Route 4A in New Hampshire is a gem that few people ever visit and even fewer take time to explore. Although there are wonderful spots right along the road for photography, taking various side roads a mile or two can lead to rewarding discoveries.
I spent a little time on four days the last week of September exploring along 4A. All of the photos in this blog were taken this week within one mile of 4A — as the crow or eagle flies. Road distances may be somewhat farther. You can read a previous, more detailed blog on Route 4A by clicking HERE.
Friday
Yesterday I spent only 40 minutes mid-afternoon along 4A. Jann and I were up north in the morning, and I had only a small window before the sun broke through the clouds in the afternoon. Here is a slide show from one spot.
This slide show above is actually composed of 4 different crops from the 5-shot panorama seen below.
I got another photo from a bit farther down the road. The water level is lower than normal, but at least the area isn’t completely dry as are some areas.
The George Pond kayak launch had much mud. Launching a kayak would be a challenge. You can see a bit of the launch area behind the maple in the photo below. Part of the pond can be seen at the top left.
The dry conditions allowed me to approach the pond on foot much closer than in previous years. The wetland vegetation in this area was varied and interesting.
Thursday
Thursday was foggy early then the day quickly turned very sunny. The early fog over McDaniels Marsh made for some interesting photos. The sun was a challenge the rest of the morning.
Below is a 6-photo panorama of the brief sunrise over the marsh.
And two photos of the early light on the marsh.
In the distance, a large group of Canada Geese made their way across the marsh.
You can see them better in this view.
I worked my way to the edge of George Pond to get the photo below. The sun was quickly burning off the remaining fog even though it had only been up for 30 minutes.
The water level was quite low in the arm of George Pond that touches 4A. What water that was there provided a nice reflection.
The early light created some dramatic shadows in a field near the intersection of 4A and Four Corners Road in Springfield.
Farther southeast along 4A a wetland showed some color.
I checked out a favorite spot in Wilmot, but the foliage there was not very colorful. I did, however, get a photo of a horse in the early backlight.
While photographing a wetland 500 feet off 4A, a Red-tailed Hawk made a brief appearance. I was ready since I normally have a second camera around my neck when one is on a tripod.
Uphill from North Wilmot I got a photo of Mount Kearsarge behind a farm.
Finally in Andover near the southeast end of 4A I got a photo of a very quiet Blackwater River.
Wednesday
In contrast to the sun of Thursday, on Wednesday I photographed near 4A in Enfield and Springfield for 90 minutes in light rain.
Below is a photo of George Pond from the same spot that produced the nice reflections that I got Thursday (see above).
The wetland near the main pond was quietly beautiful in the soft light.
The foliage in the Enfield Wildlife Management Area was colorful.
Heading into Springfield I saw a group of wild turkeys. They seem to be everywhere this year.
I found this scene along a side road.
Tuesday
On Tuesday I only travelled about a half mile along 4A. In a tree above the road was a very relaxed Bald Eagle. I took many photo of it on three different perches. You can see more photos of this female eagle who raised her first chick this summer on Lake Mascoma if you click HERE.
To end with a bit of whimsy, here is some graffiti that I discovered under the new Route 4 bridge where the northwest end of Route 4A meets Route 4.
Here are a few more photos that I took along 4A this week.
If you enjoyed this, be sure to read the previous blog on Route 4A by clicking HERE.