Thursday, September 16, 2010
Sun River CG, Barnstead, NH - July 2-8
This cg was selected because it was the most reasonably priced fairly decent cg near our friends Pat & Dennis Wood. They are friends who are full-timers also but park on land that they own near here each summer. The cg is nice enough, but the trees are too close for comfortable passage in spots, and the electricity is minimal (even though they claim it is 30 amps). We are spending most of our time with Pat & Dennis, so this is not much of a problem. Luckily it is cool enough that we don't need the a/c on for the cats.
Our first few days here were spent checking out the local area and catching up on game playing. We attended the local Fourth of July fireworks display. As we waited for it to start, it started to sprinkle lightly, but just in time for the fireworks it turned into a steady downpour. The fireworks were still good; mother nature provided a few of her own; and no one melted from all the water. We walked on the Weirs Beach Boardwalk along Lake Winnepesaukee. The nearby town, Laconia, is home to a motorcyle gathering similar to that held in Sturgis, SD, which brings in hundreds of thousand of motorcyclers. It really would fill up this area of valleys & lakes. We felt lucky to have missed it.The part of NH where our friends live is called The Lakes District. It is comprised of rolling mountains (The Belknaps, 2-3000 ft elev) interspersed with many lakes. Dennis & Pat took us to several locations where the vistas of tree-covered mountains surrounded by meandering blue water were breathtaking. On the Fourth of July, we were able to experience the water firsthand. We went out for an afternoon of sailing on one of their friend's 40-foot sailboat (sloop). We sailed around Lake Winnipesaukee for several hours.
We took a drive in the White Mountains one day. We saw the Old Man of the Mountain (aka Great Stone Face or Profile Rock), which is the face featured on NH highway signs and license plates. This granite face is so well known that people sometimes come here looking for Mount Rushmore. We also walked to The Basin, a beautiful waterfall falling into a granite pothole 20 ft in diameter. We drove across the Kankamagus Highway to come back on the east side of the mountains, stopping along the way to see Madison Boulder, one of the largest glacial erratics (rocks left behind by glaciers over 25000 years ago) in the world.Pat & Dennis are quite avid game players, so most evenings were spent in friendly competition, sometimes as individuals & sometimes as teams. We spent a lot of time up at their land enjoying the solitude & lovely views. While wandering thru the meadows around their land, we found abundant blueberries, strawberries & raspberries. All around the countryside are the remains of old stone fences. They are remnants of "hill farms" -- hilltop land purchased by poor people to try to farm. The soil was so rocky that they could build fences from just clearing the land. Most of the farms failed & have long since reverted back to forests.
While there, we saw Evening Grosbeaks & Rose-breasted Grosbeaks at their feeder, both new for our list. Indigo Buntings & American Goldfinches added to the bright colors.
# posted by Doug and Willie @ 9:13 PM 
