| No one from outside the state knows quite what to | | | | "summer people", the vernacular calls them, or more |
| make of New Hampshire; tucked up in the northeast | | | | recently, "flatlanders".Heading north, the traveler heads |
| region of the country between the more famously | | | | through Concord, the state capital, and within an hour |
| bucolic states of Vermont and Maine, it doesn't really | | | | comes to the Lakes region, with the largest lake, |
| have an easily defined identity.The state shows up | | | | Winnepesaukee, a magnet for tourists. It and the |
| once every four years on the national radar screen | | | | surrounding smaller lakes, formed eons ago by glacial |
| because of its first-in-the-nation presidential primary, | | | | activity, offer a lively summer culture, with boating, |
| though the Iowa caucuses have managed to steal a | | | | fishing, swimming, and plenty of summer events. |
| little of the Yankee state's thunder in that regard. | | | | Further north still are the astonishing White Mountains, |
| Everybody outside the state thought us native-born | | | | tall, jagged mountains reminiscent of the European |
| New Hampshirites were nuts when the Old Man in the | | | | Alps which stretch almost across the entire middle of |
| Mountains, that wonderfully distinctive Great Stone | | | | the state from west to east. Popular in summer, |
| Face in Franconia Notch, succumbed to centuries of | | | | they're packed in the winter with skiers looking for |
| erosion and the cold, and we mourned his passing as if | | | | challenging ski conditions. Some areas, like Waterville |
| he were a beloved family member - which he was, a | | | | Valley, host ski events with Olympic caliber |
| sort of spiritual guardian watching over us protectively, | | | | competitors; every so often, the state manages to |
| now gone forever.We show up on the news once in a | | | | produce an Olympic champion. From the mountains, |
| while when some crackpot goes on a crime spree | | | | past the presidential range and north of the town of |
| and then heads for Canada, generally right up the | | | | Berlin, the land flattens out on its way to the Canadian |
| middle of the state on I93, and ends up getting caught | | | | border and Montreal.And, of course, there's Loudon, |
| somewhere around Colebrook. Other than those odd | | | | north of Concord, with its yearly motorcycle race, the |
| happenings, the state doesn't really figure largely in the | | | | oldest in the U.S.; for five days seemingly every |
| national consciousness.Too bad. The little state has a | | | | highway and back road in the state teems with lines of |
| lot to offer. An odd mixture of industrial and rural | | | | motorheads, some on rice burners or Beamers, but |
| landscape, the mostly landlocked state boasts a | | | | mostly on Harleys, heading for the rally and then back |
| ten-mile stretch of coastline featuring the carnival | | | | home again, transforming the entire state into two |
| atmosphere, in the summer anyway, of Hampton | | | | kinds of people: the guys and gals on motorcycles and |
| Beach, and other more quiet beaches like Rye. Further | | | | the rest of us who watch them ride by. The race |
| inland, Manchester features a mixture of old brick | | | | takes place at what is now New Hampshire |
| factory buildings and more modern architecture, with | | | | International Speedway, which in recent years has |
| spectacular mall shopping opportunities as well as | | | | offered official NASCAR races throughout the racing |
| more cultural offerings ranging from galleries to | | | | season - a big story in itself.Something for everyone, |
| nightclubs and including the Verizon Wireless Arena, | | | | indeed. Maybe the reason New Hampshire doesn't |
| site of sports competition and other events, including | | | | have a clear identity in the national psyche is that we |
| bands on tour nationally. The city also boasts its own | | | | have a lot of individual identities, distinct regions with |
| international airport, a sensible alternative to congested | | | | their own flavor and a lively mix of people who |
| Logan in Boston. Nearby Nashua, the birthplace of the | | | | manage to express their interests in an amazing |
| PC (personal computer), has Massachusetts-style | | | | variety of ways - all of which makes for an interesting |
| residential and commercial sprawl, also with lots of | | | | visit to this little state.Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance |
| places to shop, and an ever-growing housing | | | | writer living in southwestern New Hampshire and |
| market.To the west, the Monadnock Region operates | | | | frequently contributes to Tips and Topics. She has |
| at a slower pace than the industrial center, but has its | | | | published numerous articles in local and regional |
| own thriving tourist trade, with plenty of | | | | publications on a wide range of topics, including |
| bed-and-breakfasts, lakes for swimming and boating, | | | | business, education, the arts, and local events. Her |
| covered bridges, and cultural events, from summer | | | | feature articles include an interview with independent |
| theatre to concerts on town commons. This area of | | | | documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and a feature on |
| New Hampshire has traditionally been a favorite for | | | | prisoners at the New Hampshire State Prison in |
| people with the means to "summer" in the region - the | | | | Concord. |