Welcome back to “As I See It”.

This is one of my favorite day trips.

The two, to two and a half hour, ride out to the coast.

Generally my destination is unknown at the time of my departure. 

I just know that I have to get out to the ocean. Stat!

I know that starting in the area that I live in Vermont, I will head south on Interstate 91, or as I call it, “The 91.”

It won’t be but two off ramps before I take the adventure south on “The 89.” The “89" south actually takes us in a southeast direction through New Hampshire.

Where “The 89” ends, I pick up “The 93” heading south. About an hour into the drive, and a few minutes after starting south on “The 93”, I make a pit stop at the Hookset Rest Area.

Back in the day, it was tradition to stop there for my first cigarette break of the ride. Those days are long gone, but I still stop there, always to use the restroom, and maybe to pick up a sandwich or a bottle of water. 

Though it’s of no use to me, it does have a huge New Hampshire Liquor and Wine Outlet store. It is a one stop shopping location for hungry, thirsty and full bladdered travelers, and their car’s empty gas tanks.

Once all my needs that can be met there, have been met, I’m on the road again, and it’s always great to be on the road again.

It’s not much further until I reach “The 101” which I can only take east.

Coming from California, “The 101” is an all too familiar freeway that runs north south through the state, from Los Angeles to the Oregon border.

In California, I’ve driven “The 101” tens of thousands of time, and that lends to the feeling of comfort when I’m driving on “The 101” east through New Hampshire. It also helps that at that point, I am less than one hour from getting to the ocean. Negative ions, here I come!

As this point, my destination is still usually unknown, but I do know that I will be stopping in Exeter, New Hampshire.

Exeter is a town rich with American history. It was founded in 1638, at the time when that land still belonged to Massachusetts. It was the New Hampshire Revolutionary War Capital. Exeter had a strong abolitionist movement, with the largest free African American population in New Hampshire in 1790.

On November 4, 1789, General George Washington spent the night being entertained at the Folsom Tavern on Water St. In 1860 Abraham Lincoln gave a speech at the Exeter Town Hall. His son attended the Phillips Exeter Academy.

In 1983, one of the original copies of the Declaration of Independence was found in the walls at the American Independence Museum, where it can still be viewed.

Now, I came to know this town in 2016, when I did my yoga teacher training there, at the Yoga Life Institute. Ten weeks, three days a week.

I came to know this town, and I came to love this town. A sweet Northern New England town. The energy is light and clear. Downtown is lined with brick buildings and brick sidewalks. All sorts of businesses occupy downtown, with nary an empty storefront. There are many delicious restaurants. A couple of toy stores. An ice cream shop. Art galleries. Soleil’s Salt Cave. A music store where as soon as finances allow, I’ll be buying my acoustic guitar. I could take music lessons at the same store, or buy a past issue of Downbeat Magazine. A magazine that I haven’t seen since the 60’s, when my mother read it. I did pop a few gray hairs when I saw them.

There is small park that follows the Squamscott River, where seasonly there is a weekly farmer’s market, and live music. 

The biggest “business” in town is the Phillips Exeter Academy. The Phillips Exeter Academy is a private high school, founded in 1781. The school has a rich history, and the campus is wide spread throughout the town. There are many buildings to photograph and so much to share about the Phillips Exeter Academy, that I will be posting another blog solely featuring the school. 

But now it’s time to leave Exeter, and continue out to the coast. No worries, we’ll be back to Exeter soon enough.

It’s at this point that I must decide on a final destination, or at least the direction to which area I want to visit.

Do I want a shorter trip to hit up one of the beaches on the 18 miles of New Hampshire shoreline? Rye Beach? Hampton Beach? North Hampton Beach? Bass Beach?

Or should I venture a bit farther north in to Maine? Seacoast Beach in Kittery? York Beach, Short Sands Beach, or Long Sands Beach, all in York? Wells Beach in Wells? The Marginal Way in Ogunquit? Oh so many choices within a two and a half hour range.

This trip I ended up in Bass Beach. A small beach, unknown to many. There is no parking lot or big signs. If you don’t know it’s there, you’ll drive right by it. But I know it’s there, I’ve been many times. This time I spent a couple of hours there, soaking in the negative ions and hanging with Ms. Steel.

On my way home, I stopped back in Exeter. Back to my favorite grocery store, Off The Vine. I was hoping to get there in time for a smoothie, but they had already cleaned up and closed down the blenders. Alas. At least I was able to buy one of the many pre made meals to take home for a late dinner. 

As always, it was a thoroughly enjoyable day.