Columbus Day Weekend at Danforth Bay!

This is probably one of my favorite weekends at Danforth Bay. Fall air, site decorations, activities, site trick or treating, local fairs, apple pie, pumpkins, etc.

To bring in the fall season, for the past 3 years Patty has gone ALL OUT and has decorated our camp site! In fact she has won the TOP prize 3 years in a row at the following sites:

2004 -(site E33) weather was good one day bad the next
2005 - (Site K1) weekend was totally WET
2006 - (our seasonal site) was absolutely gorgeous and we met new transient friends (hope they are up this weekend)

This year we are taking a break from decorating but joining in the fun! Bring your decos!

Shawtown Campground Postcard

Patty found this link on ebay... Post card of Danforth Bay as Shawtown Campground....

Interesting!!!


http://cgi.ebay.com/NH-Shawtown-Campground-FREEDOM-NEW-HAMPSHIRE-POSTCARD_W0QQitemZ120165541148QQcmdZViewItem

NH Tolls are going up!

I heard on the radio today that NH tolls are going up!

$1.50 now on I95 (Hampton Tolls)
$1.o0 now at I93 Hookset
$.75 now at Rochester tolls (NH16)
$.75 now at Dover tolls (NH16)

The I95 toll is way too expensive (but NH you voted for this)! I would whole-heartdly support the Rochester/Dover toll increase if the 4 lane hi-way was expanded through the city and into Farmington.

My round trip to Danforth Bay now just more costly! $6.00 vs. $4.00 per car (with out towing). However, I really feel bad for those that travel this way daily back and forth to work! Especially with gas prices as high as they are!

For those of you looking for NEW routes to Danforth Bay:

* I93 to NH 28 to NH 16
-- Pros: shorter mileage; scenic drive; FREE
-- Cons: 20 minutes extra traveling time; get behind someone driving slow and your doomed; Towing a little bit more difficult

* I93 to NH 101 to NH 125 to NH 16
-- Pros: FREE; Better for towing!
-- Cons: 20-30 minutes extra traveling time; no passing lanes on NH125

Hunting Season in New Hampshire!

This Saturday morning the kids, some seasonal friends, and I took a fall hike up to Mt. Mary (at Danforth Bay). On our way up we noticed a herd of dogs barking. We thought, "Wow those dogs are really loud and close by. I was wondering what neighbor would put up with that racket. When we got to the top we heard a LOUD single gunshot noise that seem to echo throughout the valley.

Our seasonal friend quickly pointed out that it was probably a hunter. I of course thought, "It must be something else of they wouldn't hike so close to a popular campground". We proceeded down the mountain and I didn't give it a second thought for the rest of the morning.

Later when I caught up with my seasonal friend again, I found out that the dogs that we heard were hunting dogs which chased a black bear up the tree, off the logging road, not too far from the Mt. Mary trail. In fact I immediately recalled a truck at the bottom of the hill with one of the dogs in the back. The hunter shot the bear in the tree and later "prepared the kill" (e.g., pulled out heart, skinned, etc.).

I further learend that my kids who were out with their friends saw the dead bear and the hunters. Now I'm neither pro hunting nor anti hunting (in fact some species are over populated and need to be controlled) but I find it kind of concerning that hunting would be happening on the doorstep of a popular campground? This type of hunting is legal due to they are killing the bear in the tree vs. in the woods.

However, my kids run though the forest playing manhunt and exploring (in fact they had a bug project due this week for school and were in the woods looking for bugs). I personally think campgrounds should not allow hunting near their property (if at all legally possible). Accidents could happen. It also makes sense to dress in BRIGHT colors and have your kids stay close to site at this time.

Decorating for Fall

Happy Fall!

Even though there was summer like temperatures this weekend we got into the Fall spirit by not only apple picking (and baking) but decorating for fall at our seasonal site.

We stopped by the Mountain Greenery in Ossipee NH and picked up some mums, corn stalks, gords, pumpkins, and a bale of hay. Along with some halloween lights and fall lights we are all set for the upcoming fall season at Danforth Bay.

Apple Picking at Ward's Orchard, Madison, NH

Patty came up with the wonderful idea to go apple picking this weekend. I asked the Danforth Bay office information about a local apple orchard and they immediately told me about Ward's Orchard in Madison, NH. This should have been a 10-15 minute drive from Danforth Bay but due to no signs in the direction that we were coming from (King Pine) it took us more like 30 minutes.

Parking was very limited but they had lots and lots of apples. This place was bigger than I thought it would be. Apples were very good as well. Picking on 9/22 they had Macintosh and Cortlands. Next week they will have red and golden delicious.

A 1/2 bushel of apples cost only $12. We had a good time picking apples. Ward's Orchard is definately recommended if you stay in the local Conway, Freedom, Tamworth area.

They had some pumpkins for sale but that was about it.,

Gettysburg, PA Pictures

We visited Gettysburg, PA for our 1st homeschool field trip.
Check out the pictures!

http://travel.webshots.com/album/560755287MZVyzp

Resturant Review: Avoid Sammy's Paw Print

After a bad thunder, windstorm at Danforth Bay. Several trees down near the Brookside beach (almost hit a tent) we decided just to go out for a late dinner. We had company up so we decided to treat them to Pizza Barn for some good-local Pizza.

However we found out that Pizza Barn was closed due to the POWER outage from the storm.

This led us to Sammy's Paw Print in Tamworth, NH (which had power) - BIG MISTAKE!!!Here are our observations:

Extremely Poor Service:

• Got snickers from the Waitress when our niece was ordering a drink because she didn't know right away.
• No hostess - The one waitress in the entire resturant was very unfriendly and UN-Professional
• Bartender was not friendly either nor did she try to help the waitress out.
• The bar area was not busy at all. - Order for 2 pizzas, fries, onion rings, took well over 1 hour before we got the Pizza. Not fun with a whiny 3 year old.
• Our 2nd round of drinks was not filled for our main course. We had to ask for them to refilled and it took about 10 MORE minutes for them to be brought to us.
• By this time my wife went to the car with our 3 year old who had enough!
• 18% Tip automatically added to our bill because our party was 7 people. (This was a Saturday summer night and they only had 1 waitress!!!)

Confusing Menus

• We were given 2 to 3 menus per person yet there was no drinks listed on any of the menus

Food

• Onion rings were really good.
• French Fries were good.
• Pizza was OK; They advertise as the "Best Pizza in Town". Don't believe it! The pizza is slightly better than White Lakes Pizza but not nearly as good as Pizza Barn. They beat them hands down.

Facilities

• Bathrooms were down right scary. They were dark, ugly yellow tiles 1960s era on the walls.
• Dining room was average but their was paint pealing in places and dust
• Out table was sticky (not properly cleaned) - It makes you think what does the kitchen look like? My wife didn't feel well after eating there the next day

Overall:

• This place has potential but needs a refurbishment (new bathrooms and facelift for dining room)
• They need new waitstaff, hostess, and a new bartender as well as an upgrade on their facilities. The tip should have been more like 5 to 10% but I didn't argue this.

Avoid this place if you are staying at Danforth Bay or the Ossipee area.

Ossipee Lake Trip

We rented a small Pontoon Boat at Ossipee Lake Marina for 1/2 day. We could not have picked a better day!!!

If you stay at Danforth Bay you can get a 15% discount off of rentals from the booklet!

The boat however was quite disappointing. It was 25HP and very slow and tipsy but we had a good time anyways. We stopped off at Long Sands.

See full pictures here.

Transportation Week at Danforth Bay

Its Transportation Week at Danforth Bay! On Sunday they had Freedom, NH fire department visit. Cameron loves firetrucks so this was a big BONUS for him!

My public summer pictures of Danforth Bay (and local area) are kept here. I'll be adding more as the summer goes along.

NH Boating Education Course

Patty and I took the NH Boating Course this past Saturday at St. Joseph's Hospital in Nashua (exit 5 off of Rt. 3)

Here is the highlights:

Logisitics:

• Basement of St. Joseph's Hospital with about 40-50 other people. Get there early for best seating.
• Plenty of FREE parking
• Bring your own lunch! Only 1/2 hour and the food at St. Joseph's is not that good!

Course Overview:

• Sponsored by the US Coast Guard and the NH Marine Patrol
• Course is a SOLID 6 hours 9-12, 12x-3x with 1/2 hour for lunch
• The first hour was fluff
• The last 2.5 hours was intense (no breaks)
• The slides need updating they are the OLD transparency slides
• The instructor jumped around chapter to chapter
• The instructor was very humorous but most people in the class didn't appreciate this.

Course (six chapters):

• 1 - There are 6 chapters in the Course booklet - Know Your Boat (types of boats, personal water crafts (i.e., jet skis))
• 2 - Before You Get Underway (trailering, maximum capacity plate, float plan)
• 3 - Operating Your boat (navigation, buoys, anchoring)
• 4 - The Legal Requirements of Boating (life jackets)
• 5 - Boating Emergencies (fire extinguishers)
• 6 - Enjoy Water Sports with your Boat (towing skiiers)

Test:

• The big part was life jackets, buoys, and navigation
• A 60 Question "closed-book" multiple choice test given between 3:30 to 4:30 (corrected on site)
• There was about 5-10 things that were on the test that was not mentioned in the class (or that I didn't catch)
• Corrected on site in about 2 minutes!
• A grade of 80 is required (70 was passable in 2006)
• After you pass the course you mail in a portion of the certificate with $10 to get a real Boater's Education Safety card. The card is NOT valid in the state of Conneticut. I guess they do things differently down there! If you fail you need to take the course again.

Intertesting Notes:

• A 3 seater Jet Ski is consider a Class A boat
• You can loose your driver's license if you are caught intoxicated (.08 BAL) operating a boat
• Let the ventilation fan run 4 minutes after fueling
• Only 2 people outside the boat (while in motion)
• 150 feet is the maximum you can be from shore (unless you are at headway speed)

For those that are considering taking the course, I strongly recommend that you get a copy of the Boating Manual (we got one from Ossipee Lake Marina) if you are not familar with boating safety

And yes... Patty and I passed!

Coleman SeaPine Review

Here is a review of the Coleman SeaPine that I got recently.

RV Manufacturer: Coleman
Model: SeaPine
Year: 2002
Type: Pop-up
Aquired: New
Slide-Outs: 0
Dealership
Buy From Manufacturer?: Yes
Comments: Very nice, reliable. No problems or leaks

Chocura Hike 2007

My youngest daugher, oldest son and I took a nice hike up the Piper Trail last Monday - July 2nd to the summit of Mt. Chocura with some new seasonal friends.

The Piper Trail is about 4.5 miles - one way to the summit. Most of the climbing is near the last mile and 1/2. I found this trail to be less exciting than the Champney falls trail that we did last year.

On the summit it was VERY windy that day. I was a little bit concerned that my daughter would be blown over the mountain. However the views were gorgeous!

This year it seemed like a much tougher climb, especially on the way back.

Hoping to hit Mt. Washington in August!

Found a good church!

We'll I found a great church to attend when we are up at camp this summer and fall. A couple weeks back I attended the First Congregational Church of Ossipee in Ossipee, NH and haven't looked back!

It is a bible-beliveing Christian Church which preaches the gospel and has a contemporary worship format. They have children's church for grades K-3 and a well supervised day care. My kids have even signed up for Vacation Bible School this week!

Its only 10 miles from Danforth Bay!

During the summer they up the number of services from 2 to 3!

Tom Johnson's Camping Center Review

Tom Johnson's Camping Center
City: Concord
State: North Carolina
Dealership: Tom Johnson's Camping Center
Department: Sales/Service
Sales Comments: I traveled over 600 miles to see a used Hilo at Tom Johnson's Camping Center. I was able to purchase a newer model due to their honest pricing and was totally satisfied with Salesman Timothy Hood, and Manager Bob White. They were honest and upfront, and very knowledgeable. I felt my dealings with them exceeded my expectations and I based this upon being in Professional Sales for over 30 years. I would highly recommend dealing with them on any RV purchase.
Sales Grade: A+
Service Comments: The Service Department worked past closing to make sure all equipment was in proper working condition prior to me testing the camper in their nearby campsite for Free. Everything worked perfectly and we were on our way to a happy vacation.
Service Grade: A+
Buy Before Yes
Buy Again Yes
Grade A+

Pinewood Derby Race Weekend at Danforth Bay

It's Pinewood Derby race weekend! Its also NH Bike weekend at Danforth Bay.
We came up early and are sitting by the fire working on our cars. Patty is sanding while Austin is whittling away! Hopefully I'll take some pictures and post it to my picture web site.

Pets Weekend at Danforth Bay

Friday night was a little big soggy and Sunday was very wet! But Saturday was pretty good (or at least better than expected) for Pet's weekend at Danforth Bay.

Check out some pictures here:

http://community.webshots.com/user/newenglandcamper

Seasonal Landscaping -- Part I

Check out the wall that Patty made up at Danforth Bay on our site... She did this in one day and more is planned...

This picture my daughther is posing pretty for the picture

Seasonal Landscaping!!!

See comentary above

Going Seasonal... Canoe Rack!

I haven't posted lately because we have been extremely busy working on projects at our seasonal site at Danforth Bay.

Take a look at the canoe rack that I built. I think the arms are a little bit long. Thanks to the Flintstones (from DBCR/That's Camping) where I got the idea (and the instructions!!!)

Last weekend, we also did the sewer piping with help from SEVERAL seasonal neighbors and comppleted golf cart maintenance from seasonal neighbors.

So yes, we got to practice my non-existent carpentery, plumbing, and electrical skills which I don't have! LOL! Thank you seasonal neighbors!

We also have building fences, putting up a deck and skirting to do in the future... Who knew that camping was going to be so labor intensive.