sun's rays. On our way back we were stopped by one of the Manor workers, he told us that if we come out at around 10PM we may see a black bear in the dumpster.
Our two nights and two day stay was coming to an end at the Manor, we drove around North Conway looking at the stores, and scenic areas to get an idea of where everything is. Later in the evening we headed out to the dumpster to see if we could spot a black bear; we did not see it but we did hear something rustling in the woods. We decided to play a game of Chess while waiting on the bear to emerge; although we played for awhile it did not show. We utilized the Jacuzzi on our last night at Stonehurst Manor and left the next day for Kancamagus Highway.
