Lighthouse & Airport Anniversary 🥂

Our 2022 anniversary getaway was fun and relaxing. Thanks to all for the well wishes. 

We opted to stay in state and chose a destination about 90 minutes away from Nashua, NH, at the Chesterfield Inn located in (guess where)—Chesterfield, NH.

Before our Sunday arrival at the inn, Saturday was spent at a lighthouse and Sunday breakfast was at an airport—both also in NH. 

On Saturday, Grenville and two fellow ham radio operators participated in the International Lighthouse weekend. During this annual event ham radio operators operate from lighthouses to connect with one another worldwide, usually on the third weekend in August. This year, the event's 25th anniversary coincided with our 23rd  anniversary weekend.

Advance permission was obtained to set up their equipment at Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse located at the U.S. Coast Guard Station Portsmouth Harbor in New Castle, NH, at the entrance into Portsmouth Harbor. 

Portsmouth Lighthouse, NH

The 48-foot white conical Portsmouth Lighthouse was built in 1878. The lighthouse has been moved a number of times within the area and has been in its present position within the walls of Fort Constitution since 1906. It was painted a reddish-brownish color until 1902, when it was painted white. It has a 44-stair spiraling staircase and then a 7-rung ladder that leads to the top. Grenville and friends climbed to the top to set up antennas; however, I did not.

Fort Constitution view

The lighthouse is adjacent to a former British Revolutionary War fortification and overlooks the Piscataqua River and the Atlantic Ocean. Fort William and Mary (named after the king and queen of England) was later renamed to Fort Constitution after American forces gained control. In 1774, local patriots from the Portsmouth area overcame a six-man caretaker detachment and seized the garrison's powder. The incident is significant as one of the first overt acts of the American Revolutionary War, also the only battle to take place in NH.

Formerly the fort was open to visitors. It's not closed to all and visitors are not allowed inside the grounds. That's because the fort was deemed unsafe after a visitor was injured by falling bricks in June 2018. I climbed to just below the top of the lighthouse for this porthole view showing some of Fort Constitution for the only view I could get.

Because of its short ocean coastline, NH has fewer lighthouses (5) than most other New England states. Despite that low number, Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse was selected as one of five New England lighthouses for the USPS Forever Stamp collection in 2013.  

Sunday morning, we headed to our getaway destination, but first we went to the airport for breakfast. Yes, Nashua, NH, has an airport with a cafe and not one you would easily locate on a drive. Midfield Cafe is on a roadway that leads only to the Nashua Airport at Boire Field.

Breakfast at Midfield Cafe at the Nashua Airport

Only breakfast and lunch is served here and the menus here are classic diner comfort food with a few twists. Yes, that is ice cream on Grenville's pancakes à la mode. We've dined at this cafe many times, notably for my birthday a few years ago. The history of the airport and that celebration were posted in this 2018 birthday post. 

Chesterfield Inn B&B in Chesterfield, NH

Our final destination was the Chesterfield Inn bed and breakfast, a restored farmhouse that consists of a main building and cottages near the Connecticut River and the Vermont border. Unlike some other lodgings we have stayed at over the years, the inn doesn't have a long or storied history. While the owner's house, attached to the inn, was built in the early 1780s, the rest of the inn is not as old, originally built as sheds and barns dating to the early 1900s.

Anniversary sunset watching in Chesterfield, NH

There are several notable sites in this area. In October 2020, we took a day road trip to West Chesterfield, NH, and visited one of the most notable, Madame Sherri's Castle, also called Castle Sherri, and described in this earlier post.

Unfortunately the weather wasn't conducive for outdoor exploration during our stay with (much needed) late afternoon showers. We drove through part of Pisgah State Park, NH's largest state park, covering over 13,300 acres. We walked part of the 13-acre Chesterfield Gorge Natural Area, while the Wayside Trail is less than a mile long, we didn't bring hiking footwear this trip. 

Anniversary treat in Brattleboro, VT

Of course, for us, no celebration is complete without a treat and, as readers of this blog know, our preference is ice cream. We found these treats in nearby Brattleboro, VT.

We enjoyed a wonderful celebration getaway and, as always, look forward to the next one. That's coming up soon and involves a NH dinner train excursion.

This week, I'm catching up on your recent blog posts and preparing a post from our July Maine trip that includes a couple of historic vessels.