Saturday, September 30th, was the third and final Bronco Nation Bronco Sport Meet-Up for 2023. Although Friday brought rain, Saturday dawned cool and clear and autumn was in almost full color.
See the other Sport member meet-ups!
The starting spot for the Meet-Up was the Loon Lake Lodge in Plymouth, NH, and we were set up and ready with hot coffee and Bronco Sport stickers, ready to meet everyone and show them the amazing scenic drive and trail system that we had discovered.
The turnout wasn’t great, probably because of the rain, but we set off at shortly after 9AM for the Kancamagus Scenic Byway through the White Mountain National Forest.
After a short drive, we stopped at a scenic overlook to take in the mountain views and fall colors, as well as to have a chat and get to know everyone better. Mark and Jessica, and their daughter Lana, are from New Hampshire, so they were familiar with this route and its popularity. Some of the drive was very congested, but our stop had very few tourists, a perfect chance for Mark to get out their dog Shelby, and we enjoyed the crisp weather.
We briefly stopped a few miles further up at another scenic overlook to check out the other side of the mountain. We then drove over to the Russel-Colbath home that was built in the early 1800s that has been preserved as a historic site and museum and walked the grounds, touring the home and garden area. The last inhabitant to live in the home was born there in 1850 and died there in 1930, spending her entire life in the White Mountains. She’s even buried there, in the small cemetery. After her passing, the home was purchased and restored by the National Forest where it is open to the public.
We then drove down and across the historic Albany covered bridge, which was definitely a highlight. This bridge is 120ft long and was built in 1858 and restored in 1970 to allow passenger cars to still drive over it. It crosses the Swift River and the original cost to build the bridge was $1,300. There were lots of tourists at the bridge but not many driving over it, mostly walking and taking photographs. We all drove slowly across, enjoying the views. After crossing the bridge, the road became narrow and the drive into Conway was quiet and very scenic, having lost most of the tourist traffic along the Kancamagus.
The next stop was our lunch break, and we visited the Boro bakery, located in Moultonborough. We had pre-ordered sandwiches, and they were ready for us when we got there. They have a nice outdoor area and we utilized their picnic tables and enjoyed the break.
After lunch, we made our way through the town of Sandwich, that was chartered in 1763. It was named for the 4th Earl of Sandwich who yes, apparently invented one of our favorite go-to lunch items, and down to Sandwich Notch Rd. This road was built in 1801 and in its heyday, in the first decades of the nineteenth century it was an interstate highway of the time allowing farmers and craftsmen from Vermont and northwestern New Hampshire a shortcut to tidewater at Dover and Portsmouth for their goods and wares. Now it is a seasonal, often one-lane road.
Shortly into the drive, we stopped to hike a short trail out to Beede Falls. We had the entire place to ourselves, and the area was absolutely magical. We stayed here for quite a while, watching Lana and Shelby enjoy the water, before hiking back along a short loop back to our Sports.
We then started enjoying the trail drive, with several one lane bridge crossings and the sun shining through the foliage. We drove over to a small mountain lake, called Upper Hall Pond and across a small creek crossing and noticed another Bronco Sport parked at the end of the road. The gentleman was out fishing and was having some good luck in the stocked lake. He loves his Bronco Sport and he is totally into the lifestyle, letting us know it takes him everywhere he wants to go.
On our way to the next stop, we passed a group of Broncos coming down the trail. The gentleman in the first Bronco asked if we were the Bronco Nation group and of course, we answered yes. They were doing a club run in the opposite direction of us and hoped they would run into us. It was really cool to see the support for the Sports out in New Hampshire.
We then stopped at an old abandoned homestead at the edge of the forest. This was owned by the last resident in this area as of the early 1900s, Moses Hall. There is a small open meadow that gives a great view of the mountains and fall colors, along with a stone wall and old apple trees. The area is just beautiful.
Our final stop was at a historic barn and farm that is occupied but Jenna noticed that there were goats in the field and had to make a stop to visit them. We learned that she is fascinated with goats, and she and Lana enjoyed petting them and feeding them carrots.
At the end of the Sandwich Notch Rd, we had a brief ground school and explained items that we take in the Bronco Sport when we go off-road. We would have enjoyed a few more Sports in the group, but it was a lovely day, and everyone had a great time.
Add Your Own Meet-Up to the Calendar
Did you know you can easily create your own event for the Bronco Nation Bronco and Sport community? It’s simple:
- Plan when you want your event and what you want to do. Scenic drives, rock crawling, mountain biking, meeting up for pizza ... you name it.
- Go to thebronconation.com/events and hit “Create Event.”
- Add in your event details and pictures.
- Save it, and it will be listed on the calendar for all to find and attend!
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