New Hampshire – David Kotz

Cross-country USA

Driving home from San Francisco.

I’ve always wanted to drive across country, that is, across the United States from west to east. In my mind, it was always a leisurely road-trip wandering from state to state, exploring the national parks, historic sites, and cultural touchstones along the way. So, I was pleased when a series of duties and events aligned, finally allowing me the opportunity to drive from California to New Hampshire. The schedule did not allow me to wander leisurely about the landscape – let alone to explore any place in depth, or to pause for serious photography – but the trip nonetheless presented a smorgasbord of scenery, a cross-section of roadside dining outlets, and brief glimpses of Americana.

High-level map of our route, excluding some small side trips; ignore the time labels, which are Apple Maps’ estimate of non-stop drive time. We drove 4,096 miles (6,592 kilometers)!

Hiking NH again

Home in New Hampshire!

After a brief return to Lisbon [photos] for a conference, I’ve arrived home again to New Hampshire. At my first opportunity, I joined a friend for a hike along the Appalachian Trail here in my hometown of Lyme NH. It is an easy hike up the north slope of Moose Mountain, to a barely discernible ~2300′ summit covered in trees. This trail is pleasant for its gentle climb through hardwood forests to a ledgy summit ridge. Although it has no real views or distinctive features, it holds a special place in my heart because I built this trail. Literally.

The Appalachian Trail over Moose Mountain.

Sale, Prestbury, and Lyme Park

A visit to my birthplace.

Fun fact: a bit more than six decades ago, I was born in England. I departed for the United States only three months later… so I have no memory of my birth country. Thus, the opportunity to spend a year living in London, and exploring England, has been especially meaningful. This week we took a roadtrip to the Manchester area to find my birthplace and to visit some of my parents’ friends.

My birthplace (then a maternity hospital) – Sale, Cheshire, England.

2025 Favorites

Favorite photos and videos.

Wow, 2025 was quite the year. With a dozen or more hikes in New Hampshire, and travels to Australia, England, Greenland, Iceland, New Zealand, Colorado, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and South Carolina, I had many opportunities for photography. Check out some of my favorite photos!

Sunrise view from Fryingpan Firetower, in the Blue Ridge of NC.

‘Round the girdled earth we roam

50 days of non-stop travel around the world,… and then some.

Whew, it’s good to be back home, after fifty consecutive days of travel spanning the globe. We departed our flat in London on 15 October and, other than a brief visit to the flat for two nights of laundry and repacking, we’ve been on the road ever since.

photo of a map showing our actual route from London to Singapore, midway through the flight.

Gile Mountain

Back in New England, briefly.

Four weekend hikes in a row – what a treat! This morning I met two friends just before sunrise to climb the tiny-but-beautiful Gile Mountain, here in Norwich. No, that’s not Norwich, England… this pretty little peak is in Norwich, New England. I happen to be back at Dartmouth for a long weekend, and took the opportunity to visit this local favorite: a short hike to an otherwise unremarkable bump in the rolling hills of Vermont, with a firetower that allows one to climb above the trees and enjoy a spectacular 360º view across the Upper Valley, the Connecticut River, and the route of the Appalachian Trail as it passes through Norwich, Hanover, and along the ridges past mounts Moose, Smarts, Cube, Mist, and culminating on the twin peaks of Mount Moosilauke.

Sunrise view from Gile Mountain. Mount Moosilauke is on the horizon at right.

Middle Sister

Another peak on a hazy day.

Despite the stagnant weather – which has left us to suffer without rain for two weeks, in hot, hazy, and humid conditions suffused with smoke from distant Canadian wildfires – I was itching to get out for one more hike. Today I scampered up a small peak with an unassuming name but a fantastic view: Middle Sister. This granite-topped peak formerly hosted a stone firetower, offering nearly 360º views of the southern high peaks’ region of what is now White Mountain National Forest. One of three bumps on a ridge connected to their more famous neighbor, Mount Chocorua, the Three Sisters have views nearly as good but with far fewer people. Indeed, it’s possible I was the only visitor to Middle Sister and First Sister today. Read on!

Photo of Mount Chocorua from First Sister peak — Mount Chocorua seen from First Sister peak – White Mountains NH.

Lyme wildlife – July (part 2)

The second installment in a two-part post of July/August wildlife videos.

Over the past two years, most of my wildlife videos have been captured by cameras placed on a hill near my home. In this post – my final post of wildlife-camera video until next year – I have some pretty neat stuff to share. Lots of bobcats and black bears! Read on to watch both videos.

bear cub crossing a log right in front of the camera…

Bald Peak

Another smoky summit.

A friend and I were eager to get out hiking, today. The forecast showed a risk of thunderstorms in early afternoon, so we opted for a short hike: to Bald Peak. As one of the peaks on the “52 with a view” list, it promised some nice views from the shoulder of the Kinsman Range toward the west. Unfortunately, the lingering smoke from Canadian wildfires left us with a hazy view at best. Still, it was a worthwhile hike to a nice viewpoint.

David and Ken on Bald Peak, with a hazy view.
Mount Moosilauke is high in the haze and clouds in the left distance.

Lyme wildlife – July (part 1)

The first of two installments of video from my wildlife cameras.

It felt like we had a slow start to summer here in Lyme, but my wildlife cameras nonetheless captured bears, bobcats, and more. In this post, I’ll share two videos spanning July 1 through August 5.