On Wednesday (October 11) I woke up finally feeling better and having energy. FINALLY. Unfortunately, Steven now had my cold and felt like garbage. So I took over driving duties, and drove us just over an hour to the New Hampshire State House in Concord.

First though, we stopped at the Starbucks nearby to try to buy the New Hampshire Been There mug. They were out, and Val is so sweet and called all the local Starbucks to ask, and they were all out too. They told us they sell out fast when they do have them, so no New Hampshire mug for me, but I was able to get Maine in the airport the day we left! And I really appreciate Val calling so many of them!

Gah, I got so annoyed at Starbucks. We went inside and stood at the counter forever before they would talk to us. That just makes me bonkers. I was going to get a drink but got so mad I didn’t get anything. Deep breaths, Kim.

Okay, so then we went to the State House. I liked the exterior better than the one in Maine but the interior was pretty blah.

Still very cool to see though! And I liked the urban setting and that it was around shops and restaurants. Val and I went to the running store (where I found some vegan waffles and another pair of Goodrs), and we all got lunch at Dos Amigos Burritos. The burrito was good but the filling inside wasn’t super warm which I don’t prefer – I like the inside of my burrito to be warm.

Ugh, during lunch I had a choking fit. It happened once when I was driving too. I felt like there was something small, like a popcorn kernel, logged in my throat, and I couldn’t breath and my eyes started to water. So frustrating. I left the restaurant and went outside until it subsided then went back in (Steven came out to check on me, aww).

After lunch I drove us to the White Mountain National Park visitor center in Lincoln , and we got tips on what to see on our drive on the Kancamagus Highway. Val had researched the National Forest the day before and found the tip to drive that 35 mile scenic byway and I’m so glad she found it! We told a few locals in Concord we were going and they raved about it.

Steve took over driving after the visitor center and I moved to the navigator seat. We stopped at the Lincoln Woods suspension bridge and were awed by all the fall colors there,

went to a few overlooks that looked the same,

saw a cool waterfall at Sabbady Falls,

intended to read the interpretive signs at the Russell-Colbath House but just goofed around taking jumping photos (we all laughed so hard – Steve said that was his favorite part of the day, and Steven said it made his cold feel better),

and saw the Rocky Gorge.

The National Forest was beautiful and I can see why the person who told us about it liked it better IF what they were going for was fall color, because there was a lot of that there. I’m so glad we went. Again, I would LOVE to explore more of the trails there someday! It would have been cool to see part of the Appalachian trail.

We left the forest and Steve drove us to Revolution Taproom and Grill in Rochester, New Hampshire, where we were meeting Charlyn. I hadn’t seen her since March 1, 2020 when we came back from our Atlanta Olympics Marathon Trials trip! Isn’t that nuts? She moved to Maine about a year ago and I was like “ahh! Will I ever see her again?!”

I’m so glad it worked out to meet up. We got to catch up over appetizers and dinner, and I loved hearing about how different her life is in Maine and how much happier she is. My heart was very full after seeing her and Val and Steve enjoyed meeting her!

I drove us back to the Airbnb, and we got back just after 10:00. I mostly finished writing postcards (about 15?) then we all found out we didn’t win the lottery (womp womp) and called it a night. I got most of my things packed so I wouldn’t have to do it the next day. Poor Steven felt so horrible, and sounded horrible, and did NOT sleep well that night, but I slept much better, just like I had the day before, and hoped his cold would be as quick as mine!