When last we spoke, we had arrived at Freeport, Maine where L. L. Bean has it's headquarters and main store. They also have classes for different things like Kayaking, Archery, and other stuff. I spent much of this time monitoring a big software development rollout from my room or near by, and it was very successful. Just before we left Freeport, we took a very short kayaking class in the nearby bay with the kids, while Di stayed with Luke around L. L. Bean. We had a really nice time and the kids got to learn the basics of kayaking from professionals. Of course, they also want kayaks now so the L. L. Bean scheme worked! Especially since I want one too! Darn, they're good! We also had softserve ice cream at Classic Custard, and it was very good. I really enjoyed their malted shakes.
We did some shopping and other stuff, and then we packed the car and headed to Chocorua, New Hampshire to the KOA campgrounds there (which they call a camping village). What it should be called is a Chocorua Camping Village and Doggy Paradise. They had a doggy beach where dogs can go offleash and frolic in the river, and come out smelling, well, like dog (not pleasant for us humans). Warning, never let your dog "frolic" in the river with other dogs late in the evening before he joins you in the tent for sleeping, smelling like a wet dog! There is also a doggy fitness track and play area, a kennel, and they give out doggy treats occassionally. As you would guess, Luke loved the social event at the beach, and got the wet dog smell down pat! This is a really nice KOA, and not just because of the doggy amenaties. They have about 5 miles of hiking/biking trails, a beautiful boardwalk that goes over the Chocorua River, and amazingly enough there wasn't many mosquitos! And they are less than a mile away from a Dunkin Donuts!!!!!
On Tuesday we went to Mount Washington Autoroad and drove up the mountain. The drive there was incredibly scenic, with great views of the mountains and rivers, and a starbucks! On the Autoroad up, the views were breath taking (around every corner was a new view with cloud-covered peaks). Wow! Every few thousand feet of elevation the vegetation changed to something different, and it got windier and windier as you got further up. There are a few places where the road is pretty steep and when you have to stay close to the edge because of an oncoming car(s), I actually sweated and we muttered a few prayers and asked for forgiveness for cursing so much when I was younger and that time I accidentally took a horoscope booklet which looked like it was free... Finally at about 6,000 feet, the vegetation was tundra-like (i.e. grass, lichen, and rocks, and not much else), and the winds were high. Luke came close to being a doggie kite. The kids loved it and the pictures look like they are all in a wind tunnel (I'll post some below), and in the pictures where they looked like they are holding on for dear life, they are. Finally at the top, the summit is literally in the clouds, so you are treated to gale-forced winds in a fog. It was quite the experience that we're not likely to forget. Of course since it was so warm at the base (94 degrees) the summit wasn't as cold as it usually is (it was in the balmy 50's, when it's usually 10 degrees lower). I highly recommend it to anyone in the neighborhood who's never done it.
Once we came off of the mountain (did I mention how I got used to listening to the engine whine in L1 gear?) we went to the nearby Black Mountain Ski resort for horseback riding. That was fun, though my horse, Andre, had a mind of his own. When I tried to go off course, he decided to ignore my steering attempts and followed a path. Bummer! I tried to take pictures here but they're all so shaky! Oh well, I tried.
On Wednesday, we decided to drive along the Kancamagus Highway (known by the locals lovingly as the "Kanc", like kanker sore) along the Southern White Mountains Forest and stop along the way to play in the water. This turned out to be a lot of fun and involved balancing along rocks, making sure I didn't get into Luke's way as he bounded from rock to rock like the goat he really is under that fur, and chasing my daughter's pink flip-flop down the river. It was here that I discovered Luke did not like water, as he had this pathetic look on his face whenever he fell into the water, usually when I pushed him in. In an area called "Lower Falls" we had the most fun, and there were a lot of people here (go early). There was water slides, mini water falls, and pools for swimming. The kids really enjoyed themselves though Luke looked on and we chose not to get him wet so the wet-dog smell would be gone by the time we went back to camp. We found another place to swim in the "Lincoln Woods" area but the kids were asleep and we were all tired from the day.
On Thursday we went to the Polar Caves, an area where there was once a landslide and they made a park out of climbing in and out of the boulders. At the bottom, some of these boulders were actually cold! In 92 degree heat, that was nice, kind of like walking past an air conditioned store with the doors open. It was hard getting out of those caves... It's a nice place and the kids had fun, and I hit my head quite a lot since the caves were made for kids. Unfortunately Luke had to stay in the car but we had a shaded parking spot.
On Friday we weren't in the mood to pack tents in the rain (forecasted in the evening, remnant of a hurricane) so we decided to pack up camp a day early and rents some boats before we left Chocorua Doggie Heaven. We even brought Luke along on the row boat, and it took some time for him to get his sea legs. The kids went in kayaks and they did great. Finally, after a Rasberry Lime Rickey toast (great soda flavor), we left the camp in the afternoon and went to the Best Western in Franconia. A nice hotel with a good indoor pool, but I did get this nasty ear ache from it that I still have as I write this today on Monday. The room had a LCD flatpanel TV though we didn't watch much of it. We also went out and had homemade ice cream at Bishop's (excellent!).
Finally on Saturday we came home, byway of Vermont. In Vermont we stopped at Cabot Cheese factory (Chili-Lime Cheddar was really good!) and then went to the Ben and Jerry Factory. I tried the "Cookies and Milk" ice cream on a waffle cone (the whole place smelled like home made waffle cones). Awesome!!! After getting drunk on ice cream, we headed home. I wanted to stop at the Green Mountain Coffee factory, but time was working against us and I wanted to get home. By 10:30 p.m. we were home and our vacation was over.
What would I do differently? Nothing. Would I go back again? Yes, especially White Mountain National Forest. I'd like to explore it more, especially the Franconia Notch area and some of the other swimming areas in the Kancamagus Highway area. Maine was great too and I'd like to do more exploring there, and maybe go further North into Baxter State Park, the starting point of the Appalachian Train (or the ending point, depending on your preference).
What's next? I don't know. Let's see what Columbus Day weekend looks like...
If you have any questions, let me know.
Some pictures:
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| Sabbaday Falls along the Kancamagus Highway |
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| Me and Andre getting ready for our ride |
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| The view from the Mt. Washington Autoroad |
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| Luke dealing with the wind on Mt. Washington and trying hard not to be a doggy kite |
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| Our camp at Chocorua KOA |
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| Going down... (Mt. Washington) |
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| Me enjoying the water at Lower Falls along the Kancamagus Highway. Ahhhhhh! |
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| Does he look like he's enjoying himself? I didn't think so... |
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| Rock jumping at Lower Falls |
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| Polar Caves view from the top of the path |
"Do you see anything?"
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| "Why do these guys have to like the water?!?!?!" |
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| Kids in kayaks on Moore's Pond at the Chocorua KOA |
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