Cranmore Mountain, NH Review

From posting ski-conditions at another resort, I won two ski tickets from RealConditions.com to Cranmore Mountain in North Conway, NH.

However the free tickets were only valid for a Sunday-Friday trip so we postponed the trip.

The month of March flew by and we soon realized that this past Sunday 3/25 was closing day for Cranmore and it was either use or loose these tickets.

We decided to head up bright and early to Cranmore this past Sunday morning from Northern Mass. The drive up Rt 16 was absolutely breath-taking with a new inch or two all over the trees but NONE on the highway.

The conditions in the morning were really good and the crowds that we normally encounter were NON-existent. We headed strait for the high-speed QUAD lift (e.g., Skimobile express). We were in the fog for 3/4 of the way up and then it broke to crystal clear sky. It was kind of like when you take a plane and head up over the clouds.

The trails on the South Side of the Mountain that we usually enjoy such as Gibson and Beginner's Luck were not in good shape. Beginner's Luck was especially bad with lots of icy and even puddles in some spots. Any beginners at this point would have been disappointed.

This forced us on the more difficult trails on the North side of the mountain. I really enjoyed the Rattlesnake and Kanadahar trails. Bandit was really cool and that difficult of a trail but it was REALLY narrow and steep in some places. Austin said that he almost fell off. Arlberg was very difficult and should have been a black diamond (or maybe it was the time of day we hit it).

This mountain is much bigger than King Pine but much smaller than Gunstock.

Next Ski Trip: 2008 -- plans to hit King Pine, Gunstock, and Loon

Breaking News: Danforth Bay is now open YEAR ROUND!!!

Breaking News!

Danforth Bay Camping Resort is now open year-round.

Read about it on the front page. Discussion on the That's Camping web page.

Introducing Mowgli!

Mowgli -- the black pug... Our newest addition to our family.

Cold Springs Liquidation & Left Over Sale

Got a card this week announcing Cold Springs RV Liquidation and Leftover Sale.
I really don't have any inside information about this sale.... only what it states on the card.
The card states:

• '06 Must-Move Leftovers
• Freely browse our ACRES of Inventory
• RV Rentals now available
• Free Stay at Cold Springs Resort with RV Purchase
• March 24-25
• New Pop-ups available from $5495
• New travel trailers from $13,900
• Park Models from $32,900
• Class C Motorhmes from $49,900

Introducing Bailey -- newest camper

Gunstock Review

We visited Gunstock Mountain Resort in Gilford, NH Saturdy -- March 10 (home of Soulfest 2007 this summer). Wow! This place is great and easily one of my new favorite places to ski.

When we arrived at 8AM EST it was about 19 degrees but by mid day it was well in the 40s.

Gunstock is an moderate but easy drive from Northern Mass/Southern NH. It took us only about 1 1/2 hours from the Nashua area with a majority of this being highway driving.

This price of a lift ticket is about $56 per adult with teens and juniors being somewhat less. I had won two adult Primetime tickets from RealConditions.com which provides the most up to date ski conditions in the country!

Lifts

After getting our tickets and head to the Panorama High Speed Quad which is in the front of the base. This lift is REALLY easy to get on, moves quickly once it is past the base station and at the top the chair actually stops for a few seconds to allow you to prepare to get off. This may be confusing to some skiiers. I actually rely on the chair to sort of push my fat butt of the chair ;->

We also rode on the Tiger Triple lift. I believe this lift needs to be replaced. It was very wobbly and bouncy and moved very slow. We only rode this once. The Pistol Triple Chair is much better and provides an entertaining view of the freestyle terrain park. It's very interesting to watch the young ones do all types of jumps.

This resort is very popular (especially on weekends) and the lift lines at times were very long. This resort could look into replacing the Tiger Triple with another high speed quad chair in the same location.

One of the big disappointments and a logistical problem was that the immediate trail Derringer was closed for racing the entire time that we were there. This trail is a cross over trail from Flintlock trail which brings you back to the high speed quad. This closure yesterday forced us intermediate skiiers to ski down "Stonebear", which I would consider to be more black diamond than "Blue" intermediate trail since it is very steep and much more challenging than Flintlock. Not only that but it positions you back at the Tiger Triple chair vs. the Panorama High Speed Quad which I prefer.

Trails

Gunstock has some of the longest and most scenic trails that I have been on in a very long time. Trails probably twice as long as Cranmore's average run. On our first run, we headed down Gunsmoke, Gunpowder and Shotgun. Well packed powder and well groomed. Great scenery. I was amazed. Even with it being crowded at the base ... this is a big place you aren't going to have big crowds on the trails.

On our second run we decided to head down the otherside of the mountain down Flintlock. Wow! Was I even more impressed with the scenery. There was a perfect view of Lake Winnipesauke in its entirety and the surrounding towns.

Other activities in the area:

The Tilton Outlets are close by for those families who have members that do not ski. There was lots of snow-mobile trails as well as icefishing in the area as well.

Overall:

This is NOT a mountain for beginner skiiers (although they do have a beginner section but I could see spending $56 to ski there). This is more for the intermediate skiier.

With "Big Mountain" skiing in a fairly close location, spectacular views, wondefully groomed trails in a family atmosphere I'm definately going to be planning a trip to Gunstock in 2008.

If you camp at Gunstock this summer, I would highly recommend taking a hike to the summit on a clear day (if this is allowed) for an absolutely gorgeous view of the Lakes Region and NH Mountains.

Pictures are here.

Golf Cart Batteries

Got the following email from the Golf Cart Guy:
----

We will be making deliveries of 6volt & 8volt Trojan Golf Cart Batteries & golf cart tires throughout Central & Southern New England including central Maine, New Hampshire & Vermont next week March 12-16. All orders taken by Friday, March 9th will receive free delivery on each set (6) of batteries as well as any tires you may need. Free delivery of just tires must be a set of four (4). Price for tires are $56.00 for new tire on new rim, white or tan. Please call for battery prices. 508-423-6753 or 603-553-0239.

There is also a great selection or carts available at this time, call for availability & pricing.

Thanks, Tom

15th Annual Merrimack Valley Christian Film Festival

The Merrimack Christian Film Festival is returing to the Showcase Lawrence cinemas again this year for a 15th Anniversary. All shows are 100% FREE

Dates: Palm Sunday April 1 Thru Easter Sunday, April 6
Where: Showcase Cinema, South Lawrence, MA
Cost: Free
Schedule: Located Here

Movies include:
* Facing the Giants
* Hidden Secrets
* Jesus
* Holyman Undercover
* The Moment After 2
* Behind the Sun
* Road to Redemption
MORE!


For kids there is two double features of Veggie Tales

Danforth Bay Winter Trip!

Had a great weekend at Danforth Bay this past weekend.

* Went to King Pine (see my review in previous post)

* Spent quality time with our seasonal "family" who were staying in cabin #2

* Met up with our seasonal neighbors up in North Conway. It was wonderful to see them!

* Snowmobile parade that came down our street. It was cool!!!

* Our camper was surrouned by 2ft of snow.

We stayed in cabin #4:

* Warm cozy cabins

* Patty cooked! She warmed us up after a long day skiing with her home made beef skillet dish! (Jim -- you should of gotten pictures)
* Met and enjoyed a warm fire with new 2006 seasonals who were staying in Cabin 3 -- Mark and Kerry and their family.

* Loved the new additions in the cabins:

- New towel shelf in the bathroom

- New coffee maker

- New hooks for coats

- toaster new??

Cabins are only $86 a night + NH tax

- free cable (bring your own tv)

- free wireless internet (bring your own 'puter)

- access to family room

- also bring your own towels and any extra blankets you like (basics are provided)

Recommendations for next improvements for cabins:

* Replace the futons with REAL pull out sofa!

* New shower heads needed

Want a cabin reservation and it is sold out? Put your name on "waiting list"! Worked out great for our cousins.

2007 King Pine Trip

Last Friday we went to King Pine (KP) at Purity Springs Resort in Madison, NH. This pristine ski resort located just 7 miles south of Conway, NH was completely 100% open and ready to go with lots of natural and man made snow. There wasn't a single trail that was closed. (Remember previously how I reported that Pat's Peak stated they were open 100% when in reality there were several trails closed).

The tubing park which looked great and well groomed was even SOLD OUT for most (if not all of their runs). Even with the big crowds there was hardly a wait on the lift lines. King Pine had ALL lifts going at full speed. There was less stopage on these lifts as well (when compared to other resorts).

I got to try out my new Rossignol Z3 skis that I purchased recently from Ski Haus in Salem, NH. Um... my feet are still a little sore. I hope my boots will "pack in" during the next few trips. Now I just got to find the perfect winter coat to match my skis. LOL!

At King Pine, I really enjoyed the quieter side of the mountain which has the peaceful beginner trails -- Pokey Pine and Slow Pokey Pine. For those who are more advanced... not to worry ... this side of the mountains hosts trails such as Jack Pine and Red Pine. If you are really brave try out KP's new Pine Brule double black diamond trail! My kids did! My eight year old daughter who has only been skiing for 2 trips attempted this and realized her mistake. She ended up sliding down on her bum --- VERY FAST! The new triple chair lift is GREAT with little to NO wait. I have to admit the double chair that was there last year was a little bit scary.

I also love skiing between the trees up near the top of the lifts -- Pine Spills!

I wish Niki was with us (she's on her last week at USCG boot camp) because she would have LOVED the much improved snowboard and terrain park and the brand NEW 1/2 PIPE!!! Wow!!! You got to check this out! I was even inspired to do a small jump. They even had moguls on Pine Board.

Good thing about KP is that you'll probably run into a DB seasonal family. It was nice to meet up with the Flintstones and I could of sworn I saw other DB seasonals there (hard to tell with everyone decked out in winter gear).

This was an extra special trip because we went with our dear Danforth Bay seasonal family/friends (distant family but close friends). This was their first trip EVER for skiing/snowboarding and they couldn't have picked a better place! The rental shop really takes the TIME OUT to make sure the boots fit and you are well outfitted. They even got to see staff members Nick and Craig from Danforth Bay during their training sessions. They had a great time. King Pine puts a new meaning on their theme "It All Starts Here"!

The one thing that King Pine could do to improve is to replace the tow rope in the intermediate beginner's area with a moving platform near the front of the base.

To make things extra special King Pine had a Firework Display on Thursday - Feb. 22nd.

Next ski trip: Gunstock! Niki is coming home from USCG bootcamp and wants to hit the slopes!!!

That's Camping Spring Meetup at Danforth Bay

That's Camping is planning a Spring Meetup at Danforth Bay on June 1-3, 2007.

Check it out!

News from King Pine @ Purity Springs Resort

We are going up next week for some skiing!!!
Here is a message that I got today....
--------------------

King Pine and Purity Spring Resort are B U R I E D! Every trail has wall to wall powder and packed powder. Even the glades have plenty of fresh snow!Valentine's Day 2007 will go down in New Hampshire history as a snow-lovers delight!Approximate snowfall from our first Nor'Easter of 2007 is 16-18"! We're expecting a few more inches of snow on Friday, but then blue bird skies and temps in the 20's are predicted for the weekend... perfect for skiing, riding, snowshoeing... or whatever you choose.Now is the perfect time to take advantage of King Pine's KP4 Ticket. Simply buy ANY alpine ticket at King Pine and XC Skiing, Snowshoeing and Ice Skating are always included! Take some morning runs and head out for the woods for some adventure after lunch!
Adult tickets are just $39 and kids $26... everyday, even holidays!This weekend, we're looking forward to the opening of the halfpipe in the Twisted Pine Terrain Park! King Pine will be the only ski area in Mount Washington Valley with a halfpipe!
The snow is deep, fluffy and ready for any adventure! Come on up and experience Winter at Purity Spring! For lodging deals, see our special value packages for the best savings.
Hope to see you on the snow!Dano

Valentines Day at Purity Springs / King Pine

Got the following today from Purity Springs (from the same great folks that bring you Danforth Bay Camping Resort).

Wow! Sounds like a great deal!!!
Anyone want to babysit 3 kids. LOL!

---

Purity Spring Resort and King Pine are proud to offer our Snow & Snuggle Package on Valentine's Day for our eNews subscribers!

Listen to this folks... For just $82 per person, you and a loved one can stay in a deluxe room at Purity Spring with the following included:

• Deluxe lodging
• Flowers in your room and at dinner
• Candlelight dinner at The Inn Dining Room
• Horse-drawn Sleigh Ride
• Full Country Breakfast
• Wednesday or Thursday full-day ski tickets
• XC Skiing, Snowshoeing and Ice Skating
• The Mill Indoor Pool/Hot Tub and Fitness Center

Visit http://cl.exct.net/?ffcb10-fe3315717c650478731772-fdf2107376630d7a72147070-fef8107173670d-fe9f15737766007e74-fe0615707162077975117275 for lots of additional information or to see the menu that evening.King Pine is 100% open and is completely covered with snow! Snow conditions are fantastic and all winter activities are available!

The Purity Spring ResortSnow & Snuggle Package$82 pp/do

Does not include tax & gratuityUpgrade to a Luxury Suite for just $14 pp more!To book this 1-night package, simply call 1-800-FREE-SKI

I won ski tickets

I recently won a pair of ski tickets to a major ski resort in NH because I signed up to get the ski and snow reports from

www.skisite.com

They send me an email each and every day with the conditions.

If you are a skiier be sure to check it out (and perhaps win)!!!

Our next trip (and supposed to be our last trip) is going to be at King Pine and we'll be going out again too.

That's Camping Rally!!!

Debbie & Mike from That's Camping is hosting their first Spring Rally / Meet up at Danforth Bay. Check out the forum to vote on which days they should host it. We are planning on attending.

http://www.thatscamping.com/forum/index.php?topic=556.from1170897756;topicseen#msg3995

New England Camping Shows

Usually I post the camping shows on my website. I haven't had much time to prepare and post the list this year.

So I recommend that you look at That's Camping for the latest list of camping shows.

Snow Report from King Pine in Madison, NH

Got the following e-mail from Dano from King Pine:

WOW! This has been the perfect New England winter weekend! The snow and occasional squalls have moved out of the area leaving behind beautifully sunny skies and fantastic conditions for whatever snow activity you choose. Approximate snowfall from yesterdays storm was 5" - 6" of the fluffiest snow you can imagine! Winds and cold temps that were predicted for the weekend never really happened making conditions "picture perfect"!This past Friday was the grand opening of Pine Brule and the Black Bear Triple giving King Pine 100% terrain! Snowmakers have been cranking out tons of snow for the last month and King Pine is completely buried in the "finest quality snow" you'll experience in New England! This upcoming week, we're looking forward to the opening of the halfpipe in the Twisted Pine Terrain Park. King Pine may be the only ski area in the state with a halfpipe! Stay tuned for more info.
The conditions are perfect and King Pine is covered with snow! Come on up! See our special value packages for the most savings!
Hope to see you on the snow!Dano

Pat's Peak Report

We visited Pat's Peak in Henniker, NH yesterday - 2/3/2007. The skiing could not have been any better!!! This one was of our best skiing trips ever. Well... it could have been maybe a tad bit warmer but with our good thick layers of clothing we were warm. This was especially refreshing since we had a very disappointing trip at Cranmore when we visited in mid January.

With it being a sunny Saturday, in the low 30s, with a fresh batch of snow in the area (2-4"), it was sure crowded here. With the new snow being a big deal for us since our area has had no real significant snow at all this year. To alleviate the crowds, Pat's Peak opened up ALL their lifts including the Vortex double (which I rarely see opened). Therefore the lifts lines weren't that bad at all. When the 3-10PM skiiers came in, things got a bit crowded but that was for a short time and the lines were certaintly reasonable.

Some reports on the trails:
Puff/Whisper - Great snow! Small to medium jumps on Whisper. GREAT trails for beginners!!!
Squall Line - Great snow but very cold biting wind. You'll need a scarf. Level in some places. Need to pick up speed.
Zephyr/Glades - Love skiing through the woods. This was 100% snow covered and a lot of fun!
Blast - Lots of cool little jumps. Again 100% snow covered. This is one of my all-time favorite trails.

There were a few trails that were not 100% opened so their advertizement of being 100% was incorrect. Examples: path between Squal Line and Blast, path between Hurricane and Tornado.

Lifts:
- Hurricane Triple -- On this lift when you get near the top, on a very clear day, I believe you can spot a snowy Mt. Washington is the very FAR distance. I wish this lift went a little bit faster.
- They don't force you to go double or triple (like they do at Cranmore)
- The Vortex double and Valley double go somewhat faster to the top than the Hurricane Triple.

Lodge:
- Jammed pack. Eat lunch early to get place to eat. Love the outdoor bench seat (sun keeps you warm).

Other things to note:
- Pat's Peak BLUE trails aren't that too difficult to ski. Pat's Peak's black diamond trails are like Cranmore's BLUE square trails.

Here is a link with some of our pictures (included is two of them from Cranmore).

Journey was fun!

The Journey to Bethlehem in Windham, NH was really enjoyable this year and it wasn't as cold as last year! I was a little bit disappointed that I didn't get to see the drama in the beginning, but I hear that I can go back tomorrow at 11AM and see it, in its entirety!!!

The Romans guard station seem to be expanded this year. Overall it was a great Journey to Bethlehem and gives time to reflect back on the REAL meaning for the season.

The campfires were were, LARGE, and just wonderful! The Journey is over for this year but hopefully they will have it again next year.

Journey to Bethlehem

Windham Bible Chapel in Windham, NH (near Cobbett's Pond) is having their annual Journey to Bethlehem event. This is a re-enactment journey of Mary and Joseph to pay their taxes upon the birth of Jesus Christ.

There are plenty of campfires to keep you warm but wear something warm. I remember it being REALLY COLD last year.

This is awesome and a great way to celebrate the REAL meaning of the season!

Dates / Time:

Thursday, November 30, 2006: 7 to 9 PM
Friday, December 1, 2006: 7 to 9 PM
Saturday, December 2, 2006: 6 to 9 PM
FREE Admission. Tours every 10 minutes lasting approximately 30 minutes

Packing bikes with a popup camper

How to pack the bikes to your favorite weekend destination or to your summer weeklong vacation? When we owned a pop-up camper this was always an issue for us. I personally could really do without the bike, since I really enjoy walking through a campground to see all the "sites". However, this is really a necessity for a kid when camping. Especially if they meet up with old or even new friends. Now I brought up my bike to Danforth Bay this summer and unfortunately I only rode it once or twice. When we got the golf cart the bike stood lonely in our shed. In fact, I'm not sure where it is.

"How to pack bikes with a popup" was a question that has been brought to my attention by a faithful reader of my old website. Well I posted the question to the That's Camping Discussion board and of course got some great responses. Campne is using the following product by Cabela's next year. If anyone has anything good or bad about this product. Please let me know.

Golf Cart Guy

Got this e-mail about the Golf Cart Guy's current specials. Now is probably the time to buy to get great savings.

---

Coming In: 1997 Gas Powered Club Car Carryall I with dump body, top, existing fold down windshield & lights. $1850.00

2001 Beige Electric Club Cars. Was: $2250.00 Now: $2000.00

2005 Beige Gas powered Club Car. Was: $3850.00 Now: $3200.00
Add $200.00 for Color: Dark Blue, light blue, light green

1998 Silver Gas Club Car with black top & black seats: $2300.00

2001 Burgundy Metallic Gas Club Car: $2550.00

2001 Beige Electric Club Car with Aluminum Box: $2300.00

Add an Aluminum Box to any cart for $300.00 installed. (limited time at this price)
Add a rear seat to any cart for $450.00 installed. (limited time at this price)

If interested call Tom At: 603-553-0239 or 508-423-6753

Quiet at Danforth Bay

Headed up to Danforth Bay today to pick up our kayak and ladder (we are hopefully going to paint our hallways and room this winter). The place was very quiet. Last year there was workers scurrying about for the Bluffs and the new pool. This year it was quiet. All the leaves are down. Probably no new reports here on Danforth Bay until we visit again in January or February. I may post some stories, reviews, etc. of this previous winter.

I recently posted my fall pictures of Danforth Bay:

Fall Pictures

We are now planning our next adventure... Stay tuned!!!

Christian Book Warehouse Sale in Peabody, MA

Did you know that one of largest online Christian Book, Music, Video, and Music supplier operates rights here out of New England vs. in the deep South Bible belt?

Well this weekend they are having a Open House!

---------------------------

CBD’s Next Warehouse Sale Is November 11th, 2006!

Clear your schedule and set your alarm! CBD’s next
Warehouse Sale takes place this coming Saturday, November
11th, from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Seize this opportunity to buy textbooks for college or
seminary, start on Christmas shopping for your friends and
family, and of course, raid our enormous selection of bargain
items! As a bonus, author Philip Yancey will be available from
9:00 to 11:00 a.m. to sign copies of his new book “Prayer:
Does It Make Any Difference?”
(http://www.christianbook.com/html/static/271053whs.html?p=1133530&k=200100)

If you live in New England and love Christian resources, this is
the sale for you!

You can prepare for this shopping extravaganza by:

1. Getting clear, concise directions to our facility here:
http://www.christianbook.com/html/static/whcompany_events.html?p=1133530&k=200100

2. Ordering the items you would like ahead of time by using
our Easy Order service. Easy Order enables you to purchase
resources ahead of time either online or over the phone by
using your credit card or electronic check. After you check out
with the purchases you make during the sale, your pre-paid
order will be waiting for you at the Easy Order Pick Up area.
Using Easy Order eliminates shipping charges, saves you the
strain of lugging additional items around the warehouse, and
gives you more time and energy to browse our bargain tables,
warehouse sale specials and well-stocked warehouse shelves.

Here's how Easy Order works.

First, go to our site using this link:
http://www.christianbook.com/html/static/browsegen.html?p=1133530&k=200100.

When you use this link, special warehouse sale prices will be
displayed. Please note: If you leave the site, be sure to
re-enter the site using this link, or enter catalog code 200100
before completing your order to ensure proper pricing.

Second, be sure to submit your order before 12:00 noon
Eastern Time on Friday, November 10th.

Third, when you've completed your order, print out your order
confirmation and bring it along with you to the sale. If you
happen to forget your confirmation or have any questions
regarding your pre-paid order, simply stop by the Easy Order
table at the entrance, where our world-class customer service
representatives will be waiting to assist you.

Fourth, pick up your Easy Order on the way out at the clearly
marked Easy Order Pick Up area. A copy of your invoice will be
included with your order.

3. Look up the warehouse locations of the items you'd like to
purchase or peruse during the sale by clicking here:
http://www.christianbook.com/html/static/whlocation.html?p=1133530&k=200100.

Enter the stock numbers of items you’re interested in and click
the "Get Locations" button.

4. Finally, don't forget to take advantage of our Box Check
Service. The Box Check Service, which is located near check
out, provides you with a place to drop off the items you are
going to purchase. We will hold them for you until you're ready
to check out, so you can enjoy a pleasant, hands-free
shopping experience.

Get more information about the Warehouse Sale:
http://www.christianbook.com/html/static/whcompany_events.html?p=1133530&k=200100

See you at the sale!

Your Friends at Christianbook.com
Christianbook.com
P.O. Box 8000
Peabody, MA 01961-8000

Fryeburg Fair 2006

Well its been over a month now since we attended the Fryeburg Fair I finally posted my pictures. The camera was actually lost for a good couple of weeks in our van between moving decorations back and forth along with linens and stuff for our camper that comes home. Anyways... our pictures are here:

Fyeburg Fair Pictures

The Fryeburg traffic was exceptionally bad this year and the crowds were extreme. I really don't recommend going on a Saturday with small children. The price this year seemed a little steep at $8 per ticket. Kids however were free. I'm guessing they probably needed to make up the revenue from a disappointing 2005 season because of the rain.

No real changes to the fair when compared to years past. We haven't been since 2003 or 2004 and all the vendors were in the same place. I didn't notice any new attractions.

The fair is somewhat fun and the food is usally really good. However with the traffic and the crowds, we will wait until 2008 to visit the fair again (or maybe shake things up in 2007 and visit the Sandwich fair).

Thank you Danforth Bay

Thank you Danforth Bay for a great season!!! Its very sad that its a Friday night that we are not up there sitting by the fire. We will have warm memories all winter long.

However this season we got meet some new friends.

Favorite memories will be ...
- Setting up the shed when 1/2 our site was covered with ice
- Moving in day
- Meeting new folks from That's Camping, new seasonal friends, new friends, old friends
- Skunk Hunts with the kids
- Sand Bar at the beach
- Last quiet days at the pool

Things I wished we did ...
- Climbed Mt. Mary more (only did this twice)
- Learned how to play tennis on those gorgeous courts
- Archery... (never did this activity)

The trash trailers were a big complaint by many campers but we didn't mind them at all. The

The Whittier House Quick Review

We visited the Whittier House Restrarant on Rt. 16 in Ossipee, NH last Saturday evening. Here is a quick review from what I can remember.

This is a very large restruant (especially for this area) with plenty of parking that can accomodate large crowds. The front entrace hall is large and has plenty of room for waiting. In fact even though the resturant was only about 1/2 full we ended up waiting a good 10-15 minutes. We did have a party of 10 though but the tables we sat at were empty for the longest time.

We ordered 2 items of onion rings for an appetizer. These were very good and didn't last long on the table.

For dinner, I had the Chicken Monterey. It came with a very small salad that was good (but don't plan on sharing). Dinner rolls were provided for each member of the party. The portions were of a good size. The Chicken Monterey could of had a bit more garlic and flavor. Especially for the price tag of $16.99. There was a good amount of chicken provided and the portion size was good as I had leftovers for the next day. My wife had a cheese steak sub which came with french fries for $7.99. This was not good at all. It was dry and not warm at all.

The service was good (not great). The waitress seemed to be overwhelmed (even though it wasn't that busy) and mixed up the drink order but she did accomodate us by fixing this without questions asked.

From the bar: The raspberry margaritta that our friend order was just OK. The drink order from another party member was inconsistent. Strong and much better with the second order.

Overall, for dinner the prices are rather high for entrees and the food is good (not great). I hear that the Breakfast Buffet is VERY good. Next year, I would really like to try that out.

We went with some good friends so overall we had a good time and the 5 kids that we were with were basically good so we can't complain too much!

Overall grade for dinner: B-

Krista's in Cornish Maine -- Good breakfast eat

This weekend our "cousins" watched the kids for a couple of hours while we stole a few hours away to enjoy a stress-free breakfast. Dawn, the office manager at Danforth Bay highly recommended Krista's at the Cornish Inn, in Cornish, ME to our cousins. They have since been there several times now and highly recommended it! We wanted to see what the fuss was all about so we headed out on a beautiful crisp fall day this past Sunday for an anniversary breakfast. Cornish, Maine is an easy, direct, scenic twenty minute drive from Danforth Bay on Rt. 25.

There is plenty of easy-off street parking and a few spots in the Inn as well. We arrived to find there was about a 15 minute wait. However, the hostess was really friendly and she offered us some tea and coffee. They have a coffee bar and offer espressos, lates, chai tea, giradelli hot chocolate, etc. This was especially comforting since it was a little bit chilly out and in the main waiting room and his warmed us up. During the spring/summer season they have additional seating on the farmer's porch which may lesson or elminiate the wait.

We found the dining room to be somewhat small, cozy, but cute. If you like a lot of space (or want to have a really private conversation) this may not be the place for you. The service was very good as our coffee and tea was promptly refilled. The young waitress was very attentive. The breakfast menu was a little bit confusing as you order each item separately but was reasonably priced. There was really no order by number platters.

The food quality and quantity for breakfast was outstanding!!! I had an omelet stuffed with tomoatoes, onion, pepper, ham, brocolli, and cheddar cheese. The vegetables were either steamed or sauteed. They offer a good variety as well for omlets and scrambled eggs. For example, you can even order a mexican omlet. The omelet also came with (what looked like) home-made toast which was thickly sliced. I also ordered the Deluxe homefries because I heard so many good things about them. Deluxe homefries are chunks of nicely cooked potatoes mixed with bacon and cheddar cheese and topped with sour cream. This was surely superb!!! My wife had 2 thickly sliced pieces of french toast, scrambled eggs, and bacon.

Krista's gives you extra large portions so becareful on how much you order. Sadly to say, I was unable to eat every bite but did my best. After eating here for breakfast or brunch you'll be good to go until dinner time!

Because of its size, it is not really a place for young children but you certainly could bring in well-behaved children and have them accomodoated.

After our lunch we took a brief walk around the town and visited some of the Antique stores and then into Rosemary's Crafts store where we purchased another decoration accessory for our camper.

Overall, I highly recommend Krista's. We hope to someday try out their dinner and lunch menus. I was also really impressed with how friendly the people are in this part of Maine.

Rhode Island Camping Show this weekend!

I haven't blogged in a while because I've been super busy. Lots of missed oppurtunities. I missed posting the Danforth Bay Camping Show but here is information about the Rhode Island Camping Show:

Here is a link to the show:

Rhode Island Camping Show


Oct 20 - 22, 2006
Rhode Island Convention Center
Providence, RI

Hours:
Friday 1pm - 9pm
Saturday 11am - 9pm
Sunday 11am - 6pm


Admission:
Adults $7.00
Kids (12- 17) $5.00
Children 11 & Under Free
Seniors * $5.00
*Friday Only! No other discounts apply.





Two-For-One Admission Friday & Saturday, After 6pm

Pinewood Derby Weekend at Danforth Bay

I'm so looking forward to this weekend at Danforth Bay!!! It's the fall Pinewood Derby weekend. We missed the spring one somehow but the fall one should be just as much fun! I believe I was building a deck or something like that in the spring.

Don't have a reservation? Last weekend it was gorgeous other than a bit of rain on Saturday evening (which went away within a hour or two), the campground was only 1/2 full. I'm sure there will be plenty of great sites at Danforth Bay this weekend (if you wish to partake) as well.

I'm having the kids look for their Awana and Boy Scout cars right now. If you don't have a car I believe you can purchase a kit for $5.00 at Danforth Bay (I remember that being the price last year -- so don't quote me on that). I'm waiting to see when the race will be and if they are selling kits. This weekends Danforth Bay activities hasn't been updated yet on their web page.

Scary Golf Cart Story

We purchased a 2001 EZGO golf cart from New England Golf Carts in Reading, MA. Every now and then we take a ride with the kids looking for skunks at various parts of the campground. This activity started when we were taking our ride and saw one in the drain of Chocura Circle.

Well... last night while taking our "skunk hunt" the golf cart just stopped working, lights went out everything, while we were 1/2 way up the Chocura Circle hill. This was especially scary since there were 3 kids on the back and we started going backwards. I quickly stepped on the brakes and had the kids move out of the way while I backed the golf cart down the hill. When it was apparent that the golf cart was "dead" we all did our best to push the it back to our site (which was no small chore since we are on a slight hill ourselfs).

Today, I asked Danforth Bay maintenance for advice and they quickly brought up a cable and showed me where the problem was. Corrosion on the batteries had rotted out the cable.

Lesson learned: check your battery terminals.



As for the skunks... we didn't see one the whole weekend.

Santa's Village Review

Santa’s Village Review

Today we visited Santa’s Village in Jefferson, NH. This Christmas Yule Time theme park is located on NH Rt 2. and is about 45 miles from North Conway, NH and about 70 miles from Danforth Bay Camping Resort (DBCR) from where we started. Even though this theme park was quite a distance in both time and miles (about 1 hour and ½ in the car from DBCR), the views of the Presidental Mountain Range made the miles and the time fly by.

Parking & Admission

The park itself has plenty of free parking. Admission for ages 4-64 is $21. Children under 4 is free. We did not have any discount coupons (nor do I know of any). The park overall is very clean. The bathroom near the main entrance could use some extra soap and detergent but others within the park were spotless.

When you enter the park you are introduced to the Elf-abet game. With this unique and clever game the kids are given a card and the instruction to find 26 ceramic elves within the park and then have the card punched with the puncher that each elf is holding. At the end each child and adult receives an small prize.

Grounds
The grounds were very well maintained and clean. Little penguin statues (similar to the one in DBCR’s family lounge) serve as trash containers. Lots of well kept and watered flowers graced the landscaping along with a thick natural forest throughout one section of the park. Also a man made stream (I assume) flows through the center of the park into a small little pond with fish. This park offers plenty of shade and benches strategically located near the rides.

Rides

Some of the favorite rides included Rudy’s Rapid Transit Coaster (today it was run twice around), Skyway Sleigh Monorail, Santa’s Express train, and the Humbug Laser Tag Hunt ride.

Some rides even though marked appropriate for ages 2 and above (with a parent) are clearly not recommended. We took our 2 year old on the Yule Log Ride (water flume) and the drop was a little bit more than expected.

Santa’s Village has a traditional ferris wheel which from the top provides a splendid view of the White Mountains Presidential Range.

Food & Refreshments

For theme parks, the food is very reasonable priced. To save a few dollars and have more of a variety you can pack up and bring in your own picnic lunch. There are plenty of picnic tables which many coolers were stored. Several of the picnic tables are located in a nice semi-private woodsy setting. We had our lunch at Nick’s Pizza Emporium. A full size 14” pepperoni pizza cost $10.00 and was very good and filling. Drinks run about $1.50. The kids also decorated their own large gingerbread cookie ($2.16) at the Sugar n’ Spice Bake Shop. I got to sample my daughter’s left overs and the cookie was indeed quite excellent.

How does it compare to Storyland?

The big question we had from our friends and seasonal neighbors was how does this compare to Storyland? First of all, I believe that Santa’s Village is slightly smaller than Storyland. Storyland offers 21 rides and I believe Santa’s Village offers the same. There seems to be more shade at Santa’s Village. We went during peak season on a prime weather day and the crowds were much less at Santa’s Village. We arrived at 10AM and finished up around 3:30PM (kids rode on all the rides with not much waiting). The gift shops are much better at Storyland. The staff is very friendly at both places. There is skee-ball and a few amount of games at Santa’s Village (I don’t believe there are any games at Storyland).

Recommendation

Overall, this was a refreshing change from one of favorites – the Storyland Park in Glen, NH. Like Storyland, this park is geared for ages 3 to 12. Children older than this may be somewhat bored. This park is small enough that you can see all the sites in about 6 hours. We got there around 10AM, left and 4PM, and had a nice dinner in N. Conway before the dinner rushed arrived and before our 2 year old has his typical melt-down.

Open House at the Bluffs

We got an invite in our Danforth Bay seasonal mail today:

The Bluffs at Danforth Bay -- Open House
Date: Saturday, August 26, 2006
Rain or Shine: 11AM-3PM

Meet at the Clubhouse for tours leaving every 15 minutes!

Santa's Village Pictures

Went to Santa's Village in Jefferson, NH yesterday. Had a blast! Stayed tuned for my full review.

In the meantime be sure to check out our pictures:

Santa's Village Pictures

Mt. Mary Pictures

Danforth Bay's Transportation week was a blast!

Our family climbed up Mt. Mary here at Danforth Bay. For myself and 2 older children this was probably our 10th time completing this event. However this was new for our 2 year old, my wife, and our "seasonal cousins". I ended up carrying the 2 year old on my back for 3/4 of the trip but the weather was NOT hot so this was not a problem. Activity staff, Brianna and Sarah hosted this event and gave us some great facts about Mt. Mary.

Pictures are here:

Mt. Mary Hike!

Transportation Week at Danforth Bay

This week has been great for activities here at Danforth Bay! For the most part, Danforth has put a spin on some of our favorite actitivities while creating a new one here and there

* The Freedom, NH Fire Truck visited on Sunday at the Depot field
* On Sunday evening a horse pulled wagon pulled around the wagon ride
* Getting into the visit the Bluffs is only by a tour now (you can't drive in your car or golf cart). Today there was a wagon ride to the Bluffs (we didn't attend).
* Today was Danforth Bay's Inagural Bicycle Trip (8 miles round trip) to Bobby Sue's icecream place in Freedom, NH which was hosted by Activity staff Brianna and Sarah (Nick and Jenn brought water for us in the the Purity Springs pickup truck). The icecream was definately a treat! Riding home was challenging. We didn't stop for any breaks.

* Also this week 3 canoe/kayak trips!!! Hopefully we will get to join at least one trip.

Now all they need for transportation week is a golf cart parade (we would be there!!!) ;->

New Internet Service at Danforth Bay

The wireless service this summer at Danforth Bay has been spotty and very unreliable. Unless of course, you pack things up and make a trip up to the Family Lounge at the Depot. I always hate doing this because I feel such like a nerd!!! LOL! This year however I've bumped into several vacationers who rely on the internet service to get their jobs done. In fact one woman booked a site for 5 weeks because she knew she could work online.

The good news (I hope)! There appears to be a new wireless service that is currently being installed through out the park today. I saw the workers up on top of Pascoe study, up near the depot, and near the Purity Spring Bathhouse (yes this is a new location for Intenet). The service on the truck is called nomaDisp. An article that I found on the internet is posted below.

Here at Danforth, from what I gather you have to create an account and have free access for 3 days. For people here a week or more I hope that this will be corrected. Sort of like some of the hotels in the area use. I'll let you know if this is going to continue like this or was the original setup of this service.

Anyways... it is good to be online by the fire!

Article on Nomadisp

Going Seasonal ... metered Electric

Got our first electric bill which ran from April 28th to August 3rd. The total bill for this time frame was $100 and some change. Not bad for 4 months of camping including the AC running for most of July, golf cart charging (month of July only), Patty's decorative lights on the gazebo and camper. I noticed we watch far less TV up here so that definitely did cut a lot back.

BRRR! So much for global warming!

Global Warming! Bah! I don't believe it. Its the middle of summer and FREEZING here at Danforth Bay. I even had the heat on this evening for a short amount of time. Two sweaters, pants, etc.

We went down to the meteor shower tonight but the moon was too much! We saw few shooting stars and lots of satellites.

Perseid Meteor Shower Aug. 11-13

The Bowman's who regularly post on the That's Camping web site informed me of the following:

The Perseid shower will reach its peak late on Friday and Saturday nights for viewers in North America. You need no equipment other than your eyes to see "shooting stars" every few minutes.

Soulfest discount coupons

Soulfest Revolution is starting today and running through August 6th. We haven't been to the one at Gunstock but it is a GREAT Christian music festival. I highly recommend it.

Soulfest 2006 Discount Coupons

That's Camping Presence at Danforth Bay!

Wow what a presence from That's Camping at Danforth Bay.

We had a nice friday night "driveway" conversation with That's Camping member WerSilly (Jenn, Bob, & their 3 girls, and their Jack Terrier "stud"). They had a GREAT vacation and was really impressed with the crystal clear lakes in New Hampshire and Rivers.

However we were really disappointed with the situation that TC member Bowcamper had with some security issues. See discussion boards!

My kids have become friends with the kids of TC member Flintstones. We hope you have a great trip in Virigina and can't wait to hear about your adventurers.

It was nice to meet up with That's Camping member golflm and his family. I hope we were able to answer all your DB questions and found it funny how close we live to each other "at home". Also what screename is "Lisa". I can't seem to figure this out!

Hopefully TC member Campnuts is having a nice "quiet" time this week at DBCR! Although I noticed that the ballfield was a little bit noisy while we were stargazing last nite. So I'm anxious to hear your report next week.

Of course it will be great to see Debbie and Mike next week when they arrive for their vacation.

Beautiful Day at Danforth Bay!

What a difference a week can make!!! Last Saturday rain, rain, rain. Today sun, sun, and lots of more beautiful sun! Summer at its peak. Overall, what a great glorious day! At the Brookside beach we found a nice clear sand bar at a more (or less) private beach near the end of the Merry Meeting sites. This sand bar features CLEAR and CRISP water (where where the brook comes out). The water is even more crystal clear and refreshing that at the Brookside beach. Something new that we found this week at Danforth Bay. We went to Brookside beach early and stayed until about 3PM. Our 2 year old even feel asleep in the shade on a towel.

Danforth Bay is now using what I'm going to call "controversial trash trailers". I've talked to 2 people and they don't like them!!! I have no real opinion of them. If they indeed empty them each night it should be NO problem. Leave them past dusk then skunks and other creatures will be invovled. I say lets give DBCR a chance to see how these work!

I'm glad that DBCR didn't close the second pool yet. I think they should wait until after the busy season. The campground is still full but very quiet during the evening when I visited last week.

Heritage NH Review

Heritage NH Review

We visited Heritage NH this week during our family vacation in the White Mountains area. Heritage NH, which is located in Glen, NH, and owned by the Morrel family is closing its doors for good after their 30th anniversary this year.

During our recent visit when we entered Heritage NH we were immediately greeted by an 1600s “English woman” who welcomed us into “the port”. We quickly proceeded to buy our boarding tickets ($11 for adults and $5 for children) and after viewing the English village boarded “the ship” when the captain rang the bell. The captian told us the boarding rules and then proceeded to show us the pot that we would use for our essential facility needs. Upon departing to the New World (in New Hampshire), we were able to view each room including a replica of an Indian village with real fish in a simulated river including a waterfall. Each room moved up in years. We learned about colonial times.

In the colonial print shop we learned that it took 1 week to produce a newspaper that cost 1 cent. Each family was able to get a souvenier copy. The fireworks display in the Presidential speech room wasn’t working correctly.

Each member of the family has their favorite room, mom likes the Algonquin Indian village, dad likes the train room and Mt. Cranmore skimobile replica, our kids like the 1800s mill room, the snow scene room (with real ice pole – like at Storyland), and civil war balloon.

Overall, if you have never been, visiting Heritage NH is a must see. Heritage NH has not changed too much in the several years that we have visited. Last year seem to be the most memorable and the most educational because our oldest son did the study guide for his homeschool lesson. If you want the whole experience have your kids try to find all the answers. Overall it will be sad to see Heritage NH shut down. Our family has enjoyed visiting this attraction each year (especially when it is raining). We hope that they incorporate many of the attractions of Heritage NH into the Storyland Park which is located next door.

My photos of this attraction is located
HERE

Going Seasonal: Monday AM Commute

Well this was the 1st week that I did the commute from Danforth Bay to/from my place of employment.

On Friday afternoon, I left around 230PM (from the Burlington area) and traveled up I95. The traffic was GREAT. None! I got up to Danforth within 2 hours and time included stopping for the "cheap" gas in Wakefield, NH (25 cents per gallon less than the average Mass prices).

This morning, like clockwork, I woke up at 5AM. The night before I decided I need to make up some walking that I didn't do because of a motorized vechile (that I will talk about in another post). Austin wanted to go on the walk as well so I carefully woke him up. His sister wanted to go as well but she wasn't moving even after a few pokes and prods. Austin and I took a casual walk up Main St. Danforth Bay through the ballfield. Not a soul in site. We headed over to the ball field area. Did you know they have sprinklers on the ball field? We then ventured up to the Bluffs at Danforth Bay. Austin was a little bit cautious about heading up because he was too young. I assured him it would be fine. We took a nice walk up through the hills. The temp was nice in the low 70s and their was plenty of daylight (if this becomes a tradition this might be a problem in late August). We even saw the sun rise over one of the rolling hills of the Bluffs. Austin and I joked about which site Patty and I would like to have when we hit the current requirement age (of 50 or rather NO children living at home). That makes it about 16+ years or whenever our youngest leaves us (not that we are counting). Hopefully the waiting list won't be as long as it is to get into Danforth Bay!

There was definatley more activity in the main part of the campground when we returned. Lots of dog walkers and morning joggers. We got back to our site at 6:15AM and I quickly got ready for work (without waking up the others which is amazing in itself being in a camper). I hesitantly left the campground around 645AM for my 2 hour journey. I stopped at the Dunkin Donuts in Ossipee. These establishments are NOT AS QUICK as the ones we have here in Mass. I think I waited at least 15 minutes in line. My patience level was fine until I hit the Mass state line! Traffic was fine until I hit Rt 128 in Peabody. What a mob scene -- I kept saying " Isn't anyone on vacation or playing hooky to go to the beach today?"

Now Danforth Bay is too far for me to commute each day but leaving Monday morning gets me to work more or less on time and the NO SUNDAY checkout is definately a benefit of being seasonal!

Hemlock Grove Campground Review

Stan provided this campground review of Hemlock Grove Campground in Arundel, ME. Stan gave it a grade of A-

This place sounds like a WINNER!!!


Dates & Cost


Dates Camped: 7-2-2006 - 7-11-2006
Site Camped On: 40
Size of this site:Large


Cost: $35.00 with 0 kids!

Campground


Size: Large
Type: Some Seasonal (~20-40%)
Registration: Easy, Quick and Painless
Grounds: Well Maintained and Clean
Owners/Staff: Friendly and neatly dressed
Staff Comments: Owners are from the area and can/will steer you in the right direction for beaches/stores.
Quietness: Quiet
Highway Noise: Very Minor Traffic Noise
Average Site Size: Large




Facilities


Restrooms: Super Clean
Restroom State: Modern, State of the Art
Hookups Available: 4-Way (W/E/S/C)
Electric Hookup Available: 20/30/50 AMP
Internet Capabilities: No Comment
Camp Store: Limited


Activities & Entertainment

Planned Activities: None
Days of Activities: None
Fishing: No Comment
Swimming: Ocean
Game Room: No Comment
Other: Basketball Court

What's Near by: the ocean, gift shops, antique shops, yard sales, flea markets and a million places to eat.



Comments


This is a fairly new campground maybe 5-6 years old. The sites are large and easy to back into. There are 5 sites in the open for "Aircraft Carrier" type rigs that want to hit the satellites although these large rigs will fit easily into most of the treed sites without any problem. This is a quiet campground with no planned activites and NO POOL. There is a little kids playground ith swings/slides and a basketball court with a net at only one end. This is a place to use as a base for going to the beaches and all the other things you'd do in southern Maine. It's located 10-15 minutes from US Rte.1 in Wells. There are several "pack-em & stack-em" campgrounds/RV parks there if that's your cup of tea, or a roomy/quiet site here. We liked it enough that we're returning the end of July for a long weekend.

If this is your 1st. visit to the area, I urge you to try The Maine Diner on US Rte.1 in Wells. This place is a landmark diner serving comfort food. There is usually a waiting line but they'll give you a beeper for when it's your turn.

Mt. Chocura Hike Pictures

My oldest son and daughter hiked up Mt. Chocura Mountain in the NH National Forest last week (only July 6, 2006) after camping at National Forest state park Jigger Johnston.

The following link has some pictures.

Mt. Chocura Hike PIctures

Let me know what you think!

Mt. Chocura Hike Pictures

My oldest son and daughter hiked up Mt. Chocura Mountain in the NH National Forest last week (only July 6, 2006) after camping at National Forest state park Jigger Johnston.

The following link has some pictures.

Mt. Chocura Hike PIctures

Let me know what you think!

Sunburst Onions at Danforth Bay

The snack bar at Danforth Bay is now located near the brand new 3 beach volleyball courts (BTW: e-mail if you need players... I used to love Volleyball as a teen/young adult). This is conveniently located near the brand new pool and 3 new tennis courts as well (hopefully opening soon -- delayed because of the rain in May and June).

New at Danforth Bay this year is the Sunburst Onion kiosk. According to Craig they are going to try it out at Danforth Bay at certain peak times to see if gets any business. We tried an onion on the forth of July (with double ranch sauce). It was so good that between the 4 of us it didn't last 5 minutes. I highly recommend trying this out! The cost is $7.00 with 1 dipping sauce 50 cents more for another dipping sauce.

Jigger Johnson

Back from vacation. Got lots of stuff to post here in the next few days. Stay tuned.

Here are a couple of Jigger Johnson Campground pictures. I highly recommend this campground for people who like to rough it a little (e.g., no cable tv, running water, or electric). Very natural, large, private, sites.

Check it out!

Jigger Johnson Campground

Danforth Bay Update

We are here for the week. If you haven't been here in over a year you are good to see some real positive changes:

* New Pool is open as of July 1st. Its a little bit cold right now because it needs to "adjust"
* New Volleyball courts are open
* New tennis courts look like they will open soon
* Drive-in movie is now at the Volleyball courts with the movie being projected on the mainteance shed.
* Security gates are now up! Make sure to bring your $10 refundable deposit for gate card
* Brand new paddle boats
* Roads look like they are 100% completed
* Storage area is done. I believe you can "stay late" or "arrive early" and park your camper there.
* Improve cable

Brattleboro North KOA, East Dummerston, VT Review

New Review today. I'll post officially on my website tonight.

Brattleboro North KOA
East Dummerston, VT
Stan White's Grade: A


Dates Camped: 6/16/06 - 06/19/06
Site Camped On: A14
Size of this site:Large
Cost: $35.00 with 0 kids!


Campground
Size: Medium
Type: 100% transient
Registration: Easy, Quick and Painless
Grounds: Well Maintained and Clean
Owners/Staff: Friendly and neatly dressed
Quietness: Very Quiet
Highway Noise: No Highway Noise
Average Site Size: Large




Facilities

Restrooms: Super Clean
Restroom State: Somewhat Modern
Hookups Available: 3-Way (W/E/S)
Electric Hookup Available: 20/30/50 AMP
Internet Capabilities: No Comment
Camp Store: Good to Average



Swimming: Outdoor Pool
Game Room: Room OK but could new games
Other: On Site Laundry
What's Near by: Located near MA/VT/NH borders. Easy drive to Mohawk Trail, off Rt 2 in Greenfield, MA; Yankee Candle factory store in Deerfield, MA; Mount Monadnock in Rindge, NH or any number of small towns in VT.

Comments

This is my first time at a KOA and although not my idea of a "campground" it seems (to me) more like a RV park for people traveling and wanting to stay somewhere for a few days. It's very clean and well thought out. Every RV site has a large tree for shade and a BBQ. No campfires permitted unless in the BBQ. Trash is picked up daily from the provided trash can in your site as well as the BBQ ashes. The Rest rooms were so clean you could perform open heart surgery in them. The Rec hall has a pool table, ping pong, a couple of arcade game$, TV and 1 internet computer with a scrolling message stating for adult use only. There is free WiFi throughout the property. The is a laundry room whch was very well maintained and the cost was something like $1.50 for wash (25min) and the same for dry (45min). Iron & borad were free.

The pool ranges from 3' to 5' and also very well maintained but bring your own chair as there were only a couple.

Attack from mosquitos

Our little boy was attacked by mosquitos on Sunday this weekend even though we had repellent on him. (We probably didn't put enough on him.) We took a walk through the woods at the campground. Sunday night he had a small bite but by Monday morning his face was swollen up. Benadryl did the trick to get the swelling down.



Watch out this season and replenish your bug repellent on the kids often!

Beacon Hill Campground (PA) Review

Stan W. posted this campground review of Beacon Hill Campground in Intercourse, PA to NewEnglandCamper.com. Very interesting review! Check it out!!!

If you wish to post a review to NewEnglandCamper.com fill out this form.

This weekend at Danforth Bay

Better weather (well at least in comparison to last weekend) and quite a bit more people (about 70% full) up at Danforth Baythis weekend. Carriage had their rally and camped up mostly on Chocura Circle. The Carriage Rally also hired a DJ for Saturday night (Danforth Bay's typical Ram Jam) and invited the entire campground to join in the fun. No one did. The music for the 1st half hour was more for the mature campers (e.g., Frank Sinatra, Barry Manilow). We stuck around and when the last of the Carriage campers left the party lights went on and the DJ started playing the typical pool house music. Due to the lack of people, I even tried to learn the "Cotton-Eye-Joe" dance. Patty even got to dance the "Electric Slide". Our family, our cousins family, and a few seasonal kids were the only ones at the "party" so it was just like a private party.

Also week, the patio for the new pool looks like it is ready to be paved soon.

Bicycle tags are now required for all Danforth Bay campers. You can get them during check-in. If you break any of the bike rules you get the tag punched. After 3 punches the tag gets taken away and you will loose bike privileges. I support this rule!!! Remember NH now has a helmet law for kids now. This is a good and sensible rule! Our daughter had a crash on Webster Way and it was a good thing she had a helmet on.

Bike week starts in NH this week but it appears Danforth Bay is a little bit too north of the festivities. Plenty of sites available when we left on Sunday.

Full time -- summer activities start next weekend.

Bluffs at Danforth Bay Update

Went up to Danforth Bay late Saturday. Drove through the Bluffs to see what all the buzz was about (e.g., decks, campers, rocks, sheds, etc. moving from one site to another). Lots of NEW SEASONAL sites available (and probably already reserved at Danforth Bay).

Several new campers moved in but plenty of sites seem to be available. This is a first class campground with nice views and gorgeous pool area, tennis course, etc.

Check out my pictures. I'll be sure to update as long as they don't kick us 30 somethings out once and for all.

The Bluffs At Danforth Bay

Niki Graduates!

She was 2 when I met her and 16 years later, Niki has now walked up and received her high school diploma.

We are so proud of her!

Pictures are here:

Graduation pictures

New Paddle Boats At Danforth Bay

I guess Danforth Bay has new paddle boats (check out the picture on their website!!!). I talked to Nick (new activity director) a couple of weeks ago and I hear that Danforth Bay buys new kayaks each year!!!

This year I guess they have decided to buy a few paddle boats as well. These look really fancy. I'm sure the kids will want to rent these (if we can get on one!!!).

Popup Trailer Roof Support

Good post for discussion. I got this message from my web site today about roof support. Anyone have any opinions? I know when we had roof problems because of a snapped cable the roof wouldn't go up correctly but it certaintly didn't fall on anyone.

What about, not sure how many stories are out there on this, the roof collapsing. Is / are there any suggestions on this? For instance, can something be purchased that can be placed inside of the camper, once the roof is up, that will act as a backup system in case the cables decide to give?

I am sure something can be made or built, if just a regular piece of steel.

Soul Fest 06 Brochure came today

Forget American Idol (which I have little interest in ... although I do like last years winner Carrie Underwood's latest hit), the latest Soul Fest 06 brochure came today. This year it is again being hosted by Gunstock Mountain in Gilford, NH

On-site camping at Gunstock is available!

Some of my Christian favorite bands/groups will be there including:

• Audio Adrenaline -- This will be their farwell tour!
  
• Newsboys
  
• Casting Crowns
  
• Chris Tomblin
  
• Jars Of Clay
  
• Jeremy Camp
  
• Mercy Me
  

Other major Christian artists such as the following are schedule to appear as well:

• Third Day
  
• Rebecca St. James
  
• Skillet
  
• Natalie Grant
  

Niki loves Barlow Girl and they will be there as well.

I'm really hoping to go this year but the prices are still quite steep (e.g., $30-$37 per person per day). Discounts are avaiable. Checkout their site.

Another incentive for me to go... I checked, only 44 miles (or 1 hour) from Danforth Bay.

DBCR Camping Page

Danforth Bay camping page is updated on www.newenglandcamper.com

I'm hoping to add in some more information about some other sites that we visited last summer as well as some new tips for visiting the resort.

Starlite Camping Resort Review, Stevens, PA

The following contains a review from a reader of NewEnglandCamper.com. I'll be putting this on the 2006 Review page.

Starlite Camping Resort in Stevens PA (an alternative to Hershey High Meadow)

Dates & Cost
Dates Camped: 8/21/05 - 8/25/05
Site Camped On:
Size of this site:No Comment
Cost: $37 with 2 kids!
Firewood Cost: $
Firewood Quality: No Comment

Campground
Size: Large
Type: Half Seasonal/Half Transient
Registration: Easy, Quick and Painless
Grounds: Well Maintained and Clean
Owners/Staff: Friendly but sloppily dressed
Staff Comments: Family owned campground - friendly & accommodating
Quietness: Quiet
Highway Noise: No Highway Noise
Average Site Size: Medium


Facilities
Restrooms: Clean
Restroom State: Somewhat Modern
Hookups Available: No Comment
Electric Hookup Available: No Comment
Internet Capabilities: No Comment
Camp Store: Good to Average


Activities & Entertainment

Planned Activities: No Comment
Days of Activities: No Comment
Fishing: No Comment
Swimming: Outdoor Pool
Game Room: No Comment
Other: Horseshoes
What's Near by: Hershey Park (25 miles), Lancaster County, Amish farms, Lititz Pretzel Factory

Comments:

This campground sits up on a hill and the view of the farm valley is beautiful. The stargazing at night is great.

We were there during the week and towards the end of the season so it was quiet. I can't write about planned activities, but I know they normally have them during the weekend. While the location of this campground was about 10 mins from anything (groceries, gas, etc), we'd go back in a heartbeat.

We actually stumbled upon this campground after a AWFUL experience at the Jonestown KOA and I couldn't believe that there were no reviews on this place. Of course this campground could be a different story during weekends or particularly busy times, but for a mid-week trip, relatively close to Hershey, it absolutely could not be beat

Danforth Bay Update - 5/22

Even though it rained most of last week there was some major changes at Danforth Bay:

Danforth Bay's main entrance road was about 1/2 way paved. I suspect that the entire road will be paved by Memorial Day weekend. The posts for the security gates have been put in.

The new pool is nearing completion. It has been entirely cemented. I suspect this will be done before summer.

There are actually campers now in the Bluffs. During my tour I saw 5 campers on various sites. They also paved a good portion of the Bluffs paved as well.

This weekend was the first really busy weekend at Danforth Bay. Lots of campers this weekend. Chocura Circle and the Penisula area (MerryMeeting) looked close to 100% full. On top of the hill it was mainly quiet. That's Camping web site has some good pictures of the doggie activities.

The Sun is Out!!!

At 610PM here in a soak drenched flooded North East Massachusetts the SUN IS OUT and God has made a beautiful rainbow!

Wow its like we haven't seen sunshine in years!

Wanted

The following things I'm looking for (at a good price):

* Fishing poles, equipment, etc.
* Canoe
* Baseball equipment

Send me an e-mail @ NewEnglandCamper@comcast.net if you have any of these things that you want to part with

Camp Free with KOA this Friday - May 12th

We did this a couple of years back at the KOA in Woodstock, NH.

I guess they are doing it this year as well. There is even a KOA at the Cape that is participating!
From the KOA website:

Camp FREE on May 12!
Join us Friday, May 12 for the third annual KOA Come Camp With Us Day. We’ve got more than 27,000 FREE campsites and Kabins available in the U.S. and Canada.

Today is the Day

Today is the day that you can start making shorter (e.g., weekend stays) at Danforth Bay for the Summer 2006 season. Keep calling and try to get in touch with a person. They will not accept a phone message as a reservation. If your weekend is not available put yourself on the waiting list. We got all our weekends that we wanted last year (and we were on the waiting list several times). Good luck!

New Danforth Bay Brochure

I got the new Danforth Bay brochure yesterday (that you get at checkin).
It looks very similar to the 2005 brochure. Here are the changes I spotted:

* Map of the Bluffs. People can try out the Bluffs for $42 a night (for a minimum of 2 weeks).
* Danforth Bay has expanded cable now with 73 channels!
* New trash trailers available from 8AM-2PM through-out the park
* 2007 rates posted (most things going up by $2.00). 20% discount on fall/spring mid week stays (Sun-Thurs)
* Speed Limit = 7MPH
* New Volleyball and Tennis courts

Going Seasonal - Day 1 - Moving In Day

Yesterday was moving in day at Danforth Bay. DBCR is now a buzz with kids riding their bikes, golf carts moving around the campground, kids (and adults alike) shooting hoops at the basketball courts, and the store open.

The new seasonal office (where the apartment used to be) here at DBCR is really nice. Cold Springs delivered our camper.

Day one was tiring emotionally as well as physically. We waited on our site until 1130 when Cold Springs showed up to deliver our camper. A couple of hours later they hauled off our old camper. Its nice to be in our new camper but to see the old one go away is difficult because he had good memories in that one. Then came the unpacking and deciding where to put things!

Fires are not allowed here at DBCR this weekend. Most likely because it has been a really dry spring. Hopefully we will get a little bit of rain so this can be corrected before Memorial Day. They were working on the main road yesterday and had to take the detour. This will be really nice once it is paved.

Going Seasonal: Moving In Weekend!

Lots happening at Danforth Bay!

This weekend begins moving in for new seasonals at Danforth Bay Camping Resort and the end of our life as we know it! Patty has been diligently packing up the van all week with clothes, food, supplies, pots, pans, cleaning supplies, you name it (everything on my checklist and then some). We even had to take a detour on the way home from our 12 hour ride to visit family for Easter in order to visit a favorite interior decoration store for the camper (e.g., (Kirkland's ... people in the south know what i'm talking about). Patty did a great job packing up the camper... it was so jammed packed with stuff that we had to take two cars up! Not good for these gas prices.

Well at DBCR, some early birds were taking advantage of the weather and are now up there camping early. We are staying close by so we can be there bright and early for setup of our new camper which is arriving from Cold Springs RV.

The new entrance at DBCR looks GREAT! They will have to relocate the snack bar because that is now a road. The "wood" cage still exits in its same location.

Other Danforth Bay events: May 1st is when you can schedule shorter stays (e.g., weekend). Stayed tuned for our story on this! Be sure to call early because sites will fill UP FAST!!!

May 5th is their opening weekend!!!

Stay tuned for updates all weekend long (if I have internet from my web site).

Gas Temperature Map

Check out the Gas Temperature Map provided by www.gasbuddy.com

This could make a difference in where you fill up! Next week I'm going to fill up in the Danforth Bay area vs. back home in Mass.

http://www.gasbuddy.com/gb_gastemperaturemap.aspx

Bluffs/Cold Springs

Cold Springs stated today that camper deliveries to the Bluffs has been delayed until June.

Visited Cold Springs and Camper's Inn

We went up to Cold Springs RV today in Weare, NH. Its always a pleasure dealing with Norm. We missed the free food from the Open House though. They shut that off at 2PM. We didn't see the product demonstrations.

We then stopped at Camper's Inn of Merrimack to pick up a few things from their sale paper. During checkout we recieved a FREE COLEMAN COOLER. This is available to those of you who receive their sales booklet. Stop in and get a nice cooler (a $40 value). You'll need to inquire about this at the parts department. We purchases a few things from both establishments.

Cold Springs RV Camper's Kickoff Celebration

Got a flyer in the mail about Cold Springs RV having their kickoff celebration.

Some of the highlights on the flyer:
* April 22-30th
* Stop in to win front row tickets to see Martina McBride
* Free food both weekends!
* 6 months no payments
* The first 400 visitors to Cold Springs RV (4/22-4/30) will get a chance to scratch and win a pop-up valued at $7500.00
* Free gas for a year! (see salesman)

Hersheypark's Spring time in the Park

We were away for Easter! We had a blast on the way down to Virigina at Hersheypark's Spring Time in the Park.

7 More Days until Opening Day for Camping!!!

Check out the pictures:

Our Hershey Park Pictures -- 2006

Merrimack Valley Christian Film Festival

The 14th Annual Merrimack Valley Christian Film Festival is starting this Sunday at Showcase Cinema's in Lawrence.

All movies are FREE! Check it out!

Happy Easter Season!

NH State RV Law?

Got the Camper's Inn flyer in the mail today. On the back it states the following:

Have you heard. New Hampshire - has a new state law. All RV must have state inspection by June 30th.

Does this include seasonal campers? What if you don't have a tow vechile for your seasonal camper, will you be exempt? What about Mass campers who probably make up 50% of the population (if not more) at NH campgrounds.

Anyone have any more information? Why did they implement this law?

Danforth Bay Opening Day Countdown (37 days)

37 Days Until Danforth Bay's Opening Day (30 days for us seasonals)! Have a great vacation DBCR! I'm sure its going to be a VERY BUSY summer for you! We can't wait!!!


Danforth Bay Count Down to Opening Day

Partial Keystone Cougar Review

Here is what I got for a review. I'm not sure what happened but I have gotten a couple of these. I tried out my form. E-mail me at NewEnglandCamper@comcast.net if you want to complete this review. I'll post this on my website page as well.

Hoping to get to that this weekend!


-------------
RV Manufacturer: keystone
Model: cougar
Year: 2006
Size: 30
Type: 5th Wheel
Aquired: New
Slide-Outs: 1

Dealership
City:
State:
Overall Dealership Experience: No Comment
Dealer Service: No Comment
Buy From Dealer Again?: No Comment
Buy From Manufacturer?: No Comment
Problems:
Overall Grade: No Comment
Comments:
Name:
Email:

Flagg RV Dealership Review

The following is a review that I got on Flagg RV from Stan W. I'll update this on my web page soon.

Dealership: Flagg R.V., West Boylston, MA


Department's Dealt With: Sales/Service

---

Sales Comments: Low key sales staff, No pressure here.


Sales Grade: A+

---

Service Comments: Only dealt with service department for pre-delivery work. The service department folks were great.


Service Grade: A

---

Store Comments: Small parts store located at the end of the lot is not owned by Flagg R.V. but by a former employee who took it over from Flagg a while back. It seems to stock a fair amount of stuff and can order whatever else you may need. Not an R.V. superstore but I've been in a lot smaller ones. This one is worth checking out.


Store grade: A-


Buy Before? Yes
Buy Again? Yes


Overall Grade: A

Comments This is a family owned business and has been around fo many years. They have another dealership in RI and can be checked out at http://www.flaggrv.com/

We bought a left over 2005 Jayco Sport from them and were treated as though we had purchased a big buck motorhome. These folks want your business and want you to come back and buy in the future. God I love business' like this.

The only thing I could find fault with was a couple of things not fixed after we got the trailer home. 2 cabinet door latches loose and the medicine door mirror askew in the frame. rather than haul it back for these minor repairs I fixed them myself, all of 10 minutes worth of work. All other stuff (stove burner replacement & furnace control board) were repaired and working fine.

RV Life Insurance?

I recently purchased a new camper! Details and photos coming soon. One of my concerns was I felt pressured into buying life insurance from my RV dealer.

Here is a post that I put on RV.Net about this issue!

Buyer's Beware if you are purchasing a new RV.

My New Favorite Web Site

My favorite camping web site these days is the following site sponsored by Cold Springs RV. Of course, I have a reason why I'm looking that this site. Our cousins and our family has placed orders on new Salem and Sierra campers.

Anyways... these Web Cams are really cool and show you how active this business is with people coming and going! It would be really neat if Danforth Bay had these web cams. Of course not by the pool please! ;->

Bluffs Update provided by Danforth Bay

Danforth Bay has updated their website with new pictures of the Bluffs clubhouse, pools, and more!!! They also updated the news pages. This is very exciting news for those who are moving in this spring.

Danforth Bay - Bluffs News

Going Seasonal ... Putting up a shed

With the weather being so unseasonably warm on Friday and Saturday this really motivated us to head up to Danforth Bay to put up a shed and do some overall site cleaning. Even though the snow is 100% gone here in N. Mass (for quite some time now), I wasn't quite sure it would be all gone up in North Country. I had called DBCR and they said they had 1-2" of new snow on the ground but warm weather was coming. I was a little bit tense about this but we found a fairly level place to put the shed on our site that wasn't covered with snow.

The instructions for the Rubbermaid Big Max (7x7) shed that we bought at the Home Depot in Tilton, NH (S. Nashua was out of them) state that it takes about one hour for two people to put it up. For the most part, I completed the setup and installation by myself in about 3-4 hours! I'm sure if I had to do it again it would only take me 2 hours ;-> LOL! There were several occasions where I needed Patty or Austin's help. Installing the roof into the grove was the most difficult part. Most of this is a snap into place shed with very little screws (about 50). I know this shed would not survive the mildest of hurricanes but at Danforth Bay that is probably very rare of happening.

Pictures to this story is located here:
Shed Pictures

Also this product is very large and REQUIRES a truck for delivery from your local Home Depot or other fine reatiler. We rented one from UHaul. Not cheap. I would have went for the Home Depot delivery truck but there isn't one available in the Ossipee Lake Region area.

Jellystone Park (Ashland) brocure came today

We haven't been to Jellystone Park in Ashland NH since 2003 and yet we are still getting brochures in the mail. We won't go back there either because of the way we were treated around the time my wife's dad died unexpectedly in June of 2003.

With that being said... the brochure this year is brand new. New fonts, colors, etc. It looks more professional. Other than that things haven't changed much expect for the price. If you want full hookup it will cost you $60. This doesn't include the cost for children and for air conditioning. So a small dirt site (that has AC) that I can put my camper on would cost my family $73 a night! Ouch! The cabin is $76 a night for Rustic and $138 for Deluxe. I guess the economy is doing well if they can get these prices. Also they did away with Rustic/No hookup sites.

Sites are 1/2 price during the offseason. We found that is the best time to go because the activities are just as good on the weekends.

Other than the fonts, layouts, and price. The brochure hasn't changed much.

Going Seasonal....

In November of 2005 we were fortunate to get a call from Danforth Bay that a site was opening up for the 2006 seasonal season. We quickly went up and had an interview with Dianne.

Stay tuned for stories on "Going Seasonal....", I already have a few!

Camping World delayed until June 2006

As you probably know, a brand new
Camping World store is coming to Chichester, NH at Meyers RV!

However it is not opening until June now instead of April as first thought. There will be a Grand Opening celebration at that time. More to follow!!!

Bluffs at Danforth Bay Update

We met up with Bill the security guard who is now residing at Danforth Bay for the winter. He told us that the Bluffs at Danforth Bay was making great progress and to check it out!

Since the weather today was gorgeous (sweater weather for us true New Englanders), we took him up on his offer! After parking the car in the ballfield we took a nice walk through the Bluffs after checking out of the cabins and cleaning out our camper (in storage).

We found that the clubhouse is really coming along nicely. I took a peak inside and found it to be well insulated. On the outside they are starting to put up a nice maroon siding. Different from the DBCR brown siding used on many of their buildings. The tennis courts appear to be completed (minus the net -- at this time) and quite large! If I was going to be a camper there I guess I would be inclinded to learn tennis. Although, I guess I have no excuse since Danforth Bay installed new tennis courts this past fall. Take stock in tennis balls!!!

I didn't see any totally completed sites and the road was rough in places. Although I did NOT walk through the entire campground. The telephone poles are up to serve electricity through the park. Bill said that the town was upgrading the electricity through here and DBCR. I did see a worker's van travel the entire road through so the entrance road must be in good shape.

Well... if you want to see more then check out my pictures that I took today:

Bluffs at Danforth Bay - March 2006

Back from Cranmore!

Well we got back a great day of skiing at Mt. Cranmore in North Conway, NH today. The weather wasn't too bad. It was warm and comfortable at the base. There was quite a cold artic wind on the Beginner's Luck trail. One could easily spot the snow showers in the nearby mountains. Here is a link of my picture page

CranmorePicture Page Link

Mt. Cranmore is one of my favorite mountains but is also everybody else's favorite moutain and therefore was very crowded! Not to mention they were having NH state final J4 and J5 races today and tomorrow! Overall I beleive Cranmore really needs to add new high powered/speed lift to their system. I've spent more time in line today compared to King Pine and Pat's Peak combined.

The trails were also very icy in several spots. Lianna had fun in Penguin Camp.

Well now that skiing is done for us for the season its time to get ready to camp!

News from Danforth Bay!

Well we planned this trip to Danforth Bay last October and we couldn't of asked for better weather. Well maybe a tad bit warmer. We are staying in one of the cabins. Last time we stayed at the cabins they were entirely empty (except for us). This time they are SOLD OUT. There is even a few transient winter campers at the top of the hill. I'm sure the snowmobilers here would like a little bit more snow.

We met up with the Bill the security gaurd yesterday. He's moving to the Bluffs this summer along with 40 new campers (I'm not sure how many of them are originals from DBCR). I'm really hoping to get down to visit the Bluffs tomorrow. There was a lot of construction traffic again yesterday when we arrived. Bill also said they are hopinig to utilize the back entrance more this season for departures (esp. on Saturday). Everyone be happy to know that the town is upgrading the electricity here at Danforth Bay/Bluffs and surrounding areas. The entrance road is much wider and will be paved this spring. I believe its going to be a busy fun summer at DBCR since Sandy stated they the campground spots are practically filled up! Make your reservations NOW to get into this great campground.

4 Camping Shows this Weekend!!!

Lots of RV shows in New England this weekend! Spring is just around the corner!

* Central New England Show, Worcester, DCU Center
* NH Show, Armory in Manchester, NH
* Vermont State RV Show
* Rhode Island Show

Check out my web page for more details!

New England Camper's Camping Show Page