Picture This! Photograph yourself with the state's "Seven Natural Wonders" and win prizes!
Last year, we assigned travel writer Barbara Rogers the challenge of identifying the Seven Natural Wonders of New Hampshire. Rogers is a well-known and respected authority on the back roads and attractions of the state, so while some may disagree with her choices, we consider them definitive — at least until someone comes up with a better list.
Meanwhile, you can follow her trail on a journey of discovery and maybe even win some great prizes. Just visit all seven natural wonders (listed below) and have a photo taken of you and/or your family. Send all seven photos to us (jpegs via e-mail are best) and we’ll pick our favorite explorers to feature in New Hampshire Magazine and on the New Hampshire Magazine Web site. We’ll have lots of prizes, ranging from gift certificates to coffee mugs, but the real reward will come from getting better acquainted with the great Granite State.
Contest ends on October 31, 2008, so send your photos in before then. E-mail photos to editor Rick Broussard at editor@nh.com, or, send them by mail to: New Hampshire Magazine 150 Dow St. Manchester, NH. 03101 attn. Rick Broussard.
REMINDER!
Don’t forget to identify the people in your photos and provide a way to get a hold of you. Feel free to provide descriptions of your explorations. All submissions become property of New Hampshire Magazine for promotional or other purposes.
Check out last year’s winner, the Wells family of Bow, using the link below.
http://www.nhmagazine.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071220/NHM01/81149666
Also, here’s a letter from the Wells family:
N.H. Is Wonder-full
In the warmth of the summer of 2007, we enjoyed exploring some of the finest natural sites New Hampshire has to offer as we played our way through the list of the “7 Wonders of New Hampshire” provided by New Hampshire Magazine. Little did we know that our family would be selected as winners of that contest and be awarded a two-night stay at what would undoubtedly top the list of the “7 Manmade Wonders of New Hampshire”: The Mount Washington Hotel.
From the moment we turned into the hotel’s drive, we were struck by grandeur. The panoramic view of the White Mountains’ Presidential Range provides a fitting backdrop for the white façade and red roof of the Grandest of New Hampshire’s Grand Hotels. The experience continued as we walked into the hotel lobby and were immersed into the opulence of a bygone era.
But its not just luxury that New Hampshire Magazine and the Mount Washington Hotel provided our family. They also provided us another opportunity to enjoy the fun of winter in New Hampshire together as a family.
So we’d all like to offer a big thank-you to New Hampshire Magazine for their generous prize package, and to the Mount Washington Hotel for their hospitality. We hope that next year’s winners enjoy the experience of the Seven Wonders of New Hampshire Contest as much as we did.
The Wells Family
Bow
The Seven Natural Wonders
Much of New Hampshire’s topography and geology was the work of glaciers: glacial caves, glacial erratics, glacial talus. Whatever the ice left behind is still here, leaving us with some impressive natural wonders. Here is the top seven, according to our travel expert Barbara Radcliffe Rogers.
Polar Caves: A mountainside of glacial debris — huge boulders form caves, which you can explore via subterranean stairs and narrow passageways. Look up to see the overhanging cliff these boulders fell from. ( www.polarcaves.com)
Lost River Gorge & Boulder Caves: What else can you ask for? Waterfalls, caves, creepy passages to wriggle through, plus a geology lesson and a wildflower garden. (www.findlostriver.com)
Loon Mountain Glacial Caves: Ride the gondola to the little-known talus field at the top of Loon Mountain (www.loonmtn.com), where wooden stairs lead almost straight down into a jumble of house-sized boulders. You can simply look at the boulders or join the kids wiggling through the small spaces.
The Flume: One of the White Mountains’ most beloved attractions, in Franconia Notch, a giant split in the rock with a river tumbling through. (603-745-8391)
Sabbaday Falls: A one-mile round trip trail walk from the Kancamagus Highway, this waterfall begins by dropping into a rock bowl, which spills into a 20-foot plunge that makes a right-angle turn and drops another 15 feet before reaching the pool at its base.
Sculptured Rocks: Immense potholes in the river gorge look as though a giant ice cream scoop had been at work in the rocks. This spot in Groton is a nice one for a picnic.
Madison Boulder: The mile-deep ice cube that once covered the White Mountains scraped off their tops and pulled away pieces to take with it. This is one of the world’s largest of these glacial erratics. It probably came from about four miles away, in Albany.
